Tinker

Is this required for skill upgrade, or can one opt for auto tranny removal/rebuild/intall to qualify instead? Sorry no blindfold or hand tying, but 10 pounds of road-snot and grit in the eyes and several busted knuckles should count for something! :sniff:

Sorry for the long post, but... Stupid tricks at tire places? Get a load of this: I had my wife drop off my 93 Pathy for 4 new tires and an alignment (after replacing tie rod ends, UCA and compression rod bushings). Provided the shop (Bridgestone/Firestone tire center) with the Factory Service Manual Alignment Specs. Got the truck back with a story they had given my wife about "not being able to get the alignment perfect because of a badly worn steering gearbox". Truck drove with the steering wheel cocked to the right about 20 degrees, and still pulled like hell to the left. Got 'er into the garage at home to check the work I had done, and to have a look at this supposed steering play. Lug nuts on the tires were WAY OVERTORQUED - 185 lbs (me) on the end of my 22" breaker bar finally got them to move (340 ft*lbs??), damaged threads, etc. Tie rod ends were marked, but no shims installed behind the upper control arm spindles. Visible toe-out on the front wheels. NO perceptible movement at the steering box output arm, less than 20mm play at the steering wheel rim (manual allows 35mm). Ball joints, cross rod, etc, less than 6 months old. Ditto shocks, torsion rods, and rear springs. Took 'er back the next day and raised hell - $80 for an alignment that obviously was only done half-assed, then a ****-and-bull story about the gearbox, plus the damaged lugs. Told them I wanted to see the print from their alignment rack, they didn't have it (surprise, surprise), and that I wanted the wheel studs fixed. They sheepishly said they would see what they could do. Got the truck back that afternoon, with another ****-and-bull story about bent/distorted rims, and only being able to get it within road-pull load limits by screwing with the tires on the rims for 2.5 hrs. Truck still pulls to the left, but not quite as much. No stud repair, as they claim "that's the way it came in". They claim that they didn't have to adjust anything on the alignment, but lo and behold, the shims have magically appeared behind the control arm spindles, and I now have an alignment printout that shows it to be within book limits. No admission of shoddy initial work, no apology, and nothing but a "take it or leave it" attitude. Bridgestone/Firestone tells me there's nothing they can do, as this place is independently owned and operated - I guess they just whore out their name to anyone who'll sell their tires. Bottom line - unless you have a service center or mechanic that you know for a fact you can trust (they are out there), you might as well bend over, lube up, and say ahhhh - 'cause you're gonna get honed. You can count on them giving you a bull@#$t story, particularly if you have a woman drop it off/pick it up - they figure they can get away with just about anything. :furious:

93 XE 345000 km (about 215k miles). Recent tranny rebuild (auto) - still reliable enough for extended hunting trips and mega highway miles!

The torque converter bolts definitely have to come out the starter bore - but you'll have to remove the sheet metal spacer that sits between the pan and the bottom of the bell housing. Remove all the bolts from the alignment pins down, then work the spacer back and forth while pulling down - a real PITA but its do-able. (It'll probably help if you remove the tranny to engine bracket as well). Use a socket or wrench on the crankshaft damper/pulley bolt, wedged against the frame, to keep the crank from turning while you apply torque to the torque converter bolts (also use it to rotate the flexplate to get at the next bolt). If you think this part is fun, just wait 'til you have to line up the torque converter with the flexplate when re-installing! :furious:

Hey Precise, we Canucks already burnt DC (including the whitehouse) in the war of 1812 (which you lost, but we decided to let you keep what was on your side of the fence before it started, 'cause we're just so damned agreeable)!

