J-48761 ring gear stopper needed for VQ40 timing chains!

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daytona675
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J-48761 ring gear stopper needed for VQ40 timing chains!

Postby daytona675 » Mon Mar 16, 2015 1:48 pm

Hey all, My 08 needs the dreaded timing chain fix. I bought a complete kit with a GMB water pump and primary chain & tensioner/guides together. but I need that 'essential' tool. Does anyone have one for sale (or rent LOL!) And just how essential is it? Any actual Nissan trained techs sound off, others who did it yourself. I'd like to hear how you do it in your shops. BTW I bought a new radiator so I can un-bypass my cooler too. and a new belt & tensioner, t-stat, etc etc...


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smj999smj
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Postby smj999smj » Mon Mar 16, 2015 9:15 pm

I've done it with and without the ring gear tool. First, you will save a lot of time and labor if you have the ring gear tool. Also, if you don't have access to air tools, the ring gear tool is essential, IMO. You need a way to hold the cams when the cam gear bolts are torqued. If you have the tool, you are using the chains to hold the cam gears in place while you torque the bolts. If you don't have tool, you will need to go through the extra work of removing the upper plenum and valve covers so you can put a wrench on the flats of the camshafts to hold them in place. The ring gear tool also allows you to properly torque the crank pulley bolt and allows you to remove it, again, if you don't have access to air tools. I actually bought mine through a Suzuki site, as the Suzuki Equator is the sister of the Nissan Frontier. When I purchased it, it was $100 with shipping. Last time I checked, the tool was around half that price, but I no longer have the link to the site.
If you haven't purchased the RTV sealant for the cover, I highly recommend Permatex Ultra-grey rigid high-torque RTV #82195. The stuff is very similar to the factory sealant and much better than the black or red sealants available.

You can get it at most auto part stores:

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/perm ... nt=7160239

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daytona675
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Postby daytona675 » Tue Mar 17, 2015 5:30 am

Thanks for the feedback smj999smj, Yes I have the sealant from Nissan, as well as all the seals from the dealer needed for the job (sans valve covers now) Yes I have air tools, so getting the harmonic balancer off will not be a problem. Just one more thing for the job...Maybe I should order an intake spacer while I'm at it? LOL The wife should love me spending MORE money! ---NOT! I guess I could buy the tool, and then put it up for sale afterwards. I just don't want to have ANY issues, as this thing has to last me a while. Seems like my pathy has ALL the issues that the earlier ones have. At least I caught the radiator issue in time.

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smj999smj
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Postby smj999smj » Tue Mar 17, 2015 6:09 pm

I purchased the Nissan sealant for the first one I did and it was so thick that it busted through the tube when trying to squeeze it out. Nissan has a tool to use with it, so maybe that's the issue. I had a much better experience with the Permatex Ultra Gray Rigid High-torque RTV, which comes in a tube to be used with a caulk gun. It made it much easier than trying to squeeze RTV out of a "toothpaste tube" considering how much RTV you need to apply to the cover.
Honestly, I think the hardest part of the job had nothing to do with the timing chains, but, rather, the cleaning of the front timing cover!

Here's where I bought my tool. Unfortunately, they list "0" as available:

https://suzukipitstopplus.com/Products/ ... opper.aspx

skinny2
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Postby skinny2 » Wed Mar 18, 2015 7:35 am

How many miles on your rig Daytona? I'm at 130k on my '08 and so far no noise from the chain.

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daytona675
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t-chains

Postby daytona675 » Wed Mar 18, 2015 7:54 am

right now I'm at 105k. From my research I do know this...Not every engine is affected by the timing chain problem. what the 'cause' is being described as is this: All the little plates that make up the chain are stamped out on a press. over time, the dies get dull, and the pieces coming out start getting a rough cut edge on them. The manufacturer of the chains then, at some point, maintains their machine press and replaces the dies-problem solved. except for the few thousand chain plates that were made with rough cut stampings. Well, as you can guess, the rough edge on the back of all these plates slowly grinds down the nylon 'feet' on the tensioners all the way to the plunger pin.
Some folks were getting the problem fixed under their factory warranty before 36k! And some never hear the noise at all, their chains are probably ok. Mine didn't start until around 90-95k but now they are raising cain and I thing my primary tensioner has shifted as well. So I'm just gonna replace it all and have some peace-of-mind. Water pump too while I'm in there.

skinny2
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Postby skinny2 » Wed Mar 18, 2015 8:14 am

Thanks. I've been following the issue here but it really seems hit miss. Just hope I'm the lucky one. So far this has been a solid rig and I hate to get rid of something that has never let me down.


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