SkiMachine

Uhhh, Tapatalk kept telling me this post was not submitted since I was posting too fast (even though I had not posted anything recently). Apparently this was not the case. Can a mod please delete all the other threads and merge any replies in those threads into this one? Thanks.

Here's the PO's solution to a broken exhaust stud on the passenger side: Stove bolts are high-strength rated, right? [emoji6] I saw this when I purchased the truck but at the time everything else looked good. In hindsight this should have been a monumental red flag and I have paid the price dearly since. At the time I thought it would be a straight forward drill out and replacement with the correct stud, until I saw this: Not on centre at all. And it appears that he was drilling even further away from centre (and into the head) the further in he went: . (this is a new, straight stove bolt) Good thing he only drilled about half the length of the original threads. So basically it looks like the existing threads are probably done for, which will mean there is no backing this stud out. I'm assuming I can drill out an extra size up to get a heli-coil in without hitting a water jacket, but what I'm struggling with is how to get back on centre to do so? Any ideas?

The best way to replace one of these transmissions is to pay somebody else! I'm about half-way through re-installing mine and will never do so again. I'd rather ride a bicycle 30 km to work in a -20C hail storm. Naked.

Dead upon purchase? Who knows what really happened to it then, unless the PO is family or something. Time to go down the checklists in the FSM. As others have said, a line pressure check would be a good place to start. The magnet in the pan is another good indicator of what really happened since it is unlikely the PO pulled the pan if trying a fluid change quick-fix. Once the pan is off the solenoids and VB are right there if the evidence suggests they're the culprits.

How long has it been in there and what does the fluid look like? The stock cooler obviously competes with engine heat anyways, and that new one is a good size. Good call on getting max airflow from the fan.

+1 on the above. Unless you know and trust the PO really well assume nothing has ever been changed, and/or the wrong stuff was put in if it was. To the OP's problem - If the AT light is blinking at startup, then you have a TCU code and should check it. It might provide some insight.

.... or it could be you are down an injector, as you've said in the other thread..

The timing marks are probably telling you the truth from the sounds of things. I'd verify your overall valve timing right away since that is what this is starting to sound like. I had an issue last year with very similar symptoms. In particular no power at all at sub 1k RPM - it got to the point I could not even get the truck moving from a stop if it was facing uphill. The upper TB cover can be removed fairly easily, from there you can verify your cams are at TDC using the marks on them/TB cover rear plate and the crank pully - or a drinking straw stuck into cyl #1. You can also inspect the belt its self for signs of missing teeth and wear. Also, the middle of the timing marks is probably where you want to be - the first (left) most is TDC, with the middle being 15 deg before TDC. If you are to the left of the first mark, then you are after TDC which would be why you have no power at low RPM. It makes sense once one realizes the ECU advances timing as the engine speeds up - the spark starts to occur closer to TDC if your timing is otherwise retarded. ATDC ignition will often lead to backfire, and knock. Any of that going on?

The brass debris is telling - The reverse clutch drum bushing that mates up with the pump stator is a brass (friction side) / steal combo. This bushing is indeed known to fail - it is what happened to my transmission, and almost happened to the used reverse drum I bought to replace it. Someone else posted on here last year detailing the same issue with their tranny as well. Once this bushing wears to its steal backing it's all over. The wear becomes exponential at that point, with shards of steel breaking off and traveling through the transmission, in turn doing more damage. The mating surface of the stator and reverse drum took quite the beating in my case, but then I drove it for months after reverse failed The excess play will also lead to the stator to drum reverse circuit seals failing - usually quite suddenly hence all of the no warning loss of reverse cases one reads about. A chunk of one seal was missing in my case. All of the other bushings are aluminum and seem to hold up much better - I have no idea why Nissan made just one out of brass/steel but it is a weak link for sure.

By chance did the ECM or its connectors get wet? It is under the front passenger seat thus is vulnerable to being flooded out. Like dropping a cellphone in the water, it could work ok during/immediately after but then start failing a few weeks later as the corrosion (both connectors and PCB) sets in. Just a guess though.

Yeah that seems to be the consensus. If my rebuild doesn't work out then an Xterra tranny will be my next move. Good on ya for finding a good unit. In case you've missed the other threads on the subject, don't use the stock cooler and flush those cooler lines.

First mistake: Don't "expect" any problems - that's negative thinking! You are driving a WD21 Pathfinder, it is basically a tank without tracks. It is made for this type of duty, in fact, I would be more concerned for your pathy's well-being if you had only driven on dry pavement all weekend. More specifically, I would feel sorry for it. If it did not die at the time (water ingestion), then a check of your fluids (in particular the diffs as mentioned above, plus tranny and T-case) for water ingress is all you need to do. Google will be your friend for how to perform these checks. If you do find water, it is time to replace seals since this shouldn't happen. Stock electrical connectors (stock connectors have rubber seals in them, and are mostly placed up high), so likely no problems there. It probably wouldn't hurt to get underneath and pump grease into every grease lug you can find in case anything got washed out. But I think you have nothing to worry about.

That's a good deal considering the effort involved in pulling these beasts. I spent a bit of time trying to find a doner tranny here to no success thus I'm rebuilding mine (after shelving the project over the winter). FWIW, in my case reverse failing was due to hard parts damage leading to a compelete reverse drum to stator seal failure, not a stuck valve. Though reverse simply went and never came back on my transmission. If the problem is intermittant it could indeed be a stuck valve. I mention this since the VB can apparently be worked on on-vehicle which saves a ton of missery (pulling the whole tranny is pure hell). See my thread here for a bit more detail re the potential hard parts failure. If the tranny does need to be pulled, then the Xterra HD option is the way to go. I'd take a real good look at the magnet, fluid color, millage, etc on the donor tranny before lifting it into the truck though. If anything seems off, find another or have it rebuilt. This is not something you want to have to lift in/out twice.

Hi. Does anyone know of anywhere else I can buy authentic Nissan parts? Nissanpartszone.com looked promising, but they apparently have some bugs with their address verification system thus I can't order from them. Can't say I appreciated the complete waste of time, but that's life. I'm getting back to my transmission rebuild and need a couple valve springs, and a new pump cover. Not exactly stuff I can pick up from the local NAPA. The "local" dealer is 2 hours away, and expensive.. Thanks.

Also - the band is only applied in 2nd and 4th.