Any one here have replaced the water pump on a 2000 maxima or 2000 i30 ? mine is going bad, is whistling and howling, I'll not wait until it's gone, I'll replace it asap because is the car that my wife uses everyday and carry 3 children on it on a daily basis, is this a DIY job or stealership job ? Stealership estimate is as follows:
- OEM water pump $114 + tax
- Labor $380 + tax
Total including tax $534.75
As you can see, very cheap !

 

Is it leaking? Typically it's the bearing tht goes bad, and causes a leak. Try www.pinnaclenissan.com for a better price, and a different shop. I've seen costs of 150 for labor.

It can be done on your own, just be careful and put the timing chain correct and not on the wrong tooth.

 

pay for the job and replace the timming chain while you are at it.... it is not an easy thing to do....

 

dude you dont have to replace the chain, to replace the chain would take more time-due to the engine has to come out of the vehicle to do that--but a pump no, its difficult to do a water pump, and time consuming--it pays like 4 hours to do it--its easy the more you do it-It only takes me like 2.5-3.0 hours to one---

 

I'm just saying that while they are doing the job he might as well do the whole thing at one time.... the chain doesn't need to be replace but just in case Dude....!!!

 

the water pump is internal..you have to take the timing chain cover off to get to it.
and according to Nissan "they dont go bad"

 

You do NOT need to take the engine out of the bay to repalce the chain. Leave the chain, repace the tensioner .. if it makes you sleep better at night, personally just verify that the water pump is indeed dead, and change it ONLY ...

 

The coolant pump is accessed through a cover plate in the front cover. This cover plate and the pump are located behind the accessory belt idler puller and adjuster. If you are sure it is the pump, I recommend that you buy a Haynes manual (or equivalent). There are other things that have to be removed. You cannot replace and you shouldn't have to worry about the timing chain/s, other than slackening off the main timing chain from the drive sprocket of the pump. It is a bit of a tight space to work. These pumps don't have a lot of side load applied to them by design (unlike some) so I think bearing failures are less likely to occur. There is supposedly a weep hole between the front cover and the block that will drip coolant if the pump shaft seal is leaking.

 

It'll take you 15 mins to replace. HAHAHa. it took forever on a 2000. lol. Of course i didnt know what i was doing at that time.

 

Well I just replaced my water pump 2 months ago, I had a leak under my car so it definetly was it. I went to www.getcoolparts.com and ordered the pump 50 something bucks (made in japan) free shipping. Cost me 1 day and 200 bucks for labor. I think its best take it somewhere, takes about 4 hours or so according to them. They had to get under there, take out the radiator, and like everyone said the chain had to be taken off so the pump can be put on. But Timing Chain lasts for a while compared to Timing Belt, so don't get confused. An entire kit costs about $200+ so I didn't bother with that. After that pump was changed everything was great. Hope that help, good luck.

 

I never heard of taking the timing cover to get to the water pump. I have to take a look at mine to see if that's true. However to your question, I don't think it's gonna be easy to do it yourself for several reasons. One is the cramp space of the engine and it's transversely mounted to the fender. Two, that the engine has to be pulled out in order to get to the pump. Then you got the Poly V-belt since the pump is driven by the crankshaft pulley. Good luck, I hope you take it to the shop. Since this kind of job isn't for the fainted heart.

 

here is the VQ instructions for a 1998.Should be the same for a 2000. I don't see any mention of the chain needing to be removed.

http://www1.autozone.com/servlet/UiB...3d801f47d4.jsp

 

I've done a WP on a 96 Maxima, took me bout a hour to do it, I've done a few of them and know of a shortcut :P

You might wanna change out the timing chain tensioner thou, mine is starting to go and causes a long start up rattle which annoys me.

 

For the oil pump you will have to remove the timing chain and all cause its built into the block, not for the water pump.

 

dude I work for nissan. if you want to waste your time and money go right the hell ahead. or if you just want to replace the damn pump, there are 2 black covers on the timing chain cover.... take those off, release the tensioner and then use 8mm bolts in the water pump mounting holes to draw the pump out. or just pull out the motor and replace the chain that basically lasts forever. your call.
you can not get the cover out of the vehicle with the engine in the vehicle.. and then you have to scrap all the gasket material and replace all the HIGH pressure o-rings that ONLY Nissan sells--have tried to get after market o-rings from other places--nobody has them

 

dude that is a VG motor with a timing belt that is not going to work on 95-01 those motors were in the old maxis like 1&2 gen

 

Yo why dont you post this in regonal forum see if you can have any maxima dude in texas come and help you out, and make write up on this, take pictures, and post it in the how to. Im sure we would all benefit from this.

 

Dude why don't you scroll down lower...it has a VE30DE procedure, and VQ30DE procedure.

 

GTFO here, I've had the cover off a Maxima doing chains before in the car, seems like you are as handy with the tools working on Nissans as my 80 year old grandma.

 

Yeah hate those "I work for Nissan and know it all" people. Isn't that an Altima 3.5L? VTC's and a JWT cam job .. correct?

 

Yes its a Altima 3.5L getting JWT cams, how do you think other people install cams in their rides ? I belive PhxBlue had JWT cams in his 02 Max. I don't work for Nissan for quite a few reasons, one of them I would shoot every fuqn tech who tells me something BS like that.

