jond8 Posted June 27, 2007 Share Posted June 27, 2007 (edited) Well, just finished one of the worst mechanical jobs I have ever ventured to attempt. After recently purchasing a 93 Pathy for the girlfriend I decided to do the timing belt and associated other misc parts. It turned out to be much harder than as described on this site and other places on the internet. I will post pictures and the full story in the next few days. But first.... I FINALLY finished putting the last bolt in the rig and decided to craw underneath and install the radiator petcock that I had removed earlier during the job, and I noticed that one of the damn bolts from the timing belt cover was contacting the harmonic balancer.... and because I had tightened the harmonic balancer bolt to spec, I ended up bending the hell out of the cover. See below for a picture of the said bolt. The head sticks out far enough to contact the harmonic balancer. So, before I tell the whole horror story, I want to get this job finished. Any ideas what this bolt does and why it is hitting the harmonic balancer? It doesn't fasten to the oil pump (hangs below... I can't figure out why it's even there. Anyway, time to take another 5 hours to re-disassemble, rad hoses, fan, shroud, belts (oem belts that are too damn tight to fit the pulleys so they are a PITA to remove and install), and then go rent the puller again, pull the harmonic balancer, and inspect the damage. Will post the whole story with tons of pics soon. Edited June 27, 2007 by jond8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k9sar Posted June 27, 2007 Share Posted June 27, 2007 a common problem is that the bolts that hold the timing cover on are different lengths. If you get them mixed up, you could cause interference. the bolt circled simply looks to eb one to hold the lower timing cover on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jond8 Posted June 27, 2007 Author Share Posted June 27, 2007 a common problem is that the bolts that hold the timing cover on are different lengths. If you get them mixed up, you could cause interference. the bolt circled simply looks to eb one to hold the lower timing cover on. You would think this is the case, but it doesn't fasten to the oil pump or block... so, what is it fastening the cover to? The bolt goes through two peices of sheet metal, one being the front cover... the back being???? I need to craw under this afternoon and take a closer look... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k9sar Posted June 27, 2007 Share Posted June 27, 2007 not sure about the 93's but I thought they were teh same VG30E as in the 94's/95's. If so, this diagram applies: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryfry Posted June 27, 2007 Share Posted June 27, 2007 the fly wheel.... Harmonic balancer.......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted June 27, 2007 Share Posted June 27, 2007 LOL...I was thinking the same thing....that'd have to be a long-a$$ bolt to hit the flywheel I'm going with K9's idea....I believe the wrong bolt has been put in that place, causing it to hit the harmonic balancer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jond8 Posted June 27, 2007 Author Share Posted June 27, 2007 (edited) Harmonic balancer.......... Ah yes!! Thanks for the correction. After another long night under the pathfinder I need more: :coffee!: Edited June 27, 2007 by jond8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jond8 Posted June 27, 2007 Author Share Posted June 27, 2007 (edited) not sure about the 93's but I thought they were teh same VG30E as in the 94's/95's. If so, this diagram applies: Thanks for the pic!!! See this is what burns me. I have the Chilton’s manual and the online manual (which I think are the same). Notice that the bolt that I am concerned with is not in your diagram (below harmonic balancer hole). It isn't shown in any manual that I can find and I have no idea what the heck it is for. If you notice the diagram basically says to use Bolt A on the upper cover, and bolt A on the lower with no differentiation on the lengths. Not that it really matters because the bolt that is hitting the HB is not listed in any of the diagrams, although it does show up in the exploded view from the parts fiche. Edited June 27, 2007 by jond8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k9sar Posted June 27, 2007 Share Posted June 27, 2007 well... I'd crawl under mine and look but there's a skid plate and about a bucket-load of mud in the way. I have one in the garage but the covers are already off (and Slick got the funny special bolt from it). Maybe it'll show me something there. I'll take a look when I get home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey.T Posted June 27, 2007 Share Posted June 27, 2007 Slick also has a pic of what the bottom timing cover bolt looks like, when you have installed the wrong one and run the engine... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unccpathfinder Posted June 28, 2007 Share Posted June 28, 2007 Slick also has a pic of what the bottom timing cover bolt looks like, when you have installed the wrong one and run the engine... yea that ear on the block breaks off...i took a hammer and beat the cover back over the block and RTV'd it closed so no water or dirt got in there...that block has since gone to the scrap yard and i have a good 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jond8 Posted June 28, 2007 Author Share Posted June 28, 2007 yea that ear on the block breaks off...i took a hammer and beat the cover back over the block and RTV'd it closed so no water or dirt got in there...that block has since gone to the scrap yard and i have a good 1 So, last night I pulled the front of the engine back down, rented a puller, and pulled the harmonic balancer. While installing the proper bolt, the whole damn ear broke off (as mentioned above). About half a pound of RTV later she is sealed up. I hope that it keeps the muck out. Hopefully I will have time to write up my whole experience and post pictures soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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