hawairish

Sometimes I can stand it, but for this particular project, I’ve basically been in my garage almost daily for the past couple weeks, sweating it out. But, it would be another layer of hell cutting parts with the garage door closed without AC.

Well, looks like we're fast approaching September... The bad news is that early/mid August goal didn't happen. The good news, though, is that the conversion of garage to shop is progressing well. I added several new circuits the other week, finished installing an air compressor and lines (I #@$%^& hate pneumatics) this week, and finally put the plasma table through its first cycle (no cutting, though) the other night. The heat in the garage has became too unbearable, so I dropped some coin for a mini-split AC, which I'll be installing this weekend. Then, lastly (ugh, I hope), I'll put in a fume extraction/ventilation system. I can't explain the anxiety I've had from having to drill so many holes into the outside of my stucco house. The grand finale will be a 6" one...still building up courage for that one. Bottom line is that I'm getting there! I hit up the steel shop the other week to grab various plate scraps for some initial cuts once things are ready. I've not looked into any actual material costs yet, though, so will still need to come up with pricing numbers for those interested. As before, stay tuned. This is gonna happen.

If looking at wheels studs, I posted some Dorman numbers here: link I'm a fan of stock wheels, too, which is why I went with spacers on longer studs. I've been using the front and rear studs from that post for several years on 1/4" and 1/2" spacers. No issues, though I did also put it in some nylon spacers on the studs to center the wheels spacers better.

Maybe it was only economical on some of the rarer colors? Maybe regional, or even by manufacturing plant? I’d be curious to know the reason since it seems like extra work.

Think it's related to the AC, or just the fact that the engine is warmed up? I had a similar issue a couple years ago, where it'd start instantly with a "cold" engine (summer temps, maybe 90-100?), but I'd drive 5 mins to the store, park it for a few minutes, and it wouldn't start. I think I was able to gas it a little to get it to start. Happened a few times that year. If the engine sat long enough to cool down again, started up just fine. Engine wasn't overheating, nothing else was obvious. I think I only pulled the intake and throttle body apart, inspected and cleaned things, but I can't recall why I thought that would be part of the problem. Might have just been a diagnostic starting point, but I also don't recall having the issue again after doing so. It's one particular event during my ownership I never quite figured out, but just went away.

Drive by wire (03-04) is one thing I hate about the truck. Stupid codes that disable the truck, plus "non-serviceable" throttle body and pedal. I had a P2135 (Throttle/Pedal Position Sensor/Switch "A"/"B" Voltage Correlation) that put my truck into limp mode maybe 5 times randomly over the course of 2 years, and caused random super-light surges that wouldn't throw codes (but would cancel my cruise if set). The proposed solution was to replace the throttle body. Rather than drop $150, I made the unit serviceable by drilling out the rivets then cleaned all of the contact points. No issues since. What Citron and Slartibartfast mentioned is what the FSM says, but I'd definitely pull the pedal and take it apart to see if any of the sensors can be cleaned. If the sensor has markings, you may also want to check Digi-Key for a replacement component rather than a whole new pedal, if you have the means to repair it (and if the switch can even be replaced). I did something similar for the shifter release switch on my transmission...$1 exact replacement part and some soldering.

Not sure it'd be the later years, though. Between my buddy's 02 (white) and my 04 (silver), the engine bays have been color matched; I don't recall seeing it on @Astrorami's 03 (silver) either. Only time may have been a black one at the JY. I think I have seen it on X/Frontier's before without giving it much thought, though my 98 Frontier is also color matched. It's definitely an odd feature, but it does look original at least.

Derp...always overlooking the MT doesn’t have the power valves...just habit thinking about all the engine failures that have come from this. Now I’m more curious to know what failed. Good luck on all the repairs, and keep us posted on the build!

Welcome back, man. Knowing what you know, think you'll go SFD or SAS again? Nice find on the MT! My guess for engine failure is the power valve screws coming loose (don't get @RainGoat started). BTW, if considering the SFD again, search the forums for Land Rover springs...several of us are using them for more lift and cheaper than OMEs (and they ride well).

Fuel filter installed in the correct direction? If it dies faster on pedal, seems either not enough fuel or not enough air. Per Saturn, a fault MAF seems like a reasonable culprit, but you'd have to read up on the system description to see if it would kill the engine if faulty. I'd also check the throttle body, linkage cable, and vacuums going to it. If it's not opening properly, that'd be a problem. With a suitable scanner, you may be able to read Pending codes...these won't trigger the SES light until they've met a threshold to become Stored, though I'd expect you've tried enough to get repeat codes.

Everyone just needs to relax and move to AZ! Send that Z my way and I won’t bribe him any more...

You get brownie points from me, Kent, but Jake's work definitely tops the stuff I'm doing! Now, if I can convince him to move to AZ so we combine efforts...it's been a hard sell getting the wife on board for a WA move.

