bmitchell

I hadn't realized the rocker assembly was all that was holding the camshaft down - I went to break the nut on the sprocket and I couldn't get enough force since the cam just kep on lifting up. Had to tighten the rocker assembly back on there to get enough torque to get that dang nut loose. Live and learn. Ben

That is possibly the best description I've ever heard. Thanks - I finally got my hands on a Haynes (Chilton was royally ticking me off) and I think I've got everything I need for the specific things I'm doing - but I'll let you know when I mess up my vacuum line connections. Ben

I started this several weeks ago - I'm definitely not racing through any of it. Ben

Hey guys, wasn't sure where to put this since 1) it isn't a Pathfinder and 2) it is really just some photos. These are some pictures from my D21 Z24i project. It started as a head gasket replacement but I've got parts to go ahead and swap out some of the timing system (tensioner, new chain, and a bushel of gaskets). It is also a learning experience for me. Here they are. For reference, this is the external view of the truck. Where the intake manifold was. Camshaft and timing chain. Where the water pump was. Look at that grime. Another shot of the camshaft. Where the exhaust manifold was. You can see the large crack in the exhaust pipe. Some wiring, just for ambiance. Ben

Gotcha. I'll check that when I do a flush.

That actually sounds a lot like what mine is doing - the actual MPH of the flare would differ based on other factors I'd guess. Was it a fluid line or something else? Ben

Ok - so what I am looking at now is this. The brown/yellow cable into the AT control unit is supposed to be connected to the dropping resistor, which is supposed to be a second link off of the green/yellow that is checking out currently (where I posted step C failed I was wrong; the FSM calls two different things "port 34" (three actually)). So why don't I have a green/yellow and brown/yellow plug to connect to the dropping resistor, and since I don't have one, where does the brown/yellow come in to the engine compartment, and if it was just disconnected at some point, shouldn't it be spliced into the green/yellow cable? Here we see, arrowed in green, the dropping resistor and its unplugged connector, circled in green. What to plug in to this is my conundrum. The mauve arrow points to some jumpered connection that seems a likely candidate for being the bypass. Does anyone know what this is? At this point I am skeptical that this has anything to do with my problem since it obviously isn't wired correctly and hasn't been since I bought it, though it worked normally for months before the problem condition. Ben

I know this might be a dumb question -- especially since I am staring at the wiring diagram... To what should the dropping resistor be connected? Since I started I did not disconnect it but it is plugged in to nothing and there doesn't seem to be any connector of a similar shape anywhere. Also -- I know nobody touched it between normal operation and problem operation. I would take a photo but nothing is plugged in to it. I'm sure one can imagine a non-connected dropping resistor. Ben

Ok - so now I'm failing on step B (subharness to connector 33) of the line pressure valve solenoid circuit check. Had to take off several interior panels to get to one little unit - why would they not put in an access panel...I don't get it. So - dropping resistor for the circuit is possible - may need to be rewired since step C (subharness to connector 34) is also NG. Much farther in one day than I've been all week. Will report back later. Ben

I know it's been a while since I posted but I've been super busy with all sorts of craziness. Anyway, here's what's up. 94 Pathy SE, auto trans. I've had this thing for about six months and I love it. It ran great until the past month and still runs fine in certain modes. When I've got my selector in D, everything is fine for 1 and 2. When it should be shifting to 3 (around 35-40MPH from the shift schedule chart I have) it instead seems to be shifting to 4th or possibly 4+lockup (5?). RPMs shoot up over 3-4k and speed drops off. It still pulls if I rev it higher but it doesn't feel like 3rd - have to get it up over 4k to feel it pull, which is gradual, not like a downshift - just very low torque. Reverse, neutral, 1 and 2 work great. Park is fine too. 4/4lockup seems normal but hard do say without redlining it in 2 to get up to speed. It feels like it is just skipping over 3rd. The first time it did this I was in a bad mood and wasn't paying much attention; the AT got pretty hot. I live on a mountain and it was fine the first time I drove down and back up, then I went down to get something else and on the way back up (about a mile from home) it started doing this. For a little while, if I gave it enough throttle it would downshift back to 2, but it is picky about doing that now. No error codes from the ECU if I am reading it correctly. No Check Engine indicator. I've been through old slip threads and all sorts of google pages, not to mention the FSM, but nobody seems to have this exact problem and the FSM says narrows it down to the accumulators, which it doesn't say what to check for. I don't think the TC could be a problem or it'd be apparent in the other gears. My first check was the TPS but it checks out fine. My second would be VSS but if I understand the year/model correctly it would show oddities in the speedometer if it were faulty, which it doesn't. I have twice drained the ATF and refilled as indicated but each time I only get about 4QT out of the 9QT total. I haven't done a complete flush from the lines and internal pump yet, just from the AT pan hole. I have a new gasket and filter for the AT pan but I thought I'd ask before I got under there what I might look for. If I read the service manual correctly the AT has its own self-test, which I have not performed yet since I didn't know the procedure. This is top of my to-do list tonight. EDIT: Self-test shows 10th judgment flicker, indicating a problem with the Line Pressure Solenoid Circuit. Will continue diagnosis. Any suggestions? Vacuum line? Solenoid? Accumulator? Valve? Controller? I'm pretty much a noob when it comes to ATs- are the accumulators the same as the valves? Is this considered slipping or flaring? Also, I think there's something wrong with the 'other' VSS - ABS and brake indicators come on but the fluid level is good and the ABS seems to be working. Indicators go off if I turn hard left so I could have a shorting wire or something. Ben

Awesome, thanks. Ben

Thanks, that's what I'll look for then. Ben

That's what I figured but I thought I'd ask. Ben

My Pathfinder is a 94 SE with the sport tires and stock suspension. It did not come with a jack. I have tried using my smallish (it wasn't small for my D21) hydraulic jack and it just doesn't have enough lift even with several boards beneath. I am looking for a jack (probably scissor) that will extend far enough, but I was wondering if the stock SE skid bars were strong enough to be used in conjunction with a high lift. If so I'll probably just go that route. Ben