Chain guides 90-93 Q45,82000 miles

[Bodge420]

Is it possible to check the chain guides to see what condition they are in, I just bought a 1992 Q45a and just want to check the guides, see how long I have or if its already too late.Also how much do you think replacing the plastic guides with the metal ones will cost??

really need the help!!

[elwesso]

the only way is to take off the front cover, in which case you had better just plan on replacing them......

The parts are about $300 and id expect about 6-8 hours labor.

[Bodge420]

also do you know if the previous owner put on new brake pads will the check brake lights remain on until I get the proper pads or is he just talkin smak?

[elwesso]

you can just bypass the sensors, no biggie.

[Rex]

also do you know if the previous owner put on new brake pads will the check brake lights remain on until I get the proper pads or is he just talkin smak?

The message is a result of the sensor being worn. If the replacement pads didn't have (or he didn't install) the sensor, you'll continue to get the message. It's also possible he only did the fronts or rears and the other axel needs new brake pads as well.

I don't know why people don't use the sensor, even the cheapest (Albany brand) brake pads come with them???

[Q45tech]

6-8 hours charges are a little low we usually require 10 hours..........plus almost always there is a problem with the accessory belts or idler pullies.

The other problem is recovering [the possibility of] broken off pieces from the oil pan this can add another 7 hours to pull and clean pan.

Always smart to budget an overnight stay [2 days] as pushing such a delicate repair is definitely unwise.

[nuQ]

when i had mine replaced, she ran fine, but the driver side guide was in pieces and ended up in the oil pan. there is no way to tell without actually getting in there.

[Bodge420]

did it ruin your engine? how many miles were you at when you replaced them?I cant beleive they used PLASTIC!

[nuQ]

it had about 110,000 miles when i bought it and drove it directly down to my tech to have the guides replaced. the previous owner had an infiniti tech at the dealership "listen" to the engine to see if the guides were ok and was told they "were fine, you can hear when they go".----not true! this was about 2 weeks before i bought it. when the guide/s go there is two things to worry about,,,,,,,,,,, 1. hopefully the plastic pieces of the guide do not get lodged anywhere-this can destroy the engine------and 2. if the guide/s do fail and fall harmlessly into the oil pan (like mine did) the timing chain may operate normally for an extended period (again, like mine did-thank goodness), but since the guide is no longer there to remove the slack in the chain,,very easy for it to jump the teeth and destroy interference engine. i lucked out and the chain stayed put (i still think back on if the chain jumped while i was driving the hour to the shop coming directly from the guys house that i just bought it from. that would have S*CKED ROYALLY!). if you plan on keeping the Q get them changed. while my tech had everything apart with the guides he also changed the water pump, thermostat, oil pump, spark plugs and reseal the valve covers. all that is easy to get to while in there.

[Rex]

did it ruin your engine? how many miles were you at when you replaced them?I cant beleive they used PLASTIC!

Some on here have had their engines ruined, but most are smart enough to heed the advice and address it quickly. The "missing pieces" just mean you hvae to pull the oil pan to find all the pieces or risk the pieces getting caught in the oil pump/chain creating comparable damage.

They're not the only manufacturer to ever use plastic (backed) guides. I think one thing that makes them susceptible to breaking/cracking is heat cycles. Keep in mind at the time (late '80's) 100k was a reasonable goal, and in most cases would be reached, but once past 10 years the miles goal gets tossed.

[elwesso]

Many MFGs still use them! on some of the chain driven lexus/toyota engines, i heard that theguides can fail and the chain starts eating into the timing cover.. it will eventually eat all the way through it, resulting in a large oil leak...

[squeefoo]

i lucked out and the chain stayed put (i still think back on if the chain jumped while i was driving the hour to the shop coming directly from the guys house that i just bought it from. that would have S*CKED ROYALLY!).

That happened to one of our members, PalmerWMD.Twice I think....

[Q45denver]

Mercedes used plastic guides on their top of the line S class around the same time.

[nuQ]

Many MFGs still use them! on some of the chain driven lexus/toyota engines, i heard that theguides can fail and the chain starts eating into the timing cover.. it will eventually eat all the way through it, resulting in a large oil leak...

my chain starting eating into my oil pump. didn't go through, just scored it pretty good, but to be on the safe side, i replaced the oil pump too.

[DebbiQ]

This is the second thread today where "gay" is used as perjorative. Totally gratuitously, I might add. Are you boys homophobic, or just incredibly insensitive and immature?

[ceningolmo]

I don't know about the rest of this thread, but your post ???

I'm not the least bit homophobic... just ask Wes.

However, I think its pretty gay when people fail to recognize the constantly evolving use of slang in the english language. This forum is neither scholastic nor professional and, therefore, has little expectation for propriety.

