I just recently acquired an 89’ s13 hatch with an original SOHC KA with about 270kms on it and the chassis. The only issue that it has right now, would be the fact that the headgasket is blown. Now, i know that this can be a quick and cheap fix, but my question is, what happens when the head itself is warped? How much (roughly) would it cost to fix? And seeing as it is only a single cam, would it be a smarter decission to ignore the leaky gasket (and most likely the warped head) and just go along with a DOHC ka that has lower KM’s?
for the price of a ka head gasket and head you can probably pick up another single or maybe even a dual cam.
i have a sohc you can have…only thing is it has 2 bent valves…
ok . First off, cailesj, don’t try to sell the guy crap. It doesn’t seem like he’s that knowledgeable.
Sorry Hacknik lol, maybe I’m wrong…BUT, a head gasket is a huge job. More work and money than pulling and replacing an entire engine. It is FAR from quick and cheap. If you take it to a shop, its $1000+. Buy a ka24de and swap. If your serious about keeping the engine you have now, you can get the head milled for $200 ish if you get them to take out the valves and everything. If you do the work maybe 75 ish. I highly suggest you just swap it out for a dual cam…But thats just my 2 cents…
My quote exactly on parts and labor for SOHC head gasket was $1200.
In the end the guy who buys your car wont give you 2cents more for it having a newer headgasket than if it were oem with 270k. Those engines just really have no value to them. For 1200 you can swap in a DOHC with lots to spare or save up a bit more for a SR.
for the price of parts to do a headgasket you can buy a lower KM single cam, they only thing they’re worth is their weight in scrap.
brendan, i’ll make you regret that statement some time.
ROFL, thanks for the comments guys, and yea, im knowledgeable, im just in a tight situation right now. Im just going to go ahead and grab a dual cam, then save for a CA, SR’s arent my style :P.
headgaskets are not the easiest if your working in the engine bay. But with some patience and time you can do it yourself for 200 bucks in new gaskets and such. Me and Alesserfate did the job on my Sohc before and it took an evening to do. How do you know the head is warped? if it is getting another used one shouldnt be expensive.
^^ thats just it, i DONT know if the head is warped yet, im just ruling out all the possible outcomes. If the head is warped, ill swap in a DOHC. If its just the gasket, then i’ll do the work. Either way, im going to have to get down and dirty before I get it on the road. I just wanted to see what everyone else would do in my situation.
Your block being warped is going to be the least of your worries, just clean it off really well with brake cleaner and use a wall paper scraper to remove the old head gasket. You can also use a head gasket sealer that’s only available from carquest. I cant recall what its called but its got copper in it…ive used it a few times and never had any issues
Ive gone threw this process with a buddy who built NOPI’s fastest fwd a few years ago that the block would be absolutely fine without machining and a stock head gasket. If you go aftermarket like an cometic gasket its advised that you do machine the block. Just get your hands on a torque wrench, timing light maybe a compression tester(not too necessary) and a haynes manual or the oem nissan one.
^ You can buy gasket spray (copper spray) at nappa, i used it on my headgasket. Seals better. Just get a kade for cheap and swap it, done deal.
alright, ill give it a shot this weekend. thanks guys