Slartibartfast

Assuming they're the same as the MMs I just put on my WD21, the bolts that hold the hub on are 6 mm. On mine you have to pull the face plates first, and they're are odd; the Allen wrench that came with them measures 3.55 mm. Look for Allen sockets with a short shank on them, the long ones aren't made for the kind of torque it'll take to break the bolts free. I'm not surprised your T-handle couldn't do the job! Bring a breaker/cheater bar as well. Hopefully they come out quicker for you than my stock ones did.

Hmm. A stumble at idle suggests a vac leak to me... if not a line, maybe a gasket or an injector O-ring. One cylinder runs lean at idle, the rest are fine, and you wouldn't notice under load (less vacuum to show off the issue). Another place air can leak in is through the rubber intake tube. If it has cracks in it (probably down below where you can't see them), it could suck air in and cause a stumble. I've read about this being an issue under load (when the engine twists around) rather than at idle, but you say this happened after a little wheeling and a bit of engine brake deceleration... long shot but maybe you've got a motor mount on its way out, and the engine rocked enough to open up a crack in the tube?

It makes sense that the new tensioner would be a little stiffer, given that it hasn't worn in yet. I've heard other members report a little whirring as the belt wears in. Probably wouldn't hurt to check the tension, though. The smoke is more worrying. Maybe the belt was rubbing against something? Short of an electrical fire I can't think of what would smoke right on start up (under the hood, anyway).

Mine's done this. Starts up fine, idles fine, but then it gets warm and dies at stoplights. Both times I've unplugged the MAF and TPS, plugged them back in, and wiggled the coolant temp sensor wiring (because I didn't want to burn my hand trying to figure out the plug), and it's gone back to normal. Sooner or later I should figure out what the actual problem is... gotta be one of those.

You're probably making fairly tight turns off road at low speed, increasing the difference in ground traveled for each tire, which (due to the locked diff) is stuck at 1:1. So you're fighting the steering against the drivetrain, unless the surface is loose/slick enough that the tires just slip. I just put a set of those Mile Markers on my rig... what killed yours?

I can't feel the difference when I'm driving, but I tried rocking my truck from the outside in the two different modes and it was actually a little stiffer in "sport." They probably worked better 170k miles ago. When I get around to replacing mine I'll probably tear one apart to experiment with whatever goo is inside. I always figured they were valved or something but the ferrofluid makes more sense. I wonder what wears out...

Looking good!

If you suspect the fuel is gelling up, there are additives that are supposed to fix that. I haven't heard of that problem, though I'm not sure I would've (not much experience with diesels). It does sound like a fuel delivery issue, though clearing up when warm makes it sound like something else. Looks like the EGR system on those has a coolant temp sensor, maybe it's dumping too much exhaust into the engine when it's cold and then shaping up once the temp comes up?

My (limited) understanding is that the motor from a Frontier or Xterra (but not an R50) has its accessories mounted in a way that fits the WD21 engine bay. Hooking up the power steering and alternator shouldn't be a problem, but the A/C compressor lines don't match. If you wanted to keep AC, you'd have to remove your existing pump and adapt the new one to work with the existing lines. You'd want a shop to drain the system and fill it afterwards, and probably to adapt the lines (unless you have TIG welding gear). I don't remember when the switch from R12 to R134a was, but if you have R12, good luck getting it refilled. It looks like you could swap pulleys between the two compressors, but the mounts and lines would still be wrong. The nice thing about the adaptor pulley is that you just swap your old brackets and accessories onto the new motor, and you don't have to screw around with the refrigerant.

+1, could be torque bind. Even if the stick is in 2H the transfer case sometimes sticks, especially if it hasn't been used in a while. Couldn't hurt to change the fuel filter either, if it's been a while.

I think it was PAmountianbiker who did his R50 up SAS.

Tightened the console to stop its rattling, and wished I could make the POS Sony headunit quit beeping when I turn the ignition off.

Sounds like the center seal in the steering rack blew out. With that gone, the PS system wouldn't leak externally, but the fluid would wash right through the rack without helping you steer.

