krmiller07

Word of caution here. I recently coughed up the $$$ for the 'Dan Stern' kit, $ 155.13 with $12.00 in shipping. When the kit arrived, it was sent from on of his 'suppliers' in Pennsylvania, a company called Susquehanna Motorsports. I followed the directions to the letter, and the kit didn't work as designed. After several frustrating emails back and forth with Dan Stern (he wont disclose his phone number)! I called the company that shipped the product. As it turns out, my Pathy has a 'unswitched' wiring system that is opposite of most Asian manufactured vehicles. The 'tech' and person making the harness in PA tried to get me to pay for the replacement harness up front which was sent in error as per Dan Sterns rrecommendation After some discussion he agreed to ship the correct harness with return postage. However when I received my corrected package the list price from the company in PA was only $83.00 so I called about a refund for the difference. They refused, arguing that there was a recent price increase (right after I placed my order!) Sighting that if I shipped the incorrect harness back, as per agreed, "I may get a small credit" if approved by Dan Stern. I sent the first harness back anyways, since I had no need for it, and am a man of my word. Even though the second harness does in fact allow greater vivisibilitynd works much better than the factory set up. In my opinion, your better off building your own, and saving the $100.00 and hassle in Pi** Poor customer service and BS from a couple of crooks which ununfortunatelyitter the MoMotorsportsommunity. Buyer Beware! Just my personal expeexperienceW...Susquehana Motorsports does not return my phone calls!

I have looked high and low on the site looking for ANY info in regards to what is required and any tips, tricks, and feed back on this topic. I have recently acquired a low mileage complete motor with 75k documented miles on it, and am considering doing a complete motor swap, or possibly just the intake and need additional info on what aabsolutelyneeds to be changed to convert over to a MPFI system. Thanks in advance.

p51speed I just recieved the element from the dealer. If you could supply photo's that would be much appreciated. I wound up paying through the nose for this part, and don't want to muck it up installing it, or removing the old one ! Thank again, KM

p51speed I just ordered the wax element from the same guy you mentioned. Now before I tear into this project, can you explain how to get the housing off the Throttle body, and how you removed the wax element from the housing you drilled and sawed through, as so I don't make the same mistake ! It would be greatly appreciated.

JB Weld works well on those too...Just relaplace it ! lol.

I just called the dealer in Sacramento to verify, and yes you are correct sir. And my local dealer source is once again....worthless, and a lazy putzz ! lol. Thanks again for the help. Much appreciated : ) KM

I just looked, and this refferences a 2000 Frontier with the 4 cyclinder. I thought P51 Speed owns an 87 Pathy XE ? Did you have to look under a different model and engine to source the wax element? KM

Thanks. Which online dealer did you source for this? I'll contact them directly. Cheers, Keith

On the subject of the 'wax element'; I just came from my local dealer, who is usually quite knowledgeable and fair with most prices etc.. He couldn't match up that part number : 16391-12G00 with Nissan. He had one in stock which was similar as a whole assy, but not just the wax element. The price for the entire assy was around $ 200.00. My question is, was the part number listed above the whole part number, or only part of it? And what was the price, name of the dealer you bought the element at? Thanks,

I wanna know where you got the 'wax' insert for the defective valve that started this whole project !? Glad you got it fixed...hopefully

Where was this located on the truck, on the throttle body or somewhere else. I don't recall seeing one of these. Maybe you could take a shot of where it's located too.

