albino

Thanks, I haven't been able to catch a break with the weather around here this week and it has been raining and snowing every day. Hopefully tomorrow it will clear up and I will have time to do some troubleshooting. It initially stalled the first time when I first started it up and put it in reverse. Then I tried starting it up a few more times and it stalled while still in park. Each time I started it up it stalled a little sooner. Now it cranks but won't catch. I am starting to think that maybe I blew a fuse on the fuel pump or the relay is bad. The symptoms are right for no fuel getting to the engine. Maybe the TPS sensor was something else that just happened at the same time. On the bright side I realized I was missing the EC section to the fsm and now that I have found it I have the knowledge to test all these things.

The computer uses the O2 sensors to run closed loop and get the optimal fuel/air ratio. With bad O2 sensors the car will still run but the computer will be running open loop and will be using the airflow data to try and predict the amount of fuel it needs to supply. It will not know if this is the optimal fuel/air ratio because it doesn't have the O2 emissions data but it will still run at reduced efficiency.

Does it make sense that the TPS sensor would be causing the vehicle to stall immediately upon start up every time? From what I have read usually the TPS is responsible for high and irregular idle with the occasional stall. I replaced the sensor today and the truck is still stalling immediately after starting. I have not had time to adjust the sensor rotation as it has been raining here but I will adjust it tomorrow morning weather permitting. I am not confident that this will fix the problem though. I am hoping to get the truck up and running tomorrow since it is supposed to snow here and I would like to be able to get around. My plan of action is to check the connections to the TPS and then try adjusting the position of the TPS. If that doesn't work than my next thought would be that the engine is not getting fuel.

Yeah I am aware of the purpose of O2 sensors and this truck has 4 O2 sensors, one upstream and downstream on each side. I am assuming that when Nissan designed the ECU logic they made it so that it could run off only one upstream and downstream sensor so that the engine wouldn't go into limp mode when a single upstream sensor was lost. I am basing this assumption off of engine control logic I have worked on in the past. Honestly I would hope the truck could run on just one upstream O2 sensor as the downstream sensors are usually only needed to check the operation of the cats. Typically I do not make assumptions when working on my truck but since I have experience with engine control I am confident in this one. I am going to replace the O2 sensors soon but the TPS sensor has moved ahead of them on the list and I still need to confirm which O2 sensors are on the way out which is much easier to do with a working truck.

It is the throttle position sensor. I will go to the junkyard and pull a sensor and see if I can get it started up with that. I will probably pull some old O2 sensors from the junkyard too just to see if that helps. I wouldn't think that the O2 sensors would have anything to do with it though seeing as I was driving with the O2 codes for a while without problem. It was the forward and rear sensors on the passenger side and I am assuming that the engine should be fine running off the sensors on the drivers side. I'll get the new O2 sensors as soon as the codes come back and I can confirm they were passenger side sensors.

About two weeks ago my check engine light came on on the highway and I took it to the store and it had two oxygen sensor codes. A few days ago I went back to get the SES checked again to make sure that I ordered the right replacement sensors. This time both oxygen sensor codes were gone and a TPS code was present. At this point the truck was driving normally and I took it home to look into it. That night I went to start it up and when I put it in reverse it stalled out. I have this problem sometimes when it is cold so I didn't think twice and started it back up. This time it stumbled for a few seconds and died. Now it stalls every time I start it. Is this sensor something that might just need a cleaning or should I just replace it altogether? Unfortunately I need my truck this weekend so time is not on my side.

I'll check the temp sensor tomorrow when it dries out here. Do you think the transmission oil level being a little on the high side could be causing problems? I was on the high side of the dip stick last time I checked. I could see that causing excessive resistance when its cold out.

When I start my pathy up after a cold night and put it into reverse, the rpms drop and it stalls immediately. If I start it back up and rev for a few seconds and then put it in reverse, the rpm's drop but it doesn't stall. I am thinking it has to do with cold oil but I am running all the same oils that I ran last winter and did not have this problem. All fluid levels are fine... engine oil changed last week and transmission, tc, and diff oils changed last summer. Anyone have any ideas? My only other thought could be that I had water entry into my diffs which is freezing but my breathers are extended so I don't think that is the case.

Just went through this and took some pictures along the way. Hope they help anyone trying to do this as I did not know exactly what I was getting into when I started this: Comparison of alternators... Pathy left and 95 Quest (110 amp) right Quest alternator cleaned up with pulley removed and holes drilled to about 11 mm (10 mm bolts but I drilled 11 to allow for some slop). This shows how I had to grind the lip around the shaft down to allow for the pathy pulley to fit. This shows where the housing had to be ground down. Here it is installed. I had to use longer bolts than the normal alternator bolts and I had to use a few washers to fill space between the upper mount and alternator.

I used the bolts that 4x4 parts sent and they were the right grade.

I installed the split bushings this summer and getting them in was a breeze... that is after a day or two of grinding and cutting through the old bolts that were frozen in place. The upper control arms are pretty straightforward, its the lower ones that usually are difficult to get off. Even if my bolts had come off in one piece I would have replaced them. I think it is generally a good idea to replace critical bolts like those if they have been on there for a while and you already have them off. Might as well replace them with some nice shiny ones just make sure they are the right grade. I did not put the sleeves back on when I put the split bushings in since mine were damaged when removing the old bushings. The truck rides great now and there is definitely not a wobble anymore.

