krmiller07
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Posts posted by krmiller07
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WOW...let's back up here a moment and think about all that has been described.
A) you've got something dripping out of the exhaust system after sitting for a few days!
It 'looks' like coolant, but you can't confirm that.If coolant made it that far back into the exhaust system without burning the 'normal' cloud of white smoke. I would think you'd be seeing A LOT more coolant leaking from somewhere else or the engine would be running rough or even possibly HYDRO LOCK the engine.
If you go to Napa or some other auto parts store, many times they will rent a coolant pressure gauge too you for testing.
The idea behind this is simple. Attach the test gauge to the filler on the radiator, pump the system up until it registers on the gauge, and wait and see if the needle on the gauge starts dropping OR you can spot any leaks around the hose connections, water pump or ANYWHERE else.
These are the OBVIOUS signs! Thats not to mean it can't still be leaking very gradually internally.
I had the heads replaced on my 89 a few years ago, and both my heads were cracked. It didn't leak any coolant into the oil, nor did it belch white smoke out the tail pipe. They were cracked on the outside of the combustion chambers on the exhaust sides. If it leaked. it probably dribbled down the side of the block and burned off on the hot exhaust manifolds.
I'm thinking you've simply got some condensation that formed in the exhaust system and it leaking from the lowest point, it may have mixed with the carbon build up inside the tail pipe giving it the 'Rusty' appearance.
Another option would be to pull apart the exhaust and see how much liquid drains out?
Pull the spark plugs and check their appearance !
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In addition to a pressure check, I'd also check the oil. If it's a milky color then you most likely have coolant in it. It may also show up in the coolant. Oil and water do NOT mix.! Sometimes I've been able to determine if there's water in the oil by pulling the dip stick. Water will usually 'bead' up on the dip stick, indicating it's presence.
Hope this helps.
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James...a plastic bag and a rubber band! Now thats "Rich" no pun intended! lol. I would be willing to bet your pay check that moisture got in the system and started corroding the M/C to the point that the seals weren't sealing. Well, like you said. You might as well replace the slave and M/C and get rid of that PIA damper on the firewall. It's just a matter of time until that fails. And that will leave you stranded, or at least without a clutch. Which can make it very difficult to get rolling. I always recommend a COMPLETE fluid flush once a year on the Brake and Clutch. It's safe insurance, easy to do. And will go along ways in preventing premature failure.
km@frozenrotrs.com
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I have heard other comments about bypassing the damper. This is the first vehicle I ever had that has a clutch damper and I've been driving sticks since I started driving so I don't need it. It is a convenient place for a bleeder though, as clutch systems are usually a pain to bleed. The slave and master are both under $20 on rock auto so I will probably change them just to make sure.
So how did you bypass yours? Use the line fitting off of the damper on a union?
Precise and Alkorahil, y'all think the slave leaks down and then draws air in? I looked it over for leaks but didn't try pulling the boot back to see if there was fluid under it.
James
I used a union. I can't remember the size though. I know it's nothing special. The shop that was doing the work tried to tell me it was a 'special' item, and was going to charge me $70.00 for just the fitting. I went to a speed shop and bought it for $3.50, It is made out of aluminum, but brass will work if you can find one in a metric size.
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James,
Before you jump in and change the Master Cylinder and slave. By pass the damper on the fire wall. You'll have to find the right 'an' fitting, but it can be done. A similar thing happened to mine a year ago. Only my pedal dropped all the way to floor while driving on the interstate. I had it flatbeded home and went out and bought a slave cylinder. Except when I got done installing it, I couldn't get all the air out of the line. I went trough nearly 1 1/2 quarts of brake fluid before I gave up. I took to the shop and the first thing they check was this pain in the a** damper. A replacement from Nissan was nearly $300.00! I looked at it, and said by pass it. It was really a creature comfort thing Nissan installed to prevent vibrations being transmitted through the clutch pedal. I haven't noticed any vibrations with out it! Clutch works fine now.
