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View Full Version : Chocolate Milky Color. Bad head gasket?


RandomVelox
03-21-2012, 11:19 AM
I received my SR20DET engine two days ago from Zerolift. When I removed the spark plug wires, there was a little bit of oil sitting at the bottom of 2 of the 4 spark plugs. I remove the valve cover and everything seems perfectly fine. Very clean. The cams look perfectly fine and as well as the timing chain and valves. So I remove the whole turbo manifold assembly and as I tilt it to the side, chocolate milky liquid comes pouring out the turbo oil lines. My first thought was maybe a bad headgasket? But I'm not too sure. I take out the oil stick and the end was very clean and had a little dark oil on the tip. No chocolate milky color. I just wanted someone's input before I start tearing the block down. Do I have a bad headgasket ? Thanks and very much appreciated.

blueshark123
03-21-2012, 11:22 AM
Return it if its bad. But i cant answer your question at this moment

RandomVelox
03-21-2012, 11:34 AM
Return it if its bad. But i cant answer your question at this moment

Return it? Hmm. Well I honestly don't think that just because of a head gasket I'm going to return a perfectly fine looking block. I just wanted to know if either it's something in the block that's causing this or just the turbo assembly. Thanks for a reply though!

silnv
03-21-2012, 11:44 AM
Have you drained the oil out of the block yet? Or was there any in it?

RandomVelox
03-21-2012, 11:45 AM
There wasn't any oil. Very little. Almost nothing.

silnv
03-21-2012, 11:49 AM
How about the oil filter? Has it been removed. Just trying to get a idea of the oil that was in the block before it was drained.

RandomVelox
03-21-2012, 11:51 AM
Hmm good idea. I haven't removed the oil filter yet. But I will to see how it looks. Thanks!

silnv
03-21-2012, 11:55 AM
Hopefully that looks good, and you are in the clear. These used engines are just like a grab bag, might get a good one might not.

RandomVelox
03-21-2012, 11:57 AM
Hahaha getting me nervous for the moment of truth. Well I'll look at it when I get home. Thanks for the help! Appreciate it. I'll post once I see what it looks like.

Vadim's13
03-21-2012, 01:19 PM
Could be head gasket, if u wont find anything apse and u gonna desire to pull he head off look for dark spots around water jacket... may be take a pic and post it up here

whiterps13
03-21-2012, 01:27 PM
More ovaltine please.

RandomVelox
03-21-2012, 01:59 PM
Well I took the oil filter off and I'm relieved. It was just liquid sitting in the turbo so the block is good. Gonna flush it out and it'll be ready. ^^ thanks again.

S-Nation S13
03-21-2012, 02:04 PM
If you suspect bad hg better check to see if the block and head got wrapped..just because it doesn't look bad doesn't mean it's not..

RandomVelox
03-21-2012, 02:05 PM
Hey I completely agree so I decided to still do it

jr_ss
03-21-2012, 03:50 PM
I'd put a new factory headgasket and ARP studs in it for future upgrading. Much easier with it out of the car...

03-21-2012, 05:59 PM
zerolift has awesome rep. they know what they're doing so im sure it was oil and water that just append to be sitting together. if the oil in the filter is good, so will the engine. if you're going for more power, throw in a metal head gasket (COSWORTH) and arps's :)

holslut s13
03-21-2012, 10:39 PM
I received my SR20DET

There's your problem right there!

HellaFlushSRs13
03-21-2012, 10:51 PM
+1 for the metal head gasket if you are gonna pull the motor apart to replace it you might as well upgrade :)

RandomVelox
04-12-2012, 02:47 PM
Well it's been over 3 weeks and the engine has not been dropped. Turns out the flywheel that it came with was the DE instead of the DE-T so my Stage 3 Spec did not fit. The O2 housing is broken on one end and didn't even come with an O2 sensor. The wastegate is also bent. I've contacted Zerolift so now I'm waiting on the parts. Hopefully they'll arrive soon.

blessedhellrider
04-12-2012, 03:13 PM
oil and water makes chocolate milk .well you can always take that brown milk to a lab to determine if it is in fact water/chocolate milk. or could just be a solvent used to flush for shipping purposes.
or just maybe mud ...oohhhh .whAT WHat what wait spark plug "wires"?

RandomVelox
04-12-2012, 05:49 PM
Yes, wires. So I replaced o-rings on the valve cover as well.

fliprayzin240sx
04-12-2012, 06:19 PM
Japanese loves using straight water instead of coolant. Could be rust build up from doing so.

bookoo
04-12-2012, 06:20 PM
Zero lift has a bunch of fucked up shit.

wangan_cruiser
04-12-2012, 07:23 PM
Zero lift has a bunch of fucked up shit.

got proof?

RandomVelox
04-12-2012, 10:24 PM
Yeah, I pretty much figured that out about the turbo manifold. All I'm waiting is on the parts now.

fliprayzin240sx
04-12-2012, 10:53 PM
Wait...I could have sworn the DE and DET flywheels are the same. I could have sworn the clutches are interchangeable between the 2.

DJZ
04-12-2012, 10:58 PM
Wait...I could have sworn the DE and DET flywheels are the same. I could have sworn the clutches are interchangeable between the 2.

Ya they should be the same diameter to reach the starter?... same size blocks same location starter aye. perhaps you have the wrong clutch

RandomVelox
04-12-2012, 11:02 PM
Wait...I could have sworn the DE and DET flywheels are the same. I could have sworn the clutches are interchangeable between the 2.

I'm probably wrong about it being the DE then but I know it's not the correct clutch. Look at the 3 pin pattern and compare it to a SR20DET flywheel. It's different. And my clutch is SN333 so I'm sure that's the correct clutch.

s13drob
04-12-2012, 11:03 PM
Wait...I could have sworn the DE and DET flywheels are the same. I could have sworn the clutches are interchangeable between the 2.


They are the same. I wonder what the OP was talking about. Iirc i think i swapped by clutches around on a DE and DET. It doesnt make sense for nissan to make sense for 2 different flywheels anyways.

The chocolate milk stuff is water with mineral deposits. The turbo cooks it up and if water sits in there it get nasty.

RandomVelox
04-12-2012, 11:06 PM
Ya they should be the same diameter to reach the starter?... same size blocks same location starter aye. perhaps you have the wrong clutch

I mean don't get me wrong that flywheel fits perfectly but this is what I mean about the pin pattern. Here's an SR20DET flywheel I found online. Notice on the flywheel I received the pins are more centered?

RandomVelox
04-12-2012, 11:08 PM
Here's the flywheel I received. Once again.

Krewlkid
04-12-2012, 11:31 PM
i had problems with a motor i ordered with zerolift, just be really patient, i mean really fucken patient. and be persistent with calling and emailing and you will get your shit fixed

RandomVelox
04-12-2012, 11:41 PM
i had problems with a motor i ordered with zerolift, just be really patient, i mean really fucken patient. and be persistent with calling and emailing and you will get your shit fixed

Yeah I guess 2 weeks of waiting still isn't enough. Hopefully the items are on there way and they pull through as a reputable company everyone talks about. So I expect great service. Thanks though!

2IL40via
04-13-2012, 12:18 AM
Doesn't coolant/oil produce a milky chocolate ?

bookoo
04-13-2012, 05:37 PM
got proof?

2 people I know personally got screwed when buying sr from there...and some others on my local forum said they had to deal with crap customer service