Nissan Frontier Timing Chain Tensioner Replacement

[TWG1572]

So, a couple weeks ago I posted on here about a whine coming out of my engine. I had the day off yesterday, so I took it into the dealer for a diagnosis. They are "reasonably certain" it is the timing chain tensioner issue covered it in TSB NTB09-128.

They quoted $1,500. Another Nissan dealer quoted me $800-1200. I stopped by a local guy last night that I've used on occasion, he knew of the issue and is preparing a quote. He's been reasonable and thorough in the past, so I'll be interested to see what he can do.

My question is this. Is there a compelling reason to stick with the Nissan dealer for this repair? It's a lengthy and somewhat involved process but beyond that it doesn't seem like it's overly complex or would require some Nissan "secret sauce" as far as procedures go, etc. There are guys on the internet that have taken two days and done this in their garage - but it's well beyond what I want to tackle.

The truck has 117K on it, so we are well out of warrenty here.

 

[Donald]

It seems to me if there is a TSB out for it then they are almost admitting a part was not designed properly. I would push the dealer to see if they will split the cost. Many dealers have a bucket of $$ from the car company for good will use.

If the dealer will not deal, then go to an indy shop and use Nissan parts.

Not sure what your financial situation is or your plan for the vehicle, but have you thought of throwing in a reman engine instead. Your current engine is roughly half used up. For around double the cost of this repair, you could have a reman engine which is close to being a new engine.

 

[Boomer]

Almost all Nissan Frontys from 2005 onward suffer from this. I had mine done at 32,000 miles (under warranty) and posted on here about it. The tensioners are nylon slides and the timing chain just eats through them and contacts metal the whining noise). The slides are pushed against the chain by hydraulic pressure, if I remember correctly. It is an inherently poor design. It is the labor that is expensive; the slides are relatively nothing in comparison. For mine, it took two days with the truck at the dealer. It now has about 52800 miles on it so I will see when another is due. It is just part of the cost of owning a Frontier.

The other issue with these trucks is that the tranny cooler coil in the radiator cracks and admits coolant into the auto tranny which kills it. There is an extended warrant on this but if you have to pay, it involves a new tranny, radiator, fluids and the labor involved!!

 

[bigjl]

Just for information.

The 2.5 dci Nissan Pathfinder and Navara which is related to the Frontier (slightly) also has Camchain tensioner issues.

They were also known to try and limit their exposure to the costs.

Is this an example of cost cutting gone to far at Nissan over the last decade of so?

 

[TWG1572]

Boomer - I'd read about the radiator thing on Club Frontier. I know there is a by-pass procedure that lots of people seem to have used with success. I've been holding off on doing it, but after this I'm thinking I might as well. At my mileage, I though I'd dodged the bullet on the timing chain tensioners but I guess not.

My understanding (which is based only on forum reading) is that Nissan re-designed the timing chains so they weren't as aggressive on the plastic slides. I haven't tried verifying that with "official" sources but I'm hopeful that there is a new part and that I can get 60K out of it before I sell this thing. I usually shoot for 180-200K on my vehicles.

I will give the dealer and Nissan corporate a call and try to see what happens. This is a pretty widespread issue and I've read about some people getting comp'ed for a portion of the costs. With my mileage, I'm not so certain.

 

[Boomer]

I think there is a danger in the bypass people are doing. They bypass the cooler in the radiator for an air cooler. This does not provide , IMHO, proper cooling. On a very cold day, the tranny fluid will be kept very cold. Lugging a trailer upa hill could overheat the tranny. I really don't know what effact this can have on the trans but it isn't taking it necessarily in the right direction.

 

[supton]

Interesting how the same stupid things keep showing up. Toyota 22RE's were known for needing timing chains, for guides wearing out. Their later 4Runners had the same fault-prone radiator with the internal transmission cooler/heater; and I recently came across that Ridgelines have the same problem (Honda's problem apparently arising from a steel washer on the cooler line causing galvanic corrosion, and then the same fluid mixing).

With this being a recent model I wonder if the transmission has a thermostat in/on it for the ATF. It might not circulate ATF out of the transmission, in which case an external cooler would be what I'd want. That said, if the cooler is in the radiator I'd think they'd skip the thermostat, as the idea is to keep the ATF around water temp (in cold weather, the water can heat up the ATF--or the waste heat from the trans can heat up the water).

I wonder about installing the external cooler with a temp gauge and a simple bypass valve. Turn to bypass in cold weather, use the cooler in warm weather. Actually, I wonder if a bypass is needed: I wonder if you could just deadhead the transmission outlet line? I don't know if 100% of the fluid picked up from the pan is pushed out to the cooler?

 

[951Indy]

I'm having deja vu. Didn't you have this same dilemma when you changed plugs? How did that come out?

 

[sasilverbullet]

I saw a thread on Reddit about Audi's with the same tensioner problems.

 

[TWG1572]

Indy - You have a good memory. I used him and it turned out well, which is why I decided to stop by and get a quote on this from him.

I don't have that much knowledge of the skills required to do this job. Some of these jobs have specialized tools/knowledge needed or something else like that which would mean it could make sense to use the dealer. I was really fishing for that sort of information.

Assuming his costs are in line, I'll likely use the independent guy with Nissan parts unless something comes up in this discussion.

The only pro to the dealership is that they have been known to partially comp this repair, which is something I did learn because of this thread. I'd have to have something in writing prior to the repair before I bit on that though.

 

[threeputtpar]

Originally Posted By: sasilverbullet
I saw a thread on Reddit about Audi's with the same tensioner problems.


Yes, the 4.2l V8 in the B6 S4 and allroad were fitted with a timing chain instead of the usual timing belt in order to save room so the engine could fit in the small space. The chain would wear through the plastic guides and eventually take out the tensioner itself throwing off timing and pistons crash into valves.

The real kick in the crotch with it was that the timing chain was on the back of the engine, so it required the engine and/or the trans to be pulled to service the chain. $7-10k, depending on dealer or indy. Ouch!

 

[CBR.worm]

The older Nissan trucks have the same issue. I have a '97 4cyl with the updated guides that have broken and now have the chain riding on the metal backing...again.


At this point I am inclined to let it eat and leave the truck somewhere when it dies. The only thing that kills me is that everything still works, and other than alternators has been very reliable. It is in pretty rough shape overall though. Almost 300k at the end of its second timing gears and chain and tensioner set.

My fear is that at this point, pulling it apart will cost more money in ancillary damage than it is worth.

 

[michaelluscher]

Originally Posted By: bigjl
Is this an example of cost cutting gone to far at Nissan over the last decade of so?

Nope.
It isn't new.
It's been around since the Stanza, 280ZX, and the CA/KA engine families.
My VG30/VG33E VillaQuest is showing its Nissan heritage.
In the way of [censored] injectors, [censored] distributors, [censored] connectors, [censored] exhaust studs
Etc....

 

[kkspeed]

As previously stated, this is an old issue with Nissan KA-Family of engines. I had to replace the guides on my 1990 Hard-Body Truck with the 2.4L Engine.

It was fairly easy on that old model, but don't know how hard it will be on the new 2.5L engine.

Those KA Engines won't die.... Usually, it's the frame and body that rust away to kill those trucks before the engines wear out.
300K plus miles is not unusual if the bodies and frames are still good.

 

[steve20]

I don't know....lately I have not heard one good thing about a Nissan product---car or truck. What is going on here?