I was doing a cam sprocket- VTC, on a 02 RSX Type S, and Acura called me asking how did I get it done, I told them pop the oil pan and front cover off in the car and drop the chain out of there, install new one and reassemble it- they call for removing a engine from the car.

Having worked on ALOT of KA24DE Altimas with leaking timing chain covers, I asked the Tech guy from Acura, has he ever worked on a KA24 ? hes like ehh no, well there ya go. I wonder if some Nissan techs drop the motor to do the leaking timing chain cover on the KA24DE.... I hope they dont....

 

"i work for Nissan" is the standard statement used by people to try and back up the stuff that they know no one will believe

 

How a simple comment/question about a coolant pump replacement can generate such confused, erroneous, off topic and wrong information is beyond me?? Let's get our act together chaps!!

 

your statement could apply to ANY thread is here

How a simple comment/question about XXXXXX can generate such confused, erroneous, off topic and wrong information is beyond me??

 

The guy who said he worked for Nissan is right. 2000 Maxima, the transverse VQ30 engine, you don’t have to remove the timing chain or timing chain cover to replace the water pump. If your pump is bad and there’s no sealing occurring, there’s a weep hole on the bottom of the water pump’s access panel that coolant will drip out from, down the front passenger side corner of the engine, on to the ground.

There are two access panels on the timing chain cover, one houses the timing chain tensioner, one houses the water pump.

First thing you do is create some space to work in because there is practically none. Remove the alternator belt and its tensioner pulley. You can also remove the front engine mount, the one between the passenger side fender and the engine. I did not do this. My Maxima had no AC, the compressor and the steel AC line, that runs right over your narrow work space, I had already removed which I felt provided me enough space to work for this repair. It will be easier with that front engine mount gone though.

Once you give yourself some room to work, you need to drain the radiator and the oil. There’s a little plug on the underside of the radiator.

Then open the timing chain tensioner access panel. Line it with paper towels to fill the gaps - you do not want hardware falling into your timing chain cover and yes, you will probably be dropping stuff, it’s an extremely narrow work space.

The timing chain tensioner has a spring + piston pressing against a plastic chain guard to give the timing chain tension. You need to compress the spring + piston to remove it after you unbolt it. I pushed the piston down with a screwdriver while pulling the tensioner out. It’s a pain in the ***. There’s a tiny hole in the tensioner that can fit something like a sewing needle that will keep the spring compressed. You’ll need it compressed with something like a needle for the reinstalling step.

Once the timing chain tensioner is removed, throw a socket, ratchet on your crank pulley and turn the engine COUNTER-CLOCKWISE about 10 degrees, tiny rotation. This will transfer the timing chain slack from the tensioner side of the crank sprocket to the water pump side.

Then, open up the water pump access panel. Remove the chain from the pump gear’s teeth, it should be loose from transferring the chain slack over. There are three bolts that are I think 8mm if I remember, that are holding the pump in place. Remove them. When they’re out, you can then start to jack the pump out. Nissan designed the pump so that you can put 2 bigger sized bolts (you can buy from the hardware store. you’ll have to look up the size, I can’t remember) in the same spot you took the water pump bolts out. Put the bigger jack bolts in opposing corners of the pump of course. The bigger bolts will fit in the water pump bolt slots where the 8mms were, the pump bolt holes have two layers of thread sizes, but the bigger bolts will not fit into the holes in the engine block where the 8mm bolts came out of. What will happen is, as you tighten them, the bolts will push against the block, stay in place and the pump will move up the bolt threading and be jacked out. Do a turn or even half turn on one bolt, then the other, back and forth, otherwise it will be crooked, stress the material.

Once the pump’s loose, you’ll notice there’s an indentation in the frame rail right where the pump will contact when you pull it out. There’s a little puzzle for turning and orientating it once the pump’s removed you’ll have to figure out (it’s not hard) and that indentation gives you just enough room to pull the pump out.

Then you put the new pump in and reverse the process. You won’t need to jack it in if I remember correctly, just do the same slight turn with each bolt when installing the new pump. When the pump is in, access cover still off, put coolant back in - if there’s still a leak for some reason, you’ll see it and better to catch it now than when everything’s put back together. Then transfer the timing chain slack back to the tensioner side; reverse the crank pulley engine turn step.

Here comes the hard part; putting that god forsaken tensioner back in. You will have to use your sixth sense bolt-feeling powers to line up the bolts through the tensioner and into the slots in the block. Then, with a pair of needle nose, once the tensioner is bolted back into place, pull the sewing needle out. The spring will expand and send the piston into the chain guard. Make sure those paper towels are in place so things don’t drop down into the timing chain cover if you fumble something, like a sewing needle.

When you go to put the two timing chain cover access panels back, you first must clean the surface where the panels contact the timing chain cover. Scrape off the gunk, clean with degreaser / brake cleaner. Then get some RTV sealant (I think that’s what it’s called) and “glue” the panels back on and then bolt them in, they need to be air tight.

Put oil and any more coolant back in the car. When you start it, it’s going to sound like crap; rattling from the timing chain cover. That’s normal and should go away after a drive around the block and the pressure under the timing chain cover goes back to normal.

That should be it. It’s a hard repair because of the extremely tight space which limits you to one hand and zero eyes for the parts of the job involving the timing chain tensioner.

 

I just changed my water pump proactively because I had to remove my timing chain cover to do some other repairs. I agree with everything that changing the water pump would be a major pain. Mine was not too bad because my timing chain cover was off and I could see everything.