Slartibartfast

The Terrano is just what they called the Pathfinder in some other markets. I may have one off my parts car. I'll dig around later and see if it's got a part number on it.

I've been ignoring the same problem for years. Busted stud, same as yours (same one too, I think). It's dead common on these. The studs were too small or the wrong steel or something. The next version of the engine (the VG33) uses larger studs, not that this helps you any. My dad had the same problem on one probably twenty years ago, and had a shop cut an access hole in the inner fender to make it easier. I bought a 90* drill adapter to try and do mine without cutting sheet metal, got some 300ZX exhaust studs (IIRC they're supposed to be stronger?) and new manifold gaskets, and then never got around to it because it looked like a PITA and it wasn't obviously hurting anything. I don't think I've ever heard of one of these burning an exhaust valve. There's also a common exhaust leak at the Y-pipe, under the driver's floor. Tends to rot out the floor under the driver's right heel. That one will set your carpet on fire if it gets bad enough.

Yeah, that sounds like the MAF rather than the connector. Does the MAF look okay? Any fouling on the elements? I don't know what would've killed it (or dirtied it) that fast, though I remember seeing a picture where someone got a fly stuck in one (don't think it was an R50) due to an air filter box not sealing properly. Hopefully the new one holds up better.

I wish the service manual gave part numbers! Or at least a spotting guide for when they list different models of the same part with different torque specs. I had a look at the hatch glass latch from my partsfinder ('95, same as my '93, hopefully the same as what you're working with). The bad news is that the switch is built into the plate under the latch, and the plate appears to come with the latch assembly (either 90330-41G00 or 90330-41G01 for an '87)... or would, if they weren't discontinued. The good news is that it's a very simple switch. Unless the contact fell off the plunger, or the plastic broke, I imagine it's just got some corrosion where the contact hits the body of the switch. Should be easy to inspect and clean once it's off. (After looking at it again, I would leave the adjustment bolts alone, and pull the latch and plate as a unit. Four bolts, one plug, and of course the linkage.) Clean up the contact points and the slots they go into with a small file, steel wool, a strip of sandpaper, a fiberglass pencil, something along those lines. That should bring it around. I would also check that the linkage from the latch isn't pressing on the plunger when the latch is closed, though I'd be surprised if that had somehow gone wrong. The cargo light switch is built into the main hatch latch. Again, it's not replaceable on its own, though it looks like that assembly is still available (in three different variations, for some reason). If you look into the latch from the outside, where the striker goes, you'll see a big rubber chunk in there on one side. The striker is supposed to push that chunk inwards when the hatch closes, which opens the switch contacts. But it's a stupid design, and the rubber wears, and eventually it doesn't open the contacts like it's supposed to, and the cargo light starts flashing when you go over bumps. I imagine the previous owner got tired of the light show and unplugged the bastard. You may be able to clear this up by adjusting the striker. Mine has tape wrapped around the striker, which also works. Again, I am assuming that your '87 is built the same as the four-doors I'm used to. Your cargo light has a three-position switch on it, right? Looks like the instructions for testing the amp didn't translate well. I think they meant that grounding pin 6 (with the rest wired as shown) should make the lamp come on.

These only have a camshaft position sensor. It's inside the distributor. It's an optical sensor, like what's in an old computer mouse with the ball in it, not a hall-effect like most other stuff. There's a plate under the rotor in the distributor, and the sensor is under that. I've heard of them acting normal when cold but playing up when warm, which sounds like what yours is doing. Check the bearings while you're in there, especially if you find debris under the plate. I don't know whether the worn bearings take out the sensor, or just confuse it. That said, if the starter is struggling/engine is turning slowly/it won't start without a jump, that's not the cam sensor. I would check that the battery is good, and that the alternator is charging it when the engine is running. I recommend downloading the service manual. Free from either cardiagn.com ('90 manual, if yours is square-dash) or Nicoclub ('94/95 manual, round dash). EF&EC is your friend for engine control questions. Sorry to hear it got "rebuilt" with worn-out junk. One of my dad's friends bought a Triumph like that. I think it was assembled with the parts left over from rebuilding a few others. It ran surprisingly well, other than the alarming clacking noise, the clutch that didn't disengage all the way, and the steering column that was about to fall out. It took us a while to sort it out, but it was a nice driver when it left. Hopefully yours comes around too.

