mws

Welcome! First off, the '88 is also FI'd - it's just that it is a TBI instead of MPFI. The crankcase, heads, accessories, etc are effectively identical. So yes, it can be done. You just need to keep ECU, sensors (MAF, air temp, TPS, etc), wiring harness, and air plumbing (filter, etc) for the intake you choose to use. But that is more work than just swapping in the new engine and using the original '88 parts from intake up. The main thing the later MPFI gets you is a bit more power and efficiency. I've thought of doing it, but durnit, the '88 TBI system works well enough to make it not quite worth it to me! In addition, it would cause some hassles for me in California for smog reasons. It would need to go to referee station and be inspected as the year of the engine.

Oh, and always keep in mind these are interference engines! ALWAYS turn engine over manually (socket on crankshaft) before hitting the starter! If you are off more than 3 teeth, hard damaging type contact will be made. (DAMHIK)

Welcome! Check this thread, I think you will find all you need. If not, let us know what more we can do. http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=12828 And we don't hate Wrangler guys at all..... maybe a touch of pity, but definitely no hate! (It tends to be the Jeep guys that seem to hate everyone else. But maybe that's just jealousy?)

Ding Ding Ding! We have a winner! Two winners, actually! 1 golden star to Aaron for helping the guy out! And 1 golden star to LandShark for the most informative post possible! Way to go, guys! THIS is the kind of behavior that keeps this site great! Here's to hoping your days go as well as you deserve!

With regards to '87-'95 WD21's: Solid (and beefy) H233 rear axle. Some with LSD. Lock-Rite available for open diffs. IFS front. Came with autolocking front hubs, manuals available. True 4x4 with real transfer case (no electric psuedo stuff) Body on frame construction (not flexi-flyer unibody) Automatics, if abused, are weak link. Properly cooled, are fine. Most of us much prefer the 5 speed which is borderline indestructable. Crawl quite well bone stock, outstanding with some mods. Bottom line, one of the best true 4x4's available from factory in the 90's. Do not require nearly as many mods to be capable as Jeeps, Fords, Chevy's, or any others. And for any level of competency, still less expensive. Warning: You will probably lose interest in Explorers after trying one.

Almost certain they will rub some, especially when turning. I have 265/75-16 AT's on 16x8 wheels with near optimal backspacing (unfortunately, I forget exactly how much). I have 3" body lift and about 2" suspension lift. The front right still (lightly) rubs the plastic of the fender flare at the back during sharp right turns. I'm pretty sure the wheels you're looking at here will place the outer edge of tread even further outboard, making rubbing even worse. Edit: My 16x8 wheels are 4" backspace, -12 mm offset, so these wheels would result in the tires being offset almost exactly the same, so they will theoretically fit about the same. Keep in mind the generally recommended MAXIMUM wheel width for 265/75-16's is 8". Min is 7". 9" is too wide, and will result in a less than optimal sidewall and tread profile, and expose the wheel to more trail damage.

Excellent! Glad to hear it!

I got the UCA's and Heckethorn shocks (called Rough Country 8000 series) direct from Rough Country.

Seek and ye shall find! http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=28 The actual part number is listed in the broken exhaust stud section.

Yes. They are designed to bolt to Cat in the stock location.

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?

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.

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.