JonathanAboona

iTrader: (5)

Ok to end all disputes (yea right the dispute will never end over the 350z crank pulley) over the KJR pulley I am posting some of my FEA analysis results to the public. I have been reluctant so far to post any data because of the fact people love to copy other peoples stuff. For that reason the data I post will be limited. When I designed this pulley I went overkill on everything. Tolerances and balance were very important. This is a public forum, people can write whatever they want and that’s fine. I am going to post the data and people can take it however they want. I am no Unorothodox Racing corporation who has oodles and oodles of money for advertising. My business is strictly a word of mouth based company where I sponsor a few forums and have happy customers who pass on the good news about my product. Anyways im not going to rant and rave over this any longer. Stay tuned for the data I will post it on here or my website.

reptile718

iTrader: (109)

You might be right about the oil coming from somewhere else. I normally change the oil but was so busy over the past couple of months that I let my local mechanic do it. I saw that he did not remove the plastic deflector from the bottom and simply undid the bolt on the oil pan. It went all over the place. I know there is a hole there for that purpose but I always remove that plastic panel to prevent such a mess, you end up working double by trying to do things the easy way sometimes. If it where the crank seal would I see oil on the pulley, I just see some caked on below it and on surrounding areas? Also no instructions where given to me by CNR and I didn't have a torque wrench so I basically just bolted down the pulley until it started to get tight then turned it over about half a turn, it seemed to be on there pretty good however like I said before I did tighten the belts too much b/c before the install they squeaked slightly. Hope I did not damage anything besides those belts, when my mechanic replaced them he said the old ones where stretched out beyond repair causing the squeal, is that true b/c they did not look damaged or loose to me? I am now having the same problem with the squeal and it gets worse every day but only when the engine is cold. Could it be the material the pulleys are made out of causing the squeal due to the fact that it contracts (cold) and expands (hot) more then the factory one causing stretched belts, increasing the squeals and getting worse b/c they are not tight enough anymore? Should I try to remove the pulley when I am doing my stillen install and replace the crank seal anyway? How hard is it to remove? Kinda worried b/c I didn't think about putting anti seize on the pulley and due to the material its made of it might be set on there permanently Another question how tight did the alternator pulley need to be, I just tightened it down until it spun with the belt on.

I know that KJR has a very similar design with the same flaws from what I heard. Have you guys revised them, if so are they available for sale? I might just purchase a set of those or UR's with their steel backing to prevent any problems in the future. Wish I still had the stock set to be honest even though I will say that I felt good gains and smoother revs with this but for the price you pay later its just not worth it.

I also plan to install a lightweight flywheel/clutch combo which I heard adds extra stress on the crank with lighter pulleys but is it enough to do major damage anytime soon? Also consider that I will be adding a s/c into the mix, now that I am thinking about it, it worries me a lot. Any info?

MustGoFastR

iTrader: (13)

Looking forward to seeing the info.

Personally, I think the problem (for those that have it) is related to installation and not the pulley (take the guy that posted above me as case in point. Dude had no idea of the proper torque specs), but what do I know? As I mentioned above, I have a very small amount of leakage (no wobble or squeaks), but I have not removed the oulley to inspect it for signs of damage.

I have yet to see confirmation that the UR pulley actually uses a steel backing or sleeve. There is nothing on their website about it and I had a UR pulley on my FX35 and don't recall noting that it had anything like that.

The CNR and KJR (and UR, for that matter) pullies are (claimed to be) made of the same material (granted, tollerances may vary).

As for the pulley chewing up the channel on the crank, I don't buy that. The crank is much harder than the aliminum pulley; if anything, the pulley would incure damage, but the crank shouldn't be hurt.

The things fit and are bolted on pretty damn tight; I don't see how any play resulting in the type of described damage could occur. The seal is a cheap, relatively easily replaced part; as I described earlier, it likely isn't made to withstand much abuse (i.e. breaking the seal and installing a new pulley without replacing it). I tend to think it's more of a seal issue than a pulley issue, but again, what do I know? My CNR pulley is still on and the car and appears to be fine, with the exception of a very small amount of leakage. If it ever bothers me to the point of replacing the seal, I'll inspect the pulley for damage at that time, otherwise, I'm going to drive my car and enjoy the gains.

teh215

iTrader: (8)

Yes, they do, I used to own one and clearly remember the sleeve. I also purchased a CNR pulley set and that is one of the first things that I noticed was the lack of the sleeve.

Havok_RLS2

iTrader: (9)

Sorry... I've been missing this thread for a minute. I'll try to get some pics up as soon as I can to show you better what I'm talking about.

MustGoFastR

iTrader: (13)

That'd be great; thanks!

