The story of a washer

[Infinitiguy19]

Washers....This little piece could be the difference between a running engine and a dead one. I was doing the belts on my car and I notice that one of the pulleys was not so smooth when turning it by hand. I did not listen to it with a stethoscope while the engine was running, The stethoscope would be on the dust shield of the pulley (do not turn). Anyways the previous owner replaced the belts maybe seven years ago (I would have to look at the receipts). I assume he replaced one of the pulleys or the bearing at least because it said "CHINA" on it along with some other numbers that Member "Texasoil" said describe the bearing further.

Anyways I bought new bearings from Keith (Texas Oil) just incase I need to replace one or all of them. The A/C belt on my car was never connected since I have owned it and even before then. The previous owner brought it to a Infiniti dealer. He had was complaining that the A/C compressor makes noise when running. The cut the belt to make the noise go away. Or they told him the cost of the repair and he choose to have the belt cut? Okay so the A/C belt pulley is now full of rust but moves up and down. It helped that I sprayed ATF (Automatic Transmission Fluid) on the long (And over priced at $28) adjusting bolts for the pulleys. If you have a hard time moving the pulleys up and down after loosening the 12MM? nut on the front of the pulley, Then sprays some penetrant and move the pulley up and down by the adjusting bolt to work in the penetrant. Go easy unless you have a new replacement on hand!

Okay so I cleaned up the A/C pulley with a wire wheel to get rid of the rust. The rust on the crank and the A/C compressor (Which does not move smoothly by hand, Is that normal?) should go away over time as the belt rides one the the two. I put the A/C belt on first had a little trouble as it got stuck on something but then it went on normally. Then came the power steering/water pump belt. I put it over the engine fan first then went around the pulleys. Then lastly the Alternator belt. I replaced the alternator pulley bearing. Pressed the old one out and the new one in. And in removing the pulley a washer or two (as was used on all the other pulleys) may have gotten lost. It was nowhere to be found on the floor. I did find I think two smaller washers but they did not fit over the bolts that hold the pulley so those can't be it. Mind you I did not know that the pulleys had washers in front of the dust shields for the bearings. I installed the alternator pulley bearing with no washer between the bearing and the dust shield. The side that you press the bearing into the pulley faces out and away from the engine.I did not make the pulley but I did mark the dust shield. Because I did not want to make the mistake someone on here made.

So I put all the belts on and adjusted them with a fish scale I bought at d!ck Sporting Goods for $26. I tested the accuracy of the scale using a two ounce wheel weight and sure enough it I saw two ounce on the digital display. This one unit is made in China but hey it works for now and is pretty accurate. I borrowed a ruler and I began to measure belt deflection. Basically how much the belt moves (length) under a given weight. Its safe to say for a non active/non touring Q45 8MM at 22 LBS of pulling force is good for all three belts. The measurements/adjustments must be down when the belts are cold (engine cold).

Alright so I measured belt deflection then I tightened the pulleys nuts to 23 FT/LBS of torque. That was the middle point of the torque suggested in the service manual. I start the car up after I bring it down from the lift. I left the engine splash shield just in case I need to fix something. I let the car idle till partially warm (Don't rev/beat on a cold engine!). So far it was quiet and smooth. I revved the engine to 4K RPM's and then after a few seconds I heard a noise and I thought "Oh crap a pulley must be coming loose!" So I raised the car and grabbed a stethoscope only to hear the noise coming from the alternator pulley. A friend of mine sprayed silicone grease from a can to see if it got quieter. No change.

I was hoping it wasn't the bearing I just replaced. I lowered the car, shut it off and loosened the alternator belt. Thankfully its the first one and easy to fix the issue. If it was the A/C belt that was causing the issue I would have cut it. I was afraid that the noise was coming from the A/C belt tensioner pulley. I pulled it all apart to see that the pulley bearing and dust shield were touching and grinding together.

I noticed when I removed the other two pulleys, Water Pump/Power Steering and the A/C they all had washers between the bearing and the dust shield (big washer which it what I thought it was). So naturally I call up Mike, Wes, Steve and some other NICO dudes. Wes helps me out and gets me on the right track. He tells me there is supposed to be a washer between the dust shield and the pulley bearing. So I grabbed a washer and stuck it between the shield and pushed down on the shield by hand to see if it would touch the bearing. And sure as hell it did. So I added another washer and the two were no longer touching. After putting it all back together I started the car and let it idle for a little bit. Then I revved the piss out of it and it was still quiet. Though the rest of the shop wasn't! In the near future I will update this topic with pictures.

Once again thank you Wes, It would have taken a lot longer without your help!

Things I learned:

1. Its good to be a member on NICO
2. If two of the three pulleys have two washer between the bearing and the dust shield then the third one should have two washers....
3. Always test out your work, Never assume!