Anyone know anything about Nissan Timing Chains

[eltax91]

Hi all

My MiL's Nissan Almera has been diagnosed with a stretched timing chain, evidently a common problem on this car. It's a 53 plate car with a QG15DE engine in it.

I've a trusted mechanic who will do the job fairly cheap, however he usually relies on tme supplying the parts and doing this part of the legwork. Ebay throws up a load of results but to be honest I can't be doing with sending items back if they are wrong, so looking at local suppliers.

I've called a local parts place and they have a choice of 2 kits, one being "50mm" and the other being "75mm". This guy suggests he THINKS this is the thickness of the chain, but can't be sure. So I'm left with a choice of a 50/50 shot of getting the right kit, or consulting the oracle that is pistonheads.

So, anyone know whether the chain of this car is a 50mm or 75mm?

For what it's worth, I'm pretty sure the car has VVT, there is a sensor plug in the top cover on the "back" side of the engine.

Cheers in advance for any advice

[Krikkit]

If you've got the VIN (or even reg) you could ring your local Nissan parts desk - I'm sure they'll tell you.

[eltax91]

Krikkit said:

If you've got the VIN (or even reg) you could ring your local Nissan parts desk - I'm sure they'll tell you.

Tried that. All they would tell me is the engine code. Might try a few others.

[aarondbs]

50mm and 75mm seem very very wide for a chain of this type. Thiink it more likely refers to a diameter of a sprocket but I am guessing here.

[AndyLB]

eltax91 said:

Tried that. All they would tell me is the engine code. Might try a few others.

Ask them to order you a kit - then ask what it actually is they're ordering - then say you don;t want it.

[750turbo]

eltax91 said:

Krikkit said:

If you've got the VIN (or even reg) you could ring your local Nissan parts desk - I'm sure they'll tell you.

Tried that. All they would tell me is the engine code. Might try a few others.

Surely the Nissan Parts Guys can supply you with the correct chain at a reasonable price though?

Am I missing something OP?

[eltax91]

750turbo said:

eltax91 said:

Krikkit said:

If you've got the VIN (or even reg) you could ring your local Nissan parts desk - I'm sure they'll tell you.

Tried that. All they would tell me is the engine code. Might try a few others.

Surely the Nissan Parts Guys can supply you with the correct chain at a reasonable price though?

Am I missing something OP?

Sort of. They can supply me a chain at £243.82. Nissan have yet to accept there is a known issue with chain stretch on these cars, and lots of Google reports saying the replacements also stretch! For Slightly less cash £226 or £207 depending on which one) the local guy supplies the full kit. Tensioner, guide, both cam sprokets and crank sprocket.

Nissan say a kit doesn't exist

[750turbo]

eltax91 said:

Sort of. They can supply me a chain at £243.82. Nissan have yet to accept there is a known issue with chain stretch on these cars, and lots of Google reports saying the replacements also stretch! For Slightly less cash £226 or £207 depending on which one) the local guy supplies the full kit. Tensioner, guide, both cam sprokets and crank sprocket.

Nissan say a kit doesn't exist

Bloody Hell! £243 for a Timing Chain! That really is taking the micky. (I will point out for others that Parts Prices are set at country level, not at dealer level)

[eltax91]

750turbo said:

eltax91 said:

Sort of. They can supply me a chain at £243.82. Nissan have yet to accept there is a known issue with chain stretch on these cars, and lots of Google reports saying the replacements also stretch! For Slightly less cash £226 or £207 depending on which one) the local guy supplies the full kit. Tensioner, guide, both cam sprokets and crank sprocket.

Nissan say a kit doesn't exist

Bloody Hell! £243 for a Timing Chain! That really is taking the micky. (I will point out for others that Parts Prices are set at country level, not at dealer level)

Yes quite! Unless the dude was as stupid as he sounded and it truly was a full kit. I now have managed to get a part number from another nissan garage for the chain itself. 130284M501. Google yielding no results as to whether its 50mm or 75mm! At this rate I'm going to have to order both and return the incorrect one!

[eltax91]

So, I've had a bit more sense out of a different parts shop, who happened to have a Nissan Mechanic in buying parts for weekend work! The size difference is for the VVT system. Apparently, the VVT engines have a different sized cam sprocket to non VVT. He said he's NEVER seen this sprocket fail and that the MiL's symptoms are classic chain stretch.

This being the case, I can take either kit and fit all the other parts, and only swap the offending pulley if it's correct and just reuse the existing one if it's not correct.