Ive got a 97 altima and cannot get the timing cover off ive took off the oil pan oil sump but cant get the other pan off for some reason the timing chain cover will move freely but seems the only thing holding it is the pan thes attached to the block itself any hints on how to get this pan off i had to do a complete head job with cams and all because of the faulty upper tensioner breaking...that little thing broke both cams bent all the valves in my head and left me with the biggest headache in the world

faulty upper tensioner? you mean the top chain guide? tensioners are not usually an issue unless owner abuse (lack of regular oil changes, sludge up the pressurisation pin).

you didn't mention the harmonic balancer being removed, but i assume you did that.

the breather separator (PCV valve) has to be removed also.

ok, re-read your post.you have the steel (black) pan off, but need to get the aluminum block extension off?

once you take all the bolts out (and they go all the way around the bottom of block), you gotta use a dead-blow to separate the aluminum from the iron block.

the aluminum block extension is the only thing keeping the cover on now the pcv valve part has been removed along with all other parts that keep the timing cover on the cover will move with ease but the block extension wont budge and ive took out every bolt that could be holding it maybe i just havent given enough force to break the gasket sealer loose but it was a tensioner that broke the previous owner didnt believe in oil changes or even adding oil to the car it didnt seem i got the car for $100 so i wasnt complaining since the body looks good but the head was destroyed on the car but no block damage i got a head from the shop i was working at when i got the car im gonna try tomorrow again to see what i can do with this thing thanks for the help
Modified by nissanhonda at 8:39 PM 9/20/2009

ok, just to make sure....you got the two bolts out of the aluminum pan that are under a little cover near bellhousing? while back there you took the bolts out of the bellhousing that attach to aluminum pan? and finally, you removed the a/c compressor bolts (bottom ones)?then try a metal (or better yet really stiff but not brittle plastic) 2" wide putty knife carefully in the seam between the block and the pan to get it started don't pry with a screwdriver at the mating surfaces or you'll have leaks later.

how much varnish in the crankcase from the oil abuse? might want to think of throwing in a bearing kit while you are down there if you are keeping the car.

yeah i think i left the two small bolts in actually that may be part of the problem but whole a/c bracket removed to make sure it wasnt holding me off but there doesnt appear to be any damage to anything but the head but im replacing timing cover/ oil pump im sure it took heavy damage trying to pull the sludge they called oil in the car but crank is clean and no slack but im going to get a putty knife this week and try it after taking out those to small bolts

actually to be on the safe side would be smart this is a pain to have to tear down to just replace bearings later on where is a good place to get some bearings for it so i wont get no cheap ones that are worse than whats in it now

I'm partial to Infiniti of Scottsdale which also sells genuine nissan parts at 25% off of list. plus they are a NICO sponsor.1-888-344-6346

good move replacing your oil pump. dont forget the front crank seal which are prone to leak, also there is a small o-ring looking seal about the size of a quarter (maybe just a bit less) down low on the firewall side of the cover. those are big-time leakers. O-RING- NISS#15066-5E510

the block and crankshaft are stamped with bearing 'grade numbers' to assist in maintaining the proper oil clearance. this is not the same as an undersize bearing kit that you would buy with a re-ground crankshaft.

the rod bearings are easy: on the front conterweight of the crank should be a 4-digit string of numbers stamped in and a 5-digit string. all of the numbers should be 0, 1, or 2. you read the rod bearing grade in a clockwise direction,starting with #1 piston. you should order your rod bearings to match the stampings.

the mains are similar, with the string of 5 digits on the crank still read clockwise from cap #1 to cap #5, but you also need to look at the stampings on the block (pan rail) near each main cap: add the pan rail number and the crank number together at each location to determine the main bearing grade (0,1,2,3, or 4).