Slartibartfast

Hooking up an aftermarket deck isn't hugely difficult. I did mine with a plug that slotted right into the factory harness, and then soldered it on the bench to the plug the deck came with. The new plug had what each wire did written on the insulation. I didn't end up using all the wires from the deck plug. (Also note, my 95 had a 94 plug. I don't know if the stereo people confused 95 wiring with 96 wiring or what, but the 95 plug did not fit.) I installed mine with no other parts except the plug and the shrink wrap. Since you've got two holes, rather than one, you could pick up the coin tray that goes beneath on the one-deck models, or some kind of blanking plate setup. Or, you know, full equalizer setup, if you decide to go crazy with the audio. As for getting what you have running, check (and clean) the plugs inside. Your tape deck probably has either a loose plug between the face and the unit or a loose plug/bad solder joint in the face plate itself. The CD player could have anything from a bad reader head to a bad motor to a little switch that checks if the CD's in there that's worn out.

+1 on the solenoid relay mod. From what I've read, it pretty much eliminates click-but-no-start. The click you're hearing is the solenoid firing, and pushing the gear into place, but not pushing hard enough to engage the contacts. (I suspect that on the first few starts, the terminals corrode a little; with full current this isn't a problem, but weak current either doesn't push them together hard enough or can't overcome the resistance.) This may be because it's not getting adequate power through the ignition; the relay mod solves this. But definitely check the connections first.

LOL yes, the throttle. And I had mine up to 75 once, the engine had more to give, but the suspension sure didn't. The low gearing is probably just to compensate for the big tires, so as long as it has big tires on it, the final ratio should be similar to the higher-geared rear axle running little tires.

Chances are, clean the mud out and you can get it going again. Check out the Mud Sick thread, your issue sounds similar. But for swapping in the van engine, I imagine you'd need to use the Pathy intake, maybe the oil pan, and probably a few of the old sensors etc. Chances are the different stuff is all bolt-in, could be frustrating to get it all figured out though. Before it's in you might as well do the timing belt/water pump/thermostat, and with swapping parts around I imagine it wouldn't be that much more work to do a legit rebuild. It'd take a little longer/cost more, but you'd have better peace of mind and less risk of having to do it all over again later. TBH I'd go for the bigger swap-in engine too, just because if I'm putting that much work into something, I'd rather make it better than it was before it broke. Then again, my time isn't worth a hell of a lot.

Glad I found this, mine goes a little screwy in the winter too... when we got it, it locked itself with the keys in the ignition, running, in the snow/sleet. Last winter I'd have to turn the key and pull the handle at the same time, as the lock solenoid would actually fight against the key unlocking it. Good to know what's causing it, and thanks for the link! Looks like I've got one more project.

Mine doesn't go clear up either, and it fluctuates a bit (sometimes I'll get in and it'll be higher than it was when I parked it). I fueled up yesterday and calculated my milage at 16.3, which isn't much of a surprise as I've been enjoying the skinny pedal more since getting the exhaust fixed. Just for giggles I calculated that it's costing me about a quarter a mile in gas. Edit: Found my last recipt/odo reading, it came out to 21.7 mpg (with less skinny pedal).

Sounds like a bad door sensor to me, I've heard the sensor for the rear hatch (if yours has one, mine doesn't) often goes bad. If it's a door one it's probably driver's door, just because it gets the most wear. It could also be a bad connection somewhere in the wiring, but check the door sensor first. I've never had one apart so I'm no help there, but I don't imagine it would screw stuff up. They're just on/off switches, door opens and they're on, so unplugging them would be like shutting the door. But I'm assuming, again, never having had one apart.

... e-fan time?

