mws

Was it just me, or did the clacking sound not accelerate/decelerate exactly with the engine revving? It sounded like the engine revs went up 2X but the clacking speed didn't. If that was the case, I would check the cooling fan and if it is hitting the shroud or something else.

OMG is right! How long before that failed? Beefy as hell in places with minimal load, and then major weak points at some of the highest points of load!

Absolutely! Put the front guide and harmonic balancer on and then try it. Make sure you have belt tension set where you can just barely twist the upper part 90 degrees. I'll bet you a six pack it works perfectly!

Living in Cal, we do not have any rust on our pathy'so I'm not part of your target group. But I do weld. It doesn't take that long to remove tank. Just do it for your peace of mind. The odds of it igniting are pretty slim, but when it happens, it is so dramatic. If you've lived enough and no one else cares enough about you to prevent you from taking some risks, do the following: - Do it with the tank FULL. Liquid gasoline is actually quite inflammable. Gasoline VAPORS are EXTREMELY flammable. It's not the visible stuff you need to fear, it's the stuff you can't see. - Make sure all vent lines are completely intact and tight. - put a plastic bag over the filler cap and seal completely. - Lots of ventilation! Have a fan blowing behind you blowing any potential vapors away from sparks. Of course, that undermines the quality of your welds... - If you can see any signs of wetness or smell even a whif of gasoline smell, do NOT even try it.

Before you buy, do some research! As I recall, some folks had some issues with the AC UCA's. And you can do it for quite a bit less and get a MUCH nicer ride using stock T-Bars, JY cherokee coils, Rough Country UCA's and Heckethorn (sold by RC) shocks. Personally, I HATE the buckboard harsh/rough ride you get with RS5000 shocks and stiffer t-bars. I like my suspension to absorb the bumps, not bounce off them!

Sounds like you are on the path to a true fix! Stressing the heck out of the headers to get the Y pipe on is not good for sealing.... Good on ya! I believe the real root cause to stock manifolds warping is still the studs. After thousands of heat cycles, the studs just get weak and eventually snap off. Once a couple come loose, a leak develops. If left long enough, the manifold warps. So if you were to install new factory manifolds with the upgraded 300zx studs, I would wager big money they will last well over 100K miles - and likely for the life of the truck. Most of us installed headers because we wanted the extra performance and efficiency. And once you're removed everything to fix the studs, it is pretty much just as easy to install headers as replacement manifolds, so might as well upgrade!

If that is the helicoil set to put stock/original size threads in, I am 99% you will be fine. I have installed heli-coils for exhaust studs with no issues whatsoever. Just make sure you go in straight, and not too deep! Insert a smaller drill bit or stud or something into the neighboring hole to remind you of the proper angles to maintain. Having someone watch from the side and direct you helps as well. And you'll be able to feel when the drill bottoms to the original hole because progress will slow noticeably. Take your time. Taking 2 hours to do it once will be MUCH faster than if you try to rush and mess it up. Get a small mirror (I like the ones on the extending pointer like stems) and flashlight so you can check progress regularly.

It sounds more like what happened to 87pathfinder - the socket/anchor/bracket doohickey where the T-bar is inserted stripped rather than the bar itself. As to why this occaisionally happens, I don't know. But I am willing to speculate! Keep in mind that without parts to see, that's all I can do - speculate. Since it seems to happen so rarely, I suspect it is a special cause - like the bar not being fully seated in the socket. With only partial engagement, there is only partial strength. 87pathfinder: Does that seem possible? Maybe the splines on the bar were only inserted halfway into the socket?

I hereby officially volunteer to be tester! It's a lot of work to keep the experiment "clean" and meaningful, but I kinda like this stuff.... I've been called "Jamie" (nod to Mythbusters) more than once, and consider it a compliment.... I will test on multiple vehicles, and try to keep data as objective as possible. I will be rotating between several of our fleet. Data is meaningful only if it is repeatable, so it will be on for a while, off for a while, repeat. 1) My pathy. 2) My wife's BMW 318is. This will be a blind test - she will never know if it is on or off the vehicle. 3) Big Red - the F-350 dually 460 gasser we use for towing toys and trailers. We will be doing some several hundred mile trips this spring and summer, so this thing will reveal any improvement quickly! 4) The Max - 2000 Maxima we use for long road trips. Planning a couple to Portland this spring and summer. 5) I hope to be able to fit onto uber-couch, our BMW R1200RT motorcycle. It has an onboard computer that can calculate instantaneous fuel consumption, as well as cruise control to minimize unintentional speed variations. I will PM you my address. We will be leaving for Vegas on the uber-couch on March 28, so if you could get it to me by then, I will do my best to get it on there. Once we get over the sierras and hit flat roads, I will run with it on for 100 miles, then off for 100 miles - both on the same tank of gas so gas quality is eliminated from equation. Repeating as often as possible. I will also filter out any data from mountain roads and city riding, as that skews data to the negative. I can reset the MPG calculator any time I want.

What do you mean by "better"? What do you want different? There are some aftermarket bars available, but all of the ones I am aware of are stiffer....

Yes, that is correct. I (and Mr. Sir Isaac Newton) guarantee it is not due to the spring rate of the torsion bar suddenly changing There may be a very slight "difference" in feel due to pivots moving in a less worn area - the extra friction will reduce ease of movement. One exception: If your shock absorbers have position sensitive damping, you will experience different damping characteristics at the different ride height - which WILL affect ride quality. Not aware of too many that do this, but it is physically possible to design a shock do so. The only things that will change the spring rate are to: 1) change the length of torsion bar (longer = softer, shorter = stiffer) 2) change the diameter of torsion bar (smaller = softer, fatter = stiffer) 3) change the material or temper of torsion bar And while you're interested in learning, I'll also point out that a coil spring is, in effect, a torsion bar - just one that has been twisted around into a helix. But the same laws of physics apply - the larger in diameter OR shorter in length the "wire" is, the higher the spring rate. So if you have a given coil spring and cut off 2 coils, you will make the spring stiffer. Kinda handy! After you've absorbed that, I'll be glad explain how progressive rate springs work! I love edumacating those that are more interested in physics and facts than fads and opinions!

