Slartibartfast

Fuses blow, but I've never heard of a fuse only working sometimes. A blown fuse wouldn't make for an intermittent brake light. There's a dial to control the cluster light brightness, try turning that up. I've bumped it when cleaning stuff and thought I'd killed my lights somehow. How's the socket for the brake light look? If it's corroded or the contacts are buggered it'll have intermittent contact. Use some contact cleaner on it. Also hold the bulb up to a light source and check the filament inside, in case it's broken. Anything can go bad, you just have to push it hard enough. My understanding is that you can pull one from the junkyard and use it, but just because of the PITA factor of tearing apart the dashboard, I'd get a new one that I know isn't going to go out again.

It's a minivan.

Are the crank marks lined up with the arrow? If it's a little off I assume the gears would hit wrong and stop it from dropping in.

Make sure you're referencing the right codes. I don't know where the cutoff is, but I read on here that the codes changed between 87 and 89. First thing I'd do is to check the connections, especially where you were working. Make sure all the spark plug wires are right. Check the wiring to the coolant sensor, or replace the sensor (seems like a common problem). Was it doing anything funny before, or was the light just on? Also keep in mind, the deepest I've gotten into a VG was removing the idler pulley. This ^^ is secondhand.

Point. I do appreciate its simplicity. I guess it does come down to the materials used... and how well the control computer works. Also, I looked it up, and 3/4 of Washington's power is hydro. I'm a few hours drive from several large dams.

The corrosion you're seeing is between the metal and the plastic, and probably isn't hurting much. When I did mine I took it apart further (pulled the switch itself apart) and cleaned the contacts in there. Getting the plate to unsnap is interesting, but once that's out, it's easy enough to get at everything. I used some contact cleaner in mine and bent them around a little bit (too much, actually, and I had to open it back up and fix it again). If it won't go back together/you're not up to it, then yeah, buy a new one.

Could you just do what AK9849cy did (last pic): http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=31207&view=findpost&p=596651 ?

If you're junkyard picking a sensor, keep in mind, Pathys were offered with two stock tire sizes, 29s and 31s. I'm pretty sure the sensor is different between them. You can check the info plate in the driver's door jamb to see which you're looking for. Also, the 94 and 95 were the only years of the WD21 with the round dashboard/electronic speedo. Also, before doing the rear diff, check if it's limited slip. If it is, it'll have an orange sticker on the back of the diff that says 'LSD oil only,' and it'll need special fluid. If not, it's the same as the front.

94, do you tighten in a star pattern? My understanding is that the bolts don't seat right otherwise. Glad you caught it before it got ugly!

The nice thing with a mechanical CVT vs a fluid torque converter is that you don't have the high friction losses. I started looking at Constantinesco's design from the 20s, but lately I've been looking more at the Lester, which I don't understand quite as well but doesn't rely on pendulums, which sounds like a step in the right direction. I like the idea of the toroidal setup but can't help wondering how much power it'll pass, and how long until it loses its shine and starts slipping. Around here, energy is from hydroelectric, so it's a little greener. I know a guy with a little electric car, says he spends maybe $400 a year to keep it charged. Of course, it won't top 35, the range is limited, and the batteries only last a few years being deep-cycled like that... the technology's got a long way to go to make it work.

If you're up for a little fab work, you could set them up like the louvers/rudders on a swamp boat (or house window shutters), so that the cable makes them flip open or flip shut. That way they're not filling with snow/rain/leaves when you're not using them.

Never cover rust with putty, it'll just keep eating the metal, and then the putty starts flaking off. Grind off as much rust as you can before going at it. Then... fiberglass? Or, so long as you're looking for redneck fixes, put a NASCAR sticker over it and call it good enough.

It looks good, and it does look like it's fitted for the WD21. Due to the price, I'd be more inclined to try forming some PVC pipe. If you stuff the pipe with sand, and heat it, you can bend and shape it, which might look better than plumbing joints. Not as nice as a legit snorkel, but not four hundred bucks either. There's ebay/Craigslist Australia, right? You might get a better price on there. Gall bladder? Good to hear you're back on your feet.

