Slartibartfast

To shoot another spitball, maybe the oxygen sensor or its wiring is compromised. In normal driving, the sensor would stay pretty dry (being hot and all) and run fine, but sink it in deep mud/snow and it cools down and the moisture gets in and fouls the reading? Has it ever done its fatigue thing in dry conditions? If this is the case, the failing sensor could help explain the lack of power around town. Then again, mine doesn't like hills either, and it's in good working order so far as I can tell. It'll do 45-50 on a steep hill, but only if I push it really hard (second gear, 4k rpm and up).

Hate to say it but yeah, sounds pretty textbook for t-belt failure. I can't think of what else it'd be.

Sounds like windshield seal to me. +1 on hosing it on a dry day.

+1 on buying one from some place you can easily take it back to. When mine died, my uncle put a Carquest reman in it which started making horrible squealing noises within a few days. Exchanged it and haven't had any trouble with the new one.

Finally stickered it! I was surprised at how easy the decal was to work with.

I downloaded the manual. We know the CEL is functional because it came on when Dad tried disconnecting the MAF, and again when we reset the computer (blinking to indicate resetting or whatever). We don't have an OBDII scanner but we've taken it in a few times and been told it doesn't show any codes (other than the code from Dad pulling the MAF plug).

There's a door lock timer behind the driver's side lower trim in the cargo area. It's a grey box that says 'door lock timer' on it. Unplug that and the locks won't be powered. I've heard that resoldering the connections inside the timer fixes most power lock issues. Still have to try it properly on mine... I resoldered a few with no effect, guess I might as well finish the job before saying "it works" or "it doesn't work." Mine only act up in cold weather, though.

IIRC there wasn't a lot of noise from mine (and the squeak I thought came from them turned out to be the sway bar). I did mine because they looked sketchy, and because I saw a lot of pictures of butchered ones on here where the rod was worn in half by the frame. Mine were a PITA to remove (rusted like everything else) and needed a couple of bearing cups welded to the frame in place of the destroyed stock cups, and the sleeves had worn through. IIRC there was a whole thread with a how-to and all. Found it:

^Missed that last reply, didn't think to try it. The mechanic swapped out a swirl valve solenoid and the engine hasn't acted up since. Still slurping oil of course but the throttle does what it's supposed to.

My temp gauge goes to half, so I assume that's normal. The fact that it clears up on restart suggests electrical to me. Any codes on the trans computer?

Sounds like a ton of work (modifying both the carrier and the truck) and when you're done it would still open on the wrong side. Not that it can't or shouldn't be done though. I've sort of been eyeing the left-hinged tire carriers on Isuzus at the JY. Yeah, they'd need custom brackets, but it sounds like you're looking to do that anyway.

Odd but unless the wiring's been botched, I would still suspect the switch. IIRC the contacts are pushed shut, and supposed to spring open on their own. Whether they do or not is another matter. LOL saw one of the 'similar' links below, apparently this is a thing that happens. The contacts get messed up and overheat or something, and then the whole thing craps out.

I used the blue poly Moog bushings. They've given me no trouble.

5. Already plated the sides, but the underside of the driver's rail is rotted out too (big ol' gash above the exhaust). I was amazed at the amount of dirt that came out of the rails when I knocked the rust out. The rest is reasonably clean, still painted even. Can't wait to get a welder and finish it (or a fresh frame from a junkyard... how hard could that be?). But maybe I should take care of the gas smell first... It spent most of its life in NY, then went to Idaho. Both salt states.

Cleaned mine, worked for me. It was a little tough to get the back plate off without destroying it but it's not that bad.

3 looks decent IMO.

I'm assuming you've got the front hubs locked (or just hub plates) if you're using the auto mode. I haven't heard of anyone having problems with manual hubs and the auto t-case so long as it's not in auto mode with the front end unlocked (it would be like jamming a manual box into 4x4 at speed with the front hubs unlocked, lots of grinding). From what I've read with the lokkas (no personal experience), they'll let the faster wheel overrun when going around a corner, unless you get on the gas. Takes some getting used to apparently. So when the 'auto' box kicks power to the front end, the front end would probably lock up, which could make control interesting. Might check this out, it's not with the auto t-case but it would probably be a similar effect with solid hubs or with manuals locked: I'd be a little leery of an auto locker on ice, after seeing how easily my LSD slides the rear end out. Oversteer is fun... understeer, not so much.

And manual hubs only improve MPG in R50 Pathfinders, which had no auto hubs, just a plate that locks the CV axle to the wheel regardless. An unlocked auto hub will work just like an unlocked manual hub.

One cool idea I saw on Youtube the other day involved on board water. A guy with a Jeep realized that he could drill a hole in the plastic bumper, hook a pump to it, and run a hose. The pump came on automatically when you started using water. These don't have enclosed plastic bumpers but a custom bumper could include a PVC tank.

That'll keep you busy!

My dad's 03 with 90k has similar oil consumption, and he heard the same thing, that a synthetic oil could make the valve seals swell up and somehow quit leaking oil into the combustion chamber (if that is in fact where the oil is escaping from). It didn't help, and he's back to pouring a quart of dino oil in every thousand miles or so. He makes lots of fairly long trips, so I don't think your driving habits are to blame. It's not an uncommon issue with the VQ engines, and I've yet to hear of anyone really resolving it.

Dad tried to drive it to work today... and it's jerking again.

Dad found another reset/relearn sort of thing on Nico. Here's the screenshot... Now it's running like nothing ever happened. We have no idea what made it need this, or why this fixed it, but it accelerates like normal again. The more I mess with this rig, the more I like my WD.

The bugger did it again today after a car wash. The engine gets up to around 2k just fine, in gear or not, and then suddenly loses power, finds it, loses it, finds it again. It doesn't feel like the engine's struggling, it feels like the throttle's slamming shut. Once or twice, revving in neutral, it hiccuped at 5k. It'll go on like it's got epilepsy and then suddenly it clears and it's fine. Then it spazzes out again. We pulled the vac line from before, and it was clear. We tried the line underneath it and found some kind of white flakes (looked like sea salt) inside, but it wasn't clogged. It still bucked and surged (hard enough to rattle the trailer hitch), even with the lines unplugged. Still no CEL. Video of the problem Here's the sea salt looking stuff: I'm looking at the idle and accelerator position relearn procedures now, and I'll try them first. The problem didn't start with a dead battery so I can't imagine that's the problem but at this point it's an easy thing to rule out. I'm also looking up testing procedures for the electronic gas pedal (because some numbnuts thought an electronic throttle was a good idea) and the throttle actuator. Seems like if a sensor was reading weird enough to make the computer slam the throttle (thinks it's engine braking maybe?) it would trigger a CEL, but that may be asking too much of a computer system clearly designed by gibbons. We took it down to the gas station before filming it and met a guy with a flogged-to-hell 2WD 4-cyl Hardbody. He said it had 800k on the clock. It ran a little rough and used a little oil... but it was doing a whole lot better than this bugger.

I'm not familiar with the piece in question, but maybe you could drill a small hole and thread a screw into it? Adjust it to where it works, then locktite it and forget it?