xskydivingdudex

hey guys, so i thought id ask u guys since im kinda new to the whole maxima scene... Well i got a maxima and was told that it only leaks oil and once i got it home, i left it sitting in the drive way for about a month and i noticed that it has been leaking anti-freeze coolant. I thought it was the plastic reservoir that leads to the radiator but after checking i found out that was not it so my next assumption was the radiator itself. After having it looked at thoroughly by a fmaily friend (mechanic) he told me that it was the water pump.

My question for u guys is if u know of any fixes that need to be done to stop this? Changing out the water pump isnt really in the cards since im not looking to spend an abundance on this car. I was advised to use "radiator stop leak" to possibly stop the leaking in the water pump but read on several various forums that said this will not work and could make things worse.

Sry for the long explanation but i figured the more info i try to give, would help to maybe help in finding a solution to my problem. Thnx

sjonesist

Not in to bandaids as they usually make things worse. I would just keep adding antifreeze until I could fix it.

xskydivingdudex

ya, i know wat u mean but my dad thinks its not worth it to have half the engine compartment taken apart to replace the water pump.

asand1

iTrader: (1)

Then have your dad but you a new car. OR do a search and read the stories and walk throughs of people who've done it. Its not hard you just have to be careful with the timing chain and tensioner.

asand1

iTrader: (1)

The VQ30 is known for its longevity and should not be pushed aside cause someone did not replace the coolant when it was due

sjonesist

I've done this and I can say the difficulty lies in the limited space. Not much to take apart. Do your research and ask questions as this site is a tremendously resource for do-it-yourers. Otherwise keep fluid in itbut it just gets worse.

max ride 41

iTrader: (4)

hunh???? spelling police here, your under arrest for sloppy spelling

asand1

iTrader: (1)

You have water in your pump bearings, soon the water pump will grenade and your timing chain will break. Even if you stopped the leak, the grease from the bearings is gone.

xskydivingdudex

ok, ive done the timing belt on my 4runner already so i know wat the general walk through entails tho i know itll be different for the maxima... i guess ill jsut have to end up getting a new pump and replacing it.

martyscholes

Yeah, it's new pump time for ya. Read all that you can find, watch a few videos and strap in for a long weekend.

Take your time and go slowly, taking no shortcuts. Almost every horror story about pump replacement starts with something similar to, "I was getting impatient so I..."

ef9

iTrader: (8)

Hahahaha! "Your" and "you're" are totally different words.

pwmaxgle

Hi, I'm a newbie.
Not trying to jack this thread but since I can't post a new thread I'll ask a question regarding Water pump & Timing Chain tensioner here.

I have a 95 GLE with 113K miles and the original water pump is starting to leak.
I plan on tackling this difficult repair on my own, I think I can do it.
Do you recommend new Nissan OEM water pump and timing chain tensioner for parts replacement?
After market water pumps are readily available but I haven't been able to locate after market timing chain tensioner locally or on-line.
So I'm wondering if my options are to settle for expensive Nissan OEM parts, especially for the timing chain tensioner.
Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

sjonesist

I personally went with aftermarket parts from O'Reilly's. The tensioner is part number 9-5436 or see the link below.

http://m.oreillyauto.com/mt/www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/search.oap?keyword=9-5436&un_jtt_redirect

Product_Of_Korea

iTrader: (8)

Doing a timing belt vs a chain has its diffrences.........

max ride 41

iTrader: (4)

whu asked u??? i spel jst phine, kno problams hear..... o' and ur mom

pwmaxgle

sjonesist, Thanks for the part number and URL!
I located a part number 9-5436 timing chain tensioner at one of the local O'Reilly's.

I read up on some info regarding new 4th gen. timing chain tensioners and folks have commented on new timing chain tensioner not being the right fit to replace the original 4th gen timing chain tensioner to mate with existing original guides.
I'm concerned about this... Perhaps I should re-install the original timing chain tensioner? Since at this time, I'm not having issues with the timing chain tensioner and only coolant leak from the water pump?
Would really appreciate expert advise on this.

