DIY: 370z Oil Galley
 

Hello All,

This is a step by step Tutorial to check engine timing, and replace oil galley gaskets.

parts need at a minimum (order from conceptzperfromance)

HRTMNGCVR-KT - timing cover rebuild kit
13533-VQ37VHR-KT - oil galley gasket kit
B-7991A26X14 - galley gasket upgraded fasteners
13070-EY00A - timing chain tensioner
OEM grade gasket maker or equivalent

* i started this DIY with core support and all engine accessories removed (idler pulley, ac condenser, power steering, rad etc). if you have trouble getting to this step, i would not proceed. FAILURE to take proper steps during disassembly/assembly to ensure proper timing may lead to engine failure.

NOTE i was able to replace both galley gasket without having to take the timing chain off, its up to you on how comfortable you are with with resetting timing correctly.

http://www.the370z.com/members/jmroy...1-img-4094.jpg

1. Remove all grounding connections off the top of the front timing cover and cam covers.

2. Remove the crank bolt & pulley (19mm), with the car in gear use a pneumatic impact gun with a high torque to crack the bolt loose. i recommend you heat the bolt first to make your life easier. use a gear puller to aid in removal.

http://www.the370z.com/members/jmroy...6-img-3958.jpg

http://www.the370z.com/members/jmroy...7-img-3962.jpg

3. Next remove the lower oil pan so you can reach two 10mm bolts that hold the upper oil pan to the front timing cover.

http://www.the370z.com/members/jmroy...0-img-4095.jpg

4. remove both cam phaser covers, then you can begin to remove all the timing cover bolts. they consist of 10mm and 14mm bolts.

http://www.the370z.com/members/jmroy...9-img-3992.jpg

* helpful tip is to bag and label the bolts that are being removed to help with assembly.

5. now you are ready to remove the timing cover, using a razor blade slowly and carefully cut the sealant between the front and rear timing covers. there are key marks on the top of the cover for a flat head screw driver. carefully separate the two covers and work your way around the whole cover. Take your time, the cover is cast aluminum and is easy to crack.

6. with the cover removed, i would time the motor, there are few ways to do so. One way is crank the motor till the primary and secondary timing marks line up. for the secondary chain on bank 2, line up the two orange links with the dashed lines on the sprocket. On bank 1, line up the two dots on the sprocket with the two orange links. the yellow links line up with timing marks on the cam phasers.

You could also find TDC on cylinder 1 and make your own timing marks. if you are making your own marks, line up the crank sprocket key to the timing mark on the oil pump, this indicated cylinder 1 is TDC. you can also pull plug 1 and double check. with a white marker make timing marks on both cam phasers and crank sprockets. as a precaution i put steel wire around the chain to ensure the chain would not skip a tooth when chain tensioner was released.

http://www.the370z.com/members/jmroy...2-img-4007.jpg

http://www.the370z.com/members/jmroy...6-img-4090.png

http://www.the370z.com/members/jmroy...5-img-4089.png

http://www.the370z.com/members/jmroy...4-img-4088.png

http://www.the370z.com/members/jmroy...3-img-4082.png

http://www.the370z.com/members/jmroy...sizerender.jpg

7. With your timing marks set, you can now remove the chain guide & tensioners. to lock the chain tensioner in place, push back on the chain guide till the orange link lines up with the hole on the tensioner. place a pin/thump tack inside to lock the tensioner in place. loosen both 10mm bolts and remove tensioner. using a 10mm hex remove the chain guide bolt.

http://www.the370z.com/members/jmroy...0-img-4008.jpg

8. you should now have access to both galley gaskets. you should not have to complete remove the primary timing chain if done correctly. Using a philips head screw driver loosen each galley fasteners. NOTE use the correct philips screw driver, these fasteners are very easy to strip out.

http://www.the370z.com/members/jmroy...1-img-4009.jpg

For the upper galley follow the same procedure, but in order to remove the fasteners behind the cam phaser sprocket you have to use a very small screw driver, or remove the secondary chain completely. using a small screw driver worked fine for me.

http://www.the370z.com/members/jmroy...9-img-4093.png

9. replace galley gaskets and fasteners Prt no. 13533-VQ37VHR-KT & B-7991A26X14. Using a 4mm hex torque new fasteners down to 12 ft-lbs with lock tight. the 4mm hex is small enough to get past the upper cam phaser sprocket.

http://www.the370z.com/members/jmroy...2-img-4011.jpg

10. install new oil o-rings on the outside of the galley gasket. parts included in OEM timing cover gasket kit (part No HRTMNGCVR-KT)

11. If you completely removed the timing chain, line up the the timing marks you made with the marker on both cam and crank sprockets. Double check that cylinder 1 is at TDC and the crank marks still line up. ensure there is no slack on the water pump side.

12. reinstall the timing chain guide and tensioner. torque timing chain tensioner bolts to 10 ft-lbs. With everything is in place pull the pin locking the tensioner in place. ensure slack has been taken up by the tensioner.

13. Once your positive timing is correct, you are ready to reinstall the timing cover. Clean the sealing surface and remove residue from the the OEM RTV. install the new timing cover seal. place a thick bead of RTV on the timing cover, don't forget there are small passages that need RTV inside the cover. carefully mount the cover in place and reinstall timing cover bolts. torque 14mm bolts to 41 ft-lbs, and 10mm bolts to 10 ft-lbs.

