CoastGuardZ

Well, this was IT! The straw that finally broke the camel's back, or at least the one that made me trade-in the Pathy. I decided that I was tired of the limited aftermarket support and rediculous prices for replacement parts and the frequency of failure... and the lack of a bed... I now have a '07 Frontier SE 4x4 Crew Cab Long Bed with the 6spd. I'll still be lurking around the forum so I'll "see" you around.

59k, but I just got rid of it. No issues with the VQ, the tranny, suspension and electrics.... that's another story. I did replace it with an '07 Frontier, the VQ40 which is a VQ35 stroked and with slightly lower compression. The VQ is a fine motor. As is the VG. The VG does have it's short comings though, such as: a timing belt and no balls... you have to force feed it to make any real power. As far as overall strength and reliability nothing can beat the old L series straight 6's... like the L24 in my '72 Z which has 293,000 miles on the clock and believe me I still beat the piss out of it when I get a chance.

240hp. The starting point for the VQ35 NA.

Of course I had to beat the hell out of a VG33 w/ 5spd just to get mediocre performance ... OTOH the VQ35 has plenty of power mated to an AT. As far as longevity I've seen many VQ30 Maximas with 200,000+ miles... As always, regular maintenance is the key. But I'll take an old L series 6 anyday.

Damn it! I just developed this same problem today! Mine is the SE, but I'm sure it's the same... Anyone know where to get one cheaper or how to repair it? Heck... where is it? Is it the actual control unit/interface?

Didn't have to deal with any bolts/nuts, had the shop do it all. The front resonators were removed a few months earlier and the flanges were rusted through. The first shop did such a crappy job that I had this shop replace their work too which is why I had all the pipe after the rear o2's replaced. Hey 90seven... PB Blaster will work better than ol' WD. Nate

Hey Everbody, just wanted to give you all an update on my exhaust experience... I had a local shop remove everything after the o2 sensors and weld in two 2.25" pipes back to a Flowmaster 50 Series SUV (P/N 524553) which is located in the OEM position. They then welded on a 2.75" pipe on the outlet of the muffler and exited it at the original position. I also had them utilize all the original exhaust hanger locations too. I wanted it to look similar to stock. I had to use the local Midas because there are no custom shops around here and most other exhaust places didn't want to touch it. Luckily they have two guys that work there who specialize in their custom work. Unluckily NY is stupid expensive and double so living here in the middle of nowhere. Flowmaster: ~$100 from Summit. Pipe, bending, welding, hangers, labor, and highway robery: ~$300 It is a bit louder in the cabin than I had hoped for, but it sounds way cool outside :cool2: Also not real happy about the kink bending but in a town where even the Burger King shut down, good luck finding a shop that can do mandrel. Go here to listen to it: http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseacti...eoid=1951347443 And here are some pics: All Comments, Questions and Ridicule is welcomed!

Sweet rig... I definetlly suggest a custom exhaust... you gotta let the girl breath... they are very choked up from the factory. I love the all black, I wish I would've gotten a black one but I went silver... oh well. Who knows, a better flowing exhaust might help your mileage too.

A Pathy still isn't a truck. I miss my Fronty something fierce! Frame or not, station wagons still don't have a bed and therefore can never be trucks. My current contemplation is whether to pick up Frontier and toss in a VQ or just drop the dough for a Titan. So you guys (and gal) can all shun me now. :X 93xe- Sounds like you got a good deal. Good looking R50 buddy. And for navygz19... Fronty's just do it better...

I had an '03 Frontier 4x4 VG33 with the 4.64's and 31x10.5 Yokohama's and the 5spd... got 14-15 in town and 16-17 on the hwy... even with the bed loaded down and pulling my Z. My Pathy with the VQ gets 16.5 in town and I've seen as high as 19.5 at 75-80 on the hwy. Right now with all the variables winter throws in, I'm averaging 14. On the other hand my Z with the original L24 dual carbs and nearly 300,000 miles get a solid 26 on the hwy!

Wow, that sucks. Didn't the VG33 get an extra 10hp in '03? They had 170 before and in '03 they jumped to 180hp and like 210 or 201 ft. lbs. I guess on the upside it's an instant upgrade for you :cool2:

Alex, If you turn the key just to ON, you should hear the pump. It'll be easier to hear with the drivers door still open. The sound you hear is just the pump priming and only last a second or two. When mine acted up I heard nothing... just a couple of relays clicking into their positions. Our problems do sound a bit different and may not be related at all, but one can only hope. I'm hoping mine was just a fluke and never comes back ... on the other hand if it does happen again, I'll be forced to look into it. Don't know if you've checked yet, but how do your battery cables look? Both ends of each cable. You know, at the battery terminals, the starter, the alternator... you never know it could be very simple. Keep us updated.

Alex- I share a problem similar to yours. 3 days ago I drove mine to work and parked it, at the time it was about 8* F. About an hour later I went to start it and it would just turn over and not fire up. I noticed that I did not hear the fuel pump. After a plethora of foul language I pulled and checked all the fuses associated with the Fuel and Ignition System and gave all the associated relays a light tap. She then fired up just fine. Have had any problems since after a couple dozen starts or so, but I fear it happening again and not starting at all. I'll be following this thread. Any input out there? -Nate

Sway bar end links. That's what it was for me on my '02 @ 33,000 miles. Just get under there and pry up on the sway bar at the link... any movement at the top or bottom and it's toast. Common enough that my dealer here in a very small town in the middle of nowhere stocks them. If you find one bad, just replace them both. I thought I narrowed it down to the right side and after replacing I started hearing the same noise from the left. I got 'em for like $10 to $15 a piece at the dealer. Good Luck.

Roger that.