gamellott

I think the best thing you can do, and cheapest, is to fix what you have unless you have something like a wiped crank from lack of oil. There are VG33 swaps that you can do, and some that bolt right in with little to no changes, but you must first find a donor. There are threads somewhere in here that discuss that. None of these options are cheap cheap. Maintaining a 30yo vehicle never is. I think I spent close to $700 when I went through the top end because of a bad head gasket (Between Gaskets, Seals, Machining, etc...). Certainly cheaper than a vehicle payment. It really all depends on your budget, your capabilities/resources, and if you should keep hanging on to this vehicle. Some things aren't worth the powder to blow them up.

That's a pretty good instructional video on how to do the front end. I will note, having done that job, that the lower ball joints, even when new, are deceptively loose. I'm sure it's just the design though. Makes me wonder if the lowers ever actually can wear out?

My rig would occasionally make that exact sound on start up. When I replaced the head gaskets, I found one lifter had a cleaved face on it, so I replaced it. Since then, the sound has not recurred. My bet, if you tear it down to the valve covers, you'll find a smoking gun there with the noise. A bad rod bearing is more of a knock As far as backfiring, it would make sense to me that you probably have an injector issue. I had a slight misfire for the longest time, mostly audible at the tailpipe more than anywhere else. Eventually, the culprits outright failed. After replacing the failed injectors, the misfire completely went away and some amount of power was gained in the process. If you can identify a possible single failed/failing injector, the perfect time to replace it would be when the upper intake is off.

Looks perfect to me. Do you really need new torsion bars? If you've run out of room on the torsion bar, you can re-key them.

The biggest gripe against the red/colored poly bushings, that I have heard, is that they squeak. The OE style rubber ones do not. I imagine there is an amount of lube that can be applied that could mitigate that, but that's up to you.

Wow, $2400... that's a bit excessive. I know things are immensely more complicated on more modern vehicles, and the exhaust creates it's own problems because it's in the way, but ya... That's a bit much for anything, except the timing belt on these things. If I were to guess, I would say that they quoted you that much because they didn't want to do the work.

I have always been told that Hylomar (Grey) is what is used on Japanese imports. Might as well replace all of the seals while your at it.

Last time I bought the bushings, they didn't come with new washers. May have been a difference in manufacturer? I don't know. Also lost a nut and a washer (Maybe I didn't torque it enough? I don't know). Had to do this exact re-inventing of the wheel in order to get it reassembled. A washer that's nearly 3 inches in diameter and 3/16" thick worn out? Typically not, unless you have some other kind of problem, like salt on the road and a corrosive environment.

Yes, we have Tacoma Screw here, which is where I went to find replacement hardware for the engine when I screwed up the cam bolts (Dimensionally correct, head original size was 14mm with a flare at the bottom, replacement was 16-17mm, no flare on the bottom). They Might have something like this, But I will revert to my previous answer, If you want to find something matching the original dimensions, shoulder/locking properties, you're better off going to the salvage yard. The washer behind that nut, is flared especially different, and you won't likely find that anywhere else aside from the Dealer or a salvage yard.

Years ago, I tried to take the transfer case apart on my 95 D21 with the KA24 engine. I don't know how different the transfer case is, but I gave up on splitting the case. I couldn't seem to wiggle my nose just right to get the case completely apart. I'm sure there's a trick to it. It's a heavy little pig for sure though.

Agreed. I'm not a paid mechanic, but I have seen some pretty sketchy @!*% passed off as legit. If the wires are black and oxidized, that's the culprit!

That's a hot mess with creative wiring. I don't know what the additional power, grounds, and relays are for... Willy Nilly... wires!!!! There appears to be a white connector with red wires under the negative post that looks to go into a bundle wrapped in electrical tape that leads to the positive side of the battery. There should be 2 connectors. One with all red wires, one with all green (Well, that's how mine is) that also goes to the positive side of the battery. That looks to be part of it.... I'd look around there. they should be in the same wire bundle unless someone did some more creative wiring..... I wonder if the mechanic connected the green wires to the ground, since green is ground in home electrical???

Take it as bad advice or not, I have been doing this for a while, but I have never followed the recommended intervals for changing oil. Especially if you're dealing with time variable. The properties of the oil didn't change over the course of 24 months if you didn't put squat on it for miles unless you have some kind of contaminant in the oil. If you're dunking the rear end in a lake because you're towing a boat, or going through low water crossings routinely, You might want to change or inspect more frequently. For a while now, I have been simply topping off some of the fluids because it leaks from A, B, or C. There are a few exceptions where you might want to be a little more diligent, but the auto manufacturers have always been pretty liberal on how frequently you should change the fluids. The rear differential with an LSD might be a different story and require a bit more attention if you're putting a lot of miles on it. Mine does chatter, but the rig is also 31 yearl old and has 315K miles on it and I'm pretty sure everything in there is original, or at least it was when I got it... I changed the fluid when I replaced the pinion seal 9 years ago because it was leaking. Now I have a leaking rear wheel seal and the fluid will get changed after I get that done as well because the bearing grease has probably contaminated the oil. As mentioned, a roof top carrier isn't adding much to the load. It probably matters more if you're pushing the load capacity of the vehicle when you're driving it, rather than just the carrier alone.

