Uberberzerker Posted November 26, 2008 Share Posted November 26, 2008 Hi all I’m 18 and have a 82, 280zx turbo with what I have been told is an exhaust leak in the exhaust manifold gasket. I do not have the cash to go and pay someone to fix this and I am willing to put a significant amount of effort into the repair. I do not have much I the way of experience but am willing to try. What I would like to know is how difficult this is going to be. I am assuming that I will have to take off the intake manifold in order to get at the exhaust manifold beneath. If there is anything else anyone has to share I would love to have their input. Anyway thanks for the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dayz Posted November 26, 2008 Share Posted November 26, 2008 Get an Haynes manual, or go and print out the Chilton at your local library. This will make your life easier. It is step by step instruction. Remember which goes where, work intelligently (faster in the long run) and take your time. Half a day job maybe more, Good luck and hope you enjoy it! Dayz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger.svoboda Posted November 27, 2008 Share Posted November 27, 2008 It is a lot easier to pull the head leaving the manifolds and all on to work on it. Lots of times there are broke studs and you have to drill them out. IF all you have is a blown out gasket then yes it can be done in place but getting at bolts not easy. Pulling the head involves some stuff too like knowing not to drop the timing chain by putting a wood wedge to keep the tensioner in place. check for posts on this. Novice wrench you might want to get someone to look over your shoulder. Contact local z clubs usually members willing to look things over and give advice. Personally I'd opt for pulling the head. You can look at the valves while it is off and see if anything needs doing there. Mucho Mucho easier to replace broken stud which is what you will find probably 60% of the time or you break one in the disassembly procedure. Need another person help lift the head off (or a chain fall) probably weighs (guess) around a hundred pounds my son and I were able to lift it with the two of us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daeron Posted November 28, 2008 Share Posted November 28, 2008 No, I wouldn't recommend pulling the head... if you are seriously a novice the intake/ehaust gasket job alone is a great enough challenge, but be aware that the primary problem with working on your own car is NOT, "Can I do this or not?" The issue is, "Can I cope with the potential complications that may arise when I do this?" Taking the intake and exhaust off of a stock L28ET is a pretty respectable chore to take on as a novice, but it shouldn't present TOO much difficulty if you have the tools and initiative... Label everything, bag your bolts according to what they came off of, label everything, maybe get some nice colored tags so labeling everything is a bit easier, and while you are at it go to xenons130 (or something like that) dot com (just google it, I never remember the specific URL) and download your FSM if it is available. BUT, beware that you may break a stud off, round a bolt head, or do some other asinine thing that could complicate matters. Take your time, and if fasteners don't yield to your wrench, don;t get stupid. Make sure you have your wrenches squarely and solidly on all bolt heads or nuts before applying serious torque, make sure you have the RIGHT SIZE (some are 12mm, some are 13mm when dealing with intake and exhaust; NEVER trust any rule on which is which, feel the wrench on the nut!) But honestly, with patience (and with the aid of poverty, I am right there with ya buddy) this job can be undertaken by a newbie. Just search around and read other peoples stories, see what PROBLEMS they ran into, and find the best way to anticipate what might come up on your car. Learning from other people's mistakes saves alot of time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyuri Posted December 2, 2008 Share Posted December 2, 2008 Before you go pulling the manifolds, make sure it's the (upper, head, whatever you want to call it) manifold gasket, not the (lower) flange gasket! That's where my exhaust leak turned out to be, and it ended up with me drilling out all three studs. I put the new studs in, and the nuts just wouldn't hold - one actually welded itself to the stud, which I had to replace again, the rest just stripped themselves. Final assembly: dry-installed studs (from NAPA), 3 nuts from Lowe's with a little bit of copper anti-sieze on them, retorqued from time to time over several months. Hasn't leaked in a while, but now the intake's started.... Back to the point: starting with the car cold, fire it up and (carefully!) feel around all the exhaust joints you can reach for moving or warm air. A stethoscope can help too. Edit: whoops, missed that it was a turbo. Still, the basic ideas should be the same (verify the location and existence of the leak). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobra_Tim Posted December 2, 2008 Share Posted December 2, 2008 Seafoam deep creep.... get it and blast every bolt or nut you think you'll be taking off... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators BRAAP Posted December 2, 2008 Administrators Share Posted December 2, 2008 No, I wouldn't recommend pulling the head... if you are seriously a novice the intake/ehaust gasket job alone is a great enough challenge, but be aware that the primary problem with working on your own car is NOT, "Can I do this or not?" The issue is, "Can I cope with the potential complications that may arise when I do this?" Taking the intake and exhaust off of a stock L28ET is a pretty respectable chore to take on as a novice, but it shouldn't present TOO much difficulty if you have the tools and initiative... Label everything, bag your bolts according to what they came off of, label everything, maybe get some nice colored tags so labeling everything is a bit easier, and while you are at it go to xenons130 (or something like that) dot com (just google it, I never remember the specific URL) and download your FSM if it is available. BUT, beware that you may break a stud off, round a bolt head, or do some other asinine thing that could complicate matters. Take your time, and if fasteners don't yield to your wrench, don;t get stupid. Make sure you have your wrenches squarely and solidly on all bolt heads or nuts before applying serious torque, make sure you have the RIGHT SIZE (some are 12mm, some are 13mm when dealing with intake and exhaust; NEVER trust any rule on which is which, feel the wrench on the nut!) But honestly, with patience (and with the aid of poverty, I am right there with ya buddy) this job can be undertaken by a newbie. Just search around and read other peoples stories, see what PROBLEMS they ran into, and find the best way to anticipate what might come up on your car. Learning from other people's mistakes saves alot of time Excellent advice... You could start your own Datsun tuner shop, or move to the left coast and work for us... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSM Posted December 2, 2008 Share Posted December 2, 2008 One of the best things about going to a JY is the experience you get pulling parts off. You will learn a lot. If you have a pick and pull, even w/ a Non-turbo ZX, pull the intake and exhaust off. Then, Put it back together! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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