Keith
km@frozenrotors.com
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Since I just received my bushings, I'm wondering how big a deal replacing these is? Did you have to put your rig on a lift so the suspension was at 'rest' or do you just crawl under it and remove and replace the bolts? I'm going to opt for replacing the bushings in the stock trailing arms. I'm guessing these will give me a pretty good fight getting them out due to 20 + years of use and abuse. I'm going to try and press them out using a 30 ton press, but the techs at the local dealer have told me they usually just replace the whole trailing arm.I would imagine this is faster, but not cheaper!
Any feedback?
Thanks,
Keith
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I dated a girl with that much slop before. I ended up trading her in for a better model.
Glad to see you got on top of that. That looked like it must have been fun to drive.... if you're into bull riding.
Was she covered in grease too ? LOL i don't know if I'd admit to "dating" anything with that much slop...especially on a public forum !
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Since we're on the subject of transmissions, I would like some feedback from those of you how have experinced problems with the 5 speed due to using GL5 Synthetic Gear Lube in the tranny.I started using Mobil 1 in the transmission and transfer case about 10,000 miles ago. And before I read the thread about the differences between GL4 and GL5. Right now I'm starting to experince some minor grinding going into 4th(usually after the tranny is warm).Has any one tried replacing just the synchros and 3rd 4th gear? And is it worth the effort? Or would it make more sense to just swap it for another used 5 speed. I have used Mobil 1 for years in both racing and street cars, with no ill effects.So I'm a little suprised about reading this oil breaking down the bushings and other parts. Has this been confirmed ?
Thanks for any feed back.
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95 path running rich and getting bad mph, not sure what I should do about this. I've cleaned the sensors, changed plugs cap wires, all new gaskets, may be a vacuum leak but I don't think so as I replaced all vacuum lines and triple checked. I have 1 broken exhaust stud so theres a little exhaust leak manifold to head but other than that I don't really know. I'm not getting any error codes just running rich and not exactly sure what to do about it. Could the TPS be misaligned?
I love driving my path but its killing me at the pump.
Hey Dirtyoldrake,
For what it's worth, I had the same issue going on with my 89 pathy for months. It baffled me to the point of frustration, I t did all the 'common sense' diagnostics, from vacuum leaks to 02 sensor, head temp sensor, plugs, wires, cap,rotor,plugs, cleaned the MAF sensor etc. I finally took to 3 different 'techs' one told me I had a bent valve, one said it was an intake gasket leak and the other said I had broken rings and one 'dead' cylinder. Well, after ruling out all of the expensive possibilities. I stumbled across an old FSB written by an engineer at Nissan back in the 80's. It simply addressed the basic head, intake design of the VG 30 series engine. Apparently at the dealer level, the techs were experiencing the same poor, rough running, excessive fuel consumption problem.
At that time, his recommendation was to 'media blast' (Walnuts) the intake runners and valves to remove carbon build up in those areas, followed with adding fuel injector clear to the fuel. Well I didn't pull the heads to do this. But I did run a super concentrated dose of "TECHRON" (made by Chevron) fuel system cleaner through the gas tank with about an 1/8th tank of gas. The bottle recommends using ONE bottle with One tank of fuel. I wanted to keep it as undiluted as possible, but It ran like crap (no change) until that tank was almost gone. Then I filled up with a tank of mid grade regular, and by the new tank was half gone, the truck started to come to life! The mileage got a little better, idle smoothed out considerably, and the power came back, like it never was before!
I've talked to several 'older' techs that have been around awhile, and they all agreed that carbon build up will cause these symptoms. Carbon acts like a piece of charcoal and will absorb unburned fuel like a sponge. Eventually this will also clog injectors and not allow them to close or spray an erratic pattern. All of this will cause rough running, poor idle, high gas mileage, richness, and over all poor performance.
