My Sanity Saver 521

[maxima_tyler]

sweet, its a prime item too (2 day shipping ftw), thanks!. im looking for a step by step on how to replace the head gasket if anyone has one. my searches havent turned up a good how-to yet

[hobospyder]

Remove head, take to machine shop to get checked and if required have the surface machined. Put new gasket on, put head back on. Torque bolts in pattern (Mike should come along) retorque bolts in same pattern. Should be two torques. I'm not home to look at my books with l motor specs and my books aren't home anyways, redeye has them

[hobospyder]

Damn I'm not being very helpful am i?

[flatcat19]

Old Datsuns.com Hainz has a series of videos to help.

 

 

Wedge chain.

Remove exhaust manifold to pipe bolts.

Remove hoses and wires that connect to cylinder head/manifolds.

Remove head bolts.

Remove head and manifolds as one unit.

 

That, with little experience, should be a couple hour job if going slow with hand tools.

 

Check plane of head. Clean. Reinstall.

[flatcat19]

Oh, never forget...TDC is your friend.

[uberkevin]

Top dead center.

#1 buy a service manual

#2 all the above posts

#3 but really most important thing clean the shit out of ever surfaces block, head front cover.

 

I normally use alcohol to try to get the oil off of surfaces.

[banzai510(hainz)]

my front cover was bad if you watch the vid. a tiny hole once it would pressurize. water in oil.

 

hope its the front cover. I put mine up to a light and saw it butt you can tell a bad cover looks like termites pounded it fron the inside or the gasket water passage area gasket is bad. otherwise its a guess if the gasket was that bad.

 

PS, oil sender light will go out with 5 psi I bet. But I run one also. long as its not a oil burner they are fine. Gauge oil preesure type with a line can break. but gives a actuall reading. But they do have transducer type eleltric ones now that are the shit.

[Charlie69]

my front cover was bad if you watch the vid. a tiny hole once it would pressurize. water in oil.

 

hope its the front cover. I put mine up to a light and saw it butt you can tell a bad cover looks like termites pounded it fron the inside or the gasket water passage area gasket is bad. otherwise its a guess if the gasket was that bad.

 

PS, oil sender light will go out with 5 psi I bet. But I run one also. long as its not a oil burner they are fine. Gauge oil preesure type with a line can break. but gives a actuall reading. But they do have transducer type eleltric ones now that are the shit.

That is from not using anti freeze.  eats up the aluminum quick.  It has also been noted that the cheap rebuilt water pumps with the stamped steel impeller cause more agitation than the cast iron impeller.

[maxima_tyler]

my front cover was bad if you watch the vid. a tiny hole once it would pressurize. water in oil.

 

hope its the front cover. I put mine up to a light and saw it butt you can tell a bad cover looks like termites pounded it fron the inside or the gasket water passage area gasket is bad. otherwise its a guess if the gasket was that bad.

 

PS, oil sender light will go out with 5 psi I bet. But I run one also. long as its not a oil burner they are fine. Gauge oil preesure type with a line can break. but gives a actuall reading. But they do have transducer type eleltric ones now that are the shit.

Thanks! i'll watch the vid after work.

 

Noob question time: what do i need to keep at TDC? is it a certain point on the chain?

Sorry if this is already in the vid, lol

[banzai510(hainz)]

you answered your own question. break the cam bolt loose and the lower crank bolt first then turn to TDC on crank. then disassemble.   lower the oil pan also as its hard not to rip the oil pan gasket when putting the fron cover on and not pinching the head gasket in the when installing the front cover. it pinches in the corner. Take your time if pinched it will leak and maybe not seal where the water passage it.

 

To tell if the forn tcover is bad remove the water pump first. If the cover is good then maybe its more the head gasket and you don't need to do a whole front cover assembly. just the taimming chain wedge and do a head gasket.

 

You can get others opinions on here also. but just my expierence and most likel youll do this twice since one don't listen the fist time(we all have done this)

[flatcat19]

Remove the 10mm bolt from behind the oil pump before you try to yank the cover off. 

[4perrev]

you can download the manual off a google search and then with Hanz' video, you will be able to get her all good again. Pretty easy from there.

