I need to replace the belts on my 2000 I30. I'm looking at the online offerings for Advance Auto parts and they list Dayco belts, Drive-Rite belts, Goodyear Gatorbacks, and Goodyear Mile Markers. Which would you guys recommend? They are all similar in price. Thanks!

 

Gates best belts or OEM.

 

I use the Dayco's in my car. No problems yet.

Part #'s :5040305 and 5060430

 

Why is the not in the I30 topic, and in the 5th gen?

 

Dayco belts here from Advance Auto parts, no probs. cept it was hell to put on, still havent got the PS belt replaced. as i posted in another thread about the bolt.

 

buy OEM belts from the dealership...they arent that expensive

 

i use aftermarket belts, whatever brand they have at the moment and keep a close eye on them. I check my belts for wear and tear evry time i do an oil change, and replace them if they show signs of cracks rips or any of the sort. never had a problem with my belts.

 

"Why is the not in the I30 topic, and in the 5th gen?"

Because an I30 is essentially a 5th gen Maxima, and the I30 forum doesn't get much traffic.

 

yea just buy OEM, not more than 18 dollars or even cheaper.

 

Never, ever had a Gates belt fail.

 

That's what I'm using.

But I just replaced the belt on my truck a few months ago and I picked one up from Advance. I don't remember what brand it was but to my amazement, it was "Made in the USA" and not China.

 

I ended up getting Dayco belts since that all Advance had in the stores. I couldn't wait till Monday since my alternator belt disappeared on the drive to Applebee's on Thursday night. LOL.

 

When is a good time to change belts? 100K miles or sooner???

 

you should change them when you see cracks/splits/wear. This is not something you go by the maintanace schedule since if the belts are the cheap brand, they will not likely last as long as the higher brand ones, also, different climate conditions effect the belts too, I would assume cars drived in summer/winter climates would need to get their belts changed sooner than cars from warm climates like CA or FL.

hope this helps.

 

I just replaced my belts on my 2000 Maxima. I looked on this forum and found a lot of tips, but no complete step by procedure. So here is what I did last Sunday. It took me about 3 hrs, but now could do it in less than 1 hr.
I opted for Dayco Polycog belts because I like the design and they were the only belt with a warranty for 3 years from Pep Boys.

Dayco Polycog part numbers:
A/C, Alternator - 5060430 6 rib 0.82 in wide x 43.6 in long($22)
Power Steering - 5040305 4 rib 0.54 wide x 30.5 in long ($14)
1. Jack up right front of car and remove right front wheel and lower fender cover(2-10 mm bolts and 2 plastic clips).
2. In the engine compartment, loosen (turn counterclockwise) the idler adjusting bolt ( 14mm) for the pulley all the way. The screw will bottom out but the idler pulley will not move yet . Through the fender panel opening, loosen the center bolt on the idler pulley (14 mm) and the idler pulley should now move freely. Remove old A/C alternator old belt.
3. Through the fender panel opening, loosen power steering pivot bolt (14 mm) on back side of PS pump. (This bolt head is not painted black.) Loosen adjusting clamp bolt (12mm). Loosen PS adjusting bolt (12mm), by turning clockwise to loosen until PS belt is loose, and remove PS belt.
4. Install new belts in the reverse procedure. Adjust belt tension, but do not tighten all nuts. Run new belts for about 2 minutes, and re adjust belt tension. Hope this helps someone.

 

You will want to do this step FIRST! If you cant get it off, or round it off due to the cheap part on a lot of Maximas, it will cause you grief. If you can get this bolt loose, then you should be good to go.

 

Since this 9-month old thread was brought back to life, I'd like to know the kind of wrench you guys used to get to the PS 14mm pivot bolt in order to loosen it. Perhaps my hands are too big for the task, but I could not make it with a 14mm open wrench or a small rachet and a 14mm socket, so I gave up until I can get my hands on some kind of low profile socket and rachet combination.
I must add the Nissan OEM belts are not that expensive; 26 bucks and some change for both.

 

The person that helped me after I "sorta" rounded mine had a long handled 6 point closed end wrench. He was under the car and I was above it. I held the wrench on the nut while he torqued at it. He was pushing so hard he was raising the car. Thats how tight mine came from the factory.

 

i agree. should buy the belts from Dave B. came out to about $20 for power steering and alternator belt.

 

Replying to Nesito65

I used a 3/8" drive spark plug ratchet with a 14mm socket. This allows the handle to pivot, and you can move it 1-2 clicks at a time.
Regarding the point that the other gentleman made about loosening the idler pulley center bolt first, he is probably right. I used a long 14mm box wrench from underneath, and wrapped my hand in a rag, so didn't rap my knuckles too hard when I broke it loose. All the bolts and nuts were on very tight from the factory.

 

Colonel & Maxgle, my bad; I meant to say the 12mm bolt that frees up the adjuster bolt for the Power Steering belt (not the 14mm bolt as I said earlier). I was able to get the idler pulley loose and replace the alternator/AC belt but gave up trying to get the power steering belt replaced because that 12mm is in such a tight space.

 

Nelsito65, I also gave up on that one the first time. The original belt didn't look bad, but I already had the new belt and wanted to put it on. So on the second try for PS 12mm clamp bolt, I used a long 12 mm box wrench slipped into a 6 in. piece of 3/4 in. pipe. With the extra length, I got it to come loose. You have to get this one from underneath, not through fender well hole.

 

Here's an awesome, very detailed page regarding the replacement of the belts, and the pictures make such a big difference. http://maxima.theowensfamily.com/udp.asp

 

I stupidly turned the PS adjusting bolt counterclockwise and broke it. I was able to replace both belts but I can't get the PS pump belt tight without the adjusting bolt.

How do you replece the PS pump adjusting bolt and the nut that locks it? I couldn't get that broken adjusting bolt removed. The clamped nut that locks the adjusting bolt also looks hard to reach.