I did this job for routine maintenance and for the "rattle" noise on a cold start up. Turned out my problem was the tensioner. The chain, guides and sprockets looked great at 90k.
that doesn't surprise me, my timing chain and gears had hardly any wear at all when i changed them (during an in car overhaul) - the teeth on the gears were still sharp and the chain had no bow - and they were the original parts too. This engine had over 250,000 on it when i did this work (in 2000). But just like yours, my tensioner was chewed up but ultimately was really the only part that absolutely needed changing -
Quote:
Same procedure goes for the oil pan. It’s easiest to have a buddy hold it up in place while you get a few bolts finger tight. Same torque spec as front cover bolts.
Or you can tie the gasket onto the oil pan with sewing thread through the bolt holes. And rip out the thread once you have the bolts started in the holes.
Last edited by marc780 : Sep 13th, 2007 at 11:26 AM.
Good writeup. Looks like I will be tackling this soon myself. Popped the valve cover off my 90 KA24 and while the chain/gear looks great, the tension side guide is gone. As in totally missing. Only 221,800 miles on it, the last ~100K or so have been tad noisy due to chain rattle at startup......
Oh well. My buddy always said Nissan trucks are like a sore peter, unbeatable.
__________________
1990 King Cab 2WD 223K and counting, KA24E 5 spd
1983 Mazda RX7 for fun
Great write up. I wish I found this before I started on mine.
I've got a 91 Nissan 2wd Pickup with the same motor. The head was warped, I had it plained and the valves done. I put everything back together, Lined up all the timing marks, and it won't start. My timing light says everything is bang on. It turns over really hard and I'm not sure what to try now short of hauling it to a certified mechaninc.
I need help. Any suggestions?
Thank you
Darcy Stobert
Great write up. I wish I found this before I started on mine.
I've got a 91 Nissan 2wd Pickup with the same motor. The head was warped, I had it plained and the valves done. I put everything back together, Lined up all the timing marks, and it won't start. My timing light says everything is bang on. It turns over really hard and I'm not sure what to try now short of hauling it to a certified mechaninc.
I need help. Any suggestions?
Thank you
Darcy Stobert
When i did the in car overhaul of the 1988 Z24, i had this problem. Al lthat work and it just cranked but wouldnt start! But i thought for a bit...got my tools, removed the distributor and rotated it 180 degrees. Next turn of the key she started right up - i had put the distributor in 180 degrees off! (Always make punch marks when removing the dist).
Some other things that could be wrong:
1. You forgot to connect an important wire or component
2. Spark plug wires installed wrong and not in proper firing sequence
3. You forgot to reattach the ground cable to the frame (i cant remember where it is)
4. One or more valves too loose or too tight. You did check the valve adjustment didnt you? You may want to add .002 to the factory settings when picking your feeler gauges for this chore, since the engine will be cold and the settings are usually designed for a hot engine.
You will have to rotate the crank with a breaker bar and socket on the crank pulley (DO NOT turn backwards turn it clockwise only, facing the engine! I bent valves turning it backward once!)
There are many complicated instructions you will find to adjust the valve clearance and but just remember this: All you have to really do is to adjust the clearance of that particular valve, when the camshaft is on the base circle! (rocker arm not touching cam at all and free to move, not under camshaft pressure).
5. do a compression check. Maybe the valve job got botched by the machinist. If so, you need to know this.
6. Some other things that could cause this condition: worn out ignition switch (sounds weird but this actually happened to me - new engine, started intermittenly, it turned out to be the switch.) - worn out cap and rotor, broken distributor shaft (rotor should NOT turn freely when engine is off, if it does the shaft is broken - again, this happened to me too).
When i did the in car overhaul of the 1988 Z24, i had this problem. Al lthat work and it just cranked but wouldnt start! But i thought for a bit...got my tools, removed the distributor and rotated it 180 degrees. Next turn of the key she started right up - i had put the distributor in 180 degrees off! (Always make punch marks when removing the dist).
