Slartibartfast

Another thing to consider is that if they were towing it with recovery gear, they probably didn't go very far with it.

49 F is chilly? You might try it on a charger, but a loose or corroded terminal seems likely to me too. I saw a car in a college parking lot once where all the lights and everything worked, but when the woman tried to start it, all the lights went out and nothing happened. The terminal was so loose I could turn it on the post by hand! Tightening the clamp got it going again. I guess the contact was good enough for a little current, but when it got stressed, it just burnt up wherever it was touching. The fact that the starter still kind of tries is interesting. That's the only thing making me think maybe the battery just ran down (dome light stayed on or something). I've run mine down pretty low and had no trouble starting, though... the only times it hasn't started were when the battery was stone dead flat or something else was wrong.

Bastards! I agree with 5523, there's a good chance whoever lifted it would try and sell parts... let's keep an eye on CL and see what pops up. Can you post a recent pic/license number in case it's parked on a street somewhere? Just to help those of us in the area (or who aren't in the area, but could get the word to people who are) know what to look for?

Forum isn't displaying the FSM page right on my end, here's the direct photobucket link: http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg10/Darwinpasta/Picture1_zps4ed7fa9b.png

Stupid edit timeout... EF&EC 121 says they should be around 1.5 ohms. Maybe that 1.0 is suspect? Unrelated, these old manuals have some really odd illustrations in them.. It's like pictionary on hallicinogens. And for this test, you need Christopher Robin to crouch in the back seat area while somebody else drives. Sorry, back on topic. Injectors. Apparently there's a California-only code for a leaking injector. If yours is California-spec, you might check for that as well. I don't know if that failure was tied to limp mode or not, but it apparently trips the check light on those. I got the FSM from a link somebody posted a while back; might still be in the FSM downloads thread.

That's the throttle plate. Break it to the poor thing slowly, though, it might take a minute to sink in if it's thought it's a choke plate all its life. Anyway, I just took a look at the '89 D21 FSM (because I fill my hard drive with such things) and found the following: "If one injector malfunctions, it is possible to drive the vehicle and start the engine. But engine speed will not rise over 2800 rpm in order to inform the driver of fail-safe operation while running." (EF&EC 40) I haven't found a test procedure for the injector malfunction yet that isn't just listening for the click. I guess you could pull the injectors, have someone crank the motor (coil wire pulled), and see which one sprays.

CHTS = cylinder head temp sensor. Weird that the max speed is fluctuating.

If you do get the new Pathfinder minivan, good luck with the CVT, I hear they have issues.

I think you're right on the wiring. Something's wrong with one of the sensor wires, and when the computer warms up and starts listening to the MAP, it realizes something's wrong. I'd start by checking connections. If the plug looks good (no corrosion, wires aren't loose), you'll have to test each wire to figure out which of them is broken or making poor contact. I imagine the easiest way to do this would be to unplug the computer, unplug the MAP sensor, and test (with a multimeter set to resistance) from where the wire hits the MAP plug to where it comes out at the computer plug. The factory service manual should have a pin-out for both plugs, but I imagine you could work it out by matching the color codes on the wires. A busted signal wire (or ground maybe) could be causing the problem. This test procedure is for a different motor, but the procedure should be similar: If it's connected via a vacuum line, probably best to check that for dry rot/cracking, and make sure it's not clogged anywhere. A clogged line could also explain the constant reading. (Even if there's no line, I'd still check the hole for any gunk that might have gotten in.) If you suspect that the issue is in the line, maybe have someone suck on the sensor while you watch the live feed? I don't know the KA24DE or MAP sensors in general, so that's all I've got. I don't think there are many KA24DEs on here (not post '95 anyway) so you might find more firsthand experience elsewhere.

^+1, a lot of oil stays in there. I was surprised at how dark a little ATF made my oil the first time, and how quick the new oil seemed to go dark. This time I poured some oil through it before filling. It came out black, then lightened up, and the oil I put in afterwards hasn't darkened as much as the last batch did. I figure there was some black oil pooled at the bottom of the pan. The drain plug isn't at the very bottom of the pan, so you can't get all the oil out unless you chase it out with something.

A picture might help us figure out what you're saying.

Only if you hook it up to a steam whistle.

The VQ35DE in my dad's Pathy was drive by wire. It was laggy (not enough for impact driving, but it bugged me) and it spazzed out once and started snapping open and shut if you tried giving it gas. I don't consider it an upgrade over a cable throttle. Actually, if it came down to it, I'd rather own a car where I had to stick my hand out the window and work the throttle linkage with a stick than deal with that electric crap again. Sounds like the 4th gen Maxima (which came with a VQ20 or VQ30) has a small cable-actuated throttle body, and the VQ35 (or VQ40?) comes with a larger electronic throttle body, making bolt-on VQ35-into-Maxima swaps difficult. The product described above would let you run a VQ35 with a restrictive stock throttle from a smaller motor if you didn't want to change your computer, or a proper-sized electronic throttle if you wanted to change the computer anyway. I'd be inclined to gut the servo motor from the bigger throttle body and just swap over the linkage and the position sensor from the smaller one, but maybe that's harder than it sounds.

