My 1st Gen 2003 Timing Belt Story

[DRM]

Hey Guys,

I bought my 2nd 2003 XE (non Super Charged) X last year in Johnson City Tennesee (a 1 owner garage kept with 85K miles on it). This week I went to the Dealership here in VA to have them change out the Timing Belt at 106K miles. Once the timing belt cover was removed we noticed corrosion and/or scaling all over the thermostat housing and pipes, and under the intake manifold, but it was all dry.

Now, I had been smelling anti freeze ever so slightly after a long haul. Could NOT find a leak anywhere and it never ran hot. But after my mechanic (a good friend who's been working at Nissan for 15 years, and who has owned TWO 1st Gen X's himself) pulled everything off he could see scale/corrosion/electrolysis or whatever UNDER THE MANIFOLD??? He said he had seen this sort of thing before on Nissan Quests but never on a 1st Gen X. Go figure.

We think the ever so slight leak (still don't know why it leaked? but I'm going to buff the scale off the Old Parts and look for hairline cracks). We guess it dripped anti freeze & it boiled off with the heat under the manifold, hense no evidence of a leak until now.

He pulled off the intake, and removed & replaced ALL corroded parts with new. While there he replaced the Valve Cover Gaskets & Spark plugs (along with all belts, tensioner & spring, Cam seals, & water pump)...it's been at the Dealership for 4 days now. I'll try and post some pics of corrosion damage. FYI: It's never been in salt and there's NO RUST ANYWHERE.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Stay Safe,

D.R. Middlebrooks

 

[DRM]

OK, so I know I had a leak under the intake manifold (albeit EVER so slight). I theorize that the antifreeze boiled off on the long hauls and residual dry chemicals may have caused the corrosion and/or perhaps a loose ground from battery to motor? ALL corroded aluminum parts have now been replaced. We may even add some more grounding to engine JIC.

I would appreciate any thoughts. Stay Safe - D.R.

 

[Slapdash Racing]

My guess, and only a guess, is that the two heater hoses that run up to the throttle body were weeping for a time and settled down in where you found the corrosion. My rally car did that once (and old BMW) and I just spliced the hoses together and everything was good to go.

 

[Prime]

That's super bizarre. I've never heard of that happening.

 

[DRM]

That's super bizarre. I've never heard of that happening.

AAR (After Action Report): My Nissan Mechanic is a GOOD FRIEND who has been working for the Dealership for over 15 years. He's owned (2) 1st Gen X's and his Dad bought my old one. He says he's seen this thing before on other Nissans before (Quests). His fix was to replace the ground from the battery to the engine and add another. He had to pull the manifold off, so we put in new iridium spark plugs. ALL aluminum parts with corrosion were replaced, along with water pump & thermostat, timing belt and (2) cam seals, new antifreeze I just finished up a 2,500 mile round trip to Florida. NO leaks and All is well in D.R.'s world now.

Thanks for your support!

Stay Safe, D.R. Middlebrooks

 

[Slapdash Racing]

Thanks for the follow-up!