Strato_54
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Posts posted by Strato_54
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A few weeks ago now I was browsing FB marketplace and came across this 95 wd21. Though its not mine, my brother ended up picking it up as his first car for $800. Listed as "Parts or Project". So we made it a project... Sadly its not a manual to match mine, but the auto is cool I guess. Suprisingly it also came with the Haynes service manual too which to me was pretty suprising.
It's deffinetly going to get some rear bumper treatment like mine and a proper exhaust as the old was was all holes. There is no rust in the sunroof area, only on the lower exterior. The frame is fully intact with no holes or any cracks (so far).
Had a small valve cover leak on the passenger side, for 187km, not too bad in there IMO.
When we picked it up it was a no crank no start. Assumed to be alarm because it went off one day and never ran again was what we were told. We ended up buying it regardless, but that night my dad was tracing wires and found a fuse. Pulled it out, the dash light turn off and it fired with the key. So far we have yet to find anything that doesn't work on it.
(tried posted imgur HTML embeded, didnt want to work for me sorry)
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1 hour ago, Slartibartfast said:
^^Born nailed it IMO. The things that endear the R50 to off-roaders (the rear suspension flex, the low-range transfer case) aren't going to show up in an on-road test, and most people who see a stock R50 won't think to take it off-road. Most original buyers probably didn't, either. If your only experience is driving one around town, all you're gonna see is another bloaty 2000s SUV for driving the kids to places they don't want to go, built around the time Nissan stopped giving a damn.
RCR can get pretty in love with himself, but he has his moments.
RIght!?!?! My mom never took mine off road really ever when she still daily drove it, she hit lots of dirt back country roads but never any real mountain roads. she only ever used 4H for the winter months in southern Alberta. The whole time I was waiting for him to take it down a dirt road but he didn't. He basically walked around it, juiced it on the highway and went off of that. Though they do cruise the highway very nicely and can maintain speed better then some of the little trash piles on the road today, they do shine better off road when you give them the chance. Even though i am bias to not liking the video outcome due to the fact i own an R50, i watch RCR and he really didnt do a great job on these in this video. Very lackluster all around
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Dang ive been waiting for him to finally do a video on these. Kind of happy he did, but definitely hit the heart a little lmao
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well, i dropped about 250ML of oil and replaced the same amount with the Lucas, and basically no change. the noise is slightly quieter, and valve train noise is also a little down but other wise 0 change in oil pressure. I'm convinced now its probably just gonna stay that way, because I checked the oil for dust and nothing. As long as it runs and moves under its own power, I'm ok with it for now. I'll run it with the Lucas and then next change ill just go with a 10w-30.
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2 hours ago, Fr8Train said:
I have read with colder (snowing) climates people run the 5w-30, but I have also read it pays to go to heavier oils as you get km's/miles on the donk.
I always go the heavier weight oils on my engines especially when they have some high k's on them. I am in Tasmania we get sub 0deg C mornings here regularly in our winter and with the thicker oils I just let the car warm up a bit longer before hitting the road, no big deal 3-5min of the car sitting in the driveway while I fix myself a coffee.
The noise you are hearing is more than likely just lifter noise/rattle, nothing to be worried about, a bit more info like mileage on your pathy could help, but I reckon she is just lifter noise normal wear and tear.
The stabiliser you added is a good call, and will effectively just give you a heavier grade oil. Just get a 10w-30 next service and go from there, this is all just experience you will gain as you get older and keep playing with cars. I don't think you need to drop the pan, I reckon you are just opening a can of worms, if it ain't broke don't mess with it.
As for the oil pressures on the chinesium gauge, did you check gauge accuracy with a known pressure source like compressed air? If not those cheap gauges can be all over the place with their calibration.
My only aftermarket gauges I plan on running will be some temp guages for the transmission and engine, and that is only so I can monitor my temps while towing our camper trailer.
Hope this helps set your mind at ease kid, don't overthink things, keep it simple stupid
Thanks for the response. Yeah it is true we run a 5w-30 in the winter and its a very common grade here, but its mostly 10w-30 as well, but in my climate the summers get pretty hot and all the sudden go to freezing. My 6.0 powerstroke runs a 15w-40 pretty much all year round. though it doesn't like starting in the winter, once its warm no problems. I do regret not going with the 10w-30 but live and learn. although its not a high mileage engine with only as of now 96,200 KM, I'm trying to keep it lasting as long as I possibly can, but that noise is kind of a new one. it has been making it for a while and though I am worried about it, I'm not loosing too much sleep over it, as long as i keep it above 2k, no noise and it gets me around fine lmao. I did not check the gauge, nor do I have a mechanical gauge to test it with, how ever, I do believe my gauge is somewhat accurate as the readings I do get are some what expected like my idle pressure and the 60 PSI I get on a cold start. And as my RPMS go up so does the pressure, along with the noise going away.
