I just finished changing my belts today , it took my about 2 hrs but only because I didnt have a socket extension and had to use a wrench to loosen the bolt that lowers the pulley, what a pain. I ended up going to my local auto parts store and bought the extension to finish the install. I wasnt going to go through that again.


Just an FYI, the DIY should state that you only loosen two pulleys. From following the DIY and picture I thought there was actually three I had to loosen and bring down.

 

i had pretty good luck doing this.. only took about 10 minutes after i got the skid plate off.

i dont' think i have it tight enough though so i'm just going to tighten it again.

 

I'm new to the site and don't know if this is the right thread for this but could the Florida heat be causing my belts to go bad faster? Also I live near the water and you can see how the pulleys are a little rusted looking. The reason I ask this is because my belts were replaced for free by the dealership at 30k and now at 60k they squeek when the car is first started and then stop. It doesn't help that the noise started before the warranty was up and the dealership didn't believe me.

 

Of course, any type of extreme climate can cause belt wear faster than in non-extreme climates. Also it's just time. My '03 G35 sedan only has about 35K miles (very low), but it's been past 6 years now and I finally had to change my drive belt. It was not squeeking or anything, but I could start to see minute cracks on the inside of the belt so decided to change them because it's cheap to do so and it's better than getting stranded.

The shop manual does recommend a belt tension check and to retension if necessary. If your belt looks fine, you just need to retension it as it's normal for the belt to get looser over time. I got a tension gauge on amazon for about $17 bucks. It's the krikit model 91132 and I have to say it's a lot better to use a gauge than to try feel by instinct.

 

belt tension gage? next thing you know we will use a bread softness gage ...and next thing you know we will have to have them calibrated beforewe can use them on bread LOL!!!!!

 

Finally got around to doing this over the weekend. Great write up Sean! Thanks for all the help!

 

Hi, i just did this...great write up, made it easy. Thanks for taking to time to pull thsi together and for those that added to the original thread. I hate my local Infiniti dealership and this just makes me happy to have completed this and some other necessary repairs and maint. and not have to use them.

 

any DIY on a 2nd gen sedan?

 

Thanks for the DIY!

I have a quick tip to help those who haven't done this before.

To ensure proper tension, count how many turns it took to loosen the pullies. For the long belt, I did 10 full turns to loosen the pulley. For the AC belt, I did 16 full turns.

When tightening the pullies, count the full revolutions backwards. Stop at 0, then loosen each pulley 1/4 turn. I did it that way exactly, turned on the car, turned on the AC and turn the steering wheel left to right a few times. No squeaks and no slipping.

It took me 27 minutes to do this procedure. That includes taking off the under tray, removing/installing belts, torquing everything properly, testing, and reinstalling the under tray. Keep in mind that I've not done this before.

 

I did this job yesterday, this thread was very useful as well as Eugene's (bythabay) video. I do have some concerns/questions though;;

I do not have access to a belt tensioner so did not use one. Both new belts turn well, no squeaks. However the AC belt feels a little looser than I recall the old one feeling. But when I try to tighten it up there is no more room on the vertical rod. In fact when I turn the nut beyond a certain point the rod shifts a little (toward the back of the car) and goes out of vertical. There is a raised lip there so I don't think it would slip off but it does look sorta worrisome.

I have an early '03 5AT, July 02 build date. I bought a belt from Advance Auto, Dayco 5040373/4PK0945, that ended up being what I installed. But I also had one on hand from O'Reilly's made by Gates just in case, K040372/4PK949. This one (Gates) turned out to be way too loose and in fact is spec'd on the label at 38". There does not seem to be a length spec on the Dayco one.

So my questions are:
1. Is there more than one belt length for this AC belt? In other words, is there just the short and the long, or short, medium and long? I am trying to see if perhaps I might have the medium one (if such exists) and need to go to 'short'?
2. Do old belts shrink over time OR do they expand?? My AC belt had multiple cracks and for sure needed replacement. I'm thinking if they shrink then maybe the new tension is correct.
3. As it is only the AC that runs off this belt, I don't suppose there is any driving risk of the belt not doing its job due to being too loose or even falling off? I haven't road-driven the car yet, just ran the engine while on the ramps.

Please help me set my mind at rest. This is my wife's daily driver so am trying to be asap (as safe as possible )

 

I believe this is incorrect. You need a 14mm socket, not a 9/16" socket. Can anyone else confirm? I first used a 9/16" socket, but there was some slack to it. I then used a 14mm socket and it was firm. I forget to check the nut size when I accidentally took off the pulley.

I think the only place that Nissan uses SAE nuts is for the lug nuts. Everything else on the car is metric.

Thanks

 

I did not use a tension tool either. I just tightened it by one hand. I didn't hear any squeaks when I test drove it. Hopefully it is ok. Will have to drive for a week before I can confirm it is ok.

I will try to answer your questions:

1. No, I believe it is only 1 size. I bought mine from a sponsor here. You can buy OEM Nissan belts for cheap if you find an Infiniti sponsor here or go to everythingg35.com. You will have to turn the tension bolt many times. Get it tight with one hand. Then tighten the pulley nut. The AC belt should be pretty stiff now. If you push down on the belt with your index finger there should be a small deflection. I would say a little less than 1/2". Same goes for the PS/Alt belt.

2. I don't think they do either. Since the belts are rubber, the rubber turns hard after a while and then pieces start breaking off. They may expand just a little if they do.

3. That is no problem. That belt runs only the AC. Some guys on here take out the AC belt when racing for whatever reasons, so it is completely harmless to drive your car without the AC belt.

 

Flawless victory! Great FYI post, Thaaaaank you! Made it to 111,184 miles on the stock belts, but I have super long commutes...like 150 miles.

 

I got ya beat, lol. I'm still on original belts at about 124,000 miles.
(I am replacing them and the Alt pulley this weekend though)

 

I have tightened my belts about as far they can be tightened and I still get some squeal when starting up. How difficult is it to swap out a pulley? Im pretty sure either the P/S or the alt one is going bad...