pathfounder

Maybe he ran out of gas somewhere and can't get online to tell us.

Based on your last post, it sounds like it's either not a problem, or the converter clutch could be acting up. It does happen. I've had one stick engaged right until the engine got to 0rpm. I've also had one engage and disengage really abruptly on flat ground and steady speed for no reason. They do fail sometimes. If the RPM change is very small and it feels like half of a real gear change, or the opposite, feeling like you've been rear-ended, then it could very well be the clutch.

The ONLY way to calculate average mileage accurately is to use the trip meter to measure how far you went since the last fill, and divide that number by how much fuel you put in to fill it back up. Tank capacity can't be used because no one runs it until it is empty, and the reported capacities are approximate.

31s with factory alloys fit just fine.

If it's only going up by a couple hundred RPM, it's the torque converter clutch releasing and engaging. It will do this to give the gutless engine under the hood a fighting chance at getting through a gust of wind or small hill. Mine did it often with or without using cruise control, especially when I put the 31s on. You could confirm this by driving a bit slower and seeing if it goes away, or way faster. Best remedy is probably a V8 swap.

I got 8-10mpg in my 97 automatic with a bad MAF and knock sensor. Replace the knock sensor, and forget about the whole "relocation" malarkey that you'll read about. Take the intake off, and replace the real one with the same part number, in the place where it belongs. Your front o2 sensors are probably shot by now from running in those conditions. Also, your cats might be done as well, but it won't affect mileage unless they've melted. The rear o2 sensors are not important for mileage. I myself have had back luck with MAFs. My first one made the engine underpowered but with occasional "burps" of torque such as right after a gear change. No codes ever thrown for it. My second one was mechanically damaged somehow, and the ECU would lose the signal from it, but it would just think the engine is turning off. It would stall at stops, and jerk hard at speed (basically stalling and bump-starting at speed). Consider replacing the MAF after all else fails. Or, if you can get one cheap, replace it FIRST because it's only two screws to swap it. If you're saying that this problem jumped from your old engine to the new one, then right away you can say that the problem is with a part that was NOT changed, again, maybe the MAF. If not, it's a pretty epic coincidence that two engines have the exact same issue.

You should be able to shift between 2H and 4H at any reasonable speed, as long as you are cruising in "steady state", as in, no cornering, accel, decel, braking, wheelspin, etc. 4L is a different story. The transfer case is unsynchronized, so you need to be at a standstill, and the transmission must be in Park or Neutral. If not, an autobox will turn the t-case input shaft and the dogs won't catch (or even if they do, it'll be loud and nasty). With manual hubs, I don't see engaging hubs first versus transfer case first making any difference. Either way, the truck is stopped while you are outside of it locking the hubs with your hand.

It makes sense to have them in opposite positions, or else they wouldn't be changing the camber angle much, if at all. To compensate for a lift with struts, you'd need the bottom bolt pushing the wheel outboard, and the top bolt pulling inboard.

Also, I don't see that removing the CVs will be effective in narrowing it down. They probably won't vibrate much, if at all when they are not loaded with torque.

If you really want to confirm that the wheel bearings are OK and have no play, you need to take the drive flange off and use a dial indicator to see motion between the stub axle that holds the hub, and the hub. I once had my front left brake rotor grinding when making left turns. Ended up being that the bearings had just enough slack to allow the rotor to change angle slightly, and rub on the partially-sticky caliper.

I definitely considered this, and really the only thing holding me back is that if I did that, I'd still have all of the other problems with the vehicle, and my life has changed such that I don't have the time to put lots of work into cars anymore. It's only been 12 days since I found the tear and bought another vehicle, and I do miss it a bit, but I think letting it go is the right thing to do. If Nissan repairs it, I might just keep it on the road but not do any repairs other than ones that are absolutely necessary for my own safety.

