Albeitt
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Posts posted by Albeitt
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On 9/28/2020 at 8:41 PM, Mr_Reverse said:
Need to check the manufacture date on your 93. It is a transition year and the timing belt was one of the changes. Early 93 had a square tooth belt with a 60k mile replacement. Late 93 had round tooth with a 105k mile interval. They are not interchangeable.
Other than that, I like the gates kit and have installed many of them. Like has been said, while you are in there, replace the cam and crank seals, thermostat, hoses, and I also recommend the woodruff key for the crankshaft belt sprocket. I didn't replace mine and wound up having it break and destroy the engine. I have seen the same problem on a couple other trucks and for a couple dollars, well worth the peace of mind replacing it gives. It was 97 cents at my local dealer when mine failed and it destroyed an expensive engine.
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
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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!
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On 8/7/2020 at 4:12 PM, FirstGenFreak said:
It is certainly worth it in my opinion, but - Sometimes it is hard to draw a line on where to start and where to stop when doing these repairs.
It's a 27 yo car that has years of wear and tear.
Opening an old engine can be like opening Pandora's box. Especially if you don't know it's history and how it has been driven and maintained.
. If you're pulling it apart, you'd be silly not to do the timing belt, freshen up the heads, replace all of your hoses etc when you reassemble it. You may need a new exhaust system depending on how long it's had water accumulating in it (they rust from the inside out) Then if you're going that far, why not throw in some fresh rings and bearings? IF you're doing that, why not a full reconditioned engine? And it snow balls from there. My advice [if you're paying someone to do the work] is do as much as you can afford while it is in bits as the labour is the expensive part.
It's kind of like my story
I have an 86 4cyl 2 door I bought 12 months ago which overheated driving it home. It started with a new waterpump and radiator, now I am putting in a reconditioned engine. I found that the previous owners had never ran corrosion inhibitor, so the inlet manifold was corroded... New intake. While it it, I am replacing clutch, starter, alternator, carburettor, exhaust, some wiring and even decided to repaint the engine bay. It's turned into an intensive project, which is fine as I only paid a few hundred dollars for the car, and I am doing the work myself..
But I love these cars, they are starting to disappear from our roads and when I am done I know I will have a sweet truck that will serve me well for years, so a great investment for me.
I hope you decide to repair it!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.
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49 minutes ago, MiltonWATech99 said:
Cylinders 3 and 5 seem to be low on compression if those are your final numbers. I would do a leak down test on those two cylinders as well as cylinder 6 to see where the blow by comes from (intake or exhaust). If you decide to go through with this project, a new thermostat, water pump, and timing belt are a must. I’d also replace the front main and cam seals while you’re in there. Good luck!
Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkAre these kind of repairs worth it?
I don't have a leakdown tester. Is there some other way to figure that out?
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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.
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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.
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7 hours ago, Slartibartfast said:
WD40's better than nothing. If they loosened a little, try tightening them again, see if working them back and forth (with plenty of WD) will loosen them up. Also blow out around them if you can, the plug wells like to fill up with crap.
4 hours ago, adamzan said:Most of the time I've found they weren't stuck, but there is a lot of crap in the plug wells preventing the socket from seating properly. Actually I'd say 100% of the time that's what it is. I've never had a seized plug in a VG.
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
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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.
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8 hours ago, snowboard419 said:
Not sure i understand this test, The compression tester has a schrader valve in the end of it and should not leak once it is up to pressure.
Not true, The lower intake manifold does have coolant passages so that could be your failure, I just went to the garage to double check because I couldn't recall.
+1 on all this , Run a regular compression test cold, if you find the offending cylinder with the steam cleaned plug and compression is good then remove the schrader valve from your compression adapter and apply compressed air to that hole, see if you have bubbles in the coolant. if you do than it is a headgasket failure. If no bubbles than there is a possibility of the lower intake manifold leaking, which would be much easier to do.
And make sure you do a compression test on all 6, even if you find your coolant leaking cylinder earlier, would be a shame to do a bunch of work like manifold gaskets, plugs, wires, cap, rotor, headgasket etc, Only to find our you have a bad intake valve. I learned the hard way on my 91.
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!
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On 6/30/2020 at 1:28 AM, Slartibartfast said:
You can get a '90 service manual from cardiagn.com that covers my '93 pretty well. Nicoclub has a '94/'95 for the round-dash trucks. The EL section is your friend for wiring issues.
I doubt the ignition switch is causing the issue. The headlights are independent of the ignition (at least they are on mine, IIRC the Canadian trucks had DRLs, which might complicate things), and an ignition switch stuck on accessory would leave a few other things on.
Something's powering up the marker light circuit that shouldn't be. Unplug the headlight switch and see if that makes the lights turn off. If it does, clean and adjust (or replace) the headlight switch. If it doesn't, +1 for deleting the alarm. Like Mr. Reverse said, the alarm itself is pretty easy to remove. It's the square box under the driver's seat with the sticker on top (or the round hole in the middle with a pushbutton under it, if the sticker's gone). Jump the two black and yellow wires labelled "starter" together, unbolt/unplug/chuck the alarm brain, and abandon the rest in place. I electrical-taped up the harness connectors so they couldn't short out later if something ended up under the seat, and also removed the wire tapped into the marker circuit (look for a wire spliced into the headlight harness, near the switch, with a Scotchlock connector).