14. install new cam cover gaskets, and torque to 10 ft-lbs.

15. Intall coolant hard pipe and dipstick. reconnect all electrical connection including the grounding wires on top of timing covers and cam phaser solenoids.

16. reinstall oil pan bolts, and any additional accessories.

if i missed anything let me know,

if you founds this helpful give a like and rep:tup:

Awesome write up!

Did you replace oil pump?

Did you replace the upper as well?

Was the idle pressure restored?

i replaced both lower and upper galley gaskets, chain guides and tensioner. unfortunately i haven't started the car yet, still waiting on a few parts. ill update my other thread once i do.

http://www.the370z.com/forced-induct...-pressure.html

Nice write up. :tup:

This is going to be my next winters project, along with a new oil pump. :tup: I got this thread bookmarked. :tup:

As do I!

Awesome! How many miles??

57k on the odometer

Excellent write up great job thumbs up! I hope you replaced your oil pump.

It is extremely important that you get it setup on TDC #1 before taking anything apart. If by chance the chain falls off, it won't be a big issue. This is the mistake I have seen happen the most dealing with engines with multiple timing chains and 4 cams.

Faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaantastic DIY.

Excellent job! Thanks for documenting and sharing the DIY. Rep’d.

Is there any rhyme or reason to why your car had low air pressure at 57k and why others here with over 200k miles haven't had an issue.

From what I understand, it is basically the fault of Nissan for using cheap parts in the earlier renditions of the Z.

It could happen to anyone at any time.

i guess i had an unlucky car, im sure boost and outings at the drag dont help either, im just thankful i caught the issue with my defi gauge because the OEM oil pressure light never came on. this ultimately saved my motor.

Again.To be clear the gaskets did not fail, they were completely intact. The fasteners backed out causing drops in oil pressure, why did they back out? i can only speculate.

Nice DiY! :tup:

It's been sticked and added to the DiY Index for members to find.

Do you have aftermarket engine or trans mounts thus causing more NVH?

You do not need aftermarket parts for the screws to back out.

Great write up thank you.

crank pulley bolt removal diy made easy: https://youtu.be/u4BJRmlw0Ak

That's only good if you can raise the car that high. Even on jack stands. You have to go through the top.

It works ok stands also, I’ve been doing it this way for years.

Me too. Use to be a ASE Master Tech. I've done from the top, from the bottom, through the fender well, through the grill.

Just a question. And bye the way, I agree - great write up by jmroy6.

Having just seen this, is this an isolated or rare incident, or is this another potential chronic problem with the Z?

I did mine from the bottom with a chain wrench and breaker bar. That is what
I have always done with crank pulley bolts that you can not get an impact on.

I couldn't get high enough with my jackstands to go through the bottom. If i had a lift, no problem.

LOL, I did it. It was a pain in the butt but nothing out of the normal.

Anyone got any tips on getting the lower oil pan off? I got all the bolts off and I can’t seem to loosen the sealant.

I replied to the other thread. ;)

Nice write up, only thing i would add having done this myself before this guide existed is that it’s better to use a large flathead screw driver on the oil galley fasteners as i tried using the exact size phillips that fit snug into the fasteners and because the metal was so soft it still started stripping away at the fastener when trying to turn it. Also, take care not to seal off the chambers on the front timing cover that provide a drain channel for the water pump. Some knucklehead had sealed off mine previously before i opened it up.....oh and oddly enough I didn’t have to use a gear puller on my crank pulley, most likely cause i had soaked the whole pulley in pb blaster overnight lol

Fuel pressure release
 

Thanks for the write up!

Wondering if it's necessary to release fuel pressure before taking everything apart - did you do the fuel pressure release procedure?

DIY: 370z Oil Galley
 

There was very little fuel pressure, if any, when I did my turbo install. If you let it set for a day or so, there likely won’t be any.

I have phunk's fuel pressure gauge. After 24hrs of sitting, it's almost to zero.

Exactly. That’s where I started, with Phunk’s fuel gauge fitting.

Nice write up.



I just love the fact that the "ON SALE" price is more expensive than the regular price for the gasket kit :ugh2:

https://conceptzperformance.com/niss...kt_p_32295.php

So I wasn't aware of this issue before a week or so ago, but since I have a late 2009 model I'm concerned about a possible failure.

The car has 94,000 on the clock and I haven't noticed any issues (neither has Blackstone, who I send my oil off to after each change) but is there a place where I could enter my VIN and determine if I'm at risk or not?

Get yourself an oil pressure gauge that goes to 150. The only way you know when the gasket goes. Is low oil pressure. You have an 09. Yeah you are not out of the woods.

Many thanks for the heads up, I'll get on that. Is there a typical mileage range for this failure?

I'm terrified of this happening now. Definitely don't have the tools/talent/time to DIY so surely it would be several hundred in labor beyond the $60 kit from EPS...

This is no rhyme or reason as to if and when they fail. They may last forever or fail in 10 minutes.

$2k, easy.

have Nissan come out with an improved version of the gaskets or this is just another CSC type of problem.