The VG33 in my rusted 1997 Pathy (see other thread) is completely bulletproof mechanically, but not electrically. I have had endless problems with sensors failing for seemingly no reason. I'm on my 3rd MAF in 10,000 miles. The engine itself is as tight as the day it was built, and it probably has another decade of service to offer. It's a tragedy that the metal (body) and electrics surrounding it aren't of the same quality.

I don't have any pics at the moment, but basically, take the "cylinder" that forms the strut tower (not the hemisphere wheel well) and picture a 1/4" gap between it and the top of the uniframe channel. The one piece hanging on has visible plastic deformation, so it's not just rusting and flaking off, but actually failing. Towncivilian's link makes me think I should take a few things like the floormats, jack, etc, and then maybe put on the crappiest wheels and tires I can find, then bring it in. They'll either repair it or buy it off me. I seriously doubt it's ok as-is. As I said: it's not flaking off rusty bits, but tearing.

Not bad. The VG33s are a snail by comparison.

My 1997 Pathfinder, just as it became less and less reliable, finally let me down. We were raising it up on a hoist when I looked into the driver's wheel well, and there it was, an 8-inch rip in the strut tower. A small bit was hanging on, but we could see that it too was failing. So, the purpose of this thread is to ask what to do with it. It's not in good shape overall but it does have some valuables, such as about $400 in rims and tires. If I bring it to the dealer, and they deem it unsafe and then "buy" it from me, am I able to reject that offer and have it towed home? It seems like an owner of a vehicle is entitled to determine its fate (roadworthiness aside). My concern is getting a low amount for it, below what I could get by parting it out. What kind of money are people getting for these?

My 97 had 265/70R15 on it when I got it, and there was tons of room with the factory 6-spoke alloys. I am now running 31x10.5R15 on the same rims and again, I have a ton of clearance. 265 70 15 = 29.606" 265 75 15 = 30.650" 265 75 16 = 31.650"

AutoPartsWay has been good to me.

No, my Pathfinder has one. I'd rather have a fixed one.

I'd pop off the drum and get a real look at what is going on. If it's that potent, I fully expect you to find brake fluid contaminating the brake shoes.

My fender antenna is broken (doesn't hoist) but I still get decent reception on most FM stations, thankfully. I can hear the motor trying to hoist it, but it just doesn't. Oh well.

use 80 90

A small block is a small block. A 267 is the same size and within 10-20lb of a 400.

I think I used something like two bottles when I did mine. Buy three and return one unopened. You should be able to tell if you have LSD or not just by driving through mud or gravel with some heavy throttle.

I don't think an SBC would fit well in an R50 by the time you had everything packaged. That said, simplicity is not an issue. A small block needs nothing other than 12 volts, two coolant hoses, a single fuel line, a transmission, exhaust, and motor mounts to be runnable. I think if I was going to do an engine swap in an R50, it would either be a VQ v6, or a Ford 302. The 302 is a lot smaller and lighter than an SBC.

I am very happy with my '97, save for a few things. For one, the mileage I get is pretty bad. I average around 11-13 mpg, except for exclusively highway runs where I can get "up to" 17 mpg. This is with no CEL or driveability problems. My engine has a front main seal leak, which luckily does not affect the timing belt, but does leave a ton of spots on my driveway. The corrosion of visible bodywork is pretty amazing, I'd say worse than average. Luckily, the places that count are not rusty. The 4-speed auto hunts a lot around 70km/h (40 mph). I think the 5-speed manual would be a better choice. The road manners are better than a WD21 by a fair bit, and likely better than a 4Runner, but the offroad capability is limited because of the use of struts up front. I describe the R50s as "highly capable soft-roaders". I would say that many repairs are not DIY friendly. A code reader is a must, but a full diagnostic laptop arrangement would be better. The engine is really wedged in there and hard to work on. Non-engine related repairs are easy though, just as easy as my 1982 Chevy. I think that's it. I'd recommend one to anybody that can live with the small faults.