DoctorBill

The R3 Pulley Bolt would not come out with the Air Hammer ! I now (later) know why...my Compressor was set to 70 psi 'cause I use it mostly for filling tires ! Oh well - Live and Learn. Thanks for the Head's Up, guys! I had to brace the Pulley even further ! The metal plate wasn't quite wide enough. So, as a last resort (?), I opted for More Power.... notice the huge arm muscles... I recently bought that 1/2 inch Cheater Bar from Harbor Freight...it just paid for itself ! ...and...to stop the rust, I greased the Bolts and inner Threads on the Cam Shaft. Off came the shroud covering the Cam Shafts - four Bolts and some of the Outer Shroud Bolts hold it on. I put those bolts back so as not to lose them...I now have a butt load of "things" laying around... I keep them inside the vehicle - which ain't goin' no where... The Inner Camshaft Shroud. Once the Inner Shroud was off, I found the reason for all the oily dirt mess ! Now, I am thankful that I spent the money to buy the ENTIRE replacement kit from Courtesy Parts. By The Way - WHAT is that recessed BIG Hex head nut at the 4 O'Clock position under the R3 Cam Shaft for ? more coming....

After "Gunking" the front TB area and spraying with Hot Water with my Pump Up Garden Sprayer, I loosened the Tensioner Pulley Nut and rotated the Pulley clockwise to lessen the tension. Took the Belt and the Pulley off. I put the two washers back on along with the nut. At this point, time to remove the Camshaft Pulleys....went after L3 first. Keeping L3 from turning was a "bugger all" situation ! I found a hunk of plate steel in my "crap pile" in my garage and "jammed" it between the Pulley "gear' teeth and the engine block tried by hand. No way, Jose...would not budge ! Out came the Air Hammer and Air Compressor....popped right off ! May God Bless Air Hammers ! It has a short bolt but look at the rust on the threads ! Same with where the bolt came out of... This is why I smear grease on all bolts going back into threads on automobiles - water gets EVERYWHERE ! Now the fun began - R3's Bolt refused to come out. Hammered away for minutes at a time....finally "Kroil'ed" the bolt. I bought two cans of "SiliKroil" (you have to order it - worth EVERY penny) and use it when nuts and Bolts are recalcitrant... Let it set for about an hour and tapped on the bolt with a hammer periodically. Hope this works... Nope.... Time for "more power...uuh, uuh, uuh" like Tim taylor says on Home Improvements "Tool Time" ! So - out came the 30 foot half inch Cheater Bar I bought at Harbor Freight....! DoctorBill

I am now wondering if this lack of a working Body - Frame ground isn't the reason my Tachometer goes nuts most of the time ? Is the Tach grounded to the Body inside the cab and thus not getting a good signal or a screwie signal ? A thought. DoctorBill

I took the plugs out because of several reasons. 1. All the Forum Threads that I have ever seen tell you to do that. 2, The Chilton Manual says to do it. 3. It makes sense - it is reasonable because: ....A. Why fight the compressions and vacuums created in the cylinders? ....B. If the valves seal well enough to hold either compression and vacuum, when I go to remove the Timing Belt and eventually the Camshaft Pulleys, the engine will probably rotate and mess up the positions I tried to set. ....C. With all the cylinders open to the atmosphere, turning the engine by hand with the main pully is easy enough...even for someone lightweight or older than dirt like myself. 4. I complain about the plugs because I cannot even see the upper back two plugs ! The upper back plug is a bastard to get the socket wrench over - I have to use a mirror and flashlight while stooping over the engine. May the engineer who designed that have to change them for eternity - wherever he winds up at. I have several questions for anyone who knows the answers... A. Do I have to use Aluminum or Copper pipe to connect the AT to the aftermarket AT Cooler? Would just the rubber tubing suffice? If not, why not ? B. If I do, what diameter tubing (and how many feet) do I buy ? And where do I buy it ? C. Can I drain the AT without removing the AT Pan ? D. Will it hurt anything to Degrease the front end with "Gunk" (or equivalent) before I proceed? E. How do I pull out the old Oil Seals ? How do I install the new ones ? F. Do I use any gasket sealer on the Water Pump Gasket ? G. I am considering NOT replacing the TB Tensioner Stud...if I screw the pooch (break it) , that sucker is a real bastard to remove. I can take the chance it will break later on - but what chance ? What are the odds.... Does everyone replace it...? H. Where did all the oily dirt inside the TB area come from? Bad Oil Seals ? I. Will I need to retime the engine when I am done with this ? (Timing Light) DoctorBill PS - "Hell, right now your my motivation of trying to do this..." Blackspawn I was very timid about doing this, even tho I rebuilt my Geo Metro engine, Fuel Pump, Front Wheel Bearings, cleaned the carbon out of the Throtle Body, etc - on the Geo Metro portion of AUTOMOTIVEFORUMS.COM. Each time I started a project, I was scared to death...but each and every project was actually not bad at all once I got going. I finally decided that it is like learning to swim - either jump in or go back to the farm and do something else ! That old saying, "Just Do It !" is quite true. Kind of like the first time you asked a girl out.... Well maybe that's not a good example - look what it leads to....Kids, a house, a job, etc. Lord ! Aw Hell - Just Do It ! How bad could it get....? (Don't answer that !)

