bmcgawain
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Posts posted by bmcgawain
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For anyone that doesn't have a BG intake system, you can always get the engine to opperating temp and pull a vacuum line, suck a half quart of dextron 3 trans fluid Into the intake. Then shut the engine off and let it soak for 30 minutes. When you start it up its gonna smoke like crazy. Just drive the fire out of it and voila! Carbon is gone
I learned that trick at tech school. Just have to make sure you don't let the engine die while it's going into the intake. I always hold the throttle around 3,000 rpm. It may not be as perfect as the BG system, but snake oil is all the same right?! Jk. Good write up by the way. It's the little things that make it feel new again. -
I have hope for the floor board repairs now! My rear seats have rust almost this bad. I can definately see the ground under them. Now I just need a welder and free time.
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By extractors I mean the individual pipes that replace a standard exhaust manifold. I think sewebster has got the right idea.
The comments so far have summed up what I have already been thinking. Increased off road ability decreases on road ability and vice versa.
Because I spend most of my time on road and plan to go away on weekends I need to be able to set my Pathfinder up to match how I use it. Sort of a compromise between on road and off road ability. Any suggestions as to which mods to put on and leave off with this in mind?
Try using it stock. Then figure out if that works for you. If your not a hardcore trail junkie, then the stock setup might be more than you need.
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I don't think putting any kind of extractor in your exhaust is gonna help anything. The exhaust is only going to flow what the system is designed for. Lots of gimmicks out there so do your research. As far as a webber goes, count on it taking more drinks at the petrol station. I installed one on my Toyota pickup and read about them for months. Their claims of its two barrel design offering more fuel in the primary to save gas by reserving the need or demand on the secondary. Totall line of bs. Also fuel pressure would be a serious issue for your rig. Not sure how many psi are in a stock pathfinder, but because it's fuel injected its gonna be somewhere in the 25-50 range. Webber only needs 3-6 psi to avoid problems. Basically everything you mentioned doing to the rig will improve your off road abilities, but kill your daily driving commuting aspects. Can't have both realistically.
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Wow, this cup holder thing is outta control! I'm gonna stick my kneck out here on this one for a little TRUE STORY comic relief. I built a cup holder for my 87 yesterday in 5 minutes. This is how:
First things first. I found a random piece of interior plastic in a Walmart parking lot. It looks like it came out of a console. It was rectangle with a square hole in the middle.
Then I placed it ontop of my console. It only hung over by an inch on all four sides.
Next I grabbed a round Rubbermaid container i used to take walnuts for a snack. I ate all the walnuts and placed this round container in the square hole. Then I though "damn a little wood and fiberglass" ... Jk, so then
I got my sunglasses out of the glove box and I removed them out of the silk black bag thing. I then placed that inside the container like a liner. Then I assembled my new Rubbermaid, Oakley, Honda console into my pathfinder console.
It fits a 20 oz bottle, or a 12 oz can perfectly!
And if haters are h8'n, then I can throw the whole thing in a recycling bin (after recouping that sunglasses bag of course)
Yeah, it's the most kick-ass cup holder ever! Genius, I know
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The head gaskets interchange and so do the heads. The water and oil pumps look different but they share identical mounting bosses so it makes no difference. Currently I have an '88 block, '84 crank, '84 rods, '84 pistons, '84 heads. '88 water and oil pump.
Do you have the time to open the bottom end up and look at the bearings, pump, and pickup tube?
Dang, wish I could have just had that info about 4 months ago
I had a great block. Had. I got rid of the other engine to try to pay for the cost of the used one. It's so weird how Nissan made it sound so different and all the information I read about the a-b vs the w series all said the cooling ports were different. I wonder where they got that from? Either way, I am stuck with this w series junker now. Nothi g I can do different. As far as checking inside the pan, wouldn't that require the front diff to come out?? Eff that. If I'm taking that diff out it is so I can take the whole engine out and send it back to Texas on the horse it rode in on
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wow. That's quite a story. Sounds like they f**ked you over pretty damn good. "Hey, let's find the worst looking engine. YEAH YEAH!! Let's get the one out of the Pathfinder what we pulled out of a salt marsh."
With the oil though.. 3 quarts low? You're aware the engine only holds 3 7/8 quarts, right? Did you put ANY oil in it?
