120,000 Mile Service

[CaptainLarry]

Just FYI - I just completed my 120,000 service.  It was very easy.  I'm accustomed to doing the timing belt on my Tundra and all the peripheral wear items, so it was natural for me to consider fixing things before they break.

 

Waterpump - Super easy.  Right behind the serpentine belt.  Bolt off / bolt on,  Don't have to remove any brackets, but I did remove the fan.  No sealant used.  The old one looked fine.  No leaks at 120k.

 

Radiator hoses - probably not necessary but a hold over from the old days when they used to blow. I did not even have all the rubber i needed. No biggie.

 

Thermostat - looked OK, but it's a no-brainer.

 

Serpentine belt.  The tensioner was surprisingly stiff to rotate, but it did.

 

Coolant - of course

 

Spark plugs - Easy.  Nothing in the way.

 

Differential oil - Blew it in with an air compressor, a 6' long hose and my 12YO son.

 

I can say this was easier than I expected.  I wonder if I could have gone another 80k.

 

Any thoughts?  Anything else I should consider before the big trip?

[Mark Rogers]

One other thing to do before the big trip:  Check the pressure in your spare tire.

[GoNV]

Why did you decide to do the water pump?

[CaptainLarry]

Just so I did not have to think about it.  No leaks or noise or anything.  Just preemptive.

[CaptainLarry]

About that water pump replacement.  My serpentine belt is squeaking now (180k?) and I noticed that the water pump stands out significantly, pushing the belt outward.  The bend in the belt is very noticeable since the new noise drew my attention to it.  Seems a very dramatic tolerance error from Nissan.