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Doing Head Gaskets on a 09

81K views 181 replies 52 participants last post by  GeoJB 
#1 ·
So at work we're starting to see quite a few newer VQ35s commin in with what appears to be external coolant leaks from the cylinder head gaskets. I talked to another shop and they told me they've noticed a couple too. Nissan Techline seemed to have heard about the issue and instructed us to replace the head gaskets and check the cylinder heads and block for warpage and/or cracks.

On this MO it has approx 27k miles, 2009 model year and was in pretty good shape. Coolant was not leaking to the floor but there was just a dry crusty buildup around the head gaskets, prob not even really leaking anymore.





 
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#5 ·
Izzy-

Excellent! :29: Thank you so very much for sharing these excellent photos!

I have a feeling this thread will be referenced quite often in the future when members are looking to pinpoint a specific component or assembly on the VQ.

Thanks again.

-njjoe
 
#9 ·
Turbizzy, are these primarily from Mo's or the VQ's in general from other models? Gives rise to a bit of concern.

Thahnks for the pictures, great reference!
 
#15 ·
No symptoms, its not like it was puking out or anything. I suppose if you let it go thousands of miles you may loose alot of coolant and eventually overheat but thats worse case scenario. I suppose you may set an overtemp code if this were to happen.
 
#16 ·
I just had my 09 SL inspected by my dealer and he said I've got a leaky head gasket. Car has 65k miles on it, so I'm just gonna nurse it for a few more weeks before I trade it in. Between need ing the head gasket and brakes all around, she doesn't owe me anymore. Just a little disappointed that it should need this kind of major surgery after only 65k. :28:
 
#17 ·
Well your only 5k miles out of powertrain warranty, do you have a good relationship with your dealer? Try finding out if your a candidate for some type of goodwill assistance. If not, maybe ask the service manager if you guys can work out some kind of deal, split the cost 50/50 or something. Right now dealers are slow, im surprised if they turn down work.

Its not like they're puking coolant out guys, please don't let this scare you into unloading your cars. I've seen a ton of cars with these type of leaks run perfectly fine for thousands of miles, have you ever worked on a small block chevy lol?
 
#20 ·
I don't see the point in spending well north of $1500 for everything that needs to be done with this many miles on it. I drive about 24k miles a year and this is my third Mo. So I guess I might have to admit I like the car. I spent about 3 hours yesterday reviewing all the possibilities for a replacement and the Mo still seems to be #1. No other manufacturer provides the function, utility, luxury, style, quiet ride...that I want, and for the money either.

Just hope that I never have this problem again and Nissan figures out why it happened.

I'm also picking up a Corvette this spring, so that should cut down on the number of miles I rack up on the Mo.
 
#19 ·
Couple of my coworkers were looking around at the empty engine bay and we were wondering the same thing. I think if i didn't have a lift and absolutely had to do it in my driveway it might be possible. There is alot of room between the engine and bulkhead especially if its not an awd. Definately pulling the cowl, wipers, radiator, battery, ecm, everything as much as possible. It'd be a tight squeeze getting the timing covers off but i think if your willing to do the work............ yeah i'd say its possible. Its just a whole lot easier to pull the engine out especially since i can have it out in like 3 hours or less. The entire job only pays just under 15 hours under warranty so anything for us to get close to that we do.
 
#27 ·
My major concern is getting the timing cover off. I'll just pray that my MO doesn't need head gaskets. Or anything that requires removing the motor per the Service Manual for that matter. Pretty much anything related to the heads, timing chain, water pump, CVT, and transfer case!
 
#23 ·
Also, where exactly should I look to see if mine might have this leak?
Take a look at the pictures i posted, look at the green crust between the cylinder heads and block. Its kinda hard to see with the gravel sheilds and everything installed but if you look real carefully from under the car you might be able to see. Or just have your local dealership take a look while your having your routine service done.
 
#22 ·
I don't know about the VIN range, like i said there wasn't a bulletin or anything on it, just something a techline specialist told me. I will keep you guys posted if a bulletin or something else comes out but as of now nothing.

