Exhaust Gasket

[SDEWY5]

Im making like 1lb below 3000rpm on full go, was at eastern creek and the ticking just got louder and louder all day till it now drives like an absolute dog...and sounds like 40 yr old neglected valiant V8 or something...going to have to pull it apart and replace the gasket, but i was wondering if there was anything to look out for when doing this...havent done it to a skyline before...should i go a OEM gasket or go something aftermarket?

Thanks!

Chris.

[CEF11E]

If you mean the gasket between the turbo and dump? or between the dump and exhaust.

you can buy good quality gaskets at GCG turbochargers for like $20

Be very careful not to damage your water and oil lines. take your time and allow a whole day to do it if you have never done it before.

It sometimes pays to replace the nuts ehwn doing gaskets as the ones there are hevily coroded. Also wait till the car is COLD before starting and spray the studs/nuts with wd40 and let it soak in for 10 min before starting

hope this helps!

[lwells]

A ticking noise? Doesn't sound too gasket-like to me: they tend to be more like whistles (or puffing).

Things to watch out:

* Replace all studs/nuts/copper washers. Check the workshop manual to get an idea of what's required. They are exposed to very high temps and constant expansion/contraction so don't skimp or you might be doing it again after a stud or nut gives up.

* Replace all gaskets.

* Make absolutely sure you replace the washers for the oil/water lines. They can be hard to find (to buy).

* Check the straightness of each side of the exhaust manifold. Machine it if its even a little out or you'll be ripping it apart again (I know this from experience ).

CEF11E: I had to be a bit rough with the water and oil lines personally (RB26).

[Mumbo#5]

sounds like to me exactly what I had.. cracked manifold which will be around the collector.. but if your lucky its just a gasket

Food for thought

[Lazy-Bastard]

I had the same thing happen on a track day recently.

The symptoms sound similar to yours...started ticking and progrssively got worse until it sounded like I was driving a tractor.

Mine was pretty easy to diagnose though, because when I had a look at where the noise was coming from I could see a piece of the gasket hanging out the side of the manifold.

Replacement of the gasket on the GTST is pretty easy. Front/Dump off, turbo off, manifold off. I found 3 out of 12 broken stud bolts so replaced them all. The gasket was ~$100 from Nissan and the studs were $48 for 12. You will also need the chunky washers and a new nut for any missing studs.

[SDEWY5]

great pointers there! thanks for that otherwise id be having alot more dramas id imagine. one other question i have is, in the event i snap a stud does it often involve tapping a new thread altogether or will i be able to remove the stud straight out of the head itself? A friend of mine has an RB20DET in his VN commodore and snapped a stud in the process of taking the manifold off, he had to drill it out and tap in a new thread for the stud..id really like to avoid doing this if at all possible

[Taso84]

I found 3 out of 12 broken stud bolts so replaced them all.  The gasket was ~$100 from Nissan and the studs were $48 for 12.  You will also need the chunky washers and a new nut for any missing studs.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I am getting my exhaust gasket replaced on Friday. Do u reccomend that i replace all the studs?

[GTAHH]

Yes, replacing the studs while it's all off will be a cheaper/wiser option. More than likely there are a few loose/broken, and it will cost more labour further down the track when it starts to do the same thing

Also they are quite hard to get off without breaking the studs, since theyre turbo they are more than likely very fragile. But i'd say there would be some already broken/loose and will need to be replaced.

It's quite hard to get the broken stud out, if the engine is in the car, so try to take extra care when you go to undo them, but unfortunatley some will just break off if your unlucky and you will need to drill them out

Cheers

Edited January 4, 2006 by GTAHH

[BH_SLO32]

Broken exhaust studs seem to be a common occurance on the RB motors. In my experience it is typically the top stud on cylinders 1 and 6 than give most grief. When they break you are best to buy a stud extractor to remove them.

Extracting the studs will first require drilling a small hole in the broken stud and using the extractor to remove it. It can be a challenge though with the motor in the car unless you have a small drill that you can get in the confines of the engine bay. I tried once on an RB20 in an R32 with a medium sized drill but to no avail.

I have been fortunate in the recent past to have the motors out of the cars when I've extracted the studs. Obviously once the studs are removed (and providing there is no damage to the threads in the head) you simply screw in new studs.

I highly recommend replacing all the studs or you run the risk of further breakages when you torque the manifold up.

PS Removing studs from the head is easiest done by locking 2 nuts together on a stud.

Hope this helps.

[Taso84]

Ah very interesting. Are the studs a generic part or is it a part that can only be aquired through a nissan spare parts dealer? I am having the work done by a mechanic but i want to make sure he does a proper job

[BH_SLO32]

Ah very interesting. Are the studs a generic part or is it a part that can only be aquired through a nissan spare parts dealer? I am having the work done by a mechanic but i want to make sure he does a proper job

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You can buy them through any exhaust shop.

[BLUELINER]

have you found the problem yet? i had the same thing. it was like a feathering noise coming from the engine. alot of people told me that it was the manifold but it was two cracked gaskets. they do cause you to lose quite a bit of power and its a really annoying sound. check your manifold gaskets and exhaust gaskets from underneath as well as i found that mine were absolutely demolished.

[Taso84]

have you found the problem yet? i had the same thing. it was like a feathering noise coming from the engine. alot of people told me that it was the manifold but it was two cracked gaskets. they do cause you to lose quite a bit of power and its a really annoying sound. check your manifold gaskets and exhaust gaskets from underneath as well as i found that mine were absolutely demolished.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes apparently that is the problem, or so says about every single person i show it to. There is a dispute however as to how much this job should cost. Most people say its a 1 - 2 hour job for a decent mechanic. I've rung up a few places and they all reckon 5 - 6 hours. I dunno who to trust?! How much did u get charged to fix yours?

[Duncan]

5-6 hours sounds fair.

so get a fixed quote from someone who reckons 2 hours lol