Slartibartfast

I just stumbled across some info on the 190F thermostat. It does exist, but Nissan warns of cats and dogs living together if it's used in a VG. The problem with the 190F thermostat is that the VG does not run at the temperature of its thermostat. The VG's thermostat is located on the lower rad hose, the cold end of the system, so the engine actually runs 10-15C hotter than its thermostat. Nissan's target for max engine temp is 90C (194F). 76.5C (170F) plus 15C is right on target at 91C. 82C (180F) plus 15C is pushing it at 97C, but apparently Nissan was comfortable with this, because NTB94-020 recommends swapping in a 180F thermostat to help the heater keep up with winters on Hoth (like Adam did), and (as Adam noted) they later spec'd 180F thermostats for the VG33E. 88C (190F) plus 15C is 103C, and apparently that's out of Nissan's comfort zone, because they warn that it could cause overheating, detonation, engine damage, computer trouble, and a voided warranty. The 190 thermostat was used in earlier (pre-VG) Nissan engines. They had the same 90C/194F max temp target, but their thermostats were on the upper rad hose, so they didn't have that 10-15C offset to factor in. TL;DR: 170 is stock, 180 is OK, and 190 is not recommended.

Sorry to hear the computer is clueless as usual. Did you check after a failed start? I think it's supposed to hold onto codes for a certain number of starts, but I don't remember that for sure. An ignition issue on one cylinder shouldn't impact the other five. If you didn't pull the dizzy, and the tooth count between cams and cam/crank is correct (and it was when you started), then it shouldn't be timing. If you messed with the plug wires, confirm that they all went back where they're supposed to. I wouldn't expect the cap/rotor to suddenly and completely die, but given you had the cap off, I would pull it and just make sure it's not wet inside and the rotor is present (you didn't remove it to clean it and forget to put it back) and correct (mounting bolt hasn't fallen out or something). Other than that, we're back to checking for spark and fuel. If you're sure it's getting fuel past the injectors, pull a plug wire, crank it, confirm that you have spark. If you don't, check at the coil wire to see if the cap/rotor are the problem. If you have spark, but aren't sure fuel's getting past the injectors, spray some carb cleaner or starting fluid into the intake. If it runs when you spray fuel at it, then you know it's a fuel issue.

I wonder whether the benefit from those is from the new/different modes, or more from overriding whatever "optimization" the ECU does. I've been annoyed by that meddling in almost every E-throttle vehicle I've driven. Small adjustments ignored, smooth inputs made jerky. I much prefer the cable throttle in my '93. The old VG30 may be gutless, but at least it tries to do what I'm asking!

Depending on the calibration of your torque wrench, you may have gotten it perfect!

Looks like progress! Bet that manifold leak was noisy. If it was blowing hoses from exhaust gas getting into the cooling system, that suggests you were right about the head gaskets. Check for cracks and warpage while it's apart. The oil in the valley probably came from the valve cover gaskets. That depends on how far you go. The VG30 and VG33 service manuals have identical specs for the valve springs, so the stock springs should handle VG30 cams just fine. JWT even recommends the stock springs with their S1 cams, which if post #7 in this thread is correct, are a larger jump in lift from the VG30 cams than the VG30 cams are from the VG33 cams. JWT's S2 cams do spec harder springs. And yeah, if you're pulling the heads apart anyway, that would be a great time to clean out the gunk and lap the valves. Mr. 510's VG34 thread has some info on porting if you want to give that a go.

AFAIK Teflon tape is fuel-resistant, but it's meant for tapered pipe thread. I haven't had a fuel pump out of an R50, but looking at pictures of them, I'm not seeing tapered pipe thread connections. I'm seeing hoses clamped to nipples and quick-connects, neither of which take Teflon tape. Generally quick-connects take O-rings. If the O-rings are bad, you could probably pick them out and install new O-rings. I remain skeptical of your vacuum theory.

I've heard of people rolling bearings into engines from underneath. Not sure I've heard of anyone doing it on a VG, but I don't see why it wouldn't work, provided the crank isn't beat to hell. I'm not sure fighting with it on your back with oil dripping in your eyes would end up being less work than pulling the engine, though.

I would expect a quick-connect that's loose enough to leak from being slightly tilted would be leaking bad enough to cause all kinds of other issues once the truck was driving around, going over bumps, going up hills, whatever. Manifold vacuum at idle is, what, 10 psi? And it would be pulling through tiny little injector orifices. The rail should be between 34 and 43 PSI. I don't think manifold vacuum is doing anything for the fuel system that the pump wouldn't, unless something is badly wrong with the pump--and again I wouldn't expect that to clear up once it was running. That said, air in the pump, or air pushing through the regulator, might explain the noise. The next time it acts up, try cycling the key a few times. (On, wait for the pump to stop, off, on again.) The pump should run for a few seconds each time. It's a return fuel system, so if the lines have somehow drained back into the tank while parked, this should prime them again. If it fires right up after cycling, or if it makes the weird noise while trying to prime, or if the pump doesn't run at all, then you know you're on the right track.

