Reality has set in
Moderator: volvite
Reality has set in
Just when I thought the Pathfinder engine was bullet proof, my timing chain tensioners go.Two days in the shop and a $1500 bill
This has nothing to do with the rad bypass.trowerpow wrote:no! what year, how many miles? something that can be prevented like bypassing radiator tranny cooler lines?
The only theory I have seen out there is that frequent oil changes with good quality synthetic seem to have a good effect on the tensioners. But nothing definitive. They are a weak point on this engine.
So far I've been ok though.
t
phantom2, I'm sorry to hear about your car. More and more parts on our cars are made out of cheap plastic made overseas with very little quality control. That being said, my co-workers 2004 Durango engine just threw a rod. $7500 later he has a brand new crate motor in his truck. I've always used high quality oil and so far I've been pretty lucky. 
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LittleStevie
- Posts: 193
- Joined: Wed May 23, 2007 4:32 am
- Location: West Palm Beach, FL
On one of the Frontier forums someone postulated that it might be the secondary chains themselves that are causing the wear on the tensioners. A tech noticed that some chains seemed to have sharper edges, like might be caused by a worn die or poor tolerances during the stamping process. Nissan may have used different suppliers for these chains, or a single supplier could have had a process issue where some batches had these defects and others didn't.
If this is the case, it's possible that there is hope for some of us and not all VQ40s are doomed. I've got 62k and crossing my fingers, but it's not something I can do anything about.
If this is the case, it's possible that there is hope for some of us and not all VQ40s are doomed. I've got 62k and crossing my fingers, but it's not something I can do anything about.
What should we listen for, my warranty is up in about 800 miles and i fear this will happen as soon as I go out of warranty.Tech wrote:nothing you could have done...i can take some pics next one i get, but it doesn't show much. Synthetic or not, any mileage, just seems random. All you can do is hope that someone who knows what to listen for gets your truck before warranty is up.
An interesting hypothesis. I'm at 85k miles on my 05, so far not a peep.LittleStevie wrote:On one of the Frontier forums someone postulated that it might be the secondary chains themselves that are causing the wear on the tensioners. A tech noticed that some chains seemed to have sharper edges, like might be caused by a worn die or poor tolerances during the stamping process. Nissan may have used different suppliers for these chains, or a single supplier could have had a process issue where some batches had these defects and others didn't.
If this is the case, it's possible that there is hope for some of us and not all VQ40s are doomed. I've got 62k and crossing my fingers, but it's not something I can do anything about.
I had an interesting issue on a Nissan I used to own, my 93 altima sounded like a marble in a tin can at idle. The fix was to remove the upper timing chain guides, since at idle there wasn't enough oil pressure to get the hydraulic tensioner to tension the upper timing chain enough. Rattled like a SOB. Removed the guides, and no more noise.
Whats with the flaky timing chain designs Nissan?
t
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