Hi guys,
Just thought I'd throw this out there before I shell out $185 smacks to get my belts replaced. Last time my car was in the shop, they told me that the belts were showing some wear. Well, they told me to replace them would be $185. Since I recently re-did my rotors I realized what a scam some of these garages are running. For instance, they wanted to charge me $950 to change out my brakes and rotors front and rear. I was able to do it all for $370 and with better equipment to boot. In any case, I'm at a point where I have to question any quote I get from them. So do you guys know if it's that difficult to replace out the belts? I got the parts from the local pep boys here for around $25 so they are charging me about $160 to replace some damn belts! The guy over there was saying that if it's not the nissan part, it's goin to make squealing noises after a while. Can anyone confirm this? I'm just tired of getting screwed by the dealerships.

Also, does anyone know what kind of spark plugs (bosch?) 2000 se's have and how often they need replacement.

Thanks,
Rob

 

The plugs are NKG...supposedly 100K...but people have been replacing them around 50-60K. They WILL go 100K, but your performance and gas mileage will suffer.

I replaced mine at 28K looking for a gas mileage problem and they looked very good. I kept them, but still installed the new ones.

 

I will not pay 185 for a belt replacement, it is a one hour job the most! if you really want them to do it, ask them how much they charged for labor and how long will the job take. If you want to replace it yourself, here is the how-to:

1.jack up the car.
2.take off the front wheel on passenger's side
3.take off splash guard
4.loose the nut that holds the pulley on the tensioner adjuster. it's a 14mm nut.
5.use a 10" extension with 14mm socket, turn the belt tensioner adjuster counterclockwise to loose the belt (from the top, it is located right infront the engine mount on the passenger side). to make sure you have the right direction I would do 5 turns and then check the belt to see if it is loose.
6.once it is loose, take it off and put a new one in.
7.tighten the nuts that hold the pulley a little. makes sure it is tight enough and the pulley does not wobble but you will be able to slide it up and down. Make sure the bolt that holds the pulley is locked into the tensioner adjusting plate.
8.adjust the belt tension. do a tension test bending the belt: bend the section between the crank and AC, it shouldnt be bent over 90 degree.
9.start the car and watch the belt make sure it does not run off the pulley.
10.put everything back.

here is my thread for replacing the power steering belt:
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....highlight=belt

not true about the nissan parts either. supercharger peeps have tried many brands of belt and they all work fine even when we have 2 extra pulleys to run. Just make sure the belt tension needs to be adjusted. too much belt tension will cause problems on alternator and AC compressor (if equipped).

NKG part no. for plugs is PFR5G-11

 

Thanks for the how-to. It's invaluable information. I'll try it out this weekend. It doesn't seem to be too difficult