Slartibartfast

Any chance of importing one from Japan? I haven't looked into it, don't know if the JDM R50s had carriers either, but it might be cheaper than shipping one from the US, if your heart's set on an OE carrier. Agreed that it would be cheaper and easier to make something yourself, though. I'll bet you could make something similar to the Coastal bumper for cheaper than you could import the OE carrier, and have a much more solid setup in the end--assuming that's what you're after. Might be worth seeing if there's a similar kit available in your area, either for the R50, or for a platform of similar (or larger) width that you could adapt to fit. Or you could find a used bumper/carrier setup from something else that you could modify to fit rather than building from scratch.

Looks like you're correct on that part number. Nissanpartsdeal shows two listings for an '01, but one is listed up to '08, suggesting that's the later style. 13224-AD200 (replaced by 13224-AD20A) does not cross to later years, suggesting it's the one you're after. Both listings have pictures of bolts, though I'm not sure how far I trust the pictures. They look about the same to me. Also used, which is odd. The -AD200 bolts are more expensive than the later -AL601 bolts, which I guess makes some sense with them being one-year-only--but good lord, $8.60 each when you need twenty of them is some BS, especially when the grommets cost about the same. Amayama's got them cheaper, but probably still more than you were hoping to pay for a handful of bolts. I guess you could order one, confirm it fits, measure it, and then try and find something that'll work from some other make/model. Off-the-shelf bolts with spacers cut from tubing (or maybe a standard-length threaded standoff?) would probably do fine. Just gotta match the original dimensions so the sleeve fits in the grommets, and doesn't stop the bolt before the valve cover gaskets are adequately compressed.

Eight flashes, that's weird. Must be a different computer for the diesels, and sadly I have not found a service manual for anything on the diesel trucks other than the engine itself. Looking through the codes, I don't immediately see two I'd expect to be absent on a diesel. Again, given you know something's not working with the tach signal, I'd chase that first.

When injector A is hooked up, can you see it spraying fuel? Sounds like it might be stuck open/flooding the engine. JamesRich carb'd his and seemed pleased with it. He found an HEI dizzy for it, too. No idea if those parts are still available.

You're well out of my depth here--I don't think I've ever seen a Nissan diesel in person, much less a modded one. However, if it's got the same RE4R01A four-speed that we got up here, I would expect it to have similar self-diagnostics. If it's going into limp mode, that should mean it's got a code stored. The WD21 has a blinky-lights diagnostic system for the trans. If it's in limp mode, turn the ignition off, and on again, and it'll flash the "power" light (or the light in the E-AT switch, for round-dash) to tell you what it was upset about. IIRC you can also jumper a couple of wires under the dash to trigger the self-test. But (assuming models changed in Australia at the same time as they did up here,) it sounds like you've got an R50. The R50 retained the blinky-lights OBD, but hid it behind a stupid Konami code. Start halfway down page 42 of this section of the '96 manual (where it says "SELF-DIAGNOSTIC PROCEDURE, no tools.") There's a little dance to do with the ignition switch, the shifter, the overdrive switch, and the accelerator, and then you have to match the flashing overdrive light to one or more of the various possible codes. I recommend recording the overdrive light with your phone so you can play it back without having to do the dance again. Either way, if you can make it spit a code, then you'll know what to chase down next. If it's not getting a tach signal, I'd expect it to code for that, though I don't know why it would've taken it a month to notice that. And obviously if yours has OBDII (not sure when that came out down under, or whether yours still has it given you're running an engine swap and manual pump), it should throw codes there too, and with a much less stupid interface. Good luck!

I haven't worked with the ATX14A, but I'm seeing a manual shift lever and no motor. Looks like a TX10A to me. Here's an ATX14A for comparison, though it's in the US. The Auto setting should be 2WD until it notices wheel slip, at which point it applies the clutches to send power forward. If it's properly stuck in 4WD, then, yeah, something ain't right inside. I think your mechanic has the right idea with throwing a used one at it, assuming you can find one.

Easy enough to check if it's in 4HI. Lock the hubs, jack up one front corner, see if the wheel spins freely. If it does, it's not in 4WD. If it doesn't, it's in 2WD. You might have to do this with the engine running, I'm not sure if the auto transfer stays locked in when it's not powered up. AFAIK the engagement of the 4WD is done entirely by the clutches in that box, and the motor is just for shifting between high and low range, so if it is stuck in 4x, that may have nothing to do with the motor. There is a self-diagnostic procedure in the service manual to see what the warning light means, and it's a blinky-lights setup, so you don't need a scanner. That'll at least tell you what the computer is upset about. The manuals are free at Nicoclub. It starts on TF-63 of the '03 manual. How's the fluid look?