The plugs were all pulled (I hate that upper back plug - Lord !) so that I can turn the crankshaft. I slipped the Main Crankshaft Pulley back on so that I could turn the engine enough by hand to line up all the various marks. Both the R3 and L3 pulley line up perfectly. I degreased the Crankshaft Sprocket and outside area with a gasoline soaked paper towel and found the marks (thin lines) on the shroud and the punch mark on the Sprocket. Painted them. That big keyed washer in front of the lower sprocket even had a paint mark on it in the correct place. Everything lines up ! Holy Moley....this stuff works ! Since I will have to toss the used NAPA Timng Belt (wouldn't ever use it again !), I think I will "Gunk" the whole front end area then use hot water from my 3 gal weed sprayer to degrease it. It is quite filthy. Filthier than a sheep's bum in the Fall.... If I remove the Cam Pulleys, are they keyed ? The scary part comes next. I need to replace the Camshaft Oil Seals.... DoctorBill

Continuing on.... I had a close look at the NAPA Timing Belt that I found...it looks in damned good shape ! Has some oil on the edges of the belt. You can see one of the Timing Marks at the 4 O'Clock position and the indentation in the rear shroud at the 1 O'Clock position (someone had made a paint mark above it). I loosened the 14 mm bolt holding the lower coolant pipe and removed it, Put the bolt back in it's hole. This allowed me to remove the Bottom Timing Belt Cover - BTW, the right upper inside bolt was loose and just barely hanging in place - would have lost it in time. and behold the Whole Ball of Wax....Old Timing Marks visible, too. Picture of the Crankshaft TB Sprocket where I have to somehow find the Timing Mark on it and the Engine Block AT THE LOWER RIGHT SIDE about 4:30 position...(fun). and the Thermostat Housing I think it is time to pull the Spark Plugs out......and maybe do a little "Gunking" of the grease on the bottom - to find the timing indentation and mark the Camshaft Pulleys and Crankshaft Sprocket with white paint. More to come. DoctorBill

I found some 100 mm (4 inch) M6 x 1.00 metric threaded rods in my town's tiny hardware store ! So off came the Crankshaft Pulley. No worries, mate! I put the Key back in the slot in the pulley, took off the puller, replaced the three bolts and stored it in the vehicle. I took out the two bolts holding the Breather Tube on top of the engine block, unclamped the left side (mine) hose clamp, pulled the tube off the metal tube and rotated the whole thing out and up as shown in next photo. I put paper towels into both ends to keep dirt out. The Timing Belt Top Cover has eight bolts holding it in place. The upper inside middle bolt was missing on my TB Cover. See next post - too many pictures in this thread - getting error messages...(?) DoctorBill