KDJ, shoot some pblaster at them for a few days before you try them. Whether you do them or take it to a shop it should make them easier to budge. How would that work exactly? The spark plugs don't regulate fuel mix, they just set off combustion. If a bigger spark makes for a more complete combustion, I would expect slightly better fuel economy.

The VG series engines didn't have swirl valves, Nissan started with those on the VQ series (2001.5+). My dad had the bucking problem with his '03 and it was not mistakable for an exhaust condition! Of course the SOB didn't code so we had no idea it was the swirl valve circuit that was plugged up... luckily the mechanic we took it to had seen the problem before. If it's leaking exhaust before the primary O2 sensors, the computer won't get the fuel mix right. I would imagine scavenging is also effected. When I got the exhaust on my WD fixed, it seemed to pick up a little power. It also made a lot less noise afterwards!

Hmm. I remember reading somewhere about people having issues with low voltage at the glow plugs (on VWs IIRC). Maybe check across the plugs with a voltmeter to see if they're getting full voltage. A bad ground or a relay on its way out could be limiting current to the plugs. Also +1 on 1987caddy's suggestion to load test the battery. Battery voltage drops under load from the starter, and if the battery's on its way out, it'll dip further--perhaps enough that the glow plugs don't do their thing.

Back and forth or turning? If the gear ratio in your other rig is the same, it should bolt right in and work fine. If the ratio's wrong, a wrecking yard might sell you a diff for less than you could get those gears for.

Do check the tire size! IIRC mine has five gallons or so when it hits empty. The bottom of the tank is flat, and there's no sump or anything for the fuel pump, so you'll never be able to suck out the tank's full capacity.

I'll bet that was copy/pasted from the VG30I section by mistake. I assume it means you turn the screw back clockwise again. So put the key in, ON position, turn the screw clockwise until it stops, wait five seconds, and then turn it counter clockwise until it stops. The LEDs blink, then you turn it clockwise again. Then it should spit out the codes. The FSM probably explains it better. If you can't get it to work, I'll take a whack at mine (I know I've done it before) and see if I can figure out how it's supposed to work.

I've seen the manuals before, but FAST is a new one! Odd that it's in a bunch of parts. Does it reconstitute as software after you download it?

Before you go ahead and try this, maybe mock it up in the normal position and see how it is to reach. I'm ~6'4" (seat moved back as far as it'll go) and I have no trouble reaching mine. If you do decide to pull it out an inch, I imagine it could be pretty simple to do, depending on the design of your radio. I don't know what unit you're working with, but if I was going to do this with my Xplod, I'd start by pulling the dash apart until I could get at the brackets. Figure out where they need to sit on the case, then drill/tap/solder/whatever to mount the unit in that position. Then put the dash back together, put the faceplate on, and make sure the radio ended up where you want it. Then just take the trim plate (rectangular sort of frame that hides the crack around the head unit) and extend it so it'll cover the radio case all the way back to the dash. Sheet plastic would be my first choice if I had some at hand, but MDF or sheet metal or something would do just as well, especially with a little Bondo and some spray paint. Slip that around the radio and there you have it. Or you could just spray-bomb the radio case flat black so it doesn't draw attention to itself, mount it sticking out, and leave it at that.

I use FB to coordinate stuff with friends, and now and then somebody posts something interesting. The stupid site updates and "What extinct marine mammal are YOU?" quizzes get old though. It's just not the right medium for this sort of thing. It'd be like trying to put a tablet operating system on a desktop.

I don't know the 2.7 well enough to diagnose, but you might try crawling back under to see if you knocked anything loose when you were in there before. Loose ground strap, pinched glow plug wires, binding idler pulley? So it runs normally once it's going?

Like the other guys said, the how-to (and the service manual diagnostics it's derived from) will work on your ECU, just remember that you have a VG30E, not a VG30I. Both are discussed. The I model has a switch, the E has the slotted deal. If you can get a code out of the ECU, it'll go a long way towards fixing the thing.