I have yet to add the stabilizer, will probably do that tomorrow afternoon, but I'm hoping it will at least work enough to get me by till I change to a 10w-30 and know I at least got something out of this expensive jug. I am confident though that its not a lifter noise as I can hear the "knocking" only when I lay under, or put my ear in the wheel wells. Although I'm not ruling out lifter, it just sounds like that area. I'll do more investigating before I throw in the Lucas, but for now I'm just trying to grab as much info as I can. When it isn't making the tapping noises, the only other noises I hear are the typical valve train clicking you get on idle or even a raised RPM. With such low KM on the motor I find it hard to believe its a rod bearing that would be making me lose my oil pressure, and more likely a cam bearing. but the one idea I've had, after reading a few posts is it could be something with the pick up tube? is it possible for the pick up tube to leak before the pump and maybe its leaking out before the pump or getting air? Just a thought I had read and have set in the back of my mind as a possibility if its true.
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well with lack of response and lack of other information, my plan is to add a little bit of Lucas heavy duty oil stabilizer, run that for a little bit until I have the time, and money to attempt to fix it properly. the bottle was 15 bucks so if it doesn't work out then so be it I'm down 15 and the price of the oil I bought. But other wise if it does help then that will get me by until I can drop the pan and check my bearings. I'm not afraid to drop the pan, I simply don't have the time and I don't have the ability to give my pathy up for a bit as I need it for school and work. if the Lucas stuff doesn't work then maybe may long ill set aside to dropping the pan. I've seen super mixed reviews on this stuff, ranging from people swearing by it to having nothing but problems. With that said, it says to use 20%, I might just do 10 or 15 to see how it goes. I know running a higher weight would probably work, and I will do that, I just don't wanna waste a less then 100KM oil change 3 days after I changed it. After a while I'm going to swap to a 10w-30 most likely and just stay with that, though I'm not sure what to do about it in the winter. maybe just make sure I go drive and eat lunch somewhere else with the heat on? who knows.
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Quick update: problem has not been resolved, but last night the temperature dropped and my pressure stayed at 60 till I got a block away then it was sitting at 50 idle. Once I got to school if I held it at 2K it was sitting at about 50-55 and 20 PSI idle and I can hear the slight tapping noise not nearly as noticeable. Like I had to really be listening for it. And I could only hear it holding at 2K and not at idle. Even hot there is no noise idle, just my valve train click
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Well, my pathy is making some funny noises. I recently installed a cheap amazon oil pressure gauge, and when I first installed the gauge, my readings were a little low. They were about 50-60 PSI at 2K RPM with a normal idle PSI of 9. (manual says 60 PSI at 2K warm) now its getting hot out and my readings are a little worse. On a cold start, after I let the motor run for about a minute or so, the oil pressure at 2K will sit at about 58 to just over 60. but when its warm it sits right spot on at 40. When its idling it will show a lower oil pressure closer to 5. To show this, here is a video of my gauge at the different RPMs. On top of having the lower pressure when its at operating temperature, I can hear what sounds like a tapping noise if what sounds like the bottom end. (In the video if you listen closely you can hear the chatter.) Its not a full knock, but it sounds a little loose. It only does it when I'm holding RPM at 2K and its warm. If its doing something like climbing a hill then there is no noise, if its accelerating there's nothing. Its only if its on flat ground, in gear holding at 2K or just being held at that RPM not moving. I did change the oil about 2 hours ago now with Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 5w-30, and a K&N gold filter with no change in results. My fear is that its a bearing, but I'm hoping its just my oil pump not building enough pressure and the tapping is just from a low oil pressure. but I'm not sure. Any insight on to what could be going on here? Could my gauge just be reading wrong and the tapping is half normal? or is there a bigger problem here then I'm aware of? It still drives fine, doesn't feel like its at a loss of power and I only hear the tapping at 2K and not under serious load.
