Hey guys,

My MAXIMA has a really bad screech coming from the belts as I inspected it I notice that the big pully that goes to the crankshaft (harmonic balancer) is wobbling a bit (and the noise is coming from there) I thought there might be some play but when I turned the engine off and checked there is no play. Is this something that can be fixed or will it (the harmonic balancer) need to be replaced? and If it needs to be replaced is it something I can do myself (i've been told I'd need airtools to get it out, but I dont have any ).

Belts are recent so I know for sure its not a simple belt replacement

 

Replace it, they are known to come apart with age.

You might be able to take it out with a breaker bar. If not, a shop shouldnt charge too much to replace it since it is only loosing the belt tensioners and removing 1 bolt.

 

Yup replace it. I usually take mine off by putting a breaker bar on the crank pulley bolt then cranking the car one quick time. The bolt wil break loose very easily and the pulley should slide off.

 

this happened to me it completeley sperated itself into 2 pieces its common because the rubber spacer in between the pulley (if u can image what im talking about) it friggen dry rots thats what happened to me

 

thats the easiest way to do it without air tools. if you use a breaker bar, all you'll do is keep on turning engine with it and you'll ill yourself trying to make the engine "stay still". You can search on youtube if you're confused on how to do it. Just make sure that you rest the breaker bar on the frame so that it will hit the frame when it is being turned clockwise.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9qnvG_TcFo

 

Where is the best place to get the pully besides dealer?

 

Junkyard if you want to get back an OEM pulley.

 

Mine was doing the same thing. I got mine in the for sale section of the org for $31. I replaced mine over the weekend, took me 1 hour for everything. No more wobbling and embarrassing screeching noise anymore . Take off the front tire (optional) for more room.

 

not to threadjack or anything, but i've noticed the crankshaft pulley wobbling a bit and i also hear a noise coming from that area. i recently replaced the alternator and i was going to do the idler pulley but after reading this thread i wonder if i have to replace balancer as well. i noticed that at high speeds, ( over 80 ) that i smell a rubber smell like the belts burning up somewhere and i thought it was the alty failing causing this. well, not near as bad as when alty was failing, but as stated still smelling rubber and hearing a high pitched whine occasionally with a train track sound as well. could i have more than 1 pulley failing??? ie., bearings going bad on idler, balancer, compressor. car runs fine, but trying to pinpoint this has been a headache, thanks for any responses.....

 

Doesnt really have to be oem...unless thats my best bet?? Dont really know too much about these cars. Does autozone carry it and what is the correct name for it? (sorry for the noob-ish questions)

 

If your crankpulley is wobbling, then I would replace it right away to aoid getting stranded in an unwanted area like a few .orgers on here recently.

AZ does not carry this part. If you don't want to go back OEM, search for a thread about "Underdrive pulleys". Be warned....it is cheap but it does come with a high risk.

 

The OEM part costs $205.00. I just bought a Dorman aftermarket part from advance auto as I have the same issue. It is 150.00 but if you use the promo code VISA you get 40% off. This was the cheapest I found. Make sure you replace the seal while you are in there too. It's only a ~6$ part. Good luck.

 

yes i recently replaced the alternator and did the crankshaft pulley the same time and i am now getting a high pitched whine also, smell rubber burning at certain speeds . Was going to go on a road trip this weekend but thinking i won't chance it . The car runs fine . Does anyone have a idea what this could be. Some good feedback would be welcome thanks

 

Yep, I would replace it. Air tool should do the job. Or you can use a chain wrench to wrap it around the pulley, and use a large braker bar to turn.

 

I thought harmonic balancers should have a little bit of wobble (not alot by any means) Typically I see more idler pulleys go bad than harmonic balancers.

 

same here. replaced the crank pulley this weekend & all looks smooth, runs smooth but smell something like rubber burning. havent investigated completely yet, anyone have similar experience?

 

well Max just broke 240,xxx the other day and im a first responder so i cant drive "nice all the time, now im looking for a HB, it literally separated snapped the power steering belt and started to snap the alternator belt but still dove home right down the street, amazing because the pulley was sitting on the inner belt ! Do you guys know if the OE steel is any good or even correct, because its only $50. and then were talkin 40 for an hour of labor

 

just do it yourself. on my first 4th gen back in october, my friend and i had to replace the balancer. paid $50 for the new one.

then 2 weeks ago, on my 2nd 4th gen, the balancer went. i went to oreillys and paid $170 for a new one. runs smooth. didnt take that long to change. was just frustrating trying to loosen the PS belt.

and then to pull the pulley off, it has to come STRAIGHT out. you can try for hours with trying to pry it off, but if you just use your hands and pull STRAIGHT, it will come off.

 

are the steel ones ok ?

 

i would say so. where are you getting it from? any pics? um, like i said, the one i put on my other 4th gen was only $50 and its still runnin strong. or you could get one from oreillys/any parts store and have a warranty come with it. another option is to upgrade it to unorthodox racing pulley

 

http://www.partstrain.com/ShopByDepa...AN/MAXIMA/1997

Unorthodox racing pulleys suck bad, when the brake they can send chunks of metal alloy into your internals, i remember somebody had pics up, there quality is crappy, id rather have one machined then buy from them. thanks for the help

 

yea, looks good. has warranty. order it when you can.

 

thanks

 

I am not sure which one you are purchasing from the link but if you are purchasing the second one at the bottom made from Dorman for $200, you're better off putting in the extra and buy OEM. They actually made the new ones better.