I went to town, did the Boss'es "to do list" and stopped by two Pawn Shops in Spokane. Got a "Snap-On" 1 & 1/16th Deep Socket for $3 and a Craftsman 1 & 1/16th (27 mm) and a Craftsman 1 & 1/8 (28 mm) regular socket for $2.50 each. Ha ! Then I got a long 1/2" Cheater Bar at Harbor Freight for $10 on sale. The Cheater Bar made the engine turn over, so I put the Craftsman 1 & 1/16th socket (27 mm) on my Air Hammer and the Bolt came out INSTANTLY as if it the threads had been buttered up.... The Vibration loosens bolts & Nuts like nothing else can - Buy an Air Compressor if you can ! Damn - that Air Compressor was one of the BEST PURCHASES I ever made ! The Pawn Shops had buckets of socket wrenches, box wrenches, tools of every sort - all at 1/4 or less than the price at any store - and some are good name brands ! They had used Air Compressors, also - compare their prices to new prices - even at Harbor Freight. garage sales are good places to buy used tools, too ! DoctorBill PS - The Main Crankshaft Pulley (as you can see) is apparently two larger back pulleys screwed onto the smaller front pulley with M6 x 1.00 bolts - none of which come with the Puller Unit I have.....off to the Hardware store - AGAIN !

It is almost time for me to drive the 25 miles into Spokane, WA to buy that 27 mm Socket - in my little toy Geo Metro that routinely gets 49 mpg.... I've got an air compressor and impact hammer (1/2 inch) and I bought a Pulley Puller from Harbor Freight to take the Crankshaft Pulley off. Should be all set ! This Pathfinder has ~167,000 miles on it when I bought it used from a guy in my small country town (360 population) who's father owned it (the father lives in Spokane). Taking off all the belts has revealed that they look quite newish...I'll bet the TB will be rather new and I didn't have to do all this for 50,000 more miles ! The Bozo who owned it supposedly didn't keep records ! Can you believe that !? He is just being a rectal opening because I got him down to $1,000 on the price and no one was driving out 25 miles to look at it - so they got desperate or tired of trying to sell it. So I'll bet he thought, "Screw that bastard! I won't give him my records...that'll do him !" Still, even if this wasn't exactly necessary, I won't be listening for the "Big Bang" when the TB breaks ! I am always listening for ticks and pops and scraping sounds to the point of having it drive me crazy! Listening to Rush Limbaugh is necessary so that I can't hear all the little noises the engine, transmission and drive train make....after Rush comes Bill O'Reilly...by then I am insane ! I don't drive a whole lot of miles each year (20,000 at most), and especially not in this gasoline hog. I will probably die before the TB gets near 100,000 miles on this Pathfinder.... Off to the Pawn shop - I'll probably find some treasure and spent 100x more than I intended. Oh well...it's OK as long as it it tools....Imagine the tools at the Caterpillar maintenance shop !!! DoctorBill PS - "...Looks like you're having fun,..." OldSlowReliable Actually, I am having a Ball ! I piss and moan a lot, but this is more fun than a barrel of Liberals ! Add in a cigar and several beers - you can't beat that ! I'm too old for substituting sex.

Thanks for telling me that....I was hoping someone would volunteer that information ! If I can find all the different sizes I don't have cheap in a Pawn Shop Socket Wrench bucket, I will load up anyway...26, 27, 28, 29 mm etc. I had to buy some huge size socket wrench for the '86 Suburban I once owned. A huge mother ! Never have used it ever again. Cost me about $14 ! I could use it as a catapult missile in the next Crusades... ...or maybe as a boat anchor ! I'm wondering if my Air Impact Wrench will loosen the bolt w/o me having to remove my starter and block the flywheel. Hope so... DoctorBill

Today I hit a brick wall. I have an Air Compressor and a 1/2 inch Air Impact Hammer and went out this morning thinking that I'd have the Main Crank Pulley Bolt off lickity split.... HA ! I do not have ANY socket wrenches big enough for that Bolt. It is bigger than 1 inch. Such is life.... My 26 mm long metric Box Wrench is too small ! I used my Digital Calipers (for my Reloading) and measured 26.6 mm - so it must be a 27 mm bolt. Chilton does not mention the wrench size needed. So - I have to drive 25 miles to town and buy some 1/2 inch Metric Wrench Bits in one of the local pawn shops where buckets of them reside for 50¢ each. Might as well buy 27, 28, 29 and 30 mm - whatever I can find. You can never have too many tools ! DoctorBill

