Slartibartfast

You don't need a scanner to pull codes from one of these. There's a writeup here for pulling codes, or you can find a more in-depth version (including troubleshooting info) in the EF&EC section of the factory service manual, free download from Nicoclub. It's not particularly difficult, though it would be easier if the computer wasn't under the passenger's front seat. If you really want a scanner, you may have some trouble tracking one down. There is a connector under the dash, but it's not OBDII, and it's not Nissan's own Consult system. Looks like Snap On made an adapter for their Modis system, if you happen to have one of those kicking around. AFAIK the original scan tool was just a box with a button and two blinky lights--basically the same interface that's on the back of the computer, except it's in your hand instead of under the seat. I don't think I've ever seen one, though, unless you count a bad scan of a grainy picture from a service manual for a 200SX. This guy on Infamous Nissan is selling a homebrew version of the blinky lights box. Another thread on that site (which I can't find now for some reason) shows the wiring schematic for it. I built my own from that thread, and mounted the button and the lights through a blanking plate on the dash. Again, it gives the same info as the lights on the back of the computer--it's just easier to get to. But yeah, if you just want to see why the money light is on, click that first link and go from there.

Well there's something I didn't know existed!

The WD21 (Pathfinder/Terrano) and D21 (Hardbody/first-gen Navara) tanks are very different. The WD21 tank is behind the axle, and the D21 tank is between the driveshaft and the frame rail. There's been talk of adding a D21 tank to a WD21 as a second tank, though I haven't heard of anyone actually trying it. Even the smaller D21 tank (looks like they're either 15 or 21 gallons, depending on wheelbase) would add a fair whack of fuel capacity, and might be easier to make room for than the big chungus extended model that you're looking at.

There's a part number for a stud to mount a steering stabilizer, so I imagine some of them came with one. I added one to mine, but, yeah, I can't really tell it's there. To be fair, I used the cheapest stabilizer I could find (>$20 IIRC, probably some Monroe crap), so your mileage may vary with a better unit. I'm also running a Grassroots centerlink, which has enough drag to do a fair bit of stabilizing on its own. The clunk and the pull are likely related. +1 for checking the UCAs. The camber and caster are adjusted with U-shaped shims, and if the bolts back out, the shims fall out, and then your alignment goes full stance nation. The squeal while turning is interesting. I doubt it's the pump--it shouldn't be able to tell which way you're turning. Might be a blocked passage or something in the box, but I haven't heard of one doing that, and it wouldn't explain why it only makes noise when you're moving. Maybe one of the wheel bearings is loose enough that the rotor is hitting the backing plate? Again, could be a shared cause with the clunk and the pull, depending on what's rubbing on what. Add bearings and brakes to your inspection list if they weren't there already. If nothing jumps out at you when you inspect the front end, run it without the power steering belt and see if the noise goes away. That should rule the hydraulic components in or out.

Sometimes it takes some digging to find good info on these. Good on you for doing the due diligence to make sure you're doing it properly. Nissanpartsdeal has factory parts and a pretty good lookup for them. For harder-to-find parts, try Amayama or Partsouq. For parts that don't need to be OE, I use Rockauto. Reliability will depend mostly on condition and maintenance. Mine's been pretty reliable despite 260k on the clock, but anything this old will have some age and wear-related issues sooner or later. Addressing the timing belt early was a good move. I would change (or at least check) the various fluids if that hasn't been done yet, check the brakes, check the front wheel bearings, look for play in the front end, do your strut rod bushings, all that kind of stuff. I'm guessing rust isn't a huge concern in Texas, but it wouldn't hurt to clean out the frame (they like to rust over the rear axle) and the floor pan under the rear seats. The exhaust Y pipe under the driver's feet tends to leak and rust out the floor, potentially setting fire to the carpet, so check on that. Also check for leaves behind your blower motor resistor. I glued a piece of metal screen over the HVAC intake to keep leaves and rodents (mostly rodents) out of my vents. I've done some minor reliability mods on mine, mostly to keep the slushbox alive and simplify the four-wheel-drive--things you don't have to worry about. You might look into relaying the headlights. Helps keep the switch alive, hopefully provides a little more power to the bulbs. Just make sure you use good parts for that! I used a cheap fuse holder on my first one, and it left the chat one night without warning.

