XTerra just had open heart surgery

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Replaced the secondary timing chains and tensioners, along with a bunch of other parts (water pump, primary chain guides/tensioner, drive belt, idler, and tensioner) while I had it apart just in case. Finished putting everything back together the other day, started it up, and proceeded to freak out because it ran like [censored] and stalled repeatedly until I realized I left the MAF unplugged. Now it purrs like a kitten and didn't blow up!

Supposedly they came out with new parts in 2010-ish that don't eat themselves anymore which is awesome because I do not look forward to ever doing this again. Took me at least 20 hours over 2+ weeks but probably saved me $2,000. Hardest part was scraping the old RTV off the timing cover and getting it back into position without messing up the fresh new bead. So far no leaks, though.

 
Nice job!
thumbsup2.gif
 
Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
Nice work; more than I would ever try.

Money is a huge motivator lol
 
Originally Posted By: Snagglefoot
Nice work. Can you tell us what engine, year and mileage it had?

2005, 4.0 V6, 167,000 miles. There is evidence that it was repaired before (gray RTV oozing out of the timing cover) but it must have been prior to Nissan releasing the updated parts, so it happened again.
 
Originally Posted By: Anduril
Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
Nice work; more than I would ever try.

Money is a huge motivator lol


I agree! I did two timing belt and water pumps in 2010 on my 1997 civic and 1998 Sienna

Took a week's vacation and spent 5 days in my garage doing the jobs. I thought I was nuts at some points when I ran into issues.

Makes you feel good to accomplish something that intensive.

Was the timing chain making noise with that guide being worn?
 
Nice job. Kudos for your ambition and persistence. Out of my league for sure.

So RTV is the only seal for the tc cover? Depending on access, could see where getting cover back in position without messing up the bead could be difficult.
 
Originally Posted By: Sayjac
So RTV is the only seal for the tc cover? Depending on access, could see where getting cover back in position without messing up the bead could be difficult.


If memory serves me it's a pretty tight spot to do the job. They shoehorned that big V6 in there!

My '07 Nismo that was on the verge of needing this job. Traded the truck off before getting to it. Miss that truck though!
 
Originally Posted By: JC1
Was the timing chain making noise with that guide being worn?

Yes, the chain rubbing on the metal pin in the middle of the tensioner makes a whining noise. Sounds kind of like a supercharger. From what I've read, Nissan had absolutely no QC on those chains so when their cutter got dull, it produced a rough chain that proceeded to eat through the tensioner guide. This is in line with my experience, as the chains I removed were rough on the bottom but the new ones were smooth.

Originally Posted By: Delta
If memory serves me it's a pretty tight spot to do the job. They shoehorned that big V6 in there!

Not just that but there is a coolant pipe going THROUGH a cutout in the timing cover, and the only way to remove it is to remove the fuel rails/lower intake which I wasn't about to do. You can slide the cover on and off around it, but it's a pain because of the way you have to twist things. There are brackets welded to the pipe, and they catch on the cover and don't let you remove it unless you get it just right.
 
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