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Albeitt

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Everything posted by Albeitt

  1. Hello all, I'm in the middle of tearing down my VG30E and am stuck at the harmonic balancer. Is there some way I can prevent the engine from turning while loosening the bolt? I've tried putting it in gear and putting the spark plugs back in to try and stop it, but to no avail. I've seen that I can remove the flywheel inspection cover to stick a wedge or prybar in there to stop the engine that way, but I admit that I'm having a little trouble isolating for sure what I'm looking for. (Bear in mind that I'm inexperienced). Any help would be great.
  2. Manufacturing date is October 1992, model year 1993. The belt has rectangular teeth and are not round. This kit would still be appropriate? Good ideas, thank you. I'll keep that in mind. I would hate to have it running only to run into issues once it's reassembled. Is there anything else I should be doing? I'm already exchanging my cylinder heads so I'm going quite deep. The block is staying in the vehicle unless absolutely critical that I do something with the pistons. I have yet to remove the cylinder heads. Once I'm there, and if there is an issue with my piston/piston rings, how difficult of a procedure is it to remove the block now that the entire top end is is gone? Or can I replace piston rings with the block in the engine? The Haynes manual says I can, but I'd rather hear it from someone with the same model year and engine type. Thanks
  3. https://partsavatar.ca/1993-1995-nissan-pathfinder-timing-belt-kit-with-water-pump-gates-tckwp249c?gclid=Cj0KCQjwk8b7BRCaARIsAARRTL4oJz-tOgo4yifnPvtAMxxV-u4WOAUIZ3v4BWfLsiKlanl0ApWUrbwaAolbEALw_wcB Before I make the purchase, will this be an appropriate timing belt kit for my 1993 Pathfinder? I'm considering price, reliability, and overall cost effectiveness. Thanks!
  4. That's the thing, the interior has very little wear and tear. It looks like new except for a few cracks in the dash and the faded fabric at the base of the windows. I'll post a few pictures. I'm going to be doing the work myself, and I paid very little for it. That's why I'm hoping it's worth it. I'll check out the rear frame soon, and the rest of it is solid as the previous owner has put a spray of some sort to protect it. I have a Pick N Pull nearby (about 100 km away) which will be my supplier for the components that don't need to be brand new. I've already picked up a few pieces (mostly cosmetic) to get it back to new-ish. The engine bay is also super clean all things considering. I mean, it's got dust and dirt and whatnot, but very little grease or damage or anything. It also doesn't look like the guy sprayed it off to make it look better, because if he did, there wouldn't be any dust, which there is. No grease where it shouldn't be, little frame rust, interior is nice, but some minor cosmetic things on the paint and body work. Scratches from trees and shrubs and stuff, but its look like it was totaled. It has powder coating along the bottom of the sides which I'm guessing is to either cover up some existing rust (which after inspection doesn't appear to be much) or to prevent rush from appearing (because I understand that that these areas are prone to rusting). Maybe it's both, I don't know. The rocker guard looks cool so I'm happy with it either way. Its got the full roof rack and sunroof, and a new stereo system. Even though the guy took the sub out when he sold it, it still sounds really good. I'm a fan of them as well, and I'm excited to get it back on the road. Its got some pretty deep repairs for the engine, but the running gear is good and solid, so I'm hoping it's worth it.
  5. Are these kind of repairs worth it? I don't have a leakdown tester. Is there some other way to figure that out?
  6. Hi, I have a 1993 Nissan Pathfinder with the VG30E. I'm trying to figure out the cost-effectiveness of repairing an older vehicle. Here's what I know about it. I bought it mid-June for $250 CAD. It has 310,000 kms on it. The frame, body, and interior are in decent condition considering the age and mileage. I've put some money into the parts for minor body and interior repairs, and I'm comfortable with performing these kinds of fixes. Wiring, lights, electrical components, and whatnot are more in my "wheelhouse" than the need engine repairs, which I will go over. The previous owner said he was selling it because of what he called a blown head gasket. He just wanted to move on from it and didn't want to do more work with it. The exhaust had water in it, and was letting out white, sweet-smelling, smoke/vapor. He said that it might be either an intake manifold gasket, since the VG30Es have coolant galleries in the lower intake manifold, or that it might be a blown head gasket or warped head. I got it home, and decided to run a compression test with the radiator cap off to check for bubbles. I got the following results: 1: 150 PSI (no bubbles in rad) 3: 100 PSI (no bubbles in rad) 5: 70 PSI (no bubbles in rad) 2: 175 PSI (no bubbles in rad) 4: 160 PSI (no bubbles in rad) 6: 190 PSI (rad was gushing) The coolant also leaked out somewhere, but I'm not working on pavement and I couldn't find where it went. If I understand correctly, this repair will require taking off the plenum, the lower intake manifold, both cylinder heads and having them machined. Then I need to buy new head gaskets, intake manifold gaskets, and head bolts. I will also need to find the coolant leak if it's leaking from elsewhere. I'm worried about misdiagnosing the cause of the head gasket leak. There are so many things that could go wrong that would causing overheating, and the previous owner is difficult to contact. The timing belt job is last documented to have been done at 90,000 kms, but I'm sure it's been done since then. Essentially, I'm just trying to get a feel to the cost-effectiveness of this repair. I know head gasket jobs are labor intense and are therefore pretty expensive. The parts aren't going to be cheap either, as the timing belt and water pump should probably be done as well. My logic is that, since the rest of the vehicle is in decent condition, the fact that I only paid $250 for it, and that these engines have a long life expectancy should they be well taken care of, that these repairs are worth it. But, that's what I came here for. I need to confirm that it is indeed worth it to go ahead with these sort of repairs. I know that it would be cheaper to do myself, but as someone with little mechanical experience (though I'm not entirely clueless), I don't want to risk doing more harm than good, or waste time and money on something that won't be worth it. I'm basically just looking for advice on how to proceed, and any help diagnosing my issues would also be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
  7. I finally got around to pulling my plugs and performing a compression test. Here they are as seen from the front of the vehicle: BACK 5: 158 PSI 6: 165 PSI 3: 115 PSI 4: 110 PSI 1: 152 PSI 2: 149 PSI FRONT The FSM states 168 PSI as the standard, 121 PSI for minimum, and a 15 PSI maximum differential between cylinders. 1, 2, 5, and 6 are acceptable enough, but that doesn't mean anything (as far as I know) since 3, and 4 both have such poor compression and a high differential between their adjacent cylinders, as well as being on opposite sides of the engine. My next step is to sequentially replace the spark plugs and crank the engine to see if I get bubbles in the coolant. Any suggestions or pointers as to what the issue may be? I know it's a coolant leak somewhere, but I'm working on diagnosing what the exact cause is. EDIT: When testing for bubbles in the coolant, I only found bubbles when cranking cylinder 6. I'm not sure what this means, as this was the cylinder with the highest tested compression.