Havok_RLS2

iTrader: (9)

I think some people are getting kinda confused as to whats going on. I cant speak about any of the other pulley kits out on the market other than the CNR pulleys. So evenyone going into a panic about the UR and KJR pulley's having the same issues I can't and wont comment on. One can only hope that they have a better product that wont potentially cause more harm than good. I'm saying that the only ones that should be conserned right now are the CNR customers.

reptile718

iTrader: (109)

MustGoFastR, In reference to what you said above. Just because I did not have a torque wrench & directions stating the exact torque specs for that particular pulley or any other in the set for that matter does not mean that I did not have a clue on what I was doing. I bolted it down until it started to get tight (holding the ratchet from the top not from the handle to prevent excessive force) which is about 25-35 ft lbs, after that being done I gave it about a half a turn bringing it to 100-120 ft lbs. making sure that it had a proper seal and fit snug. If you check those numbers you will see that I am within torque spec required for the installation of most of these pulleys. I am just experiencing some problems and wanted to double check my install to see if there is anything I might have overlooked or need to know from other members experiencing the same occurrences. Any info on whats stated above would help. Thanks guys!

MustGoFastR

iTrader: (13)

Well, IMO, in a situation like this, proper torque is everything, pertaining to proper install; it's pretty crucial where seals are concerned. I really wasn't trying to say you didn't have a clue, but at the risk of making it sound a little bit that way, installation instructions and torque specs for the crank pulley are easily obtainable and you should have had them on hand before installing, along with the proper tools. If you tightened it to what you estimate to be 25-35 ft-lbs, then gave it another half turn, it's way too tight, as you are only supposed to turn it 60 degrees further than 35 ft-lbs. Maybe you meant a quarter turn, b/c you'd have to be Hurcules to turn it further. Did you do it by hand or impact wrench?

As for your belt squeal problem, it sounds like you just need to retension the belts. Properly tensioned new belts will always loosen up after some miles and need retensioning b/c they stretch out and start to squeal. Do you have the stock size or undersize pulley? I have stock size and re-used my belts; no problems with noise. I previously had the UR pulley on my FX35 with the smaller belts and always had a bit of squeal on start-up no matter what I did. I think I had the Nissan belts and not Gates.

As for your oil residue, you really need to just clean it all up and then check periodically, since the way it sounds now, it'd be hard to tell conclusively where it came from, given the mess your tech made.

For seal replacement, see post #30 above.

Hope some of this helped.

islandsnow

iTrader: (6)

I just ordered the UR pulley, so i'll let you guys know if it has the steel backing or not. I hope so, i'd feel a little better with the steel backing.

MustGoFastR

iTrader: (13)

Cool. Take pics, if you can.

Still waiting to see the info. about the KJR pulley that was promised as well. Supposedly no problems with them, yet no steel backing...

Havok_RLS2

iTrader: (9)

Sorry guys. I'm still working on getting some pics for you. My wife left her digital camera at her mothers house. I had to smack her around a bit. LOL Just kidding.

reptile718

iTrader: (109)

MustGoFastR, Thats cool, thanks for the advise. I am going to clean up all the residue below the pulley and keep an eye on it to look for any changes. Also got an appointment with my mechanic to adjust the belts again so if all goes well it should not squeal anymore until my stillen install, lol. Also interested in Havok's pics and KJR's response. Keep me posted.

MustGoFastR

iTrader: (13)

Sure. You know, if you are the least bit mechanically inclined, you can tighten the belts yourself pretty easily; just loosen the tensioner pulley lock bolts (center of pulleys), then tighten the adjuster bolt (below pullys) a couple turns, and retighten the lock bolts. You have to do this from underneath the car, though, (unless you have really long, skinny arms), so raising the front and removing the lower engine shroud is required.

reptile718

iTrader: (109)

I know how to do it but the place that did the install is going to do it for free since they did it recently

Jeff92se

iTrader: (4)

I'm a noobie on this site but not a noobie to this problem. We ran into the same problem with the maxima and ASP. It's not the crank or the install.

The problem is the material of the pulley itself. While not inferior in strength or dimensional/balance (I assume), it IS aluminum. What is happening is the oem seal is wearing a groove in the pulley. The seal is not wearing. It's actually making a groove in the pulley. So over time, the seal is not "sealing". Thus allowing oil to leak past the seal and you know the rest.

The solution that ASP came up with is you send them back the pulley and they machine the "snout" and fit a steel sleeve onto the pulley (where the seal touches). This prevents the seal from carving a groove into the pulley, causing leaks. To ASP's credit, they had a very fast turnaround.

I assume CNR and KJR would do the same.

islandsnow

iTrader: (6)

thanks for the post Jeff, very imformative. Still waiting for my pulley from UR to see if they have this so called sleave.

99atlantic

iTrader: (1)

I <3 your product; I recommend it to all my friends. Screw UR and they're over-priced, over-marketing crap.

Jeff92se

iTrader: (4)

I just did a quick search. I don't know how up to date these pics I found are:

Black UR pulley. Looks like it's machined or sleeved:
https://my350z.com/forum/attachment....5&d=1143568009

Red set:

teh215

iTrader: (8)

As I have mentioned before, they are sleeved unless they have changed their design recently.