Interesting. Agreed that it shouldn't be the problem, but odd that it's out at the same time. I guess it could've been out for quite a while without being noticed. I've had the latch off of mine a couple of times (I added a second switch to it so it turns on the cargo light when it's unlatched), and I don't remember it giving me too much trouble going back together. The four bolts on the plate shouldn't give you a problem. The two holding the latch to the plate have slotted holes for adjustment, so draw around the latch (or the bolt heads) with a marker before taking those out so you can put it back where it was. I had a look at mine to refresh my memory on how the wiper's supposed to work. With the switch set to intermittent, the motor turns counterclockwise (from my viewpoint under the hatch), and the linkage stops just short of the lockout switch for the hatch popper. When I turn the switch off, the motor turns clockwise, parks the wiper, and depresses the switch. This confirms that the gap to your hatch popper lockout switch is normal, for whatever that's worth.

I haven't worked with the R50 fuel injection, but my WD21 acted up (low idle/stalling, but normal power off-idle) when the MAF connector was worn out. Wiggling the connector would bring it back for a while. Messing with the contacts in the connector cleared it up temporarily. After a while I got around to replacing the connector with one that fits snugly and doesn't shake around, and it hasn't acted up since. I don't know that this is your issue, but I would try screwing around with the connector to see if that clears it up for a while. If it does, could be it's the screwing around with the plug, not the new MAF, that's been bringing it around each time. If not, might be worth tracking down an OE MAF. Random misfires makes sense if it's struggling to run with an inaccurate idea of how much air it's getting. Knock sensor is likely unrelated.

Yep, I got those crossed up in my mind. Good catch. Looks like the dash switch grounds that wire, so I'm guessing there's some transistorized something or another in the amp (not just relay logic) that's applying a little voltage to that line so it can tell when it's grounded by the switch. I would assume that's normal. There is a switch for the tailgate (built into the latch), but it's not part of this circuit. Sounds like the switch for the hatch glass is doing what it's supposed to do. Hopefully the relay gives you a smoking gun.

Sorry I missed that. This kind of thing is a pain to diagnose over the internet via text, especially given how unexpectedly complicated this wiper circuit is. Blue/white doesn't go to the amp at all. Green/red carries fused + to the glass hatch switch. When the hatch is shut, blue/white carries power from the switch to the relay coil (you should be able to make the relay click on and off by playing with that switch) and to the switch on the dash. If the switch is set to on or intermittent, it connects blue/white to red/blue, which goes back to the relay, through the normally open contacts (closed now that the relay is active), to green/red, the fused + feed again. All I can figure is that this is latching the relay--so if the relay is engaged (ignition on/hatch closed), and the rear wiper is on or intermittent, opening the hatch switch won't disengage the relay, because it's passing power to its own coil, effectively bypassing the glass hatch switch. This would make the wiper keep going if you opened the hatch with the key, which seems like it would be a bad thing--though I guess you can't open the hatch with the key when the key is in the ignition. There must be some reason it's set up like this--but I don't think that rabbit hole has the answer to this problem at the end of it. (Assuming I'm following the lines on the diagram correctly.) The takeaway I'm going with is that power on blue/white should make the relay click. If the relay isn't working, and it's leaving the normally open contacts closed when the coil is powered, it would be applying fused + to blue/black. I have no idea what effect this would have. Might be confusing the amp? Pull that trim panel, test the relay. Make sure it's good, and make sure it clicks when you turn the key on with the glass closed. If the relay is OK, but it isn't getting enough power from blue/white to click, chase that low voltage. If it's working how it should, I would rule it out for now. It looks like I was wrong about the contacts on the motor powering it directly. Blue from the contacts goes to the amp. So the contacts don't run the motor directly--they tell the amp to do it. I'm also seeing a the blue/black wire, running to the "wash" position on the switch, which I assume grounds out that same blue wire when the washer pump is running. If blue or blue/black is grounded out, this would cause the amp to run the wiper motor whenever the ignition is on. Sounds like your testing has ruled this one out, though. The amp has pretty much full control of the motor. Blue/yellow goes straight from the motor to the amp. Blue/red goes to the switch, which grounds it (along with the white/blue wire to the amp) in the "on" position, or connects it to the amp via the black/blue wire in any other position. If the dash switch is good, and neither of the blue/black wires (there are two black/blue wires in the same plug) are grounded (telling the amp to run the motor), then, yeah, that points to the amp. The trim panel should come out without too much fuss. If it's like its counterpart in the four-door, it's just a grab-and-pull job, apart from the very back lower bit that's hooked under the plastic trim at the back of the cargo floor. If that trim has the same stupid plastic screws that mine does, I recommend a flat-blade screwdriver, with as little downward force as possible, until you can hook a fingernail under them. They push in, which makes them impossible to unscrew with a Phillips driver. It is possible to get the side panel out around the floor trim, but in my experience it's more difficult that doing it right.

