anyone know about how long of a job this would be?- for mildly experienced mechanic (3 years, couple complete rebuilds) , no access to a lift.. so ill be using floor jacks/stands ..
is there anything else i should check , or replace , while i have it a little apart- plan on replacing belt, and hoses - im looking at about 120k miles , almost positive nothings been replaced- should i look into water pump?


~also ,all i have is the large chilton manual for 1995-1999 imports which shows how everything comes off nice-and all the sprockets markings,where to be lined up etc.. but it goes into replacing sprockets and all that stuff, should i just use it and just take off what seems to be in the way? or get a good book for the specific project?

 

You dont need to replace your timing chain(s). They last the life of the car.

There that was simple...

 

The Chilton repair manual for the '93-'98 Maxima has good coverage for this job. However, are you sure you need to do this? What symptoms does the engine exhibit?

 

welllll...im setting a weekend aside to just do maintance , which i've neglected ... i need to do cv-joints - serp. belt- all fluids- plugs

the only problem i have is just on start ups it just cranks over and over - the only other thing im thinking about is the fuel pump, you can hear like the whine/buzz pretty bad

 

What year is your car? The '95s have notoriously weak and problematic starters.

 

it is a 95...

 

There is no recommended service interval for a timing chain. You replace it when it becomes loose and noisy. Timing chains are durable, and a loose chain is uncommon.

Timing chains tend to fail slowly. A worn chain will emit an ugly rattling sound, most pronounced immediately after engine start-up. It can go on like this for thousands of miles, slowly getting worse, before it breaks. Therefore you have a lot of warning before bad things happen.

You report no symptoms of a loose timing chain so leave it alone!