Having an 89 with TBI and experiencing all of these issues in the past, I would first of all recommend bleeding the air out of the cooling system by letting it idle and turning the temp control all the way over to the hottest setting while turning the fan on '4'. Watch the temp gauge and see if it doesn't start to drop. I should mention, that while doing this you'll want to remove the radiator cap to keep an eye on the water level, and fill with 50/50 water antifreeze if low, topping it off when done. Your static timing should not cause erratic idle or overheating, especially if the truck is stationary. Once it's set, (and I advance it a couple of degrees for a little better hi-way mileage and power) it should never change. If the idle is still on the high side after cleaning the Idle Air Control Valve (IAVC) the thing with the plunger! If the rubber tip is sharp on the tip and doesn't have a round groove near the end, it's in good shape. There's an informative thread on this site covering the components of the TBI system. Now after you've done all of this, start and run the engine until it's up to operating tetemperature with all of the accessories turned off, headlights etc. Adjust the idle speed to where you want it. (I personally like it set at about 900 rpm) Turn the fan on, A/C and you should see the idle speed increase a couple hundred rpm's. If it doesn't increase, there's a slotted screw head on the end of the IAVC solonoid that allows you to adjust the 'fast idle' speed,turning it 'out' or counter clockwise, should increase the engine idle speed under load. Sometimes it requires you to turn it 'out' or 'in' a few more turns to see a change in idle speed. Once it's adjusted to where you want it with the blower fan, lights and A/C running, fine tune the the static or regular idle to achieve the desired idle speed. Hope this helps!

I have recently installed the factory gauge cluster from a Canadian spec Pathy. The speedometer area of the cluster reads in Kilometers rather rather than MPH. Does anyone know if the 'gear set' which is what operates the odometer and trip meters are actually geared differently from the models shipped to the USA, or did Nissan just use different face plates on the 'speedo's' that are showing Kilometers per hour as the primary indicated speed? What I've done, is swapped from a 'US' cluster to a Canadian cluster . What i'm considering doing is just replacing the 'face plates' from the broken USA speedo to the operational Canadian speedo. Thanks in advance for any comments or suggestions.

Ok, got ya! Thanks

What is the purpose of doing this mod?

Well for those of us who have been roasting with all the heat! I found that after recently having my A/C evacuated and replenished was worth it weight in gold! My A/C now cools down to 43 degrees at idle. I did the R134a retro about 6 years ago. Unfortunately the garage that installed the kit ruined the seal on the High Pressure side of the system, and this obviously caused a leak, which allowed a majority of the refrigerant to eventually escape. After having discussed some commonly found problems with these 'retro' kits and the conversion to R134a from R12. The tech pointed out that many of the over the counter kits sold in many auto parts stores contain sealants, which will really cause problems with A/C recycling machines. As many of us know, these machines cost some major Ching($$$) for many shops. Another FYI...the molecules in R134a are much smaller than R12. This will cause refrigerant to eventually 'weep' or leak through the hoses and around the O rings etc... This will make, or cause you to have to re-charge the system every so often, should you experience a drop in cooling performance for no known reason. The most thorough way to eliminate this 'problem' would be to obviously replace the hoses, O- rings, and depending on who you talk to, the Receiver / Drier, condenser and some cases the compressor. As most of the components have been manufactured with materials compatible with R134a. Hope this helps those who are now trying to cool off the 'green house' in our rigs.

MyPath1, When you refer to the 'high' side. Are you meaning the 'suction' side or the port on the top, drivers side where you normally would fill with refrigerant? I went out to one of the local auto parts stores and bought a larger can of R134 since I converted from R12 a couple of year's ago. Since the temperatures been in the 90's the last few days my A/C hasn't been exactly cold. Using the supplied gauge with the refrigerant and following the directions on the can, I have approx. 50 psi going by the supplied gauge. My compressor now cycles on and off about every 30 seconds and the temperature never seems to cool down enough inside to get really comfortable. I looked at the viewing glass on the receiver - drier, and I would consider the color 'soapy'. I am wondering if I have enough refrigerant the system? I am afraid to overfill it, and second guessing the accuracy of the gauge used with the refrigerant. What is the opinion here? Run it up to 90 psi on the suction side, or have it filled using the more traditional gauge set up, using the 2 gauges? What's the down side to overfilling the system?

Maybe go back to the basics. Look for vacum leaks, loose connectiions. After all, you did burn the midnight oil on this. maybe you over looked something really basic and simple! I have thrashed so hard somtimes in racing, only to discover I overlooked something really simple as I stood there with clumps of hair in my hands ! lol. Can you reset the ECU? Afterall, you haven't had it it running long enough for it to store a proper running mode or codes? Just throwing that out there : ).

I would also check the fuel pump in the gas tank !

So what weight do you use ?

