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Picked up a 87!


millersva
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Hi guys new to the forum here. Just picked up a 1987 V6 MT pathfinder.

 

 

Couple questions:

 

 

No 4WD light - doesnt come on

 

Pulling in 4WD - Scared me pretty good coming home tonight, in 4WD the front end is all squirrely. Most notably, if I go over ice and snow the car will slip on the slippery surface, pulling suddenly in one direction, even off throttle.

 

 

Sporadic grinding going into gear - really only 1st and 4th, and its not all the time. Clutch master was just replaced - maybe not making enough pressure to full engage the clutch?

 

 

Stoked to be on here and hope to learn a lot!

 

 

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I picked up an 89 in November. When I first start it up, 2nd would some times be a pain to engage and grind occasionally. I've replaced the gear oil and it's a lot better at the first shift into 2nd on cold start up. The old oil was super dark and black like used motor oil, I would change that first if it looks bad. Post a picture of the fill hole in your transmission, there is a TSB on some of them where they put the hole too low and you need to add an additional quart or so through the gear shifter on top of the transmission.

 

There was also a mod I did to remove the clutch dampener. It's a valve between the master and slave cylinder that makes the clutch feedback a little slow for "smoother shifting" and can be removed and replaced with a fitting. I thought that was the source of the clutch problems I was having(losing pressure after long drives) but it turns out my slave was just shot. It can be a real pain to bleed the clutch with the bypass valve, so maybe whoever replaced the master didn't get it fully bled.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited by Backpacker
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Yeah to bypass you just need an m10x1.0 inverted flare Union. Unhook the lines, thread into Union, bleed clutch. Remove damper from firewall if so inclined.

Does it grind into reverse even if the clutch is in for like 3 or more seconds?

 

Squirrelly in 4wd is probably bad strut rod (tension rod, radius arm) whatever you want to call it bushings. The rod it self may be mostly worn through, somebody competent with a welder should be able to hard face the rod. You'd probably want to replace the control arm bushings as well.

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Thanks guys - best way to describe the 4wd behavior is when it hits a slippery spot it pull suddenly in the direction of that front tire - so if the left front tire hits an ice patch, it will pull sharply and suddenly left - really weird.

 

Also forgot to mention - defrost does not work whatsoever. Heat works fine as do the forward vents. Any ideas here?

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If its the front defrost, pull the controls out and make sure the cable moves when you put it to defrost setting. If its your rear defrost, unplug the tabs and take a multimeter to the terminals and check for continuity. If you don't have continuity, then your defrost lines are broken. check the compression/strut rod bushings and make sure they are not worn, and have a tire shop check the alignment on your front end because mine was off barely and did the same thing. For the 4wd light, its possible you just have a burnt out bulb.

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If its the front defrost, pull the controls out and make sure the cable moves when you put it to defrost setting. If its your rear defrost, unplug the tabs and take a multimeter to the terminals and check for continuity. If you don't have continuity, then your defrost lines are broken. check the compression/strut rod bushings and make sure they are not worn, and have a tire shop check the alignment on your front end because mine was off barely and did the same thing. For the 4wd light, its possible you just have a burnt out bulb.

 

Sorry, yes its the front - guess I need to find myself an FSM for her first off.

 

Good advice on the strut rod bushings - just watched a cool youtube video on replacing them:

 

Can you tell by inspecting them if they need to be replaced? I looked at mine - they arent cracked or anything - certainly not new, but is there anything specific to look for?

 

Im gonna try to get an alignment this afternoon and top off all gearbox fluids.

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Does it grind into reverse even if the clutch is in for like 3 or more seconds?

 

 

no issues with Reverse so far - it does feel low on fluid though. Lot less room under there than on my '82 toyota ha

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Sorry, yes its the front - guess I need to find myself an FSM for her first off.

 

Good advice on the strut rod bushings - just watched a cool youtube video on replacing them:

 

Can you tell by inspecting them if they need to be replaced? I looked at mine - they arent cracked or anything - certainly not new, but is there anything specific to look for?

 

Im gonna try to get an alignment this afternoon and top off all gearbox fluids.

 

Best to pull them and check the rod. Make sure it hasn't warn the the metal sleeve. My bushings didn't look too bad until I pulled it apart to inspect further.

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Best to pull them and check the rod. Make sure it hasn't warn the the metal sleeve. My bushings didn't look too bad until I pulled it apart to inspect further.

 

 

Ok guys so went to get her aligned and the shop said it could not be aligned and came back with this:

 

lCnwPcP.png

 

 

 

 

What am I looking at for parts cost and time for this work? The shop wanted $1100 for labor which is not happening. What do you all think, something that could be done in a weekend?

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I think you will probably need a center link rather than a pitman, unless the taper is ovaled out or something, wouldn't really hurt to put a new one in with the center link though. The center link is what actually has the ball joints in it.

 

You could probably knock it out in a weekend, depending on how much it fights you.

 

Ball joint are easy on these, loosen the castle nut, couple hits with a decent hammer on the knuckle, they pop right out. 4 bolts hold them onto the control arm. Bushings are going to be the biggest challenge, they've likely been in there for 20 some years, you could try the bushing press that some parts stores rent out. I'd recommend a two piece bushing to replace it, preferably polyurethane, it helps stiffen it up, and won't swell up like a marshmallow in a microwave if you get oil on it for some reason. The lower control arm bushings may require the removal of the torsion bars. Mark them before you take them off.

 

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I think you will probably need a center link rather than a pitman, unless the taper is ovaled out or something, wouldn't really hurt to put a new one in with the center link though. The center link is what actually has the ball joints in it.

 

You could probably knock it out in a weekend, depending on how much it fights you.

 

Ball joint are easy on these, loosen the castle nut, couple hits with a decent hammer on the knuckle, they pop right out. 4 bolts hold them onto the control arm. Bushings are going to be the biggest challenge, they've likely been in there for 20 some years, you could try the bushing press that some parts stores rent out. I'd recommend a two piece bushing to replace it, preferably polyurethane, it helps stiffen it up, and won't swell up like a marshmallow in a microwave if you get oil on it for some reason. The lower control arm bushings may require the removal of the torsion bars. Mark them before you take them off.

 

 

Thanks Pathy - Im confused - as this part http://www.ebay.com/itm/231930177476 has a ball joint in it, but so does the center link here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/201071795151

 

As listed above, I do need the control arm as well.

 

Do I want both or?

Edited by millersva
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I was referring to the Pitman arm, which is attached to the steering box. I noticed that the shop recommended replacing it. Realistically, the pitman doesn't wear out as it just has a tapered hole to fit the ball joint stud off the center link. The center link is most likely the thing with play in it.

 

Control arm is a separate deal, not part of the steering linkage.

 

Here's a diagram, may help, its sort of confusing, there are lines that show where things fit together if you look closely though.

 

https://www.nissanpartsdeal.com/parts-list/1988-nissan-pathfinder/steering-linkage.html?Filter=(1=W;2=VG30I;3=XST%2fSE;4=MT.F5;5=4WD;6=2D;7=FED)

 

 

 

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Thanks Pathy - Im confused - as this part http://www.ebay.com/itm/231930177476 has a ball joint in it, but so does the center link here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/201071795151

 

As listed above, I do need the control arm as well.

 

Do I want both or?

 

You'll want both. When I did mine it only took me about 4 hours to do the whole thing, but that's with air tools and a shop to do it in.

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