Slartibartfast

No, I think you would have to break off a corner of the glovebox itself to get a screwdriver in there. Maybe you could get a pair of pliers around behind and back the screw out from the pointy end, but I doubt it.

Busted plug is weird. Hopefully the outside was busted, not the part inside the cylinder? Remove the distributor cap and have someone crank the engine while you watch the rotor. If the rotor doesn't spin when the engine does, your timing belt has let go. Hopefully it's not that. These engines are an interference design that bends exhaust valves when that happens. If the rotor is spinning, that suggests you've lost spark for another reason, probably electrical. Check fuses and fusible links. Run codes as well, see if you've got a code 21 (ignition signal missing in primary coil). I haven't driven a manual Pathy, so I'm not familiar with the interlock switch, and I'm not seeing an indicator light for the interlock in the service manual. Is this the backlight that comes on with the rest of the dash lights, or something else? If the issue turns out to be electrical, this could help narrow down where the fault is. I would start by checking fuses and fuse links, though.

Does it have spark?

Late reply, but I had a look at the parts car, and I don't think you could get to the top screw for the end cap without busting out part of the glove box.

Is it spinning over? Does it have spark? The interlock prevents you from spinning the starter without the clutch in, the switch lets you bypass it. If the engine is spinning, the interlock is not the problem.

I was ready to tear mine apart too until Adamzan said to check the seal. Passing it on.

That's a good idea! I've seen switches like that on Amazon/eBay with all kinds of stuff written on them, nice to know you can custom-order too.

When the crank seal on mine failed, the washer on the crank flung the oil away from the seal. Where the oil ended up made me think the oil pump was the problem. A new crank seal got rid of the leak. I know you just did yours--all the same I would open it up and check that the crank seal isn't the problem (scuffed crank, groove where the seal rides, spring popped out during installation, defective seal) before assuming the oil pump gasket chose this moment to give up. I don't know how worn your engine is at 345k, but unless it has absolutely hellacious blowby or a clogged PCV valve, crankcase pressure shouldn't be the issue here. If you do have to drop the oil pump, dropping the pan a few inches may let you get to the pump, but you'll need more than that to properly clean and re-seal the pan. At some point the PITA of working on an engine with a truck in the way outweighs the PITA of pulling the engine.

I've welded a lot of sheet metal, and I think I'd rather wrestle with the wiring harness than weld/grind/bodywork all the way around the cab. Don't think I've heard of a spindle snapping off like that. At least you noticed the bolts before the caliper joined them!

The switch itself doesn't do what you need, but if you've got a relay and some wire, I think you can make it work. The square-dash cruise control switch is like an ignition switch. The brown wire (pin 1 in the manual) is your common, that'll get wired to power. The black wire with the white stripe (pin 2 in the manual) is your run position. And white with black (pin 3) is your start position. Pink/blue and pink/black (4 and 5) go to the dash lighting circuit. EL-81 of the '90 manual shows the pin numbering and the wire colors. Note that the pins are not in numerical order, because that would be too easy. If you don't have the '90 manual, you should be able to buzz out what's what with a multimeter. Run a wire from ignition-switched + (or your amp control wire) to pin 1 on the switch. Then wire pin 2 to one of the relay contacts (30 or 87). Then wire pin 3 to the other relay contact, and to one side of the relay coil (85 or 86), and also to your power antenna wire. Then ground the other side of the coil to the dash support. If you're using a five-pin relay, you'll have an empty pin (87a), and that's fine. Pin 1 gets power when you turn on the ignition, or the radio if you wired it to the amp. If the switch is off, nothing happens. If the switch is on, pin 2 gets power, but still, nothing happens. There are two sets of contacts that can connect pin 2 to the antenna amp, but they're both open. When you turn the switch to start, pin 3 gets power. That triggers the antenna amp and the relay. The relay closes the other set of contacts, so when you release the switch to the run position, the relay holds itself closed, keeping the circuit live and the antenna up. When power is lost (switch off or key/radio off), the antenna goes down, and the relay contacts open, resetting the circuit back to where it was at the start of this paragraph. If you decide to try this, draw the circuit out first and make sure it makes sense. It makes sense in my head. So have a lot of other things. Might be a good idea to add a snubber diode across the relay coil so it's not feeding the antenna amp EMF each time it loses power. There's probably a cleaner way of building this circuit using transistors, which wouldn't have that problem. I went a much simpler route on mine. I wired the amp turn-on through a toggle switch. It's a bit clunky, but the switch fills a hole in the dash, and I only listen to the radio a few times a year anyway.

Sounds like when the bulb popped, the filament bridged the high and low beam circuits together.