That's not a vacuum line, just a breather. There's no center axle disconnect on these. If the input spins, the outputs should spin too. Again, it's an open diff, so it may only spin one side depending on which hub is locked/which side has more drag on it. I would be very surprised if the diff was bad. My money's still on the hubs, or maybe a CV axle. Should be easy enough to check, though. With the truck parked in 2H, slide underneath and turn the front driveshaft by hand, while watching the flanges that the CVs bolt to. If one or both outputs do turn, then it's not the diff. If neither flange turns, and the driveshaft just sorta freewheels, then, yeah, that's gotta be the diff. To check the transfer case, put the shifter in 4x and try turning the driveshaft again. If the transfer case is working, the driveshaft won't turn. If they both check out, I'd take a closer look at the CVs and hubs. Sounds like you party a lot harder than I do!

Hopefully the corrosion was what killed the link. Gotta wonder what popped the locks fuse. There is a power lock in the tailgate, so, yeah, could be something going on between the two. Again, I would check the wiring between the roof and the hatch. Relay sounds OK. Should be some resistance across the coil, continuity across the normally closed contacts, open across the other two. If you apply 12v to the coil, the normally closed contacts should be open, and you should have continuity across the other two. Are you testing the switch while it's plugged in? Testing components while they're hooked up is a great way to confuse the hell out of yourself. If it tests good when it's unplugged, the switch is OK. The only tests I'd do with the switch plugged in is check for power across it (assuming you can get to it without putting your fingers in the way of the linkage). If the switch is closed, and you've got significant power across it (I would expect millivolts, but not many of them), something ain't right. If in doubt, temporarily bypass the switch (jumper leads work great for this) and see if that clears up the issue. Is red/green getting 12v?

Black at 211 is indeed ground. Blue/black should have 12v when the key is on and the wiper relay is not energized, so that sounds right. White/blue should have 12v power with the key on and the hatch glass closed, so, yeah, 9.1v says you have some investigating to do there. It gets power from the same place blue/black does (green/red), so you know the wire coming back from the dash is OK. I would check the glass hatch switch (in the latch). If it's closed, but you're only getting 9.1v after it, yeah, something ain't right. Test for the missing voltage across the switch. If the switch is open, and you're seeing 9.1v after it, it could be backfeeding power from elsewhere in the circuit. I don't know that it should be doing this, but I also don't know that it shouldn't. If white/blue gets 12v when the hatch is shut, I would note the weird voltage but not chase it unless I run out of ideas or something else makes it make sense. If it's 9.1v regardless, that's a problem. I would expect this problem would stop the wiper, not make it run constantly, but I don't know how the amp works. I guess in this context "wipers" is vague as hell, sorry about that. I meant the contacts in the motor that keep it powered until it reaches its home position. There's a little metal finger that spins with the wiper crank, and a C-shaped track that it runs on, with the gap at the home position. So if you turn the wiper off when it's not in its home position, this setup is what keeps it powered until the wiper is home (and the finger finds the gap, breaking the circuit). Looks like this switch hooks to black (ground), blue, and blue/black. It's the pac-man looking thing under the motor symbol in the diagram on EL-70. The pulsed power you're seeing on blue makes me think this is probably OK. EL-91 shows where the amp and relay are located. My money's still on a wiring fault, but, yeah, I wouldn't be shocked if it took out the amp, too. The thing that's confusing me is how it took out a fuse link but left its own 10A fuse intact. That makes me think another circuit may be involved--and, yeah, depending on what shorted to what, that might've screwed up the amp. Or maybe the fuse link was just old and corroded and failed under normal load, though I'd be surprised if under-voltage took out the amp. I would be tempted to give the wiper amp a good thwack with a screwdriver, on the off chance that frees up a stuck relay contact and brings it around--but I would be surprised if this fixed it.

