westslope

And clean out the air intake throttle body while yer at it.

alexrex20: Agree 100%. The comfort and aesthetic experience of sleeping in a tent cannot be matched by a trailer, or a vehicle. Our current go-to model is an 8 lb. 3-man Eureka! tent designed for canoe-tripping in eastern Canada. I use it for car camping and short backpacks. Mickyricky: During self-propelled travel (canoe-tripping, backpacking) one is often required to hang food in high trees. Car camping? Not necessary. Not if you are well organized, maintain a spotless camp, and keep any fresh food in a tightly sealed quality cooler. Besides, if the bear were to attack the vehicle during the night--unlikely--then you get dressed and simply shoo the bear away. And yes, I will territorially challenge any bears found near camp just to make sure we know who is boss. Grizzlies are intimidating but it is really the black bears you want to carefully watch. And in case you were wondering, yeah, I've spent time on dangerous streets in some of the scarciest cities in the world and feel much safer in bear country than I do in parts of downtown Vancouver or Surrey, BC, for example.

Tentative translation: You cleaned in the air intake throttle body and noticed no difference. Then sometime later the problem suddenly disappeared for no apparent reason. Have I got that right? Happens to the best of us.

Agreed. Cheap, fast, safe. Probably better than more expensive generic-application Seafoam. k9sar: Coleman fuel? You mean white gas or naptha? What mix of white gas and regular gasoline did you run? [EDIT: added to crankcase, not the fuel tank. My bad.] Kittamaru: Mobil 1 synthetic 10W30 for higher mileage vehicles might work but if you are liquidity-constrained (cash-strapped), cheap dyno oil is probably best.

Was about to make a separate thread but thought it might be more useful to add to this excellent, informative thread. Have had to clean the air intake throttle body a couple of times this year already. I use Air Intake System Cleaner made by kleen-flo based in Brampton, Ontario. Experienced the problem while cruising up the Squamish River valley north of Vancouver a couple of days ago. I tried to clean it with the kleen-flo product after lunch. Didn't work very well. I suspect that I made a couple of mistakes. For one, the vehicle had cooled down during our picnic lunch. Yesterday, I ran an errand and included some highway miles before recommencing the cleaning operation. This time the engine was hot and this time, I carefully used a clean soft cotton rag to wipe the entrance and valve. Wiping seems to have removed much black material. Afterwards the '93 pathie idled smoothly a hair above 750 rpm. (Where it should be.) Immediately prior to that, it had been idling at just under 1,000 rpm. Up on the Squamish, the idle speed would often drop to near zero. It occurs to me that I should also carefully use a soft nylon toothbrush to knock additional gunk off the valve parts. Funny, been doing this since roughly 2000 and I believe this is the first time, I thoroughly wiped the throttle body with a cloth. Who says old dogs can't learn new tricks? Hope the above is useful to those of you experiencing this well known problem. P.S. If properly used, one of these cans should last for multiple cleanings (a dozen maybe?). You don't have to empty the can in the air intake system!

I'm running Pro Comps. The Aussie-made OMEs seem to have the best reputation but are the most expensive. Bilsteins are also popular. Kingman, You are dead right about sloppy shocks being dangerous. They can increase braking distances by a dozen or more feet.

Well? Did it help? I find that when the air intake throttle body gets dirty, the rpms will randomnly drop when the engine is warm and idling. After a cold start, it seems the richer fuel mixture takes over and keeps rpms high. Translation: I strongly doubt that a gummy air intake throttle body is responsible the intermittent starting problem when the engine is cold.

A quality mid-priced, well-designed tent takes less than 15 minutes to completely erect. And doesn't smell like a musty bedroom..... I should add that sleeping in a tent means you can keep your food in the vehicle (if 'car camping'). That's a consideration in bear country.

Was catching up on some reading and came across this thread again. FYI: The idle issue was likely caused by a failed 02 sensor. It and the catalytic converter were kaput; the pathie failed Air Care (British Columbia Lower Mainland emissions testing) earlier this year. Once the 02 sensor and catalytic converter were replaced, the idle rpms dropped down to circa 750.

