Nissan 3.3 Valve Cover Gasket Replacement

[@keithaxtell7457]

This is the best video I have seen. This guy made it easy to understand and he answered all of my questions. The way he described how it went for him the first time that he repaired a 3.3 was exactly my experience!

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

That is awesome to hear, thank you I appreciate that. Thank you for watching. Good luck.

[@davidmullins627]

Just finished my valve cover gaskets on my 3.3 04 frontier. Your video was spot on, made job easy and straight forward. Thanks

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

Thank you I appreciate that. I am happy everything worked great. Thank you for watching.

[@aszlahstorm]

I’m not looking forward to having to do this on my truck but know I have to. I’ve been avoiding removing the plenum and all the problems that come after. Figure I will change everything that can be changed under it while it’s off. I saved your video to use for reference when the time comes. Ty for such a detailed video.

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

Sorry you have to tackle this, yes under the intake can be a nightmare, replace whatever you can. Good luck and thanks for watching.

[@mlieser1230]

The Japanese always loved putting excessive hoses on their engines. Thanks for the tips. I learn a lot from your channel.

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

Yes they do, especially all the coolant hoses for the throttle body. Such a pain in the butt. You have to worry about getting everything back together without leaking. I have had coolant leak after coolant leaks on these engines. Such a pain. Thank you for watching.

[@kathybeverly2529]

Thank you for sharing I was going to try and tackle this myself since I did the passenger side but the driver side looks a little too difficult for me.. Awesome video

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

Your welcome, Yeah the driver side is much more difficult.

[@billbeckett1021]

Nissans have quite a lot of hoses and connectors under the hood. Quite intimidating to a lot of people especially the ones with with minimal experience. I wish the owner would have approved the extra work. Thanks for the vid!

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

Yeah Nissan's are really different to work on, the repair info does not tell you how to remove anything, just shows pictures. After I took this one a part I noticed a co worker doing a lower intake manifold on the same engine and he had taken egr, throttle, the pipes under the intake off. A lot of extra stuff, like I used to do when I first started working on them. Thank you for watching.

[@TheMoodyLoners]

Thanks for going through the various manifold connections and hoses. I just removed my plenum and valve covers today and it's a real struggle to get everything removed when all those pieces have been undisturbed for over 20 years. Surprisingly the most frustrating and time consuming part was unplugging all the electrical connectors. Again, they're totally baked and brittle from being cooked for a couple of decades by the engine heat. While apart I'm taking this opportunity to replace every vacuum line and every hose connected to the plenum. One tip I might offer- DO NOT replace your rear coolant hose clamps with worm gear type. If you do they will probably leak because they apply uneven clamping pressure - particularly the small diameter types.

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

Your very welcome. I agree about the hose clamps in general. On this job the clamps did not come off where I could reuse them. I usually leave factory clamps on. Yes replacing everything under there is a good idea. Thank you for watching.

[@ToolDemos]

Wow, never seen phillips head screws on a valve cover before. Good vid Tony.

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

Thank you Steve. Yeah stupid Nissan used the phillips on these and when you are taking it a part they are all really loose. Depending on the service advisor I am working with, I sell the bolts a head of time, so we would be replacing the phillips screws with bolts. Thank you for watching.

[@Itsdazeni]

I like to put a heat gun on sold hoses like those and they get soft and come off easier

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

Nice to. I guess I need to get a heat gun and try it out. Thx for the feedback and for watching.

[@1524mclovin]

This is great. I just got an 04 xterra I’m gonna fix up and the valve covers are indeed messy. She’s solid otherwise. Thanks man!

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

Well I am happy you watched my video so you will be able to tackle this with ease. while your upper plenum is off, really inspect those coolant hoses that are on the under side of the plenum. Thank you for watching

[@desertspectre2881]

Dude this looks like a pain in the butt but I'm glad I have the correct way to do it. Thanks for the help!

