water pump?

[Towncivilian]

Don't run tap water through the radiator if you can help it, as it may contain deposits that will be harmful to a cooling system. Always use distilled or demineralized water during a cooling system service or top off.

[Tungsten]

I don't remember how the guy did my water pump way back, but I don't recall him removing the timing belt. It's been so long since that was done, probably around 1996

 

I think I might know how the guy replaced the water pump in my old hardbody, just remembered, I had that done after we moved down here to Florida, I had already had the engine replaced with a JDM engine before we moved down here from NY. I think maybe the JDM engine was out of a car so it may have had the 2wd style water pump.

 

As I said in another thread the JDM engine I got had ribbed belts not the "V" belts like the VG30's have in the PF and pickups, and the fuel injection was unlike any I had ever seen from a US model, and it had a belt driven fan so I know the engine was out of a rear wheel drive car.

 

That sounds exactly like a 2wd VG30E. They have ribbed belts and water pumps that are separate from the timing belt covers. You have to watch those engines because the ribbed belts need more tension and are very prone to breaking the entire balancer right off the crankshaft. They updated the crankshaft later on to resolve that issue.

[Nice186]

OK first off i wanna say is THANK YOU ALL!!!!! for all of your replys!!! I cant say this more enough! you guys are really going indept and helping me understand.n

 

now i went outside (2am) haha and took a few more photos to make sure that this is the water pump and not a hose!

i am under my truck. engine is < and the fan/front of truck is >

that drip mark is where its leaking

another view

is that bolt the draining bolt? if so its not leaking from there.

 

ok so now thats out of the way, i now know it has to be the water pump

Now i found this awesome video that shows step by step of how to change thw water pump and timing belt off a 1994 nissan pick up v6 and this is the same engine as my 1994 pathfinder.

^ this video is 3 parts and this guy does a really good job showing how to do it

but the only thing im getting confused about is this guy didnt do the tdc and the part when he tightens the timing belt. i dont understand what he means when he puts it on 40 degrees and stuff.

to tell you guys the truth i felt much better of how to install the timing belt before i watched this video but now that i saw this i am afraid i might f$%k something up

 

the mechanic that said he will do it for $350 will get all his parts from pepboys or autozone (water pump, timing belt) is it worth it?

[ahardb0dy]

I would do it your self, take your time, and if you have any problems/questions someone is always here to ask. But if the guy who gave you the $350 price is good and reliable than that is a good price.

 

The bolt looks like one of the engine block drains, there is one on each side of course.

 

Can't really tell where the leak is from the pics, you need to pull the shroud/ fan to be able to get in there closer, should be able to feel around use a dry paper towel to reach the back of the thermostat housing to see if the towel gets wet. As was already said it may not be the water pump could be the bypass hose or the thermostat housing leaking.

[ahardb0dy]

"That sounds exactly like a 2wd VG30E. They have ribbed belts and water pumps that are separate from the timing belt covers. You have to watch those engines because the ribbed belts need more tension and are very prone to breaking the entire balancer right off the crankshaft. They updated the crankshaft later on to resolve that issue."

 

I don't have to worry about it anymore, truck is long gone, never had a problem with it after it was swapped in, that engine felt like it had so much more power compared to the one that was removed. My guy who did the work at the time, did not want to mess with the dampener since the engine was so clean so we left it with the ribbed belts and I picked up a alternator pulley from an auto electric shop for my aftermarket alternator, ( the guy gave it to me), and I picked up a ribbed pulley off of a 300ZX power steering pump from a junkyard.

 

still have no idea what the JDM engine came out of as I said it had a FI system on it that I have never seen.

 

Back on topic, sorry

[Trogdor636]

I agree with ahardbody. At this point it might not even be the water pump. It may be as simple as a hose. Removing a few things to see is very easy, and then if you dont feel comfortable doing the repair replace the few things you removed and take it in.

[Nice186]

I would do it your self, take your time, and if you have any problems/questions someone is always here to ask. But if the guy who gave you the $350 price is good and reliable than that is a good price.

 

The bolt looks like one of the engine block drains, there is one on each side of course.

 

Can't really tell where the leak is from the pics, you need to pull the shroud/ fan to be able to get in there closer, should be able to feel around use a dry paper towel to reach the back of the thermostat housing to see if the towel gets wet. As was already said it may not be the water pump could be the bypass hose or the thermostat housing leaking.