Insenstivity is subjective and not worth addressing. My senstive might equate to your callous. Find a different forum to get all emo.

[PopPop]

[QUOTE=Q45tech]6-8 hours charges are a little low we usually require 10 hours..........plus almost always there is a problem with the accessory belts or idler pullies. When Wes said 6-8 hours he was probably talking about the time it takes to replace timing chain guide parts! I know Techs always include valve covers but, some people do the T.C. guide job without doing the valve covers! The 10hrs you spoke of probably includes plenum removal which some do not remove when doing valve covers!

[Q451990]

6-8 hours charges are a little low we usually require 10 hours..........plus almost always there is a problem with the accessory belts or idler pullies. When Wes said 6-8 hours he was probably talking about the time it takes to replace timing chain guide parts! I know Techs always include valve covers but, some people do the T.C. guide job without doing the valve covers! The 10hrs you spoke of probably includes plenum removal which some do not remove when doing valve covers!

Actually I think valve covers are typically not done... at least in a T3 job. The only reason to remove the valve covers is if the engine slips time (about 1 out of 10 jobs statistically) or they're leaking (like mine were) - otherwise no overlap. Plenum removal isn't necessary for either valve covers or timing...

Heath

[PopPop]

Actually I think valve covers are typically not done... at least in a T3 job. The only reason to remove the valve covers is if the engine slips time (about 1 out of 10 jobs statistically) or they're leaking (like mine were) - otherwise no overlap. Plenum removal isn't necessary for either valve covers or timing...

Heath

Yes Heath I agree with you thats exactly what I was saying but, most Nissan and Infiniti Dealers will say they will have too remove valve covers, Plenum and or both to do either one of those jobs but, not necessary!

[nuQ]

plenum removal is definitely not necessary with the chain guides, from what i understand, the valve covers are just easier when doing the guides,,,,why i did my plugs when having it done.

[PopPop]

The one bad thing I notice is when doing the chain guides is that the Cylinder Head gaskets are exposed and just hanging there while your doing the job! You have too clean the exposed head gasket very well and let it dry before re-assembly for proper sealing! If you removed two upper covers!
Modified by PopPop at 10:00 PM 2/21/2006

[Q45tech]

We charge 6 hours for valve cover reseal. [labor for new plugs included].We charge 7 hours for a plenum hose replacement [8 if KS are replaced].We charge an extra hour for active cars across the board and another hour for TCS.

Above in addition to chain guide replacement.

Byron is so fast from Q experience that he can easily average 15 billable hours in a 10 hour day [he produces 65-70 [per week] unless you try to do guides and plenum rehab in the same day.

Regardless of what one gets done we don't charge more than $1125 per day LABOR for Byron whereas ATL dealers might charge $1500 -$1,700 for exactly the same work scope in a day.........and actually do less.

It's the little extra things that count and never get charged for while doing the main job.

[Q451990]

Yes Heath I agree with you thats exactly what I was saying but, most Nissan and Infiniti Dealers will say they will have too remove valve covers, Plenum and or both to do either one of those jobs but, not necessary!

Oh, I got it... sorry for the confusion. On my last guide job those parts of the head gasket were covered with RTV before resealing. Seems to be working well.

It's the little extra things that count and never get charged for while doing the main job.

Amen to that! Like replacing the helicoiled front cover. Parts cars are a beautiful thing... and the fact that T3 actually cleans things before resealing.

Heath

[maxnix]

Many MFGs still use them! on some of the chain driven lexus/toyota engines, i heard that theguides can fail and the chain starts eating into the timing cover.. it will eventually eat all the way through it, resulting in a large oil leak...

Interesting. Most Toyota (and Honda) mills use the dreaded (by me) cogged belt drive for their camshafts. Easier to design, I suppose.

[Q45tech]

Chains can last 300,000+ miles belts cannot with Lexus you MUST pay every 100-120k and with all the tensioners, water pump, misc parts necessary you end up paying almost what a chain guide replacement cost but multiple times.

My $950 guide [labor was $49 back then vs $75 today] replacement back in 97 sure beats 3 belt replacements for $800 > $925> $1050 each that would have been require to reach current 305,000 miles.

But of course plenum hoses [3x 80k, 200k, 293k] almost balanced that out.

[Aussie Q45a]

Wes, in that picture of the "1990 Infiniti Q45 CHAIN GUIDE REPAIR KIT", it shows 2 part number 13085-60U01 but they look very diffrent. Is it just that one is turned over and shown from a diffrent angle, or are the part numbers incorrect?

[elwesso]

No they are correct, thats how its supposed to be, however one is for the right side and one is for the left side..... IM not really sure how that works since ive never done the guides, but since they are the same part number i thikn it will either be obvious or it wont matter.

[Aussie Q45a]

Thanx Wes.