jjonez
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Posts posted by jjonez
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TL;DR if your stubborn clutch doesn't want to get rid of that last little air bubble, give it a few mega stomps to coerce it.
I found an instance where aggression actually is the answer! And no I'm not getting political. A few days ago my clutch master cylinder blew on the way to work and the car was basically undrivable.
After a tow to the mechanic and a subsequent tow back home (mechanic wanted $500!!!!!! to fix), I ordered a new part and installed in the dark after work, but couldn't get the system fully bled after an hour of attempts. I could still drive the car with a squishy clutch so I waited until this evening to give it another go, this time reverse-bleeding using a syringe.
When a few attempts of that didn't work I was pissed, and took my frustration out on the clutch pedal, giving it about a dozen nuclear powered rage stomps.
Clutch works perfect now...
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Very clean. Check oil pressure with a mechanical gauge. I'm on my third sending unit, and it still reads low on the dash once warm, but when testing with a mechanical gauge it's perfect.
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Everyone whines about not being able to buy a new, simple, bare bones truck these days, despite the current frontier being exactly that.
I've had them as rentals a few times and always enjoyed them. The cabin is spartan and gives the necessities without any fuss. The ride is smooth and handles decently, and the 4.0 gives a healthy kick IMO, with a nice predictable auto trans. It's a much more satisfying drivetrain than in the 3rd gen tacoma, which I've also rented, and I'm a total tacoma fanboy.
Bummer they're updating and killing the VQ. I might not be singing the same praise next year.
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Interesting. I didn't have to do any drilling for my 02 and bilsteins. Pretty sure theyre the same model. The top brackets/bolts worked perfect with the shock eyelet bushing sleeve except I used a few fender washers to take up the extra space in the bracket. I heard some people just bend the bracket inwards instead.
For the bottom mount I didn't use a sleeve. The inner diameter of the bushing is a perfect fit on the mounting stud.
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Thanks guys. I should have done a little googling before posting cuz I pulled up the same info about being battery-related shortly after.
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Yesterday I drove my 02 to the store and it was running like normal. Then when I went to leave I tried starting the car, and it made a loud click. Similar to a dead battery starter click, but louder like the very first split second of a car starting to crank.
Everything went totally dead after that. No lights on the dash, no nothing even with the key turned to on. Basically like the battery had been disconnected (confirmed later because the clock and trip odo had reset). I tried turning the key to various positions a few times but no luck.
I looked at the passenger side relay box under the hood and pulled one labeled FL180A ACC IGN and looked at it. Didn't know what to look for as far is it being bad so I put it back.
I went to start the car again and everything worked fine, started up without even a stutter. I've started and drove it a few times since then and it's like nothing ever happened.
I feel like it may just be a coincidence that pulling the relay actually did anything. But does anyone have an idea of why this would happen in the first place? Thanks!
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Sorry if it's obvious, but are you pushing the shift nob INTO the floor before pulling down into 4lo? And yes tranny in neutral, and I do clutch in too just cuz
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I'd definitely pay an extra grand for a really nice example of a car I wanted if it's not a stretch financially. As for the manual VQ, I held out for one and am glad I did. It drives real nice.
It does burn oil unfortunately, even without the power valve problem, but that's really the only problem it has. I just carry oil with me and check at the gas station and it's no big deal. My neighbor happened to have a VQ manual as well and his was burning oil but still running and driving at 240k miles before he traded up for a 2nd gen Tacoma (6 speed)
I think with any VQ R50 it's luck of the draw, but I would go into it expecting to get an oil burner so you're not disappointed. Likely the rebuilt one you saw was run too low for too long and screwed up the motor. One thing I would look for is a black sooty tailpipe. While dirty isn't a definitive tell of an oil burner, I think if you happen across a tailpipe that is clean you've got a better chance of having a good engine. I've noticed one VQ R50 in my neighborhood whose tailpipe is clean as a whistle and I'm really jealous haha.
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Huh, I always heard poly was supposed to outlast whatever vehicle they went in. I was planning for rubber on the UCA's anyways. The LCA front bushing I'm not even sure if I'll do yet, but I wanted to see if anyone has tackled it
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Haha ok, its probably not too noticeable a difference in ride quality for poly in only two spots
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Thanks guys! I'm guessing the energy suspension replacement is poly? Do you notice a difference in ride quality with this one being poly? I like my squishy ride.
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So I've found plenty of posts about the strut rod bushings and UCA bushings, but haven't found many mentions about the front LCA FRONT bushings. It looks like they are pressed into the truck frame as opposed to the LCA. Does anyone have a proven method to remove/replace these? Thanks!
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While this is up, does anyone know if this is a concern with 5-speed vq35 Pathfinders? They have the direct mechanical linkage from accelerator pedal to throttle body.
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Awesome! I actually just saw a white 2-door today on my way home from a trip. How many miles/km's?
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Just to follow up. The rubber boot on the inside of the brake master cylinder reservoir cap was folded over funny and was pushing on the switch in the reservoir. I set the boot straight and it's been fine
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Wow, only 79k km?? I thought my 87 was a rare find at 126k MILES. Show some pictures!
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That would be great! I'm in San Diego and definitely don't go wheeling enough. Mine mostly end up getting used for getting me up to the mountains for snowboarding.
I'm not on Facebook. Try using an image hosting site like imgur or you can use Google photos to create a link to an image. When typing a post click the paperclip icon up above to insert a link. For example
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2 hours ago, Mr_Reverse said:
Try unplugging the switch on the brake master cylinder. If the light turns off, then the switch is stuck.
Or you can follow the wire from the park brake switch until you find the short to ground.
