93 GXE...replacing timing belt....which parts, for which engine?

Looking around online (autozone.com etc) I also see "round tooth" and "square tooth" timing belts listed for my car. Do I have to get it off to tell which of those I need? Or is there some other way?

Matt

Get them from a dealer. You won't save much by shopping around. The pump is the most expensive part, and I've had problems with non-Nissan pumps. The t-belt is just too important a part, so don't bother trying to save a few dollars.

No. You have a VG30E.

The 93 SE had a different engine.

Add a thermostat and coolant temp sensor to this list.

Als replace all 3 outer belts.

I have suggested at least looking at the seals. If you aren't leaking any oil, then the seals are probably fine.

Look at my reply to "fastdad". I realized later that he has a '95, and my reply was for a VG30E engine, which he doesn't have. But you do.

You need the belt w/ the round tooth. The 89, 90 & 91 VG30E engines have the square tooth. The 92, 93 & 94's have the round tooth. The first 3 years recommend changing the timing belt every 60,000 mi. The later models changed that to every 100,000 miles. If it hasn't been replaced and you haven't hit 100,000, I'd still do it asap as the rubber has probably aged and has deteriorated by now. Just check w/ the dealer when buying the timing belt and they should get you the correct one.

Chris

90 & 94 GXE's

Good advise from everyone. So here is my list so far.

Timing Belt (Routh teeth, from the dealer) Tensioner Water Pump Idler bearings Cam and shaft seals (if they need it) Thermostat Coolant Temp Sensor The cars other 3 belts

The car is at about 130k, and I changed the timing belt at about 60. So, it's been 70k. But, what's prompting it more than the mileage is the leaking water pump. Since it has to be replaced, and the t-belt is due...might as well make an overhaul of it. Heck, I might as well change the plugs, wires, and fuel filter while I'm at it. But I'll get the first list done, and then make a second one. :)

I change the oil like clockwork, But I've only had the tranny serviced once. I guess I should get that done too. Maybe after the new year. Well, I could at least do a drain and fill, and then get it pumped later on.

I'd really like to keep this car running for a long time. I'm going to start on this stuff tomorrow night. This is by far the biggest car project I've undertaken.

If anyone has any more tips or links, please pass them along.

Matt

Okay, so I went for it. I dug in yesterday and start taking things apart.

After taking off the engine under covers, I realized I am missing a right side engine cover, so I've added that to the list of things to pick up from the dealer (or to order.)

I drained the coolant...took me a while to find the front engine block plug. I never found the rear one. I suspect I'll have coolant leaking out when I pull off the waterpump.

The belts came off ok once I got the adjusters free and moving.

Once I could see the crankshaft pulley, things got a bit more difficult. I couln't figure out how to hold the pulley still while I loostened the bolt. The Guy at the parts store told me to put the breaker bar on, and crank the ignition a tiny bit. I'm SO not ready for that. Eventually, I read my repair manual a bit more (duh) and it suggested a chain wrench or strap wrench. I bought a cheap strap wrench, which promply broke. After searching for hours, I found an off-the-wall hardware store that carried a chain wrench. I used a peice of the old belt to protect the pulley and the chain wrench worked wonders!

Using the puller I borrowed from the parts store, I was able to easilly get the pulley off.

After a few more pulleys, and a fillion screws, the t-belt covers started coming off. I was able to get the bottom cover off as the top cover is tough to remove. I think the water pump should come out next, and then the top cover. Those are my next steps.

THE GOOD NEWS: After taking apart alll this stuff (and labeling it all), I can finally see the waterpump. Sure enough! There is a definate leak there in the pump. All my work is not wasted. The t-belt looks really good. Of course I'll still replace it.

So, tomorrow, I'll take off the pump, and belt and see if I can find the thermostat, seals etc.

Putting things back together seems like a doable task...the only two things I'm afraid of are:

1) Getting the timing belt aligned properly. 2) Start it up for the first time after this is through! (Yikes!)

Onward, matt

Make sure you've got the marks all lined up on the cam gears and crank pulley. Go through it several times before tightening it up and putting the covers back on. If all the marks are aligned, you'll be ok. Don't turn the crank or cam gears separately and nothing will go out of time. Also, don't feel the urge to crank down on the timing belt tensioner thinking "tighter is better". You should be able to to twist the timing belt 90degrees with your fingers. If you can't, then it's too tight. Did you mention that you're replacing the timing belt tensioner?? I hope so!! If you haven't done much work in this area before, it might be a good idea to use a torque wrench so you don't over tighten anything. It's a bad habit that's easy to get into. If you're a bull moose like me, it's easy to really crank on the wrench not realizing that you are overtorqueing the bolts. This is not a very hard job, it's just time consuming and tedious. Follow all the steps in the manual and you'll do fine.

Chris

90 & 94 GXE's

See if you can find one from a junkyard. It could be relatively pricey to buy it new. I sure they will have to order it.

Huh? I didn't realize there was a rear one. I always did the stopcock on the radiator and the front plug. That seemed to be enough. Maybe I've been missing that one each time!

The good news is that if you do this again in 60-80K miles, the bolt will come free much easier. One trick you can try is to remove the starter, gently put a pry-bar into one of the teeth on the flywheel, and have someone hold that bar while you turn the crank bolt. You shouldn't damage the flywheel (it's VERY hard steel). I've been able to remove the crank bolt by myself using this method (propped the prybar against the ground).

