jgrote

I sat in a parking lot in 90 degree heat at 7-11 today, and the temp never climbed above the 5th hashmark. Just below half. Now all I need to do is install a trans cooler and figure out why I'm losing so much oil. Now for a quick question. I was looking into installing a cooler, and found that there is plenty of room. But... I could not find a good way to run the lines to without running them under the core support. I really don't want to do that! How does everyone else route their hoses?

I agree, you will have to use the converter box. I have the OEM harness, and it still has the box. If you're going to buy the box anyway, you might as well get the plug-n-play version. They are about the same price and make things much more simple. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Trailer-Hitch-Wiring-Tow-Harness-For-Nissan-Pathfinder-2001-2002-2003-2004-/142463058318?hash=item212b75c18e:g:hTAAAOSw3gJZMZNs&vxp=mtr

Well, the truck decided not to start this morning, so I got to replace the battery terminals again. It's a much better repair this time, and should last a good, long time. Then I decided to check out the radiator to see if anything looks like a problem. I'm not sure how to check the clutch, but it doesn't feel overly loose. I'll take it for a drive later and see if it tightens up when warmer. However, I scooted the rad. back a little, and found what was left of a bird! Half of the rad. was completely impacted. I cleaned it out lightly with a wire brush, and then with a garden hose. This is what my driveway looked like afterward!

I'm most definitely am going to change the fluid. Do you know which is the input and which is the output on the rad? And does it take Dex3, or something more expensive?

Would you recommend abandoning the cooler in the rad, or hooking up in series? If so, which one first?

I took my son up to Casper, WY to see the eclipse this weekend, and it was AMAZING. We rented a pop-up camper and pulled it up there, and camped in a pasture just outside of town. The first problem started on the way up there. The A/T Temp light would come on any time we had to climb any kind of hill. We were cruising at about 65, pulling a 1400 lb camper. It ran, drove, and shifted just fine, but the light concerned me. Then, we pulled into camp, parked the camper, unhooked, and I got into the truck to move it. It would not start! Not even a click. The farmer gave me a jump and we went into town, where I replaced both terminals with limited tools in an auto parts store parking lot. Then for the real problem. On the way home, we basically sat in traffic for HOURS! The A/T temp light came on almost immediately after we left, and stayed on the whole time we were pulling the trailer. And I could not use the A/C when sitting in traffic or the coolant temp would climb way up. When sitting, I had to turn off the A/C and rev the engine to 2k RPM to get it to cool down. The temp would reliably come down every time I did it, but it still isn't a good thing.Also, when not moving, the A/C would get heat-soaked and stop blowing cold. As for the A/T light, it turned off about 10 miles after we dropped off the trailer, and stayed off for the rest of the ride home. (About 50 miles.) Now onto the questions. Do you think this is a clogged radiator, water pump, or something else? It has fresh coolant in it. Should I ad an external cooler for the trans? Should I ad an electric fan in front of the condenser? Is there a best brand a radiator for these trucks? Any I should stay away from? I need to get this cooling thing under control before any more trips.

I ended up going with semi-gloss black. It looks just as it should, which is what I was aiming for. First, I spent a little extra time running the harness. The truck I took it out of had the little converter box zip tied under the truck, with the harness heading to both taillights and up through grommets on both sides. That meant that there was a wire harness running under the truck from one side to the other. I wasn't a big fan of that, so I figured out how to install the box under the amp and run the wires out through the left grommet, but run the harness to the right side through cavities under the plastic piece around the tailgate latch. It was a PITA, but worth it. Those converter boxes should last longer if not left in the elements. Next was mounting the hitch. If you ever want to DIY this job, GOOD LUCK! I had to drop the evap. canister, but that's no surprise. On the other side, I had to disconnect the rear 3 mounts for the exhaust. Then I was barely able to squeeze the hitch in while pushing the muffler out of the way. Sorry I didn't get any pics of this, but I was too dirty to touch my phone. Now for my only really useful advice; Use a floor jack to jack it up close to where it needs to go. (That's obvious.) Then, take the handle out of the jack and shove it into the hole where the receiver goes. Now you will have a long handle (and lots of leverage) to lift up the front of it, as well as wiggle it around to get bolts to line up. This worked perfectly and made this a fairly easy one-man job. I'll post a final pic in a little bit, but really it just looks like a hitch on a Pathfinder.

I found out when I was prepping it that it's a class 5. Most of what seems to be on Ebay or Amazon are class 3's. It makes sense, considering how it mounts. Most units from Curt or others mount with 8 bolts. The OEM mounts with 12. It's also a 3 piece unit, which makes it easier to install by yourself. I plan on leaving all 3 pieces together though to simplify installation.

Alrighty, pics! Bottom Top Hardware Closeup of how the flat black looks This is my idea for hanging it! Yes, that's a power cord and a hose clamp. Use what you got, right?

I hate when I typo in the topic! Oh well, you guys and gals get what I mean. I just got done cleaning it up and spraying it with rust inhibitor. It looks really nice! I'll post pics in a moment, when the paint is a little drier. Now it has to cure for 24 hours before I can paint it. Now for the big question! Gloss or flat black? I bought gloss, but I am second guessing myself. It really looks pretty good flat. And since it's not exactly in perfect condition, I'm afraid gloss is going to show every little imperfection. What are your thoughts?

