krmiller07

I would try recharging it with freon first.(You have to determine if you have R-12 or R-134 in the system)They are NOT compatable or intermixable. Sometimes the refridgerant will leak out over the winter. (which is why you want to occasionally turn it on in the winter). There is an oil in the system as well. If recharging doesn't help, than take it to a shop that can recharge it and put dye in the system, if there are any leaks it will show up under a black light or (uv) light. If the refridgerant is gone, it's like free wheeling the system. (No gas to compress) and it will make quite a rackett!

Thanks James, From the looks of it, I just may over inflate the tires and 'float' down the Mississippi ! Then we can compare notes on the 'evil' twins ! lol.

I just discovered that it appears my intake gaskets are leaking. Spraying carb cleaner along the intake manifold and clylinder heads changes the idle speed and how smoothly it idles. I no longer have access to a garage or the tools to tackle this on my own. Does anyone know how many hours (Flat Rate) it takes to replace these? Thanks

Well ya gotta love how EBAY drives the prices of good used Pathys up !

I think thers a place in California called Hollywood Speedometer repairs that can repair them. I'm not sure of what they charge, but I know they have done alot of them for collector car restorations. Try Googling the name and see what comes up.

I agree ! It costs me over $75.00 to fill up my Pathy. And I too, have kept on top of tune ups, keeping the tires a little overinflated etc... Just about every trick in the book. And I still avg. around 8 MPG between hiway and city driving. Not that much stop and go. Keep my foot out of the throttle too. Pony up, and spill the beans, or go back and retake elementry math ! LOL

How did you fix the problem ? Thats what it sounds like to me too. The tripmeters work for a short while, then they stop logging the miles. If I push the re-set button in to reset to zero they'll work along with the odometer and then the tripmeters stop like they're stuck and the odometer seems to lag behind in calulating milage. However the speedomter still keeps accurate milage...according to the police dept's speed traps ! LOL.

Well I trided that, and the cable is still attached. The spedometer works, I just don't seem to get accurate milage on the odometer or tripmeters? Any ideas?

Am I doing this to simply test it? To confirm the problem is in the transmission or Transfer case, and not in the gauge cluster?

Has anyone encountered problems with the odometers and spedometers not working properly? My spedo will idicate the MPH and log miles, however the mileage is not accurate. The tripmeters also will occasionally show the miles driven, but more often than not, they stop working all together. I can re-set the trip meters, but after a few miles they stop working again. They also make a clicking or sound like the gears aren't fully engaged in the back of the gauge cluster. I've searched the forum and found nothing so far. Thanks in advance.

That would be great makie. I'd be REALLY interested to know what some causes could be to the poor mileage, as I've checked and or replaced just about all of the possibilities listed, with the exception of replacing the TBI system itself.

Let throw some figures and ideas out there specific to the GAS GUZZLING VG 30I with TBI ! Mine gets between 8-10 MPG is stock forum both city and hiway driving : (.

Make sure they replace the pilot bearing if they take it apart. My mechanic said he did, but it sounds like it's making noise when I engage the clutch. krmiller07

More than likley you need to have the flywheel 'de-glazed' that means taking an abbrasive wheel to the 'friction surface' of the flywheel to remove all the build up from the last clutch 'friction disc' Or if it's really bad. The Flywheel needs to be re-surfaced to remove the uneven surface. BTW, how was the main seal on your crank shaft? Any leaks present, that could have gotten on the clutch disc or flywheel? That can cause these syptoms too. Hope that helps, Krmiller07

Can you tell me how you acomplished this? (I have about 1/2" on one of my injector cap vents(feeds air to the MAF passage) blocked to lean it out some and as so I'm getting the same MPG as before and a pinch more HP that can be felt on the freeway.) I am trying to figure out how I can squeeze more MPG out of the beast. And mine idles a little rough and rich around 1500 rpms as it's warming up. The odd thing is, that when the outdoor temp is as cold or colder than freezing 32* it idles up cold to 2000 rpm and satys there until the engine temp starts to rise. Then as it begins to idle down it sits and stummbles (rough idles) right around 1500 rpm. Once warm it idles just fine. Checked and or replaced everything...and I mean EVERYTHING that would commonly cause this. I'm geeting less than 10mpg in town driving like a little old lady ! I've changed that from time to time too ! Thanks. Great thread ! : ) Thanks,

Hey James, No. I haven't tried Sea Foam through the PVC. But I have added if to my oil before an oil change, it cured the noisy lifter problem, which these engines are known to have. I ran 6 oz. of SF for about 50 miles in the crank case before changing the oil and filter. Keith

