bryfry

Thanks for the props, guys. I feel the same way as you do when you don't get the answer or the whole story. Since I work in parts, I'm always looking for information to help my customers (the techs who fix these things!!!) and when I find it, I pass it along. Believe it or not, I had this dist in stock and was able to fix it right away. It fits anything with the 3.3 from 1996 to 2004; Quest, Frontier, Pathy, Xterra, QX4 and don't forget the Mercury Villager. It ain't cheap either. We sell it for $320 dealer net. I got a major price reduction (I'm an operations manager, so I lobbied the owner!!) and only paid $200. The part number in Cardone (a major rebuilder-if you buy it in another brand, more than likely they rebuilt it and put in someone else's box) is #31-58600. A new one from these guys is part #84-58600 and it comes with cap and rotor. It's only a bit more in price, so if you want new instead of rebuilt.....but it may be hard to find. I haven't been around here in a while, but I missed hanging here. You guys are great when I need you (which hasn't been that often!! Pathy runs awesome!) and you always give advice to ponder and praise when necessary. It was through these posts that I replaced my hubs with Warn units, did all of my brakes and exhaust. Other than that and oil changes, all I've ever done is drive my Pathy. It's been very reliable. Up next: T-belt change!!! All new hoses, belts, etc. I'll post a thread with pics when I'm into it. Probably in a month or so. Thanks again! B

Ok, here is the follow-up to my dilemma. It turned out to be the distributor. But, it was not due to the electronics failing. After testing fuel pressure and spark and finding both normal, I got a master tech friend involved. He grabbed his stethoscope and started probing around. He detected a noise that my drummer's ears could not and he found the noise coming from the dist. Here's what we found: Dust cover removed Rotor shaft and reluctor wheel Stub shaft. Note the score marks. Module and gasket Ignitor/coil Main shaft bearing. Note cover coming off! Uh...it's like...toast. The remnants.... So, the shaft would heat up and walk around causing the reluctor wheel to move in and out and thus causing the ignition burps. When cooled, the bearing would spin a bit better, therefore the normal running when cold. As it heated, it jsut got worse. Eventually it would have seized and then it could have been a huge mess. The electronics worked normal, just a mechanical failure. Oh, BTW, my truck has 92k on it. There you have it! Hope it helps someone in the future. A side note, the crank sensor is a major pain to get out!!!!!!! WOW!!!

The only code it threw was the P1336. I'll have to see if the procedure is in my manual I purchased on disc. I haven't even used it yet since I bought it two years ago!! LOL! I purchased the sensor today, so I'll check it out this weekend. More to come....

Hey folks, It's been a while since I've been on here, but I need your help. You have all been very helpful in the past and I'm sure that has not changed. Now, I did do a search on the forum and found some information, but I want to share my problem with you just to verify what I'm thinking. The problem started the recently on my '99 (built 9/98) with 90k on it. Driving from a dead cold, it's fine. Runs perfectly. After a while it starts to miss a bit, but not setting a code or a light. At first I thought a bit of water in the fuel might be the issue, but I've ruled that it's not fuel related. It was missing pretty good the other day and I dropped it into 2nd (auto trans) and reved it up to 4k RPM's and held it there as I drove. Finally, the MIL came on and it had the code P1336. Now, from what I've read, this CKP code may not be the cause of my problem. The crank sensor only reads if there is a misfire present and doesn't actually cause the misfire itself, right? If so, then am I looking at a distributor replacement? A $40 sensor I can handle, but a $300 dist. would be a pain. Prior to all of this, the truck has been perfect. In the two years that I've owned it, it has only gotten regular maintenance. I was getting ready to do the T-belt soon (with print-outs from this site!!), but that has nothing to do with this situation, I'm sure. What has perplexed me is that it will not set any other codes. It doesn't seem like a "misfire", like a bad plug or wire, but a total ignition blip. I can see the tach dipping a bit everytime it happens. Reminded me of my wifes old Ford Escort when the dist module was on the way out. As if it was "talking" to me, letting me know that there is an impending failure of the ignition! So, as it is, I'm putting it out there.....distributor? Or something else? Any help will be greatly appreciated. I do my own work and get my parts at a great discount (I work for a parts store!!) and I don't need to drive the truck everyday as I have a company car. So, I'm willing to take my time on this to make sure I'm fixing it right the first time. I cannot afford 5 hours labor in diagnosis right now from ANYONE, especially a dealer! All of you are very helpful and I appreciate this site when I need it!! Thanks!! Brian

See if you can get to the outer bearing and slide that out first (you should be able to do that), then you can rock the assembly back and forth to release the inner. You may have to whack the back of the rotor with a decent rubber hammer to get the outer to start moving, or if you have a pick set you can grab the cage around the rollers and pull.