[maxima_tyler]

Ok, i have the timing chain holding wedge, and i ordered a haynes manual which should be here next week. i also have the service manuals and all that stuff.

I watched Hainz's video for head replacement and i have a couple questions..

 

ill be doing this work with the engine still in the truck. in order to get the front cover with the water pump off, will i have to remove the radiator to get either of them out?

 

does the front cover or the water pump have a gasket? i couldnt tell in the video... the gasket kit i bought a while ago doesnt have a gasket that looks like it will fit... if they need a gasket, can the originals be re-used if they are in good condition?

 

do i need to remove the oil pump like in the video? im not sure why that was removed...

 

assuming i take this apart, and hopefully it just needs a new head gasket, i'd like to clean out as much of the milky oil and coolant as i can from the system. whats the best way to do that? i'll need to clear out both the oil passages and coolant passages.

[flatcat19]

Oil pump needs to be removed to get the single bolt that hides behind it.

 

You will want new gaskets. Do t chance it hoping they'll seal.

 

Remove radiator. Makes it easier to get crank bolt off and protects from protrusion to radiator.

[flatcat19]

Cover does not need to be removed if chain is wedged.

 

Remove water pump to check for pitting. Replace with new seal.

[banzai510(hainz)]

dude take the rad out first. Don't loose the rad 4 bolts as they are SAE sizes.( I have 510s so I might get the bolts mixed up if I lay them around and cross thread using metric)

then take the water pump out and behind the water pump and take a photo. of what it looks like.

This will make a decisison of weither to go further. If the cover is bad. if cover is bad You can leave the head on and try to find another front cover and slip another cover on. But most likely one needs to do the head gasket as they get pinched.

 

I break the cam bolt and crank bolt anf then line up to TDC on the crank with the timming marker. then get a Ink pen or white paint and mark the chain where the cam timming NUmber lines up in the 2 oclock position it will be 1 2 or 3.  then you can get the wedge and you jam it down deep in to the front cover. then get a hammer handle and push even harder to you can feel the wedge push past the tensioner.

 

hope this helps somewhat

[maxima_tyler]

thanks for the help guys! this forum is awesome.

 

i got the rad out and the water pump off, and picture.. No termite like pits or holes, so i think all is good there!

 

 

 i was about to get the head off but the battery on my laptop died so i couldnt follow the hainz video or the service manual. that'll be a task for tomorrow. i think i got the thing to TDC, but to be honest im not 100% sure. does this look right?

 

 

Point lined up with lowest notch on crank pulley

 

 

[uberkevin]

If you take your number 1 spark plugs out you should be able to see the top of the piston.

I use a wooden something or a screw driver to feel exactly when the piston is up, just before it goes done.

Then your cam lobes I think should be 'the front pointing at 10 o'clock and the second lobe at 2 o'clock. Once that's at top dead center stick that wedge in the front cover as far as you can.

[flatcat19]

The holes on the cam gear...if you look through you will see a notch that lines up to head.

 

Pics of crank and cam timing marks can be found all over.

 

Old Datsuns.com should have all the specs you'll need. Just have to click through to find it all. Great resource for old and new alike.

[wayno]

No, that is not TDC, it is 180 out, but as long as you put it back together the way you took it apart, then you will be fine.

The cam lobes would be at 10am/2pm if it was on the correct piston stroke, but your lobes are pointed down, so that is not the correct TDC.

[Charlie69]

Down load this pdf of the Datsun factory Manual.

 

Scroll down on the page and you will find a list of factory service Manuals in pdf form.

 

http://www.davidcmurphy.com/olddat/620tech.htm

[banzai510(hainz)]

Ok I cant believe no body say that don't look like a TDC head with the cam lobes in that position. That NOT TDC

 

 

all the other photos look right however I dial the crank to TDC knowing what my valves location is.  10 and 2

 

Yes you can take it part like that. But why.  If you do mark the chain and cam sprocket.

 

 

that front cover behind. I need a better photo. That look more beat up than what I can see.  Anther photo please up close. Not the water! the front cover

 

 

If front cover look OK you think then do just a head gasket and bolt everything back up and make sure the crank and cam bolt are about 100pounds torq

[Charlie69]

Wayno said it was not top dead center.