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

It is kind of a pain the first time. I appreciate you watching thank you

[@jeffpopp7591]

I sure do appreciate when someone takes the time to make these videos! I'm so old school my first project was my two-day-old mini bike with a 5 horsepower Briggs & Stratton had it all apart at the age of 10 to see what made it work! A friend and I talked to his mother into letting us do the valve job on her convertible 65 Galaxie 500 for the 352 at the age of 12 using a Chilton's manual within have a Motors manual. So it's 62 yes it's a lot easier to look at my phone and watch a video then to pick up the shop manual and look to see what needs to be taken apart. My wife loves her go for Frontier she's had it since she got it off the showroom 203,000 MI later I put a couple timing belts in for her replace a front end twice because she likes an oversized beefy looking Tire on it and I've noticed that she's got valve cover gasket starting to leak so here we go mr. Curiosity going to tear into it! Thanks again for the awesome video

[@greasee.monkey7224]

Excellent video brotha! I always appreciate the tips & tricks & seeing you using the same processes as me, like little rectangles of Scotch Brite. Been doing that for years, it always makes the surface look new. 👍👍

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

Thank you very much brotha. I really appreciate the feedback and your continuous support.

[@miniaddict4534]

Thanks so much! I have 2 questions if you don’t mind: 1. What type of lube do you use on the new hoses you replace? Is WD40 ok? Or should I do a silicone based lube? 2. Do I need to use RTV or any other type of sealant on the valve covers? Or is hammering the tabs the only thing you need to do?

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

I generally use Sil Glyde. you can use wd40 because it is only a tiny amount and only to help with hose installation. No silicone on valve covers. Thank you for watching.

[@Bobman84]

Thanks, great video. Same engine as Pathfinder R50 in Australia.

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

Sweet. Your welcome and I appreciate you watching

[@TheMrkaninja]

Yup, prepare to change EVERY rubber hose you have to touch when doing this job. Its not that hard, but 20+ year old rubber hoses are trashed......while the engine itself is super reliable, it looks like a BMW engineer designed it by how nonsensical things are placed. Best is to delete all the intake plenum coolant hoses by just bypassing them. Super easy to do and saves all the headaches of removing the intake and removes 6 possible coolant leak areas.

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

Yes for sure

[@matthewderry6475]

I’m working on this same engine in a 1998 pathfinder, the two coolant lines that you cut, do they have a part number or specific name for that hose? I’m on to the timing belt and water pump next.

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

I am not sure if they have a name, we usually have to get a parts breakdown of the parts and pick them out by the picture and order them that way. I wish I had a better answer for you. Good luck and thank you for watching.

[@JOMaMa..]

Nice camera really clear 👍

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

Thank you. Thanks for watching.

[@WibbyKDX]

I’m getting ready to do this. Wish I had the part numbers for those 2 hoses in the back

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

sorry brotha it is a pain in the butt to find the part numbers. Good luck and thank you for watching.

[@WibbyKDX]

@@NutsandBoltswithTone I might just use flexible silicone hoses

[@musictube17]

@@WibbyKDX did that work out?

[@WibbyKDX]

@@musictube17 I keep putting it off South Main Auto channel did a video where he had to remove the plenum. I think he was able to salvage the hoses

[@et_cetera_]

Good video man

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

Thank you very much I appreciate it, and thank you for watching.

[@michellet_thatsme]

Super helpful!

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

Thank you and I appreciate you watching.

[@Cali_Camaro]

Huge pain in the ass, but I'm halfway done with the valve cover gaskets on my 3.3L Supercharged Frontier. gotta run to the parts store and get hoses like you suggested. If you're going to do this, especially on the Supercharged engine, go ahead and replace your spark plugs too, otherwise you're doing this all over again.

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

Oh yeah if you are doing this on your own vehicle then yes you would want to do plugs at the same time. Thank you for watching.

