CriticalVery commonEngine

Nissan Vanette: LD20 head gasket failure and a warped head — overheating that costs the engine

LD20 head gasket failure and a warped head — overheating that costs the engine is a very common engine fault on the Nissan Vanette on the 1985–1999 cars, and we rate it critical. Putting it right costs $1,500 to $4,500 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. Below is what goes wrong, the symptoms to notice on a test drive, where to look, and what to ask the seller before you hand over any money. It is one of 5 documented faults on the Nissan Vanette.

Vehicle: Nissan Vanette
Years: 1985–1999
Fuel: diesel
System: Engine

This page covers the Nissan Vanette as a model. Some faults only affect particular engines or build years — enter a plate below to narrow the list to one car.

All Nissan Vanette faults5 documented faults on this model

What you are looking at

What goes wrong

Head gasket failure is the LD20's best-known way of ending, and on a van it is made likelier by where the engine sits: buried under the cab with far less airflow than a car engine gets. Once the gasket goes, coolant and oil mix, compression drops away and the head itself usually warps from the heat, so the repair becomes a machining job rather than a gasket. Owners often meet it as a van that has been slowly using coolant with no visible leak for months. On a thirty-year-old van the bill can easily exceed what the vehicle is worth, so this is the check that decides whether to buy at all.

What you would notice

Coolant level dropping with no puddle underneath
Creamy or brown sludge on the underside of the oil filler cap
White smoke from the exhaust that does not clear once warm
Temperature gauge climbing on a hill or in traffic
Bubbling in the header tank with the engine running
Heater blowing cold when the engine is hot

How to check it

Where to look. Cylinder head and gasket; the engine sits under the cab floor between the front seats

Open the coolant header tank with the engine stone cold and look at what is in it: it should be clean and coloured, not brown, oily-filmed or rusty.
Take the oil filler cap off and look at the underside for creamy or brown sludge.
Start it cold and watch the exhaust from behind for white smoke, then watch it again once it is fully warm — steam that clears is condensation, smoke that persists is coolant.
Let it idle up to temperature and take the header tank cap off carefully once warm to look for constant bubbling, which is combustion gas getting into the coolant.
Drive it up the longest hill you can find and watch the temperature gauge the whole way, because this fault hides at low load.
Turn the heater to hot and check it actually blows hot.
Ask directly whether it uses coolant and how often it is topped up.

Parts involved: Head gasket.

What it costs to put right

$1,500 to $4,500 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That is for this job on its own, not for the car.

An estimate, in NZD, for the repair as normally carried out. What a specific car costs depends on which part has failed and what it damaged on the way — treat this as the floor for a negotiation, not a quote.

Ask the seller

“Does it ever need coolant topping up?”
“Has the head gasket or cylinder head ever been done?”
“Has it ever overheated?”
“Does the temperature gauge move on a long hill?”

Now check the Nissan Vanette you are actually looking at

Everything above is true of the model, and it is free. What it does not tell you is whether THIS car has been looked after: its odometer history and whether the reading has ever gone backwards, whether there is still money owing on it, whether it has been reported stolen, how many owners it has had and what it is really worth today. That comes from the official records for that plate. Enter the plate for the free details, or get the full history and a market valuation from $13.49.

Not sure what you would be paying for? See what a full KickTyres check includes.

Where this comes from

The failure described above is documented in the sources below. The inspection instructions and the cost estimate are KickTyres’ own interpretation of them.

EngineCode.uk — Nissan LD20 engine review, specifications and common issues
JustAnswer UK — Nissan Vanette head gasket, engine code and bolt guide
NissanDiesel Forums — Nissan Vanette hot/warm engine non-starting thread

Nissan Vanette buyer questions

Is ld20 head gasket failure and a warped head — overheating that costs the engine serious on a Nissan Vanette?

We rate it critical and very common on the Nissan Vanette. Head gasket failure is the LD20's best-known way of ending, and on a van it is made likelier by where the engine sits: buried under the cab with far less airflow than a car engine gets. Once the gasket goes, coolant and oil mix, compression drops away and the head itself usually warps from the heat, so the repair becomes a machining job rather than a gasket. Owners often meet it as a van that has been slowly using coolant with no visible leak for months. On a thirty-year-old van the bill can easily exceed what the vehicle is worth, so this is the check that decides whether to buy at all.

How much does it cost to fix on a Nissan Vanette?

$1,500 to $4,500 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That figure is for this job on its own. A car showing the symptoms on this page is usually worth either walking away from or negotiating down by at least the repair figure.

Which Nissan Vanette years are affected?

Our research records this fault on the 1985–1999 Nissan Vanette. Build dates move around, especially on imported cars, so treat the range as the years to look hardest at rather than a guarantee either way. The official records tell you the exact build and first registration date for the car in front of you.

How do I check for it before I buy?

Open the coolant header tank with the engine stone cold and look at what is in it: it should be clean and coloured, not brown, oily-filmed or rusty. Take the oil filler cap off and look at the underside for creamy or brown sludge. Start it cold and watch the exhaust from behind for white smoke, then watch it again once it is fully warm — steam that clears is condensation, smoke that persists is coolant. Let it idle up to temperature and take the header tank cap off carefully once warm to look for constant bubbling, which is combustion gas getting into the coolant. Drive it up the longest hill you can find and watch the temperature gauge the whole way, because this fault hides at low load. Turn the heater to hot and check it actually blows hot. Ask directly whether it uses coolant and how often it is topped up. Look here: Cylinder head and gasket; the engine sits under the cab floor between the front seats