vin4evr-

The two (2) "fan" belts are located on the passenger-side of the engine.

Nissan recommends that they be inspected at 60,000 miles or 48 months.

-njjoe

 

As Joe said, though I would change them every 4 years/60,000 miles. Just to be on safe side....

 

I changed mine and the hoses, after 4 years as I always do.

Homer

 

Nissan calls them serpentine belts, and there are two, one for the power steering pump, and the other for the AC and alternator. I would inspect them yearly and replace them when cracks begin to show, or every 4-5 years. I recently replaced mine after around 4-1/2 years, as cracks were beginning to show. The belt would have probably lasted another year or so, but I figure, its cheap, so why not change it.

 

I just had them replaced in my 03.... with 48K miles. Only one of the two belts had small cracks (tech tells me this belt typically gets the cracks first) but I can't remember which belt it was.

Suggestion: Keep the old belts in the truck, you never know when you might need a quick fix with an extra belt on hand.

 

I changed mine and the hoses, after 4 years as I always do.

Homer

I'm wondering how difficult to change them? Is it one of kind of DIYs? (I'm not an auto expert but have done step bars, hitch and wire, 30K maintenance, rear/front sensors and so on...)

What are hoses?

 

What are hoses?

The radiator hoses. There are two (2) main hoses - the upper and lower.

Nissan has no recommended replacement interval for the radiator hoses.

-njjoe

 

rayleiwu

as you see from Joe drawings it is relatively easy job to do. The only "messy" part is draining the coolant. So if you are going to do it do everything at the same time: change belts, hoses and coolant.

BTW. A couple of months ago I chenged belts in the FX after approximately 4 years/50,000 miles. Only one had small cracks, similar to what Gonzo found..

 

My dealer indicated that my belt(s) was starting to crack and that they should be replaced. I think they wanted $150 or something to do it. I told him that I would schedule it for another time. I like to take a look for myself before I pay to get something done, especially something as simple as a belt.

However, after getting home and looking in the engine compartment, I realized it is not that simple. I can't even see the things from the top of the engine. My other concerns are:

1. The belts only have 3 yrs/50k miles on them. Is that premature for replacement?

2. The issue with the tensioner failing as a result of poor design. It sounds as if the failure could result from the tensioner being improperly tightened as well. So I really don't want to mess with it.

 

My dealer indicated that my belt(s) was starting to crack and that they should be replaced. I think they wanted $150 or something to do it.

1. The belts only have 3 yrs/50k miles on them. Is that premature for replacement?

bg-

Claiming the belts are bad is a common, money-making ploy used by many dealers. Your MO only has 3 yrs/50k on it and Nissan doesn't even call for a belt inspection until 4 yrs/60k. Yes, i'd say it is premature.

-njjoe

 

bg-

Claiming the belts are bad is a common, money-making ploy used by many dealers. Your MO only has 3 yrs/50k on it and Nissan doesn't even call for a belt inspection until 4 yrs/60k. Yes, i'd say it is premature.

-njjoe

Thanks njjoe! That's what I thought.

 

I would say inspect. Belts should easily last 4 -5 years 60,000 miles. BTW, my current car manual says - 100,000 miles!

A fews small cracks is normal. I would not be warry about it. Why did I changed? Because I had the belts and it took me only 30 min. or so....

 

I would say inspect. Belts should easily last 4 -5 years 60,000 miles. BTW, my current car manual says - 100,000 miles!

A fews small cracks is normal. I would not be warry about it. Why did I changed? Because I had the belts and it took me only 30 min. or so....

Thanks Kris - were they hard to replace? Do you have any tricks or suggestions? I miss the old serpentine belt off of my blazer that could be changed in 2 minutes with a rachet.

 

Thanks Kris - were they hard to replace? Do you have any tricks or suggestions? I miss the old serpentine belt off of my blazer that could be changed in 2 minutes with a rachet.

Take the front passenger wheel off, take the black plastic off next to the oil filter. Should be a tensioner you may need to loosen and probably accessed from the engine bay. Thats about it.

I want to put a Cosmo Racing lightweight underdrive crank pulley on ($75 or so) for a little quicker reving engine. Might as well do that when you're changing the belts and out of warranty. Its just 1 (crank) bolt to undo and will be right in your face when replacing the belts.

www.cosmoracing.com for more on that...

 

biggun

sorry, I was not clear enough. I did change the belts on the FX. It was very easy exercise. Just needed to loosen up the belt tensioner. Murnao had belts changed by dealer......I know it is more difficult, but first thing get the tensioner to loosen up. If you are mechanicaly inclined it should not be a problem....

 

The radiator hoses. There are two (2) main hoses - the upper and lower.

Nissan has no recommended replacement interval for the radiator hoses.

-njjoe

What about all the heater hoses, I typically replace all hoses every 60K miles.

 

What about all the heater hoses, I typically replace all hoses every 60K miles.

You're kidding, right? This is not a 1965 Ford with just two heater hoses. The MO has no less than five hoses in addition to the two radiator hoses. Then there are the half-dozen or so hoses in the CVT cooling circuit. That's a lot of hoses.

-njjoe

 

No I'm not kidding.... a chain is as strong as its weakest link. Five, thats not bad. My old Mazda had 6 I think.

 

I just took my '03 Murano (52k) into the dealership for a rear brake job. I got the call that the belts were cracked and needed to be replaced. It was $150 for the belts, $44 for parts, $110 for labor. The brake job was $60 parts, $250 labor...yikes. My extended warranty expires this weekend so I think I might need to brush up on my auto mechanic skills.

 

I have been told my belts are cracked (05 Murano, 72k miles). Dealer will do them for $160+, local Firestone dealer wants $125. Funds are tight at the moment so what is the worse that can happen if I lose a belt unexpectedly.

 

what is the worse that can happen if I lose a belt unexpectedly.

It depends on which belt fails. One handles the power steering pump, while the other handles the alternator and the A/C. The former means you will be without steering; the latter will leave you running exclusively on battery power.

Since the water pump is driven off the timing chain there is no concern for overheating like in most other cars.

There is no need to spend the extra $35 to have the dealer install the belts.

-njjoe

 

Do the belts yourself, it's very easy...there really ain't much you can screw up. Tip, when loosening either tensioner bolt, count how many turns it takes you to loosen the belt up sufficiently. When you re-install the belts and adjust the tesioners, use the same amount of turns to tighten them up. This will give you a decent "guage" of deflection and tension. I always use 1/2 turn more to tighten than what it took to loosen it up, this compensates for stretch and wear of the new belt.

DO IT YOURSELF...

 

More info on belts needed

Can someone get into more detail on how to replace the engine drive belts? Some "How To" on loosening the tensioner and re-tightening the tensioner, tools needed, etc would be a great help. I have maintenance abilities but no confidence.

 

Re: More info on belts needed

Can someone get into more detail on how to replace the engine drive belts? Some "How To" on loosening the tensioner and re-tightening the tensioner, tools needed, etc would be a great help. I have maintenance abilities but no confidence.

Confidence?

I have attached a photo depicting what many backyard mechanics use for confidence. It is a confidence-builder only, and is not to be confused with knowledge nor expertise.

Enjoy!

-njjoe

 

PM me your email, I'll send you a service manual PDF. It's very simple...

But heres a few tips for easier working. Raise the front end on ramps and turn the wheels all the way to the right. This will give you great access to the belt system.

Count how many turns on each bolt that you loosen (the tensioner bolts). When you replace the belts, use the same amount of turns that it took you to remove the belt and tighten. Check the tension and give it a 1/4 to 1/2 turn extra to compensate for stretching and wear in.

It's SIMPLE!!!