Is the donor VG33 or VQ35? VG33 should be the same as what you have. VQ might be a bit of a science project. Based on what Ekim Naelcm posted about his swap, the VQ version takes a different torque converter. He had one made to fit his TD27, but said a VG33ER converter and flexplate might do the trick to mate one to a VG. I would link that post, but it was on Facebook, and I can't find a damn thing on that goldfish-brain dumpster fire of a website.

I'll bet this is related. They're not supposed to do that--I've only heard of them clattering if they're run with straight oil (without the special LSD goo). I'm still not sure how it would've failed there, but I'm gonna guess there's a connection between the clutches having a little stick/slip party and the guide that couples the clutches to the housing letting go.

The tapers for the tie rod ends and pitman arm changed 8/92 for some reason. I found out the fun way, with an early '92 knuckle half installed on my '93 and a tie rod that just would not go in. I haven't tried the kits. I bought the various front end joints for mine off Rockauto, mostly 555 if I remember right (I think some of it was sold as Beck/Arnley, but the actual parts were 555). Ball joints, tie rods, centerlink, idler. Turned out most of the slop that I was chasing was in the steering box. I tried to adjust it, screwed it up, replaced with a reman that turned out to be even sloppier (and the pitman shaft seal leaks just enough to piss me off). If you've chasing play or you've got a clunk in the steering, have someone saw the wheel back and forth while you crawl under the front and see what's got play in it. Sway bar links/bushings can also clunk pretty bad. Put a dab of grease on the steering stops while you're under there. Those make haunted house noises at full lock if they're dry. I think they were supposed to have plastic caps on them at one point. +1 for doing the strut rod bushings, though. Mine looked fine until I took them apart. I welded bearing cups to the frame on mine in place of the sheet metal bushing cups that were broken off.

The service manual says 3.6 liters, and the TSB didn't change it for the 2WD. So AFAIK, that is the correct capacity. If it takes something in that ballpark before it starts coming back out, I'd call that good. The service manual is much more useful than the owner's manual. You can get the '90 manual from Cardiagn.com if yours is square-dash, or the '94/'95 from Nicoclub if it's round-dash.

The bolt pattern changed in '89, so you want '90-'95. I thought auto was almost always 4.6, but it turns out it's not that simple. I checked the '90 (PD-142) and '95 (PD-98) manuals. Same chart in both. VG/manual is always 4.3. VG/auto/SE trim is always 4.6. VG/Auto/not-SE can be either, depending on original tire size. (I assume larger tires = deeper gears, but the chart doesn't come out and say that.) So if that auto/small tires donor you're looking at isn't an SE, you might be onto a winner. I would still want to see the build plate and/or check turns by hand to confirm. And yeah, ideally the donor should have the same brakes, or you'll have to open it up. And if you've gotta open the diff, and your old one is otherwise present and correct, might as well open that one and replace those guides.

I had assumed so, because they're both labelled FS5R30A--but having looked at it closer, nope, that's a different critter. Different ratios, different fluid capacity. The 2WD R50 manual transmission appears to be the same one as the 2WD D21 pickup--same ratios, same oil capacity. The 4WD D21 pickup and 2WD or 4WD WD21 Pathfinder share a different set of ratios, and (until the TSB revised it for the 4WD models) the same oil capacity. The 4WD R50 uses the same ratios as the 2WD R50 and D21, but with the revised oil capacity (5.1l) of the 4WD WD21 box--I'm assuming it's the gears from one, in the case of the other. So ignore what I said about the R50 trans, sounds like it's too different from yours to draw conclusions from.

