LD28 Head Gaskets and availability

Discuss (and cuss) the Nissan LD-series OHC Six diesel engine, popularly available in the US in 1981-83 Datsun/Nissan Maxima Sedans & Wagons.

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Duaneclark
Posts: 107
Joined: 11 years ago
Location: Peyton Colorado

LD28 Head Gaskets and availability

#1

Post by Duaneclark »

In shopping around and doing internet searches, it seems like a lot of interchange's came up. One search went to our old friend, Rock Auto, and it showed the head gasket available. Further investigation (Rock Auto), shows that under 1981-1983 Maxima diesel, no head gasket available, but for the Nissan Laurel, with the LD28 diesel engine, the head gasket and complete engine overhaul gasket set available. The listings show the 1981 Laurel, (didn't look at pre 81), up to 1987 with the LD28 engine, head gasket Payen BK080, Overhaul Set Payen GK081. To see if this was real, I ordered one of each, and they both came right away from the United Kingdom. They appear to be completely new stock and fresh. The head gasket is labeled 1979-1981 diesel. Both sets have "Federal Mogul" in addition to the Payen main label. The overhaul set says "Made in Japan". The old bugaboo still is there is no indication of the required thickness of the head gasket. I can mic the thickness and report this later. Any comments as to the possibility that the Laurel and Maxima LD28's use the same parts? I'm on the side that it would make no sense to produce different versions of these engines, and use the same LD28 designation. Thanks, Duane
Duane
Duaneclark
Posts: 107
Joined: 11 years ago
Location: Peyton Colorado

Re: LD28 Head Gaskets and availability

#2

Post by Duaneclark »

I looked again, and it shows the Laurel having the LD28 diesel starting in 1981
Duane
Carimbo
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Re: LD28 Head Gaskets and availability

#3

Post by Carimbo »

RE: the headgasket thickness-- does it not have the 1-3 notches or small holes indicating the thickness?
Duaneclark
Posts: 107
Joined: 11 years ago
Location: Peyton Colorado

Re: LD28 Head Gaskets and availability

#4

Post by Duaneclark »

The Payen gaskets mentioned have no notch's or holes. I did look at a Lazorlite head gasket that is from the same application, and it has two notch's. It looks like Payen is selling their gasket as it will fit all of the LD28's, since they don't offer a variety of thickness's. My old Fel-Pro catalog and if I remember correctly, Sealed Power catalogs, have several head gasket thickness's, all with their different part numbers. I guess if I mic all the gaskets, and if I have a few samples with notch's, then I could figure out what the Payen gasket would correctly fit. I still don't know why Payen doesn't acknowledge any different thickness's. I ordered a CD complete Payen catalog, but it hasn't arrived, maybe that will shed some light. In the complete overhaul set Payen, it has valve guide seals, virtually every seal and gasket, and it all looks like very top quality.
Duane
Carimbo
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Re: LD28 Head Gaskets and availability

#5

Post by Carimbo »

If they are multi layer steel, sometimes you can remove a layer to make it the next thinner thickness.
Duaneclark
Posts: 107
Joined: 11 years ago
Location: Peyton Colorado

Re: LD28 Head Gaskets and availability

#6

Post by Duaneclark »

None of the gaskets I've seen are multi-layer steel. It says "graphite composite"
Duane
goglio704
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Location: East Tennessee

Re: LD28 Head Gaskets and availability

#7

Post by goglio704 »

Nice work Duaneclark!

It never occurred to me that RockAuto would have access to parts for a Laurel with the LD28. I suspect most manufacturers no longer offer the thinner gaskets. If memory serves, I found that to be true in at least one case.

I have a few Victor head gaskets from the days when they were available. Perhaps some comparative pictures and or measurements are in order?

I may order a set from RockAuto. I still have one of my cars on the road. Two others that could be. Unfortunately, bad things keep happening to them. One got rear ended, a tree fell on another, and I backed into the best of the lot. None are a lost cause, but none are what they once were either...
Matt B.

83 Maxima Sedan, LD28, 5 speed, white, 130k miles. My original Maxima.
83 Maxima Sedan converted from gasser, LD28, 5 speed, 2 tone blue, 230k miles
82 Maxima Sedan, LD28, 3 speed auto, 2 tone Gray/Silver, 140k miles
81 810 Sedan, LD28, 3 speed auto, rust, rust, and more rust!

