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Possible Engine Damage, all z24 engines


Unit13
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Just a quick bit of information i have found on my 87 and 88 Z24 powered Pathfinders. I brought my 88 about 6 months ago with a bad cam chain that snapped on the way back home from picking it up (im a mechanic, i knew the risks). Anyway a rebuild was now in order and when i stripped the engine i found very badly scored cam and main bearings. On further investigation i found a shiny little ball in the black swamp of goo in the sump... the bypass valve ball.

 

This helpful little friend resides in a special fitted tube pushed into the block directly underneath the oil filter. This ball and spring setup is a backup protection in case the engine is not serviced frequently and the oil filter becomes so clogged that it cant pass oil through. To prevent starving the engine of much needed oil, the preset spring and ball lift off their seat and allow UNFILTERED oil to pass through the engine.

 

That's all well and fine, and hopefully the owner of the car would eventually get around to changing the filter therefore allowing the ball and spring to return to their seat and let the filter do its job.

 

NOW after that little bit of info, the problem is, and has been confirmed by Nissan, these buggers have a habit of the ball breaking through the casing and falling through the drain hole in the filter housing and into the sump...as in my case. The reason being primarily having to continually snap on and off the seat with improper servicing...the main concern is that now with nothing to stop oil flowing through the bypass hole it does just that, rendering the oil filter useless...

 

If you dont visually check that the ball is still in its housing and it has in fact popped out your in trouble. Its not easy to see at first, you have to have a proper look with a torch and maybe a mirror in the base of the housing plate where the filter screws on. If it has fallen out, you can use a small spigot puller or tiny slide hammer to pull the casing and spring out of the block and just tap a new one in (the ball in the sump wont hurt anything). I have had to replace both my pathfinders bypass valves for this reason.

 

I checked around and i could only get them genuine Nissan. But the good news is they retail for the hefty sum of around $20 AUD...Cheaper then some oil filters.

 

Let me know if after all that you still dont know what im talking about...

Cheers

Luke

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Thanks! Ive been meaning to post it on here for a while. I can just imagine the faces of the guys who religiously change their filters every x amount of kms/miles only to find out they have been slowly destroying bearings by not looking quite close enough...

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I'm going to pin this in the Z24 motor section. Thanks for the update!!

 

I owned a Z24 years ago, now you have me curious. I never thought I had a problem... :shrug:

 

B

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Thats great. Yeah i dont think many owners would even think about what is controlling the oil down there...I can post a photo if you think it will help?

Edited by Unit13
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  • 4 months later...
  • 1 month later...
  • 6 months later...

Just a quick bit of information i have found on my 87 and 88 Z24 powered Pathfinders. I brought my 88 about 6 months ago with a bad cam chain that snapped on the way back home from picking it up (im a mechanic, i knew the risks). Anyway a rebuild was now in order and when i stripped the engine i found very badly scored cam and main bearings. On further investigation i found a shiny little ball in the black swamp of goo in the sump... the bypass valve ball.

 

This helpful little friend resides in a special fitted tube pushed into the block directly underneath the oil filter. This ball and spring setup is a backup protection in case the engine is not serviced frequently and the oil filter becomes so clogged that it cant pass oil through. To prevent starving the engine of much needed oil, the preset spring and ball lift off their seat and allow UNFILTERED oil to pass through the engine.

 

That's all well and fine, and hopefully the owner of the car would eventually get around to changing the filter therefore allowing the ball and spring to return to their seat and let the filter do its job.

 

NOW after that little bit of info, the problem is, and has been confirmed by Nissan, these buggers have a habit of the ball breaking through the casing and falling through the drain hole in the filter housing and into the sump...as in my case. The reason being primarily having to continually snap on and off the seat with improper servicing...the main concern is that now with nothing to stop oil flowing through the bypass hole it does just that, rendering the oil filter useless...

 

If you dont visually check that the ball is still in its housing and it has in fact popped out your in trouble. Its not easy to see at first, you have to have a proper look with a torch and maybe a mirror in the base of the housing plate where the filter screws on. If it has fallen out, you can use a small spigot puller or tiny slide hammer to pull the casing and spring out of the block and just tap a new one in (the ball in the sump wont hurt anything). I have had to replace both my pathfinders bypass valves for this reason.

 

I checked around and i could only get them genuine Nissan. But the good news is they retail for the hefty sum of around $20 AUD...Cheaper then some oil filters.

 

Let me know if after all that you still dont know what im talking about...

Cheers

Luke

 

Too bad, I am going to do away with my z24 and bolt in a TD27T instead.. :(

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I think the VG30 has this ball also, I know my sentra engine does, when ever I replace my oil filters I always wipe the mounting service down before installing the new filter, it is easy at this time to press in on the little ball to make sure it still is "springy" and to tell if the ball is still there.

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as far as i know all nissans have it its a pretty universal part that is keeped on hand in the parts department retail is around $30, this was what cause my first z24 hardbody to grenade but my check ball split in to pieces and got caught in the oil pump a new oe z24 long block runs $1970 from japan

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  • 1 year later...
  • 2 weeks later...

My Vg33 Does not have it. but then again the filter is up front.

 

Both my VG30 have it.

 

I think the VG30 has this ball also, I know my sentra engine does, when ever I replace my oil filters I always wipe the mounting service down before installing the new filter, it is easy at this time to press in on the little ball to make sure it still is "springy" and to tell if the ball is still there.
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  • 3 weeks later...

Thank god I don't have to necro this thread as it's latest posts are pretty new.

Does this look the same on the Z24 as it does on the pic posted? Can't say that I remember seeing it when I changed the filter a couple of weeks back though I wipe everything down it's not so easy to see with all the rest of the crap in the engine bay.. almost tempted to take off the new filter just to check it, but if it looks the same as the above then I'll definitely have to check it when I next do an oil change - thankfully my oil is changed every 5 to 6,000 kms so it's never 'old' enough to cause any real problems.

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