See, I told you to save up some swear words! The covers will both come off before the pump, but it's a big pain in the arse.

Thermo housing, if I remember, is just above the pump. It may be behind the upper timing belt cover.

Check your belt markings 4 or 5 times, and maybe have someone else look at it to verify they are correct. Your manual may also tell you how many teeth should be between the crank shaft marking and each of the two cam sprockets (they'll be different numbers). You could count them as another way to verify because it is possible to put the belt on backwards (although it will still work, the notches will never line up to the belt markings).

Always scary, but if you've taken the time to make sure things are correct, it should start right up. And THAT is a wonderful feeling.

Once you start it, check the engine for any leaks or unusual sounds. If it sounds and looks OK, then sit and wait for it to reach proper temp. Don't drive it until it does. Once my radiator fans kicked on, I knew everything was OK. On my '91, the temp needle will point at the "P" in "TEMP" and literally never move from there.

Good luck re-assembling (it goes faster than dis-assembly, but those @#&^$#*@! t-belt covers still suck).

If you actually bought a dealer belt, it isn't a concern as the belt has marks on it. If you cheaped out and didn't get a dealer belt, I'll bet you end up doing this again next weekend! The marks on the covers aren't close enough to accurately align the belt, most people end up with the rear cam off 1 tooth using parts store belts. I've redone hundreds because of this..

I need a new news reader. I'm just using google.com and I don't see an option to quote messages. Makes it hard to respond to specific comments. I'll get thunderbird setup today sometime so I can actually reply in a worthwhile way. :)

Steve T: I did buy the belt from the dealer. In fact, I'm taking it back today because they gave me the square tooth one, and I need the round teeth one. I was buying so many parts, I forgot to check. My old belt is still on, and I've aligned it as good as I cool. I've also made a mark on the belt/gear. I'll mark the new belt the same, and then line up the marks...counting the teeth inbetween all the points. This should give me a few ways to check the alignment.

ChrisH: I checked the belt that's already on, and you're right...I can twist it 90 degrees, and no more. I'll make sure the new belt is the same. You're right...I am also replacing the tensioner.

Bill G: Good call on the junkyard to find the side engine cover. I've spent enough(!) at the dealer and autoparts store. I'll get this project done, and then look around for one of those. You were right about the thermo housing. It was right there next to the water pump. It came off pretty easilly, and I got the thermostat replaced.

So, last night after realizing I had the wrong belt, I went ahead and did the water pump and the thermostat. By tonight, they'll have had 24 hours to cure. I should be able to put the rest of the parts back on and get that baby running again.

I bought all three seals, but I'm hesitant to replace them. After I get the tbelt off tonight, I'll look around and see if any oil is leaking. If not, should I still replace them? Seems like getting the tbelt aligned after taking off those sprokets would be more of a pain. Any special tools needed to put those seals in?

Nearly done! Thanks for the continued support.

Matt

Sounds like you are taking your time and thinking things through. If you're not sure, just ask someone.You'll get it!!

Chris

The new belt should already have marks on it..

Huzzah!!!

It's done, and my car still run, amazingly. My first successful major repair. Last night around midnight, I was looking at the car with it's old timing belt still on thinking... "Mmm hmmm...." and next think you know, it's 6:30am and I'm pulling off the jack stands. It started up like a charm after I put everything back on. I put in 6 new plugs, which seems to have helped. I've never heard this car sound so good! I'm very pleased with the whole proceedure, and I think I could do it again in less than 1/2 the time.

Thanks for all the patient help everyone.

Those tb covers were rediculous. I found it MUCH easier after I unscrewed the mount for the air conditioning hose (or pipe?). It only moved over about 1/2 inch, but it was enough to make getting that top cover in and out pretty easy. Putting in all those screws on the covers though...sheesh.

I prayed for a good while before I started her up for the first time. I tripple checked everything, so I wasn't too worried, but it was definately a relief when things went well.

I did find that in the process, I developed a crack in my coolant overflow tank. So, coolant is still leaking! haha. I found a salvage yard that has one for me, and in the mean time, I'll stick some shoe goo on there to hold it in. Easy fix, either way.

Feels nice to have the max back. And I'm no longer afraid or larger repairs. Good times.

Congrats, I know the feeling. While I've torn into the complex regions of my RX-7 engine bay, I've been much more pedestrian in the daily driver cars. (The RX-7 sessions turn hours into days into weeks on jackstands...). I did the gf's 01 Eclipse timing belt this fall - and in spite of intense scrutiny "you didn't break anything, did you?", "everything going ok?", and "am I going to need a ride to work on Monday?", I got it done in about 6 hours with plenty of breaks. It's good to know that when I plan and execute, the job gets done well.

Dave

That's heavy duty, dude. Congrats!

CD

Cool.

Hope you used NGK's

Actually, now that you say that, I'm not sure what I used. The guy at the local Autozone is a Nissan nut and has been helping me with small questions. He picked out the plugs.

Chances are, they weren't NGK's. Why should I be using them?

Matt

I hope he didn't sell you Bosch platinums.

Because they are the only plugs that work right in Nissans.