Give it a try. This cleaner is alot less expensive than all the other possibilities! I did a fair amount of research on TECHRON, and have used it for years in my Porsche's. It was the only fuel system cleaner approved by Porsche, Ferrari and BMW factories. I'm sure there are others out there, but I couldn't confirm what was actually in those 'cleaners'!After the initial cleaning, I'd run a bottle through the fuel tank every 3000 miles to keep it clean. With the low grade gas being sold around the country, any thing can be added to get the crap to burn !
Hope this helps.
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Well i have been cranking it everyday and letting it run for a while. It is running good besides idling a little rough. I have noticed that my front and rear main seals appear to be leaking a little. I know this has just recently started. Could the thinning of the oil due to all the gas that got in the bottom end be to blame for this? Thanks again
yes it could. And the seals may have shrunk a little do to setting idle for awhile.
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Unless it's freezing outside, a cold fan should spin effortlessly. Think about it, you don't want your fan pulling air through the radiator when the engine is cold, and hardly moving when air needs to be cooling the radiator.
But, since they use a viscous coupling, there will always bee some drag regardless of clutch temperature.
Every vehicle I've owned with this type of fan, always has had some drag on it. Even when it's -20 below zero outside...like it is now! On the other hand, when it's well into the 80's, as soon as I start the truck it will 'free wheel'until the oil inside or what ever is in there expands, and eventually it will engage the fan or disengage it.
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I'm glad someone caught that as a JOKE! How many times as kid's didn't we ignore mom's advise, and despite her telling us NOT to stick your fingers in the the FAN...we did anyways !
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My fan seems to spin pretty fast all the time, even when the engine is cold. With the truck off I can rotate the fan fairly easily by hand, so clearly it isn't totally seized... I'm not used to non-electric fans. Maybe this is normal. The truck also seems to take a little while to heat up... and the thermostat is pretty new, so I'm wondering if the fan is the problem...
Stick your fingers in the fan while the truck is running, if the fan stops spinning, then the clutch is OK! BTW, I'd wear heavy gloves when performing this test ! lol.
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Changed the oil and put new plugs in her today. She started right up. It seemed to run pretty good. I kept it revd up a little till it got up to running temp. It idled a little rough, prolly due to all the fuel additives. I haven't checked the fuel pressure yet, but will as soon as I can get a gauge. Maybe everything will be straight with her now.
It will run rough and probably crappy! Until the fuel in the tank has run through the system and cleans out all THE CARBON AND OTHER DEPOSITS. Then fill it up with a fresh tank from as close to empty as possible. Try running the Techron additive though once every 3 months just to keep it cleaned out. Worked for me and saved me a bunch of money on having unnecessary repair work done.
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I know the fuel pump is working properly. I don't have a gauge. I will have to borrow one. Can u manually clean the injectors somehow? Thanks
No, you can't manually clean the injectors. What your trying to check with the fuel pump is actually checking to see if the fuel pressure regulator is working properly. If the pump were to continue to run, then the pressure regulator would allow pressure to continue to push fuel into and past the injectors. (if one of the two injectors is dirty) This will flood the engine or cause it to run rich. If the pump runs for a few seconds and stops. Then theres adequate pressure, the regulator is regulating and hopefully the injectors are closing when the motor isn't running. If you don;t have one, I'd highly suggest buying a Clymer or Haynes manual for your truck! It'll help you diagnose most of the problems you could have, or at least point you in the right direction.
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A stuck/dirty injector and or a faulty fuel pressure regulator!If you have a fuel pressure gauge, hook it up. it should read approx 36 lbs. Also turn the key on (to accessory), and listen for the fuel pump, it should run (or hum) until it's up to pressure and then shut off.
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Drain the oil and refill. Put new plugs in it and try restarting the beast. Keep the idle up, until it gets up to temp and try driving it. If it wants to run, take it out on the freeway or an open road and run the snot out of it. Give the additives in the tank a chance to work. Then just see what happens. Once the fuel cleaner starts breaking down rhe carbon deposits it may run a little rough, but try burning as much of the fuel in the tank down until it's almost empty and refill it. It should run better on the second tank full.