First thing I'd check is the sliding contact setup for the horn/cruise/etc. Mine sounds a little crunchy from the crap accumulated in there.

Mine developed all kinds of squeals shortly after getting new belts. We tried various things, and it doesn't squeal at startup anymore, though it's got this whine when I rev it that I half suspect is still a slipping belt. IIRC my dad messed with the tension, and I sprayed some belt dressing on it.

Rammed it through the snow berm left by the plow... dunno why people would get their driveways plowed, this is more fun than I've had with it in a while.

I've heard that many 4x4s run a slightly higher ratio in the front to help them track straight... just don't drive on pavement and you're fine.

I've been looking at CVT/IVT/mechanical torque converters lately... it's a great idea, rather than having a crazy number of gears where each has its own butter zone, it's basically made of butter. The execution just tends to be somewhat lacking. Half of them rely on belts and metal balls and special fluids, and the others use one way clutches... which means no engine braking. I dunno, maybe we should just go electric. 100% torque at 0RPM. Just gotta figure out that battery thing...

I like the idea, but they're a little gas-station-bathroom-fan for my tastes. I'd want to cut louvers right into the hood if it were me. Keep in mind, there's a lot of bracing under the hood, which could get in the way.

I just checked the FSM ST section (http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/pathfinder/1995_Pathfinder/st.pdf, page 17), and while there does appear to be one more bolt, it shouldn't be holding the pump to the engine. Maybe somebody over-torqued one and bent a bracket? I'd say more BFH is required, though not to the pulley. You might even want to put a chunk of wood on the pump and hit that to help spread the impact.

If you're sure you got all the bolts, maybe it's just held on by habit. Give it a thump and see if that shifts it.

The power light is for the transmission's 'power mode.' The little switch it's on turns it from normal mode to power mode. There's also a little button under the gas pedal, so when you floor it, it goes into power mode, which essentially means it shifts later. It's a lot more fun to drive in power mode, though I don't imagine it helps fuel milage any. If the light's flashing steadily, that means the transmission is either broken or confused, and it's put itself in limp home mode. It'll have no power/acceleration until you turn it off for a bit and it resets. Doesn't explain why the engine wouldn't top 2k though. It's got a limp home mode as well, but I thought that was 3k. Another guy recently had a similar issue after doing some doughnuts in the snow... perhaps it's the same thing. If it happens again, try disconnecting the negative battery lead for a few minutes, then reconnecting. Does the oscillation happen when it's cold, or when it warms up, too? Mine wouldn't idle well (dipping and surging), and I never tracked the problem completely down, but messing with the intake and the wires to the MAF and TPS seemed to fix it. It'll still do it when it's really cold if I put it in gear before it's warmed up. They are fun... gotta get mine out more... most action it's seen with me was a dirt road.

I did, but whenever I change sources and it hits USB it beeps anyway.

I dunno, they painted it, but that's all the evidence of rust prevention I've seen. How much rust are we talking about? Surface rust, holes in the body, swiss cheese frame? Pics would help. Mine's got a little bit of surface rust around the sills, patches under the rear seats, a trench above the exhaust pipe, and patches above the rear axle... didn't even realize it was rotted through until I started beating on it with a hammer. Panel replacement is probably the easiest way to deal with body rust in the fenders sills etc. Other spots may be better to patch. Whatever you do, make sure you grind or cut all the rust away before you sling putty! Ever seen a 'restored' car where the bodywork's blistering all over?

Sony Xplod, Boss Audio 6x9s in the doors (blew out the stock ones with the tape deck!), all the rest is stock. I plan to bypass the amps at some point, once I figure out how to do that without killing the factory tweeters. It actually sounds pretty nice, but the little beep sounds the xplod makes are deafening through the amps.