Ok thanks. That was a great tip, I wouldn't have necessarily thought about the bone dry aspect! Got any other suggestions? I am looking to start removing the 3.5 timing over this week and have the 3.0 timing back on by Sunday (6 days from now)

Also in Tavarish's guide, he mentions aligning the second mark on the crank pulley to the water pump, however the FSM shows the first mark (of the 3). Does this make a difference? I used the FSM's method. You can see my cylinder 1's cam positioning here:

 

I just go with the FSM anyways, The crank has a notch that you point to 5 o'clock to get TDC also. Theres a few ways.

Here is another important tip that I dont know if alot of people do:
When your putting the timing equipment back together and your putting on the tensioner for the main chain, get the tensioner and turn it up, push in the piston and while holding it in and pour oil topping it off, then release the piston. You'll see that as you relase the piston oil will be sucked into the tensioner, push back in, pour and release. Youll notice the piston gets really hard to push in, thats what you want! then push it in, put a pin, then bolt it to the timing cover and install everything else, once your done putting the chain, remove the pin and it will provide pressure on the chain, this will reduce the chance of chain skipping during 1st startup big time.

 

Is this for cooling or for oil?

I can't get the damn screws out to clean the inside, and I got some brake cleaner, gasket material and other junk in there when I was cleaning the mating surfaces around it so I sprayed water in there already to get that junk out.

I don't want any issues with water in my oil or whatever. I tried PB-blaster on the screws but no luck, almost stripped 2 of them and I stopped, one came out okay. Now I gotta stress over the pb blaster in there...


backside of above picture, the hatch with the screws:

 

FSM recomendes you dont remove that but i didnt read that till after i removed it. i used a power drill with a large bit on the end so it fits nicely inside the screw. apply as much pressure downword and unscrew it. worked like a charm considering it has more torque then our hands lol

 

yeah I would definitely like to remove it if nothing else because I am paranoid about pb blaster messing up its seals. I will take it to a mechanic or something tomorrow on my lunch break, see if I can slip em $5 and get that bastard off. How hard was it to torque it back down?

 

If you're worried about the PB blaster, flush it out with WD40.

As far as the Nissan vs. aftermarket timing gear, I would highly suggest you use the OEM stuff. I recently built a QR25 for a buddy's sentra, and he brought me all the parts. Timing stuff was new but not from nissan. Ended up having the timing chain come apart and fill the oil pickup with small pieces of metal until the motor lost oil pressure. Get the right stuff the first time if it's a performance motor.

 

Looks like it is an oil passage "Do not remove plate metal cover of oil passage".

I have been flushing water through it for a half hour now figuring if I got it wet already whatever. I was gonna put it in the parts washer anyway. I guess I will just need to make sure its fully dry in there somehow...


update: I wasted a leftover quart of oil on that passage to flush out any other **** stuck in there and whatever moisture. Hope that works for now. I think I got all the water, pb, cleaner, and gasket material out after that.

 

With the more than a handful of 3.0/3.5 I have dealt with, I have never removed what your trynna remove lol. btw dont forget to do what I suggested above about the tensioner. not sure if you read it.

 

+1

 

+2

 

Yeah I read what you posted and its great advice!

Only things I need still are the emanage, the FPR, and the T fittings.

What size fittings does it use? 5/16th? Any advice on a good FPR? Nismo one looks pricey at $130, I'd like to spent <$100. Probably want one with a gauge, I am looking on summit's website.


Do I need to buy a 96+ ring gear for the Fidanza Flywheel because I have a 95? I just realized my 95 timing gear probably won't fit the fidanza... tag on car says build 7/94.

Any thoughts?

 

Just an update, I got the crank chain off, and I broke the rear intake cam sprocket bolt loose, but the exhaust one won't break. I am using a 24mm generic wrench on the cam, I am worried it will slide off and break a lobe, it popped off once before but didn't really damage anything, just rounded the hexagon slightly. Pretty stressful, any tips?

I am using a breaker bar and I have the wrench inside a cheater pipe. Cool to spray PB blaster on that sprocket bolt?

 

Those bolts are always tight the first time you crack them - sure it's a 24mm? Try a 22mm? Harbor Freight has a quality set of large-size metric wrenches that are loooong.. That's what I use. You need a tight fit there on the cam. Maybe a high-quality adjustable wrench with a cheater pipe on it? Pretty sure the PB Blaster won't help with this one - no way to penetrate.

 

I tried a 22 great neck or whatever from autozone, too small. 23 didn't fit. 24 fit, but was sorta loose. Ill take the 24, I'm gonna buy a big pvc pipe and put it on the 24, then see if it will break tomorrow.

 

I always use a 1/2inch breaker bar with a impact socket

 

I've got an e-Manage Blue FS if you're looking

 

What kind of price are we talking and do you have a harness?

 

+1

 

I still can't break the exhaust cam off. I am actually rounding down the hexagon on the camshaft and its not budging. Now its even worse because I can't grab the cam shaft as well. Should I try using a torch? I am using a 2 ft breaker with a 6 pt impact socket. I am going to go and buy a better/bigger adjustable wrench.
Can I use the hexagon farther away or will that bend the camshaft in bad ways? These things loosen counter clockwise, right?

HELP!!!

 

I would torch that sucker and then try to break it.