I checked out a Toyota 4-Skinner before I bought the Pathy. It was a '98 with a 2.7 four cyl and auto trans. Man, what a dog! That thing couldn't get out of it's own way! Under-powered!!

Hey, thanks for the offer csutke! What I ended up doing is punching out the broken studs, cut off the ones that were giving me fits with a whizzer wheel, and then punched out the remains. I will just use 6mm bolts to put them back on. It's just a little tricky to hold them in place and tighten; kind of tight quarters. I was just freaking out the other day because I was taking my Pathy apart after an accident. Some jerk cut me off and I biffed a street sign with the right front corner. It's cost me $500 so far! I appreciate the willingness of this forum community to help. Everyone here rocks!

Since I purchased my Pathy used with 78k, I did check the plugs. The ones in there now are Bosch Platinums. They seem to work and I have been getting decent fuel economy without knowing how old they are. They looked newer when I pulled them out so I just put them back in. I really like the NGK Iridiums that I put in my Honda CRV. When it's time, I'll change to those. More money, but they seem to perform to my liking and they will last longer. I've got 30k on them now and the last oil change I checked them and they still looked like new; clean and just the right color and virtually no carbon tracing.

They are available seperately, but they are too much money. Junkyards don't have any R50's around here. I'll mess around with these. Thanks.

Does anyone know if the bracket that holds the fog light assembly on my 99 SE is offered seperately? I am doing a bumper swap and all of the studs coming out of those brackets snapped off. I was able to pound out the studs that hold the bracket to the bumper, but the ones that are rearward on the bracket don't want to budge. I'm just mangling the brackets. I don't want to have to get whole new units. It's Saturday, so the dealer is closed. I will call on Monday, but was just wondering it any of you guys knew. Thanks!

I've been keeping close tabs on mine since I purchased it a few months ago. I have since changed all the fluids to synthetic and added Warn hubs. I've adjusted my air pressure to 33 all the way around and just use Mobil or Sunoco 87 octane. I now have achieved 19.03 mpg on the last tank. The last 10 tanks have been both city and highway driving fairly equally. I have seen a steady increase, mostly since the Warn hub install. I started out at around 16.5 mpg. My goal is to hit 20 mpg. I'm using Amsoil lubricants and I'm going to put in their air filter (similar to K & N) next change.

What you need to have done is a smoke test. Find a local garage with a smoke machine and have the service done. You then will know exactly where the leak is. My '99 is throwing the same P0440 code multiple times. I havn't had the smoke test done yet, but I have a buddy with a tester, he'll do it after work someday. He said that these R50's have a tendancy to have small hairline cracks on the top of the sending unit. He has already replaced two of them this year. Access to the sender is under the rear seat, driver side. There is a small plate, remove that and there you go. Just something else to think about. I would let the smoke test find out for sure.

Correct! Those are installed just for shipment. They use them to secure the vehicle on it's journey from the far east and also on the truck car carriers. Just like FUELER said, they are limited in their holding power!

You might as well since you will have to remove the front springs from the strut assembly. Now is the time to do it along with new strut mounts. The rears shocks are a twenty minute job and should be done as well. Check the posted links............there are a ton of options for both. It's whatever the wallet will allow and the type of off-roading you plan on. Now is also a good time to do the Warn hub replacement (part #29091). Makes all the difference!

SteeevO, I hear you loud and clear. This is the reason why I don't do business with stores right next door. I've been in retail/wholesale for most of my life and I still don't understand why people choose to just underperform. Sometimes it's just one person, but it's still a reflection of management as to why they don't replace someone who is just a complete moron. Just mind-boggling. Try this guy-I've done business with him before: ring and pinion I'm not so sure he can get Nissan stuff, but it's worth the try.