Greetings fellow org addicts. While I had the camera out I took a few good macro pictures in hopes of getting an answer to a question I've had for a while now. Is there supposed to be a splash shield in front of (and completely covering) the crankshaft pulley and the three belts attached to it?

Here are some pictures looking past my passenger side wheel. Notice the crankshaft pulley is clearly visible and it looks like there is a "hole" where a bolt would perhaps go through to secure another (possibly missing) splash shield:

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Thanks in advance for any tips!

 

splash shield belongs there. i been to lazy to put mine back

 

probably not a big deal, i guess it could potentially allow something to be shot into that area and damage a belt or maybe some squealing belts when it rains but it wouldn't be a top priority for me if my budget was tight. I would probably put it on my to do list for the future though...

 

grab a new one at the junk yard. they're about $100 at the dealer. I buy them for $5 a piece at junk yards.

yes, there's supposed to be 4 shields total. one on the bottom of the engine bay on either side of the crossmember, and another on each side of the engine bay to close up the fender well.

there's multiple little reasons to keep them on there- the main one though is to keep sand and rocks and crap out of the drive belts. I left the ones off my engine side for a few months and noted a huge amount of crap stuck in the grooves in my drive belts. put the covers back on and voila! very little sand!

it also helps with engine cooling, as it better directs the airflow through the radiator and out of the engine bay while you're driving- instead of relying solely on the electric fans to pull air through.

 

Yup, they need to be there, went through 3 alternators without the passenger side splash guard in place welp, since i replaced my last alty, i also installed the guard. no more alty failures since

 

my alty *seems* fine but my battery is weeping and the + post is corroded... probable cause?

 

Most likely your battery is about done. some batteries start leaking like that when they are close to the end of their lifespan.

 

o ok. cuz i had the car up for a few weeks when i was too lazy to finish my brake upgrade and i had the trunk open for hours at a time and it drained the battery down to so little charge that i couldn't even pop the clutch to start it (ie, the ECCS relay never kicked on haha)

crap. another expense *sigh*. i'm getting Goon's alty anyways but i'll put the splashguards back on this time for sure.

 

I have a 4th gen but same deal.... I think the boneheads that chg the oil (dirt cheap) dont re-install properly...mine got chewed up. I found online for under $10 but the S&H is insane...over $40 total! Dealer has for $48!?!? I'm going to patch mine up myself.

 

i'd suggest a junkyard... they'll charge $10 without shipping.

 

put the shields back on. i went through the same problem with my alty as well. so i went back to my shed and reinstalled all 4 shields. no problem since then and i also agree on Matt's comment by keeping rocks and sand out of the engine area. so put them back on.

 

Wow - thanks for all of the responses!

I'm still not used to a forum with more then 1,000 members. This perfectly answers my question, so now I know what I need to do! I'll price what I can get it for through Nissan, and then consider junkyards. I've got a buddy I know through my z31 passion (hell yes!) who gets an insane discount on all Nissan parts because he is the President of Zcars of Nebraska.

Thanks again everybody!

 

Where do you live? I have a spare... that parts car is nothing but a heap of metal now so any random little items you need i may be able to supply.

 

I hear ya..but, none real close to me...and I'm only missing a chunk, not the whole thing. Looks like he's hooked. And I agree w/ ya...Junkyards usually the way to go.

 

Jefferson City, Missouri. Would definitely be interested! I will PM you

 

Batteries leak around the posts because people crank the battery terminals down without regard to the fact they're torquing on something as soft as lead mounted in a thin plastic housing. the post itself moves and breaks the rubber/RTV/o-ring/whatever seal between the post and the case. Then acid starts leaking out and it goes downhill from there.

 

heh wonder if i tightened it too much. I thought the posts were metal all the way through. I had an issue with the positive cable coming undone from not tightening it enough once (popped off uphill at night while i was driving.... couldn't put on my flashers or anything... ya that was scary.) so i always made sure it was nice and tight ever since.

 

I didn't see where he said they were leaking around the posts? just that it was leaking, which i assumed was around the caps.

 

around the cap near the + terminal. the leak area is fairly big (big around as a sliced pear) and totaly encircles the post. so there's no way to know if the post isn't leaking as well.

 

Yea the junkyards down here in Houston are full of 3rd gens ( probably the same everywhere else!) I usually see about 10-12 per pic a parts

 

Getting it nice and tight is fine. BUT you need to be careful not to tweak the post. If you're twisting on it with a wrench, use another wrench on the other side of use your hand to keep the cable from twisting as well. if that makes sense.

 

I learned something new today! I have the same problem with my battery.

 

Ya I was thinking about that too. The CAA batery assist guy was cranking on my posts once, and I'm telling him to slow down. Now I just snug them, they don't seem to move or loosen.

 

i think those baboons you speak of killed my lower engine ones too. They are all cracked where the holes are to attach the screws, with gaping holes where the screw holes were. I suspect they overtighten them when putting them back and CRUNCH.

One side I have held up by chicken wire...so I'm off to the junkyard too to find replacements real soon.

 

or maybe one of those oilchange places just ripped them off and was like "oops" and tried to reattach them with bolts...

definitely reinstalling mine once i get the other engine in...

 

Yea they are about 76 dollars at the dealership i had to buy one yesterday you need 2 clips and 3 screws to put it on.

 

Do you know the Nissan part number for the splash guard?

Possibly for the clips and screws?

Thanks if you do