  8. Yup, it's definitely a bunch of crap and grease and stuff. WD40 is slowly working and I've also got some liquid wrench that I'll try. There's no way I would've been able to clean them out either. It's pretty grungy
  9. I was getting ready for a compression test so I can diagnose some issues with my VG30E when I came across an issue with the spark plugs. Spark plugs 1, 3, and 5 (passenger side) were a breeze to remove (though it appears that #5 wasn't in all the way?). I hit a wall with spark plugs 2, 4, and 6. They refuse to come out, so I'm thinking either the previous owner stripped them because they're a PITA to access, or they're just seized because of my coolant burning issue that I already know I have. Any suggestions for removal? I've currently got WD40 (yes I know, but it's all I had) sitting on the threads as good as I can do considering the accessibility issues. I'll be trying again soon, but if that still doesn't work, what else can I do? They've loosened a bit, but are now stuck.
  10. Okay, thank you for the advice! This forum is definitely worth it. I'm really hoping it's just an intake manifold gasket or something else in the intake assembly. I know mechanical basics and how an engine runs in theory, but something like a head gasket replacement is a little beyond my comfort zone for the time being. I got my Pathfinder for super cheap and under the notion that it'd be a learning opportunity, so it's not a huge loss if I can't reasonably fix it, as I definitely cannot afford a shop to do the work. Thanks!
  11. I managed to fix the issue. The headlight switch was bad, but I bandaided until I can get a replacement. It's nice not having to unplug the battery lol
  12. Yeah there's sweet smelling white smoke and water in the exhaust, so definitely a coolant leak into the cylinder. Since there's no coolant in the oil, is it possible that it's a intake manifold gasket? Maybe there's cool leaking from that into the intake?
  13. Hi, my 1993 SE starts and runs, but has white smoke and coolant coming from the exhaust. I'm a newbie, so I have a few questions. Since coolant is being burnt, I'm apprehensive about letting it run and warm up for a compression test. Is this concern valid? Or would it be okay and probably more accurate to let it warm up for about 10 minutes before I perform a compression test? Also, would it better to let it run for maybe a little less time than the recommended 10 minutes? I've also heard things about the #6 spark plug. Apparently it's a pain in the ass to remove. Would it be easier to just run the test with a cold engine? It also sounds like it's misfiring slightly, so that's another concern I have with letting it run for too long. I'd rather not create a whole other problem. Thanks!
  14. Haha, I have a feeling I'm going to run into a few more issues with this thing. I feel like every time I turn around I notice another problem.
  15. My parking brake is actually broken, so I'll have to check if that's causing the issue. Thanks! I'll get back to post results pretty soon. Yes, mine is the Canadian model and has running lights on it, which aren't automatic. The dashlights also stay on too, but that wouldn't be caused by an ignition switch? If that's the case, one less thing to fix is always nice!
  16. My electrical gremlins don't seem to be as serious as yours. Nothing is locking on me, and everything else works. Power windows power mirrors surprisingly all work. The locks are broken and theres a missing handle but I guess I'll have work for a while. Good luck with the gremlins
  17. The switch as in the lever on the left hand side? I dug into that today and managed to fix the front headlight that was giving me trouble. The headlights, high beams, and lower blinkers work. The parking/running lights stay on permanently whether I switch to off or headlights or not. Is there a way to get the chime to only ring if I opened the door and had the key in the ignition? Seems like that would make more sense.
  18. Hi, I'm really new to Pathfinders and NPORA, but I'm excited to own it. I got my 1993 about a week ago for really cheap because it needs some work. I'm currently picking off little bits to work on here and there, and it's going slowly but surely. Currently, there's an issue with the lights and door chime. When the battery is hooked up, the running lights/signal lights, the taillights, the instrument cluster lights, and the door chime stay on even without the key in the ignition. The door chime does turn off when I close the door, though. At first I thought it was a short or something, but I've done some research and I have a hunch that it's the ignition switch causing the issue. I came here because I couldn't find any other posts with my exact scenario (correct me if I'm wrong). A few of the previous owners did some wiring work. Could I have some information regarding which wires go to which lights? For some reason when I activate the turning signals, the front lights to the side of the head lamps do not blink. If you guys need any more information, just ask and I'll try to provide details.
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