And here I thought it was Ford that only ran downhill. That is a weird one. I have no idea what in the fuel system would change with inclination like that. If the fuel level was really low, maybe the angle could make the fuel run away from the pickup--but if that was the case, it wouldn't keep running after it used up the ether. If you slowly rev the engine in park, can you find a speed where it makes the noise? I don't know the R50 computer, but I wouldn't be surprised if the computer was demanding a higher idle for a moment after a difficult start. If you can replicate the noise by revving it to a certain speed, might be an idler pulley on its way out, a loose heat shield, something like that. If you haven't pulled codes yet, do that first, on the off chance the computer knows something. If that doesn't help, check the fuel pressure. Try and get it to act up while you've got the gauge on it. Also see how fast the needle falls when you shut it off. Maybe a leaky injector is flooding it? Though again I wouldn't expect nose up/nose down to make a difference there, and I wouldn't expect throwing more fuel (ether) at it would bring it around. Intermittent issues like this can be a real pain to track down, because they tend to hide until you put the tools away. Good luck!

'95 manual says 72-80 lb/f for the flywheel bolts. For some reason it's in the "cylinder block" section. EM-36. Good luck with the case! Hopefully no surprises inside.

+1 on this. If you have all three, check timing, especially if you've had the distributor out. It's easy to install it at top dead exhaust instead of top dead compression. I've done that. Might also be worth running codes. The computers in these are not very perceptive, but you should get a code if it hasn't heard from the dizzy in however many seconds of cranking, or if there's no ignition pulse to the coil. Either way, that would give you a road map for what to check next.

Confirmed the size. 12mm 12 point.

Ah, gotcha. PM sent!

The one I borrowed had a U joint in it (I think it was this one, or very similar). The wobble was helpful. But I think I got an axle off the parts car with just a shallow socket and a separate impact-rated U joint.

I'll dig them out later and PM you a picture. How did it end up missing all four?

Yeah, I had to borrow a 12-point impact socket when I did the CVs in mine. I did give it a go with a chrome socket, but naturally it turned to glitter when I hit it with the 1/2" impact.

Well that sucks! Hopefully something simple. Re-check anything electrical that you had apart, hopefully it's just a loose connector somewhere.

Wrecker or part-out would be my go-to as well. If you strike out locally, I have two of them from my '95 parts car. Grey, cloth, hole in the middle. Not mint, but not bad. I don't think they have the big ribs around the outside that the headrests in your picture do, not sure if that's an early/late thing or an XE/SE thing. If you want new, looks like Amayama still has them, but they ain't cheap.

When I helped a friend swap the trans in his S10 Blazer, we just shot a spot of paint on each torsion bar adjuster. We used a different color on either side so we couldn't mix up the parts. Then when we put it back together, we just lined up the paint marks. Worked great.

That's an odd one. The wiring for the ignition switch runs through the column, so something might be loose in there. Be careful taking the clamshell apart, they're quite brittle. Once that's off, I'd follow the wiring from the ignition switch and make sure it's in good shape and the connector is firmly installed. The switch itself (not the whole cylinder, just the switch) is cheap and easy to replace if it turns out to be flaky. I cleared up an intermittent no-start on mine by removing the alarm system. It plugs in between the switch and the rest of the harness, so you can just unplug the switch from the alarm, unplug the alarm from the rest of the harness, and plug the ignition into the rest of the harness without the alarm in between. (I took a bunch more stuff apart to get the rest of the alarm harness out, but that shouldn't be strictly necessary.) Cleared up my gremlin, might get yours too. Takes out the alarm, obviously, in the unlikely event that yours still works/you have the keyfob for it. Sounds like the fuel level sender in the tank might be acting up too.

Just like that. Wire the halos to the 87a. Wire the headlights to 87. Buy a set of alligator test leads and a couple of indicator lights and wire it up yourself. Seeing it work might help make sense of it.

Sounds reasonable. Good luck with your rebuild, and let us know how it goes!

With power to 30, and no power to the coil (headlights off), yes, 87a has power. I would not however call it constant power, because when the coil is powered, 87a will lose power.

87 and 87a both get power from 30 (which is wired to battery +), but through separate contacts inside the relay, which allows them to be switched opposite of each other. Switched power to the coil (from the headlight switch) turns off 87a, as it turns on 87. Removing switched power from the coil turns off 87, but turns on 87a. Here's another way to look at it. Imagine a standard household light switch. Switch up, light on. Switch down, light off. Now imagine two light switches, side by side. But one of them is upside down. If you flip both switches up, you've turned one on, and the other off. Flip them both down, and you've turned one off, and the other on. The right-side-up switch controls 87. The upside-down switch controls 87a. Both switches get power from 30. And both are controlled by the coil, which can only move them both together.

I've done the engine-crane-through-the-door method on a Toyota. Worked great, but had me worried with how close to the windshield the boom ended up. I think I had a load leveller in between the crane and the trans, which was great for lining it up, but meant the boom sat higher than I would've liked. Might get more room to lift with the boom up against the trans. The firewall in mine had the same fluff panel, with the same layer of crumbling black plasticky crap. I assume the black crap was once rubber of some variety. Mine came apart like peanut brittle. The fluff behind it was saturated with lung dart stink, so it was all bin-bound anyway. I put a little sound deadening in its place, probably should've done more. Might do that the next time I have the dash out. I don't remember a foil bit. Where was that? Good luck with the exhaust! I was pleasantly shocked when the exhaust fasteners on my parts car just came loose like they were supposed to. Hopefully yours are similarly cooperative.