Rest assured, I remembered to put oil in it
It actually holds about 4.25 with the level right at the max line and oil filter full. So either way it was crazy low. Especially for the engine only having been driven for less than a 1000 miles. I'm kinda suspecting the oil control rings are carboned badly. I am running a Mobil 1 high mileage hoping that all the additives and detergents will help clean it put and reseat the rings. I am only giving it a fair 3,000 mile oil change test though. Otherwise that yard in Texas is gonna hate me when I'm done. 
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I got mine from an importer based in CA. If you Google "used Japanese engines" you'll prolly find a few. Mine was about $700 after shipping to FL. The heads will likely be gummy due to the type of driving, oil, and other factors in Japan. But the cylinder walls were perfect and the heads were fine after a cleaning. I also bought a transmission from one in VA when I used to live there. Cost about $500 and they installed it. 75K miles and no troubles.
I got mine from a local JDM engine shop down here in Orlando, they actually had 2 VG30's in stock and they both were still bolted to the tranny and transfer cases, so I chose the one with the Japanese oil filter on it the other engine had an aftermarket filter I figured the one I bought had to be from japan unless someone was using JDM oil filters on their US engine. Good choice so far the engine runs perfect
So I went with the used JDM engine and this is my update:
First of all- I should have known this prior to my search, but a JDM VG30i is like an oxymoron or something. Seems how they only made them in Japan and imported them over here. So all that JDM is just newbie hype. I fell for it... But thats just a funny side note.
So on to the engine. I bought one that only cost me $750 shipped to a loading dock. I bought it from a yard in texas. supposedly guaranteed to have less than 80,000 miles.
the good: the engine was cheap, had a 1 year replacement warranty (unlimited mileage), and it got here in only 3 days!(Missouri)
the Bad: When the engine showed up it was all painted black and silver. they did a good job i guess except they painted over 20 years of grease and oil. Whatever, just cosmetic.. Also the entire intake and TBI were all corroded and looked really bad. The throttle plate was so corroded that I broke the throttle cam trying to open it. I also notice it had a total of 7 rusted and broken studs and bolts in the block. Not just exhaust, im talking accessory brackets, trans mount and timing cover. Then to top it off, when i had got inside the engine to replace the t-belt and replace the oil pump, i found lucus oil stabilizer and pieces of old timing belt tensioner. Then after swapping all the bad to have a nice clean vg30i, I installed it. So after getting everything bolted and connected i cranked it. It fired right up. The oil light turned off rather quickly and was driving it two hours later..... BUT Then....
When coming to a stop i started to notice my oil light coming on. I thought that the sending unit may be bad as i had to solder the wires back onto the old one, so i went to orielly's and purchased one for $36.00. Nothing changed... Oil pressure still drops below 15psi when braking and the oil light comes on. I can also get the oil light to come on if the truck is all warmed up and I rev it in neutral. So then I just started to baby it and i just focused on working out all the little electrical issues for other components and things. That was going well until about 900-1000 miles later when I checked the oil and found the engine to be 3 quarts low! Yeah, It doesn't leak a drop either. So oil rings are stuck?? (wishful thinking) soooo, I went to the parts house and bought a little quart of Lucas oil treatment and put about half in with a new oil change and filter. Now my oil pressure is always pegged out between 60-120 psi according to my oil gauge.No more light, but I haven't driven it enough to tell if the rings are letting oil pass or if my valve seals are leaking. So How about that one year unlimited mile replacement warranty?
Yeah, gonna get my ass burned on that one. After all the money invested into factory Nissan seals, gaskets, wp, op, tbelt, tensioner thermostat, etc... they dont cover parts and labor...just the engine.
anyone got a longblock for free??! FML
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i found the full schematic for the system thanks to the FSM that is pinned. Completely electric and it opens and closes a hydraulic valve controlling the fluid. I like the idea of the adjustable feature via console switch and if i had money i would go back stock with them. But for now, i will just paint that switch red and write "Do Not Push" on it. That should make a perfectly good non working switch into a perfectly good novelty switch. *gears turning* maybe connect it to a horn inside the console. that way when other peoples' curiosity becomes too much to cope with....muwahaha!
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Thanks for that. There's a lot of interesting info there!