QUICK NOTE: both of my tensioner pulleys do have a bit of play in them but I don't think this is where its coming from but still worthy to note
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2 hours ago, PATHRIDER said:
Thanks bud. Im going to the shop tomorrow and check the reservoir and radiator. From the time I restored it it ran strong and didnt lose any power, it even ran better
It kinda made me wonder also why the mechanic is willing to buy it from me for $2000 as is.It could be something that can be fixed easily, we all know how mechanics exaggerate thats why I never took my pathy to a mechanic but this time I just dont have the time thats why I did. My guts telling me to bring it home and work on it as I get some free time like drain the old oil thats been sitting in there for a long time. I put a lot of work on this pathy and had a lot of good memories
Thanks for your input bud sure appreciate it. Isnt there like a cleaner that I can put in after draining the old oil? I read somewhere on here that you can use this oil cleaner to clean out the crankcase and all and then drain that before topping it off with fresh oil ? Its not seafoam
Yeah I've heard of a few mechanics try and pull stuff like that. Its why I'm not afraid to work on my own cars and learn on my own. like the 6.0, my dad and I did at our shop and was the first time either of us had torn apart a motor that far ever, and we got it running and today runs like a beast.
I have heard of something like that, but since we never had coolant inside the oil, it was mostly the other way around we never bothered and just flushed it with another oil change after a few months anyways. I know there is a coolant system flush you can buy but we tried cleaning it out as best as we could and it just wouldn't come off with anything, no over heating or clogging problems as of now a year+ later so should be fine I think? only time will tell lmao. Honestly I would flush the oil, maybe the coolant as well, and just run it for a while. let it get through a good few heat cycles and check on it periodically. If nothing bad shows up then the mechanic might be feeding you garbage, but having a solid baseline like knowing you have fresh oil and fresh coolant is a good place to start if its just now getting out of storage, like mine was.
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I'm no licensed mechanic, but what I can say in terms of the gunk on the inside of the gas cap is it may not be from a head gasket. My 08 Armada has it really bad, where the gas cap and filler tube will be filled with the foamy gunk but does not have a head gasket problem, its just from the moisture in the crank case. I have had a vehicle blow a HG (my 6.0 lol) and the cap trick didn't indicate a HG failure, it was actually oil in the coolant reservoir that was one of the tell tales. I have had the same gunk on the top part of my dip stick on my 97 pathy and sometimes inside the cap. Doesn't happen that often but I noticed it happen most on colder, moist days.
When my 6.0 blew, it ate all of the oil, pressurized the degas bottle (fords name for the reservoir) to an extreme pressure, while also turning the once green coolant to a really thick rainbow tint brown sludge. Most people say that the main thing to tell if you have a HG failure is from the exhaust which I had none of, or at least no more then what a cold diesel in a Canadian winter would put out. Though not false information, it did not indicate MY HG as much as it probably should've. From my experience, checking for excessive pressure in the coolant system was what gave me an idea of what was happening, as well as a very underpowered drive home from school.
Again, I am no professional, I'm just giving my input on my experience with a HG failure, and having a similar gunk in a non blown motor.
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My B2S2 sensor went out about a month ago and getting out wasn't too hard. The bolts for the heat shield were completely gone and if I removed them then there was no putting them back. So all I did was cut the little heat shield tab that comes off and covers the sensor. The second hard part was removed the seized sensor. With a little heat and some force it came out pretty easy. if you do have to heat up the exhaust to get it out, make sure you're heating the outside threads and not the threads of the sensor itself. Most people say use an Oxy torch, but I was too lazy to drag out my hoses so i just used small propane torch and it worked great. took me about an hour and a bit, but most of the time was waiting for the cat to cool off before I touched it.
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2 hours ago, CALPATHY said:
Since it is a universal, not a direct bolt on unit, it sounds like you will have to modify it to mount it, whether screws, velcro or an adhesive as best as you can.
I did a little research on the universal ones and it looks like i can just heat it with a heat gun and mold it to fit my original pillar. i guess this is the only option then if i wanted to install one.
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Actually i just found this Ebay link , would this just be a double side tape mount then? Sorry if this seems stupid i just don't know how these mount
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I recently just bought an oil pressure gauge, but I want to also get an oil temp gauge too. In the summer it gets pretty smoking hot here and living in the mountains, so I would like to monitor my temps pretty closely. I've tried looking for threads on what works for what, but there is nothing that I'm looking for. I've come across the "universal" styles but they all cant be the same fit. Where can I get a 2 or 3 gauge pillar mount for my black interior 97 that doesn't block the tweeter? And if possible one that is made for the R50 with all the clips in place where they should be. If I have to do some work that's fine, ill just do what ever is needed to make it fit. But if these universal ones will work, how do I go about making it fit properly and not look like a hack job? Ones preferably in Canada or on a site that ships to Canada would be great.