I finally got out my flashlight and followed that flexible metal grounding strap. The other end is screwed onto the body ! How strange ! The body is bolted to the frame. Why connect the two with a flexible metal strap ? Seems redundant to the N'th degree ! Maybe Nissan was anticipating their rust-out problem....... DoctorBill

The Fan Bracket was removed by taking out the four 10 mm bolts attaching it to the pulley. As the bolts were tight and the pulley rotated (belt slipping), I used a rubber mallot to loosen the bolts by inertia - i.e. - tapping on the wrench - the pulley won't turn. The Power Steering (PS) Belt was removed by placing a large screwdriver thru the pulley holes to stop rotation and loosening the Nut with a 19 mm Long Box Wrench (Nut was on tight !). I then loosened the tightening Bolt and then the Clamp Bolt (12 mm) so the PS Pump could be rotated. You have to get at the tightening bolt from underneath. The PS Pulley was pulled off and the Belt came with it. Put the nut back on the PS Pump ! At this point the AC Compressor (ACC) belt was loosened by turning the Tensioner Pulley Bolt at the top of the AC Tensioner Pulley Bracket. The Tensioner Pulley Nut (14 mm) was loosened and the Belt slackened immediately. I took the Pulley off, removed the Belt and put the pulley back on the Tensioner Bolt so as to not lose any of the parts (I have a tendency to do that....). Three different sized bolts hold the AC Belt Tensioner onto the engine block. These were loosened with a 12 mm scoket and the bracket removed. The bracket is heavy and strong. The longest bolt goes on the bottom, the medium bolt on the left, and the shortest bolt was put back into the block so as not to lose it... All the Belts look fairly new and are Nissan belts - I'll bet the Timing Belt was changed not very many miles (25,000) before I bought the vehicle ! Oh well - peace of mind is worth all this fun stuff..... There are two Clamping bolts to loosen - one on the top and one on the bottom of the Alternator. Then the Tightening Bolt must be loosened all the way to the end of the bolt. Note from later on (8-20-09): The far left Bolt seen in the picture above of the Alternator actually holds the Oil Pump Front Plate in place !...It is the Bolt holding the Tensioner Bar to the engine at the middle left....and keeps the Oil Pump Gasket Tight - if not tightened to 12 ft-lbs, the Oil Pump Gasket can leak. This is important. End of note. Time to take a Cigar and Beer break ! It is 95° day today - so I wait until the Pathfinder is in the shade...! The Kentucky Fried Chicken bucket (I am cheap ! I keep everything !) is nice to put odd parts into - won't get lost. Now comes the fun part - removing the main Crankshaft Pulley. Oh Lord ! I took the Water Pump Pulley off and laid it in the vehicle and put the four bolts in the KFC bucket. More to come tomorrow. DoctorBill