It's in progress, I guess I'd say. My plasma table is here and assembled, and early (maybe mid) August still seems reasonable to have the shop ready.

If it’s not the transmission, I’d guess the driver’s side motor is split. Symptoms read like my buddy’s...it was basically the motor lifting from torque, and when torque dropped enough from transmission shift, the engine was dropping back down on the mount. Most noticeable in the 1-2 shift.

Been a while since I thought about this, but I'm inclined to think I took my switch apart when troubleshooting. I was hoping to see some bad connection, but I think something that stood out was the lack cables that I thought would support all the functions. There weren't many wires if I recall, which got me thinking that the radio might be interpreting drops/resistance from each keypress to determine what key is being pressed. Not sure how that functions with a universal interface, though.

The brake shoes for our trucks (for at least my R50 and D22) are identical. The only thing that makes them side and position specific is the parking brake hardware, which gets transferred from your prior brake set. Did you apply brake grease on all contact points? I.e., the tabs that seat in the brake cylinder pistons; at the bottom where the shoes pivot; a few flat spots where the shoes rest against the backing plate. Since the drum is stationary to the wheel and seated with the axle shaft, I don't think it's the problem. I can't think of anything that sees enough movement under the drum when everything is seated and adjusted properly. But, that all said, you may want to check for any lateral play on the axle shaft bearing. May also want to check the edges of the brake shoes...not sure it's possible, but maybe the brake shoe is lodging into the drum a little and pulling away from the backing plate, and then the springs are snapping it back against the plate. I'd think in that scenario, you'd either feel it in the brakes or have some sort of chatter. Got any pics of the installed brake parts, in case anything stands out?

If you've ruled out the tie rods and ball joint, take a look at the rear of the control arm, in particular the bushing and the rear of the subframe (where the metal strap/plate that holds the bushing bolts to).

I believe it. When you own an R50, you quickly learn that companies know little about the truck because they've never made anything specifically for it. In the case of lockers, I guess we're lucky there are other Nissans that we share similar parts with. Otherwise, we'd probably have no aftermarket support at all. I'd say a new topic would be best, just to keep everything related to the locker and company in one place. It'll surely attract some feedback. Personally, I'm all for an affordable locker, and these clones have been gaining popularity. Any first-hand experience is welcomed! While I feel some things about the company are questionable, my opinion has usually been that the company making and selling these is probably the company that's been making them all along (at least for older ARBs). I mean, I have an old RD107 (superseded by the RD202) and even ARB couldn't confirm it was genuine, but it met their identification criteria. Either way, it's a 14-year old locker (I've only had it maybe 2 years) and it's still working.

Had to look them up, but looks like they make the ARB clones that have caused a stir in other off-road forums over here. Don't think I've read anything bad about them, except from the people who've never used them. I think we'd love to see a write-up/review of the locker here on NPORA. Link for others: http://www.marxxon.com/differential/Air-Locker-for-Nissan.html I can see why you had questions about the axle. They shouldn't have overlapped the WD21 applications with the R50. R50 is 29-spline R200A front and 33-spline H233B rear only.

Nice. Which locker are you going with?

Looks like an R200A to me.

Yep, KYBs front and rear (Gas-a-just). They’re ok. Rears are an improvement over the F-150 Monroes for sure, fronts aren’t as smooth as the OMEs were, but aren’t bad. But then again, the comparison includes different springs, too.

The brackets will fit a QX4; same chassis. There were variances in the bumpers and bumper covers, but mounting was largely unchanged. Do you mean the bumper cover, for a hidden winch setup? If so, I've lightly explored the idea. If utilizing the same universal winch channel, it could probably be made to work by mounting the channel and winch upside down, but the OE bumper (hidden by the cover) would need to be cut or notched. The bracket sizes would also be in close contact with the bumper cover, but there's probably an easy workaround.

You might be right! Come on by and we'll get that taken care of!

I think that's the argument they're trying to make. I'm certain there are still scenarios where disengagement can be problematic, evidenced here (fast-forwarded to 1:07, but the entire video is also very informative): https://youtu.be/1nYZo--7Xh4?t=67 After watching the 2nd video again, it looks like the engineer describing the functionality is also counter-rotating each side axle to minimize the disengagement period. Obviously, you wouldn't be in a scenario where the tires are rotating in opposite direction. But like the other guy explained, the side gear should fit into the same dog gear, even if it rolls back, and I think that would be a very likely scenario during wheeling. It's also worth noting that the diffs being shown in the 1st video are the Patrol H233B, which uses the collar-type engagement style shown in the Harrop videos. I think I'd prefer that over the pin-type. All things considered, I'm still a huge fan of the TJM locker...but if it meant avoiding all the pneumatics, I'd still chance Harrop.