Slartibartfast

The M30 ecu swap is a thing, right? Why not swap in the M30 ECU with the N60 MAF it's built for?

Open up your door panel, find the wire going to the lock actuator motor, and tap a relay into it. Hook that to a cheap little horn, and there you go! On second thought, that's a terrible idea. If I did that on mine it would sound like a carnival every time I tried to unlock it.

The pump can't empty the tank completely. Mine still had five gallons or something in it when I dropped it, and it was riding on E. But yeah, I trust the gas level sender about as much as I trust the battery indicator on my phone.

Parts apathy I'd stay away from the spray foam, it'll just give moisture something to get trapped against and make future welding more difficult. Drilling the holes bigger sounds like a great idea though. I suspect that these rust out partially because the holes are too small and don't let stuff out... when I found the first rust holes in mine, the drain holes below them were fully clogged and holding back a hell of a lot of dirt.

I read about it here when my passenger's high beam started cutting out. Hopefully the JY one is clean. If not, the contacts aren't that tough to adjust, just a little fiddly. Having a set of gator clips and a multimeter makes the process loads easier.

Mine are heated. The heaters aren't much to write home about (you can't cook bacon on them) but they warm up a little when I hit the defroster. I got a new one from a part-out on here for around $20 IIRC, and took the old one apart just to see what it was made of. They're not really built to be serviced. Most of it came apart alright, except for one big locking clip sort of deal that wouldn't let go. I found the heating pad inside, silicone-glued to the back of the glass. I don't think removing the old mirror assembly and putting the new (old) one on took more than an hour. I've never heard of the mirrors cracking in the cold. Maybe they had ice behind them?

Mine had an RPM-specific whine that turned out to be the timing belt tensioner failing, but that was in any gear including neutral. Maybe it's coming from the trans. How's the fluid look? Do you do the overfill thing?

The lights are a common problem, which you can fix by pulling out the light switch and cleaning the contacts. They get corroded (partially because the system has no relays, so the contacts carry the full wattage of the lamps) and quit making contact. Each filament has its own contact (high and low beam for both), and IIRC the tail lights and front corners share a contact. I suspect this contact also does the dash lights. Cleaning them isn't difficult but they'll need some adjustment to make and break contact like they should. Here's what mine looked like inside (I think I labelled it right): Or you can buy a new switch. Either way, the headlight relay mod should make the switches last longer.

Sounds like you've got a plan. Let us know how it goes.

It's funny, this kind of thing is technically an emergency or a problem but we all hope for it.

Sounds like a dirty throttle body to me. Did you do the seafoam through the intake, too? From what I've heard, the seafoam can loosen up the crud in the throttle body to where it blocks the air that's supposed to get in to let the engine idle. It runs fine cold because the computer opens the idle air control valve, but then as the engine warms up, the valve closes, and the engine ends up trying to suck air though a clog. Presto, it doesn't idle properly. I haven't had this issue myself but I'd be inclined to pull the intake pipe and shoot some carb cleaner at the area around the butterfly valve. Somebody who has dealt with this can probably tell you better. Can't hurt to change the filter but I don't think it's to blame.

Nice rims!

An update on this, for anyone with similar issues: we gave up and bought a new head unit out of the wrecking yard. My dad called a dealership and was told that the stereo on the '03 only was somehow tied into the HVAC system, and therefore had to be replaced with a factory one. We picked up a radio out of a wrecked '03, stuck it in, and found that the wreck had busted some gears in the CD changer. Luckily the changer comes off as a unit, so I just swapped in the good one from the old head. It all works now. Oh, and I tested the fan one of the times I had the radio out. It worked fine.

Sounds to me like the drive to the rear end is getting interrupted, and when you put it in 4x, the front end pulls you out. This sounds like a transfer case issue to me. I'm staring at the FSM diagram and all I can figure is that something's gone wrong with the the shift fork for the 2-4 coupling sleeve. Could be wear, could be an issue with the linkage that moves it. I don't think that sleeve is ever supposed to be completely disengaged; the low/high coupling sleeve is the one with the neutral position, so far as I can tell. I suspect it's moving beyond were it's supposed to and grinding on the bit that's supposed to drive the rear. I may be reading the diagrams wrong, of course; the FSM only says where the parts go. But if I'm right, hopefully it's a simple linkage problem, and the grinding hasn't butchered anything important. If it does turn out to be the linkage, don't forget to change the fluid... you may have some metal bits swimming around in there.

I fixed my stock power antenna a short time after getting the truck. It was fairly simple, all I did was open the case and swap out the mast. It's worked pretty well since, but then it worked alright before too, and also there's jack all on the radio around here. Getting to the antenna was a PITA, though.

The cooler is part of the radiator, but in the unlikely event that it's the problem, the rest of the rad should still be usable. Just plumb the trans lines to an aftermarket cooler and you'll be good to go. +1 on it probably being the hoses. And spray some penetrant on the skid plate bolts before you try and get 'em off... mine's held on by two bolts and a sheet metal screw because the other four sheared off.

These have a normal coil, not a coil pack (that's what newer motors with no distributor have), and if it runs on ether I suspect the ignition isn't the problem. It sounds like fuel system to me. Injectors, wiring, fuel pump, fuel pump relay, clogged fuel filter, something like that. The swap sounds straightforward enough, so long as the fuel system issue is the only thing wrong with the 91's motor. If it's okay otherwise, and the fuel system on your 89 is in good order, I imagine it would work just fine. Come to think of it, you could probably just swap out the intake and wiring and leave your block and heads alone. I haven't driven a TBI so I don't know how its power compares to the MPFI, but I wouldn't expect a huge power improvement from the swap. Front lockers? As in manual hubs? I'm pretty sure the WDs all came with auto hubs, so manuals are a plus. If the rear locker is in good shape then it could be a good deal. (edit after some research LOL)

Figured out why my driving lights crapped out the other night. The fuse was fine, but the little glob of solder it rested on came loose. Nothing a little ball of tin foil can't solve! The other day I swapped my plastic door handles for chrome ones. They're a lot easier when you've done them once before.

Looks like Hershey's syrup in that bottle!

In theory, the dealership would know what to test for, and pinpoint the problem quickly. From what I've read, though, it often degrades to "I dunno, let's throw parts at it until the problem goes away." You need a mechanic, not a part replacer. Unless you've heard good things about your local dealer, I'd take it to a trans shop. Your mods don't sound too drastic, but you might mention them, just so they know what they're dealing with. So long as it's not slammed too low to get onto the ramps, I doubt they'll complain too much.

IIRC it was the Maxima alty (90A) that swapped more or less directly, and the 120A Quest alty takes a little more work.

I had a leak in the same place. I imagine the rubber hardens and shrinks with age. I just glopped a bunch of rubber cement all over the gasket, stuck it back in, stuck the pump back into it, and haven't had an issue with it since. Or you could do it right and get a new gasket, but where's the fun in that?

The failsafe mode is to lock into third gear, and since it's not doing that, I suspect the computer doesn't know there's anything wrong. The FSM tests are probably your best bet, but if you find yourself underneath, take a good look at the wiring. A busted wire or a corroded plug could be screwing with things.

I thought you were gonna say you'd bought a Jeep or something. I haven't done anything I'd call wheeling either... just the odd trip through the yard and some fun in the snow. Soon... ish... hopefully.