Next I removed the Radiator as follows. Hey guys! Some of you are probably laughing at the way I am doing this. Never did a big vehicle like this before - I am an amateur, doing the best I can... EDITED IN - After I was almost done......(12 August 2009) The Fan Shroud is in Two Pieces and if you follow what is shown below - it comes out EASILY ! Otherwise it is a bugger ! From above reach down behind the Shroud about half way and push the clips on either side back toward the engine. The lower part of the Round Portion of the Shroud falls off. If you remove the upper hose, the Shroud now lifts out once the bolts holding to the Radiator are removed. This allows you to access the Radiator to drain it, the Hoses, The Fan, the AT Coolant hoses, most everything. I found out when I was all done that my radiator leaked at the left side bracket where it is bolted to the Shroud. Check the picture of the Radiator and Shroud together (below) - you'll see where it was leaking by the upper coolant pipe. I missed that and it cost me a lot of time.... Had to buy a new Plastic/Aluminum Radiator for $65. The one shown here is all metal....they don't sell those any more. In other words - don't be a dummy like me - check your radiator for leaks while it is out...or else ! Finished editing from much later on.... I removed the two bolts and grommets holding the Radiator in place and screwed them into the front of the nuts just to keep them from getting lost - one of my problems - keeping all the parts from being misplaced. I put all parts in the vehicle or in back by the spare tire. This allowed me to remove the AT Cooler hoses. They were probably the original hoses and consequently were frozen to the barbs at the bottom of the Radiator. I had to cut the hoses with a big wire cutters and I plugged the hoses with bolts screwed in to the ends. Then I split the hoses attached to the barbs with a hobby razor and they came off easily. I got ATF fluid all over my arms! Here are the ends and the barbs which had to be removed with a 13 mm Metric Deep Socket. After removing the Barbs, I was able to juggle the Radiator around and pull it up and out. This was a hassle. As I said, the shroud is a big problem ! Here are both the Shroud and the Radiator. I plugged the Radiator pipes and engine pipes with paper towels to keep dirt and Yellow Jackets out. Where I live, we are inundated with Yellow Jackets... I will buy some brass plugs to screw into the threaded AT Cooler connections to plug them up. Later in this thread, I will install an aftermarket AT Cooler radiator in front of the AC Radiator. Bought it at Schucks for $59. I put the Radiator Drain Plug back into the Radiator so as not to lose it. After the Radiator was out, I removed the plastic Fan with a 10 mm socket wrench. Now for removing the Belts and so forth....but first - a beer with my cigar...I'm tired. More to come. DoctorBill PS - Precise1 says, "Remove the fan/clutch first after loosening the shroud, then everything can be removed including the radiator without removing the hose barbs." You may want to do it his way.....

I drained the Coolant with some hassle as the system is not obviously designed to be drained conveniently (a mess). Opening the drain only got a portion of the coolant out – had to unhook the bottom hose to get the rest. I tried to collect the coolant to filter and reuse it - but also to keep my cats from drinking the stuff - had our favorite cat go blind drinking leaked coolant from my Jeep Cherokee! BTW - adamzan just told me, "you can remove the front bumper by removing the 2 bolts that hold those brackets to the frame in the wheel well. Much much easier!" Oh well, live and learn ! More to come DoctorBill

