Possible Broken Timing Belt on 85' Max

[BadQ45t]

I have a high mileage Maxima that had a new timing belt in about 40k ago. I was driving it home yesterday when all of a sudden it popped out of gear and wouldn't engage the transmission. I got of the freeway and it was idling oddly. I turned it off and than tried to turn it back on and all it makes a whurring noise, it will not turn over. Could the transmission do something like that (it was revving fine when I exited) or is this a dreaded timing belt snap?

[NISTECH]

The fact that it was still running after the incedent suggests it did not snap the timing belt. When you say it wont turn over do you mean it wont start or that the engine will not rotate when holding the key in the start poistion?

[BadQ45t]

Thanks for the rely. Okay, so it just makes this soft of whirring noise, never heard anything like it before. The car was running fine, I was pushing it hard to get on the freeway and avoid some traffic and all of a sudden it was like the car was in neutral, in fact I just assumed that I'd slipped into Neutral but I couldn't get re-engaged. I pulled off the freeway and got parked, the car was still running at this point. I popped the hood with the engine still running and it sounded a bit funny so I cut it. At that point it wouldn't restart at all.

So the car has 290k on it, the belt was replaced about 40k ago, this is the 5th belt or so, I was religious about that. The transmission was rebuilt at 250k by AAMCO (BIG mistake). I have a transmission problem every 10k since they did the rebuilt, thankfully this is an extra car. I'm hesitate to take it to AAMCO if this isn't a transmission problem since they will charge me an arm and leg if they find it is anything else and I intend to have them fix NOTHING on the car ever again. Can a broken transmission cause this behavior. YOu think I should tow to my regular mechanic to look at it first? Any ideas, i was hoping to get over 300k but I will not put more than 1k into it at this point.

[NISTECH]

If the engine is infact turning over {not just the starter spinning] the whirring indicates lack of compression. So the assumption the belt broke is viable except one thing the car remained running even at idle when you popped the hood. That is the only thing that clearifies it didnt break. Now it could have jumped a tooth or 2 except the little not having any forward movement when in gear. I have a suspicion that the flex plate broke where it bolts to the crankshaft. Its the only thing I can thing of that would give you a no start AND not give the car any movement. I have never seen this happen on a nissan but have seen it happen on a camaro. When it happened on that car,when you tried to start it it was this crunchy grinding sound.

[BadQ45t]

Is the flex plate part of the transmission or somewhere else? If it is the transmission AAMCO will have to pay...I am not thinking about dropping too much $$ into this.

let me know where that flex plate would sit?

[NISTECH]

The flex plate/called flywheel on a manual trans. It is what connects the engine to the trans. The torque convertor bolts to it. It has the ring gear the starter enguages to turn the engine over.

[BadQ45t]

So this is not the transmission, how big a repair for a non-DIYer like me? how many hours of labor and cost of parts.

[NISTECH]

I dont know off the top of my head the price of it. but it will require removing the trans to replace it. Besides I am not sure thats your problem it was mearly an educated guess.

Where is el granada?

[BadQ45t]

It is in Half Moon Bay, in the Bay area, about 30 miles south of Sf. Where is Galt?

[NISTECH]

About 30 miles south of sacramento on hwy 99. I am possibly going to be in the bay area this weekend but not that far south.