Breemania Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 (edited) OK I was in a rush to do the timing belt on the Wifes and Kids "making me nuts " 1997 Pathfinder SE 4WD, I did not set to No. 1 Cylinder TDC. The Question is this How do I get everything lined up correctly now? I dont want to trash the Valves. I know about the dots and how to line them up. I've done this job on my 300 zxt several times over the years but always had it aligned first. Also the belt is off now and the new cam seals are in. Is there any way to be sure? I think the passengers side cam might have moved. Thanks everybody for you help. Breemania Edited July 17, 2008 by Breemania Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94extreme Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 search around. there was a guy with this same issue a couple of years ago. it was quite the concoluted process for him but it's all in that thread. you will have to bring everything to TDC. good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 I have heard of this before several times. I think people get so excited to do the work that this first step is often overlooked. To be to discouraged yet. If you have the know how to do your own belt you will be able to take care of your timing issue. You just made a little more work for yourself. If you can't bring the no. 1 cyl to TDC by turning it over by hand (which you may be able to do). Just be slow and stop if you feel any resistance. Just remember OVER BY HAND. If not...... You are going to have to "relax" the valves. You will need a manual to follow. Basic procedure is to remove the valve covers and remove the rocker shafts. By removing the rockers all the valves will be closed alloiwng you to set TDC. You are going to need to remove the plugs so you do not fight compression. If you need further explination PM me your phone # and I'll walk you through it. Oherwise good luck you'll be fine Kirk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94extreme Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 nah, don't even mess with the valves. unless you have to. don't take the belt off just yet. get this thing to TDC. i doubt it is off by more then a couple of teeth. if you think it is like a dozen off then yeah do what kirk said. when you get the #1 to TDC, the other head should be close so slip the belt off and just align the marks. count the teeth on the belt and mark them. then slip the belt back on, hitting all the marks to make sure it's all aligned. if your stuff is way out of what then search around. that thread was pretty good as the guy really sweated it, big time but got it done in the end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexrex20 Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 I have heard of this before several times. I think people get so excited to do the work that this first step is often overlooked. To be to discouraged yet. If you have the know how to do your own belt you will be able to take care of your timing issue. You just made a little more work for yourself.If you can't bring the no. 1 cyl to TDC by turning it over by hand (which you may be able to do). Just be slow and stop if you feel any resistance. Just remember OVER BY HAND. If not...... You are going to have to "relax" the valves. You will need a manual to follow. Basic procedure is to remove the valve covers and remove the rocker shafts. By removing the rockers all the valves will be closed alloiwng you to set TDC. You are going to need to remove the plugs so you do not fight compression. If you need further explination PM me your phone # and I'll walk you through it. Oherwise good luck you'll be fine Kirk who would've thought a professional would have so much time that they could be an advanced DIYer when it comes to their vehicle? not me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breemania Posted July 18, 2008 Author Share Posted July 18, 2008 First, thank you to everyone who replied! The motor fired up and purs like a kitten, better than ever! But now the Crankshaft pulley "Harmonic Balancer" will not go on, it is a brand new one by the way, any ideas on this will be great. The Solution was to get a strap around the passengers side cam and turn it counter clockwise and line the dots up perfectly and then match to the lines on the belt perfectly, but we already know about the dots. All three must line up perfectly with the belt at TDC. The issue was that the Cam had moved and I did not have it set to TDC at start of the job. when you first try to turn the cam backwards (passengers side) there will be a lot of spring tension and at first it sprang back too far and then I had to turn it clockwise, and then do it again, turning counter clock wise very, very slowly but then I GOT IT! The Strap I used for this was a RED Snap on Oil Filter Change strap. It wraped nicely around the cam sprocket. If any one ever needs help or has any questions on this contact me. Any Ideas on the Crankshaft pulley? Thank you. Breemania Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94extreme Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 is it for the right year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeV Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 who would've thought a professional would have so much time that they could be an advanced DIYer when it comes to their vehicle? not me. One thing I do know is Kirk knows his Sh!t, and willing to help out someone he doesn't even know. Alot more than most would do... :tonguefinger: Glad to hear that she is working Bree! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 who would've thought a professional would have so much time that they could be an advanced DIYer when it comes to their vehicle? not me. I like the sound of that... PROFESSIONAL. But seriously Bree glad to hear it turned out. Now go rip that 300zxt for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breemania Posted July 19, 2008 Author Share Posted July 19, 2008 First, thank you to everyone who replied!The motor fired up and purs like a kitten, better than ever! But now the Crankshaft pulley "Harmonic Balancer" will not go on, it is a brand new one by the way, any ideas on this will be great. The Solution was to get a strap around the passengers side cam and turn it counter clockwise and line the dots up perfectly and then match to the lines on the belt perfectly, but we already know about the dots. All three must line up perfectly with the belt at TDC. The issue was that the Cam had moved and I did not have it set to TDC at start of the job. when you first try to turn the cam backwards (passengers side) there will be a lot of spring tension and at first it sprang back too far and then I had to turn it clockwise, and then do it again, turning counter clock wise very, very slowly but then I GOT IT! The Strap I used for this was a RED Snap on Oil Filter Change strap. It wraped nicely around the cam sprocket. If any one ever needs help or has any questions on this contact me. Any Ideas on the Crankshaft pulley? Thank you. Breemania Oh yea BTW the Crankshaft pully that wouldn't fit was aftermarket garbage! I went to Nissan this Morning and Got a new one and it slid on like Butter! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted July 19, 2008 Share Posted July 19, 2008 Oh yea BTW the Crankshaft pully that wouldn't fit was aftermarket garbage! I went to Nissan this Morning and Got a new one and it slid on like Butter! Yeah aftermarket parts suck. Stealer is the only place I go to now. 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