pwachon Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 Folks, Title says all - '98 R50, the upper timing belt cover cannot be removed because there is a silver (aluminum) air conditioning pipe that runs right across the front of the cover... I did my research ahead of time, and nowhere did I see anyone running into this problem.. Note: I tried prying the pipe out of the way, quite bluntly at times... will I have to have the dealer do this job because the A/C system will have to be opened? Please reply if you have any insight... Cheers, Pierre. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5523Pathfinder Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/topic/12828-how-to-change-your-timing-belt/ See post #7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pwachon Posted February 2, 2014 Author Share Posted February 2, 2014 Thanks 5523, The post you refer to essentially states that if you pull gently on the pipe, you should be able to gently wiggle the cover out... that has not been my experience. As I mentioned in my original post, I tried pulling on the pipe in all conceivable directions, and quite hard at times (and yes, fearing that I might break it...). At this point the only thing I can think of is to unbolt the compressor from the engine (since the pipe is attached to the compressor)... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferrariowner123 Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 It's a bit tricky, but you should be able to move the hard line up just a smige and it should just side out. Not too much, but just to enough to slide the cover out of the way. Pretty much just repeating what the instructions say, but that's how it worked for me. -Kyle 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theexbrit Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 I never took the pipe off when I did my TB, I just wiggled it out of the way as the others have said. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devonianwalk Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 I loosened the a/c compressor bolts (without removing them) which allowed a little more wiggle room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pwachon Posted February 13, 2014 Author Share Posted February 13, 2014 Just following up for future readers... It seems that wiggling the pipe out of the way may work for some folks, but for others (including myself), this was absolutely impossible. At some point I had the pipe with both hands and was pulling quite hard to get it out of the way, and the cover wasn't even close to coming off. I ended up removing 3 out of 4 compressor bolts (and only loosened the bottom left bolt). This allowed me to tilt the compressor forward far enough to finally pull out the cover. But even with the compressor loose, to give an idea of how tight it was, I had to disconnect an electrical connector located right above the compressor so that it would tilt forward far enough, and I even had to pull up on the manifold air intake hose (the one that goes to the air filter box), so that the A/C pipe would move far enough out of the way for me to remove the cover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle94 Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 It's possible the hose was replaced and not stock equivalent maybe?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingman Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 I remember having to do a whole lot of finaggling to get the cover off. It was a pain in the ass for sure but it did come out. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wretchasketch Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 (edited) Adding to the thread for posterity,this is getting a little bold with a big screwdriver at about 1:21 Edited January 19, 2015 by Wretchasketch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fixinto Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 (edited) when i blew mine apart I had to take an adjustable wrench and grab it by the angle that runs in front of your engine and "twist" it slightly to raise it up a bit. Being a soft metal its not hard to "persuade" it to do what you need it to do, just avoid bending it sharply and back and forth too much in the same place. The more i wrench on my R50 the more it becomes clear that the FSM is more of a step by step how to when things go as they should, well the kicker is, things Rarely if ever go as they should one way or another. The info is sound, and the procedures for taking things apart are there, The torque specs and all of that are good, but something always seems to be in the way, or stuck, or cracked or whatever. When i stopped using the FSM as a bible and more as a guideline things became easier. It is funny how adjusting the angle on something by 4 or 5 degrees, or cutting something that is cheap and replaceable rather than fighting with it, saves you HOURS of frustration. Just remember, as long as you can still fix it, its not broken ;P P.S. not to state the obvious, but be sure all the brackets and stuff are loose to let you manipulate it. Pat Edited January 19, 2015 by fixinto Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fixinto Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 Just following up for future readers... It seems that wiggling the pipe out of the way may work for some folks, but for others (including myself), this was absolutely impossible. At some point I had the pipe with both hands and was pulling quite hard to get it out of the way, and the cover wasn't even close to coming off. I ended up removing 3 out of 4 compressor bolts (and only loosened the bottom left bolt). This allowed me to tilt the compressor forward far enough to finally pull out the cover. But even with the compressor loose, to give an idea of how tight it was, I had to disconnect an electrical connector located right above the compressor so that it would tilt forward far enough, and I even had to pull up on the manifold air intake hose (the one that goes to the air filter box), so that the A/C pipe would move far enough out of the way for me to remove the cover. Sorry i posted before i saw this, Glad you figured it out. Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltaR50 Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 i just pulled it as far as it gives me clearance to reach those bolts. you shuold be ok. dont need to go to stealer ship Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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