feyded

'Special conditioners' to help keep your seals from drying out or failing prematurely. I ran High Mileage once in my F-150, didnt notice it do anything special so I went back to regular Amsoil. Results may vary though, I certainly dont have the testing to verify its snake oil by any means.

I thought I did, but after reading how to do it in the 'How To' section here, its different than my haynes was saying. Ill try what NPORA says and see where that goes.

Well I found my problem, it was quite simple, yet I didnt realize it till I started chasing the harness back to where it connects near the AB valve and the dizzy. The harness connecting to the sensor had exposed wires connecting into the plug that connects to the truck harness. They were touching, and one was not even attached. I fixed it with rewiring it and bypassing the plug all together cause it eventually just fell off. Truck runs great now, I drove it around, but now the oil light sometimes comes on, I have plenty of power, but Im not too sure if the plug is staying connected down at the sensor(what a crap tastic design, not sure what to look for on courtesyparts.com to find that harness though so I can find a name to order it when I call factorynissanparts.com). It idles fine, and temperature is good as well, I was driving it though not having a single problem and I pulled in to a driveway to turn around(the owner was standing outside) and I go to reverse and the light pops on, so I killed it(the owner walked up to me and was telling me how much he loves these trucks and wishes he never got rid of his, but his daughters son drives it now with over 400k miles all original. Then he went on to say how reliable they are as I was having issues with mine ). So now Im wondering if the sensor is popping in and out while Im driving because of the vibration of the engine, as Im still getting the code 13 from the ECU. To be honest though, Im so incredibly impressed by how simple these things are designed, yet runs like a tank. Thanks again everyone for pointing me the right direction.

Yeh thats before I cleaned em, but Ill have to test em tomorrow and make sure everything is still good, Im still getting code 13, so Im REALLY hoping this is my problem, cause she runs great at startup, then after a few minutes, she starts actin up. Fingers crossed for tomorrow! Also my temp gauge is now reading further than the first line, so something was working properly(probably the thermostat I almost gave up on installing).

Well I worked on it some today, and swapped the thermostat out(which was SOOO ANNOYING!), as well as checked that sensor. The plug is broken on the wire, like the little thing that clips onto the sensor. I figured that was the problem since it was pretty much hanging off of the sensor, well I fixed it best I could, and then put it all back together, and the same thing happened, and Im still throwing the code. Tomorrow Im going to swap the sensor out after I ohm em out, as well as the wires. Heat shrinked the plug and sensor(didnt have my multimeter until after it was all put together ) as well as coated them in dieletric grease.

Well I was looking on courtesyparts.com and I managed to find a water temperature sensor for the truck, it is like you said, it has a plug. My problem is, the haynes manual does not list where that goes.. unless its down by the thermostat.. That has me wondering, I need to see if I can make the ECU throw the code again if I didnt replace the right thing, the truck would sound like it had trouble going back to idle(sounded like it almost would die) after I gave it some gas though, then it recovered.

Hmm, I just changed the one with the spade, I guess that wouldnt be what the code was calling out was it? Guess Ill need to look at this more when I get home.

Im not sure what ya mean by the temp sensor for the gauge, Im looking through my book and not seeing anything extra, unless Im skimming over it.

Yeh I had to come in and get ready for work and update my progress and see if nayone else had any input(LOVE how helpful this place is). Ill be swapping it tomorrow morning and see where that gets me. I'm getting antsy, It feels like Im getting closer to being able to drive her again! Once again everyone, thanks thanks thanks.

I let the truck idle for a good 15-20 mins, and I could touch the top radiator hose(for a few seconds), AND there wasnt any pressure I could feel from it. Also I had the radiator cap off, the fluid never started to stream through the radiator, it just sat. The white smoke isnt there at all Ive noticed, its just on start up like 5523Pathfinder was saying, I'd apparently notice the billowing white smoke if it was a head gasket blown that way.

So I changed the temp sensor(since I had already bought it) and most of my problems went away, except for one. The engine never warms up.. the needle moves from the C and sits on literally the first line(there are only 3 lines for the gauge). My next guess now is the thermostat is shot now.. I just hope that I didnt blow a gasket or make it worse since it seems like it just overheated. The coolant in the radiator never started running like a stream, as a matter of fact it rose at random times, without me touching the accelerator. My next guess is to swap the thermostat and then fill it with water and see where it goes from there.. I called around, and does anyone think the 'Fail safe' thermostat's are worth the extra money? 5523Pathfinder, I cant get the vehicle anywhere to test for that, unless there is another way.. I live 30ish miles out of town. Thanks again everyone for all the help.

What you listed is kind of what I was figuring, Ill probably check the plugs when I tear it apart to make sure they are good. Someone also told me another way to see if there is back pressure in the cooling system from the exhaust without taking off the radiator cap; if you check your overflow apparently if it is bubbling then there is back pressure. Ive checked my fluids and neither of which are discolored, also the smoke is just during startup, so Im guessing my gasket leak is leaking exhaust into the cooling system. Also, 'cylinder head temp sensor' is the engine temp sensor correct?