Well spotted! What would make it fail like that? Doesn't seem like that tab should have much force on it--it's just there to stop the guide from walking out, right?

The TSB is for the 4x4 only. For the 2WD transmission, the '95 WD21 service manual specs 7-5/8 US pints (3.6L). The manual trans fluid level was fixed in '96, so I checked the '97 R50 service manual to see if the 2WD fluid level changed too. It did--but it went down, to 5-1/8 pints, 2.4l. If they were seeing failures like they had with the 4WD transmissions, I assume they would've raised the capacity. I would stick with the 3.6l spec in the WD21 manual. I have not heard of the 2WD transmissions acting up like the 4WD ones do, though to be fair we don't get many of them around here. Make sure you get the right oil! The synchros want GL-4. GL-5 turns them to glitter.

The first thing I would do is make sure that the shifter goes through its full range of motion (from 2H to 4L and back again). I've heard of similar issues where people have swapped in a transfer from a different platform (made for a different floor pan) or mixed and matched the linkage and the lockout plate. Either the shifter hits the floor, or the lockout stops the shifter in the wrong place. Given yours is all WD21 parts, and worked previously, I would guess something didn't go back together quite right (assuming you had that linkage apart?), so you're shifting from neutral to 4L when it looks like you're shifting from 2H to 4H. I can take a picture of the linkage on mine for reference if that would help. I've also heard of people having the console apart, moving the shifter to get it out of the way, and being shocked to find no drive afterwards--because they forgot they put it in neutral. I may have done this myself at some point. If the transfer is in neutral, putting the auto trans in park (or leaving a manual in gear in gear) will not hold the truck. This is both a way to rule out the transmission, and something to watch out for if you're working on uneven ground--don't run yourself over with your own truck. I am of course assuming that your rear driveshaft isn't sitting in the corner laughing at you.

I have never cracked an RE4R01A open, much less rebuilt one. But I've seen enough questions about what's different between them that I figured it was about time I went down a service manual rabbit hole on this topic. The short version: VG and VQ RE4R01As are not the same. Even within each group, there are multiple variants shown. I have no idea which variant(s) the rebuild kits are meant to cover, but I would start by working out how many clutches yours has, and how many clutches the rebuild kit includes. The long version: The number of drive/driven clutches in each pack is laid out in the SDS at the end of the AT section of the service manual, so I looked at a few of those to compare them. Each manual shows multiple "codes" of transmission. The code is the last five digits of the part number for the transmission assembly. Go to NissanPartsDeal, punch in your VIN (or year/model/options), look up an automatic transmission assembly, and check the last five digits of its PN against the codes below. If it's not there, check the SDS in the '96 manual specifically, or see if the listing shows a superseded part number, and check the code for that one. I expected the first five digits to be the same for each part. They are not. Looking up which vehicle each code fits is therefore more difficult than it has any right to be, which is why I only bothered for the first four. '95 W/D21, codes 49X02 (31020-49X02, 2WD), 49X03 (31020-49X03, also 2WD), 45X60 (31020-45X60, VG/2WD), 45X72 (31000-45X72, VG/4WD) Reverse: 2 drive, 2 driven High: 4 drive and 4 driven for the first two codes, 5 and 5 for the last two Forward: 5 and 5 for the first two, 7 and 7 for the last two Overrun: 3 and 5 Low/reverse brake: 6 and 6 '97 R50, codes 44X82 or 44X20 Reverse: 2 drive, 2 driven High: 5 drive, 5 driven Forward: 6 drive, 6 driven Overrun: 3 drive, 5 driven Low/reverse brake: 7 drive, 7 driven '02 WD22, codes 43X64, 4EX01, 4EX06, 4EX67, 4EX68, 4FX07. First three are VG33E only, last three are VG33ER only. Reverse: 2 drive, 2 driven High: 5 drive for all, 5 driven VG33E, 6 driven VG33ER Forward: 6 and 6 on the first one, 7 and 7 on the second third and fourth, 8 and 8 on the last two Overrun: 3 and 5 Low/reverse brake: 7 and 7 VG33E, 8 and 8 VG33ER '03 R50, codes 4EX74, 4EX75, or 4EX76 Reverse: 3 drive, 3 driven. High: 5 drive, 6 driven. Forward: 4EX74 has 7 drive and 7 driven, the other two have 8 drive and 8 driven Overrun: 3 drive, 3 driven Low/reverse brake: 8 drive, 8 driven Again, I would look up what's in the kit vs what the code says you need. Hopefully they include enough bits to rebuild any of the variants over the years it's meant to fit. I don't know if anything else changed enough between the two to potentially cause you problems. Again, I'm not a transmission guy. If you're on the FB page, see if you can find what Elim Naelcm posted about his transmission. IIRC he Frankenstein'd a VQ R50 RE4R01A to work in his TD27-powered WD21, so if anybody would know, it's him. I haven't seen him around in a while, though. There was also a guy here who rebuilt a WD21 box, but I don't remember his name, and again I don't think I've seen it in quite a while. I also vaguely remember seeing an R50 trans rebuild on Youtube once--you might look that up and see if they mention which kit they used.

