yesterday i changed my oil.
ive changed it before by simply bending that black plastic shielding out of the way enough to get at the filter and drain plug. but when i did it on saturday i decided id do it the right way and remove that panel.

so i undid the two metal screws and two plastic screws and got it off. immediately i noticed that this belt, which seems pretty big, connecting with a variety of tensioners, is very badly cracked.

i assumed it was my serpentine belt, but im not 100% sure.

here are the pics (from the wheel well of my front passenger side)





is this the serpentine belt? if not, what does it control?

judging from its current condition, how long do i have before this thing comes apart?

if it comes apart while im driving, do i risk damaging anything else ? (in the same way a broken timing belt will destory your engine...) is this a huge priority item?

how much would i be looking at for having it replaced at the dealership/local mechanics?

is there any way to prolong its life right now? cuz currently im broke and going to remain so until 2008.

anything else worth mentioning?

thanks

 

Definetly time to change it..its the serpentine belt...you can do it yourself

-matt

 

If you have the ability to search on here, there are numerous guidelines on how to change your belts. Please do...google is your friend also. I am not familiar on removal/installation on the 97's so be patient and someone here will help. I priced mine testerday at a Nissan dealership and it was only $20. Autozone, Advanced, Oreilly's might have them also. Yours looks pretty worn out...I would recommend getting it changed soon. More people will comment on the current condition and tell you their opinions on it. Good Luck

 

that is the AC/ altentor belt, there is a smaller 2nd belt that would be the power steering.

It is not a pricey item to buy or get done, nor is it hard to do.

The belts are like about $15 a belt from nissan, and .5 hours to do it at the shop which is about $75.

On the other hand since you do your own oil changes, i'm sure you can do this, as all it really is, loosen the tensioner, push up the tensioner pull the belt off and reverse steps. We have a great write up, its in the stickies, general maint, look on the 1st post for the 60k service it is there. $15 bucks if you want to do it yourself or a $100 bucks no worries. That belt alone should take a person with 1/2 a clue 10 mins to do,

 

the joys of finding a car that was only driven 40k miles in 10 yrs. easy fix...

 

what happens if it breaks while im driving the car?

 

its not going to hurt it any, but its also safe idea to change it.. oh and the Tensioner is a PITA to deal with if you dont have a torque wrench.

 

Car will stop, once your battary dies. Probably a few miles since you no Longer have an Alternator working.

Not to sure what that means ??

 

alot of people buy new belts, loosen the belt tensioner to loosen the idler pulley, then replace the belt, and then they cant set it to the right measurement and then all you hear is a herd of crickets under your hood

is i guess what i was trying to say

 

just changed my belt this past weekend. only pain in the *** because the supercharger had to come off. but it was in terrible condition. and like everyone said it's definitely your serpentine belt, the smaller, 4 ribbed belt is your power steering. definitely change both of them while you're down there.

 

did you need stands?

how long did it take?

did you need a torque wrench?

 

Yes, you need stands.....because you should never rely on a jack only.

For your first time, it will probably take you 1 hour. Very simple procedure.

No need for a torque wrench, just a 14mm socket, ratchet, and extension.

If you don't have a Haynes by now, I advise you to pick one up when you buy your belt at Autozone etc. or download the FSM for free. (hint. hint)

To adjust the belt tension when you're done, you........... read the section in the Haynes/downloaded FSM. Do it!!

 

My tensioner pulley blew up 300 miles from home... Belts, 14mm wrench, 14mm socket with extension and rachet. Did it in a parking lot with the jack from the trunk. 30min, some dirty clothes, but drivable to get home.
Dr J

 

everything wizard said. it may take in excess of an hour if you've never done it before. then again, i took my blower and charge pipe off.

 

to the Wizz

also a good 12mm ratch wrench is a good tool for the PS belt

 

Do yourself a favor and replace your other belts with this one. It's only alittle more effort and $ but can save you time due to a busted belt later.

Also, after replacing your belts, double check the tension (they sometimes loosen) after you have driven a few days. Make sure the nuts are torqued correctly and the belts have the correct deflection.

Standard maintanence...you should check your belts with each oil change. Good luck!

 

I agree, but changing the PS belt is quit a bit more involved (more tools too), especially based on ROCKART's assumed skill level. Doable, but that will add hours to the job for a first timer. If the PS belt is ok, leave it alone IMO. If bad, then of course replace it.

 

plus im doing the work in a parking lot. with no jackstands as of yet.

 

The power steering belt looks pretty good actually. If there are not more than a few cracks over an inch, I'll just leave it alone for now.

 

I don't know how common it is, but I've actually had the serpentine belt track separate from the crank...pulley? in your pictures your can see there's a little rubber ring between the pulley track and the part that bolts to the crank (which is NOT a harmonic balancer). easy to check though, when you get the belt off just pull the pulley towards you a little, if it moves, replace it.

just a suggestion cause it looks like the rubber was a little cracked in your picture


btw, I've gone 70 miles without an alternator, but that's highway with a bad battery, so if you've got a good battery I don't see why you wouldn't be able to make it where ever you need to go to get a belt if it brakes.

 

That's good to know. Thanks for the reassurance!

Dr J

 

my local dealer wants to charge me 26.66 for a serp belt. i called dave burnette and he would charge me 13 something.....wtf

 

What kinda warranty did Dave give u?
Dr J

 

i didnt ask. i gotta get this done before christmas and i still dont have a torque wrench. im just gonna take it to a mechanic

 

Time is money, sometimes you have to do what you have to do.

 

Save time and money: gatorback belts at local autoparts store with 1yr warranty for same price as dealership, or less.

Dr J

 

too late. those ****ers got me

 

anybody got pictures? im just afraid of the tension and deflection.

so did urs snap? what happened aftah?

thansk.

 

im doing it tomorrow morning before my local shop opens. ill let you know.
frankly im not too worried about it; worse case scenario - we dont install it right and it comes off and my battery dies. thats it.

 

does anybody know if you can get the belt at just like a napa auto parts??

 

yep, you can

 

what is the proper deflection/tension for it just in case the mechanic doesnt know?

 

Ahem


Fine, we'll continue to spoodfeed you unit you either fork up $18 for a Haynes or download the FREE FSM

A quick search and you would have found your answer......

http://forums.maxima.org/showpost.ph...1&postcount=12

And your comfortable with your mechanic not knowing? It's his job to know, or where to find out on his own.

Good luck, hope all goes well.

 

THANK YOU

actually i got the

Nissan: Maxima 1993-98 (Chilton's Total Car Care Repair Manual)

for $4.61 off amazon. ordered it yesterday. should be here next thursday.

 

I already bought the belts, 2 belts, both NISSAN OEM.

I also read through the stickies but have no idea. I suppose I'm hoping for a more specific write up. It seems pretty easy to do?

So theres just 2 bolts I have to loosen? Once I do that I can just change BOTH belts at the same time and tighten?

Thanks

 

oh my, i guess no one was told to read the whole thread before posting

^^ there is a message here "somewhere" that explains how to find directions on replaceing/tightening the belts ;-)

 

I just did. I just hoped for some clarification or whatever. PRIOR to the thread I had posted, following it.

I already did BOOKMARK the stickies and I have used it numerous times already for my previous maintenance. I mean if I understood it that easy, I don't think I would need to ask.

Thanks.

 

i believe it is. you can see the metallic slivers inside a cracking belt. didnt take my mechanic friend to replace them. course ever since he did it, they arent factory tight so they make a little squeaky noise until they warm up and expand to fit i guess.