This is the thread members discussed about new 4th gen. timing chain tensioner not being the right fit with existing original guides.
http://forums.maxima.org/4th-generat...tensioner.html

sjonesist

I was in the same situation with my 96 gle. I recall reading about some members having issues with the fit and possibly needing gaskets. I had no such issue. The part was the exact same as far as I can tell. I'm also a newbie and by no means an expert but my advice to you is this. First get the part from O'Reilly's, if it does not fit at least you have a spring to rebuild the old one with if you choose. If not take it back as the tensioner really is not that difficult to come back to. I also used a hook type tool to push the piston in to allow for a pin to hold it in place while I removed it. Second mark the crank before you turn it so you
have a reference point to
return to. I'm not sure if the instructions say this or if its obvious but someone told me. Finally as someone else mentioned, take your time! The real problem I had was clearing the pump between the frame and motor. Getting enough slack in the chain took me some time too. Don't force it, take your time even if you have to keep turning the crank little by little to get the chain off. Good luck but if your patient and allow plenty of time (took me 3 to 4 hours with several breaks from frustration and exhaustion) you can
accomplish this.

pwmaxgle

hey sjonesist,
I really appreciate your detailed important advise on water pump & TC tensioner R&I.
I agree and makes sense to purchase the new TC tensioner from O'Reilly's for this project and I'm going follow all your advise on this project as you've laid it all out easy for me to understand.
I'll definitely take my time and go step at a time tackling this project this weekend.
Thanks again and wish me luck!

BTW, maxima.org is an awesome resource site for maxima owners!

sjonesist

Thanks again and wish me luck!

BTW, maxima.org is an awesome resource site for maxima owners![/QUOTE]

No problem, glad to help someone else and add to the content as maxima.org has been invaluable to me! Based on your questions and reference it's clear your doing your homework which is critical so you'll do fine but good luck anyway!

pwmaxgle

Yesterday, I completed the water pump replacement project on my 95 Max GLE for the first time.
As expected, the repair tasks were difficult due to limited working space, very slow going taking careful steps at a time. I took all the time I needed to complete this job best I could without any mistakes (yet I still shouted "F" words quite a bit during the process). Hopefully, I won't have to do it again...
This job would so much easier if the motor is out of the engine bay!

If I were to do this repair again, I'd definitely remove the motor mount for more access room. Reason for not removing the motor mount this time is because I didn't have a universal joint to loosen up a motor mount bolt that's on the underside of the motor mount. Next time, I'll be better prepared with more proper tools.

Again, Thanks to maxima.org & sjonesist for providing all detailed and valuable resources for a newbie like myself to tackle and complete this difficult repair!

I haven't started the engine yet because my next project is replacing entire valve cover gasket set, intake manifold gasket set, remove and service injectors, remove and clean EGR tube, replace KS while at it and replace or repair MAF per Maxima.org resource (been having stalling, bucking, chugging issues for over a month).

Below are my quick summary of water pump replacement experience.

1. Removed the original TC tensioner. Removed the original water pump, it had a broken impeller seal and had been leaking from the weep hole for a while. Turn & twist to lift the old water pump between the TC cover and uni-body frame wasn't fun but figured out there is only one way.
2. Installed a new Bosch water pump. Had to re-install original timing chain tensioner. New TC tensioner would not fit what so ever. Differences: New TC tensioner from O'Reilleys was 0.25" inches longer than the original TC tensioner but the original TC tensioner spring was 0.25" longer than new TC tensioner spring. Original TC tensioner spring was a bit softer compare to the new TC tensioner spring. I'm thinking the new TC tensioner would go with updated new TC guides to fit...
3. Applied Permatex Ultra Black RTV on both TC tensioner & Water pump covers and re-installed covers and torqued bolts per spec. This task was a ***** due to limited space! I probably would have done a better job if the motor mount was removed... TC tensioner cover did not squeeze out RTV on the vertical rear side edge (the side of edge closest to the firewall side) It's because I wasn't able to slap the cover onto the TC cover directly due to limited space and I kinda put the cover on the best I could then I slightly slid/moved the cover a bit to line up the bolt holes, thus interrupting the perfect lay-out of the RTV bead I laid out on the cover prior to slapping it onto the TC cover. Hopefully, motor oil won't leak, if the oil leaks thru the TC tensioner cover then I'll have to take it apart and re-seal it. Fingers crossed on this one...

sjonesist

Glad to hear you successfuly completed the job, congrats. Not sure why you had issues with the tensioner as I had no issues although the guides could have been replaced before I got the car. Thanks for posting back and good luck on the next project(s).