I've got an '89 service manual on Dropbox. EL-70. Hatch guts should be the same AFAIK. If it doesn't match up, let me know and I'll check my paper copy of the '87. I screwed around with the linkage in my rear hatch once, maybe ten years ago. It wasn't acting up, I was just curious and in the neighborhood anyway (messing with the switch for the rear dome light IIRC). I remember the mechanism being a little more complicated than I had expected. IIRC the wiper has two resting positions, and only one of them hits the switch that allows the electric rear hatch popper to work. If the manual doesn't get you there, let me know and I'll open mine up and remind myself of how it's supposed to move. Do not adjust anything until you know how it all works. The switch did not likely adjust itself between when it worked and when it didn't, so messing with it will probably just make more work for yourself once you find what's really wrong. This sounds like a wiring fault to me. I would check the wiring between the hatch and the body for broken wires and cracked insulation. Could explain the burned fuse link and the motor getting power when it's not supposed to. Failing that, I would check the wipers in the motor that keep it going back to its home position, but it sounds like you did that already, and I would not have expected those to take out a fuse link. And, yeah, wouldn't hurt to check the switch as well, though again I don't think that would've killed a fuse link.

I have never found a timing belt time interval from Nissan, but it looks like other manufacturers spec less than ten years (some as low as five). Probably best to swap that belt out before it realizes that 2004 was 20 years ago.

back! 3k rev limit means it's in limp mode. I've got an '89 service manual on Dropbox, EF&EC section is your friend. Start by running codes.

Mine is plumbed like this: transmission cooler supply line --> stock cooler in the radiator --> external cooler --> Magnefine filter --> transmission cooler return line. Probably would've made more sense to put the filter before the coolers. Some folks here used to recommend bypassing the stock cooler in the radiator. They were said to clog up. I haven't heard anything about that in a while, and suspect that dying transmissions were clogging coolers, not the other way around. My transmission was fairly new when I did mine, and I figured more coolers is more better, so I'm running both. I don't think I've heard of one of these having the Strawberry Milkshake Of Death issue that the R51 Pathfinders often did (failed cooler mixing ATF and coolant into an expensive mess). Here are three old threads about how to mount a cooler and which one to use. Unfortunately the pictures on the last one are long gone, but the discussion may still be of some use to you.

Sounds like it's in good hands! Hopefully it's an easy fix. And yeah, not like Redpath's crank! That's what I was afraid you were gonna find.

Yeah, that's not good. Could be the key, though I'd be surprised if it just freewheeled with that busted. I've also heard of VG30 cranks breaking between the timing sprocket and the balancer. Hopefully it's not that. Grab the pulleys and see if the whole deal just comes off. I've heard of people welding and grinding a damaged keyway, or welding in the key, or using JB weld or Loctite and trusting the crank bolt's clamping force to do the rest. I don't remember if any of these methods worked, but I do remember seeing a few mentions of repeat failures. These may have been from people installing a new key in a wallered keyway without doing anything to stabilize it, though. And yeah, if the crank turns out to be buggered, might as well get an upgrade out of the job. The 3.3 crank snout is bigger. This is a good thing, but also a problem--it's why you need to run the donor's belts/accessories, or get an adapter to run the V belts, because the 3.0 balancer won't fit over it.