Ah, guess it's draining back then. Think it's worth doing something about?

Unless the engine's been run for a long time without oil changes (or something's fallen into the cylinders), I don't imagine it would need sludge to hold compression. My friend's Chevy, questionable service history, 180k on the clock, showed no scoring when we opened it up for gaskets. Maybe if the engine's good and trashed...

Maybe the two wires are for the annoying "you left your key in" beeper?

After reading the oil writeup that got posted a while back, and thinking back on my truck's cold-start lifter tick, I decided to switch from 10W30 to 5W30 (Valvoline dinosaur, with a new Napa filter) and see what happened. The truck starts and runs fine, but the oil pressure light stays on for five seconds or so on cold starts, and often on warm starts as well. (On 10W30, it wouldn't stay on for more than a second unless the engine was extremely cold.) Once it's off, it stays off, and I don't hear any ticking or anything while it's on. The engine's got almost 172k on it, and I'm not sure how good the previous owner was to it. I guess it makes sense that a thinner oil would take longer to build pressure given the same restriction. Since the pressure light's not coming on while the truck's in gear, I'm inclined not to worry about it, but it seemed like something to ask about. What do you guys think? Is the drain-back valve in the filter defective, is my motor too worn for 5W30, is this pretty much normal? Or is there a fourth possibility that I haven't even counted upon?

Check the plug for your coolant temp sensor. I had a stalling when warm issue that (near as I can tell) came down to corrosion in that plug. Clean it out and use some dielectric grease (if you can) when you put it back together so it won't corrode again. Wouldn't hurt to check your MAF and TPS plugs as well.

I haven't heard any complaints about the stock TC, and the aftermarket for these isn't terribly lively. Sounds like a hell of a build!

The last guy who blew his R50's steering lost the rack. If the center seal in the rack goes it won't leak (externally) but it won't power steer, either. I imagine if the pump was shot it would be making all kinds of noises. I'm not sure how to go about tracking it down for sure, though.

I didn't measure the used oil, but the case was still full, and refilling it afterwards took a little under two and a half quarts IIRC.

Hmm... I don't know the diesels but a dry filter does suggest that the fuel's draining out. I'd check the fuel lines for leaks; seems like if air's getting in somewhere while it's parked, fuel might be getting out through the same hole while it's running.

The fluid is changed, and the walls are not dripping with ATF. Success! I pretty much replicated Brian's design, except I used a plastic rice container (kind of flimsy) and some kind of garden sprinkler hose that was small diameter and didn't flow well. It took a little while but it got the job done. Thanks all for your input! The old fluid came out dark, but not purple. It was winter when I checked it, maybe my finger was turning blue and I hadn't noticed.

Congrats on the otherwise successful engine swap! That is weird though, having the light on/key off. I think we can rule out a bad ignition switch, since the light isn't on all the time, only when the key isn't on, and nothing else is coming on with it. I had a similar problem when I re-wired my cargo light to the spare carrier push switch. After I got it all buttoned up, I turned off the key, closed the carrier, and the "tire carrier" idiot light came on. The dash was supposed to be +, and the cargo light hooked to +, and - was supplied to both circuits by the carrier switch, so I was pretty confused as to what was powering that bulb. Apparently the voltage regulator (or something?) in the dash, normally +, went weakly - when the ignition was off, enough to send power through the bulb, into the cargo light circuit I'd hacked into, through that bulb, to the + lead there. (When I finally figured it out, I wired a diode into the idiot light circuit, blocking the backflow and solving the problem.) I bring this up now because it sounds like maybe one of your alty wires is pinched/touching something it shouldn't, and it's somehow feeding current through the idiot light when the dash is off. I think you can rule out the order of the alty pins, since unplugging the alty makes no difference, but that doesn't mean the alty wiring isn't the problem. It sounds like you did the soldering right, but that's still the first place I'd check for shorts. If that's not the issue, maybe that harness got mushed somewhere during the engine installation--squeezed between the alty and the bracket, or up against the firewall, I dunno how that harness routes on the R50. Does the alternator charge the battery with the engine running? If the wiring checks out, at least you know the current is going through the alternator fuse. That might help narrow down the problem. In case the issue's similar to mine, you could pull the fuse and do a voltage check across that fuse hole, key on and off, and see if there's power there with the key off--and if it changes polarity. It's kind of a long shot (and it's based on my assumption that the WD21 carrier light and the R50 battery light have similar wiring) but if you run out of other things to test, it might be worth a shot.

Thanks all, the compressor trick sounds like a winner to me. I'll give it a go tomorrow and let you guys know how many quarts I spray on the walls.