I have a 1995 maxima I am changing the timing chains due to noise and I thought it jumped timing plus oil leaks. During removal I had the engine at tdc, crank pully lined up, can lobes on cyl 1&4 in the right positions. The chain had a ton of slack in it and the chain chain links on the main chain were in the wrong location but mechanically the engine is timed correct. Will just putting on the new chain with no slack correct anything? Can sensor OK,crank sensors Ok. The original issue was when I cranked it one cold morning I got chain noise then a stumble and it shut off. Would not start.

 

Guides and tensioners cause the noises, hardly ever the chain other than the noise you're hearing from it due to the bad guides and tensioners.

I'm assuming you have a copy of the FSM..?

 

The chain wouldn't be the problem it would be either the main tensioner/guide have worn out or the noise could be oil pressure issue. You could have a bad throttle body. Nissan designed the the 4th gen throttle body with a cold idle wax so the car will idle around 1500 rpm when cold so the engine can build up oil pressure while the engine is cold. If the wax has gone bad the car won't idle around 1500 rpm and it will idle low and possibly shut off. And if your changing your tensioner and guide and when your setting the timing make sure that your no.1 piston is set at top dead center on the compression stroke

 

Here's how it should look when you set your timing

 

The chain had a lot of slack in it. Everything is set at TDC. What is wax with the throttlebody. Thanks for the FSM

 

He's referring to the Fast Idle Thermo Valve (FITV) attached to the throttle body:


It's only purpose is to raise the idle when cold, and lower when warm. Same wax-pellet style temperature sensing as the thermostat.

 

The chain will have slack in it until there is sufficient oil pressure at the tensioner. If the colored links are not lined with the timing marks, then adjust the chain. Which marks don't align?

OT, but I cut off the fast idle years ago and I never had any troubles starting.

 

I only had one colored chain link on all three chains. The gold link on the main chain never lined up with the notch on the crank gear. I set it to TDC many times,it never lined up. I had mm no dark colored links, not even on the secondary chains. I had timing chain noise, I started it and it went to start as usual, as soon as I heard the chain it sort of made a shutter or jerk and shut off. Would not start, spun over easy like if u had a timing belt break and every now and then try to fire.

 

The colored links are for assembly only. It will take many, many revolutions to line up again. At the very least it will take as many revolutions as there are links in the big chain.

Sent from my XT1060 using Maxima

 

Ok, Thanks. I got new stuff comming anyway. I had chain noise and alot of oil leaks down in there so i had stuff to be fixed. I checked both crank sensors and the cam position sensor. I have two extra throttle position sensors i can try after i get it back together. After what yall have said i i know the timing is right , it must me another issue. Ill let yall know what i find. It may be a few days but ill keep checking back in

 

ok, got home this afternoon. Installed new secondary chains and gears, everything lined up as it should. Installed main chain and gears, all markings and gears lined up as they should. Rotated it by hand several times everything seems fine, checked TDC a few times everything looked as it should. Gonna start closing it up tomorrow and start putting it all back together.

 

If I remember correctly if all the colored links are lined up correctly it takes 7 revolutions before they will line up again.

 

Number of links divided by number of teeth on crankshaft sprocket if it is an even number

Sent from my XT1060 using Maxima

 

UPDATE: Got my car all back together, fired right up. Guess it had some tensioner noise at first. Now it sounds like something under the timing chain cover is hitting. I checked the main tensioner, it isnt hung up. It had the chain tight. IDK, now. I really dont want to take it back apart. Runs smooth other than the noise. The RPMS do fluctuate a few hundred RPM. Almost unoticeable. \Also a quick blip on the throttle it doesnt really want to catch up like it wants to cut off.

 

How long did you leave it running? There will be some tensioner noise at first then it should die down as the engine warms up.

 

I let it run awhile. I let it get up to temp. I took it back apart. I'm wondering if the new adjuster wasn't working right. If u spin the engine by hand the rear can spins forward and creates a lot of slack. Should the tensioner take care of that? I didn't see where anything was hitting. I'm thinking I got a bad tensioner

 

There are three tensioners. Two smalls for the cam chains and a larger one for the outer chain. I've seen the larger tensioner replaced with guides. The last tensioner that I bought could only be used with a newer guide design so I couldn't use it since I didn't want to change guides.

Can you measure oil pressure?

I once had some RTV block oil flow to a tensioner on a Nissan V8 that resulted in a chain slap noise that sounded like a lifter ticking under the chain cover.

Sent from my Z998 using Maxima

 

I changed all three. Can't measure oil pressure. I don't think the new tensioner was working or was hung up. Gonna put it back together Friday.

 

I think i may have had a bad new tensioner. Put my old one in and the noise changed. It is slack in the chain from the tensioner.I am getting a new one friday and a gasket. Car runs so smoothyou cant tell its runing just sounds like a 1982 diesel rabbit vw truck.
I did notice the new tensioner had oring on the plunger, the factory tensioner did not have or ever have an oring. Can i lose lose oil pressure betweenthe punger and the tensioner body no letting it pump up? I know they are an issue but is that how they wear out?

 

UPDATE: Went out after the car sat all night and all day fired it up almost no noise. Let it run a few minutes and it quietned almost all the way down with the old tensioner. Gonna put the new one in Friday ,put power steering pump,alternator and w/c back in place. Thanks for the help.

 

You might want to check out the following thread about tensioners. It seems to offer some good information.

https://maxima.org/forums/4th-genera...tensioner.html

 

Thanks, I am getting a new tensioner friday and going to the dealership fri to pick up one of the gaskets. I found the part number on here in another post.