 

Ok we'll I'm gonna try and take the fan and shoud right now and see if it is a hose or the housing... If it is the hose or housing, would I still need to take the timing belt cover off? Or would I be able to change that stuff without touching the timing belt? Would make everything much easier

[Precise1]

^good call.

*oops, that was in reference to Trogdor's last post*

 

Don't run tap water through the radiator if you can help it, as it may contain deposits that will be harmful to a cooling system. Always use distilled or demineralized water during a cooling system service or top off.

There is absolutely no harm in using tap water to flush the cooling system. You DO NOT want to use it to fill the radiator or mix with antifreeze for vehicle operation unless it is an emergency. That is when you use distilled water.

 

B

Edited October 18, 2012 by Precise1

[Trogdor636]

 

Ok we'll I'm gonna try and take the fan and shoud right now and see if it is a hose or the housing... If it is the hose or housing, would I still need to take the timing belt cover off? Or would I be able to change that stuff without touching the timing belt? Would make everything much easier

 

If its the bypass hose or thermostat housing then no. Timing belt cover and timing belt do not need to be removed. You may want to remove the upper part of the timing belt cover to have a look at your belt. You have a low mileage vehicle, but its the number of years that would have me at least looking at the timing belt.

[ahardb0dy]

I would agree with everyone, if you are replacing the water pump than you should do the timing belt and thermostat as well. Was/is the truck running any hotter than normal lately?

[Nice186]

I would agree with everyone, if you are replacing the water pump than you should do the timing belt and thermostat as well. Was/is the truck running any hotter than normal lately?

 

No my truck is running fine within a 20-30 min drive it stays under the half mark between C and H

[Nice186]

Ok so I took my fan and shroud off to have a look at the bypass hose and thermostat housing and I do not see/feel any thing wet, I took some photos of it and ill upload them later as I'm going into surgery now and ill be knock out for a few hours(truck is apart on my driveway ATM)

[Precise1]

Uh, good luck with the surgery.

 

B

[Trogdor636]

Look on the water pump for the weep hole. That's the next step.

[silverton]

Weep hole on the water pump is going to be on the bottom behind the pulley

[Slartibartfast]

If you do decide to do the timing belt, don't cheap out on parts. The PO on mine did that, put a cheap t-belt/tensioner/etc in it, and we had to have it all done again maybe 1k later when the tensioner bearing started whining. The main cause of failure was that the belt was way too tight, but still, for the amount of work (and the risk of damaging the engine if the belt fails), use good quality parts.

 

And yeah, good luck in surgery!

[Tungsten]

OK first off i wanna say is THANK YOU ALL!!!!! for all of your replys!!! I cant say this more enough! you guys are really going indept and helping me understand.n

 

ok so now thats out of the way, i now know it has to be the water pump

 

^ this video is 3 parts and this guy does a really good job showing how to do it

but the only thing im getting confused about is this guy didnt do the tdc and the part when he tightens the timing belt. i dont understand what he means when he puts it on 40 degrees and stuff.

to tell you guys the truth i felt much better of how to install the timing belt before i watched this video but now that i saw this i am afraid i might f$%k something up

 

the mechanic that said he will do it for $350 will get all his parts from pepboys or autozone (water pump, timing belt) is it worth it?

 

The engine is at TDC when the balancer pulley center mark lines up with the arrow on the timing belt cover and when the distributor points to spark plug 1. Since the camshafts and distributor spin at half the crankshaft speed, you only have a 50% chance of getting it right. The best way to verify that you have it correct is to look at the rotor in the distributor.

 

Put the transmission in N or P and spin it over with the crankshaft nut until it is at TDC. That will also make sure the camshaft sprocket marks are exactly in the top left and top right corners.

 

He cranks the engine over a couple of times with the belt on to make sure that the timing belt is set in before tightening the tensioner.

 

Here is how I tension the timing belts:

 

http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/topic/33505-alternative-way-to-tension-a-timing-belt/

 

^good call.

*oops, that was in reference to Trogdor's last post*

 

 

There is absolutely no harm in using tap water to flush the cooling system. You DO NOT want to use it to fill the radiator or mix with antifreeze for vehicle operation unless it is an emergency. That is when you use distilled water.

 

B

 

The FSM calls for flushing with distilled water only. Many mechanics will flush the block with regular tap water though. The coolant should also have some mineral absorbing properties if there is any tap water droplets left over inside.

 

For refilling the system, you can buy pre-mixed coolant and just pour it in. The only downside to that is you are paying 50% for distilled water.

