Brianc72gt

Old guy working on girlfriend's daughter's 05 Maxima. This engine is proof the Japanese never forgive us for dropping The Bomb. Looks like someone was in there previously and tightened the alternator bolt with a pipe wrench, stripped all to hell. Carefully cutting that one out. Good thing there's nothing but room in their.

That said, I've just about got the cam chain cover off and was wondering, is there a tool or fixing plate or some kind gizmo that holds the cams and the crank in a fixed position whilst I swap out the chains? I removed the crankshaft bolt utilizing a breaker bar, cheater pipe, duct tape, bungee cords and clicking on the starter motor. Worked like a charm. So I don't have the flywheel fixing tool which would hold the crank. They just want too much money for that little thing.

I'm guessing I'll just turn it to top dead center, make a note of the position of everything, put on my brown pants in case I have an accident, and line it all up, then when I'm done, turn it 720 degrees by hand to make sure all the marks line up. Are there any additional marks under the cam covers?

Tedious little bugger, at least with my old A8 you can literally swing the whole front end out of the way and have easy access to everything. thanks for any insight you can offer.

Brian

wingnut2006

Yes, Nissan has a tool to allow you to remove the cam chains without the cams turning. I do not have the number. Nissan may or may not sale it to you. I assume that the vehicle has the timing chain raddle which is causing by a broken chain guide. Are you sure that you need to replace the cam chains. The chains are short and normally do not wear enough to be replaced. What does wear out is the camshaft tensioner shoes. They are only a couple of dollars apiece. Nissan may try to sale you the tensioners but to replace the tensioners you have to remove the camshafts. Tell the counter person that you only want the shoes not the tensioner. Normally, you only need to replace the main timing chain main quide, timing chair tensioner and camshaft tensioner shoes. Be sure a replace the water pump. If not, you will be doing the water pump within a year or so. Good luck

oldngivout

iTrader: (8)

If you are in that deep you should really consider replacing the secondary chains.

They are not that costly, and the new parts are redesigned with a less aggressive profile to minimize future wear on the new tensioner shoes.

Brianc72gt

Yup Yup, in for a penny, in for a pound. Replacing chains, plural, all 3 tensioners and shoes, guides, water pump, thermostats , couple of gaskets...not the sprokets though. I 'll just turn it to TDC, install the static guides, then chain on crankstart, then left cam , then right cam, then turn all the slack to the tensioner side by holding the crank on mark and pulling the slack through counterclockwise by turning the cam pulley closest to the tensioner (firewall side) and check the marks. Good to go? Pull the pin. Rotate it 720 degrees and if it all lines up, Done. I'm going to resist the urge to pull the cam covers to get a better look.

Anyway, I got the cover off after cutting the alternator bolt nut and drilling out one of the motor mount bolts after applying so damn much force, the 14mm nut on the bottom rounded off. Truth be told I'm a hack using an impact gun and sockets. Little fella couldn't handle it and just shredded. Now I ' travelling for work, but at least I got to see the tensioner side plastic separated from its metal backing plate. Famous last words: the rest should be easy. Back to it in a week.

Brianc72gt

All done. Piece of cake.

The YouTube videos by this Good 'ol Boy were invaluable.

http://api.viglink.com/api/click?for...%20-%20YouTube

A tip of the hat sir.

I would add to his videos that you get your hands on the factory shop manual here:

http://www.nicoclub.com/archives/nis...e-manuals.html

..then select your year and download em.pdf and pay really close attention to page 46 onward... Print out a close up of page EM 70 for replacing all the chains. Look at the BACK of the top sprockets for marks to line up the new chains. The chains can be off by half a link, so make sure they are dead nuts centered. Easier to do with the top guide bar out. When doing the main chain, do the bottom first, then top right, then top left. I wedged a rag underneath the bottom to hold the chain in position. I confess I also used a BIG pipe wrench on the front drum of the the intake cams to hold them still or nudge them forward to get the chain exactly right. Anyway, line up the colored links to the marks, and it's idiot proof.

If you don't have the flywheel locking tool, bump the starter to get the crank bolt loose with a breaker bar - I duct taped mine to a longer pipe - and when tightening, remove the spark club from the closest spark plug, put the dipstick in there and slowly rotate it until the piston is at the bottom of its stroke, feed in some thin rope..like 1/8" diameter... as much as it will take then tighten the crank bolt to spec or 140 pounds. Factory says like 36 -40 pounds then the bolt another 60 degree turn. The rope will compress and prevent the crank from turning.

Also, the motor mount was annoying...almost like it wouldn't fit, but a big lever to lift the engine a smidge from underneath, and it dropped right in.

New oil, coolant, reattach battery, turn the key and ...meow...purring like a kitten.