MadManMike Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 (edited) Hey all, So as many of you know and have tried to help me with... I have been complaining about my pathfinder making a ticking noise and a all the sudden loss of power. Then a bad knocking noise and it would almost sputter out at a stoplight. After trying to diagnose it in the rain and cold, I figured that the timing was way off.. I thought maybe the belt had slipped, but I had no way of knowing for sure without tearing the car apart and I didn't have time. Took it to Gregs Japanese auto today... The mechanic said the same thing I did: "Sounds like your timing belt jumped a few teeth", told me it would be $150 to take the covers off and check. After removing the covers he discovered that my crank pulley bolt wasn't tight enough and the crank sprocket had skipped over the woodruff key, it was bad.. I could see that it was about 1/2" out of line with the other key. Luckily my crankshaft was not damaged... So now he is going to tap and drill it to get it off.. get a new key and cut a new groove for it and put it back together. But he said there is no way I am going to be able to change the timing belt again.... he said it would be near impossible to take the pulley off again... So, let that be a lessen to all.. Tighten the crap out of your crank bolt when you put it back together... Take the time to go under the car and jam something in the starter to stop the crankshaft from moving. I didn't and it came back to bite me. On the other hand my pathy will now be usable... and seeing that I only drive it about 5k a year I have a total of 18 years left on her -Mike Edited November 19, 2008 by MadManMike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 The harmonic balancer skipped, or the crankshaft sprocket? If the harmonic balancer shifted, I don't see why he'd need to do anything that wouldn't let you change the t-belt again.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nunya Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 If the keyway is the issue, you can have a new one ground into the crank and get a new key put in. Know someone who had it done and never had a problem with it again(it was a Civic though) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 Sort of what Simon said. If the crank is not damaged then all you need is a NEW pully, key and perhaps bolt. Then he can install it normally... What is he drilling and tapping? I'd tell him not to do anything until you (we?) understand exactly what he plans to do... Talk to Redpath88, he can tell you about crank woes!! B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadManMike Posted November 19, 2008 Author Share Posted November 19, 2008 (edited) If the keyway is the issue, you can have a new one ground into the crank and get a new key put in. Know someone who had it done and never had a problem with it again(it was a Civic though) Yeah this is what they are doing... he said the keyway looked more like a U shape now than a square.... So they are going to machine the crank so there is a new spot for a key. I am somewhat confused about it my self... I have a hard time explaining it because I forget what the parts are called *looks at how to: change timing belt post* Okay so... The crankshaft sprocket shifted, the key hole for the crankshaft sprocket is about half an inch away from the keyhole for crank pulley, whereas they should be lined up. He is tapping the crankshaft sprocket.. so he can get something on there to pull it off. He said he has seen this happend to the pathfinder 3 or 4 times and has repaired them. But I am still not sure what he means by not replacing the belt any more ?? because the pulley is all that needs to come off for that right? He said it was a beast to pull the crank pulley off, took him nearly an hour. -Mike Edited November 19, 2008 by MadManMike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedPath88 Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 If I am understanding you correctly, this sounds to me like an easy fix Is it just the pulley that is bad? By your description the crankshaft was undamaged, so just get a new pulley or head the the wrecking yard and get a good replacement one. Pick up a new woodruff key, change your belt, put it all back togetther and drive on and on and on, until your next belt change interval then... change it again I had the actual keyways in my trucks original engine round out... both of them! The cost of having it fixed was to great compared to simply swapping in a good running, lower milage engine when the original had 291,000 miles on it already. If you search around my pics are still on the forums. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedPath88 Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 Ok so your crankshaft IS damaged then? Did it look anything like mine... http://npora.ipbhost.com//index.php?s=&...ost&p=56010 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadManMike Posted November 19, 2008 Author Share Posted November 19, 2008 (edited) Ok so your crankshaft IS damaged then?Did it look anything like mine... http://npora.ipbhost.com//index.php?s=&...ost&p=56010 Yep... not quite to that extent. That is exactly what happened.. That must be why it took him so much time to get the crank pulley off. But he said he can machine the crank and fix it that way. Total cost with diagnoses $500. You think it's worth it? They owner of the shop said if it was him he would do it... because he said the rest of my pathfinder is in really good shape. My other option would be to ditch the pathy and buy a dorky econo car to get me back and fourth to school for the winter. And my pathy engine only has 111k on it. meh.. -mike Edited November 19, 2008 by MadManMike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 I don't know what the best fix is, but for a truck with 111k on it, thats hard to throw away. Not to mention a new motor would cost you $500, not to mention the install. It sounds like what needs to be done, but what I don't understand is the whole "this thing is never coming off again' bit. I don't see why that is or needs to be... B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadManMike Posted November 19, 2008 Author Share Posted November 19, 2008 (edited) I don't understand is the whole "this thing is never coming off again' bit. I don't see why that is or needs to be... B Yeah I am not understanding that either.... unless they are going to "pin" the crank pulley to the crankshaft. As in actually drill and screw into it so it is on for good... I would have asked him about it there, but it just now accured to me that the pulley groove was damaged as well as the sprocket groove. -Mike Edited November 19, 2008 by MadManMike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedPath88 Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 If they can regrind the crank I would go that route, just make sure that if your timing marks are going to change that they permanently mark it accordingly and also that you fully understand anything that has changed, put it on paper just in case you forget. As with B I don't get the "never coming off" thing either, you need some clarity on that before you move forward with any option Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimGreg Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 At that point I would probably just be looking for a 3.3 to swap in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadManMike Posted November 19, 2008 Author Share Posted November 19, 2008 (edited) At that point I would probably just be looking for a 3.3 to swap in. Yeah, well I would... if I had the time and the talent to do that. But since this is my daily driver, it really can't be out of service for more than a week. And since I am a full time student and it's nearing finals Okay so I talked to the mechanic this morning. And he said I will be able to change my timing belt in the future. I think** they were just saying that re-machining the crank is not going to last forever. Which I am okay with, because I doubt I will have to pathfinder till 200k. Or maybe they were just pointing out that my timing belt was good for another 90k ...lol In any event, at least I know I will be able to change the timing belt now. -Mike Edited November 19, 2008 by MadManMike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimGreg Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 Yeah, the remachined ones are almost time bombs with a ??? fuse. Mr' Reverse on AC remachined his and it lasted a year, others have lasted a lot longer without issue... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadManMike Posted November 20, 2008 Author Share Posted November 20, 2008 Yeah, the remachined ones are almost time bombs with a ??? fuse. Mr' Reverse on AC remachined his and it lasted a year, others have lasted a lot longer without issue... After I picked it up today I found out a lot more about what had happened. They said that there wasn't much damage to the crank it self, but the key was sheered in half. So it looks like the key took the brunt of the damage. And they said they only had to clean up the crank a little bit. mmm she sounds so quiet now -Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 If that's the case, there should be no reason it wouldn't last another 200k. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadManMike Posted November 20, 2008 Author Share Posted November 20, 2008 If that's the case, there should be no reason it wouldn't last another 200k. That's the plan... I really hope to keep my pathy as an off road vehicle if I ever upgrade my daily driver. Okay so... Exhaust manifolds fixed... new starter installed... cracked exhaust pipe fixed... timing belt changed...new shocks put on... new clunking noise fixed... new tires put on... Wait? can it be?... is my pathfinder in good running condition for the first time ever? (except for the first week I had it). I almost don't want to say it for fear that something else will go wrong. Dare I say I might be able to take it off road this Christmas break? wow... -Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nunya Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 Now you cursed it, but happy to hear it wasn't as severe as originally thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now