Sudden loss of power has me thinking timing. Is yours the 3.3 or the 3.5? (Not sure when the 3.5 started down under.) The 3.3 has a rubber timing belt. IIRC they run like crap a tooth out, don't run two teeth out, and will eat the valves somewhere past that. The 3.3 is a little less interference than the 3.0, so you've got a decent chance of the valves being OK, but I would not push that luck by starting it again before confirming that the belt hasn't skipped a tooth at the crank. Roll the engine to TDC, pull the covers, count teeth between the dimples. 40 between cams, 43 cam to crank. If it's the 3.5, I've got nothing. My dad's Tundra jumped time a while ago because a mouse found its way in behind the timing cover. The engine got lucky, just needed a wipedown and a new belt. The mouse was not as lucky.

Sounds like a question for the rebuilder.

Should be the same as '89, service manual here (Dropbox link). Don't remember where I found it or I'd link you there instead.

Yeah, I hear you on not wanting to throw expensive parts at it on a hunch. I don't know how good aftermarket VQ injectors are/aren't, but I remember Cuong Nguyen had a hell of a runaround with cheap injectors causing problems on his VG. I think he ended up getting a set of OE ones from the wreckers. Being a cheapskate myself, I'd probably try and swap the injectors from hole to hole before buying new ones, but I also understand not wanting to have to take it apart a third time if it turns out the injector is the problem. I would be tempted to also check under the valve cover while it's torn down, but that's mostly because I just opened up a misfiring Dodge where the roller decided it was done and ate the cam lobe. I haven't heard of a VQ doing that either, and I imagine the noise would've tipped you off if yours somehow had. Hopefully it ends up being something simple. Good luck!

The MAF is a good thought, and an easy one to check if you've got a half-decent scanner. Could explain the hard starting, too. That said, I wouldn't expect it to only cause problems on one cylinder. The service manual offers a little troubleshooting for misfire codes. Might be worth a read. Looks like you've tried most of what they suggest, though. I would follow the compression test with a leakdown test. When the head gasket let go on my neighbor's Toyota, the compression still tested fine, but when I applied shop air to #4, it bubbled out of the radiator. (I didn't have a leakdown tester at the time, so I stripped the compression tester down to just the hose, and stuck the air nozzle in the end.) It's probably not the head gasket--I don't remember anyone else on here having a head gasket let go on a VQ, and I imagine you would've mentioned if it was losing coolant--but it's still worth ruling out. When you replaced the plugs, did #1 stand out from the others? Color, deposits? Might give a clue if it's a mixture issue. When you installed the injectors, did they all go back in the same holes they came from? And did you flow-test them after cleaning them? If #1 has its original injector, untested, I would not rule it completely out yet. Are you sure what you're seeing in the exhaust is fuel? My dad's '03 burned an alarming amount of oil, especially on warm starts, though I don't remember it throwing misfire codes. Have you checked your your power valve screws? Long shot, but if one of the butterfly plates fell in, I can imagine it getting stuck in front of an intake valve or something.

A friend and I did that on his Blazer. Got a bucket with measurements on it and poured in the same amount that came out each time. It would've worked better if we'd kept better track of the level in the bucket between rounds, but we got there in the end, and we didn't overfill it like I did mine. I did a bunch of work to the truck right after I got it, including the trans fluid, so I never really got a baseline for how it shifted before. After the flush, it shifts pretty well, apart from a lazy 1>2 shift under load. It hasn't gotten worse over the last 26k miles, and the transmission is still alive at 257k miles, so I'm not complaining. While you're in there, consider adding an external cooler, especially if you wheel or tow (the hotter the fluid, the faster it degrades). I also plumbed in a Magnefine external filter while I was in there. I don't know that it's doing much, but there was a little metallic shimmer in the old fluid, so I figured adding an actual filter was a good idea.

If neither CV spins when the driveshaft spins, something is very wrong with the front diff. That said, it's an open diff, so if one hub is locked, it'll spin up the CV on the other side rather than doing anything useful. The diffs are also hell for stout on these, and surrounded by weaker components, so, unlikely failure. The fuel gauge knowing about the outside temperature is weird. Not sure which way to send you on that one. I'd probably check under the access plate in the back first (under the rear carpet), see if there's a bunch of mud around the wiring connections that's shorting them out when it's wet or something.