Awesome, you guys are great at troubleshooting things that arent in front of ya, Im going to replace the sensor tomorrow and see how it goes.. Any input on IF the head gasket might be shot(based on what I said), guess it makes sense to start small first(found that out on my F-150), I just figured everything was pointing toward that being the problem.

I wonder if that is it, if it was wouldnt the ECU have thrown that code though?

The engine temp sensor alone would cause my idle problem though? Damn you James, Ive not got the time to order those Victor Reinz or OEM, let alone do I know where to find em.. Making me second guess my Fel-Pro's =p

I wasnt thinking it was the oil pump either after troubleshooting. I should point out some of the things Ive noticed thus far, when I changed the coolant, I noticed that there was some clay looking stuff in the BRAND NEW radiator, which gave me reason to believe that the previous owner had the JDM engine installed and had to use some head gasket sealer. I changed the fluid thinking it was nothing significant, but upon changing it, the radiator without the cap off had significant back pressure, which also gave me another reason to believe the head gasket was shot. I changed it regardless thinking it was nothing STILL.. Every time Ive started the truck up its had white smoke out of the tail pipe.. I started it the day after it popped the light, and it was around a minute or two that it started acting up like it wanted to die.. Everything Ive been reading is the head gasket is the main cause, but I STILL dont want to believe it, regardless Im changing it out this weekend and praying that is the problem. I also checked my codes today on the ECU, it flashed only code 13, which was 'Engine Temp Sensor Malfunction'.. If anyone has any input or guidance past what Ive stated, any help is GREATLY appreciated, and the help thus far has gone a long way, thank you everyone.

Thats what I keep reading, and hearing from people, so I guess that is the winner for the head gaskets. Thats why I was asking Nunya, was afraid of getting burned by a 'no-name' brand. Thanks WarehouseRat and Nunya.

Does anyone have a preference on head gasket brands, aside from the stock ones(I dont think Factorynissanparts.com can get them to me before friday), any input would be greatly appreciated.

The engine does not make any excess noise, literally it sounds perfect, aside from the fact it has trouble idling now.. and Im sure the lack of power as well is still there. I was going to check the ECU for codes but I had to leave for work(love nights) and wont be able to till tomorrow. Ive never tried pulling any codes, is there a step by step here somewhere on the forums(sorry Im not searching, just at work right now and had a few mins to look at the post)? I also am starting to see what youre saying 5523Pathfinder, JDM to me now means, change all the gaskets and seals that commonly wear, and youve got yourself a solid engine. Once again thanks everyone bunches for all the suggestions, love this community.

Im just going to do what everyone is suggesting, get a gauge and check oil pressure, and then check my compression on each cylinder. I called the people the engine came from, and they are willing to help me figure out what it is and might replace it depending on what it is. Thanks again everyone, I just really hope that my reactions were quick enough to prevent any internal damage when I saw the light, Im dreading droppin the pan and seeing glittery oil. Heres to hoping its fixed and good to go when the Mr.Jim run comes around.

My other question is though, would the oil pump being bad cause loss of power?

You do have a point, yes I do have a gauge though on the cluster(I realize its not the most accurate, and its slow to respond to changes).. Im actually questioning myself now if I should actually put some of that stuff in it, but as of right now, I guess what I should do is get a real pressure gauge for the oil pump and see what its actually putting out..

No the only lights to come on were the oil light. Today the light isnt coming on now, its just sounding like the engine wants to die/has random idle. Thanks though, as I have experienced this first hand in my friends Mustang.

Well I woke up this morning and figured Id check everything. The oil is fine, seems kind of high, the coolant is fine as well. I started her up, she ran fine till she started warming up, then she started putting I guess would be a way to describe it, but the oil light never managed to come on again. Im thinking that the coolant I changed out had Bar's Head Gasket stuff in it which was what I figured but denying at the same time, as she has never done this till I changed the coolant. Im going to replace the fluid with some head gasket filler again(anyone have any preferences?) and see if that fixes her. Other than that shes a champ, just love the fact that the engine is a fresh install(from Japan) and the guys mechanic before me didnt replace any gasket or check the heads before installing the engine, and just used some Bar's instead. Oil Pressure is good on the truck, sitting high until she starts to warm up then the engine starts actin up.. Thank you all so far for the input, if this 'simple' fix doesnt show any results then Ill head into the suggestions provided.

I was driving home tonight from work, the truck I noticed was acting a little funny(figured I was just imagining things as I hadnt driven her in a bit) with very little power going up a hill I never struggle on. Anyways, Im 4 miles from home(30 mile drive home) and my Oil light comes on while Im losing power, I instantly turn the engine off as soon as I saw the light, and coast to the side. I have not attempted to start her again and decided its safest to just tow her home, as Im afraid of permanent damage from the lack of oil pressure.. I have plenty oil on the dipstick after reading it a good 15 times while waiting for the tow, and Im not leaking anything either. The engine bay smelled like burning oil as soon as I pulled over though.. I also did not see any signs of oil anywhere on the manifolds or throughout the engine bay. What Im wondering now though, what would be a good way to check if this was a sign, and something is ABOUT to go out for good.. Rather, where should I start looking for the cause of this. Any help would be amazing =) Thanks again. 1987 Nissan Pathfinder, V6 5SP 4x4