[Oil in the intake?]

Not only do we have emissions, you are required to have your vehicle inspected for safety every 2 years. It's a HUGE pain in the ass as they go over literally everything and any modifications you may have made, they'll even require you to repair surface rust before it begins to penetrate. Then you get a new sticker and you're good for a couple more years.

 

 

So... Popped the new oil in with a fresh filter. Doesn't seem to have made a difference, and still got that irregular tap going on and worse at higher revs. Installed a downtube on the vent hose which definitely solves the oil in the intake problem, but now all that crap is venting out the bottom of the truck.... None too pretty as it's a smokey white (wonder if that's normal, anyone? I know it's venting blowby and such but smoke?).

 

Were only that life were easy....

[Oil in the intake?]

Thanks everyone. Oil level is dead nuts, just a touch on the low side actually. Gonna try going to a lower weight oil as I've developed a bit of a valve tap as well and I think they may be distantly related... My last change due to availability (everyone here has old communist era motors for the most part) I bought 15w40 and I think maybe the heavier oil might be splashing around a bit and not filling the lifters properly. Got some 5w30 (had to go to the actual parts store and pay a bundle) gonna slap in there and see what happens. We'll see... If not I guess I'll try that stellar down-tube idea, at least until my next emissions inspection anyway.

 

Thanks again.

[Oil in the intake?]

So for some reason I am now sucking oil into the intake on my '90 VG30E. Upon closer inspection it appears to be coming from the breathers on the valve covers. It's not enough to foul it out but it is wreaking hell on my MAF sensor (gotta clean it every 10 mins if I want a smooth idle), making it less than happy to take throttle (though it revs fine), and making a nice little puddle that drips down onto my air filter. Needless to say it's causing a few problems. Take it apart and clean it and everything's fine, but after a few minute of running...

 

Anyone ever seen anything like this before?

[Top-end Rebuild... Won't Idle]

dunno if yours is an auto or not or has CC....... but king ran great, but wouldn't idle after i did the injector change.... it was the CC cable had somehow got tightened during the whole intake removal process, and when i adjusted it. presto. smooooooooooooooooooooooooth idle.

Regretfully got the auto...

 

Thanks though!

 

Not sure exactly how much more frustrated I can get, but I'm pretty well there I believe.

[Top-end Rebuild... Won't Idle]

One thing to remember is to NEVER trust those timing marks until you have verified them yourself. I did almost all of the same stuff you have done on my last pathy and came to find out that someone had disassembled the crankshaft pulley and put it back together wrong!@#$!@!. Verify with your own eyes that the rotor is in the #1 position when the piston is up. You never know what a previous owner has done to the rig.

 

Other than that, check the vacuum lines. I had mixed some up when I re-assembled, and it wouldn't idle correctly and didn't throw codes. Get out that vacuum line diagram from the FSM and follow every hose to make sure they are going where they are supposed to. Don't forget about the little bastard back on the fuel pressure regulator by the #6 spark plug.

 

It really sounds like a vac line in the wrong place.

 

indigent.

I timed the whole engine including reinstallation of the alternator with #1 on TDC, then reinstalled the cap with the rotor facing the number one cable position so it's not really a question of trust at this point, fairly intimate with it in general after all we've been through.

 

As far as vacuum lines, everything was labeled as removed and reinstalled the same way, seated (and clamped) the bitchy little hoses behind number 6 on the intake myself with no little effort. It's all pretty much where it should be, or at least where it was before disassembly. Thought of checking the vacuum diagrams as well but seems mute as it ran before it all went to h-e-double hockey sticks in a handbasket.

[Top-end Rebuild... Won't Idle]

timing? maybe the dizzy is like 90deg out...check that...i put mine back together once 180 out...

 

 

Thanks man, but aside from being fairly careful about such things (kinda hard to do the full engine timing otherwise) I've also hit it with a timing light. Can't time it out perfect til I get it running properly but it's well within where it should be.

 

Appreciate the input though...

[Top-end Rebuild... Won't Idle]

So long story short... Finished the top-end rebuild on my 90 v6, no warping or cracking on the heads due to the profound overheat it experienced as luck would have it, minor scoring in the number four cylinder but nothing to write home about. New gaskets and seals all around, new 300zx exhaust studs on the manifold, timing belt, everything looking pretty clean and keen in general.