I had actually seen that earlier though and used it as a start point for my research. The diesel Terrano is a strange beast. In some ways its just a diesel-engined Pathfinder, but the drive train has a lot more in common with an HB.
After doing a lot of part numbers comparisons between different websites, seems I've got the H233b rear diff, a R180a front diff at 4.625:1, a RE4R01A tranny, and a TX10 transfer case. That diff combo is much more like some HBs that the Pathies.
From the schematics it looks like the R200a could swap in for the R180a. But that's just how it looks. Would probably need to run the R200 CV axles as I think the mounting flange on the diff is different to that on the R180.
The questions is . . . will it fit!?
You should be able to get it to swap. I believe you are correct on the axles needing to be swapped too. From what I can tell, the bolt patterns are different. I have also been reading more on Nissan difs just so i know what crowd to market my H/B parts too. These guys are using the R180 and the R200 interchangeably. Although they are using them in different applications, its all the same because Nissan is so smart!
http://www.zcar.com/70-83_tech_discussion_forum/r200_r180_swap_help_632628.0.html -
I have been considering custom options myself. I found a guy that made one out of an ammo box
I just so happen to have one laying around too.... hmmm. I might even check into affixing cup holders to it. Or maybe a drop in tray that you can remove to access the junk... err, i mean tools and necessary center console things. The tray or insert could even house a usb/power outlet. I could find a removable cup holder insert from almost any later model car in a junk yard that is about the same size as an ammo box. (thinking of a 2003 and up altima or maxima). Then build a frame from wood/fiberglass/ or some other creative fashion to set the cup holder inside the ammo box. I think it would look really clean and definitely custom.http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f9/finally-made-my-ammo-can-console-788505/p.s. and then follow the idea of the last guy to post on the thread... grenade shift knob
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Actually the bench seat is just a neat idea. I personally like my bucket seats. That being said cause I swapped my pathy for an 87 toyota pickup with a bench seat. However, I sure would like to get my e brake out of the console area. I want to change my center console config and getting that handle out of there would be awesome. I guess i could sell the bench seat if someone else likes the idea. The truck also has an electric fan that im going to grab. maybe cruise control module and wiper motor and switch. Other than that i assume the rest would be up for grabs.
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I do have a set of 27 spline manuals sitting on my dresser that I can't use if anyone is interested.
pm'ed
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Now that I've had a bit of time to read up on this subject I have to say that you will not be gaining fuel mileage by doing this. As with the current dilemma on using fuel cell technology, the amount of energy put into converting the water to Hydrogen and Oxygen is too great. In you situation you will be taking electrical energy from you alternator (which in turn is taking mechanical energy from your engine) and using it to produce gases from water by electrolysis. You will then take these gases and extract energy from them to power your engine. Because of the losses involved (mainly heat losses) you will not be able to get back as much energy as you put in (conservation of energy) and thus you will be decreasing fuel mileage. Basically you will be using more energy to produce the gases then you will be receiving back by burning the gases.
It looks like you are having fun doing your experiments and I am glad to see that because you won't be gaining any fuel mileage....
Seriously my thoughts exactly. I have been through tech school for auto and diesel theory and I have taken a college physics course. No significant gains to report in my opinion. Seems like hype to get traffic to a website to buy parts. Good luck though...maybe they should try adding those "turbinators" to their intake systems and sticking on some aerodynamic dorsal fins. oh,oh, they could also try bosch platinum plus 4 spark plugs...I heard those are super neato
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there's a quicker way to generate hydrogen gas.... fill your tank with HCl and shovel in a bunch of seashells (plentiful and free). Now all you have to do is keep it from eating your car and find a way not to explode.
I just spit coffee through my nose!
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Gojira
All the Tears
Listen to Gojira.
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HB doner? Bench seat swap and dash mount e-brake handle swap time!
The bench seat had a gallon of latex paint spilled on it. It is otherwise in good shape. Guess a little upholstery would fix it though. Interesting idea though
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So I found a little info from another nissan forum. It helped explain a little. There are a few discrepancies here as i noticed some guys claiming that their stock vehicles had different configs and arguing about it....whatev
The axle code is located on the door jamb sticker on Nissans. If it's not there, there are visual ways of determining what you have. On some older trucks it's on a plate in the engine bay above the fender well on the passenger side.
