Slartibartfast

Ah, mine didn't come with a hatch striker so I didn't know. (Out of curiosity, where are those located? I assumed I'd find a blanking plate somewhere but I haven't.)

If the missing rubber means the switch isn't getting pushed in all the way, yeah, that'll keep the lights on. New rubber or some kind of shim should sort the problem. (Or just unplug the switch, but then those doors will no longer trigger the light.)

Sounds like it's got usual higher idle when cold, then it drops like it's supposed to (but goes too far). Mine had trouble with this a while back dropping too low and choking out at stoplights. Never did figure it out, but messing around with the TPS/MAF/airbox seemed to sort it out. Hasn't happened in about a year.

Could be worse, he could be going through girls at this rate He considered taking back an old girlfriend but she had issues... so he went for an older lady instead.

Is it possible for the computer to be stuck in open loop even with the engine warmed up? I know my VG30 has two sensors for the coolant (on the metal bit that hooks to the upper rad hose, forgot its proper name), and my understanding is that one is for the computer, the other for the gauge. I couldn't back this up with the FSM though so I could very well be wrong, and even if I'm right, the VG33 could very well be different. If I'm right though, maybe fixinto's on the right track and the computer's keeping it in warm-up mode.

Can't be that hard to swap a harness? Or to rig a multimeter to one and test for bad connections? Not saying it'd be a five minute job but it should be doable. I was thinking ECU too but if it kicks back on from shaking the harness... ECU's got nothing to do with that.

Sounds like maybe the idle air control valve is stuck shut.

I know there's a part (in fact I've considered using a junkyard hazard light switch in its place), I just hadn't considered putting the factory switch up there.

Great idea putting the fog light switch in the blank spot! I might just copy that one.

The VQ is the 3.5l V6 used in the later R50s.

Bad wire, bad ground? The guy said he got it going briefly by wiggling wires, which tells me that the problem is (hopefully) in a plug that can be cleaned up. Worst case, snag an injector harness from the junkyard and swap that in. Seems like you're running a halfway house for Pathfinders.

Or look underneath for a silver thing up against one of the frame rails with brake lines coming from it. (Or look for the computer, should be under the driver's seat with the alarm IIRC). I'm pretty sure all 4x4 Pathfinders have rear ABS. I've never had mine kick in either.

The trouble with LEDs is that they tend to have a fairly small viewing angle (as opposed to the stock bulbs which throw light everywhere). Viewing angle depends on the specs of the kit and the specs of the LED so I imagine it varies quite a bit. I took apart an iPod Nano a while back and found a sheet of textured clear plastic on the backlight to scatter/even out the light. Maybe try putting some gift wrap tape or tissue paper or something over the light to scatter it a little?

My dad's VQ burns a bit of oil. From what I've read the problem is a dirty PCV sucking oil into the intake. One thing I'll say for it though, it accelerates a lot quicker than mine!

Thanks guys!

^^ Clutch blanking plate. I routed the turn-on wire for my driving lights through there.

Yikes, good to hear you made it out alright! Sounds like a hill to avoid until you've got the new hoses on.

Cool, thanks! Hopefully I can get the res off without buggering it. (Not a BFH job!) Since I've never done brakes before my uncle's helping me do the bushings and flush the fluid (needed it anyway). He's convinced himself that it's got some sort of 'shuttle' somewhere in the system that preserves one set of brakes if the others fail, which means he'd need a special tool to bleed them. The FSM makes no mention of this, except maybe the load sensing valve, which mine doesn't have anyway. Do we need anything special for the job, or has my uncle just been spending too much time under GM products?

Also check the condition of vac lines, EGR, codes, anything that might be holding it back. I've heard good things about seafoaming the intake but I haven't tried it on mine yet. If you're good with engine internals, you can bore out VG33 to make a VG34. Also, the VG33 engine was offered with a supercharger on Xterras and Frontiers. I don't think it would be straight bolt-on (you'd probably need to swap the computer) but I can't see why it wouldn't work on an R50.

I would try bypassing the immobilizer, just to rule it out. Maybe there's some little crimp connector that's not quite crimped right and it's making intermittent contact. Do you know what part the immobilizer shuts down? I've got a hunch that it's cutting power to the fuel pump.

Stupid question, does anyone know how the res comes off the cylinder? Looks to me like it just wiggles off, but is there a clamp or a clip or something I'm not seeing?

Yeah, that's supposed to light up. I don't think it has its own fuse, so check the bulbs.

Awesome, thanks for the link!

Thanks guys, I checked under it today and found no brake fluid leaks. I checked behind the res and sure enough, fluid and gunk everywhere. Looks like the rearmost seal has crapped out. I checked the exploded view in the FSM and sure enough, looks like there are two rubber seals that the res apparently just presses into. Any ideas on where to get these separately? A rebuild kit looks to cost about as much as a reman MC.

I'd check the wiring to the MAF and the condition of the plug before dumping $90 on a new sensor. If it's corroded or loose it'll return bad info just the same as if the sensor was butchered. While you're at it, check the wiring to your cam shaft sensors, seeing as how that's what the computer thinks is wrong. Corroded or otherwise buggered wiring would explain why the issue doesn't improve with a new sensor, and could explain why it got worse after the mechanic did the plugs (pushing the wires around). Did the mechanic do the plug wires when he did the plugs? If they're old/lousy/arcing to something, they could cause the engine to miss. Again bending them around to change the plugs may have made the problem worse. This would probably throw a code other than the cam shaft sensor though. Also, I dunno how the R50 MAF compares to the WD21, but I cleaned mine (very carefully) with a q-tip and solvent with no issues.