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Doing Head Gaskets on a 09

82K 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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#135 ·
Ever since I bought my 09 murano used/certified with 55,000. I could smell coolant after I'd pull in the garage. Took it in yesterday for a oil change and have them look into the coolant smell. Told service writer I smell coolant and I've read online it could be head gaskets. 40 minutes later he came back out and said it was head gaskets and got me a 2012 Rogue. Said it would be done in a week.
 
#136 ·
I had it back in alittle over a week. Noticed the alignment was off and that i have a Oil leak. Nice spots on my garage floor. Back to dealer today at noon. Not to happy with the service department. After I was told "We kept it a extra day to make sure everything was correct".
 
#137 ·
Thats too bad. Im trying to give them the benefit of the doubt and say there may just be some residual thats falling off but who knows. Its a big job yeah, but its not rocket science and most competent techs can tackle this.

I understand your frustration. Have you gotten a survey from nissan yet? Surveys are a big deal to us and any grade below the top score is considered an automatic failure and hurts the dealer's Customer Service Index (CSI). If I were you, take it back, talk to your service advisor, have them recheck the car and everything, tell them your concerns and tell them you got a survey from nissan that your waiting to fill out pending this repair. Im pretty sure they'll recheck it for you, hell maybe even ask for a complementary oil change or something for your troubles. If you really do get a survey, maybe bring it with you and use it as leverage in case your unsatisfied.
 
#141 ·
I did buy it used/certified from the same nissan dealership. I dont remember getting anything in the mail. Anyway, I dropped it off wednesday and nobody had called me to update me at all. I tried to call a few times but it was after service was gone. I had my times mixed up. I finally got ahold of the service writer today. Told me somebody was suppose to call me and he's not sure why that didnt happen. But they couldn't get right to it. It should be done tomorrow morning. It was the transfer case seal. At this point, i'm really just done with this dealership. I will be asking them about survey.
 
#146 ·
LOL its all good man, just give them time. Its a big job and trust me, after doing over 20-30 of these im still trying to get into the groove.

As far as inspecting it yourself, yeah just look from underneath the car with a flash light and try to get a look at the headgaskets. Its tough but possible. Also you can look in between the intake manifolds and heads while looking from the driver's side.

Also, wanted to share what all i've been doing all week! FML lol

 
#147 ·
More bad news

:28::28::mad::( Just got off the phone with dealer. My MO has been there since March 19th to replace head gaskets. They told me today that their tech put it back together and there is a timing issue now and they have to tear it back down to fix it. Maybe it will be done friday. I have very serious concerns that the engine may have been damaged due to the improper assembly. Any info or suggestions appreciated. Just really have a bad taste in my mouth over this.
 
#148 ·
By the way...Is it possible they bent the valves. They said they had to drop the engine again. Is that necessary just to reset the timing? Said it would be at least a 2 day job. Should I call Nissan and ask for a new engine. I don't think the dealer is being very upfront with me.
 
#149 ·
That really sucks, I HATE it when that happens. I always quadriple check all my timing marks on everything and sometimes even have another tech check them for me as well because even if one of the three chains are off one single tooth, it will set a check engine light for cam issues. And even before i fire up the engine, i always pull the fuel pump fuse and crank the engine for a while to prime the oiling system and pressurize the chain tensioners just to try to prevent the chains from jumping timing. But I've seen other techs have not so good luck and get them a tooth off sometimes, sucks cuz you gotta pull the front cover back off and start over resetting the timing.

No you don't need to pull the entire engine out to reset the timing especially in a Murano. Hell, one of our guys is even doing the whole headgasket job without even pulling the motor out right now! But for some techs, they may prefer pulling the engine out as its easier to work on that way.

Yeah in theory there could be damage to the valves IF the cam timing jumped far enough however there would be severe vibration and engine misfiring if this happened. I've seen cam timing be off as much as five teeth without any valve damage so im pretty sure yours may only be off one tooth. We use our scan tool to monitor cam angles and they should be close to 0 degrees at idle, if they're off like 30+ degrees then its pretty certain its off by one tooth, 60 degrees 2 teeth, etc.
 
#151 ·
Sit down now and get ready for this. Now it is not a timing issue at all. They said they sent the engine to a machine shop to check the heads and they returned it missing a couple of spark plugs. Subsequently, when they fired up the engine the pressure from the missing plugs damaged the valve covers, which they are now replacing. Does this sound reasonable?
 
#152 ·
I think so long they return your car in good working order as before then it does not matter what they replace-- its all on them anyways and you have warranty on their work. I am not surprise that this happened with my experience with a nissan dealer. I think being a nissan dealer gives them a blanket assumption from customers that they are all well trained and experienced. But its not true. They hire new mechanics all the time just like any other shop who learn as they go. Good luck.
 