Bushings and dust covers are different. Dust covers just keep dust out, bushings hold something that turns or pivots or whatever. So, if there's load on it, it's a bushing. If it's just keeping road crud out, it's a dust cover/boot. Bushings wear out eventually. This usually means wearing oversized, giving the part it's supposed to be holding solid too much room to shift around. When this happens in the rear axle links, the truck wanders on bumps. The bushing in the upper driver's side hinge on my Pathy is long dead, and the door doesn't always shut quite right. A bad CV boot lets dust/grit get into the CV. The grit mixes with the grease, forming a paste abrasive (think sand and vaseline). The joint gets abrasive in it and grinds itself to death. If it's not too bad you may be able to just clean out the dirty grease and replace the boot, but with the effort to get to the boots, you might as well do the CV while you're in there. I wouldn't worry about the t-bar boots (mine aren't great either, leaving them for when I mess with the t-bars), but the ball joints probably do merit attention. Worn out ball joints will make it wander, shift around, and generally feel loose.

I thought the O/D switch locked/unlocked the TC? Is that just a WD thing? Or am I on the wrong track altogether? One of the few times I've taken mine off-road, I had trouble getting it up a snowy hill. In D it wouldn't do it, just spun the wheels and slipped all over. But when I dropped it into 2, it cruised right up, no problem. The lower gears are also helpful when you're creeping through a nasty bit of back road, otherwise the trans keeps trying to shift up every time you let off the gas.

All I can think of is that the weird angle caused the trans fluid to pool somewhere and not lubricate something else correctly. But even if it was straight upside down I don't see how it would've messed with the lights/radio... maybe the washer fluid leaked onto something?

My dad and I decided to do this sort-of properly. We had them rough-cut from 1/8" and then shaped them properly with a jigsaw and an angle grinder. The driver's side one goes as far back as we thought we could get a welder, and the passenger's one stops at the panhard bracket. We'll redrill the factory holes as well for cleanout. Overkill is underrated! I'll be drawing up templates from these before welding them on, so if you want a paper pattern, lemme know. (Edit: 1/8", not 3/8", dunno what I was thinking.)

When I blew out the factory Clarions in the doors (scared me half to death, I was a noob and thought the tire had gone), I swapped in a set of boss audio speakers from Radioshack. Can't have been more than $40 for the pair. We had to do a little router work to the stock mounts to get them it (I may have gotten the 6x9s), but they've worked quite well since, even with the factory amps/rear speakers/tweeters. I could replace the rear speakers, and the tweeters, and wire it all up, and still not have spent nearly as much as the systems you linked to. These look more like what you'd get if you wanted to rattle some windows. Oh, wait, Pathfinder windows rattle anyway. That said, a proper setup would probably sound much better, and complement your higher-end head unit. All down to what you want it to do.

+1 it's like driving a garden shed! Mine gets around 18 overall, or at least it did last I checked (that was before fixing the exhaust). My commute is partly city, and mostly highway (50-60), maybe five miles each way, with the overdrive off unless I'm cruising (it drives like a pig otherwise). It also depends on how gas-happy you are. I've never had it over 75, mostly because it's all two lane highway out here, and it wanders enough at that speed to worry me! I do 60 pretty regularly though without issue.

Try reading the computer codes, there's a great write-up on here somewhere. On my 95 I pulled the seat out so I could get to it more easily. (Didn't hurt to clean under there, either! ) Also check the wiring to your MAF, specifically the plug. Seems like every time someone's got an idle issue, it's the MAF. If it looks okay, try running a new ground to the body. (Whatever you do, don't try to clean the MAF, they never work right afterwards!)

I can't help with what to grease, but I know what sway bars are. They're also called anti-roll bars, they run from one side of the suspension to the other, and bolt to the frame in the middle through bushings. There's one in the front and one in the back. For the truck to lean, they have to flex. (A lot of people take them out for better flexing over obstacles.) If it's been squeaking a while, you may have excessive wear on something. When it's in the air, check anything that moves for excessive play. If you see bare metal, it may be rubbing there. Also check for any loose bolts, if something's loose it can make a ton of noise. Good luck figuring it out!

