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-   -   VQ40 Secondary Timing Chain Issues (https://x.nissanhelp.com/forums/pathfinder/17807-vq40-secondary-timing-chain-issues.html)

smj999smj 05-19-2013 01:33 PM

I've done three of jobs, so far (different vehicles) and I'm getting ready to do another one. Unless there's an oil pressure issue, I don't see the purpose of replacing the oil pump. While I can understand the preventative maintenance aspect, water pumps fail so infrequently on these engines that I wouldn't replace that either, unless necessary. Finally picked up a ring gear stopper to make the job a lot easier for me. Got it from Suzuki (the Equator is a re-badged Frontier) for $70 ($100 with shipping and tax). I don't use the SST to install the tensioner "shoes"; I use a Channel lock pliers with plastic covers on the jaws that I had bought for my Sears Robolock pliers years ago. They work like a charm! I don't use the Three-bond sealant per the bulletin; I got two tubes of it from Nissan and it was so thick, I couldn't get it out of the tube and it busted through the side! I use black RTV that's in a pressurized "Cheese Whiz" type can. There is so much to RTV on the cover, it makes it a lot easier and faster than trying to squeeze and even bead out of a tube by hand. Some tips: do not tighten the PS bracket bolts until you get them all in, remove the two AC compressor bolts out at the front but leave the rear bolt in, and, as mentioned in the TSB, after removing the front cover, tap the alignment dowels down to where the taper starts. This makes it a lot easier to install the front cover and you can tap the dowel into the block after you get the bolts in the cover.

thecolt 03-18-2016 12:22 PM

Many of you have asked what happens if the tensioner is not replaced. I can tell you. My wife's 2006 Pathfinder got loud one day after work with no previous warning. She drove less than a mile before the car came to a halt. Could not restart the engine. The mechanic determined that the secondary timing chain on the driver side cam shaft broke, jammed itself in the primary chain, bent the valves and may even have cracked the #2 piston. Catastrophic engine failure!! The mechanics have seen this before and claim we will need to replace the engine. A rebuilt with labor is going to cost me $6000 that I simply don't have. I called Nissan several times, opened a claim and each time they have denied any fault on their part. Their excuse is that my engine has 110k miles on it. My mechanic says there is no way you could have forseen this and since we kept up with the maintenance, there was no way to have avoided it. The tensioner failed and Nissan should stand behind their parts. We don't know where to turn. I have a car that won't run, is practically worthless to sell and I still owe payments on a second owner vehicle I have only driven for 19k miles!! Nissan should be sued out of existence for all the suffering they have caused to their original AND secondary owners or do the right thing and pay up.

3xpathfinder 04-05-2016 07:01 AM

Same issue on my '06 Pathfinder with 106k. Bought with 25k and has been taken care of. Dealer says timing chain needs to be replaced and quoted me $2,500 (State Line Nissan in Kansas City). Based on other responses, it looks like they are way high. Sad thing is I've bought two Pathfinders from them and used them for regular servicing. This is my 3rd and last Pathfinder. Add in the peeling paint around the windshield, hood, and roof and I don't have any confidence in trying to put another 100k on this one like I did my '97 Pathfinder.

Fortunately, the dealer is making the decision to move on a bit easier!


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