mws

I would have to agree. Also possible the damage was to a con rod bearing. But something changed shape! On the positive side, you have to remove this engine to install the new. When you're done, you can dissect this one for more education. Post photos and questions and I'll teach as much as I am able... I know others will as well. And of course, many others will be vicariously learning from our discussions!

Correction: You DO know what you're doing here - you're LEARNING! And good on ya for that! We all knew nothing at birth... It'll be easier to see damage once you get the head off. The special tool you need? Just get a big allen (hex) wrench in the size you need (was it 10 mm?), cut off the long leg before the elbow, and slip it inside the correct size socket. Once you get the head off, start by looking for gaps between the valves and their seats. Or just fill the ports with water. If the valves are bent, the water will leak between the valve and its seat. Also look for vent holes in the top of the pistons....

One more vote for A/T's. Functionally, they are far superior in wet, slushy, or icy conditions. Function before form, says the middle aged technogeek enginerd. I have a set of each - A/T's are there for all uses except when going out in the desert (cactus and sharp rocks) where I want the tougher sidewalls and tread of the Cooper STT's.

And... it's over. Oil prices shot up again yesterday. I got one tank in at sub $3 price... Hopefully Oregon will be slow to increase... We are heading to the Dunes this weekend. Driving Big Red (F-350 with 460 gasser). With travel trailer. And 2 quads. And 1 motorcycle. Last year we averaged 7.3 mpg.... and that was with only 1 quad.

I have installed DynoMax cat and muffler in 4 vehicles so far and like all 4. When installing, keep in mind that 90+% of gasket leaks are due to OVER-torquing of clamp bolts. Tight is good. A little more is NOT better.

Link is still dead. What is the myth he claims to be debunking?

Prices should be coming down in the next couple weeks! http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2007..._prices168.html

Yeah, I suspect the straight pipe will last about a week! Some engines sound good when loud (most v8's, v12's, V16's, I3's, 90 degree V2's, V4's with 360 crank, most radials), but for the most part, low rpm 4's and 6's sound, well, horrible. Kinda like a goat being violated by an elephant....

Looks like a re-badged and overpriced Air-Lift kit. I have the Air-Lift bags on mine (way under $100 from Summit without compressor - hand pump does fine) and can report they are excellent for un-squatting a heavily loaded truck! And they do noticeably firm up the ride and tighten up handling when towing. I enthusiastically recommend them for those purposes. I have them front and rear on my tow van as well.... Not much good to lift an empty truck as they dramatically increase spring rate. You can air them up when truck is empty and it will raise up an inch or so, but then it rides like a 1 ton truck with Rancho shocks...

I picked up a couple right angle fittings from corner auto parts store so I could mount the filter vertical. 2 bene's: 1) Less mess! After the filter is removed, I get about a teaspoon of oil dribbline out of the mount. Easy to catch with a couple paper towels placed under the filter before removal. 2) I can pre-fill the filter so the engine gets oil pressure almost immediately after start up.

I installed on both lifted and stock. The stock was more difficult, but still pretty easy.

What size tires and how hard do you wheel it?

HooHaa. Do it right, do it once. http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=14159&hl=

Usually 31x10.5-15 with proper backspacing. Some large versions will rub on some vehicles, but most are OK. Never heard of any 30x9.5-15 rubbing.

One thing to keep in mind - people who just shat their pants or had a heart attack are pretty dangerous company! So I prefer to stick to VERY LOUD but not heart stopping loud. I use Fiamm electric horns as stock replacement. Pretty much like the loudest stock horns you've ever heard. But then a secondary bowel moving horn can be fun (and useful) at times... but use it selectively - ie, not when oscar grope is driving by a crowd of school children.

Flowmasters are a matter of personal taste - and tolerance. Because they are a simple resonance chamber design, they muffle some frequencies but can actually amplify others. They do have to be a tendency to be very loud and resonant at certain rpm/throttle settings. Some think this drone is "cool" or powerful sounding, others find it is just plain annoying.

Word to the wise: Make sure you have the window DOWN when you make your decisions on how much room you have and what will fit!

Dozens... Loose strut, worn control arm bushing, worn sway bar bushing, loose sway bar mount, loose sway bar end, loose lug nuts, bad ball joint, loose crossmember bolt, bad tie rod end, worn or loose brake caliper, something broken, worn rack..... I would start with a bolt tightening party. Grab tons of tools, slide under there, and inspect and tighten everything you can see. You just may find something loose, broken, or just moving when it shouldn't. Focus on sway bar and struts (top and bottom).

Spent a couple hours diagnosing little blue ('95). Root problem: Both keyways are hogged out on the crank snout (harmonic balancer and cam belt pulley). Fortunately, the PO noticed something was amiss when it started losing power and parked it before the cam pulley key sheared off entirely! It had about 3-5 degrees of free movement, but not enough to put valves into pistons. So now we have to decide whether to weld up and regrind, or just replace crank. She has about 150K miles. I would prefer to replace crank and front and rear seals as there is quite a bit of oil mist down there, and because the truck is for my nephew' youngest son - a great guy who needs reliable transport to get him through college. Truck is immaculate and worth investing in. So what is involved in swapping the crank while engine remains in frame? I can see that oil pump, differential, crossmembers need to come out. It appears we will need to remove engine mounts and hoist her a bit. No problems there, just time. What about transmission (automatic)? Does it need to come all the way out, or can it just be slid back a bit? How difficult to unbolt tranny? She does not have a body lift. I assume it would be easier if the transfer case was unbolted first? Any tips and warnings appreciated! I prefer to go in knowing what to expect.

Currently have 4 pathies in the family. 0 have any rust issues. Just one of those annoying facts that make it harder to think it is purely a design flaw...

Fortunately for you, a properly sized cat won't cost you ANY mpg either!

Well said, Ghost. For me, I am planning to stick with Pathies for a very long time. Sure, they have a couple warts, but having owned and worked on many other makes, I still say the positives far outweigh the negatives. And these negatives are well known and most can be addressed. Something to consider: How many vehicles have 0 issues at 173K miles? ALL vehicles have issues - most far more and far more severe than these. Just because you don't know what they are doesn't mean they don't have any... Blindly jumping from a frying pan into a fire is painful. If I were in your shoes, I would find a rust free version, do some preventive action, and drive.

Good luck with the diagnostics. I am sure you can find it and fix it. I understand your frustration, but giving up and putting on a carb will really be a sad compromise.... You will need to change the fuel delivery system (much lower pressure), customize your own linkage, possibly have to tweak some sensors to get the ECU to still provide proper spark curve, etc. And then when it's all done, you are stuck with a carb and all the compromises that come with that. Heat soak problems, poor fuel economy, fuel delivery compromises, etc.

Good on you!

I, too, would immediately be considering a heart transplant. A GM 4.3L Vortec immediately comes to mind as they are quite plentiful with a lot of aftermarket support, but there will be a LOT of work involved.