I have a 96' maxima. I was driving around one day when i saw the car start to heat up, so I stoped driving it. I looked under the car and saw that it was leaking radiator fluid. So i check the hoses, nothing. I check the water pump, BINGO, or so i thought. So i begin to take apart the right side of the engin to get to the water pump. Then i found out that it was the chain that turns the water pump had come off or has broken, that was the problem and not the water pump. So i still needed to take off the cover, but the crankshaft pulley bolt does not allow me, it is stuck on there.

The only way I have found to stop the crankshaft pulley from turning is sticking a flat head screw driver in some how. Once i got that from turning I get my breakbar and tried to losing it up, but i can't. Since i have to push 90 degrees up to losen the bolt, I figured i get my jack. When i used my jack the entire car went up with it. The bolt is on that tight . I need some tips on how to remove the bolt. I have no impact wrench, but if there is no other way then i will have to get ahold of one. Also the bolt is not in a very friendly place, the firwall and other things make it harder to work on it.

Also has any damage happen to the water pump, is it still good. I found out that the radiator fluid is leaking from some sort of crack that has some sealent around it, and not from the weep hole provided by the water pump. One other thing, are there any special instructions on putting the chain back on? Do I need to put the values at THD?

My car has been in my garage for a long time, and I'm tired of buming rides. Thanks for any help any one can give. This bolt is driving my KRAZY!!!!!!!!! i am becoming insane because of this one bolt.

 

Put a long breaker bar and socket on the bolt. Wedge it against the ground under the car. Blip the starter (DO NOT START THE ENGINE) to break the bolt loose.

 

Yep, only way you are gonna get it off. I tried my impact wrench and it didn't budge.

Make sure the bar is pointing toward the front of the car!!!

 

Ended up doing this on my 99. Didn't have to on the 97 either time, but doing it on the 99 scared the crap out of me. Took about 7 or 8 blips to get the thing loose. Watching the engine jump like it did was a tad scary...but it worked.

 

I got mine off originally using the starter blip, took about 3 tries.

Then I decided I would sell the pulley and wanted to take it off. Starter would not even budge it, even tried a 650 ft lb impact wrench and all it did was turn the engine over.

Had to heat the head of the bolt very carefully with a torch, so as not to damage the aluminum pulley and eventually it came loose. Some of them are a real biatch.

 

Hmmmmm

I cant get mine to budge either.........maybe I should try this.

 

explain "blipping" the starter?

 

I think they mean.. just bumping the key almost starting but not letting the motor fire up or completely turn over

 

And just how long of a breaker bar?

14 or so inches?

 

SOunds like it would be a good idea to pull the Fuel Pump fuse and start it till it dies before doing this, so that if you accidentally do start it, it won't actually start.

 

took the words right outta my mouth

 

Just go buy an air tools. It costs $300 but you'll find it very useful and you'll be happy you bought after you work on your car a lot more and wonder how you ever did work without it.

 

Get a 1/2" / 25inch long breaker bar.
I picked up one at harbor freight for around $14. The longer the better [torque].

 

With a 3 ft pipe extension on that.

 

Problem is, unless your car is on a lift you don't have the clearence to work with a pipe that long under the car.

 

Hmm and a $300 air compressor, and hosing, and etc.

 

yeah thats true.

 

You can get a 5 hp compressor with impact wrench and some other tools for around $300 at Home Depot or Sears. Like hacim said, you'll wonder how you ever got along without it.

 

Do those deals usually come with everything you need? Hose, fittings, oil, etc?

 

Yes

Search on SKU #287839

 

That's the exact setup I was looking at last time I was at HD. They had a display out, but no details of what came with the kit.

So, what kind of maintenance is required for it? Power? Do you have to plan ahead to have the tank filled?

 

I have already tried an impact gun to no avail...........we will see how this turns out.

 

It requires a 110V power supply. The compressor fills an empty tank completely in about 3-4 minutes, and is set to come on when tank pressure goes below 80 psi. Maintenance is pretty minimal, you just have to occasionally drain the tank of any accumulated water. There's pet**** at the bottom of the tank for that purpose. The oil-free compressors are pretty noisy, but they have no oil sump, so there's no maintenance in that regard. The air tools require a few drops of oil prior to every use. I love having air tools, it makes working on cars so much easier and more enjoyable. I'm looking for an excuse to buy a 240V 7hp compressor with a 60 gallon tank, maybe two-stage with intercooler running 175 psi max, sustained 11-12 cfm at 90 psi. That would be da bomb.

 

Thanks for the info.

 

This is a very informative thread!

Thanks for all the great posts, you guys.

White96MaxSE

 

OK so im about to try to remove this damn bolt. I'll let everyone know how i take the bolt off, i don't know which method im going to use.

 

I didn't see anyone recommend a good penetrating oil. I used some PB blaster and was able to get the bolt off with a 15" long breaker bar (1/2" drive) with only a few tugs, no 'cheater pipe' needed. Let the penetrating oil soak in and try tapping the bolt lightly with a hammer to help the oil work its way in. I had tried a week before using the blip the starter method ond only succeeded in breaking my breaker bar. If you have a 5 speed (I didn't see it mentioned) you can lock lock the cranshaft in position by putting the car in gear and holding the brakes.

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....hreadid=196690

 

ok so let me get this straight, so that i use the blimping method i point the breaker bars end towards the front of the car, ¿right?

 

If you're looking at the pully, it turns clockwise. So...the bar will have to be pointing towards the front of the car and braced against the ground.

 

I'd have to say that the impact wrench method is a no-go. I have a 300ft-lb impact wrench and am usually surprised at how few times it actually gets a bolt off. The starter blip sounds like the best bet, but I can only imagine the kind of damage that could result if you didn't do it just right...ouch!

Spence

 

Ok so i didn't know what method to use so i randomly picked a method. I choose the starter method. Mannn was it soooooooo EZ. I just put the breaker bar on the bolt lowered my jack till the breaker bar touched the ground (end of the breaker bar faceing towards the front of the car). Then i just turned the key a few times (3-4 times), then presto the bolt came right off. Thanks for every-1's help. This method is the way to go, don't mess with the impact method.

Does any one know a thread about the strut mounts, cuz i've had to replace both front ones on my car.