If it were me and i owned one of these affected models and indeed was leaking, i would try to wait as much as possible but before my powertrain warranty expired of course. Im thinking they might come out with a revised headgasket or something? But if your close to expiring then definately get it done. Maybe and hopefully they may extend the warranty on them??? Im not saying they are but.... maybe they might. This is why even if you pay for the repairs, keep your records in case they reimburse.
 
#25 ·
I think that even if I were planning on trading, I'd at least make an effort to get the head gaskets done under warranty. I wouldn't feel good about passing that problem to the next owner if I could avoid it.
 
#28 ·
Well, it looks like this problem is more serious than the transfer case of the transmission failure where the transfer case/transmission gets

replaced as a whole assembly (well, except for a seal) with less potential to disturb anything else along the way. Here, it looks like it is a

major surgery with unpredictable side effects.
I scoured the net and there are about 10 individuals that went through the head gasket replacement on 2009. Some Altima owners complaining

about constant antifreeze smell.

With about 50K Muranos produced in a year it may not sound like a big deal, but some owners may have something better to do than report their

issues on various auto forums :) so the actual number is obviously unknown. Nissan Corporate is bound to have the idea on the failure rate, no

question about it.

I don't believe that most dealerships have well-trained mechanics to this kind of job. I really wouldn't want to trust the engine into the

hands of those guys that change oil in my vehicle; crashing on the seat in their soiled clothing (without bothering to use any cover) and

going all over the dash taking readings without even wiping their hands covered in oil residue.
Apart form basic mechanical procedures (during the head gasket replacement) the manual specifically calls to avoid getting antifreeze on the

belts, ensure that no leftover gaskets' particles get into oil or cooling passages and so on. So the outcome is a crap shoot.

Just for kicks I checked the gaskets' part numbers on the Nissan Parts at nissanpartszone.com: Nissan Accessories, Nissan Auto Parts site.

No. 044-8J102 (L)/044-8J107(R)

was used in earlier model Muranos within these production dates (VIN based) 2004.08-
--I checked a couple VINS of 2007 models and they still using this part, it has been a long run..

No. 044-JA12A(B)

was used in Muranos 2009 within these production dates (VIN based) 2007.10-2008.05 (8 months only)
was used in Altimas within these production dates (VIN based) 2006.10-2008.08 (almost 2 years)

No. 044-9N00A(B)

was used in Mo 2009 within these production dates (VIN based) 2008.05-2008.10
was used in Mo 2009 within these production dates (VIN based) 2008.10-
--for some reason the same part is listed twice with different dates on the site, I would assume it goes 2008.05-
was used in Altimas within these production dates (VIN based) 2008.08-
was used in Maximas within these production dates (VIN based) 2008.05-

There is no data on the site for Model Year 2010.

I am curious if the gasket 044-JA12A(B) was not up to specs as this is the only one that was 'briefly' used and eventually discontinued. Well,

unless there is another gasket that is not listed on the aforementioned web site.

Speculations,speculations....
 
#30 ·
Good info and some great pictures.

Obviously this is not something you would want to happen to your engine, but overall I don't think its that horrible. As the poster said, as long as its not puking coolant or losing at a rate to cause concern, you'd probably never notice this. I do vaguely remember some people complaining about Coolant smell in their 2nd gen, and I wonder if this is the cause.

I have an early production 2009 LE (Feb 2008) and never noticed smell or issues. I may look next time I'm under changing the oil, but as mentioned earlier...the scariest part of this would be letting some unknowledgable Nissan tech tear it down to replace the gaskets...probably chances of causing more issues than fixing this small issue.

By the way...while the heads and valves looked fine...the pistons looked a little rough, although not horrible. Strange
 
#32 ·
I think if I had this problem I'd drive straight to California and ask specifically for Izzy. :)
 
#33 ·
And if there were any part compatibility issues I'd ask for UncleWillie.

-njjoe
 
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