[@CatDaddySteve]

THANKS 👍😁

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

You're welcome 😊 Thanks for watching

[@johncindywitt559]

HI, Finally got that truck up and running, You're video was a great help. I had a lot of other concurrent projects so it got pushed back. I have an annoying problem maybe you know about. The speedo is not accurate, it is off about 6mph at 70mph. when driving and compensating for true 75mph, I have to do 84mph. If I have to pass and the incorrect speedo hits 95 (around 82-83 mph true) it balks like a governor kicks in. Very annoying, I have the 275x60x15 tire size (the tires were on the truck when I got it) the sticker states 265x70x15 so maybe that the cause of the discrepancy I guess. Any thoughts? Thanks

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

Congratulations on getting truck running. Anytime we find a vehicle with inaccurate speedo and the tires are larger then that is usually the cause. As far as what your feeling that's probably because the speed is inaccurate. U can can probably get speedo recalibrated to match your tires. I'm not sure but something to look into. Thank u for watching the video

[@tmkpulse7386]

What were the hose sizes on the rear end of the manifold or did you order them from nissanparts?

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

Not sure what size we ordered them from Nissan

[@lovernchristopher]

Do you have to replace the plenum gasket or o-rings ? Getting ready to do the same with mine.

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

Yes you need to replace all the seals and gaskets you take off. If not you will end up with driveability issues, check engine light, etc. Thanks for watching and good luck.

[@markusroads3779]

What nightmare, I have 3.3 supercharger. I've work older vehicles, easy. This is FUBAR. How many hours did it take?

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

Honestly I cannot recall how many hours. My guess is around 5 but could be wrong. Yes it is FUBAR for sure. Thank you for watching.

[@alexanderfainchtein8929]

Thanks for a great video . Where did you buy the hoist you cut and what the part number for this

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

I am not sure what the part number is. It is a very common replacement hose so you should be able to find it. Here is a link to a nissan parts website, second picture over has the hoses on it with the part numbers. Thank you for watching. www.nissanpartsdeal.com/parts-list/2001-nissan-xterra/exhaust_cooling/water_hose_piping.html?diagram=211_B003

[@alexanderfainchtein8929]

@@NutsandBoltswithTone thanks for the information

[@nosliwttam77]

Good details👍

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

Thank you Matt. Thank you for watching.

[@mariogarcia6531]

Nice video

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

Thank you very much. I appreciate you watching.

[@obyup2905]

Question. Valve cover grommets when installing. Is it rubber side up against bolt head. And metal side down against valve cover. Or is it reversed. Thank u

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

Should be the metal side up I believe. Thank you for watching

[@tylerkerr7834]

My Phillip head bolts on the Valve cover are stripped, I will need to buy new ones but don’t know where to find them could you help?

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

When I have that happen I send the bolt to the parts store and have it matched up to new bolts with a hex head, no more Philips head. and I get the grommets to go on the bolts. Thank you for watching.

[@tylerkerr7834]

@@NutsandBoltswithTone awesome thank you

[@RiotousJofP]

@@tylerkerr7834 hex bolt dimensions are m6 1.00x25mm

[@WibbyKDX]

You can get a similar crows foot tool from Amazon made by Powerbuilt for $39 for 2 sizes

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

Thank you for letting me know, I actually did buy that. Right when I was going to order the matco ones someone told me about the powerbuilt ones

[@WibbyKDX]

@@NutsandBoltswithTone I just ran across your video 😀

[@jacksoncobb5479]

I guess this is the problem on my truck, I have a 2000 frontier and for a while it's been getting a burning oil smell and sometimes it gets smokey, I thought it was coming from under it but it seems to be this

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

Yeah it is very common and it runs on the exhaust and that is what smells. Good luck with the job, let me know if you have any questions.

[@bryantalbott4926]

wish u lived next door / gotta replace mine 2001 nissan frontier

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

Oh yeah if so you could bring it to the shop. Thanks for watching.

[@doncurleone6431]

When do you start doing the passenger side?

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

I'm not sure what you are asking. Thank you for watching.

[@richgoodale3650]

When the leaks get really bad on the passenger side, it will leak onto the starter and then the starter will fail...

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

Oh that is kind of like when timing covers leak onto the alternator on a lot of vehicles.

[@GTA4folife]

Would really help if you zoomed out the video once in a while

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

Ok thank you for watching.

[@TimR1216]

What would this cost typically? Parts are cheap but this is easily a 3 hr job

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

I actually do not know, I do not see any dollar amounts for any jobs. Sorry I cannot be of any help with this. Thank you for watching.

