Tungsten

Your radiator is more than likely to be plugged. It really should not have issues even in 100 degree weather. 100 degrees is still colder than what the engine runs at. There are a few reasons why you don't really want to oversize a radiator. 1. A bigger radiator means you will have to use more coolant. That means more expensive refills during maintenance intervals. 2. A bigger or more heavy duty radiator will add weight although it is negligible. It would definitely be more clumsy to remove during timing belt replacements. 3. A bigger radiator can actually lower the temperature way too quickly for the thermostat to keep up with so you may have more fluctuations in temperature while driving in colder weather. You may actually have to use a hotter thermostat to compensate for that and that will actually go against desert driving temperatures. 4. A bigger or more heavy duty radiator tends to be more expensive so if something ever happens to it you just end up spending all that money for nothing. Nissan selected the radiator for the VG30E/VG33E and KA24E engines based on their factory power output and they accounted for plenty of overhead too. So while it may look small and light, it does the job just fine.

I have recently done an e-fan conversion. http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/topic/33772-dakota-digital-electric-fan-controller-with-ford-taurus-38-fan/ You don't have to go the same way but I used the factory sender.

Plastic top and bottom but the plastic has never failed on me. I don't see why you would want a metal core for top and bottom anyway. That will only increase your warm up time from the extra heat dissipation. Besides, radiators are kind of disposable anyway so why spend the extra coin for a more costly all metal one? The Koyorad has served me well for years and with a coolant change every other year it has not let me down yet. If this one ever breaks or gets plugged up for some weird reason or the fins get bent or whatever, I would buy another one of the same and keep going. Since you mentioned it, for desert driving, if your radiator, fan clutch (or e-fan), and thermostat work, you should not have any issues getting around even with the A/C on. The only time you would want to look into a cooling system upgrade is if your engine makes significantly more power than stock. Otherwise you will be burning away fuel with longer warm up times. I know I'm probably going to get attacked for saying that but I can explain why you actually don't want to oversize the radiator even when the engine has a thermostat. Just curious what temperatures do you get out in the desert? Or where does the temperature needle point? Also, do you have a transmission cooler or is it a MT?

It has been done before. Not my preference but you do get value out of a SBC.

Maybe only in California... I am speaking from actual experience with catalytic converters and inspections. FYI B, the inlet/outlet size does not affect emissions so you can upgrade yours to a bigger one as long as it's CARB compliant.

Just seems like the battery may be on its way out. They will eventually fail if you don't maintenance the electrolyte levels. See sulfation in the FSM or Google it.

To be honest here I never had a problem with my Magnaflow catalytic converter either because my engine runs properly and I think it's the less expensive ceramic core too. However I would not run one if I didn't have to pass smog. Just another part to keep an eye on. The good part about running it though is it acts as a sound filter that removes high pitched raspy noises and doesn't make you smell so bad in traffic.

Hydraulic lifter tick is probably a good reason. Again I'm just hypothesizing here but I don't see why not especially on a high mileage engine.

Try a Koyorad replacement I have one, it works great and fits like a real Nissan part would

I got that same noise. No idea where the hell it's coming from but I am pretty sure it is the injectors and they probably tick from age. It does not make the sound when you rev in neutral or when you drive around in low gears and at high rpms. It will only come in when the engine is moving at around 2000-3000 rpm in higher gears on the highway. Basically it only goes in under load. I know what a leaking manifold sounds like and it is definitely a different kind of ticking because even my camera will not pick it up it's just so high pitched. I can't pinpoint it with a stethoscope because it doesn't show up when the vehicle is not moving. No idea what it is. I never replaced the EGR valve or EGR valve gasket though and that's the last thing I would look at. So I just said screw it and drive around with the noise because it doesn't seem to affect anything. Every VG30E and VG33E I have heard for some reason develops this weird ticking sound under load over time. Of course this is not to be confused with the studs breaking, which is a different problem and sounds a little different too. You can check for carbon deposits. If the manifold leaks you will see black carbon deposits. Other thing you can do is feel for any exhaust coming out around the gasket areas. Good luck!