Ya know, I went through the same BS last fall. I checked all the obvious things you mentioned, then I took it to a 'tech' and he said the intake gasket was leaking too. Long story...short. I came across an old FTB that addressed the problem of carbon build up. This was published in 1990. Nissan recommended that the service techs walnut blast the intake runners, intake valves on the engine to remove excessive carbon build up in these areas. The common problem had been 'rough running' poor fuel mileage, no power and a low speed idle miss. I wasn't about to media blast all of this. So I ran a couple of bottles of HIGH QUALITY fuel system cleaner through the gas, with about an 1/8th of a tank of fuel remaining. I drove it at hiway speeds and made a point to keep the RPM'S as high as possible. At first it ran worse. Then it started to run a little better. Then I filled the tank with Premium fuel, and after about a half a tank was used,it really started running like normal again. The power came back, mileage improved a little. But the most significant change was in idle. It runs so smooth, that I have to look at the tach, to make sure it's running. I'd say the most economical way of trying to solve your problem, may be in trying what I did. It'll cost you around $50.00 for gas and fuel cleaner.I used Techron ( made by Chevron) comes in a black bottle. Another brand worth using is called (K-40 or 44) it's made by BG Products out of Witchita, KS. Good stuff too. Hope this helps. Keith

Hey James, Are you sure it's the pilot bearing making noise or the throwout bearinb? Does the Lucas additive cause for harder than normal shifting when it's cold. I know you live in LA, and the temps down there aren't nearly as cold as they are here. I guess my next or 'only' option is to dump the Mobil 1 tranny iol and refill with Red Line and see what happens. I just wouldn't think that Mobil 1 could do that much damage after just a few thousand miles. Man I've used it in non syncro-racing gearboxes for years with no problems. But then again that oil is frequently changed. Thanks

Ice fishing...thats funny ! I wish I were living back in Monterey! I tried some of that oil stabilizer in the FIRST motor in my truck. Ran great...for about a 1000 miles, and then it threw a rod out the oil pan! I'm going to use the Red Line tranny oil I bought, and then see if it makes a differerence. I'm still wondering about the pilot bushing causing some of this? Any thoughts ??? Thanks again, Keith

Precise1, I agree. I will drop the Mobil 1 tranny oil as soon as it's warm enough to crawl under there. I live in the 'Great White North' and mother nature hasn't released her grip on winter yet! The Lucas OIL Stabilizer you're referring to. Is that the stuff that pours like 'honey' and is about as sticky as well ? Thanks for the advise. krmiller07 frozenrotors

Carbon Build up !?

My 89 Pathy has developed an odd shifting issue. I have a 5 speed, and recently had the clutch, pressure plate and throw out bearing replaced. All was fine until about 3 months and maybe 5000 miles ago. I noticed that after I've driven it long enough to warm up the gear oil, it occasionally will grind slightly shifting from 3rd gear to fourth. It doesn't seem to grind like the syncro is going bad, because I don't really have to fight it into fourth gear by applying alot of lever pressure to get it to engage 4th gear. I shift it real slow, kind of coaxing it into gear. However while I'm engaging 4th it has, and make a clunking sound and feels like it kind of 'falls' into gear. When I rest mt hand on the shift lever while driving, it doesn't have any vibrations or feel like the bearings are rough or grinding. It also doesn't make any of the usual noises associated with a bearing(s) going bad. One transmission mechanic told me it sounds like the pilot bearing is either wore out or is going bad. Does anyone know if the pilot bearing is a 'bronze bushing' or one with needle bearings? I'm also wondering if this even a possible problem ? has anyone else experienced this problem with the 5 speed. I run Mobil 1 transmission oil, and have read the posts about Mobil One tranny oil corroding or causing pre mature bearing and syncro failure due to it's corrosive nature in Nissan gear boxes and gears Assembly's. I'd like to try and narrow this problem down before I pull the tranny and transfer case to fix this. I don't have alot of money to throw at this problem and would rather fix it than take a chance on another hi mileage replacement gear box. Any feed back or advise would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, km@frozenrotors.com krmiller07

Thats assuming the axles or differential(s) were rotated while the driveshaft(s) were off the vehicle!

TPS ???

Mark the driveshaft in it's current position, test drive and then rotate it 1/4 turn as necassary (4 possible positions in relationship to the trunion).Do this until it balances out or the vibration stops. Hope this helps.