[Glow plug light blinking]

Hi,

Recently, the glow plug signal started to light up intermittently on my Terrano (year 92, TD27T).

I haven't noticed any pattern, when the engine is running the light turns on randomly for a few seconds (sometimes longer) and then switches off. This doesn't happen very often, maybe a dozen of time during a 200k trip.

When I put the key in the ignition, the preheating seems to work properly most part of the time (8 out of 10 I'd say): the light turns on for ~5 sec and then off (I can hear the click from the relay).

Sometimes the light stays on forever and I don't hear the click, I wait for a bit and then start the engine (without any problem).

I suspect the glow plug relay is faulty, the problem is that I have no idea where to find it (from the sound of the click. I believe it is somewhere behind the battery).

Here are a few pictures of the area (this is a right handed vehicle if that matters).

Could somebody let me know where the glow plug relay is ? What is the part number ?

I'd like to replace this problem ASAP but I'll probably have to order the part online which might take some time.

Do you think this is a problem to drive the car in the meantime ?

I was 1000k from home when it started to behave and I already drove back without any issue.

Thanks a lot for you help !

Mike

[New Pathy owner!]

ok good to know,

thanks for the heads up about the leak. I did a bit of research and found a nice write up from MY1PATH:

 

 

 

ok, there are 2 seals on each end; inner and outer.
the outer seal is just a grease seal so its ok if it won't hold oil because all it needs to do is hold grease. thats the one that requires the removal of a lock-ring and re-press bearings etc...
the inner seal is your oil seal, easily done at home!
-With the axle supported and wheels off, remove the 4 axle bolts, un-bolt the caliper and hang it in the fender well.(the bolts on the baffle not he pivot bolts)
-slide the axle shaft all the way out
-Pick out the old seal without scratching the tube where the seal seats. If the seal is sitting flush you should be able to knock it in a little deeper to free it up before tugging it out.
-put a thin coat of grease arround the outside of the new seal and in the seat area of the axle tube and evenly tap the seal in with a rubber hammer.

-try to soak up the some oil in the bearings before putting the axle back in. Or displace it with non-clorinated brake cleaner.
-Once the cleaner has evaporated use a grease needle to squirt grease into the bearings while rotating the shaft to circluate it. (any remaining oil will mix with the grease or work its way out and be fine)
-carefully slide the shaft back into place; support the shaft as center as possible so that it does not distort the seal.

Bolt everything up, top off your diff oil and have a nice day.

 

and even some pictures!

 

it doesn't look to complicated.

 

The grease looks a bit thick, so it might come from the bearing but there is absolutely no play in the wheel and it seems rather dry/old grease, so maybe it's something the previous owner had fixed already but not cleaned properly...

 

I'm going camping this weekend so I will check the diff vent see if it's clogged, clean up the old grease, check the diff oil level and see how it looks when I come back.

Cheers,

[New Pathy owner!]

Thanks, so the oil is coming from the rear diff through the axle ?

Indeed,when I replaced the rotor, there was a bit of grease in the ebrake (compared to the other side).

Also what do you mean by 'PDQ' ?! I've done some research but english is not my mother tomgue so I might have missed something...

Thank you,

[New Pathy owner!]

Hi all,

I bought a Terrano 90 WD21 a few months a ago and really love it.

Despite its age, I find it in pretty good condition (~ 165000kms when I bought it) and I don't think it has been off-road much (yet!). I got it in an auction and unfortunately I have no record of what has been done on the truck by the previous owner.

I'm stocked with this car, the engine (TD27) is very good and is not too thirsty, I don't think the transmission (auto) has been abused. I only use this car to go camping and off road and we mainly do tracks and beach driving.

So it's relatively 'soft' off-roading, but we sometimes go to very remote area and I want it to be reliable. It's my first 4WD and I 'd like to keep it in good shape as long as possible, I have no mechanical background but thanks to this awesome forum (been lurking for a while now!), a few youtube clips and an eager willing to learn new stuff, I've managed to maintain/replace a few things myself.

Here is what I think have been changed on the car by the previous owner (or at least look newer than the rest):

- New radiator + turbo timer (or whatever it's called... it keeps the engine running for a couple of minutes after I turn the ignition off)

- Master cylinder

- CV boot / axle

And here is what I've done so far (basic stuff):

- Engine oil/filter

- Replace coolant

- Fuel filter

- Rear diff oil (couldn't unscrew the front diff refill plug, I'll have to get back to it later...)

- replace alternator (it just died a couple of weeks after I got the car)

- rear brake pads/rotors (they were trashed)

- roof rack

- Sway bar - mount bushing (both were missing !) + end link

- Compression rod/strut bushing (I had to order them in the US, the price here, was ridiculous : >160$!)

- Replace 4 shock absorbers (they have never been replaced, so I think it won't hurt. I found a pretty cheap set : http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Nissan-Pathfinder-4WD-WD21-Heavy-Duty-Shock-Absorbers-/280788633368 probably not the best out there, but they should be fine)

I 'll do the shocks this weekend, but from I've read it should relatively strait-forward.

I found the car to handle very well off-road but it shakes a lot (even on simple dirt road), I hope replacing the compression strut bushings and suspensions will improve this. I will check for any play in the front when replacing the suspensions, see if there is anything else that would need to be replaced.

In the meantime, I'd just have a couple of questions:

- The factory suspensions have a switch to adjust the stiffness (2 cables/shock absorber). I can't see the difference between 'sport/touring' mode but anyway, the new shock absorbers are not adjustable so I can't connect the wires.

What would you do with them ?

- From this list, is there any major servicing I forgot ?

Any idea or suggestion for others (relatively easy/cheap) improvements ?

I was thinking of a steering dampener but I'm not sure if it would be useful.

( I live in Australia, so parts are not readily available here and when they are they are certainly not cheap)

- Finally, while I was replacing the rear brakes I notice a lot of grease/oil on one side (see picture). It's not leaking, it's rather dry but it has to come from somewhere.

I thought the wheel bearing was damaged, but there wasn't any play. Any idea ?

Left side (clean)

Right side (dirty)

Many thanks,

Mike