Well, it's time for the next little project. I picked up a factory hitch from a 2003 today. I managed to get it, and the harness, for $22! It needs a good repaint, but everything looks to be in good shape, and I love that it has the integrated step and OEM plugs. Here's a pic from the JY. I'll post better pics once I get to painting it.

I don't know much about that motor, but I do know motors in general. First thing I would check is timing. Are you 180 degrees out on that side? Next would be the intake. I know these things have butterflies for timing stuff. Are they stuck shut for some reason? Lastly, it might be time to pull the head back off and check everything out again. If it were me, I'd start with the intake.

I had it in 4HI. The fluid has been changed at least once, because I can tell that the transfer case has been split apart at some point. The somewhat sloppy RTV sealant goobers make that obvious. I don't imagine I will ever use the "auto" function. Thanks for the link. I am the type of person to study these manuals just to learn how things work. Ask me about Subaru AWD systems, and I can tell everything you want to know. Nissans, well, I still have quite a ways to go.

I do have the auto function. I know it's electrically shifted, not not sure how it works internally. I have the knob on the dash, not a stick to shift. It's a 2002 with all the options.

So, it's been a couple of months and I'm finally getting around to using my new toy. I bought tires this week, and managed to get out to a trail yesterday. These are the tires I got. They are Goodyear Wrangler all-terrain adventure with kevlar, in 255/65/17 They're not quite as aggressive as I wanted, but I couldn't pass them up for the price. $350 for brand new tires. My local Chevy dealer is taking these off of new Colorado's to install larger tires. When it was on the lift, I was able to get a good look around. I found some significant rust on the rear lower spring perches. I'm not sure just how bad it is, but definitely not good. Then yesterday, we took her out for a little trail driving. The website I generally use called it a moderate trail, but it was absolutely not. There wasn't even anything worth taking pics of. One thing I did notice though was how the 4wd acted. When I first put it in 4wd, it was quite squirrelly. It was definitely in 4wd, but just didn't feel right. As we did more driving, it began to feel better and better. After ~5 miles of dirt driving, it was fine. No tire spinning when starting or stuff like that. Now I come from driving Subarus for a long time, and am used to how the AWD feels, (and reacts) when off road. But this is by no means the first 4wd truck I've driven. I don't know much about these transfer cases yet, Is it computer controlled? Did it need to "learn" the terrain before making decisions on where to send power? Time for more learning!

You would obviously need to install lockers so you're not spinning the front diff all the time. Even then, I still think you'd find it a bigger problem than it's worth. I don't think Id want my front locked up all the time, even off road. Mostly because it makes it hell to turn, and I usually find myself in pretty tight spaces when off road. A locker would be nice, but welded seems to be a step too far.

I bought the tools needed to recharge AC correctly and taught myself how to do it. It really isn't rocket science. Since then I've done my own cars a few times, as well as some friends' cars. It's not a tool that I'll use very often, but I'm glad I have it.

So a little update. I pulled the batteries out of both keyfobs last night, and it was still locked this morning. I may have discovered my problem right away! Now I need to figure out which one is causing my headaches. This type of troubleshooting is so time consuming.

My truck has decided to start unlocking itself sometime during the night! For the past few days, my truck has been unlocked first thing in the morning. I thought that maybe I was just going crazy, but last night I verified that it was locked when I went to bed. When I went out to check it today, all doors were unlocked. I have no idea when it is happening, or if the lights blink or anything when it unlocks. It isn't doing it immediately after locking it. Tonight, I have removed the batteries from both keyfobs to see if that's the cause. My best guess is that it's one of the following: 1) keyless entry module 2) power door lock switch 3) keyfob 4) some kind of interference Has anyone run into this? This is not going to be a fun problem to track down.

Man, you seem to be able to find great deals. Keep up the good work (and pics!) This one does seem a little too clean to cut up. Can't wait to see the UTV build.

Welcome to our little corner of the internet. I come from Subarus, and like you, was excited and surprised to see just how cheap these things are to keep running. I'm sure you're aware, but pics make us happy. Both of your Pathy and your race car!

This is some serious hard core fabricating. That being said, it's all been done before. (Maybe not with a R50, but it has been done.) Geometry is everything! You need to have a plan for a few different parts of the build. 1) Frame, build from scratch or start with something and modify. 2) Body mounting, Plan on cutting out quite a bit of the existing under-bits of the R50. 3) Tying it all together, Steering, brakes, etc. I've seen guys in the rat rod world spend 1-2 years getting it all figured out, and that's on cars with much simpler setups. This seems to be a bit ambitious as a summer project. But , PLEASE! do it.

18? You, sir, have a problem! Looks great. What do you do with all those Pathfinders?

Thanks man. I'm more than a little handy. I'm a service tech by trade. (However, not on cars. Dental equipment if you can believe that.) The older I get, the less I want to wrench on the weekends, but I will still do it when needed. With my stable consisting of an 02 Pathy and an 04 Forester, there is always something to be fixed. This summer will be spent doing the RMS on mine and possibly a newer engine in the Foz. I'm shooting for a half-million miles between the two of them. We're at 224k and 175k respectively.

I got the fan out and found it to be worse than I thought. I got to it just in time! And FWIW, removing the fan is much more difficult than it should be. I had to drain the radiator down enough to remove the top hose, and then loosen up the shroud. Even then, the shroud wouldn't come out. It seems you have to remove the rad. to get the shroud out. Grrrr. NBD, I got it done. Now what to fix next... FYI, I bought this one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/182496545024?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT It fit perfectly, and seems relatively balanced.