Infiniti V8 timing / fueling / basket case nightmare! Partially disassembled QX56 in the shop!

Any mechanic will tell you, if they are fixing a thing, they would like to be the person taking that thing apart. Even more so if it's something they have never personally worked on before. Well in THIS video Rich unfortunately doesn't get either of those two things as he's working on an Infiniti QX56 (now QX80) that he's never laid eyes on before, and that had been largely disassembled by... someone previously. So here we go!
These Nissan V8s are pretty complicated units, as a duel overhead cam V8 their timing setup is more complicated by far than most classic V8s. Cam phasers on both the intake and exhaust side, as well as a cam driven high pressure fuel pump. Fortunately Rich is no stranger to large complicated challenging jobs so he dove right in to this "Basket Case" of an Infiniti V8.
Oh, to make things a bit more complicated, not only does he not know the exact failure, or how the engine was disassembled... but he's also planning on using this truck to haul his boat 7 hours south with his entire family on board in a matter of days! No big deal right?

[@59Ray]

Wow Rich, you are such a smart and patient person. The truck sounds and looks great! Good luck on your trip and hope you and the family have a great time and make some good memories.

[@gatojj]

Good vid! Have fun with the family!

[@Loki13M]

That did not look like a lot of fun... newer motors seem so complex compared to a good ol short block. But ya got er done Rich, and your new ride looks very nice! Hope it don't give ya any trouble on the weekend. Enjoy that much deserved down time man!

[@antonkaloyanchev4033]

Hi there and great job :)) Would you recomend getting one of those or maybe pay more get 2016 one?

[@charlie225]

Good day Austin, only a master mechanic like Rich would buy such an over priced vehicle in such bad shape and turn it into a gem!😉

[@LucoreAuto]

Lol it IS a pretty Rich thing to take on this challenge out of the blue. But in the end, it's another win, and another one back on the road. But... don't try this at home!

[@bobbysmith8120]

Great job buddy keep it up 👌👍👍💪🇺🇸🇺🇸 from Alabama 👍 watching 🇺🇸

[@LucoreAuto]

Thanks Bobby, you keep watching, we'll keep sharing!

[@olko3418]

When you had the intake manifold off, were the valves gummed up?

[@nickpappas4133]

The follower for the high pressure fuel pump and camshaft wear is very common on early Audi A4, maintenance has nothing to do with it. It was bad material, modified follower is the replacement. That’s on the 4cyl. 2.0 litre.

[@jamesphilips5201]

Great job,I'm actually saling my 01 v10 excursion to buy 11 qx56

[@billyray8062]

That thing looks like a nightmare to figure out especially when it was already torn apart before Rich bought it.

[@justaskinquestions]

Great job! How the heck is that grill attached Overtop the original? Is it look cheap up close?

[@bestservice1218]

“Those are the same” That’s why we pull all our own parts on Repair link. I’m serious, check it out, it’s free to use. The dealer pays for it. It will even tell you if the part is in stock. We love it.

[@dariuszpek1804]

Did you use a special puller to replace the " Jet Oil " ?

[@tiffanymoore544]

Having an issue getting the cover off to get to the fuel injectors and help

[@DarrenBoxhall]

Sorry if I missed some. But, Didi you put a new oil pump? New timing chain tensioner?

[@georgecloudjr.3008]

Hi Gang I hope this stays working. The Wizard has found that new parts being made, even factory parts, are made with inferior metals. He's had 2 vehicles where he replaced the cam and lifters and they failed before they were broken in. Good luck!

[@mike602mike5]

Did you use the special tool to remove the oil jets And if so how did you get them

[@benitochavarria2651]

Did you use the Nissan A3028 timing chain kits, as the Infiniti chains have been discontinued. Did you get your jet replacement tool from Techmate? Thanks again for the incredible video!!

[@richardlucore6813]

I bought all the parts from my local Infinity dealer. They said they do a couple of these a week still and had most parts in stock for the service.

[@benitochavarria2651]

@@richardlucore6813 thank you. My Infiniti dealer wanted to charge me $8500 to do the timing chain job with the high pressure fuel pump and cam. Yet they can't seem to locate the right side chain to sell. And for my year 2012, it is discontinued on every site I check. I'll keep looking. Thanks again!

[@dallastrost687]

@@benitochavarria2651 Nissan in Tupelo, MS qouted me 9600.00 on my 2013 QX-56...

[@benitochavarria2651]

@@dallastrost687 I completed it myself. A lot of work and patience..

[@MatthewGoodwin-ux9lb]

How did you remove the oil jets? The tool is very expensive!