Usually the 'by pass valve' is obvious when looking into the bottom or base of the filter. It sometimes looks like it has a spring type plunger (valve) which lets oils in (under pressure) however the spring and plunger close or cut off supply when no pressure is present. There by trapping a constant source of oil in the filter and preventing it from draining back into the pan. I'd like to find a cut away diagram of the filter you mentioned to verify the back flow valve !?. Any idea's ?

Thanks for the info. I thought I had check a Purolator catalog and couldn't cross over for some reason?!. I have used 0W - 20 / 30 during the coldest parts of the winter where the temps can get - 30 / - 40 below zero F., before wind chill. I did notice a little easier starting (cranking) even while parked in a garage. I don't have a block heater, and thus far haven't needed one : )

Having 89 Pathy with a V6, I too have experinced intermitent ticking on cold start up. What I have found and noticed, is based on the angle and location of the oil filter. It doesn't seem to matter what brand you use in regards to the ticking. All of or a majority of the oil drains back into the oil pan anyways. I have looked for a filter brand that has a 'back flow' valve in them. Meaning the oil stays in the filter when the engine is not running. As of present, I haven't found one. The major differences in filter brands is in the media used to filter the oil and the quality and thickness of the outer shell of the filter itself. Right now I am trying a K & N oil filter which is suppose to filter even the smallest particles of debris circulating in the oil and last 4 x's as long as the Bosch, Napa (Wix) brand of higher quality oils filters. I have not experianced any problems with leaking, or poor fit. the quality is noteably higher in the thickness of the outer shell and the filtering media inside appears to look like the same 'gauze type' of material used in their air filters, which I also use. My oil looks like it stays cleaner longer than the other mentioned brands! As for the ticking sound. That seems to come from the lifters 'leaking down' while the engine is not running. I have read articles of Z- car guys actully disassembling the lifters and making shims to place inside the lifter against the spring to compensate for the springs colapsing after higher RPM use. Not a practical solution in my case. I did however notice that periodic use of Sea Foam in the oil ( 1 pint ) added about 1 - 200 miles before an oil change, helped break down the varnish and gunk left behind from time and mileage, seemed to cure the ticking problem. I typically ad the Sea Foam and drive the truck for a few hundered miles before changing the oil and filter. After that the ticking disappears and the engine seems to pull harder and more noticeably, especially as it comes into the powerband ( I suspect, due the lifters being at full length and providing more 'lift' on the valves). Another thing I have noticed after owning the same truck for 8 years, is the ticking is usally a sure fire way of telling me the oil is about a quart low! Every time it starts ticking, I check the oil and have to add a quart before the ticking disappears. This occurs about every 2-2500 miles, and I suspect it's caused by the older and probably harder valve stem seal materail hardening with time and mileage, and the oil seeping by and down the stem, getting burned off gradually. I have also noticed less oil consumption after switching back to a petroleum based oil, after using Mobil 1 for several years. I still use Mobil 1, just not the synthetic blend in the engine. It costs alot less and seems to hold up just as well as synthetic. I have personally seen oil consumption go down or dramaticlly be reduced in other engines by making this change. Especially on 'older' higher milage engines when they were built during the early stages of synthetically based engine oils development. I think the tollerances were a little greater during manufacturing in this time period compared to today or later manufacturing proceedures. I also, I use 5W-30 during the summer and switch to 5W-20 or lighter during the extreme cold wheather in minnesota during the winters. Seems to accomodate faster warm ups with less wear internally. Hope this helps.

Do you still have the TBI on your truck? Mine starts and fast idles normally, however as it warms up and the RPM's start to drop down to normal idle, I notice that some times it runs and idles rough right around 1500 rpm. On other occasions it will 'lope' as it idles down, meaning the tach needle and engine will fluctuate between 1500 - 1800 to 2000 rpm as it warms up. When completely warm and at operating temperature, it idles smoothly and normal at around 900 - 1000 rpm, which is where I set it. Any ideas? I haven't checked for codes from the ECU yet. Thanks.

Now I'm starting to get excited to see and hear how it runs, and hopefully the mpg and HP gains will be worth all the extra effort.Thanks for the updates. Your 89 was originally a TBI model before this...correct ?