Yea, what @Slartibartfast said. I said something similar on the Axle Seal post, just saw this last

I'm not sure what this PCU you mention is. There is a brain, and if the engine is running, and drives as suggested, I doubt it's faulty. It sounds to me as though power through the ignition switch might be bad, or possibly a chassis ground. There are a couple of fusible links near the battery that could also be bad that your mechanic didn't connect. Also, if those wires are corroded badly, they might not be able to carry enough current to light some things off. At least it's not an intermittent fault that is nearly impossible to troubleshoot.

I would go to the local salvage yard for hardware like that. The stuff you get from a hardware store is likely to have different dimensions that may be less than desirable. Also, I think it might be a hard NO to find something that big at the local hardware store. Not being a pessimist, just real

If you replace the water pump every time you replace the timing belt, as suggested, you won't have the problem of it wearing out. The sideload on the bearing from the belt is probably more problematic than the fan and clutch. Good money towards bad IMHO. Stop and go and hot? That's what the fan clutch is for. It's not as though this is an over bored Chevy 454 that actually runs incredibly hot. I'm not aware of any of these VG30's having a problem with overheating unless you have underlying problems already. Been there, done that Adding aftermarket fans, switches, sensors just makes things more complicated and will make things less reliable in the end. I have seen more electric fans/switches go bad than I have seen clutches actually go bad.

When I got my 92, it had 283K miles on it. It leaked from every single seal, including the steering box. If not already done, I would expect to have to replace them all in time. Rear wheel seals, rear main, and front transmission are all that are left to replace.... Simply haven't made the time to do those, and they're leaking all over the garage... Keep an eye on the fluid levels, including the coolant/antifreeze. What's the reason for shifting to an electric cooling fan? It just adds more components to fail, and if mounted directly to the radiator, it could wind up eating a hole into it, causing more problems.

Looking at Rock, The Standard or Beck Arnley would be my go-to parts. I find it interesting that they are the exact same price. Side story: When I got the new injectors for mine, I went with Beck Arnley and they appeared to be the exact same as the ones I pulled out. I have no reason to believe that they were ever replaced before.

If it's available, Beck Arnley parts are typically OEM parts re-packaged. You get what you pay for, but Shop around and compare apples to apples. When I was replacing the head gaskets on mine, NAPA sold the exact same Head Set as Rock for about $100 more.

So, as previously discussed, I have acquired a new outer seal for the sun roof. The question I have is what, exactly, should I glue it to the glass with. I was about to use some grey RTV that I had leftover in my tool box, but in short order, I realized this was a big mistake, and my small tube of 3M Black Weatherstrip adhesive disappeared. I have looked briefly at what is around and there is the 3M Black weatherstrip adhesive (Black and Super Black, Not sure what the difference is between those). Then there is Black Permatex RTV. All of which are probably a good choice, just curious which one Y'all have used and/or recommend. It lasted 30-some years till now.

The instructions on my visor have long ago curled up and turned into a goopy mess. I never read them. I made the assumption that it was only the instructions for the 4wd that my 95 D21 had. I guess it's time to have a closer look at it. Another reason why I would like to find an OEM owners manual. Either way, I found it to be a pleasant discovery and makes replacing the seal/gasket a WHOLE LOT easier.

So, I took a couple of minutes to dismantle the sunroof in order to replace the outer seal. Yes, I found one, brand new. Turns out that Nissan actually engineered this thing to be fully removed without tools. Press the two buttons on either side of the latch to completely unlatch it from the roof and turn it 90 degrees up and it slides out to the side. I did not know this was ever a thing. Knowledge is power

Mkay!! Now that I know... Hopefully I can get them out without breaking them. I suppose I should wait until the temperature gets above freezing outside though

They're all the white plastic ones. I haven't seen a single metal one. I only have one broken one and I'm sure I can go with merely one missing, but I'd like to keep them intact. The parts list only shows two part numbers for the clips. 2 on the bottom, pseudo expanding screws, and, what I would assume, the white plastic ones. The quantity required per vehicle is 4 or 5, which makes no sense because there are 10 or more... anyway... Junkyard is probably the right answer... will see what I can find