 

i said the steel one for $50 once i get employment then i can revert back to OEM Iron

 

My 97 Maixma would not start, dead battery. I jumped it and charged it for a few minutes, and it started right away. It ran for a few minutes then it died. Battery dead again. I popped the hood, and found the alternator belt was gone, and the P/S belt was just a few threads, but still working. I got new belts and started to replace them, but I found that the pulley on the harmonic balance was moving. The outter rim had seperated from the main part. I did not know that could happen. But apparently it is held together by rubber. So, it makes sense that it deteriorated, over time. I have ordered the $50 H/B from PartsTrain.com. Hopefully it will work with no problems. The dealer wanted $384, and Advance Auto wanted $149. I am going to try the breaker bar on the floor, while turning the engine trick to break the bolt free. I will update after the repair. Also, the two belts from the dealer were $55 for the pair.

 

Dont get the belts from Nissan, they just rebadge belts made by a contractor, the same company that sells to places like AZ and Napa. Just go to the closest parts house and hget generic belts (gates or goodyear or w/e).

 

Update on H/B repair. The part from PartsTrain came in about 2 days. It looks just like the original, except it is not broken into two pieces. I also bought belts from Napa to try them out, and they were about half the price of the dealers price. Breaking the bolt on the pulley was very easy. I jacked the car up, removed the front wheel, put a 19mm impact socket on a 1/2 breaker bar, then laid the end of the bar on a stack of wood, then lowered the car until the bar just touched the wood. Then I turned the key, and the bolt lossened right away. Very easy. The pulley came right off. The biggest problem I had was the P/S belt. There is a 14mm bolt behind the pump that is very hard to get to. I used a 3/8 ratchet with a swivel head, and I was able to loosen it from under the car. I "learned" that the P/S belt tensioner runs clockwise to loosen. Everything else was very simple. Runs perfectly now. I haven't driven it on the road yet, but I ran it for a while, and there are no issues with the Napa belts or the pulley. I don't know why anyone would buy the pulley from anywhere other than Parts Train. A lot cheaper, and the exact same part. I was not looking for performance increase, just a repair. The whole process took about 2 hours for me. Thanks to this thread for the advice!

 

I also did mine a couple of weeks ago. Bought a Dorman pulley from RockAuto for $100, along with the belts and a new seal.

I loosened the bolt by cranking also but I removed the oil filter and let the breaker bar rest against the control arm - worked like a charm.

You did replace your front seal, didn't you?

 

Last year I replaced the idler with an OEM part, with new Gates micro-v belts, so all that looks good, but the crankshaft pulley itself on my 97 i30 has a slight wobble observable when it is rotating.

Nice suggestions above to remove the crankshaft nut. How about putting it back without air tools? Can it be tightened sufficiently by hand against engine compression?

Any hints on removing that front crankshaft seal? Is it easy enough to pry out without damaging anything?

And is the Beck/Arnley replacement seal OEM style/quality?

TIA.

 

Front seal will come right out using a flat blade screwdriver - just be careful not to scratch the cover opening. I used a Timken seal and have no problems with it.

I had an impact wrench available and used it to install the bolt. Engine compression alone will not be enough.

 

timk22, thank you for your responses.

It seems that in the end this job cannot be completed without an impact wrench.

 

Not true. You just have to hold the pulley with a chain wrench while you tighten the bolt. OTC makes a chain wrench with a 2 ft handle and a chain that's just big enough to fit around the pulley. Wrap an old drive belt around the pulley first. Put the chain wrench on it, and prop the handle against the floor.

The FSM says to stick a screwdriver between the teeth of the flexplate. I couldn't figure out how to do that, though.

 

One question, is loosening the crankshaft bolt clockwise or counter clock wise? Don't have any air tools n looks like ill b doing it by myself. Is it as easy as people are describing? I will probaly cut the powersteering belt off to save sometime. But I've never replaced a crankshaft in anything before.

 

It is this easy. I believe that engine rotates clockwise (you should verify). Remove belts; put socket (impact if you have one), breaker bar and lenght of pipe on nut; place end of pipe on garage floor or some other hard surface out toward front of vehicle; blip starter. That should break bolt loose; remove by hand. Pull crank pulley STRAIGHT off. Replace crankshaft seal behind pulley since you have pulley off. Good luck!

 

Thanks man I will giv it a try, so u don't hav to hold the breaker bar or anything?

 

Oh hell no!! You don't want your (or anyone elses) hands anywhere around there (just in case the socket jumps off the bolt).

 

What is this $6 SEAL called, a Harmonic Balancer Seal? And where can I get it? I know about PartsGeek.com, but but sure how to specify the seal for the Harmonic Balancer to order it.

I plan on ordering a replacement Harmonic Balancer on Ebay for $49.39 delivered. It is not name brand, but it is new. That should be ok? The Dorman brand ones run about $106 on Ebay or $150 in local stores like Advance Auto Parts.

Local shops quoted anywhere from $270-$380 + tax if they supply the parts and labor to replace this Harmonic Balancer. Some said that if I supply the Harmonic Balancer, they would charge a flat $70-95 for the labor.

So I was planning on ordering the part online for $49.39 delivered, plus saving tax. Then having someone with the tools and better know how to install it for $70 more so my total would be $120 vs the $270+tax they quoted me. So ordering the parts, even if you dont install it yourself gets significant savings!

 

Front crankshaft seal.

 

I placed my ratchet against the frame rail and cranked it. Thanks youtube. Now I have air tools.