My 1998 Infiniti/Maxima is broken down in the parking lot at work. The rubber piece on the harmonic balancer/main drive pulley has failed.

I need to fix this at work, but i cannot run back and forth to the toolbox to check bolt sizes.

I have a harmonic balancer puller at home. I just need to know if the modern Datsun pulley has the two threaded holes an inch or so out front the crankshaft bolt for the blancer puller to grab. Also does anyone know what the thread pitch of those holes? Also the bolt did not look like the good old strong 27mm pulley bolt. What is the size of the bolt? Also because the pulley bolt is so small, I am inclined to think they end of the crankshaft may be a pretty small diameter. Also is the final torque on that bolt going to be less than older Datsun cranks because the crank is "skinny"?

Does anyone ever open these motors up themselves these days? I hope I am not barking up the wrong tree.

Next I need to change the drive belts. It appears I will need a socket (14mm?, anyone know for sure?) to loosen the idler pulley. Is it tough to get a rachet in there? Maybe I should use a box end wrench??? Then I will need a rachet and a long extension and a 14mm (is that right?) to move the pulley up and down to adjust tension.

Then to get the AC pulley on it seems like I need to use leverage somehow but I am a little confused on this procedure so any help would be appreciated.

Also can someone please verify this statement; "The water pump in internally chain driven off the crankshaft and NOT through one of the drive belts.

 

can't answer all of your questions, but yes, the water pump is chain driven.

And isn't that rubber piece just the oil seal? Or are you talking about a different rubber piece?

 

There is (I imagine) a rubber seal that touches the crank shaft in the center and touches the front engine cover on the outside. i believe the proper name of the seal is Front Main Engine Seal. That is not what I am talking about.

If you are looking straight at the front of the engine, the pulley looks circular. there is an inner and outer part of the circle connected by a piece of rubber. the purpose of the rubber is to dampen vibration in the crank shaft. The rubber part is as thick as the pulley. the rubber part is affixed to both the inner and outer metal part of the pulley. the crank shaft pulley bolt goes through the inner metal part of the pulley, while the actual drive belt touches the outer metal part of the pulley. In my case, where the rubber piece has failed, the inner and outer metal part of the pulley can rotate independantly of each other. Of course this is the crux of the problem. The crankshaft is connected to the inner metal part of the pulley and thusly the inner part spins with the engine. The outer metal part of the pulley does not spin with the inner metal part (and the crank).

In simple terms it will not spin the alternator or steering pump (or the AC unit).

In realistic terms, the outer metal ring wobbles like a mother and caused both of my belts to fail/disintigrate.