I have heard of people running the 3.0 crank in the 3.3, but it seems like a lot of work to run inferior parts. They made the later cranks bigger for a reason. It's rare, but the 3.0 crank snout has been known to shear off. The 3.0 oil pump isn't bad, but I'm told the 3.3 pump is better. I guess it comes down to where you want the modifications to be. Mod the balancer, brackets, and water pump to keep the accessories simple, or mod the accessories to keep the engine simple. I'm not sure which is less work. If your aircon works, then, yeah, there's a good reason to keep the V belts. If you want to run a great big honking alternator, you may be better off with the flat belts. The later (130/145A) Quest alt will bolt up, but from what I've read, it may be too much for a single V belt. I've got a 90A Maxima alt on mine and haven't had any trouble with it.

I've heard of this with the old WD21 RE4R01A. What happens from what I've read is that one particular snap ring breaks and chews up a sealing surface, which limits your line pressure (because fluid is bypassing internally). Reverse needs the most line pressure, so it's the first to suffer, especially when the fluid is warm and shoots past the damaged seal more easily. Sooner or later the part finishes failing and you lose the other gears. I thought the revised transmission that you've got had this failure mode revised out, but it sure does sound like it's found a way. Before assuming the worst, I would run codes on it, on the off chance the computer has another idea. AT-49 of the '03 manual (download from Nicoclub if you haven't) tells you how to run codes without the Consult scanner. The computer should be able to tell you if there's a wiring fault. Failing that, check the harness for any obvious damage. I wouldn't expect a wiring fault to only act up when cold, but it's worth a look. I would also check the fluid level, warmed up, on flat ground, at idle, though the last trans I saw with low fluid slipped when cold. AT-356 has specs for line pressure. I assume there's a diagram elsewhere showing where to connect a test gauge to get those numbers. If it's shot anyway, can't hurt to drop the pan and have a poke around, though I wouldn't go in expecting a miracle.

Look for a "location of electrical units" page in the EL section. That should show you where that fuse box is located, and hopefully the underside of the lid identifies which fuse you're after. I would assume underhood, near the battery, but I don't know the R51.

Auto/manual, not VG/VQ. Transfer cases used with manual transmissions came with the lip. I'm not sure why. There's also an early and a late variant, which I did some digging into a while back, because it was a rabbit hole and I have a weakness for those. But, yeah, grabbing the transfer from a 4x4 R50 of the same or similar year is exactly what I would do. Make sure your new front diff matches your rear. Looks like the 2WD trucks had the 4.3 ratio. If you're planning to run larger tires, this would be a great time to consider a 4.6 swap. Good luck with the conversion! Let us know how it goes.

Obligatory "haven't tried this mod, but..." Unless the gap between the stock shifter and the console is hilariously bad, I would be inclined to come up with some kind of adapter bezel instead. That said, the R50 and WD21 use basically the same slushbox, so the shifter throw at least should be the same. If the cable ends match, the shift interlock is the same, and the electrical diagrams in the service manual match, you could probably make it work. I would be surprised if it was plug-and-play, though. Maybe the plastic cover for the R50 shifter would work with the WD21 innards? I tried to take my shifter apart once and decided to stop before I broke something. IIRC there are two screws on the back of the handle, but either the shift lock mechanism or the overdrive switch wiring was still holding it down, and I couldn't be arsed to take the whole thing out and puzzle it out on the bench. The transfer case shift knob just unscrews, yes. It may need reminding of this. Wrap it in something first so you don't tear it up with the channel locks. Measuring a curved console against a padded trans tunnel doesn't sound like fun to me either. I would remove the front seats and belt receivers, fit the console where you want it (get your shifter and front mounts sorted first), then trim as needed until the receivers fit again. You might get away with passing the sleeves on the seat belt bolts though the plastic, so long as the seat belt is still bolted metal-to-metal when you're done. If there isn't enough length on the spacers, either you'll warp/break the plastic when you run the bolts down, or the seat belt bolts won't be seated properly. Hooking up the outlet wouldn't be too hard. You could splice wires into the circuit for the cigarette lighter, or run a separate feed if you're planning to run heavier loads. I ran a separate feed to the outlets on mine because the stock lighter has hilariously tiny wiring, and I wanted to run an inverter. Sounds like you're going the right way for the look you want. The pictures I've seen of this mod completed looked pretty good. I went a different direction and made a console from scrap steel for mine. It does not look factory (it's hard to disguise a .50-cal ammo can, not that I tried), but it's got cupholders and it doesn't rattle.

If the dash harness has been hacked up I would check the wiring to the switch first. Work out where each wire goes and make sure it actually gets there. Then re-check any fuses associated with the circuit, could be one blew when the PO shorted something with their electrician's machete. Hopefully they took out a fuse and not a control module or something. US models got the VQ40. I don't think we ever got the YD over here.