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I'm 6'4 and can almost comfortably lay in the back with the seats down no problem. Though if I want to lay straight out like a plank then I need to lay diagonal, just like said by PathyDude17 above, but that's a very minor issue. I have yet to actually sleep a night in my R50, but I have tried it to test what it would be like, really not that bad at all.
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Looks better then the current gen, but its still a cross over. probably would've been a lot cooler of it was RWD but sadly its not. Although that 9 speed does make me a bit happier to see instead of the disgusting CVT. They did get my excitement up when they started reposting some r50 builds on Instagram, but now I'm not as excited about the pathfinder. That's not to say I'm upset about the new Frontier. That body style has been the same since what, 2004? To see it actually look like a modern truck really makes me happy. Can't wait to see one in person or on some YouTube channels.
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5 hours ago, gamellott said:
@RainGoatThat's some crazy @!*%.
I did some skimming and I would tend to attribute the battery(ies) dying due to the Texas Heat and then Cold in the winter, or likely some other external factor/abuse. Batteries die at a rapid rate down in the south, especially after a cold snap below freezing where a bad cell will rear it's ugly head. Also, if you do put 2 batteries in parallel, you better get 2 of the same size, brand new, at the same time so one battery will be less likely to kill the other because it has a marginal cell. If you don't, you're inviting trouble.
Battery problems don't seem to happen so much here in the PNW unless you deplete them and let them sit uncharged.
To my knowledge, if you have 2 12V batteries both rated for 100ah and you put them in parallels, that would then equate to 200ah at 12V. in many RV's that's how the batteries are setup, not too sure on the use case for having 6 volts in series though. when I build one of our teardrops for someone and they want 2 batteries this is how we wire them. but same goes for deep cycles in terms of over charging them. many modern Travel Trailers use a DC to DC charge controller to charge the Deep Cycle batteries. although you can run a 12V power wire right from the starter battery to the trailer, it will end up over charging the battery thus boiling off the internals rendering it useless. In my personal trailer I don't bother with a controller, I just run a smart isolator and call it there so I don't have to worry about my starter battery draining over night to my faulty deep cycle (happened too many times).
I'm up in BC and have only had a set of batteries go once in my 6.0, but then again those batteries came from Calgary before I moved if I remember correctly. Even too I've had batteries sitting for weeks on end with out them going dead. maybe about a volt but have yet to pick one up completely flat strange enough. even after being used a bit.
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I mean, it could be something seizing still, but maybe its something with the brake boost. maybe something in the booster isn't right? I cant really think of anything other than a caliper seizing up. I'm no professional so maybe someone can chime in on how to check the booster and master cylinder parts, but knowing how they work and that it uses intake vacuum, that's what I think of off the bat.
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only time ive ever had a negative experience with another driver was i was merging on to the high way in my work truck (05 f250 powerstroke crew cab long bed with welder and equipment in the bed) which is a super super heavy slow truck from a stop until the turbo builds. and as i was merging a car came around the corner and i had plenty of room to where it was no where near a cut off, but they decided to not slow down and pass me blaring the horn on a no pass blind corner. other wise its just the typical dodge on my ass or a BMW for going 5 over.
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and the solution is spitting on it! i went down to the garage to check fuses again for the 3rd time and still nothing. i found the 20A fuse in the passenger side engine bay box and i tested that one with a tester and volt meter with no sign of failure. i tried pulling the fuses in and out a bunch of times to try and clean the connection and no result. so i licked the pins on the fuses pulled them in and out a few times with some sparked coming from the pins and low and behold it fixed the problem. though i still have a problem with the battery dying and being at a really low charge as the on dash voltage gauge was sitting around 10 volts so i think it still needs a battery. lesson here is even if you check something more then twice, it still could be the problem.
