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All of this for a water pump...


MiltonWATech99
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An update as of yesterday before I went to work. The heads are torqued down to spec with the new head bolts and copper-coated gaskets, lifter bodies and rocker arms are all in, and the AC clutch and alternator are reinstalled. Tomorrow will feature me putting the headers back on, installing the new water pump, replacing the necessary seals if they aren’t a pita (like the crank seal I’m digging out), and getting the intake put back on.4ef0838fbfc67988cd9adc205cd00a4a.jpg


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Looks like progress! To get the crank seal out of mine, I made a hook in the end of a straight screwdriver, polished it so it wouldn't garf the crank, and then slipped it under the seal to hook on behind. Then I used a socket I'd slid onto the screwdriver first to hammer against the handle until the seal popped out. Worked great for the cam seals, too.

Edited by Slartibartfast
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Finally got the crank seal out after another hour of picking at it with my seal puller. One other question for the experts...

Is it safe to use radiator overflow hose as throttle body coolant lines?


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You mean like heater hose? As long as it is braided inside like the hem hose, and not just generic hose it should be fine. Any pics of the head gaskets? Were they actually leaking? It is very uncommon on this engine.

Edited by adamzan
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You mean like heater hose? As long as it is braided inside like the hem hose, and not just generic hose it should be fine. Any pics of the head gaskets? Were they actually leaking? It is very uncommon on this engine.

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Here’s the head gaskets I pulled out. These are the stock ones that had over 210K miles on them. Not in bad condition, but they were seized to the block and needed to be pulled off forcefully.


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I went ahead and found some reinforced tranny cooler hose that AutoZone said would work for my application. I set the timing belt tension, installed the lower timing cover, put the distributor in, put the fuel rail back in, and began installing the intake plenum before realizing my wiring harness was behind the heater hoses. 420888fe21a196ab98783635d8e8edf5.jpg


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Got everything set and ready to go today. Started her up and she didn’t start first time. Rotated the distributor cap a little and she started but ran extremely rough and stalled out pretty quick. I continued playing with the distributor position trying to find a steady idle which didn’t happen today. Until tomorrow!

Oh and I found another coolant leak, but I’m hoping it’s from the thermostat housing this time so I can get in there easily...efef9a4cb433eb2a62eee9038eb42116.jpg


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I remember having some trouble getting mine set right after I had it apart. Took a little screwing around. Once it runs, let it warm up and set it to 15° BTDC. I set mine cold to get it in the ballpark, let it warm up, then set it properly with it warm.

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Got the timing set properly only to discover another problem. Possibly one that’ll stop me in my tracks. The engine idle fluctuates like crazy and will stall out without giving it throttle. Sounds like a real bad misfire with a large vacuum leak and a knocking sound coming from the right head to add to it. This concerns me big time because the right cam sprocket snapped forward when I tried advancing it a tooth without the timing belt on. Bent valve?


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I had a sprocket jump too, scared me but didn't hurt anything. The spring tension that makes them jump wants to close valves, not open them. I doubt it's a valve issue. Might be a lifter not pumping up? Also check the exhaust manifold gasket, my friend put one in backwards on his Blazer and it had a very unhealthy sound that neither of us recognized as an exhaust leak until I started poking around and saw what he'd done.

 

In the last picture you posted, there's no hose on the passenger's side valve cover nipple. I don't know if you've addressed that since, but if not, there's a vac leak right there. I had vac leak issues with mine after using the wrong intake manifold gaskets. The set I bought turned out to be for a VG33 intake, which uses crappy stamped-steel gaskets that are thinner than the steel-and-rubber gaskets I should've bought. Nothing lined up and it ran like crap until I got the right gaskets.

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I had the issue with the manifold gasket not sealing previously. It’s definitely not that because it doesn’t have the distinct sound or any sound in the engine bay coming from the exhaust. The engine shakes somewhat violently as if it was imbalanced and I can hear a screaming vacuum leak coming from underneath the intake plenum.

One things for sure. The intake is coming off again rather soon. Maybe that’s what I get for reusing a few hoses.


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Which head is it coming from?


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Passenger side. Sounds like it’s towards the front of the engine near the head gasket mating surface. Friend and I thought a rocker arm was scraping but everything looks fine under the cover.


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Hmmmm.. well the cam springing forward under the tension of the valve springs should not be strong enough to bend anything. Id honestly be surprised if you were able to bend a valve unless you were turning the cam sprocket with a long ratchet. It sounds more like the belt is a tooth or two off. Ive heard here about people being off a tooth and having similar problems but the knocking has me thinking its off more than one tooth. 

 

Id pop that timing cover off real quick and count the teeth on the belt between each sprocket dimple mark.

 

The passenger cam sprocket dimple mark is around 11 o'clock and the driver cam sprocket dimple mark is around 1 o'clock, while the crank sprocket dimple mark is around 5 o'clock. Pop the belt on and keep it taut in the middle between the two cam sprockets and also keep it taut between the driver cam and the crank. The belt can be as loose as needed between the crank and passenger cam but it helps to have some tension in that area or the belt tries to jump off the passenger cam while you are trying to get the tooth count right.

 

So with the belt on and the cam and crank sprocket dimple marks pretty close to the 11, 1, and 5 o'clock positions count the teeth (peaks) on the belt between the passenger cam sprocket dimple mark and the driver cam sprocket dimple mark. There should be 40 teeth (peaks). If you've got more (or less) than 40 teeth then move the driver cam just a little bit until you count 40 teeth between the two dimples. 

 

Then count the teeth between the driver cam sprocket dimple and the crank sprocket dimple. You should have 43 teeth. If you have more (or less) than 43 teeth then CAREFULLY and gently turn the crank the tiny amount you need to achieve 43 teeth. 

 

Once you have your tooth count 100% confirmed then set the tension and rotate the engine several times by hand before buttoning everything back up.

 

I have tried using alignment marks on timing belts for my VG33 and have never been able to make everything line up perfectly. Its always a tooth or half a tooth off when comparing the marks on the sprockets to the marks on the rear timing cover. I found the tooth counting method and it has worked flawlessly 3 times on my QX4 (one 100k mile service, one engine swap, and one head gasket job). It has also worked on my wife's GX470 thats waaaaay scarier and legitimately harder to work on than my QX4. 

 

The stupid alignment marks and LH cam(which is actually right hand from where you work) RH cam(which is actually left hand from where you’re working) labeling is too confusing for me to confidently work around/with. I about lost my marbles trying to do my wife's timing belt and the #&$@ sprockets are labeled backwards. Like why couldn't they call them D(river)C(am) and P(assenger)C(am)??? /endrant

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Swapped in the stock fuel pressure regulator and she runs like a dream! The ignition timing needs to be fine-tuned with a light but other than that, it looks like everything is in good working order!


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I've still yet to see a failed hem nissan FPR on these trucks. A lot of people change them, but there is no need at all. And in some cases it can be detrimental lol.

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Ignition timing is set just the way I want it and I can certainly tell a difference from before the job! It’s not super noticeable, but the high end is making a bit more power now that the cams are timed, the ignition is timed, and the fan clutch deleted.


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Nice! The electric fan upgrade was a major improvement as far as trust goes but I feel like I actually have less power than with the thermal clutch. I should clarify, I have less power when the AC is on due to the extra draw on the alternator and possibly a little bit more power when everything is off.


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