That does look a bit like an R/C car body with holes drilled for LEDs.

Nicely done! Almost looks like it came that way. Yeah, I imagine the ballasts wouldn't appreciate that. Maybe for the best though, given how bright the low beams are!

Reusing the old ones would probably be fine, but for the price, I decided not to trust my luck. Task failed successfully! Got a little snow on the hills, thankfully none in my way yet. I'm sure it's coming, though. And with it, a gaggle of broken snowblowers...

2WD and off-road capability are a tough combo, but yes, LSD should help a lot. I have the LSD in mine and have no complaints about it. Much better than an open diff, but still good road manners. If you're looking for an actual locker, selectable and ratcheting lockers do exist for these, but they ain't cheap, and you will have to learn how to set up gears on an H233B, or find someone who does. To get the LSD, you can swap the entire axle assembly, or just the 3rd member. The axles are a little different depending on which brakes they've got. Drum has single-row bearings and a thrust block in the diff; disk has double-row bearings and no thrust block. I think you can swap 3rds between the two, but you would have to swap that block in or out. If you have drums, and want disks, I would grab a complete disk rear axle assembly (get the parking brake cables too!) rather than playing mix-and-match. Otherwise I'd look for an axle with the same brakes as yours and just swap the 3rd. If you swap 3rds in a drum axle, check your axle shaft end-float afterwards. You may need to swap some shims around to keep the wheel bearings happy. (This adjustment is covered in the service manual.) The bolt pattern on the 3rd member changed in '89, so look for a '90-'95 donor. WD21 (Pathfinder) or D21 (Hardbody) 3rds should be the same AFAIK. Four-cylinder trucks got the C200 rear end, so watch out for that (make sure the diff you're pulling looks like yours). Also check the gear ratio. Should say HG43 or HG46 on the data plate near the wiper motor. (Might be worth swapping in deeper gears if you plan to run larger tires.) Most of the later trucks have 33-spline axles (ours are 31-spline), so don't bother with those. Download the service manual ('90 off Cardiagn.com if yours is square-dash, '95 off Nicoclub if yours is round-dash) and check out the RA and PD sections (rear axle and propshaft/diff). This writeup also covers the H233B LSD, specifically building a later one up to the higher breakaway torque found in the W/D21--less useful in your case given the axles you'll be looking at already have the good stack, but still useful to see how it all comes apart and what makes it work. It is possible to stack it a little tighter than stock (My1Path played around with that a while back), but it sounds like you end up with a full spool and/or broken parts if you take it too far. If you're not used to driving with LSD, keep in mind that it does tend to make the truck a little tail-happy on slick surfaces, which may be why the LSDs were nerfed in the later trucks. Don't forget the oil additive! I used a tube of CRC's limited slip goo in mine, mixed with conventional 80W90. I have heard of them chattering and breaking stuff if run with straight oil. I have also heard that they don't grip for crap with synthetic oil, which is why I used conventional in mine.

