KA24E blown head gasket..

[MELLO*SOS]

Hello all,

So after installing a "new" JY radiator into my 24E, I started the car with the radiator cap off, only to be greeted with a 12" geyser . In addition to this, the car is blowing white smoke during idle, and make a tremendous cloud while revving > 3k. Obviously there is a major problem with the head gasket (or something more serious).

My dilemma is that I bought the car for about a grand with quite a few minor cosmetic issues (interior, body, etc). Thanks to ebay I've solved almost all of them for just a few hundred (less than $200) -- but with the recent cooling system problems it looks like I'll have to spend a lot more to get it back on the road and/or sold. To install a new head gasket seems to be a PITA, and I don't have a garage or a shop to do it in. On top of that the head should be taken somewhere and examined, plus who knows what else is wrong with the engine now. All this will cost time and money, and since the engine + chassis already has 204k miles on it, I can see this snowballing (what else is broken or will break during R&R?).

So I've listed the car for sale on craigslist for $1500 as-is. I know it most likely won't sell for that much, but I would like to recoup at least my initial investment. The other option I am investigating is keeping the car a little longer and swapping the engine for a 91-94 KA24DE. This looks like it will cost about $1000, which is about what I paid for the thing to begin with.

If it was yours, would you A) sell it and try to buy the 91-94 KA24DE with grey or black interior that you should have waited for and bought in the first place, or B) pour money into this car, replacing either head gasket + whatever else or swapping the engine?

The sr20 swap at ~$5k is out of the question right now.

Thanks for your creative input

[chinesemoonchild]

I went though the same I have a '90 and i got in an accident. I installed my radiator and stupid napa's radiator plug sucked so i had no fluid then my engine overheaded. Tried to install a new radiator and blew white smoke. I was thinking weather to go with CA, SR, RB, but since my friend swapped his wife's car for an SR and it was a 90 he had put a '95 KA24DE I am taking that. It makes it simple and cheap so your decision. I kept the car because I love it and i love the color so you might want to ditch your since no personal attachment.

[MELLO*SOS]

Originally Posted by chinesemoonchild

I went though the same I have a '90 and i got in an accident. I installed my radiator and stupid napa's radiator plug sucked so i had no fluid then my engine overheaded. Tried to install a new radiator and blew white smoke. I was thinking weather to go with CA, SR, RB, but since my friend swapped his wife's car for an SR and it was a 90 he had put a '95 KA24DE I am taking that. It makes it simple and cheap so your decision. I kept the car because I love it and i love the color so you might want to ditch your since no personal attachment.

Hi chinesemoonchild

My lower radiator hose just blew out last week. So I replaced it and drove it dome, well halfway home until there was steam + coolant on my windshield. I pulled over and found that not only was the hose blown but also the rad was cracked near the top. After I got it home I replaced the radiator only to find that now it looks like also the HG is blown . So the KA24DE sounds like the logical solution; it's 16v and as a little more power, more aftermarket support, pretty cheap, easier install....

Have you completed your KA24DE swap? How did it go? Any advice, etc?

Thanks