I'm not sure what you mean by "no pressure is staying." Is it leaking somewhere? Squishy brakes? No brakes at all? Did you adjust the rod from the booster so it goes the right depth into the master? Bench bleed the master? Sounds like your calipers are the right way up. If they're installed with the bleeders down, then you won't be able to get the air out of the caliper, which was the cause of ASMBLYLINE's trouble. Fairly common mistake. ABS is not a load sensing valve, and there is no load sensing valve on these. Chat GPT doesn't know crap. The ABS valve has a bleeder on it, have you bled there? An ABS unit with air in it, or a dump valve stuck open, could nerf the rear circuit, but the fronts should still work. The front brakes are not controlled by that ABS valve. The ABS light means it's got an ABS code. There's a procedure in the service manual to jumper a couple pins in a plug under the dash and count the flickers, and that'll tell you what the ABS computer thinks is wrong. It may not be particularly helpful, but it's a place to start. BR section, download the manual from Nicoclub. It's a bit fiddly. I recommend recording the ABS light flickering with your phone so you can play it back and figure out what it's trying to tell you. I had a hell of a time with my rear brakes several years ago. I bled it all kinds of ways and got nowhere. Then I blew out the rear line from the res to the rear flex line with compressed air and went down it with a pressure gauge, connecting it at each fitting, trying to find where I was losing pressure. I can only assume there was a gob of goo trapping an air bubble somewhere, and the compressed air got it, because I never found a problem, and it worked fine again afterwards.

Nissanpartsdeal shows 37126-C9425, replaced by 37126-VB925. The 4WD diagram shows the same thing for the rear shaft. I checked for 2WD pickup, on the off chance they had some weird smaller version, and it shows the same joint. You might be able to find a listing for one of those PNs that has dimensions to check against what's in it.

Here you go, EF&EC 88 and 89 from the '87 manual. Hopefully that helps!

Do you feel/hear the belt jumping? Unless there's debris between the belt and the crank sprocket, I doubt it's actually slipping. I've turned a VG over on a stand with the belt barely tensioned at all, without issue. And if it was loose enough to slip, I doubt it would be polite enough to only slip a single tooth at a time. Are you looking at the paint marks on the belt? Those marks are for inital setup only, and they are not meant to line up again afterwards. I don't remember offhand how many teeth are on the belt, but I suspect it would have to go around quite a few times before the paint marks lined up with the sprocket dimples again. The important measurement is the tooth count between the cam and crank dimples. If you're at 40 between cam dimples, 43 between the driver's cam and the crank, and you turn the crankshaft two full revolutions, and you're still at 40 and 43, then you're golden.

Hmm. Sounds like they "improved" something since I bought them, though that was long enough ago that I don't remember for sure what mine looked like. How thick are those gaskets, at the rubber rings? I have a set of VG33 intake gaskets in my pile, I can measure those and compare. I don't suppose you've got the original gaskets still kicking around? Unless the surfaces are damaged, which it doesn't look like they are, or the bolts were loose, I doubt torquing the piss out of them is gonna help. Did you bolt down the intake using the torque sequence in the service manual? Maybe it was sitting a little cockeyed.

Yeah, if that bolt don't fit, you got the wrong shi... gaskets. I pulled up Rockauto's listing for a '92. Sure enough, they have no idea that there are different gaskets for the two engines, because they've got a bunch of the same parts listed for VG30 and VG33 applications. The Ajusa and Victor Reinz gaskets aren't built the same as either of the factory gasket types, so I'm not sure which one they're meant to fit. The Mahle/Clevite MS16365A are clearly stamped-steel VG33 gaskets, not what you want. The gaskets that look correct to me are the FEL-PRO MS922704, MAHLE / CLEVITE MS15362W, and APEX AMS5170. I believe I used the Fel-Pro set on mine.

What were they trying to do, carb swap it? Gotta love PO hacks. This video (or a listing for a used pump assembly) might help you figure out what it was supposed to look like.

