Timming Belt Stretch/slack..............

[WogsRus]

Hi Guys

well the car has traveled 85K and i pulled the cover off last night to have a good look and see what condition the belt is in. The belt looks fine, eavenly warn, no cracks or anything, still original nissan item.

The thing is, there is a fair bit of slck on the belt.

I can turn the exhaust cam about 1/2 a toth back and forth. I took pics, and sorry about quality it was late at night and camera sux.

Is there any way to adjust the slack on the belt, or is it already at max travel.

I will replace it shortly, but at the moment i still need to drive the car.

Can somone have a look and comment.

ALSO

when i change the belt, do the water pump, and idler pullies aswell at the same time, yeah?

Where is the best place to get idler pullies from? ACL?

[benl1981]

Well don't tighten it!! If it is weak and you tighten you run the risk of it snapping.

It does look a little loose but can't really see the pressure you are putting on it.

Probably a good idea to replace within a few months. If the bearings are at all bad replace them. I found a place that does them for under $80 for the ideler and the tensioner - Genuine NGK!. Cheap insurance

CHeck the water pump. If paying to get it done then I would get it replaced. If doing it yourself check how the bearing feels in the water pump. If any signs of leaking then replace.

Edited April 11, 2007 by benl1981

[Gazee]

Looks like the 100k service has come early... always a bumma i feel your pain

[WogsRus]

well the belt looks fine, no nicks or wear marks as such.

Yeah i can get the bearing here direct for about $80 or so, so not bad, the bearings don't make any weird noise, but it is better to change a $100 part then a whole engine.

Looks like i'll be doing the water pump while i'm at it.

[retox]

I'd just replace the belt... prevention is better than cure... and its not that far off 100k anyways.

But thats just me

[WogsRus]

yeah i will be doing the belt, but i figured do the pump aswell???????

[benl1981]

If you want to do everything then you would do cam seals, crank seals, tensioner stud, bearings, water pump and maybe crank seal.

I replaced what was easy and cheap (timing belt $75 and bearings $75). The water pump felt fine and no sign of leaks so I left it. There was no leaks around the engine so didn't do cam seals either.

If there was any doubt about the pump I would have replaced it. Don't get the Rb30 one as one bolt is out of alignment. Get the genuine for about $150.

Edited April 11, 2007 by benl1981

[T04GTR]

you turn it over till the belts tight on the pull side. then just let the spring do the tension on the adjuster. then nip it up.

[BOOSTD]

you turn it over till the belts tight on the pull side. then just let the spring do the tension on the adjuster. then nip it up.

Just make sure you take the spark plugs out as per the nissan manual otherwise you will over tighten it which is all bad.

so

1. losen idler pulley bolt so the spring comes into play.

2. turn the crank at least twice

3. Use an allen key to hold the pulley and tighten to the recommended torque(having the idler pulley bolt over tight and snap is also all very bad(read-24 bent valves)

[MANWHORE]

When you replace a timing belt, it will often not have any cracks on it etc. If you look at it underneath, and squeeze the belt looking at the teeth, that's where you can normally see the cracks.

[MANWHORE]

Think about it this way too. You know how hard it is to do the belt (Radiator out, etc. So at a minimum, you have to pay $40 for coolant). Some people automatically replace the idler and tensioner, because if you check it for play, it mgiht be alright now, but will it be alright in another 100 000ks?

The guys that replace the bearings, usually replace the bearing bolts too.

in relation to the cam cover gaskets, I've noticed that a lot of rbs with over 80-100 000ks start to have oil seeps from the covers. It's not a problem, the gasket is just a maintenance item, like anything else - nothing lasts forever. It's good to do it as soon as you see leaks, because the oil makes a big mess. Having said that though, iv'e noticed that the screws that hold the cover on seem to work themselves a bit loose, so if you tighten them to the right torque, it might actually stop all leaks.

[SECURITY]

while the belt is off you should look into doing your cam seals.

its an absolute pain in the ass to find out a few months later that its all got to come out again. (the part number is the same as the crank seal).

[WogsRus]

Thanks guys, so i suppose i better get a full VRF engine kit, which i can get from the US, for $200 AU delivered, that way i have all the seals i need and it's chepper.

Yeah i will replace all the bits I need, thanks for the advice guys.