mws

Yeah, really. I cannot explain it... I had considered Castrol one of the best dino oils available. But my experience showed it tended to lose viscosity pretty quickly in that application. Within 500-1000 miles after changing the oil, the problematic lifter would start tapping away again. It would stay silent with Mobil 1 for at least 5K miles. Doesn't the '95 recommend 10w30 or 10w40 oil? If so, repair may be as simple as to revert to a heavier oil.

Spritz with WD-40 to get the moisture out, and then pack it with grease to prevent water from getting back in. Where there is grease, there is no water!

I think it could. Basic concept of fuel injection: The ECU uses lots of inputs to determine how much fuel the engine would need under the conditions at this millisecond. Then it looks at what the O2 sensor is saying as to whether it is too rich or too lean and adjusts the mixture closer to ideal. Keep in mind that the feedback from the 02 sensor can adjust only so much. So if ANY of the key sensors are faulty, they will give the ECU faulty information and it is going to squirt too much or too little fuel. So any sensor can cause a "fuel delivery" problem. A faulty water temp sensor? If the sensor is telling the ECU that the engine is cold, the ECU is going to squirt a very rich mixture, and the feedback from the O2 will never be enough to make it right.

You won't get 2 sparks, or 4 sparks on a 4 prong. You will always get only 1 spark. The extra electrodes are there as "backups". As Pavelow said, the spark will always jump to the one ground offering least resistance. As it burns away, the resistance will go up so the spark will go to another one. That'w whay the +2 or +4 will last longer - you don't have to replace until both or all 4 have burned away. I use standard NGK plugs and change relatively frequently (every 20 or 30K). And ALWAYS use anti-seize on the threads.

What he said...

If it is an exhaust leak, it will get louder at larger throttle openings at the same rpm. Sounds like yours isn't doing that, so a sticky or bleeding down lifter is suspect. Try changing the brand of oil. In my old 240SX, I had a lifter tap while using Castrol GTX. Switched to Mobil 1 and it went away... Can't for sure explain why.

Do not delete the MAF sensor from your list of suspects - what you describe is consistent with problems with it. It's not sounding RPM related so much as an inability to correctly adjust fuel for changing air intake.

That's the view from the front, right? Let me guess, stock UCA's, right? The camber change is due to the suspension lift. Rough Country UCA's will correct most of it.

Super! Thanks for taking the time to post the updates. Others WILL find it helpful.

Is it worse when cold and then slowly gets better? (likely broken exhaust stud) - or - Worse right at start up then at some point quickly gets better? (likely a lifter issue) - or - Never really changes? Or very dependent on throttle position?

That is beautiful, well designed, well built, and worth every penny. I agree, you do tend to get what you pay for.

And if it wears more than 1/8" deep, you ought to consider replacing it!

I know you meant to say GL5.... and to answer your question, definitely switch back the trans at your soonest convenience.. One thing to keep in mind: To avoid liability risks, the dealer will vehemently deny that what they did was in any way detrimental to your truck and will say that the FSM, factory engineers, and I are all being foolish or in some way know less than they do. I always recommend that you do your own research and make your own conclusions about who to believe - and keep in mind what the person telling you has to gain or lose by their statements.

Other things I've done in the past, with proper care of course! - If a metal shell on the face of the seal, carefully drill a hole and insert a sheet metal screw and pull out with vice grips. - bend a low carbon content nail at a right angle and grind it into a flat hook that can fit between seal lip and shaft. Hold head with pliers and tug out.

For the front, absolutely. For the rear, they will work as will any other stock length replacement, but will not allow as much "extra" droop as you can get with a longer shock. Whether you want that extra droop is up to you.

The rear driveshaft is pretty long, I doubt you will have any binding issues unless you exceed 6" or so of SUSPENSION lift. It is a much bigger problem on vehicles with very short shafts - like CJ's.

They are ignorant or deceiptful.

Yet again, I am putting my money on Simon's theory...

You are correct - I had my positives and negatives confused! Thank you for pointing that out. http://www.yokohamatire.com/utmeasures.asp Ehh, on second thought, I went back and edited the original post to nip confusion in the bud. So now I can say: WTF are you talking about? I said positive!

If you're looking to improve performance, the best option is to follow Nissan's lead and swap to the 91-95 MPFI. Easy, not really, but....

The resistance you feel is compression and the valves. With the belt on, when you turn the crank, you are turning the cams which are opening valves. At some point, the closing valves will push you along rather than resist.

If you have the original shocks, the switch selects soft or firm damping rates.

Unless the noise is really loud or unbearable, you may be able to get many more miles off of it. Dump and refill with GL-4 - it won't fix any existing damage, but may prevent any additional. And unless there are many other problems with the truck, it is absolutely not a reason to give up on it! Replacing with JY trans is pretty straightforward. And compared to automatics, rebuilding a 5 speed is simple and extremely reliable.

Yozsi is correct. Puts on geek hat... More info those who care: GL is gear lube. GL-4 is designation for lubes intended for regular intermeshing gears - like straight cut, angle cut, or bevel gears. It must lubricate the bearings, gear teeth, and be able to withstand extreme pressure between gear teeth. GL-5 is designation for lubes intended for hypoid style gears - like most modern differentials. In these, there is also a tremendous amount of sliding action between the teeth as well as pressure. To protect them, GL-5 has additives (like the aforementioned sulfur) to provide extreme scuffing protection.

What kind of bedliner? (spray on, rubber sheet, etc)