Timing Cover Removal.....ran into a snag - need help ASAP

[Sharkus29]

M6 X 1.0, 50mm is what the manual also says. I will get a couple of them and washers to go with 'em.

There is a hole on the side of the water pump, through which I can see the inner workings (bearing) of the pump. Does that hole remain exposed? What is its function, if any? Do I need to plug it? Specifically, the hole is located on the right hand side of the extended part (neck) of the pump - the part that has the studs and wheel on it, when you are looking at it installed on the engine.

After I take the crank pulley off, do I have to set the TDC while my older belt is on, or can I set the TDC with the belt taken off? And what do I use to rotate the crank once the pulley is off?

Are you talking about the hole on your new water pump?

[judasentinel]

Yes. There are two holes, actually....one on the top right side of the neck and the other on the under side of the neck, just behind where the spindle/shaft is, on the under side.

[steveo1502]

The hole should be a weeping hole, when the pump starts to wear out, coolant will leak out of that hole, to let u know it's on it's way out. You can put the pulley back on to line up the marks, aren't the tdc marks on the balancer anyways?

[judasentinel]

I got the crank pulley off. It was a breeze, to be honest. Slid right off with the puller. Now there is a washer/plate behind it, which just wouldn't come off, no matter how much I try. Is there a specific position that it has to be in before coming off? I tried rotating it, aligning its notch with the notch in the crank gear, but no luck. What am I doing wrong here?

There is a bit of oil under the crank gear....is that an alarming thing? It's not much but is visible. Also, the lower timing cover had caked oil on the inside (caked because it wasn't in liquid form), pretty much like it has been sitting in there for a while. The crank gear itself has no oil, and no rust on it. There is minimal rust (if any) on the idler and tensioner, so I am simply going to brush grind it and reuse it. I will also oil/grease the tensioner spring and nut/bolt, so they stay free.

While I am at it, is there any way to visually know if I have an oil issue at all? The pressure gauge, as well as levels indicate all is well, but I am concerned about that little oil around the crank gear.

[steveo1502]

That would be one of the seals that is usually changed with the water pump, timing belt, tensioner pulleys, cam seals and main seal( the one you speak of, now would be the time to change all these components, unless you want to be doing this again in a short time

[judasentinel]

Thx Steve. How do I get that big washer/plate off from the crank neck? It rotates but doesn't wanna come off.

[steveo1502]

Is the little key still in the crank? The little square piece that holds the balancer from spinning. It should come out, if the washer doesn't have a notch to come over. I actually have never had mine off, but there kinda all the same

[judasentinel]

That little piece is actually a half moon, with the circular side sitting inside the crank and the straight side acting as a notch. It was just sitting there and I took it off. The washer would still not come out though. There doesn't seem to be anything stopping it, but Im stumped.......

[Voodoo_ChildR32]

That's the guide for your timing belt, normally they come off really easy. You can't get the belt off with it in. Every RB timing belt I've done it's always just slid right out with no effort. Have you tried prying VERY lightly on it as it may be stuck. It should nonetheless come out, make sure not to loose the key from the crank either or your're screwed. As mentioned above, the oil is from the front main seal (crank seal) and normally is replaced along with both cam seals when the ting belt is replaced.


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[MarusGTR]

First off this is the first time I've heard of the 100K servicing requiring the main seals to be changed...

Second, the oil could be from somewhere else. I had heavy oil grime everywhere but I have the same on my front subframe, which is probably from an old PS leak.

Third, how the hell would you do that without taking the pump off which in turns needs to drop the pan? (Serious question)

Anyway, line up the washer plate and pop it off with a small pry lever... I had to gradually pry the sprocket off with shims to take it all off.



Edit: Also, telling him to change the seals makes an easy job way harder. Right now if he aligns everything to the timing marks (assuming his timing was correct before), his valvetrain is de-energized and he can just pop of the old belt and put the new one in with no need to redo the timing.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Align the marks with the old belt in. Obviously doing the alignment individually throws off the timing.

[Voodoo_ChildR32]

It's a rule of thumb in the automotive industry, why the heck would you want up open it up twice? Unless you like doing unnecessary work, lol. Since he's already in there, do it. It seriously takes 10 minutes to change all three seals.
I've done it before. It's not that hard, no oil pan removal required.
Resetting the timing is über easy, if he's made it this far he can do it. I've replaced dozens of timing belts without even lining up the marks. It's not rocket science, just take you're time and pay attention and it'll go fine.

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[MarusGTR]

Because I did it last week and I don't want to do it again ok!? Anyway my seals were fine. I think. Ugh god I wasn't planning on sleeping tonight anyway.

BTW: I agree but if I'd live up to those expectations I'd never get anything done. For me, it's already a day's worth of work usually stretched to two weeks of misc "might do it while I'm there" 'ers.

[Voodoo_ChildR32]

Not trying to scare anyone, I'm a mechanic, I think ahead so I can cover as many bases as I can in one job. I hate doing things twice, lol.


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[judasentinel]

So that little plate has to be shimmied and pried to be taken off......I tried it and will do it again after work today.

Will Nissan have the seals I need? I hope the oil doesn't spill over if I remove the existing ones, because I'm not able to replace the oil pump for now.

About the timing. RB26 sit slightly at an angle, as I have observed. Does that half moon notch have to sit vertically up with respect to the engine itself or the earth? I know, silly question, but it sits at an ever so slight angle away from the vertical line, and all three marks line up. Also, my intake cam's lobe is pointing to the intake side (as per the manual). Does it mean I am at the TDC and good to go?

I take it that if I take the belt off, I cannot 'individually' line up the three marks (cam gears and the crank). So it has to be with the belt on I suppose?

[cory]

You need the engine at tdc. You can find it but looking down number 1 cylinder
Then with the timing belt gear on you can line up the dimple in the gear with the mark on the pump and the marks on the cam gears With the marks on the back plate
After you put the tension on belt turn the engine 2 full rotations to see if the marks line up again