This will be added to as I do the work - and I am taking my time about it because I am 66 and I am not in any hurry...and I'm going to have fun doing it ! Enjoy it ! Edited after finishing....(8/14/09) If you are smart, and I know you are, you will read this entire diatribe BEFORE you start the work - why ? Because I made some (minor) mistakes. Don't make the same mistakes I did ! Know what to expect before you enter battle...reconoiter this thread first.... end edit (8/14/09) Another after the fact edit....(8/21/09) When I finished changing the Timing Belt (successfully), I found that my Oil Pump Gasket leaked. Toward the end of this Thread, it goes into trying to fix that oil leak. Do not loosen the Bolt that holds the Alternator Tensioning Bracket ! That bolt holds the Oil Pump on and farting with that bolt may make your oil pump leak. Fixing THAT can cost you $800 ! Have to remove the axle to get at it.... end edit (8/21/09) I'd like to acknowledge others who have gone this way before: (Have a look !) http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=12828 Some things you will need to obtain if you don't already have them: A Chilton or Haynes Manual to guide you - but lacks a lot of important detail. A good flashlight - one of those small 9 LED kind work great in tight places. Eye protection - glasses type or welders goggles to keep the crap from falling into your eyes! A Metric Socket Wrench Set - must have. A Metric Box Wrench set - must have - where a socket wrench cannot fit. A rubbet Mallet helps loosen recalcitrant Bolts - hit the wrench. A nice long ½ or 3/8 cheater bar to loosen tight nuts....lol Gas pliers, a Torque Wrench, a "Puller" to remove the Main Crankshaft Pulley. Various Strap Hose Clamps (8) to replace the crappy wire clamps Nissan used - that cut the hoses. Phillips and Slot screwdrivers. Metric Nut Drivers with a screwdriver handle help enormously. Cutters - to cut AT hoses if yours won't pull off - mine were frozen to the barbs. A 27 mm (1 and 1/16th inch) normal depth socket wrench - to remove the Crankshaft Bolt. Three or more 2 inch or longer M6 x 1.00 bolts to pull off the Main Crankshaft Pulley. An Air Compressor and an Air Impact Driver helps enormously (Main Crankshaft Bolt...) A full roll of paper towels - when draining the Radiator and AT Cooler lines and for greasy hands (see Postscript). A large shallow pan to catch Radiator Fluid. A big bottle of CHEAP hand lotion - see postscript ! A lot of cold Beer, cigars or ciggies if you smoke, a hat for the sun and a lot of patience. So here we go..... Removed all the front covers and the bumper. First take off the parking lights. Remove the two screws and pull up and out. Unplug the leads to the lamp by squeezing the plug (Hard) and pulling with a rocking motion. Tape the screws into the Lamp with Scotch Tape on the backside. Do it ! – Then you won't lose the screws ! Now remove the Flashers. Two screws in the grille portion and the one outside lamp housing screw and the assemble pulls out. Unplug the connector by squeezing the plug (hard) and pulling with a rocking motion. Again, tape the screws into the assembly. Using gas pliers, turn the five square plastic fasteners 90° and gently pull the grill forward. When all five are disconnected, pull the grill up and out. The Bumper is held in place with four nuts on either side. These nuts are not easy to get at, but a small racheting nut driver (wrench) can be used to loosen the nuts. The bumper pulls off the front end easily. Here is the Pathfinder with bumper and Grill removed showing the Air Conditioner radiator with the Engine Coolant Radiator behind it. I will install an Automatic Transmission Cooling Radiator in front of the AC Radiator the same as Precise1 has done on his Pathfinder. DoctorBill PS - I clean my dirty, greasy hands off easily & quickly without water or soap ! 1. Get two (2) paper towels ready. 2. Plop a tablespoonful of really cheap HAND LOTION into your dirty hands. 3. Rub the HAND LOTION into all the dirty parts of your hands , fingers and arms (HARD!) Take your time and rub all the greasy spots hard. 4. Once all the grease has dissolved into the HAND LOTION (it is an oil emulsion!), wipe your hands with the first paper towel - get as much off as it will hold! The oil in the HAND LOTION dissolves the grease and oily dirt... 5. Wipe your hands off with the second paper towel to get all the HAND LOTION off. 6. Now your hands will be CLEAN and sweet smelling so you can touch your significant other and you won't get rejected for being a filthy dirty old car mechanic... It works great ! Anywhere, any time. Trust me....I'm a Chemist with a PhD.

Mystery Grounding Strap Preparing to replace the Timing Belt - While I was enjoying draining the Radiator after unscrewing the shroud, I noticed above my head on the front left side of the Frame near where the frame curves down, a grounding strap was just hanging there with a screw in the end "ring tongue" - not screwed into the hole in the frame! It has the look of NEVER having been screwed in - since the screw will not go into the hole. The screw is too big for the hole right there beside the strap. I took the screw out - has a "7" on the head of the screw/bolt. I wonder if this has been hanging there since 1995 right from the factory ?! I looked in the Chilton Manual and see nothing about a grounding strap. Does anyone have any idea of what this grounding strap goes to - I cannot see it from the top side ? I wanted to tap the hole (is everything on a Pathfinder metric?), but no room to start a tap up in there, so I will use a selftapping screw and hook it up - but I would like to know what it goes to.... DoctorBill

I am going to install the AT Cooler after the TB is done, so I guess it wasn't for nothing. I was so looking forward to working on the TB in a nice reasonable manner. DoctorBill

This shows my level of inexperience... I took the grill and bumper off my Pathfinder in order to remove the Radiator, thinking that I could then work on the Timing Belt sitting on a stool in front of the vehicle.... What an ass ! So what am I looking at - a radiator. The Air Conditioner Radiator. Can't be removed w/o releasing the old type Freon - which is illegal - and paying gozillions of $ getting it upgraded and refilled. So....here I am...I'm going to have to change the Timing Belt leaning over the front of the vehicle or laying on my back again. Sh*t ! Now comes draining and removing the Radiator for no other damned reason but to give me a couple more inches of room to stoop over and work behind the AC Radiator....or lay on my freaking back as per usual. Sh*t ! I hate automobiles ! DoctorBill

