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Timing chain

48K views 20 replies 14 participants last post by  Shop-infiniti09 
#1 ·
I have a 2006 Armada SE with 125K and was told I'd be needing to have a new timing belt soon. How do I know when to have it changed and how much should I expect to spend?
 
#5 ·
Was this a mechanic that told you this? If so, you need to find a new mechanic!:eek:
 
#8 ·
Hello aj. I will agree with you in that after time, timing chains have the possibility of stretching and the only way to verify that of course is by removing the timing chains and measuring them out to see if still within spec; also inspecting your timing chain guides for abnormal wear wouldnt hurt. But if you have gone that far as to remove them, you might as well replace them. Your mechanic is right if he is suggesting your drive belts are in need of replacing, especially with over 125000 miles. Looks like arlington's offering his service for ya!:D
 
#9 ·
The main reason I was looking for some "doesn't need replacement" double take was because I have a friend with an 06ish nissan car, not sure if it's a maxima or what but it's the V6 DOHC with timing chain and the chain guides wore out at 114k miles and had a pretty bad failure... They ended up pulling the motor to replace a bunch of stuff on the front end of the motor... Sounded scary and I wanted to make sure that the V8 wasn't similar... 19 hours sounds a bit ludicrous as it doesn't look that cramped in there... I've done timing chains on some Audi's and the manual quotes ridiculous hours and say your suppose to pull the whole front bumper/radiator supports, isn't necessary and you can cut 5 hours or so worth of labor on tear down and again on assembly by not doing that... So the "rated hours" I don't always believe...
 
#11 ·
I have to agree with marctronixx on the inflation of labor time with dealers. If the dealer is an honest one(hah!), normally they will cut the customer a break and only charge time actually spent for repair. But times are tough and they have to pay for overhead. You sound mechanically inclined so I would say brake out the pans, drain some fluids and commence the tear down brother......Take good pics and let us know what you find; I'm curious on results. :D
 
#13 ·
The VQ35 motor in the 6 gen Maxima has a track record for requiring the changing of the timing chain guides, it will cause a rattle sound, which requires the change of the guides, the replacement guides are made of a different plastic material. Yes the kit for the VQ35 is expensive about 300-400 depending on where you go, and the labor is expensive, and no need to take the motor out, and also changing of the water pump since you are already in there. The VK56, our motor does not suffer from worn out guides, and I have yet to hear of any VK56 having there guides changed out, or having any timing chain issues. No need to pray, just regular oil and lube and you will be fine.
 
#14 ·
Thanks for the info! The V6 of my buddies I think did more than wear out, I think that something actually broke and became lodged in there. and they had to get some toolingin there to remove some broken bolts or something... I don't know all the details but the tooling was the reason why they had to pull the engine out...
 
#15 · (Edited)
My 2012 will probably hit 120K on the way home today so it got me thinking about this, especially since we are taking a 400 mile and 400 back trip next week. Very relieved to hear that it's a timing chain and not a belt.
 
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#16 ·
Timing chains typically don't wear out over the life of the vehicle. Anything mechanical will eventually wear out, however.

That being said, it's usually the timing chain guides (shown in the diagram above) that wear out, and when they are replaced it's smart to change the chain at the same time.

It's a costly operation, and no one wants to open the engine up twice. Usually you can tell if the guides are falling apart by noticing pieces of them ground up in the oil pan.

I've not seen this as an issue on the Armada/Titan V8, so I wouldn't worry. (I'm at 223,xxx miles now, and it seems fine..... )
 
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#19 ·
Title mostly says it. I'm trying to figure when the timing chain needs to be replaced. I'm not having any issues, but I know with my Subarus (which use a belt not a chain) they need to be replaced between 90K-100K or they will break. I'm just trying to figure if there is a "time limit" on the timing chain on these. Mine is a first gen with about 150K on it.
 
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