If you can't get it out, just leave a strong magnet stuck to the ban so the chunk doesn't move around.

Would you dare send it to an engineer trained in objective data collection and analysis? I'm even capable of conducting blind tests. The one challenge I can't compensate for is the gasoline. As with all Californians, my fuel has oxygenates added. And depending on the type and %, it can affect fuel economy by well over 10%. And I have yet to find a way to know exactly what I'm getting....

Never any guarantees in life, but if there is ANY engine that will keep on keepin' on, it is the VG30! Still getting 20 mpg is a good sign! How much oil is she consuming?

Nice improvisation on the mounts! For others doing the same, the Surco rails are another option: http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.a...mp;autoview=sku I like them as they distribute the load over a large area, reducing risk of deforming roof. I plan to put a couple sets on the roof of Frankenvan to haul one of our sand quads. But you do still have to be creative when it comes to mounting rack to them.

Usually, but that does not address the real problem. The shield keeps oncoming traffic from looking directly into the arc, but the reflector is still not focused correctly. Point your vehicle at a dark wall and turn on low beam headlights. You will see a pattern on the wall, with a pretty pronounced cut off line - really bright below, dimmer above. But not DARK above. You can still see things due to the reflector aiming that 3% high. With a European spec reflector, it will be near pitch black, with effectively 0% aimed high. I have a set of Hella European reflectors on another vehicle. The difference is huge. The downside to these style reflectors is that they do not light up street signs or overhead freeway signs. That is another clue... If you can read street signs at night, do NOT install HID's.

Forgive me for being annoying, but if my fear is correct, you could have a problem (and soon)... Is he absolutely positive he re-installed both of the thin sheetmetal disks on either side of the crankshaft pulley? And installed so they flare slightly outward? The outer one needs to be removed to see the timing mark. If you forget to reinstall it (it goes BETWEEN the pulley and timing belt cover), it will cause problems. It is there to keep the belt centered. Without it, the belt can walk forward and hit the cover. Shredding and failure will result. It is very easy to forget. We did once, but noticed it on the "gotta put back in" parts tray before starting, so we just had to dismantle everything and pull the cover off again.

Wasn't it Aaron who used two factory Explorer oil coolers from JY? With as many of those as there are in JY's, I'd suspect they would be dirt cheap.

First is quite low - which is what you want off road. Unless I come to a complete stop (which I rarely do, this being California and all!), I leave it in 2nd. And I am running 32" tires. Even from a stop, put in 1st and pretty much let clutch all the way out in one smooth motion to get going. Properly driven, clutches can last over 200K miles. We've had 2 last that long already - with one at 230K and going strong!

I have to confess I am not quite understanding what you're trying to say... I have never heard of anything like this. Is the belt is tightened correctly per these instructions? http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=12828 Are the thin sheetmetal disks on either side of the crankshaft pulley? If so, I am at a loss to offer any ideas.

Need to add motorcycle! Not only is it unbelievable fun, I consistently get 40-50 mpg in town (yes, really - as verified by both the trip computer and doing the math at gas pump). And this is a rather large BMW 1200 cc "sport touring" bike. Saddlebags and full fairing. Yes, seats and grips are heated for the winter months.

HID's take a large voltage spike initially, and then they drop down and draw quite a bit less power than regular bulbs. Although companies sell HID elements "designed" to fit into standard sockets, don't go there without knowing what you're doing. You should NEVER put HID's into DOT assemblies originally designed for incandescents. The US DOT standard requires a certain percentage of light (3% if my memory serves me) to be aimed into the eyes of oncoming traffic.... If you put an HID in one of those reflectors, you WILL blind drivers. Why should you care? Blind drivers are more likely to drift into your lane and kill you. Dead sucks. For this very reason, California is beginning to crack down on illegal conversions. I am sure many other states have or will do the same. DOT reflectors designed for HID elements aim far less into oncoming traffic. European reflectors aim even less - most are close to 0% - even reflectors designed for incandescents. So if your vehicle came from factory with HID, keep it. They are freakin' awesome. If it did not, you MUST replace reflector with European style. And even then, you are technically illegal.

Heli coil, or drill and re-tap one size over. You need to remove the header any ways. If you put enough torque on to strip it, you have severely overcompressed the header gasket and it will never be able to seal properly. They should only be compressed a small to moderate amount to seal properly, hence the factory torque specs.

Yep. As long as you don't run the pump dry for a long time, it will be fine. Transmission is very different critter than the engine. When the truck is idling in park, all the gears and shafts are stationary. The only things moving are the pump and torque converter. And they are under minimal load so wear is unlikely if they are starved for oil for a couple/few seconds.

*** Shudders *** Cuervo? Are you masochistic or what??? That stuff is one of the worst tequilas made and gives a great alcohol a bad name. At least give Sauza Gold or Hornitos a try. Same price, 10X better. You can actually drink it rather than just try to get it past taste buds without gagging... Me? Depends on what I'm eating. Canadian whisky. Martini with twist. Gimlet! Been drinking a lot of those lately! Mine: 1 part Tanqueray, 2 parts Grey Goose, 1 part Roses. My girlfriend uses Grey Goose l'orange for a unique taste.