Holy boltcrap, Batman ! The Tensioner Stud Bolt can break off...! My God - then why does Nissan Threadlock the bolt in there !? Or why not use a thicker bolt ? Maybe a 1/2 inch hardened bolt.... Ok.... If I flame the stud with a propane torch, would that melt out the Threadlock ? Maybe apply some acetone to the threads prior to attempting to remove it ? And yes, the threads are different on each end of the stud... Could I buy a replacement bolt made of better metal ? Neutronium...hello Scottie ! Beam me up ! I am now looking forward to removing that bolt...this made my day.... DoctorBill

I am wondering why you would want to replace that stud (bolt) in any case ? The sideways force on that 3/8 inch hardened (#8) bolt cannot be enough to make it break...can it? It doesn't get hot - it isn't a bearing surface. Has ANYONE ever had that Tensioner Stud Bolt break while the engine was running ? - ever heard of such a thing !? And I don't mean while trying to remove it - I mean breaking under use holding the tensioner pulley in place. If they threadlock it in - then they must be confident that it won't fail.... I think I will leave well enough alone. If it ain't broke, don't fix it... DoctorBill PS - Hey folks! Cold Fusion is baaack..... http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/04/17/...in4952167.shtml If this is actually true, I hope Fleischman & Pons get the Nobel Prize and their persecutors are made to eat dirt !

I had ordered a Nissan Timing Belt "Bundle" from CourtesyParts.com online for $263 plus $17 UPS Ground. Received the package 7 days later. Here are the components in the bundle package - all Nissan parts. Interesting - the V6 runs at 169° F - rather cool compared to other vehicles - GOOD ! Easier on everything.... I will soon be tearing into my '95 EX-V6 4x4 to replace thet thar Timin' Belt thingie... DoctorBill

A few points I need cleared up before I tear into my '95 NP to change the Timing Belt. A Nissan 'Kit" arrives tomorrow - the whole Ball of Wax. The Chilton says things that need to be done during the TB change. 1. It says to remove the plugs and rotate the engine to TDC - compression stroke on number one. How am I supposed to know which stroke the engine is set for when Number One is TDC ? Could be Compression could be the exhaust stroke ! 2. Then it says to line up the Camshaft Pulleys to the marks and the Crank Pulley to the mark. Do I have my head up my butt, or are statements 1 and 2 contradictory ? 3. Once the TB is off, do the Cam Pulleys tend to want to rotate to some position where all the valve springs are untensioned ? Is there some way to immobilize the camshafts from moving after the TB is off ? I read that in some engines, there is a 'special tool' to pin the camshaft once you start the job. 4. Does the engine turn easily once the spark plugs are out ? 5. If the Center Cam reduction gear is turned left, does the idler doubling gear turn with it - or does it turn right (clockwise) ? Or is it disconnected when the intercribulator is despangled ? Thanks for the help. DoctorBill

I am getting a lot of mail from people who will supposedly extend any used car's service warrantee (repair warrantee) for some cost. Now, there are TV ads for this same thing. Autofix.com is one I saw today. I cannot believe that this is anything but a scam.... How do they screw you? Have to wait a year ? Act of nature - not covered? Only cover 5% of repair bill ? Have to have the work done by Duee Chaetem & Howe Repair Service in Nowhere'sville...? Have to have them change the Oil & Filter & checkups at exorbitant prices ? Has anyone every tried this type of thing? DoctorBill

My tachometer in my '95 4x4 Pathfinder (just bought used) goes ape sh*t about half of the time. Flips around like Mad, Vibrates strongly, or simply goes all the way to the top end slowly and inexorably until I kill the engine - then it is OK. The other half of the time it works fine. So - I would conclude that the Tachometer itself in the Dashboard is working OK and that some signal feed is the culprit. Question - where is the feed wire (at the coil?) ? What is the wire color? I was told by some mechanic that the major culprit is one of the wires attached to the positive battery post that supplies the Tach's power. I have cleaned them and reattached those wires, but still, the Tach goes nuts once in a while - especially when I fart around with the Overdrive Button on the shift lever. Could some spurious electronic signal be being injected into the 12v charging system? Changing gears seems to disturb the Tach. With all these clues, all you Sherlock Holmes types out there ought to be able to finger out what is wrong.... Let's hear from the geniuses on this forum. DoctorBill