Alright I need a little help here. I took the alternator apart and got to the point where I need to separate the stator from the regulator. The wires are crimped and then soldered over the crimps so it is not easy to separate the two. Unfortunately I need to get my rig up and running again so I don't have time to get everything taken apart and order the parts and wait for them to come. I went to the junkyard and they didn't have any r50's so I got a 95 quest alternator since I had heard it was a pretty straightforward swap but this does not appear to be the case. The mounting holes look like they are the correct distance apart but need to be drilled out to around 11 mm. The pulley will also need to be swapped and possibly spaced and a slightly longer bolt will be needed for the bottom mount. I am a little stumped... I thought the only necessary modification was to swap the pulley. I checked a parts website and the alternators were the same for 94-99 quests.

If you care more about beef than weight than a surplus gypsy rack is a really good fit for the pathy. I found one at a surplus store for $125 and I think the roof will cave in before that rack does. I'll try and get a picture of it this week. It probably weights 75 to 100 lbs after some light modification which is a lot of weight up top but worth it to be able to walk on / sleep on / hang hammocks from your roof basket. Mounting is a custom job for sure though.

Found a website that looks like it has everything needed for a rebuild: http://store.alternatorparts.com Also I took my alternator to get tested today and they guy said it wasn't charging at all. I guess that is better than charging and unregulated. I'm thinking that since it isn't charging at all there is an open circuit somewhere... probably the brushes or maybe the diodes. Time to take it apart.

Yeah I have been searching but I can't find any rebuild parts for the alternator. I saw a voltage regulator somewhere but it was more expensive than getting another alternator out of the junkyard. Anyone know of any kits available? If I can't find a kit I will probably just take it apart and give everything a good cleaning, put I back together and see if it tests out ok.

I got the alternator out yesterday and spinning the pulley by hand I don't feel any catches in the bearings. It is definitely stuffed full of mud and debris though. I'm going to take it apart tomorrow. Should I go ahead and order a new regulator for it? I'm guessing while I'm in there I should go ahead and replace anything that might go out in the near future. I'm thinking I'll replace the regulator and clean the brushes as long as they are still in working order.

Alright I'll tear into the alternator as soon as I can. Luckily I bike to my classes so I can afford to not drive it for the week. Unfortunately I just replaced the battery so hopefully the alternator is not going to fry it... that would be a lot of money down the drain. No more mud for me for the foreseeable future, some nice dry rock sounds like the way to go

I went a little too deep in a mud hole the other week and ran into some problems. I took a ton of mud/water through the radiator/skid and into the engine compartment and by the time I got out of the mud hole I had some interesting noises coming from under the hood. No check engine light or any warning lights so I drove to the campsite. Next morning I popped the hood to find that my a/c belt had been thrown off the pulleys. I put it back on and started up the truck and the battery, a/t temp, and parking break lights came on. I drove for a few miles and the lights turned off so I drove it home and cleaned out the engine compartment. After the cleaning there was still a whine coming from the under the hood and I could not determine exactly where it was coming from even when putting a hose to my ear and moving around. For the next few days the previously mentioned dash lights turned on and off periodically and I figured it was a connector that was jiggling loose and full of mud. Then my battery died and I realized that the solution to all of my problems is most likely the alternator. I would like to rebuild it instead of getting one out of the junkyard. Anyone have any advice for what might need to be replaced? I'm guessing if the bearings are bad that it will probably be too complicated to replace them... no one builds things to be rebuilt these days. If you think I am off completely with my assumption that the alternator is on the way out then please speak up.

I got a hi-lift so that if I get in a bad spot I can manually winch it out. Even with sliders I still can't really jack with it, definitely need metal bumpers for that.

Check it out: http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/topic/34428-locker-or-lsd-what-are-the-choices/?hl=spline

Yeah I was trying to avoid replacing bearings due to the added complexity but this third member is a spare so I am in no rush. I will try loosening up the pinion nut and torqueing it again to see if I can get it within spec without removing anything. I'll have to find where in the fsm there is a spec for just the pinion preload with carrier removed. If I can find that than I should be able to play around with it awhile. Thanks for the advice.

Ok, the measurement was taken with the carrier installed. I had the third member on the bench and hadn't touched anything yet. I see what you are saying about the spacers. It looks like I will have to take off the outer bearing and adjust the shim thickness but as you said this shouldn't affect the pinion depth. Now I find myself wondering if I should just replace both pinion bearings while I am in there...

Is it the 325 code? I have had the 325 on for about a year and it alone won't turn the ses light on. Its just one of those codes that gets stored and noticed when something else triggers the ses.

I know that there are a ton of threads on this but I could not find the information I am looking for in any of them. I am rebuilding an 01 Xterra LSD to put into my R50. Prior to disassembly I noticed a few things I was not too pleased with. First, the pinion bearing rotates with under 2 in-lb of force and the spec is 15-22 in-lb. I was not planning on doing any work with the pinion as I am not swapping gears but it sounds like the pinion needs more preload which I am guessing will effect the pinion depth and gear pattern. Can anyone confirm that this is correct? Also, I was trying to check the spider/side gear backlash and Nissan calls for using a feeler gauge to measure the distance between the side gear thrust washer and differential case but I cannot figure out how to do this. Since it is an LSD the clutch pack presses on the side gear with no gap and there is no way to measure the distance from the diff case to anything really. Can anyone shed some light on how to do this?

Thanks, I just realized the torque specs are shown in the blown up assembly drawings. Apparently I'm doing too much reading and not enough looking at the pretty pictures.