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Hi guys. Since I had to replace the turbo on my R34 I decided to do the exhaust manifold gasket too. But as the headgasket seems to be leaking oil a bit and the car actually got overheated long time ago(after that I noticed the first leaks), I tought I might as well do all the gaskets and take it all apart. Now I found a good tutorial on how to take the head off (http://my.prostreetonline.com/2014/11/03/how-to-change-your-rb25-headgasket/#comment-9699) but there's nothing about installing it, which is where you actually need some knowledge at. So I'd appreciate any tips. All the tightening torques, orders etc. Anything to look out for / make sure before I put stuff back together. I have been around cars for a bit but I have never worked on an engine to that extent so I could use any help I can get. Cheers.

Hi there! Is it some sort of special technique to use a gasket sealant like Hondabond on a metal head gasket? Got my engine back from a builder and he used Hondabond on my Tomei metal head gasket. He says hes been using this technique since 2017. Never heard of anyone doing this before, and my first instinct was that this was totally wrong. I tried searching the web for several days and came across *some* high HP builders using a little hondabond on head gaskets as some sort of insurance. Pictured below is my metal head gasket with the grey hondabond coming from the sides.

Good day guys, so I've finished doing a couple of mods on my RB20DET GTS-T, got a base map put on to my Nistune ECU and now unfortunately on idle it blows smoke out like crazy. It was smoking slightly before i pulled everything apart but I had thought it was the turbo seals hence why i replaced the turbo and a few other things. 4" Straight through exhaust doesn't help either I can imagine. Symptoms include on start up generally after about 15-20 seconds she starts to smoke white clouds, as she warms up the smoke intensifies. I've done a compression test this morning and the results followed from cam cover to firewall, 150/140/145/145/150/150 PSI. I am leaning towards maybe the head gasket might have a crack in it or blown. But not enough evidence points towards this maybe?, No mixing of oil and water within the engine, I can say she's taking a bit of water not from the radiator but from the overflow tank. I don't mind pulling off the head to do a head gasket but bloody annoying since i just put the dam thing back together and thought it was ready for a dyno tune. I have ordered a leak down tester tool just waiting for that to come in, but welcome to any suggestions and theories or experience from you fellow members all input is appreciated cheers guys!

Blown Neo head gasket - Next steps? Ok so I am 95% certain I have blown the head gasket in my Neo. Symptoms: The engine is pushing coolant into the overflow bottle when pushed even moderately. I tried it out at Sandown today with an eye on the temps at all times and returned back to the pits whenever it hit over 90C -> overflow is at max or beyond. I added a second overflow bottle for the day too. Coolant in the overflow bottle not clean/clear, it's bubbly/foamy after a run, and also there's occasionally 'floaties' (black sediment) on the surface. Doesn't smell the best either; not quite like combustion gases but not like clean coolant either. I also noticed that the exhaust is popping on more than usual on gear changes, running rich perhaps? Also it doesn't feel like it's hitting/holding boost quite as well as normal (not that I pushed it a 100% but still). Unsure if this is related. What's weird is that I had a tee kay test done earlier this week and it came back all clear. Comp test was 155,155,155,140,146,150 so not top of class but within the 10% tolerance. The back story is that I had a small coolant leak at Sandown last time two months ago -> lost coolant and pressure -> temps shot up to 125. What I'm not 100% sure about is whether that's the root cause. The engine is currently at 153,000 kms and it's been running ~20psi for the past 20,000 kms, with about half a dozen track days on it. Now, to the questions. I know that I'm up for a head gasket and head studs at a minimum, plus probably a head skim. Some would recommend a head reco too. With the studs, I'm guessing ARP over OEM? With the gasket, OEM should do with stock bottom end at up to low-300 kw's, no? From what I understand it's a bit more forgiving to an uneven surface than a metal one. Where in Melbourne should I go for some quotes, who knows this stuff well? What should I expect to pay? Also, some other options: An alternative to all that work is just buying another Neo, which can probably be had for say 2k? Lots of labour to change it over though, plus the condition would be anyone's guess. Or just go crazy and buy someone else's 24/30... What else might I look at doing when the head is off? Built bottom end would be nice but gets pricey very quickly. Also poncams would be cool but I'm not sure how much they add without any other mods. Anyway all I really want is a track ready ~300rwkw @ 98 car that is reliable... Thanks guys! Also big hat tip to Bill and Greg for troubleshooting this with me at Sandown today!