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Pulled the dipstick and it smells like a mixture of oil and gas. Thoughts?
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Have you looked in the radiator! If the color of the coolant looks like chocolate milk, you've probably got a coolant leak. I'd also pull out the dip stick and take a look at the color of your oil as well.Smell it too. It is possible the crank case is full of either fuel,coolant..or both. Pull all the plugs out and crank over the engine to blow all of what might be in there, out. If it was dumping fuel down the intake from an injector being stuck open or coolant leaking in. You can Hydro lock the engine and bend rods, valves and blow out crank shaft seals in extreme circumstances. PULL THE PLUGS FIRST!
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Well it finally started. Smoked like hell probably due to all the fuel additives. Seemed to run good. Then it bogged down again and shut off. Tried to start it back up and it didn't even act like it wanted to. It looked like it had blown gas out of the exhaust on to the ground. Then I noticed a big spot of oil on the ground under the motor. Appeared to be very thin and kinda watery. I noticed it looked like it was leaking around the front side part of the oil pan. And from the front main seal a little. But the spot on the grond looked like it sprayed out from somewhere. Sounds and looks like bad news guys
. Thoughts?? -
That would be the correct way.
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I would leave the fuel you have in it. I would add the Techron, which is made by Chevron. Its available a most of the larger auto supply stores. As for it running rich, thats exactly what mine did. It's caused by all the carbon build up on the valves. This stuff acts like a charcoal briquette and absorbs fuel like a sponge. it literally drips off of the deposits and into the combustion chamber in the form of raw fuel.
KM
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Oh yea it has gotten below freezing. The time frame i was talking about, the temp was in the teens at night and 20's during the day. This was for about 3 days. We just had 5 inches of snow christmas morning. as for the smoke, i guess it kinda hangs in the air briefly. But i have been checking the coolant and it has not used any. i will definately pull the plugs and see what they look like. would it be a good idea to drain the tank now that i have over half a tank of 93 with seafoam and a bottle of heet? or will that not matter? now that i think about it, seems like for the past year roughly, when i start it up it seemed to be running a little rich. you can smell the hint of gas in the exhaust. dont know if this might just be from sitting for so long and just beeing started and not drivin for an extended period of time.
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Thanks for the info bud. I did pull the cap and there was no moisture. I haven't checked for spark. It is just weird how it happened. It ran fine one day. Then it got really cold for about 2 or 3 days. Then it started running bad. When i first fired it back up after the cold weather, it was smoking a little. It was a white smoke. Definitely a gas smoke. I had guy from another Nissan forum tell me to try a bottle of heet because at the time, it had less than a 1/8 tank. Could the fuel regulator or maybe the injectors be going bad? Thanks for any info
If you live in AL, chances are it hasn't gotten below freezing correct? That white smoke your describing. Does it hang in the air? Or is it just vapor coming out your exhaust pipe? If it's hanging in the air, more than likely, it's burning antifreeze. Which means you've got a coolant leak somewhere, either a head gasket or possibly a cracked block or cylinder head. If theres coolant leaking down into the combustion chamber or into your cylinder heads, it has probably fouled the spark plugs. Like I mentioned before, I'd pull the plugs and see what condition they're in? As far as the injectors. I would refer back to the fuel system cleaner, as it will also clean any injectors that are not closing all the way, and causing the truck to run rich. You can also test the fuel pressure regulator with a fuel pressure gauge. The factory setting should be 36.2 lbs psi.
Hope this helps.
Coolant in Exhaust, Head Gasket?
in The Garage
Posted
Actually, your engine (block, etc.. and transmission) do expand and contract with outside temperatures as well as operating temps. So it could conceivably leak after completely cooling off and sitting for a few days. Although ideally, you shouldn't have any leaks, regardless of operating and outdoor temperatures ! Seals and gaskets also tend to deteriorate with age and temperature fluctuations.