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ok well i didnt swap the battery but i did stick a battery on the truck and no change. then i pulled the battery charger off and it was running at 14.2 for a bit then climbed down to around 13.8 which to me is still very normal. I can confirm how ever that the rear defrost is turning on as i can see the voltage drop and the lights dim each time, still no indicator, and AC does not kick on by the looks of it either. but then i turned it off and let it sit for a second and after about 30 seconds it sat around 12.3 12.2. but i had my USB voltage meter in the always on socket. when i cranked the truck again with no charger or anything the voltage dropped down to 9.0, i let it run for a few more minutes then killed it. once i let it sit with no key in the battery went back down to 12.2, i fired it again and cranked at 9.7 volts. to me cranking should be ATLEAST 10.2 MINUMUM. not too sure what the pathfinder cranks at since the socket turns off when i crank it, but i would like to say its no where near 9 volts, and my 6.0 only cranks at 10.5 and thats after the glowplugs finished firing, pumps, FICM and all. With no change, even though i didnt pull the battery i might just rip apart the dash next week since this think needs some work. although the 6.0 batteries are the same CCA as this one (890 CCA) so maybe when i bring it up there ill try one of those, but other wise its wiring diagram time...
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So I just checked all the fuses again that are under the glove box, and nothing. i turned the key on and the front heat stopped working but when i tried pressing the rear defrost it looked like it was coming on but the indicator wasnt turning on. i could see the lights dim when i turned it on but no console indicator. i did how ever plug in my cig lighter USB and voltage thing to see what it sat at, key off 12.1 volts, ket set to ON was around 11.3 11.2 not running. to me that seems a bit low for just key on, but i know it has to power all the modules and the fuel pump. i have a strong feeling this is battery related and tomorrow im going to pull the battery and swap either my pathfinders battery, or one of the 2 in my 6leaker since its our work truck and is just sitting at our shop in the cold with a battery maintainer.
EDIT: if swapping the battery changes nothing then ill rip apart the dash and start looking at the wiring schematics.
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4 hours ago, Slartibartfast said:
The blower still running would tell me something if I knew what controlled it! As usual I'd start with the EL section of the service manual, which is available from Nicoclub. If you can find the pinout for the electrical plug on the head unit/whatever the box with the screen on the front is called, you could pull it out and check for power and ground at the plug. (I would expect it to have a constant +, an ignition-switched +, and a ground, like a stereo head unit, plus probably canbus wires linking it to the BCM and whatever else.) If it's not getting power, chase that. If it's getting power but it's not lighting up, that suggests the head unit itself has the issue.
The random battery issue is interesting. Terminals clean and tight? 13.3 does seem a little low, but some newer stuff regulates the alty externally and can turn the charge voltage up or down as it pleases. I have no idea if the Armada has one of these "smart" alts, but, again, FSM FTW.
Ok I’ll look through the service manual later when I get home. As for the terminals they are clean and are very tight. I have noticed that the in dash voltage gauge is a bit lower then it normally is and the windows are definitely slower then I remember now having driven the car again for the first time in quite a while. Granted the battery is quite old and looking through a couple of forums when these have a battery problem, not so much alty I guess they do really weird stuff which it has done like ABS SLIP and VDC lights flashing as I’m scanning for codes then the 4X4 dial not working then all the sudden working. I might try and swap my pathys brand new battery just to see what happens when I fire it.
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My mom has an 08 Armada SE and the screen has stopped working, the heater and AC controls have stopped working, but the air is still on, it just cant be changed. the rear heat controls do work though how ever and can be changed. its only the front where the heat controls are frozen and the radio doesnt even show the nissan logo when the key is turned on. i tried to pull codes from my BlueDriver OBD2 reader and nothing came up at all. it did have codes for the front right TMPS sensor being bad which i know has been bad for a really long time now. ill check it again to see if that code came back, but that telling me theres a code leads me to believe the BCM is still working. i tried checking a couple fuses and found nothing unless i missed one that happened to be bad. we have been having battery troubles where i just kinda dies. it hasnt happened often, but the other day my mom went to pick up my brother from school, turn off the truck and went inside for a moment and came out with a dead battery. hasnt died since but could it be related? when its running i only get 13.3 V which seems low to me since my pathfinder charges around 13.8-14.2, although my 6.0 PSD charges at 13.6 or 13.7 so that 13.3 feels kind of normal but probably not. any and all info is helpful. Thanks.
Random picture of your R50
in 96-2004 R50 Pathfinders
Posted
Good to know. Where we live and where it will stay we arent really concerned with an alarm, plus it makes room for a modern one. Honestly wasn't a fan on the green but its kinda growing on me the more I look at it. It has very few swirl marks and was cat guarded, so no rodants.
I'll get more pictures of it too once we really get deep into it. While my dad was cleaning it, he said all he could think about was how its cleaner than his 05 F250 Lariat Diesel. Mom and I could help but laugh. Cant wait to see what it turns into since I have no control over what gets done to it.