I'm not sure how applicable it would be to the Australian model, but I would download the '05 manual from Nicoclub and see if it has troubleshooting info for the transfer case that doesn't require the special scan tool--or if that's useless, look at the wiring diagrams and see where it's supposed to have power vs where it actually does. That should narrow it down if nothing else. That manual for the US model, so wire colors and engine options may vary, but it might give you some idea of what's going on. It's also free. If it looks like it's had recent work done on it, especially in the dash or engine bay, look carefully around that area for any obvious harness damage. Could be as simple as some muppet not plugging the dial back in after messing with the stereo.

3.3 is the popular choice and I too have one waiting to go in. This thread should get you started. He bored his out for higher compression, and he's got the old TBI system rather than your MPFI, but the rest should give you an idea of what you're up against. It's the same family of engine, so it mostly drops in, but there are a few differences that'll need attention. To use your existing fuel injection, you'll need to swap over your old intake. The 3.0 cams are an upgrade for the 3.3. The big one is the harmonic balancer. The trucks with the 3.3 had flat belts, the 3.0 trucks had V belts, and the pulleys and balancers do not interchange between them. If you want to keep your V-belt accessories, you can buy an adapter from Mr. 510/David Carroll (the guy who wrote the thread linked above) and do a little bracket tweaking here and there. If you're good with flat belts, get the engine with the accessories from an X or Fronty, they're supposed to fit easier (similar frame to the WD21, accessories in similar positions), though IIRC someone on here did manage a 3.3 swap from an R50 with a little fabrication. If you tear down your 3.0, I would be interested to hear what went out. I'd be surprised if one cylinder's rings went on their own unless that cylinder had an injector issue or something. Valves, maybe? What were the other five at?

Before going full gorilla on the latch, I would remove the pegs holding the bottom of the glovebox (at least on the square dash--don't remember how the hinge works on round dash) and see if that gives you any ability to work it around. Might get you enough wiggle room to jimmy it. Worst case, probably better to bust up the lock than to potentially wreck the dash and the glovebox door with the screwdriver. I may have a glovebox in my parts car, will have to check.

Welding BBs can mess stuff up, but I would be surprised if one managed to sever a wire. It might mess up the insulation, which could theoretically allow it to short to another circuit, but I would expect that to blow a fuse on the other circuit rather than take out the ground. Wouldn't hurt to check the work area for obvious burn marks, though.

Will do! Probably sometime between now and summer I'll get around to it.

Grab a voltmeter and check for power at the sockets. If there's none, check for power from the sockets to body ground (or battery negative). Then check from battery positive to socket ground. Both being out at once sounds like a ground-side fault to me. Looks like all four turn signals ground to the same place for some reason, so that suggests it's not the ground point that's gone, but the wire in between. Hopefully a visual inspection of the harness leads you to the problem. If everything checks out electrically, try wiggling the bulbs. The sockets on mine were all corroded/dirty and the bulbs would randomly stop working. I had a knot of scrap wire jammed into one of the sockets to hold the bulb in place for a while, until I got around to replacing both housings.

You're gonna have to make a lexan hood to show this thing off once it's back together.

I don't see anything in the service manual about indexing the flywheel to the crank. EC-198 of the '97 manual (I assume '99 is the same, you can download it from Nicoclub to check for yourself) says the crank sensor on the VG33 is not used for engine control, and exists only for the onboard diagnostic system's misfire detection. I assume it gives the computer a higher-resolution speed signal than the one the computer gets from the cam position sensor (more pulses per degree of crankshaft rotation), allowing the computer to spot slight dips in crank speed, which it can then match to which cylinder was supposed to be firing at the time. (The computer uses the camshaft position sensor in the distributor for its spark and fuel timing.) The troubleshooting section for the crank sensor's trouble code shows electrical checks and a visual inspection of the sensor, but says nothing about indexing. The EM section has a spec for allowable flywheel runout, and of course a torque spec for the flywheel bolts, but no information suggesting there's a correct orientation on the crankshaft. TL;DR, near as I can tell, it doesn't matter which way it goes on. The other thing I found regarding the flywheel is that the '97 manual says to replace it rather than resurface it. Naturally they don't give a reason. I checked the '95 manual to see if it was the same, and it doesn't mention resurfacing, but suggests "repairing" any "slight burns or discoloration" on the flywheel or pressure plate with emery paper. I'm not sure if Nissan had some engineering reason for this or just liked selling new flywheels rather than paying for machine work. I haven't done a clutch in one of these, but I have not heard of a resurfaced flywheel causing an issue.