I think you may have the wrong gaskets. VG30 intake gaskets have the rubber rings around the ports. VG33 gaskets are thin stamped steel. (The VG33 intake is slightly wider for some reason.) Aftermarket may be built a little different, but they should be the same thickness as the ones you originally removed. I made the same mistake on mine once, because Rockauto listed the wrong parts and I didn't know any better, and I got hellacious vacuum leaks, probably because the intake got lower but the EGR tube didn't get shorter, so it was holding the plenum up at an angle. Did the bolt that holds the middle of the upper timing cover to the lower intake not line up properly? That was my first indication that I had the wrong parts. Well, that and the EGR tube not wanting to line up.

Sounds like you've got the ATX14A transfer. Complicated little blighter, but I'm told they're nice on patchy surfaces. FWIW, the motor only shifts high/low. 2/4 has a clutch pack, which is how the auto mode works. I had a poke around on Nissanpartsdeal and found four different listings for a shift motor for that gearbox. 29010-0W421 (which, weirdly, is listed for the TX10A part-time transfer case, which has to be a typo, because that's a manual box, and as such it doesn't have a shift motor), 29010-0W422, 29010-2W510 , or 29010-2W51A (also listed as fitting the part-time box). That last one is listed as replacing the other three, so I'm assuming they're all functionally identical, and the differences between them were minor revisions or different suppliers or something along those lines. The '05 R51 service manual calls its equivalent transfer case ATX14B. I assume this is a variant of your ATX14A. The shift motor sure does look similar. The PNs I found are 29010-7S111, and its replacement, 29010-7S11A. Given the similar part numbers and function, I assume these just more revisions of the earlier shift motor. None of the earlier part numbers list either of these as a replacement, but that just means they weren't intended to interchange, not that they definitely don't. Naturally they don't tell you what they revised. It may be something that doesn't matter, as it apparently doesn't with the first four PNs. Or it might be something that does matter, like the bolt pattern, or the connector, or the range switch, or the shape of the output. If you can't get the right part, I would compare the TF sections of the R50 and R51 service manuals to see if there's anything obviously different. If the motor's wired the same way around, same test specs, same linkage attached to it, then maybe it's worth taking a chance on--if you can't track down the part that's listed for your application. Worth noting, I was not able to spec a 2000 R50 with an ATX14A and a VG33 on NPD, so it's possible you've got some regional variant that we didn't get here. Or maybe that's what the messed-up listings for -0W421 and -2W51A were supposed to say? In any case, I'm looking at a US dealer's parts lookup, and assuming they apply to your Australian truck. Again, probably a good idea to confirm the part numbers by VIN and/or with a local source, on the off chance Nissan did something dumb. Good luck! Let us know how it goes if you try the R51 part. Might help the next guy.

Guess that would've been too simple. I've heard you can bend lines with a spring and heat, haven't had a chance to try it myself yet. Might be worth a shot if the line is cracked. Good luck with the lower, hopefully the failure is obvious when you find it.

Sounds like the leaky hose you're looking at is the one from the throttle body to one of the idle air valves. Both have coolant plumbed through them to keep them from icing up. Could be the end of the hose has split. Could be it's not the right hose. Given this started when you had the plenum off, I'm wondering if you've switched a couple of lines, and accidentally plumbed vacuum to coolant, so it's sucking coolant right into the plenum. I don't know if there's an easy way to do that on a VG30, but a friend of mine managed it on an Alfa Romeo once. If you want I can get a picture of the plumbing on mine to compare. The lower intake manifold gasket would be my next guess, though it's odd that it would choose now to let go. Might catch it with a cooling system pressure tester. Pump it up, pull the plenum and plugs, and see which runner or cylinder fills with coolant. I have seen a cylinder with a bad head gasket pass a compression test, but that one was just barely leaking. If yours was leaking enough to make the new-pope-smoke, I would not expect the failure to be sneaky. I've heard of oil in the exhaust smoking for a while after the engine is fixed, but I would expect coolant residue to clear up quicker. I had an old Ford make a hell of a smoke show when I warmed it up, but that wasn't oil or coolant--the muffler was chock full of mouse house. It smelled about how you'd expect, and it didn't clear up until I cut the muffler off.

Is that what's in it now? I think you'd be the third person on here who's tried those and had issues.