HF35 - H190 axle found in weenie 2wd Hardbodies.
HF37 - H190 axle found in weenie 2wd Frontiers
CA41 - Found on 720's - This is a C200/R180 combo with 4.11 gearing. Some 720's have the smaller H190 rear end that's identified by not having a removable rear diff cover. R180 front ends in 720's are different than the Hardbody and Frontier versions, as the diff is nearly centered. 720's use unequal length halfshafts and are not interchangeable. All 1986.5+ halfshafts are interchangeable left to right.
CA43 - found on 720's and Hardbodies. C200 rear / R180 front, 4.375:1 gearing
CA46 - found on Hardbodies and 4 banger Frontiers - C200 rear / R180 front, 4.625:1 gears
CA45 - found in 2003+ Frontier 4x4's. This is a C200/R180 combination with a new gear ratio - 4.5something:1 The C200 was upgraded to 31 splines on this model from the previous 29 spline unit.
HG43 - Found on Pathfinders, V6 Hardbodies, and a few '99 Frontiers - H233B rear / R200 front, 4.375:1 gearing. On the 2000+ 33 spline axles, the HG43 has a 4.363 ratio, however this is not a common axle code on the later models.
HG46 - found on auto equipped pathfinders, 96-97 hardody 4 bangers, many Xterras and Frontiers. This one has some variation. Pre-2000 versions are the H233B axle with 4.625:1 gearing (31 spline axles). 2000+ is the H233B axle with 4.636:1 gearing (33 spline axles). Typically comes with an R200 front axle, with the exception being in the '96-97 Hardbody pickups - those had an H233B / R180 combination. Axle shafts in the H233B were 31 spline up to about 2000, where they switched to 33 spline shafts. All Xterras and R50 Pathfinders received the 33 spline axles. In Frontiers, it can be a crapshoot if you have a '99-'00 model, though it is believed that the switchover was at or near 2/00 production date.
HG49 - found in mid year 2001+ Frontiers and Xterras. H233B / R200 combo with 4.90:1 gears.
I've learned recently from posts in ******** that there were some Hardbody 2wd's that appear to carry the C200 axle, but I've never actually seen one. If you have one, it's a rare bird. I'd love for anyone to post up their information and describe the year and model (I4, V6, XE, SE, etc.) of the truck that carries the C200 rear in the back of a 2wd so I can update my FAQ on my website.
Locker Selection:
ARB lockers are available for the older 30 spline C200's and all H233b's. They're also avaialble for the R200 front, however no traction device is out there for the R180.
Calmini LSD's will work in an R200 front. (A Calmini LSD is a slightly modified '87-89 Turbo 300ZX LSD)
Lockrights will only work in the older 31 spline H233B.
Detroit used to make a locker for the older 31 spline H233B, but those are getting scarce.
Up to 4.875:1 gearing is available for C200's and R180's. Up to 5.143 gearing can be had for H233B's and R200's. AC and SLR are the two companies offering gears, or you may be able to get them through Nismo.
Let's say you don't have the doorjamb sticker.
H190 - small 3rd member type axle found in 2wd's only (excluding Desert Runners, Xterras, pathfinders)
C200 - removable rear diff cover, 8 bolts. Found in all Nissans (yes, even a few early 2wd Pathfinders)
H233B - large 3rd member type axle found in most V6 and a few 4 banger 4x4's, Desert Runners, and 2wd Pathy's and 2wd Xterra V6's.
Other notes:
The H233B 3rd member changed from 9 bolts to 11 studs to hold it to the housing beginning with the 1990 models. Somewhere along this time (maybe around 6/89, the bolts holding the ring gear to the carrier changed from 10mm to 12mm, making a difference in replacement gear sets.
What do the numbers mean?
The number in the axle model indicates the size of the ring gear in mm.
R180 - 180mm ring gear
H190 - 190mm ring gear
C200 / R200 - 200mm ring gear
H233B - 233mm ring gear (yes, that's about 9.25"!)
How do I figure out my gear ratio?
Put a jack under the diff and get both wheels under the ground. Draw a chalk line on the tires where they would contact the ground. Rotate BOTH tires by hand at the same speed one exact revolution while counting revolutions of he driveshaft. Just under 4 1/2 turns will indicate the 4.375:1 gears. Just a bit over 4 1/2 turns would indicate 4.625:1 or 4.636:1 gearing. If you have a late model, just a tick under 5 turns of the DS would indicate 4.90 gears.