I had just about forgotten about the various beepers these came with! I completely de-beeped mine when I got it. No dinger, no beeper, seat belt switch bypassed. I was impressed that the dinger had actual mechanical bells inside, but not impressed enough to want to listen to it for minutes on end when I was tracking down some issues with my headlights.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
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23 minutes ago, SpecialWarr said:
I would let the truck warm up and then do the compression test, the coolant is most likely a head gasket so the compression test should tell you which one, the compression-hold test is the one you really want to use with a possible head gasket failure. It's a compression test done over time watching the _rate_ of pressure loss over a 5 minute window for each cylinder. All of the cylinders should be close except for one or two, depending on the specific type of failure
You can do the compression test cold as well, I did mine cold and still had 169psi as the lowest reading of the six with the rest all hanging around the 175 to 180 psi mark. The #6 is a pain but if you have the original tool bag it has the correct length tool to reach all the way down to the #6.... there is a combination of regular extensions that will get you the same thing but hella difficult to get the plug back into its spot with the damn wobbly extensions. Take the hood off so you can at least have some space to work. It will make your life _much_ better!!
As for the misfire, there are too many things to list to even begin what it _could_ be, but start with new plugs, wires, cap and rotor. That will eliminate the most irritating and easy things that MAY be slightly wrong / cracked/ broken /tracked or otherwise out of specification. After that we have lists and lists of things that can cause a misfire, but they cost more money!
That's all I got for ya!
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?
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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!
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12 hours ago, Palionu said:
two other wiring issues I've had were the clutch pedal clutch pedal ignition lock switch. I installed a new one as these distort over time and if you really want to have fun, run the wires up to to a toggle switch mounted somewhere on the dash.. (I'm currently running a pigtail loop locked into the harness).
Another issue is the fuse on the interlock relay. wires (it's by the battery and has two wires, one going to the battery and the other to the ignition components connected). Check the fuse or do what i did and make a brand new one. I can post photos later.
I had problems starting my truck and some days it would not start and those two mods have made my '93 pathy start with the first turn of the key.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.
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On 6/27/2020 at 9:50 AM, Strato_54 said:
Yes I am talking about the left hand lever. If it has day time runners then it could be the hand brake signal. Not 100% on the WD21 but on most vehicles it’s connected to the parking brake. On my 97 when I put the hand brake down the day time runners come on and on my 6.0 they turn on and off with the parking brake. The chime is also supposed to go off with the key in the ignition. The only time it goes is seat belt, head lights being on or the key in the ignition when the door is opened. There very well still could be an issue with the lever itself or the previous owner wired something funny to it.
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.
On 6/30/2020 at 1:28 AM, Slartibartfast said:You can get a '90 service manual from cardiagn.com that covers my '93 pretty well. Nicoclub has a '94/'95 for the round-dash trucks. The EL section is your friend for wiring issues.
I doubt the ignition switch is causing the issue. The headlights are independent of the ignition (at least they are on mine, IIRC the Canadian trucks had DRLs, which might complicate things), and an ignition switch stuck on accessory would leave a few other things on.
Something's powering up the marker light circuit that shouldn't be. Unplug the headlight switch and see if that makes the lights turn off. If it does, clean and adjust (or replace) the headlight switch. If it doesn't, +1 for deleting the alarm. Like Mr. Reverse said, the alarm itself is pretty easy to remove. It's the square box under the driver's seat with the sticker on top (or the round hole in the middle with a pushbutton under it, if the sticker's gone). Jump the two black and yellow wires labelled "starter" together, unbolt/unplug/chuck the alarm brain, and abandon the rest in place. I electrical-taped up the harness connectors so they couldn't short out later if something ended up under the seat, and also removed the wire tapped into the marker circuit (look for a wire spliced into the headlight harness, near the switch, with a Scotchlock connector).
I had just about forgotten about the various beepers these came with! I completely de-beeped mine when I got it. No dinger, no beeper, seat belt switch bypassed. I was impressed that the dinger had actual mechanical bells inside, but not impressed enough to want to listen to it for minutes on end when I was tracking down some issues with my headlights.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!
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22 minutes ago, shaggy said:
Hi -- Mine's a '95 SE, and has all kinds of electrical gremlins. Now and then the security system takes on a life of it's own, locking the doors as I'm trying to get in (made worse by the fact of a jimmied driver's side lock and a broken latch, so I have to enter from the passenger side -- or the rear hatch, and break my back getting into the driver's seat from behind).
Also, the alarm arms itself, whether turned on or off. And was going off by itself at all hours to the point I had to disconnect both the siren and the horns. Oh, and yeah the ignition switch is plumb worn out, and requires a heavy hand to make electrical contact, but she usually starts just fine... except when due for a new starter (replaced two times now, in 4-5 years, not too big a deal once you know how).
I'm allergic to working with wiring (or anything much else) under the dash, so my technique is basically just cursing and keeping my fingers crossed until it behaves. Sorry, I know that's not much help at all. Except for maybe the fingers-crossing bit(?)
Notwithstanding said weird glitches, I drive this vehicle every morning and every evening to and from my shop, with zero actual problems about 99% of the time 8>]
Good Luck! (to both of us)
--Dave
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
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21 minutes ago, Strato_54 said:
Could be the actual head light switch/parking light switch. The internal connectors could be broken and are on all the time because of that. This would be a good explanation for the lights on but no ignition. The door chime is also connected to the switch so that you don't leave the lights on when you exit the vehicle. The chime only activates when the door is open rather then when its all closed up as it would get quite annoying if you were sitting inside with the chime on for no reason.
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.
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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.
Harmonic Balancer Removal
in 90-95 WD21 Pathfinders
Posted
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.