Yeah, I'm sure it's frustrating as hell. One of those moments where it would really help if these ECUs could show us live sensor data! Running worse over time is likely just the plugs starting to foul. All six fouling the same suggests it's not an injector issue. The new fuel pressure regulator not helping suggests the excess fuel isn't coming up the vacuum line from a bad reg. So either something is forcing more fuel through the injectors than the computer intends, or the computer's getting bad info that's causing it to inject more fuel than it should. Check that the fuel return line isn't pinched or otherwise blocked. Maybe a mud wasp got in there while you had it torn apart? If you can't blow through the return line, then it doesn't matter if the regulator is working, because the excess fuel can't leave the rail. I would also check that the fuel supply and return are plumbed the right way around, though I don't think it would run at all if you had those crossed up. If the fuel lines are OK, try running it with the coolant temp sensor disconnected. If the computer knows that the temp sensor isn't working, it'll guess the engine temperature based on how long it's been running. If this makes it run better than it did with the sensor hooked up, check the resistance of the sensor, and the wiring between the sensor and the computer. (The service manual's troubleshooting for the temp sensor code should tell you which pins to probe for this.) If that doesn't help, plug the temp sensor back in and try the same with the MAF. Again, if it runs better on guesses than it does on sensor data, check everything in that circuit. I know it stalled when you tried unplugging the MAF while it was running, but that may be different it you start it with no MAF vs if it loses connection while running. Check that it codes for the temp sensor and MAF when they're unhooked. If the computer doesn't notice that a sensor is unplugged, then something ain't right with either the harness (current leakage makes the computer think it's seeing sensor data?) or the computer. I would also disconnect the battery for a bit before/after each test to clear any previous codes and self-learning. I would not expect a blocked exhaust to cause a rich condition.

45 is injector leak. The computer does not have a sensor for this. My understanding is that the computer throws this code if the mixture is rich and it can't do anything about it. Check your spark plugs. If only one spark plug is dark, that suggests an injector leak on that cylinder. If all six are dark, something else is wrong. If the injectors weren't seated right, I'd expect vacuum leaks (lean), not fuel leaks (rich). A bad fuel pressure reg (too much pressure or puking gas up the vac line to the plenum) would make sense. I know you've done the coolant temp and oxygen sensors, but I would double check those, and the condition of their wiring (both the harness and the connectors, including the connectors on the valve cover). I had intermittent trouble with my MAF plug for years, and it looked perfectly fine inside. But if felt loose, and wiggling it tended to clear up the problem for a while. 35 is EGR temp sensor, not coolant. I don't see that sensor listed as important to the fuel injection (or even the operation of the EGR system!), so I doubt it's causing your problem. AFAIK it's just there to complain if it doesn't see heat when the EGR is supposed to be operating. Maybe the exhaust temp is low because of the rich condition, and that's enough to trigger the code? I would focus on the other code for now, see if this one clears up when you get the rich condition sorted out. I once tried that on my '93, and it did not like it. My '95 parts car came with a short MAF extension harness with a separate ground lead, so I swapped it into mine, because why not. I have never heard mine run so poorly. I don't know if it was rich or lean, but whatever it was, it was not happy. It ran fine again with the ground disconnected. I have no idea why, or if this is typical. But if yours ran fine before the rebuild, without that added ground, I would disconnect it before doing further testing, on the off chance it's adding another issue on top of the one you're already chasing.

I had Ocean Colour Scene--North Atlantic Drift in mine for a while, but took it out recently. Not their best album. Haven't replaced it yet. I usually use the iPod in the truck. If the iPod counts, today was Weird Al.

Weird. I wonder what the balancer was for, that had the marks 180 out. Assuming the mark you added is correct, and the timing belt is set up properly (you counted teeth rather than trusting the dimples on the back cover, right?), then I'm not sure why it would be fighting you like that. No primary oxygen sensors isn't helping either! Probably running rich. Hopefully that's just a wiring fault.

The cam sensor is in the distributor. I would first rule out the timing belt. Remove the distributor cap, turn the engine, see if the rotor turns. If not, the belt has let go. These engines are interference, but given it's a VG33 (wimpy cams, deep valve reliefs), and it was idling at the time, you might get lucky. If it's not the belt, download the '97 service manual from Nicoclub and go through the troubleshooting for P0340, starting on EC-203.

I've never used a throttle controller! I'm talking about the meddling in the OE system, which I assume the controller is overriding.