01Pathmaker

So I happened across a deal I couldn't pass up, a '96 R50 SE 4x4! It's got almost 170k on it, picked it up from the second owner (bought it feb '03). Has been meticulously maintained mechanically (timing belt @86k & 164k, mobil1 lof's every 3500-4500, trans service every 40-50k, all with receipts!), but does need a little love. It was their 3rd vehicle for the last 4 years and they've only put less than 5k on it during that time, they gave up trying to find an electrical drain after replacing the battery and alternator (took me 20mins to find that the power antenna motor continuously clicked, unplugged it, charged the battery, let it sit for 3 days, all good, useds to die after a few hours on a full charge!), and the exhaust is rotted. Has a small amount of rust/rot in the rear of the rockers and behind the driver rear wheel, but is structurally sound (checked the strut towers and all the other typical spots). The interior is also pretty clean, just has a stale odor from sitting so much the past few years. Runs great, drives great, brakes are in good shape, as are the tires (I'll be upgrading them anyway), and I'm still waiting to find something bad! For now I just plan on going through it thoroughly, full tune up, fluids, filters, exhaust, check all lines, then as long as it all checks out, the mild build will begin. Looking to keep it as inexpensive, simple and practical as possible. Planning on KYB's all the way around, Steve's 1" spacers, 31x10.50 grabber at2's on black d-windows, safari rack (maybe a dyi if not a craigslist find), and some extra lighting. I'll update with pics, my findings and progress. Wish me luck cause things like this don't happen to me!

Anytime I have a torn boot I replace the axle(only 2 so far, 1 on each side) , I'm in sand and dirt alot so I know grit got in there. Guess it'd be ok to just do the boot if you mainly stick to the pavement.

Hmmm,maybe I'll also try a new seal and see what happens. On the bright side, all the evap equipment will have been replaced by the time I'm done...

Yep, gas cap was my very first attempt. The area around the top flange on the tank has a very slight "seepage" look but not nearly enough to cause the very strong odor. As strong as it is I'd think it'd be easier to find!

Ok, so I pulled and checked evap lines all the way up to the motor and all are perfectly clean inside (guess I didn't need to do the canister after all). Pulled the access panel under rear seat, got blasted with gas odor when I popped that off, but can't see anything obvious. The only thing left tht I can think of before pulling the tank down, is the "vapor pressure sensor". I might have to do the unthinkable an call the local stealership, confirm if they have a smoke machine, nobody else in the area does. If anyone else has any other ideas, please chime in!

Thanks leo and bucket, I just replaced the canister and purge valve this past weekend and since I had 3/4 tank, I haven't added any gas since, but still getting the odor. I located the access under the rear seat, gonna pull that this weekend and look for any disconnected/damaged lines, I'll also check the evap port.

Not sure about the earlier R50's but I have no problems pulling or clearing codes from my '01 with a "cheapo" code reader. Once I pull the code I do a search on here and on Nissanhelp, usually points me in the right direction.

I'll might try to call in a few favors if I can't figure it out soon, not sure if anybody I know has one, and it would probably be cheaper to just replace all the lines in the system over taking it back to the stealership for diagnostics. If all else fails, then "trees" it is! Lol

Hmmm, wasn't aware of an access panel, that would sure save me from having to drop the tank! I'll check that out sometime this week, thanks! There is another sensor type thing (I'm still looking into what it is exactly) that is attached to the bracket that the vapor canister mounts to, and I'm pretty sure that is the only thing sensor/valve/switch wise that I haven't replaced in the evap system. I'll definitely keep you posted...

Ok, so for quite a while now I've been getting a gasoline odor coming from around the drivers rear wheel well. I have also been intermittently throwing p1441 codes. I started by having the fuel filler tube recall done at the stealership, hoping it was in fact rotted and emitting vapor. The issue continued as did the intermittent code, so I replaced the vacuum cut valve, bypass solenoid, vapor canister and purge valve, still getting the odor. It occurs while the truck is running at temperature and right after shut down. I'm lost, am I missing something? Trying to avoid having to drop the tank to see if anything is loose or disconnected. Any thoughts or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

I know I'm reviving an old thread here but... with almost 140k on my original oem strut mounts, they're starting to make some noise and with about 80k on my KYB Gr2's, though they still feel good I figure if I'm in there I'm gonna do them too. After hearing all the negatives on the KYB mounts, does anyone have any feedback on the Moog, Raybestos or Monroe mounts? Or the p/n for the oem units? Looked at the Nissan parts breakdown and could only find all the seperate individual parts, not the complete mount. PS - Love all the info on this site! Coming back to love on my Pathy after spending a few years and too much time/money on my Titan...

Check out Tactical Armor Group for bumpers and 4x4parts.com, RuggedRocksoffroad.com, rocky-road.com for suspension and other parts.