[@TimR1216]

@@NutsandBoltswithTone any advice in a compression loss issue with this engine?

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

@@TimR1216 you will need to get a leak down gauge and perform that test to see where you are losing compression.

[@raiderman28]

that hose under the manifold tends to leak. i had a leak there before, my mechanic was able to loosing everything and replace it without pulling all that off, but if i did it, i would do it like you did, the right way. the owner is stupid not to replace that hose, after you have done all that work to remove everything in the way. all those hose should be replaced under there. Also the knock sensor should be replaced at this time, because those go bad also, and that would be a nightmare to have to take all this apart again because of a knock sensor issue.

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

Yeah you are correct, knock sensors are very common. Actually most of the times that I have been removing that plenum was because of knock sensors. Thank you for watching.

[@nikao7751]

you can easily relocate the knock sensor without taking anything apart, a couple of wire snips, pigtail adapter and re attached, and a bolt, but yeah, if you're replacing driver side valve cover gasket, you should probably just take care of it.

[@raiderman28]

@@nikao7751 I relocated my knock sensor, but some smog places out here will not pass it visually.

[@nikao7751]

@@raiderman28 that's just crooked man, those smog guys can be crooks, I've tested them out when it was pass or don't pay and many of them proved to be crooks, but when I was in Los Angeles I found that a lot of Asian mechanics were the most honest, I don't know why that was my experience but it was refreshing. I live in Thurston county Washington where I don't have to deal with the whole smog check anymore, for now. Take care.

[@raulcarrion40]

I did these valve covers and after finishing this job car wouldn’t start and then I turned the crank pulley to check if anything fell inside the intake manifold but it didn’t. After doing that the car started but was misfiring and an excessive amount of white smoke came out. I went to go test drive it and car overheated right away and I had to repeat the same process after turning off the car so it could cool down. I’m really bummed, anyone know what it could be?

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

That sounds very strange and unfortunately I do not know what could have happened. Thank you for watching.

[@MR.E820]

Check your spark plug firing order.. You probably have them mixed up.

[@bobobrazil1973]

I just bought one of these shit boxes its doing same thing going to fix and send it..

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

That sucks. They all do it unfortunately

[@TimR1216]

@@NutsandBoltswithTone compression loss issue as well??

[@johncindywitt559]

Great Video, Ton of crap to fix a little stuff

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

Thank you, yeah those things have a lot of stuff in there. Thank you for watching I appreciate it.

[@johncindywitt559]

@@NutsandBoltswithTone Well, it started as research to change my valve covers, Q: Do you have video on the timing belt replacement???? HAHHAHAHAHAHAHA Seems I have gas and no spark. Rotor is not turning. So I got the Valve cover off the passenger side and tomorrow will check for movement on that side.

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

@@johncindywitt559 unfortunately I don't have a video on the timing belt yet. That sucks about your rotor not turning. Can you look in the oil cap while cranking to see if anything is moving? If you have more questions I can help you if you message me on Instagram it is much easier.

[@humbledhands]

That's not a knock sensor connector. Fast idle solenoid

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

Thank you for the correction. Sometimes I make mistakes when naming things. I appreciate you watching and your feedback.

[@jovanialvarez9310]

Idk why my dad said this was a easy car to work on

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

Haha yeah this job is a pain in the butt because everything is so old brittle and breaks. Thanks for watching.

[@jovanialvarez9310]

@@NutsandBoltswithTone can I buy generic hoses from autozome if I break the brittle ones? Or would I have to special order the hoses from this type of job?

[@patrickmccrea1036]

Guy kinda looks like James Hetfield. 😂 papa het fixing beat up cars

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

Haha I might have heard that a few times. Thanks for watching.

[@bernainmolina7481]

Is it always necessary to cut those two back coolant hoses

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

I have been able to save them a couple times but usually not.

[@andrewjohnson2108]

You said this was your first time doing one and then you said it's been awhile since you've taken one apart

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

Not sure why I would have said that I have done this job many times it had just been awhile. Thanks for watching

[@CA-pv5ie]

So good! Thank you!

[@NutsandBoltswithTone]

Thank you very much, I appreciate you watching