LSD or open?
If you lost the sticker, get that jack back under the diff. Turn a wheel with the truck in neutral. If the other wheel spins in the opposite direction, you have an open diff. If it spins in the same direction, you likely have some sort of traction device - probably an LSD.
Additional Contributions:
Contribued by OnlyOneDR on N4W:
Tractions aids can be found for the R180 in the 720, Nismo, Quaife, Kaaz, and Cusco sell LSDs, mostly because the R180 was under the earlier Zs and newer Subarus. Not sure if you can swap the bolt retainer in from an open R180A carrier to get it to bolt into an HB or Frontier axle. I did that trick to get my 300ZX lsd into my R200A.
The HB and Frontier front axles are "A" axles, (e.g. R200A, R180A). The A designates an offset carrier. The R200/R180 are different because it is centered and does not have axle tubes on either side.
Contributed by OffroadX of N4W, AC, and XOC notoriety:
I'm not sure that the A in R200A etc. indicates an offset diff, from what I gather, it indicates a short-pinion diff. The Patrol uses offset front (and even rear) H233 diffs, but they're not designated H233A. I have seen in the Nismo catalog that the R180A was developed with a shorter pinion (by 120mm) to reduce driveline angles vs. the regular R180.
The R180A axle designation is RB
The R200A axle designation is RC
C200 and R200A gears ARE INTERCHANGEABLE. Yes, the same part numbers are used for the same ratios in the Nismo catalog for both diffs.
Best I can tell, 10mm ring gear bolts were phased out of the H233B diffs 6/86.
There are 5.571 and 5.875 gears available from Nissan/Nismo for the H233B
Regarding the H233B, the ONLY difference in Nismo 5.14 gears are at the 1990 model year. There were originally only gears for pre-90 diffs. AC sold a modified version of those for post-90 diffs, but a couple of years ago Nissan finally started making 5.14 gears for the 90+ diffs.
4.90 Xterra gears will go into any 90+ diff too
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So I have a chance to pick up a mechanically sound 92 H/B 4x4- 4cyl 5-speed.Frame and body are rusted badly. The engine and transmission both had a full rebuild 63,600 miles ago. I'm looking at buying this vehicle just to make a little denero for my 87 pathy. I am also wondering which 4x4 parts would be a good swap for my stock pathfinder? I have my eyes set on the manual hubs the truck flaunts brightly. I am also looking into gear ratios, transfer case, differential combos. Even if there aren't any "upgrades" from this parts truck, I could always sell those items individually to recoup my money invested.
Anyone know what components would be worth swapping?
Or are you interested in any of the components? With enough interest i will post this truck into the parts for sale.
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Yeah I just checked and I have some old looking rough country shocks. So the factory button is useless. So it did this electronically, right? Where are the factory solenoids or whatever type of system it uses? It's not an air system I'm assuming...
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Ok, what does this switch actually do?
I'm assuming mine is broken cause absolutely nothing happens. I guess I had high hopes of it turning my pathfinder into a super beast...
Maybe I should do a write up when I figure that one out.
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it reminds me of one of those funky amusement park vehicles
Dude! He should make it an amphibious vehicle! that would turn some heads at the beach
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Kick ass find. I need these as well. I checked the site for interior floor pans and couldnt find them. I emailed customer support for any information on availibility. Anyone know where you can buy new floor pans for a 2 door 87?
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Removed all seats and carpeting to clean. Soaked carpets in strong degreaser and powerwashed away 24 years of dirt. Then I revealed all the rusted areas under my rear seats.... So sad. My seatbelt bracket was so rusted the whole mount tore off when I tried to unbolt it.
Oh, and then I cleaned out my blower motor. It was completly packed full of leaves. Looked like a mouse nest.
Making it run like new!
in The Garage
Posted
Lol, It didn't come from the course work. But I swear it works. Laugh all you want. It actually makes the carbon deposits soft. That's why you let it soak. The carbon will break up and burn off the valves. It won't work like the bg stuff if you want it to look shinny new. But if you want carbon build up off the valves and pistons... Did I mention it's cheap?