They are L68111 http://www.amazon.com/Timken-L68111-Wheel-Bearing/

Should do it just fine

That's actually partially not true. It is true that the Quest had a modified VG engine but every VG engine ever made was based on an interference design. The camshafts however could have a lower lift to avoid smashing the valves in case the timing belt ever broke. Either that or the engine could be lower compression where the pistons would not touch the valves. There could be something to make the engine act as a non-interference but the fact is the geometry of the engine and heads was never changed in any vehicle the VG was installed in.

If you live in a non smog state, you can forget the converter. If you need to pass emissions then you have to use a converter. Simple as that. While newer catalytic converters are more efficient than ever, especially Magnaflow, they are not fail proof. Running rich will kill them really fast and you cannot avoid running rich because you will run rich every time the engine has to warm up so the converter takes a huge blow every time. If you wheel on trails where there is grass and such you can risk setting everything on fire with a hot catalytic converter especially when it starts to get plugged. The only real drawback of not running a catalytic converter is the smell from the exhaust but you shouldn't be sniffing that anyway. If you must run a catalytic converter, as a rule of thumb the metallic core converters are superior to ceramic core converters in both durability and efficiency but running either is fine. In short, catalytic converters have some really good benefits and some really nasty drawbacks. If you can avoid using one, do so.

That much noise must suck on the highway.

check out the missing link from fleurys

What the above posters said is correct. You will not have the same scavenging with true dual pipes and lose your torque. I suggest staying with a Y-pipe and either a 2.25" or a 2.50" pipe depending on your Y-pipe outlet size. You can still go to dual pipes without issues as long as you use an X-pipe. The only problem with using dual exhaust is you need to get creative with fitment because it's difficult to run a dual pipe under the truck. The frame is just set up like that for some reason. Before you go to a dual pipes, you want to know your local laws about modifying the exhaust. There are some states that say if your vehicle never came with a dual exhaust then it can't have one. Theoretically, if you can get creative, an X-pipe design will be superior to a Y-pipe design. You can use dual mufflers (and maybe dual catalytic converters for whatever reason) to reduce the back pressure in the system while still having a quiet ride. For dual pipes you don't want anything larger than 2 inch. The other way to do this properly is to use a single in and dual out muffler. Then you have less piping (and only a single converter) while having the look you are going for. Dual out mufflers also have an advantage where the exhaust gasses can exit much easier and that may even add up to efficiency. You can even combine those two ideas and have X pipes and dual out mufflers but that might get kind of ridiculous. Basically anything goes as long as it is not a true dual.

A fusible link connector is likely but I think he would not be able to start the truck. I would check those out anyway... It's most likely one of the ignition system relays that are not working. They are positioned right above the fuse holder in the dashboard.

Yes, go with the 70268. You can mount a thicker cooler but you may need to modify the plastic grille slightly. I have successfully mounted a 70264, which is double the capacity of a 70268 but I had to trim the plastic grille just a bit. It works fine but if I did it again I would have gone with a 70268 instead.

The light problem is caused by the switch. The contacts just burn off over time inside the switch. To prevent this problem from ever happening, you need to relay the headlights directly to the battery. The gas gauge problem can be caused by a few things. The sender could be malfunctioning or the voltage regulator on the back of the cluster may be needing some adjustment. Peel back the carpet in the cargo area and open the fuel pump access hole to inspect the sender for corrosion.

The Juke motor is not even worth the effort.

Is your amp indicator turning on during bulb check? Does the bulb check relay work? Are any of the fuses blown in the fuse box?

The only thing that seems to be iffy with the VG30E and VG30ET engines is the size and material of the crankshaft. I heard they will take up to 500 HP just fine but anything after that is going to be short lived.