We've got snow up to 8 months of the year around here (northern Alberta) - everthing from just enough to wet the road to 1 foot plus deep to polished hardpack and black ice (stuff's just about invisible!). What I've found (and most of the folks I know around here agree) is that a wide tire is great if you're off-highway and need some flotation, but for highway miles or grocery getting you'd better have a narrower (70 series - preferably 75) tire with an agressive, well siped (particularly at the extreme shoulder and onto the sidewall) tread pattern. Anything wider and you get into the 'sit and spin' trying to get going, or 'road-curling' trying to get stopped. The effect is similar to hydroplaning, but instead of water floating you up off the road its the packed snow stuck to your tire shearing away from the snow (or ice) underneath. Previous posts are correct regarding ice - all bets are off traction-wise (although the purpose designed winter tires which use crushed walnut shell (or equivalent) in the wear surface of the tread do substantially reduce braking distances). Engine braking is preferred to foot or e-braking, and look for the looser snow or sanded sections (away from the polished ruts or wheel tracks) on either side of the lane your in. Don't be afraid to head for the rhubarb instead of sliding into that impending rear-ender - the curb and snow bank will do substantially less damage to your rig (provided your not over-doing it speed wise). Keep your tank at least half full - more weight over the rear axle will help with traction when not in 4X, and make sure your alignment is up to snuff or you can forget any kind of direction control. Do not use cruise control under questionable conditions - you'll arsey-versey before you know it! Definitely practice in the parking lots and play it real cool , winter driving is a riot provided you keep your head and watch out for the pinheads who figure its still July!

And make sure you use line specifically made for transmission fluid - emissions or fuel line will deteriorate rather quickly when exposed to ATF. Usually available at your favorite auto parts supplier...

Thanks guys. Tying the lines together shouldn't be a problem - just need a double female flare fitting - I might try the bypass if it gives me any more grief. ABS was bypassed anyway after the sensor on the rear pinion failed. I'll leave it with the factory set up for now - I have a line on a rear end for rebuild from the wrecker - $150 if I pull it - if the ABS sensor is in good shape I may want to put it back into operation, although rear-only ABS sounds kinda jam-tart. Those shrieking rear tires are a nice indicator for threshold braking!

oops! forgot to search - please disregard the last post. :X

thorley site says manual tranny only...anyone got 'em installed in an auto? any clearance issues? :confused:

Replaced the valve with a $20 wrecker part - braking performance much improved but I still can't get the rear end to lock up - I'm hoping this'll improve once the adjusters have had a chance to dial in. Appears that problems with this item can cause the both the front and/or rear brakes to drag - I'm guessing it restricts fluid flow in both directions if its pooched. Anyone tried bypassing it?

No lift kit installed. While sourcing a replacement the folks I talked to (including the Nissan Dealer Service rep) stated that they had never heard of one of these failing, so I decided to throw the question out to the experts here. I haven't come across a lot of info on these, which would tend to support the dealers claim of near invincibility. Then again, he probably doesn't see too many 350000 km pathys. What I was hoping for was a quick, easy to perform, rock-solid, yes/no test, specific to this part and completely infallible!

Total of 5 solenoids, Tq cnvrtr clutch sol, Line pressure sol, and 3-unit sol assembly which includes overrun clutch solenoid, shift A and shift B solenoids. 3 unit solenoid assemblies are available as a group, the other two are sold individually. My rebuild kit did not come with any solenoids, so be sure to ask for them specifically if there's any doubt. I think the price I was quoted for the 3 unit assembly was about $150. You should probably download the AT section of the shop manual for diagnosis and repair/overhaul. The vendor I dealt with indicated that Nissan was replacing the 3 unit assemblies 100000 km intervals as they tend to collect wear particles which in turn produces failures. A tranny flush and thorough cleaning may correct intermittent problems...

Wow! No one wanted to drop 15 bucks for a ball joint puller? I found it made the job a breeze - looks like a cross between a c clamp and a pickle fork. Apply pressure to the stud portion using the bolt, the fork part grabs the C frame under the ball. A very moderate tap on the side of the C frame where the stud goes through and out she pops!

Having some ongoing trouble with my 93 ABS equipped Pathy. Distinct lack of rear braking pressure despite replacing drums, wheel cylinders, master cylinder, calipers, pads, assorted brake hardware, etc. Full system bleed performed after each component replacment, of course. Problem is present regardless of whether ABS fuse is installed or not. Is it possible that the proportioning valve (mounted on the passenger side frame rail) is causing this? Its supposed to reduce braking pressure to the rear axle to prevent end-swapping under hard braking - could it be stuck? I still seem to get good fluid flow when bleeding, but the pressure could be substantially reduced without noticing it during bleed? Suggestions?