Some other things that could be wrong:
1. You forgot to connect an important wire or component
2. Spark plug wires installed wrong and not in proper firing sequence
3. You forgot to reattach the ground cable to the frame (i cant remember where it is)
4. One or more valves too loose or too tight. You did check the valve adjustment didnt you? You may want to add .002 to the factory settings when picking your feeler gauges for this chore, since the engine will be cold and the settings are usually designed for a hot engine.
You will have to rotate the crank with a breaker bar and socket on the crank pulley (DO NOT turn backwards turn it clockwise only, facing the engine! I bent valves turning it backward once!)
There are many complicated instructions you will find to adjust the valve clearance and but just remember this: All you have to really do is to adjust the clearance of that particular valve, when the camshaft is on the base circle! (rocker arm not touching cam at all and free to move, not under camshaft pressure).
5. do a compression check. Maybe the valve job got botched by the machinist. If so, you need to know this.
6. Some other things that could cause this condition: worn out ignition switch (sounds weird but this actually happened to me - new engine, started intermittenly, it turned out to be the switch.) - worn out cap and rotor, broken distributor shaft (rotor should NOT turn freely when engine is off, if it does the shaft is broken - again, this happened to me too).
Thanks so much for the advice,
I spent this evening going through everything,
all electrical connections are correct.
I even remembered the ground wire(LOL) it's on the head near the fire wall.
I didn't remove or touch the distributor to remove and reinstall the head.
I did a compression test and all cylinders are way low, like in the 70's, so I'm thinking & hoping that I somehow didn't get the timing marks lined up properly.
I'll keep you posted, I'm gonna wait till the weekend to screw it up som more.
(Replacing Timing Belt) That sounds like a lot of Fun! Thanks for the right up. I'm going to give it a shot as soon as I can get some time off. Thought about going to the beach but this sounds so much funner!
Ok I'm almost done .... only one problem..... It wont start!
I've done everthing correctly but no joy. It sound good when I turn the ignition, timing looks correct, Spark plugs are firing, I smell gas and spark plugs have gas on them when I try to start it. Very Frustrating. I'll figure it out but takes some time.
I noticed you mentioned lifters. Could air in the lifters cause it not to start or even fire once. I've tried turning the distributor.
Ahhhh so close yet so far away...
SOBS
I GOT IT !!!!!!!
After Praying about it and calming down It came to me. Hook the sparkplug wires up in reverse order!!! It Started!!!
great wright up! very helpfull. I however did not remove the oil pan since i was not leaking (mines a 4x4) and i got the cover off and on very easily and im going on 3 weeks now and no leaks, but also chltions dosent say to remove the oil pan when removing the timing chain cover, but i do recomend covering the oil pan when you remove the timing cover.
o ya one more thing, remember to remove the cotter pine from the tesioner, i forgot but luckely if you do forget after your 90% of the way done and then it hit me like a brick wall so dont forget!!
excellent writeup! I'm halfway through my TC replacement.
Word of advice:
If you take the tensioner and guides off first, there is no need to remove the sprockets. I was able to slip the chain off the sprokets once it was loose. To put it back on, I just looped it around the bottom sprocket, fed it up to the top, lined up the link with the marks on the bottom sprocket, and then lined up the link on the top sprocket. Real easy.
Mine is still running great, I've put 5,000 miles on the new chain. Hope this forum helped. It sure helped me. I'm actually considering buying a 2nd Older Nissan ( like 1990 - 95) to play with and give to my daughter when were done with it.
thank you so much, i just changed mine, everything runs great but the chain still slaps against the guide. Then i noticed you said you had to reuse the old bolt from the old guide. I bought the kit, and i noticed when i pulled the pin on the tensioner it didnt tension much, it was still loose. You have no idea how much of a headache ive had looking for the answer to this. Thank you
The AutoGuide.com network consists of the largest network of enthusiast-owned enthusiast-operated automotive communities.
AutoGuide.com provides the latest car reviews, auto show coverage, new car prices, and automotive news. The AutoGuide network operates more than 100 automotive forums where our users consult peers for shopping information and advice, and share opinions as a community.
I'm going to give it a shot as soon as I can get some time off. Thought about going to the beach but this sounds so much funner!
Linear Mode