#153 ·
Just talked to dealer, car is running, they will test drive tomorrow and give me a call when it is ready to pick up. Talked to owner of dealership also, and it sounds like they will warranty powertrain for 3 more years because of all these problems. I'm glad because this stripped down, 4 cyl. rogue I have been driving for the last 3 weeks is definitely no MO.
 
#154 ·
Wow! Thats crazy lol. I can't see how missing spark plugs can damage valve covers but whatever lol. Im sure theres some other stuff that happened there that prob didn't get explained properly but at least its running now and im guessing is good to go?
 
#155 ·
Got car back yesterday afternoon. Everything seems OK. Noticed they scratched up one of the front wheels(saw them laying on the floor of the garage finish side down). Checked it out myself last nite. New oil, new antifreeze, no leaks. They agreed to a 3 yr warranty for the powertrain, filled it up with fuel, and are mounting and balancing tires for free when they come in(yoks parada spec-x-$178/tire price match discount tire). I am calling nissan consumer affairs so this is well documented in case of any future issues.
 
#158 ·
Just bought ours Saturday...after finding this forum and spending my day reading up on the MO's I also found green crusty jump near the exhaust manifold as stated in the beginning of this thread!!! I have to go back to the dealer for undercoating and paint protection next week anyway so this WILL be brought up as will my steering column tilt motor issue! 3 month bumper to bumper from dealer and 4 yr/48k power train as well!!!

Oh yea 2009 platinum graphite LE w/o nav, 79k miles

Thank god for this forum!!!!!!!!

Sent from my Autoguide iPad app
 
#159 ·
Traded for '09 Murano with 25,000 at the end of May from a Ford/Lincoln dealership. Started noticing antifreeze smell in garage right away. Didn't notice it while test driving since the vehicle was always out in the open. Googled it and found this thread. Murano was manufactured in August 2008. Crawled underneath and saw the crusty green build-up on the block. Took it into Nissan dealer who verified that both bank 1 and bank 2 head gaskets were leaking externally. The service advisors said they had seen a few like that. The entire repair was covered under warranty. They also found a crack in the harmonic balancer, a broken tab on a valve cover, and a broken tab on a fuel injector and replaced all under warranty. Nissan picked up the rental car. The service department really stepped up and went beyond my expectations, which is good because it is not a good feeling when you find out the vehicle you just bought came with a problem like this.

Since the repair, the antifreeze smell went away gradually as any residue burned off. I didn't have it long enough before taking it in to tell if the level was dropping or at what rate. I have been keeping a close eye on it since and everything appears normal so far. We've taken it on several trips and put almost 4,000 miles on it with no issues.

Here is the invoice from the repair. So glad I found this thread and this forum!



 
#160 ·
Traded for '09 Murano with 25,000 at the end of May from a Ford/Lincoln dealership. Started noticing antifreeze smell in garage right away. Didn't notice it while test driving since the vehicle was always out in the open. Googled it and found this thread. Murano was manufactured in August 2008. Crawled underneath and saw the crusty green build-up on the block. Took it into Nissan dealer who verified that both bank 1 and bank 2 head gaskets were leaking externally. The service advisors said they had seen a few like that. The entire repair was covered under warranty. They also found a crack in the harmonic balancer, a broken tab on a valve cover, and a broken tab on a fuel injector and replaced all under warranty. Nissan picked up the rental car. The service department really stepped up and went beyond my expectations, which is good because it is not a good feeling when you find out the vehicle you just bought came with a problem like this.

Since the repair, the antifreeze smell went away gradually as any residue burned off. I didn't have it long enough before taking it in to tell if the level was dropping or at what rate. I have been keeping a close eye on it since and everything appears normal so far. We've taken it on several trips and put almost 4,000 miles on it with no issues.

Here is the invoice from the repair. So glad I found this thread and this forum!




I hope mine will go that smooth!!!!!!!!
 
#165 ·
hi folks, thanks for all the great info. I have an 09 SL. I've looked for the leak but I think i'm okay.

I've looked from underneath the driver side area, looked good. Yesterday I replaced the battery and since I had some of the duct work out I took another look and i didn't see any green.

But just in case, is this stuff pretty easy to find or should I be taking more stuff out to look closer?
 
#166 ·
It's a crapshoot, some engines never see the head gasket leak, some leak as early as 20k miles. I can't figure out the pattern, seems to be all years and models VQ35DE 08+. Just keep an eye on your coolant reservoir level, its typical for it to go down some over time but if it's doing it excessivley then start looking at those head gaskets or for that sweet coolant smell.
 
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#168 ·
Just wanted to say thanks to this thread, I will be getting the head gaskets replaced on my 2008 Altima 3.5SE on Monday. For those who've had it done for some time now- how is your car running? Specifically, do you notice any leaks/has the coolant seeping stopped? I'm weary about having the top end of my otherwise perfectly functioning engine torn apart. Mines so minor, I almost want to just let it be for fear that it'll cause more problems to replace the Head gasket. Any input is appreciated. Thanks again!
 
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