2005 Jeep Liberty CRD
Duaneclark
Posts: 107
Joined: 11 years ago
Location: Peyton Colorado

Re: LD28 Head Gaskets and availability

#8

Post by Duaneclark »

Matt, sorry to hear about your bad luck, hopefully you can still restore your cars. I've noticed several Maxima's for sale in your part of the country, they seem to be around there. I purchased a 5 speed diesel Maxima in Tennessee a few years ago. For some reason they're not in Colorado. The head gasket project is waiting for warmer weather, and I'm planning to measure the thickness of all of the head gaskets I've found, then I can report each part number with the thickness. I've always wondered why the difference's, I'm guessing that manufacturing tolerances of the blocks produced different crankshaft centers to the deck surface, and this would create slightly different compression ratio's. Perhaps the newer Laurel engines had better manufacturing process's that made all of the engines completely uniform in this regard, thus they only required one head gasket thickness.
Duane
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asavage
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Re: LD28 Head Gaskets and availability

#9

Post by asavage »

There's a couple of things going on WRT head gasket thickness.
  • Compression ratio
  • Combustion chamber squish area
  • Piston and carbon can hit the head or the end of the pre-combustion chamber
  • If the deck or head is shaved, the cam timing will be retarded
FSM 1982 EM36 (partial)
FSM 1982 EM36 (partial)
FSM_1982_EM-036-1_b.png (3.69 MiB) Viewed 8694 times
FSM 1982 EM37 (partial)
FSM 1982 EM37 (partial)
FSM_1982_EM-037-1_b.png (4.11 MiB) Viewed 8694 times
The head gasket thicknesses are
  • Single notch = 0.0441"
  • Dual notch = 0.047"
  • Triple notch = 0.0504"
So, they vary about .004" or 0.1mm between steps.
Regards,
Al S.

1982 Maxima diesel wagon, 2nd & 4th owner, 165k miles, rusty & burgundy/grey. Purchased 1996, SOLD 16Feb10
1983 Maxima diesel wagon, 199k miles, rusty, light yellow/light brown. SOLD 14Jul07
1981 720 SD22 (scrapped 04Sep07)
1983 Sentra CD17, 255k, bought 06Jul08, gave it away 22Jun10.
Duaneclark
Posts: 107
Joined: 11 years ago
Location: Peyton Colorado

Re: LD28 Head Gaskets and availability

#10

Post by Duaneclark »

Thanks Al, that is the criteria to determine head gasket thickness. Do you agree that in production slight tolerance differences in the engine blocks is why these engines required the different head gasket thickness's?
Duane
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asavage
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Re: LD28 Head Gaskets and availability

#11

Post by asavage »

When we're talking .004" being enough difference to warrant a different gasket, I'm not sure just where that variance comes from. I'm assuming that the deck height to crankshaft centerline distance versus the connecting rod centers plus gudgeon pin to piston crown is the variance in production, and honestly I would not have thought that in 1980 that this would add up to a range of .008" and would need three gaskets to adjust for.

I'm thinking that perhaps most were shipped with the single-notch (thinnest) gasket, and that if the block was ever decked (increasing piston projection) that the other two thicker gaskets were available to bring the combustion chamber volume back in spec (and keep the cam timing closet to spec).

That may also partially explain why only the single-notch gaskets are likely available now: the most used for a simple off-n-on head R&R.

There exists one or more places that will make a custom head gasket for you. This used to be common when you wanted, for example, a copper head gasket. I believe someone here had one made a while back (for SD or LD, I can't recall). It requires sending the firm an unused head gasket or a very good to-size tracing of what you want.

A copper gasket would require a very flat surface with few imperfections (think corrosion) but would be reusable (just anneal). If & when the supply of OEM-style gaskets dries up, this alternative will still be available.

Unlike, for example, pneumatic governor diaphragms for our SD IPs. I don't know who is going to tool up for a run of those.
Regards,
Al S.

1982 Maxima diesel wagon, 2nd & 4th owner, 165k miles, rusty & burgundy/grey. Purchased 1996, SOLD 16Feb10
1983 Maxima diesel wagon, 199k miles, rusty, light yellow/light brown. SOLD 14Jul07
1981 720 SD22 (scrapped 04Sep07)
1983 Sentra CD17, 255k, bought 06Jul08, gave it away 22Jun10.
Duaneclark
Posts: 107
Joined: 11 years ago
Location: Peyton Colorado

Re: LD28 Head Gaskets and availability

#12

Post by Duaneclark »

That's a valid theory, if we could do a survey of all original engines never disassembled, to see if most of them are one notch. I'll try to look at my engines when I can. Thanks!
Duane
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