Edited October 18, 2012 by Tungsten

[ahardb0dy]

you should turn the engine over by hand not with the starter to verify everything is right,

[Nice186]

Surgery went well, I can't do anything till tomorrow afternoon. But when it comes around I will try to find the weep hose and check that out,

 

Also so when the balancer pulley (which is the bottom one right?) lines up with the mark on the belt and I check the rotor is on first gear, that means it tdc? Cause that's much easier then taking the first spark plug and sticking something in there to see if it compressed or not

 

I will read about the tension on the belt when I get home

 

Once again thanks all for the help

Edited October 18, 2012 by Nice186

[ahardb0dy]

you need to have the rotor pointing at the number one position on the cap, best thing is to verify the piston is at TDC, just if you do pull the plug and stick something in there (straw, thin dowel whatever) don't drop it !!

 

The crank pulley/dampener has a key way so it will only go on one way, I would think if you pull the timing belt and not turn the cam gears or the crankshaft, just put the new belt on everything should be at the same position it was before you removed the belt. Someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

 

But if you pull the crank pulley and the upper and lower timing belt covers, than turn the engine over by hand ( breaker bar on the crank bolt), you should be able to line up the marks on each timing gear and the lower timing gear. Once everything is aligned and you release the tension on the tensioner pulley, remove the old belt, the new belt should have lines on it that line up with the 3 timing marks, the FSM also specifies the number of rubber teeth between each timing gear.

[vagabond]

I'd replace it. Its sort of a pain to get to, so you might as well go new.

+1 while your there might as well do it

[Tungsten]

You can change the thermostat without removing the timing belt cover. It's preference when you want to change it.

 

Having the rotor point to plug 1 and having the timing belt sprocket marks point to the valve covers at 45 degrees is more than enough for verifying TDC. Sticking something down there is optional unless you are doing something crazy.

[Nice186]

You can change the thermostat without removing the timing belt cover. It's preference when you want to change it.

 

Having the rotor point to plug 1 and having the timing belt sprocket marks point to the valve covers at 45 degrees is more than enough for verifying TDC. Sticking something down there is optional unless you are doing something crazy.

 

Ok so the sprocket on the top left should point 45 degrees to the left and the right sprocket should point 45 degrees to the right. And the bottom sprocket should be lined up with the belt line right? Ok I'm still confused on the tightness part, I read over the manual and I still don't get it. Once you line up the lines to the new belt and all, you then tighten the tenser wheel till the belt is tight that you can flip it more the 90 degrees? Can I just used a wrench to tighten the tenser? Or do I need a special tool that shows how much pounds I put onto it?

[Precise1]

Did you get a belt with the lines on it? It makes it easier when you are learning.

The marks on the cam pullys will line up (roughly) with the dimples on the timing cover and there is (usually) a dot down below for the crank. From there I recommend counting the teeth, it's hard to mess up that way other than the counting part. I counted about 3 or 4 times before I was confident I didn't miscount...

You can use a special tool (read fish scale or weight) or you can use the 90* twist rule, both get you to almost the same place. Do not overtighten though, that can cause bad things to happen, like the tensioner stud to break. I've used the 90* method twice now with no issues so far.

 

B

[Tungsten]

Ok so the sprocket on the top left should point 45 degrees to the left and the right sprocket should point 45 degrees to the right. And the bottom sprocket should be lined up with the belt line right? Ok I'm still confused on the tightness part, I read over the manual and I still don't get it. Once you line up the lines to the new belt and all, you then tighten the tenser wheel till the belt is tight that you can flip it more the 90 degrees? Can I just used a wrench to tighten the tenser? Or do I need a special tool that shows how much pounds I put onto it?

 

Correct. Ignore the tightness procedure in the manual. The right way to set the tensioner is with a $600 tension gauge. The second best way is to slowly rotate the tensioner with an allen key to the most optimal position where you can twist the timing belt to almost 90 degrees. Don't forget to spin the engine over twice when you are finished and check for tension again. The 5mm allen key hole in the tensioner should be set to about the 5 o clock position. The spring in the back should just become dead weight. When you are done setting the tension, you have to tighten the nut that holds the tensioner in that specific position to about 50 N/m or 37 ft/lbs. If you over tighten the timing belt will whine and the tensioner can break. For the record, I think it's 40 teeth between the two sprocket punch marks and 43 between the driver side one and the bottom one. The FSM has that information. Use a highlighter to make the marks more visible.

Edited October 20, 2012 by Tungsten