hi i'm new here and I am wondering if anyone can tell me how long it would take to replace the timing chain housing on a 3.5 maxima,while in car??

 

It's possible to do it in car but i wouldn't recommend it. I tried to do it then ended up removing the transaxle and lowering the engine. Maybe you are very experienced which i am not but I would recommend taking it to the dealer. If you do remove the cover, replace the timing chain guide if this has never been done since it will fail eventually. The dealer should charge around $1300 for timing chain work and believe me it is worth it. You have to remove the lower and upper oil pans to remove timing cover, in addition to removing power steering, compressor, and a bunch of other stuff. If you decide to DIY the trickiest part is removing the passenger side motor mount, you will need to pry up the engine to get the bolt out or drill a hole in the thick metal inside the fender.

 

There are several video's on the e-net that shows how to remove and timing chain and guides without removing the engine from the car. Believe me it is not easy but can be done. I believe the best video is by 2012 nugget. If you are not a above average mechanic and have the proper tools it would be best to have someone else do the job. Normally, the timing chain is not the issue, it is the large timing chain guide. If the guide is bad you will need to replace guide and tensioner. If the engine has a lot of miles I would also replace the water pump. On my son's Maxima I replaced the timing chain, tensioner, all three guides, the water pump, camshaft chains and camshaft tensioner shoes. Since, it is a major labor job I replaced everything so I would not have another issue later on. Good luck.

 

I used 2012nugget's video. It is the best. I was able to remove the timing chain cover but didn't feel confident in getting it back on without messing up the RTV.