 

I bought a big 15" crescent wrench. I wonder if this will hold it. I just worry about it scratching the top of the valve parts.

I am really worried about damaging my valves. The camshaft spun free of the wrench earlier a half turn. The bigger, more expensive wrench might hold it better. I will try the torch as well.

Edit: I am thinking I will enlist more people, 1 to hold the engine stand, 1 to hold one part of the cam, 1 to hold the other part of the cam with a separate wrench, and then myself with the 9 foot fence post + breaker bar and impact socket.

I am really scared I bent my exhaust valve when it slipped last. The sprocket turned really far...

 

LOL, you can't say I didn't warn you about the crank and cam bolts.

I normally put a 1 box wrench on each cam with them resting on the head or someone holding them in place if I have help. Then with a pipe over the breaker bar slowly pulled till I have a loud crack.

 

Yeah I am really scared. Is there anyway to tell short of pulling the heads???? I put my fingers in the exhaust port and it felt the same as the others. I can't lie, Im really stressed out.

 

I broke them all loose using the help of 4 dudes, 9 foot long pipe, jammed the wrenches against a steel rod from my engine hoist that I propped on top of the heads.

Closer inspection, the valves should be fine. The valve that went down was on the cylinder that was the lowest from the top.


Did some minor cleaning as well, I will finish cleaning tomorrow and put the 3.0 inner timing cover on.

 

Ran into a snag, the rear bank's tensioner popped off. Not sure I have all the pieces I need. Here is what I have

Spring, tiny metal rod thing, the guide part



note that the inside doesnt really have anything inside it, but the other one which didnt explode has a cylinder inside it. Does this mean I am missing a critical component? I don't have the 3.0's to swap in unfortunately. Did that tiny metal rod come from the variable cam sprocket possibly? I took the sprocket apart wondering if I needed to break it down further at first to remove it, then realized I didn't need to and put it back together... I found the metal rod around the timing chain area.

 

I just got new cam tensioners anyway.

Can anyone tell me where I can buy some VQ30 dowel rods for the exhaust cams? I read that they are longer and therefore essential to get the sprocket in the correct position. Courtesy parts does not sell them seperately.

I need to get these parts soon, the timeline on my swap really tightened because I found out I am moving in a month and a half.

 

Google for 6mm stainless steel pins or dowels. They come in different lengths.


You can drive out other cam pins with a small punch, from the lobe side.

 

I also test fitted the stephenmax adapters, they are a perfect fit. Can't wait to get to the next step. Got my AEM 25-302BK Universal FPR today too. It has 2 inlet ports, 1 gauge port, and 1 outlet port. Do I block one of the inlets?

 

As an update, I am still waiting on a bunch of parts, I should get maybe Wednesday-ish.
I ordered a bunch of fuel fittings (-6an to 5/16th), some crucial timing components I was missing, a VAFC2, a UEGO Wideband O2, some misc. bolts for my suspension (probably switch back to stock ride height for the winter while I am at it, run the stock se springs with the tokico illumina shocks for that 4x4 look)

 

Okay so I am examining the primary chain tensioner since I am still waiting for some crucial parts. Do I need the gasket mentioned in a few threads that appears to sit behind the tensioner and mate with the inner timing cover?

When priming, should it be easy to compress? I stuck it in a cup of oil and compressed it in and out, it got slightly stiffer but didn't make a big difference. When removed, it didn't squirt out the port, maybe I didn't push it in far enough or something? What does the pin actually grab onto? Are you compressing the piston all the way in so that the pin sticks over the end of it?


FYI gasket:
http://forums.maxima.org/4908548-post11.html vvv NOT MY PICTURE below vvv

 

your taking apart stuff that I've never seen taken apart for a 3.5 swap

 

I am? LOL not my pic above. Just trying to figure out the tensioner priming technique. I found that it compresses in farther than I thought, put a pin it it, now I feel dumb.

edit: was reading a thread about there being a tsb for chain rattle, cure was that gasket. never seen it mentioned anywhere else so I felt like asking about it.

 

yeah I can seen it being a problem if the gasket is leaking and not allowing the tensior to build the proper amount of psi

 

I don't think I have that one, do I need it? Never seen it before, and I think it was added in as a TSB.

 

Yes, it goes in past the body and the pin goes over the end of it.

I would like to know the answer to this too because I have never heard anything about it and I don't have one on my engine.

 

How do I plug the hole that the oil cooler goes into on the "rear" (aka left side) of the engine?

 

I took the plug out of my old 3.0

 

Oh awesome. I was scared about that. It is looking like I will be putting this thing in between the day after Christmas and new years. Going to take a few days off work. Never done a motor swap before, biggest car project I've ever done and this thing is my DD I have a spare car to get me through 2 weeks.

Also, the next potential thing I face is probably the axle removal, particularly the passenger side. The axles in this car are new and were installed 6 months ago, so hopefully they are easy to remove.

 

axles are easy. For the right side you just have to take out the three bolts where the axle is held to the axle bracket (not sure of the official name), and it should slide right out. Some times you need to use a little leverage but it is normally pretty easy expecially if they have come out recently.

 

Looks like I am starting the engine pull this Friday/Saturday!

Going to pick up a gear puller, pilot bearing removal tool, etc. You guys have any tips on any "special tools" that may come up?