# 91 se questions



## svt4cam (Sep 12, 2004)

I'm considering the purchase of a 91 se 5spd as a commuter vehicle car has 115,000 miles on it. How hard is it to replace the timing belt on these cars? I've done Acura Integra belts before and there is a motor mount stuck in the middle of the belt. Are there any nasty quirks to the Maxima belt? Also car has exhaust leak around the rear manifold area. Are the manifold to front pipe gaskets prone to failure, or do the front pipes fail occasionally? Any other issues I should look for on this car? TIA Steve


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## Matt93SE (Sep 17, 2003)

timing belt isn't bad at all. just be sure to replace the water pump and the crank and cam seals while you're in there. it's about a 6-8 hour job for the shadetree. If you can do one on a Cracura, you can do one on a Nissan..

also replace the thermostat since it's right next to the water pump and the housing is in the way of the timing belt covers.
getting the crank timing gear off is often a royal PITA. they sometimes rust to the crank if the water pump has dripped on the timing belt at all. Many nissan mechanics just use a large nut splitter and crack it in half and replace it instead of spending 3 hours trying to pry it off, only to scratch it up and spend an hour filing the edges smooth again.. they're about $35 and most dealers keep them in stock

manifold leak-- most likely it's broken exhaust studs.. the ones that hold the manifold to the head are very common to snap off. they start at the ends (usually on the pass side of the engine), then work their way to the center. it's about $50 in parts per head and 3-4-5 hour of labor for each side. Nissan has issued a TSB on it and the old studs have been replaced by ones from the Z31 turbo engine- the ones you'll get from the dealer are much stronger and shouldn't break. I've done this job about 5 times now on my own car and customer cars. it's a PITA to do the rear head, but you can do it at home. remove the Y pipe and drop the engine crossmember. then lower the engine about 2-3-4 inches and yo'll have room to get a small drill in there to drill out the old studs.

it's also possible that the crush rings on the manifold-y pipe flange have failed, but it's more likely going to be the exhaust studs.
here's the pieces you need.
http://mattblehm.com/pics/car/clutch/MVC-029S.JPG
http://mattblehm.com/pics/car/clutch/MVC-027S.JPG
6 studs, 6 washers, 6 nuts, 1 gasket per head... yes, replace even the washers. they are cupped and act as a spring to hold the manifold onto the head.. be sure to replace the exhaust crush ring as well. you'll need two of those- one for each manifold.

expect to pay about $100 in parts for the manifold studs.
expect about $260-300 in parts for the timing belt. ($85 water pump, $25 belt, $70 tensioner, $30 seals, $35 crank timing gear, $5 thermostat, $20 for coolant, etc.)


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## svt4cam (Sep 12, 2004)

*Matt*

Thanks for the comprehensive answer, I couldn't get the guy to go low enough price wise to make up for the work neccesary to pass inspection. cracked windshield exhaust studs timing belt and new rear muffler. So I went with 91 accord coupe with some light body damage that's a bolt on fix. Don't need two race cars as my garage queen is a SVT Cobra. thanks again for the answer though.


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## Matt93SE (Sep 17, 2003)

either one would have been a fine choice. you could have fixed all of the problems in a day, but the issue is of course money. total price to replace all of that stuff would be close to $1000- but most of it only has to be done once in the life of the car. just part of the ownership process.

good luck with the honda.... watch those CV joints and the radiator. they're prone to early and often death in those cars..


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