[@jedidethfreak]

Seeing a mechanic choose too buy this vehicle in this shape to fix for his personal family use makes me feel FAAAAR better about considering buying a used one that needs a new high-pressure fuel pump.

[@Mike-ht1ou]

problem starts with high pressure fuel pump leaking internally and fuel washing away the oil film causing this failure. I would ensure fuel pump is good or you will have same failure again

[@richardlucore6813]

Thanks for the tip! that makes a lot of sense as to what caused the failure.... It had a new high-pressure pump when I bought it.

[@kernsy6715]

Awesome job!! I’m getting ready to tear my 2013 Nissan Armada apart to do the exact same thing. How did you get the oil sprayers for trimming chain out and new ones back in? I herd you had to have a special tool from the dealer! Would love to know before I get that far and can’t remove them. Great job and your ride sounds like new!!

[@kernsy6715]

Timing chain!

[@richardlucore6813]

@@kernsy6715 Thanks You have to be crafty but you can remove it without the tool.

[@kernsy6715]

How do you go about removing it without the tool? If you don’t mind explaining it to me.

[@mike602mike5]

I was thinking I would put a nut over the jet then vice grip tightly on the jet then you then use 2 ladies foot pry bars to extract the jet. But it might be too critical to risk damaging. Then I was going to Make a small plate drill some holes. Then using screws to press the new jet in

[@VIPERMARINE]

Wish you were in Tulsa. I’d have some work for you.

[@nehaalhussain8075]

Nice to dear sir

[@AMGELECTRONICS]

Meantime Honda owners and Toyota owners are enjoying life

[@Malsauce77]

How Much Is This Job? I Actually Brought A 2014 Qx80 From Cincinnati Ohio 2 Weeks Ago Drove It Back To Chicago 4 Days Later It Cut Off On Me And Wasn’t Able To Start Again, I Believe I Have The Same Problem

[@greatwhitehunter420]

With all that wear on those parts you gotta wonder if it was serviced regularly....What's the crank n rod bearings look like....Good luck Rich.....

[@LucoreAuto]

Fingers crossed! Regular maintenance is always a good idea, pretty serious failure even with having recently had the timing set done. 🙄

[@jimbro5223]

@@LucoreAuto With all the small oil passages modern engines have you have to change the engine oil regularly and use the correct oil. I'd bet that a plugged oil spray bar started the failure.

[@mike602mike5]

I was thinking of putting a nut Then vice grip the jet, then using 2 lady foot pry bars to extract the jet out. But it might be too critical to risk

[@warden3624]

I need you in my life I have 2013 QX V8 I don’t know if it’s the fuel pump ECM I wish you can help me with mine been broke down for a year

[@dudebud72]

Not a fun job. The 11-14 5.6 had oiling jet issues, which, also cause timing chain runout, especially when the motor is pushed, not maintained, or towing like I did with my 2015 Infiniti QX80 (sensory) , ran amazing, and went with the ex. I enjoyed towing with the Infiniti, has a ton of power, Denali fell short. I’d highly recommend the Infiniti over the Nissan. My current Armada platinum definitely falls short of the QX80 sensory, but still, solid performance body on frame.

[@00grandprixgtp]

If you werent doing the chains you can replace that fuel pump and fuel pump gear without removing the whole front cover if you time it right use to do that alot when i worked at nissan

[@richardlucore6813]

I would like to know how that is done. I saw the access cover for that side down by the crank pulley. makes sense that you could service the HPFP cam without full teardown.

[@blaing3354]

Couldnt do it on mine. There was sealant or casting on the timing cover that prevented slipping the cam out from under the chain. Im 5 months deep on it now, finally going to drop the axle and steering so i can get this pan off

[@00grandprixgtp]

@Richard Lucore so the way i do it i remove the top cover removed fuel pump with bucket then go in and roll the motor over until the dot on the hpfp cam is facing a chain link mark it on the chain with white paint also add white chain marks on both cam gears and chain then remove the lower cover remove the timing chain tensioner then turn the motor over clockwise and it will slack the chain at the cams and fuel pump remove the gear reinstall with dot and chain link roll motor back counter clockwise i normally use the cam gear to do that and you can re install the tensioner and reinstall everything works great just make sure all ur chains and lines line up and chain cant fall off the crank or slip a tooth because it has guides and the oil pump blocks the chain from jumping on the gear

[@maksymparker7752]

I did it the same way as you described and installed the new can gear and replaced hpfp and now im getting a whining noise and still having p0090 p0088 codes as well as p0193 could it be due to the oil jets? I removed and installed the hpfp a million times now and the new bucket and cam are wearing nicely fully lubricated and no damage on the new bucket however car still not running right

[@maksymparker7752]

Or could i have went one tooth off? I was pretty certain on my marks checked them maybe 5 times

[@johndillinger8482]

92-95 Q45's hauled ass.

