Timing belt day 1

[radar]

Ok, this is definitely an interesting job, made more interesting by all the corrosion on the bolts etc. Have most of it apart except for the crank pully, can't budge it, bolt is out but it aint movin. I thought I read somewhere that the holes in it were 6mm so went out and picked up some bolts to use with a harmonic balancer puller, no joy. The threads seem smaller than 6mm, may have damaged them with my bolts. Tried prying it and ended up breaking a 1/2 inch long piece of the rear edge off. So I have two questions, what thread are the crank puller holes (mine is a 99) and how bad is a broken edge if it is filed smooth, will that suffice? Any and all assistance is appreciated, John.

Edited October 9, 2006 by radar

[unccpathfinder]

o use with a harmonic balancer puller

yea thats the best way to get it out...

 

u can try to get a puller for like a chevy or something that has the prongs that will either fit behind it or in ure belt grooves to get it out...the 1st time i took the 1 off of the 87 it was a pain

 

once u get that off i'd line up ure T belt marks and make sure the 1 for the crank is punched in the block...i know my 87 wasnt but i donno if/when they fixed it and it'll make lining it all up a lot easier esp if something were to move....

Edited October 9, 2006 by unccpathfinder

[mws]

I recall that several folks who tried to use the "gripper" style pullers ended up breaking the pulley...

[Dowser]

Gripper pullers run the risk of Break or bending your Belt Sheaves... Do yourself a favor and pick up a $30 Canadian dollar Harmonic Balancer Pulley Puller. If your bend or break em.... you wont be happy But the Nissan Stealership might give you a pat on the back. SO will Bill Joe Bob from the Wrecking yard.

 

Dowser

[unccpathfinder]

ahh i miss read...well what i did was took 3 of the bolts out of the harmonic balancer went to NAPA and found some 3 in long 1's with the same threads and bam she worked...if u find the right threads u could pick up a tap if ure scared u damaged the threads and carefully i mean carefully fix them

[radar]

unncpathfinder, I don't see any bolts on my hb, just the main bolt and two bolt holes, this being a 99, are they different?

[unccpathfinder]

ahh thats prob it...sent u a PM with something that might help out...

[Casey.T]

Should be 6 little bolts that hold the lower crank pully to the HB....

 

Also sugest using some PB on the end of the crank....

[radar]

Only one bolt on this one, the 27mm holding it to the crank, two threaded holes that are used for pulling, I will call Nissan for the size, thks for the help folks.

[radar]

Ok, after trying to get the info from nissan for three days on the thread size, gave up and bought a new crank pulley, low and behold the holes are 6mm. So I will try threading my bolts in again on the weekend, must be dirt or rust in there, or, someone else already did a number on them.

[mws]

A 6mm tap to chase the threads in the old damper would also be a wise investment!

 

Good luck! Let us know how it goes.

 

 

Ohhh... another comment - you do know there are at least 2 different "standard" thread pitches on a 6 mm fastener, right?

Take your new pulley to a tool shop and get a good quality tap of the proper pitch, and then use it to chase the threads in the old pulley. And then make sure the bolts for the puller are the proper pitch as well.

 

Rule #1: Doing it all right DRAMATICALLY reduces the risk of serious problems! Invest a little $, avoid a lot of frustration...

 

And if it turns out the old holes are fubared, drill and tap them to a larger size. Since you have a new pulley, it no longer matters...

Edited October 12, 2006 by mws

[radar]

Ok, she's done, new waterpump, thermostat and hose, antifreeze, timing belt, timing belt tensioner and spark plugs. Started right up and purring like a kitten, man that was fun. I managed to thread the 6mm bolts into the crank pulley, came off fine after that. Two things I found a pain about this job, besides the crank pulley, the alternator belt tensioner adjusting bolt is in a horrible spot, took a while to get that belt off and on and the waterpump, it went on easy enough but when I went to install the lower belt cover, found one of the bolts that went through the water pump wouldn't thread in so had to adjust the pump slightly, thankfully no leaks. No I didn't change the cam or crank seals, all is dry and I didn't feel like going there unless I had too, my maxima is a 99 as well, over 200k on her and no leaks yet so I will leave those until I have to. Besides, when I look at the parts I replaced, they are all in very good condition at 170K, makes me wonder why I did it, the belt has no wear on it that I can see, the tensioner is rolling fine, ah well, better safe than sorry. Thanks for the answers to my questions, they were very helpful, John.

[Slick]

i think you are the first person in history to say doing a timing belt was "fun"........ I've done it 3 times and have yet to find it amusing..... interesting, but definitely NOT amusing.

congrats on a job well done! -bounce-

[radar]

Yeah it was fun, as in not, although a good feeling and sense of accomplishment to know I saved about $500.00 in labour costs. Using some of that money to buy a new set of warn hubs, also picking up new front rotors and pads, that should do me for awhile.

[Slick]

Yeah it was fun, as in not, although a good feeling and sense of accomplishment to know I saved about $500.00 in labour costs. Using some of that money to buy a new set of warn hubs, also picking up new front rotors and pads, that should do me for awhile.

excellent! :cool2:

[radar]

Thks Slick, think I will have a beer to celebrate this weekend, I imagine my son will join me, he is back on a 2 week leave from afganistan, not alot of beer drinking going on over there at the moment.

[Slick]

Thks Slick, think I will have a beer to celebrate this weekend, I imagine my son will join me, he is back on a 2 week leave from afganistan, not alot of beer drinking going on over there at the moment.

wow! i am glad he's coming home, if even for a short period of time. Spend lots of time with him and have fun enjoying beer adn each others company

[vengeful]

My T-belt wasn't that bad....I can think of about 100 things I would rather have been doing, but I can think of a lot more that I would rather do the T-belt!

[mws]

You're not replacing the belt because it would wear, you're replacing it to assure the fibers inside of have not broken down to the point they will break.