GPG: Already read that one. No mention of synthetic oils. Couldn't find a store open that sells Seafoam late Saturday afternoon so I bought a C$5 bottle of kleen-flo 5 minute engine flush. Seemed to darken the oil radically and bring out a lot more crud than usual. Then I replaced the Mobil 1 5W30 with some Mobil 1 Extended Performance 5W30 oil, once again replacing the filter with a Mobil 1 High Efficiency oil filter. So far, so good. With luck, I should be able to go 1 full year or 15,000-18,000 km before the next oil change. Rated for 20,000 km or one year.

Anybody use Seafoam with synthetic oil (e.g., Mobil 1)? Would seafoaming the crankcase oil prior to the next change make any noticeable difference?

I screwed folding plastic cup holders into the dash just above the glove apartment. Cost circa C$7/each at Lordco Auto Parts.

No. But removing the rear carpet and accessing the fuel sender unit is relatively straightforward. Did it last summer chasing rust.

Just changed the plugs and wire set yesterday. NGK all around. (Yes, the pathy does run smoother! Better acceleration.) Man, I would rather tie a size 24 midge dry fly--which for you non-anglers is almost microscopic--than try to remove the spark plug boots, especially on #6 (rear right). Did my best to grab and twist. Using the socket wrench (with various long extensions and a universal joint) to remove and replace the plugs is relatively straightforward.

Done. Thanks to mws and jgt for the narrative and photos. Wasn't too bad. Just a few handfuls of flammable dirt. The micro brushes on the miele vacuum cleaner came in very handy.

Thanks unccpathfinder. Do yours look like this? Couldn't find any boot pullers with uninsultated tongs on the Snap-on tools web-site.. These ones are 9 3/4 inches long.

94extreme: Well, that's the conventional wisdom and what I have believed for years. BowTied wrote: "Once in leave till the next change interval." westslope continues: That's what I'm hearing from some mechanics. However, if that spark plug interval is let's 100,000km as some of them claim, then the gap will likely spread over the change interval to a much larger gap than the spec range. Am about to put in a new NGK wire set and NGK G-Power Platinum spark plugs (to replace the existing NGK V-Power spark plugs). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For the curious, this is what the NGK Canada web-site says: Q: How often should I replace my spark plugs? A: Unfortunately,there is no single answer to this question. As spark plugs grow older, they lose their sharp edges as material from the center and ground electrodes is slowly eroded away. As the gap between these two points grows, the voltage required to bridge the gap increases proportionately. Even the best ignition systems will be strained to supply enough voltage to completely burn the fuel. It is at this point, when fuel is being left unburned, that the time has come to change spark plugs. Replacing worn out spark plugs with new ones (with sharp new edges) effectively restores the ignition system's efficiency. Misfires are reduced, power is restored, economy of operation is enhanced and emissions are reduced. The best guide is the manufacturer's recommendation for your vehicle, as this particular service varies from brand to brand and model to model. In the absence of this information or in conjunction with it, you can rely on the advice of a mechanic who is familiar with your type of vehicle. In the best of all worlds, this would be a mechanic who is also familiar with the vehicle you own. If you find a good mechanic, whether dealer or independent, stick with him. The better he knows your personal vehicle, the better he will be able to diagnose and service it. The end result is very much like a doctor-patient relationship and, in the long run, you will have a healthier vehicle. The Nissan Pathfinder 1995 owner's manual stipulates replacing the plugs every 48,000km (30,000 miles).

I find removing the spark plug cables from the plugs difficult because of the deeply recessed location. It is easy to pull the cable right off the clip that connects to the plug. The Haynes manual has a picture of a narrow boot puller. I went looking and the best I could find was something similar to this one at Princess Auto in Langley, BC: Unfortunately, it is simply too wide to be of any use. Suggestions? I really dislike pulling on the cables.......

