jjonez

While this is still on the front page, any insight on regearing with a VQ manual tranny? With my 265/75/16 tires I definitely notice that I have to slip the clutch more to get going from a stop, and crawling in 4lo is a little too fast. Some extra pep in lower gears and a lower crawl ratio would be nice. Do you guys think 4.6's would be a noticeable change with a manual?

See what's in there right now. My '02 manny has GL4 in the trans and had ATF in the case, so that's what I switched it with. Meanwhile my '87 had GL4 in both, so you can guess what I did there. I'm betting since yours is an auto it has ATF in the case.

If you're willing to spend more time poking around, I bet you could narrow it down to the specific switch that's causing the problem. Then you could disconnect/replace/try xplors fix and not deal with the "hack" and have the security system working. It's nice being able to use the key fob as it was intended

Haha oh yeah I forgot about that part. Yea that worked just fine for preventing the security system from arming. Another way to tell if it's armed is if the turn signals flash twice when you hit lock on the key fob. If they don't it's because the system thinks a door is open.

I bet it's the same issue that myself and another member have had with our alarm system. It's probably a bad connection with a door jamb switch. Search my post history for an overly-detailed explanation. For me I tracked it down to the switch for the front passenger door and disconnected it. I've had zero problems since. Edit: Here is the link to my post

Thanks for sharing man. How did you secure the jerry can to the tire carrier? I've been wanting to do the same thing.

Wow that is a killer deal! Even the paint still looks good too.

Cool you found a donor. What's wrong with it that you got it so cheap?

It looks like one of the headlights is more yellow than the other. Either it was in a frontal collision and got a replacement, or he got tired after buffing the first one haha

Nice, thank you! If I had know it was that easy I would have done it from the start. Looks like I could even get away with not taking the bumper cover off. Does it require an additional screw to ground the switch/hold it in place?

Good stuff @RainGoat. Say would you happen to know if it's possible for me to install the carrier-open switch after the fact? When I installed my carrier I didn't try installing the switch along with it. Is it possible to drill the hole and fish out the harness (assuming it's there) without removing the angle-aluminum support that is riveted to the sheet metal?

What is this, a 4runner? Oh wait, a 20 year old 200k mile 4runner would cost double that. Silly me. Haha he needs a reality check. My bumpers-included rust-free california-car '02 cost that much. Crazy how cheap these things are compared to toyotas.

It seems to be working fine, havent checked up on it much. If you have the same shocks, the lower shock eyelet bushing will only fit over the stud if there is no metal sleeve inside. For the upper eyelet, the sleeve that comes with the shock is a good fit for the bolt that's already on the truck, so I didn't buy any additional sleeves.

Seems 30-ish years is the lifespan of 2-door Pathfinder oil pressure senders. Not too bad. Unfortunately OEM replacements are impossible to find, and the aftermarket replacement options are inconsistent at best. When I bought my truck the pressure gauge would show zero at idle and barely register at cold start and when warm revving. Light never came on. The first replacement sender I got worked better, sort of, shooting up to 60 on cold starts but still zero at warm idle. At one point the oil light came on and stayed on, even tho the gauge still would show good pressure when driving. So after a mini heart attack, time for another sender and mechanical pressure test while I'm at it. Mechanical test showed excellent pressure from cold to hot. The new sender I put in now makes the gauge max out at 45 on cold starts, 15 at warm idle, and around 20-30 driving around. Still bugs me that it doesn't show true OP. Sometimes I play around with the idea of removing the sender and routing a mechanical pressure gauge to the dash.

To add to 02_pathy, the spark plugs and seals in addition to the potentially clogged baffles in the valve covers are the reason why when I eventually do this job I plan on replacing the covers completely. Not sure what part # gets you the updated design, and not sure if it does any good either. They are expensive, I think around $200 each last I checked.

And I think I can help with this. Here is a post of mine where my 2002 had the exact symptoms as you except the sunroof thing I think. My posts are kinda long and over-detailed, but it ended up being either a bad door jamb switch or the harness that it connects to on the front passenger. I just unplugged it so the computer thinks the door is always closed and it's all fine now

Details on the diff drop pretty please.

Also technically I think your friend is required to have the vehicle smog ready in order to sell it. Unless you guys had arranged your own agreement

Great looking truck. Not nearly enough of them in the access cab/4x4 configuration. Meanwhile it seems every 1st gen Tacoma i see running around is a TRD off road access cab.

Did... Did it take 4 years to figure that out?

The manuals in the R50 are great and don't have problems if driven properly. Clutch should be ok assuming previous owners knew what they were doing with it. My 02 5 speed with 150k miles is a smooth operator and I LOVE driving it. I think the most critical rust spot to check is in the front where the strut top plate bolts to the frame/body. For the engine, biggest thing I think is the possibility of oil consumption. Unfortunately there's not much you can go on other than the owners word. It seems to be hit or miss as to which trucks have it, and there's not a definitive answer as to why it occurs. The general consensus is keep it topped up. But that's the biggest gamble in my opinion when it comes to deciding to purchase a VQ35 R50. There are engine updates between model years, hopefully someone else can give their input as to the significant ones. That one looks to be in good shape and with low miles. In my opinion if it drives good and doesn't make any weird noises then it could be a winner.

So awesome you guys. One bolt on supercharger kit with a side of solid front axle plz

I'd be most paranoid about how well each engine was maintained previously. If it were me I would remove things like valve/timing covers and the oil pan and just compare the two visually for oil sludge and whatnot. I've never done an engine swap though, just a disclaimer!

Can the cable throttle be used on an 03 in place of drive by wire? I'm under the impression that by 03 the VQ was generally improved upon since 01. Lower miles is nice too.

I don't think so. The only alternate brand stuff I've seen is the bushings themselves. Febest units for $20 each.