 

So everythings all back together.... Blub blub blub blub blub. Blub blub blub blub blub. Won't start. Try it again, won't start but really sounds like it's trying to catch. So I give it a bit of throttle. Catches and dies. Give it a bit more throttle. Starts and runs. I rev it low for a while trying not to over-do it while the new gaskets are setting in (trying not to keel over from the exhaust and burning gasket in the tiny little cracker box of a garage I borrowed to do the job, my house and garage being 45minutes away from the break down and me too cheap for a tow).

 

So I rev it low like that til she's good and warm then take my foot off the gas. Blub blub blub... Blub... Blub... Cough. Dead. Start it up again. Can't resist the urge to rev it a little higher. I do... Purrrfection, revs like a bi*ch, sounds gooood. A big ol vroom, no weirdness, good news yeah? Still won't f-ing idle.

 

Been over everything, computer reads a code 55, no vacuum leaks, EGR diaphragm has good action, everythings torqued to spec and tighter than a nuns you-know what. Plugs look good, number 1 cylinder compression a little low but nothing to be alarmed about.

 

Little pissed off cuz if this was a carburated engine i'd whip its little hiney. Fuel injection, emissions b.s. and computerized whitsits be damned!

 

Any suggestions?

[LPG Topic]

Been running an LPG converted VG30E for a while now and it's fan-freakin'tastic in the financial sense, clean as hell (oil looks like honey even after extended use), and those of you have driven LPG forklifts are familiar with the way it powers on directly with little lag and a pleasantly assuring "whoooosh." Was installed when I bought it (major selling point for me as at $6-7 a gallon running a 3l V6 on normal gasoline is well beyond my means) so unfortunately I don't know as much about it as I'd like. Here locally it's a (fairly) inexpensive and very common conversion. From talking to a local installer I've gathered that it functions using heat from the coolant to break down the LPG (had some cooling system problems and it just stopped working) where it is injected directly into the intake turning off then bypassing the stock injectors using a computer controlled diaphragm of some variety. Once again this is a bit of hearsay and is subject to my translation skills while receiving the info in the first place (not all they could be especially regarding technical matters).

 

Not sure what the conversion kit price is locally but I could certainly check into it... Be happy to send a few out to some needy folks stateside but with the dollar the way it is not sure it would be cost effective.

 

Keep ya posted though.

[New Member Prague Czech Republic]

hi.

 

i know we'd all love to see a pic of the LPG modification.

 

how are czechs treating you?

Hey!

 

I'll get some pics out soon. Works like a dandy, little loss of power and about 20% less efficient but at half the price of gasoline locally can't be beat (aside from the 60 liter tank in the back that is).

 

Czech is great, that is if you like meat and potatoes and beer that's cheaper than water. To be honest ain't easy being American out in the world these days, but I got a good life here...

[New Member Prague Czech Republic]

Greetings,

 

Just joined the forum, thought I'd say hello and tell y'all a bit about myself.

 

So... I'm a 36 year old man, born and raised in Bloomington Indiana USA. Lived all over America, mostly California the latter years, Amsterdam, now Prague Czech Republic the last 8 years or so where I own a lovely little dive bar.

 

Got my Basic and Performance Certificate from Motorcycle Mechanics Institute Orlando in '91 but somehow got railroaded into running industrial printing machinery the next decade til I called it quits and headed out to find my fortune in the big wild world.

 

Done quite a bit of wrenching over the years though almost exclusively printing equipment and motorcycles so don't hold back on me on the technical end, but also don't be surprised if I ask some seemingly stupid questions every now and again.

 

I've checked the "weekend warrior" box on my profile but in reality offroad is part of my everyday life as I have an extremely isolated farm on the end of a tractor road and getting home requires 4 wheel drive, especially in the spring and fall. The Ol' Lady doesn't like it too much but I sure do. And it keeps the visitors down to a minimum when you have to go pick them up at the end of the drive when they want to "drop by."

 

My Pathfinder is actually a "Terrano" by brand but not by design as most of you know. It's a 1990 V6 3l Automatic (not my choice of trannies but it was clean and CHEAP!), stock at the moment with the exception of an LPG system. I'm currently doing a top-end rebuild on it due to head gasket failure caused by a blown radiator.

 

See y'all around!