[@stilllearning3615]

I’d also replace that starter with the intake already being removed.

[@LucoreAuto]

Lol ya know, funny you should mention that! 😉

[@ddavis9542]

So does the metal from the lifter bucket that traveled through the engine and out of the oil pan not damage the internals of the engine?

[@richardlucore6813]

That is a possibility. You will have the oil pan off to do the job so inspecting it for signs of other damage is done on disassembly. Sadly, Mine ended up have a rod bearing failure after about 2000 miles. There was no evidence of bearing failure when I performed the repair.

[@Jerrysimilien]

​@@richardlucore6813 it is a bad car?

[@freeman2009sa]

Good luck, here we change the high fuel cup every 50 thousand.

[@ChrisAtchison]

Hoping the high pressure fuel pump will fix my money pit car. Been sinking cash into my 186K mile 2011 Infinity M56 and wondering why I didn't listen to Dad who said, "Stick with a Toyota son."

[@phillippugh2161]

How could i finity make such a cluster f of a engine . If you want one 🥺 get the v6 350 are 370

[@jbenthouse]

where are you at can you help me?

[@benitochavarria2651]

If I Bring my 2012 Qx56 to you, would you be available to perform the same maintenance as yours?

[@LucoreAuto]

We certainly could! Much easier to do this sort of work BEFORE a disaster than after!

[@benitochavarria2651]

@@LucoreAuto where are you located?

[@throttlewatch4614]

“I do cars “ has torn some of those engines down WAY too complicated

[@LucoreAuto]

One of the main reasons these vehicles end up parked/junked out is these sorts of failures and maintenance issues. When they are good they can be great, when they aren't... can cost more than the vehicle is worth to fix it!

[@throttlewatch4614]

@@LucoreAuto my mother in law has an 08 Edge really nice car , water pump went 190000 we aren’t fixing it. Too much for the repair plus the timing set

[@janierodriguez4457]

The bucket case is stuck and it won’t come out what can be done ?

[@richardlucore6813]

the timing cover?

[@Oh-Jay52]

Infinity + Nissan ? Like Lexus + Toyota @Lucore Auto and LucoreRacing....?

[@LucoreAuto]

Yessir you got it! 😉

[@zerocontent3171]

Hopefully it didn't get any of the chewed up metal in any of the bearings.

[@LucoreAuto]

It certainly went somewhere... unfortunately without going through an entire teardown there's no real way of knowing. Fingers crossed!

[@klobucarpa]

"The oiling mods worked great in the race car....."

[@LucoreAuto]

😀

[@gordonwalker7494]

I'm replacing my bucket lifter the old one has a hole in it was hard to get out but got it out the cam lob has some wear marks nothing bad .does it matter if I just put the bucket in or do I need to make sure the timing mark is all the way up on the harmonic balancer to install new lifter ?

[@richardlucore6813]

Timing does not matter to replace the bucket and fuel pump. but if the lifter bucket has a hole in it... then the (chain Driven) cam that drives the pump will need replacement.

[@mike602mike5]

One of the key factors when you remove the fuel pump and look down into the bucket There should be oil Down in there around a tablespoon of oil Otherwise that means your bucket is not getting oil and will damage again very quickly. In my opinion the reason there is no oil is possibly the oil pump is weak and/or Seals that direct oil in the engine are worn and are bypassing losing oil pressure to that point which is at the top of the engine and it's a tiniest Port to feed oil to the bucket. Most of these seals are all o-rings in the timming covers and in the oil Pan so they can be replaced.

[@stevecr8934]

remember. Japanese mechanics are about 5ft tall n weigh around 110lbs. Rich not Japanese. Might have metal from wear all through that motor.

[@richardlucore6813]

it did make the trip just fine.... but... it shall be in the shop again.

[@rothamilledge1650]

What was the ultimate outcome? I'm having the same problem trying to find a solution

[@richardlucore6813]

it ran great for 2000 miles. then it developed a rod bearing knock. #2 rod bearing failed.

[@edwardmohr5798]

Nissan, Infinity, overly complicated and wacked out engineering. Oh, cheap or overpriced, what ever you want to call it.

[@LucoreAuto]

It really does make you wonder just why some of this stuff is engineered/built the way it is. If you really want to choke on your tongue, make a couple phone calls to see how much a new/rebuilt one of these motors is!

[@edwardmohr5798]

LS, 5.3, 220k, first set of plugs change, hasn't missed a lick. My Son's Nissan and Wife's Odyssey, pain in the pocket.