The joy of changeover years. Good luck!

02/00 would be February of 2000, right? I would be surprised if VQ/VG exhaust interchanged. I would look up the OE exhaust parts for your rig on NissanPartsDeal, and then look up the same parts for one of the years the kit is supposed to cover, and see for yourself if the PNs changed. Then see if you can find actual pictures. Or compare the gaskets--if they're the same, then the flanges should be too.

That spot's never gonna rust! I'm not super familiar with the underside of the R50, but I see some plumbing in that picture. If those are the transmission cooler lines, they would be my first suspect. Could be where they connect to the trans, could be a spot rubbed or rusted through, could be a loose hose clamp, could be a rubber section giving out. If there's tranny fluid on top of that plate, I would expect to find the leak somewhere over it, or somewhere uphill of it, probably running down a harness or a hose to get there. If there's so much muck everywhere that you can't tell, clean the area as much as you can, run it for a bit, and see what gets oily again first. A friend of mine had a hell of a leak on her Dodge that turned out to be the park/neutral switch. The switch itself was leaking around the electrical connections, and fluid was running from there to the side of the case, down to the pan, then dripping onto the cooler lines, and finally dripping on the exhaust. I was starting to suspect the pan gasket was bad until I unplugged the switch and found ATF behind it.

Unfortunately I don't think you're going to find mail-order new seats that'll bolt up. If the seats are just worn out, I would try and find a set of newer R50 seats in better shape. Maybe have used parts shipped, or meet someone halfway if they're parting one out? I've read that the left/right R50 seat bottoms are interchangeable, so if you can't find a good driver's seat, or you only need the bottom, I'd look for a passenger's bottom instead. Should be easier to find one in good shape. I did something similar on my '93. The WD21 seats do not interchange as easily, so I had to tear to seat bottom down to its frame and swap over just the foam pad from the donor. It was still worth it! The old foam was so bad that the bolster was dropping shreds of itself into the seat track. It is totally possible to swap in seats from something else, but you'll have to do a little fabrication to make it happen. Zed put Mustang seats in his WD21 and seemed pretty happy with them. WOT put Acura seats in an R50 (no pictures, unfortunately). Looks like your early R50 doesn't have airbags in the seat backs (not sure what year that changed, or if Canada and the US are the same there), so you don't have to worry about disabling the SRS if you do swap seats. If you get seats with airbags in them (might be hard to find used seats without them anymore), I would at least tape up the airbag connector for peace of mind. And if they have heaters in them, make damn sure you know which plug is which before you wire them up!

Good to hear you got it, though I would do some digging into that fuse setup to see what's making lousy contact. I lost the headlight circuit one night when a cheap in-line fuse holder that I'd used for my relay harness straight-up melted. Luckily the fog lights still worked.

The '97 R50 FSM (free download from Nicoclub) shows these ratios: 1 3.580 2 2.077 3 1.360 4 1.000 5 0.881 Reverse 3.636 The '90 FSM (free download from cardiagn.com) lists different ratios in first and second for the 2WD and 4WD slushboxes. For 2WD (four-cylinder or V6): 1 2.785 2 1.545 3 1.000 4 0.694 Reverse 2.272 Looks like your overdrive with the manual is much less aggressive than the overdrive in the slushbox that you swapped out. This is likely why the 4WD trucks tend to have 4.3 ring and pinion gears with the manual, 4.6 with the auto. What's your axle ratio? Should say on the tag in the engine bay, by the wiper motor. HG something. The '97 trans will have a speed sensor rather than the speedo cable drive you need for the '88 (assuming you haven't done a round-dash swap). I assume you could fit the speedo cable drive from the old trans to the new one, though I have heard that they can be a bugger to remove. Be very careful with the gear on the end, sounds like they're not fun to track down replacements for.