adamzan

It's really weird because you'd think that would cause higher than normal temps... My parents r50 when the water pump went it would overheat (but not completely boil over) at speed because the impeller was slipping. You say the sensor tested good as well, is the wiring ok? No crazy resistance from the connector to wherever it ends in the harness? Sometimes moving old wires around makes problems lol. Have you thought about installing an after market temp gauge for testing?

170F is pretty low temp wise, Nissan seems to run the VQ hot, like 95C hot. I didn't see it mentioned anywhere, but was this an oem thermostat or an aftermarket? I have seen aftermarket ones test fine but be just out of the OE spec enough during operation to cause these problems. The Nissan thermostats can handle varying the flow better vs the aftermarket ones that seem to just open full blast at the rated temp. My Xterra (VG33ER not 4.0) will barely get up to the factory rated 170F temp in the winter here when driving. I have to cover half the rad if not more with cardboard to get good heat.

Yeah, the ssl cert for the site is expired. I'll PM Redpath about it.

Mine did this and it was too much toe in. Have the alignment re checked, it would be amplified x100 in 4wd.

All these issues sound like a ground problem. Did you run a separate ground for the radio or just have it grounding through the antenna (the actual ground in aftermarket harnesses doesn't connect on these trucks, they use the antenna and the metal dashboard frame as ground).

If it does a 360 it's likely the plastic bits inside the door have broken, it was kind of common, take the door panel off and look.

I'm pretty sure they are the same for the VG30 and 33. You can also check nissan part numbers at courtesyparts.com.

Pulled mine into the garage for the winter. I've committed myself to a DIY restore of the thing. So that will start with replacing the crunched in drivers rear quarter behind the tire. Had another member here slice the part off of their parts rig so hopefully that goes okay. I will post pictures of course.

Since you're in Ontario, I have a spare glove box from my parts truck that you can have, if you end up breaking yours. From my 94 round dash.

It is the door lock timer box itself. Mine did it as well. Only in the cold weather, it was due to the solder joints cracking on the board. I re flowed the solder on them and never had another problem. IIRC it is behind the panel in the drivers side cargo area. Just have someone actuate the locks and you'll hear it.

I know some of them didn't come with the bulb for the engine light or the label for it, but apparently if you take the cluster out and fill in any missing bulbs, one of them is actually the engine light. Dumb, I know.

While it sounds like it is the issue they have, it certainly isn't a common failure point on the 2001+ RE4R01A. There are loads of first gen xterras around with 250K+ on the original transmission. When my 1995 lost reverse it would work fine in the cold when the fluid was thick. But I believe it is more a varnish issue than broken parts, simply because adding a can of seafoam trans tune would literally "Fix" it for months at a time. OP I would try flushing the fluid out and testing the line pressure. If it's low, you know where to go from there.

The xterra hoses are pretty different, I have an xterra and a pathfinder. Pathfinder uses banjo bolts while the xterra has a flared fitting, like a large brake line to the steering box. A lot easier to just use the adapter (which really is just a new balancer your pulley set bolts to), than futz around with making custom ps and ac lines. Plus I didn't have to discharge my aircon. I just want what drops in the easiest and won't be too much hassle for anyone in the future who has to order parts or work on it.

Did you use an oem distributor or an aftermarket? The aftermarket ones are dodgy at best, I had to warranty mine 3 times before I got a good one. The 2nd one lasted 10km...

Easier to just remove the plenum. It isn't that hard and your hands will thank you.

If you have the adjustable shocks still there's a good chance they are pretty worn out by now. If you can find some new old stock they are great if not the bilstein ones make an excellent replacement.

For the 3.3 swap, if you want to keep all the VG30 accessories you can get a pulley adapter for the crank from Mr.510. Not sure if he has them in stock but he did have an ebay store.

I love the detail going into this build. I'm more of a slap the new parts in and install it kinda guy. Admire your patience.

I might delete on those lines next time I'm in there. Not sure about you but I don't like patching frames anymore so I don't drive my current wd21 in the winter salt lol.

The aftermarket distributors are hit and miss. They don't usually fail on the VG30, that's more of a VG33 thing. The bearing fails and causes the optical sensor to read wrong.

Yeah, if you're losing fuel pressure immediately, there's either a leak somewhere in the lines or the unit in the tank itself. I have seen on some vehicles the rubber hose connected to the pump inside the tank deteriorate over time causing this. But it usually comes with a really hard start condition too. The MAF wiring was a known issue on these trucks. Right at the connector and wiggling it did temporarily resolve it for a lot of people. So you might want to look there.

@SlartibartfastWhen you do this let me know. I'd be glad to buy all of the auto climate control parts off of you.

It doesn't need to be indexed, and the crank position sensor on the VG33E doesn't actually have anything to do with how the engine runs (yeah, I know lol). It is just there for diagnostics. Since it is a distributor-based system, it doesn't utilize it for engine timing.

I had this happen on mine and lived with it for years, turns out it was the alternator. You could try getting one of those ground loop isolators and see if that helps? Doesn't make sense to replace a working alternator. Also - another Ontario first gen? Where at? These are a rare sight these days and I don't even drive mine in the winter... Frame will rot out too fast lol.

You can get them on rock auto too, the trackmotive ones. Apparently they are quite good. I've ordered a set for mine as well!