Ground down some frame rust and cut patches... ... and wired the contacts that used to make the buzzer go off, to a little light bulb by the keys. I might end up putting in a nicer buzzer, and an oem keys light, but I sort of like this, and at least now the steering column's back together. It only lights up if the lights are on and the door's open, which is really the only time I need it anyway. I'll get some pics up of the frame repair this coming weekend. I plan to make some templates of my patches, too, if anyone's interested.

If you were feeling ambitious you could try cut brakes... basically one e-brake for either rear wheel. Or my crazy idea, which involves putting a pivot under the factory e-brake, hooking brake cables to the sides, and then pushing the brake lever from side to side to clamp down on just the one wheel that's uselessly spinning. What's that? I'm overthinking this? You have no idea.

I'd be a little leery of towing from the brush guard. I'm pretty sure the drop-downs are tow brackets, so they should be fine, even just as is. Looks like the hooks would foul against the brush guard, or at least the cable would if you hooked them to anything. Can't hurt to try, though you're probably right about putting longer bolts in.

Finally took the grinder to the rear frame, and my dad cut the metal patches to size... driver's side is ready to weld, passenger side is tomorrow!

Sounds like the contacts for the bulb are dodgy. I had a parking light that did this, I just scraped the corrosion from the tabs and bent them inwards so they'd hold tighter against the bulb. Solved the problem. (A little dielectric grease probably wouldn't hurt, especially given your environment.) I'd say if it's stopped acting up, don't worry about it. (Maybe try a few panic stops on gravel to see if it does come on when it should.)

I've read that with the design of our engines, the Lucas stuff causes little bubbles in the oil and chews things up. It's not something I'd put in mine without doing some research. Better to figure out what the actual problem is, before it gets worse!

Cleaned out the headlight switch, and got so tired of the door chime that I tore it out, and ran wires from the plug (the blue/pink wire and the brown one with silver dots) up the steering column for an indicator light. Still have to get the light... it'll go through the little cover around the ignition, so that when I get in at night, I can find the damn thing without turning the map lights on. And no more horrendous beeping noise!

I've never had any noise problem with mine. It doesn't blow too hard on 1, but that's what 2 is for. And if it's a debris thing, mine should tick like crazy, every crevice is full of pine needles! PO parked under a tree.

There's a mod I've seen that adds another relay to the system, between the ignition and the starter solenoid. Maybe the ignition suffers from the same issues as the headlight switches? Or maybe this just compensates for a worn-out starter solenoid. I'm no expert on starters, so I had a redneck explain it to me slowly. I think I've got it now. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbDeq9fi7Ak The only problem he describes that fits your symptoms is that the little copper plates are worn out. Since both fire up fine on the bench, and one's brand new, I'm pretty sure this isn't the issue. For now at least, let's assume the starters are both good. I also don't think it's clicking but then not starting due to a weak battery. I've seen cars with batteries that are well and truly dead at least try to start. I suspect you're not far off, though. Here's why I think your battery's not the problem either. The other day there was a car in the school parking lot that wouldn't start. The battery clamp was loose. Enough juice got through to do the dash lights and all, but it couldn't pass the amperage needed to wake up the starter. The girl turned the key, and it didn't do squat (don't remember if it clicked or not). Once I tightened the clamp, the engine started right up. I suspect that this may be the case with your starter connections (though it can't hurt to check the battery hookups too). You mentioned that your plug looked a little dodgy... this could very well be the problem. A weak connection (rather like a weak battery) looks great on the voltmeter but as soon as you put a load on it, it fails. (The sparks you mention say bad connection to me, as well. The battery clamp on this car sparked like crazy when I wiggled it.) If you ever feel like a car work noob... don't. One of the other guys trying to get the girl's car started was afraid to touch the battery terminals, because he thought it would shock him. Made me feel rather better about my limited knowledge. And my condolences on having to pull the starter multiple times... Nissan really didn't think the starter placement through very well.