I'll give this a try, thanks!
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On 11/10/2019 at 6:29 PM, Mr_Reverse said:
Check the brake fluid. If it is near min it will turn on the light to warn you to have the brakes inspected. As the pads wear down, the fluid gets lower and the fluid level sensor is set to turn on the light when the pads require replacement.
Really? Sounds like a fancy feature for an 80's truck. The fluid level looks good, slightly below max.
On 11/10/2019 at 3:44 PM, Slartibartfast said:I'd check the switch first, could be it's just dirty/worn/needs adjusting. The switch for the e-brake light is towards the bottom of the handle assembly. You'll need to remove the center console to get to it. I remember mine was filthy the first time I had the interior apart. Also check that the wire going to the switch isn't pinched somewhere.
When I had the interior out of my '93, I cut and looped the wires going to the driver's seat belt buckle so it thinks the belt is always in. Could be the PO did that to yours, too, which is why that light doesn't work as expected. Mine doesn't come on key on/engine off with the e-brake light, not sure if that's a difference in the '93 cluster or if I pulled the bulb at some point.
I removed the center console to find that the switch harness had been disconnected by the previous owner, which explains why it wouldn't turn on when pulling the brake with key in, engine on. I cleaned up the switch and ground and put everything back together and it worked! Turned on and off as it should when the parking brake is pulled. For 5 minutes...
Shortly into the drive the light came on and stayed on no matter how I fiddled with the brake. The only thing i can think of is something related to the ignition. With ignition on engine off, all the dash lights are on, right? And when you start the engine they all turn off unless they receive a signal otherwise. So maybe the brake light somehow gets stuck in "ignition on engine off" mode? What do you guys think?
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Lately my parking brake light will stay on after setting off. Sometimes it will stay on for the duration of the drive, other times it will eventually turn off. This happens maybe 50% of the time, the other half it turns off with the seatbelt light shortly after the engine turns over.
I've noticed that when working normally, unlike newer vehicles the seatbelt light and parking brake light seem to be independent of their respective components, i.e. the lights turn off even if the seatbelt isn't fastened and the parking brake is applied. Does anyone know why then the parking brake light would stay on?
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If it seems to be driving well, has a steady idle, no drama getting it started, 4x4 works, no major rust, no transmission whine, then $1500 I'd say is reasonable. I paid $2800 for my '87 and it seemed like a steal given it had only 125k miles, same owner since 1991, excellent paint and zero rust.
I might pay $1500, but most people accept a few hundred less than they're asking so it doesn't hurt to try.
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8 hours ago, Mr_Reverse said:
The throttle body injection is not great and parts are hard to get any more.
7 hours ago, Mr_Reverse said:Just looked at your location info, if it is a local truck for you there in California, a passing emissions test will tell you that the fuel system is working properly.
What kind of issues to look out for with the TBI? So far mine has been good except for having to replace the cylinder head temp sensor which was causing weird running conditions and random stalling.
I'm in CA too and so far was able to pass emissions. And that was with a rusted out air induction valve filter. That got replaced later, but I ended up pulling it off when I saw moisture collecting in the new one within weeks. So now it will just go back on come testing time.
Mine came with a long service history, but I think a lot of it was the guy wouldn't say no to things that mechanics said needed to be done during routine maintenance. I don't think I remember seeing anything relating to the TBI that had to be fixed.
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18 minutes ago, chen2761 said:
I bought my 88 pathfinder brand new and still own it today. Look for rust under the hood near the vapor canister and ignition coil area. Also I had to replace the power steering high pressure hose twice over the last 31 years. Oil pressure switch is most likely the cause of most oil leaks, it is simple to replace. Front disc replacement is a big pain since you need to repack the hubs when you replace them. My 88 is a standard shift so I have to replace the clutch twice, not bad for 31 years of uses. Also look for rust on the door near the windows weather strips, it seems water likes to sit there and eat at the metal. I have a 2 door pathfinder, I do not see many of them around and I usually get offers on it monthly even though I do not have it for sale. I did convert the old R12 A/C to the R34 system. Pretty simple to do, only cost me $325 in parts from RockAuto. I wish I had a better cool air intake system for it but I happy with how it still drives. Weekend fun machine now.
So cool that you're an original owner! How many miles now? What were the most expensive/difficult fixes you had to do? Cool that people like your truck. Where I'm from I've had maybe two compliments the three years I've owned my '87, and she's a peach compared to most vehicles half her age! Oh well, I kind of like the fact that it's very rare and under the radar compared to similar Toyotas.
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I usually get 17-18 mpg with about 70/30 highway/city. That's accounting for the 265/75/16 tires which adds about 8-9% additional miles per revolution over stock size. Without factoring that in it would be around 16
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Engine tapping noise after replacing valve covers/gaskets
in 96-2004 R50 Pathfinders
Posted · Edited by jjonez
Hi guys long time since I've been on. I replaced my valve covers/gaskets recently in my 02 to deal with a leak and to try to mitigate oil consumption, and after putting it all back together I now get a tapping noise from the driver side valvetrain on cold starts. The colder the ambient temp the louder it is. It steadily quiets down as the truck warms up and engine sounds totally normal after about 10 minutes driving. It is most noticeable inside the car with windows up/doors closed, can barely hear it outside the car.
So I know it's obviously something with the cams/buckets, maybe some crud got dropped in there during the repair. I can remove the valve cover again, but my question is what should I be preparing for when I get in there? Not really sure how to address the issue once it's all apart...
Thanks for your suggestions!
Side note: All my old followed content is gone. was this because I was idle for too long or did something happen to the servers?