Cracked head = nightmare

[Mister2]

Hey,

Long story short: bought my D22 zd30 ~ December 2012. September 2013 I find the head is cracked.

I ship it off to Melbourne to get the removed and welded up. It is still in Melbourne as everything, and anything, has gone wrong. Water pump, timing, bearings, you name and its caused and issue and needed to be fixed (thats on top of them ****ing up the weld the first time and had to remove it to do it again).

Anyway, it was all good to go Thursday last week, running perfect. Come friday and it won't turn over. Mech thinks its cause it doesnt have enough fuel, so grabs a jerry can and fills her up Saturday. Still nothing. Looks like the fuel pump isn't pumping. I told him the 2 ways that are described on here how to reset the fuel pump ECU and it doesnt seem to have worked.

He is starting to run out of ideas, and is now going to hock a vacuum hose on it to see if to much air in the system is causing it.

So, I am now at the point that I am desperate to get my ute back. I am renovating a house and my MR2 really isn't that help full for moving gear.

Does anyone have any ideas/suggestions I could relay to the mech to try?

Thanks in advance,

*Edit*
- Just realised the title says crackhead not cracked head ... sorry if you came expecting a better story haha (fixed, mod)

 

[Rumpig]

The VP44 fuel injection pump on these motors have some electronics on them that are cooled by fuel flow. The motor getting to hot can fry the electronics, causing failure. Not a common problem on Navaras but can happen. See this link for info. http://bluechipdiesel.com/vp44diagnostichelp.html
You said it wasn't turning over, Their dodgy welding hasn't failed letting coolant into a cylinder causing hydraulic lock has it? If it is turning over and they set up the timing correctly try bleeding the fuel system of air, that would be the most likely cause.

 

[Mister2]

The VP44 fuel injection pump on these motors have some electronics on them that are cooled by fuel flow. The motor getting to hot can fry the electronics, causing failure. Not a common problem on Navaras but can happen. See this link for info. http://bluechipdiesel.com/vp44diagnostichelp.html
You said it wasn't turning over, Their dodgy welding hasn't failed letting coolant into a cylinder causing hydraulic lock has it? If it is turning over and they set up the timing correctly try bleeding the fuel system of air, that would be the most likely cause.

I haven't seen the car but im 80% sure its cranking but not firing. I'd say thats why he checked the fuel pump in the first place. Hopefully it is air in the lines, he is testing that today so fingers crossed.

 

[ben85]

i've been told its not a good idea to repair cracked zd30 heads, better off to replace.

sounds like a nightmare alright. would have worked out easier to replace the engine with a 2nd hand one.

 

[Mister2]

i've been told its not a good idea to repair cracked zd30 heads, better off to replace.

sounds like a nightmare alright. would have worked out easier to replace the engine with a 2nd hand one.

Yeah I heard the same thing, but it was a hairline crack. the weld fix was 1-1.5k and the new head was 3-4k (or 5k if ya include the first person I spoke to). So, took the gamble, once I get it back I'll do the EGR, intercooler, catch can, and some gauges to keep an eye on things.

And yeah I thought about a 2nd hand engine but mine only has ~130***ks on it so should realisitcaly have plenty more life in it

 

[ben85]

Yeah I heard the same thing, but it was a hairline crack. the weld fix was 1-1.5k and the new head was 3-4k (or 5k if ya include the first person I spoke to). So, took the gamble, once I get it back I'll do the EGR, intercooler, catch can, and some gauges to keep an eye on things.

And yeah I thought about a 2nd hand engine but mine only has ~130***ks on it so should realisitcaly have plenty more life in it

how much has it cost you all up?

my new head was about $1800.

you can get new cyl heads with valves gaskets etc for $1200. if you buy from the right places.
some guys on here have fitted themselves.

 

[Mister2]

how much has it cost you all up?

my new head was about $1800.

you can get new cyl heads with valves gaskets etc for $1200. if you buy from the right places.
some guys on here have fitted themselves.

Im looking at about 3k, but thats including water pump, bearings etc etc. These werent all ****ed but he did a major service on it while it was in pieces.

I was contemplating doing it myself but figured i'd end up doing more damage. Is that 1800 fitted?

I got 3 quotes from my local town for 5k, then the guy who does all the work on my MR2 said he'd do it for 1.5-2k.

The cheapest head kit I found was ~1.2k on eBay, but not sure how much I trust eBay ya know.

 

[Mister2]

Once its all said and done the car will owe me about 17.5k

For a ute that should run without issue for years after this I can live with it. It's not ideal to throw 3k at a car i've just bought but that the risk of buying privately.

Also, contemplating trading it in for a 2013 D22 ST-R when I get it back ... but that's another story

 

[tweak'e]

has he bled the injector lines?

 

[Mister2]

has he bled the injector lines?

I'm not sure, ill call him in the morning and ask

 

[Mister2]

Figured I should do a bit of an update.

My mechanic got his mate around (who works for Nissan) to plug a laptop in and have a gander.

Long story short, he found he had accidental left the fuel line out of the tank.

So, at least I'm not looking a a new fuel pump...

Thanks for all the help