Yanking off the excess junk? Most folks in this forum are probably adding weight with their mods lol. Have you thought of removing the roof? I watched an interview on Business News Network (BNN) channel the other day where the guest suggested people only half the gasoline tank in order to keep the weight down. Sounds like a great idea for people who like to spend lots of time pulling into fuel stations and filling up. And who have lots of time on their hands.

Change interval? Oil change or spark plug change? teka: no hijack; the question is absolutely relevant given that the gap will likely spread larger than specification during that time period, and I thank Precise1 for his answer.

I dunno Alex, would you have answered the question for me? The plugs were de facto gapped at 0.042 to 0.044. I reset the gaps to 0.032. I noticed no difference in vehicle performance. None.

FSM= ?

Simon, That is what I would have thought. Mind you I just read through the wiki page on spark plugs and now I'm not so sure. Pasted: The gap adjustment can be fairly critical, and if it is maladjusted the engine may run badly, or not at all. A narrow gap may give too small and weak a spark to effectively ignite the fuel-air mixture, while a gap that is too wide might prevent a spark from firing at all. Either way, a spark which only intermittently fails to ignite the fuel-air mixture may not be noticeable directly, but will show up as a reduction in the engine's power and fuel efficiency. The main issues with spark plug gaps are: +narrow-gap risk: spark might be too weak/small to ignite fuel; +arrow-gap benefit: plug always fires on each cycle; +wide-gap risk: plug might not fire, or miss at high speeds; +wide-gap benefit: spark is strong for a clean burn. A properly gapped plug will be wide enough to burn hot, but not so wide that it skips or misses at high speeds, causing that cylinder to drag, or the engine to begin to rattle. Spark plug eroded: note the center electrode (dark bump) had been a cylindrical rod, and the top ground electrode (like a claw) formerly had square edges. As a plug ages, and the metal of both the tip and hook erode, the gap will tend to widen; therefore experienced mechanics often set the gap on new plugs at the engine manufacturer's minimum recommended gap, rather than in the center of the specified acceptable range, to ensure longer life between plug changes. On the other hand, since a larger gap gives a "hotter" or "fatter" spark and more reliable ignition of the fuel-air mixture, and since a new plug with sharp edges on the center electrode will spark more reliably than an older, eroded plug, experienced mechanics also realize that the maximum gap specified by the engine manufacturer is the largest which will spark reliably even with old plugs and will in fact be a bit narrower than necessary to ensure sparking with new plugs; therefore, it is possible to set the plugs to an extremely wide gap for more reliable ignition in high performance applications, at the cost of having to replace or re-gap the plugs much more frequently, as soon as the tip begins to erode.

Recently had a bit of work done on the vehicle (02 sensor, catalytic converter replacement; RHS exhaust manifold removed, machined, replaced with new gasket, studs, nuts and washers, valve cover tightened). The vehicle was running a little rough during acceleration at lower speeds so I replaced the distributor and decided to haul the NGK V-Power spark plugs (BKR6EY) for an inspection, cleaning and gap adjustment. The plugs were of good colour, not at all fouled up. The plugs should be gapped 0.032 inches. The plugs I took out had gaps that were between 0.042 and 0.044 inches. The plugs were put in about 80,000km ago and in theory should be good for another 20,000km. I cleaned the plugs with white gas and a wire brush. I also wiped down the wires and cleaned the plug clips. The vehicle still runs a little rough sometimes when accelerating from lower speeds. Something else is amiss.... In the meantime, how critical is the spark plug gap? I get the impression that some garages, gap them, install them and then don't bother looking at the plugs until 100,000km later.

There is a similar program here in sometimes smoggy "beautiful" British Columbia. Later models pollute less on a per distance basis. The provincial government will pay upto $2,500 to have the older vehicle scrapped. Details are available here: BC Scrap-it program. Cash can go to a new, less polluting vehicle or a bus pass or a bicycle. I ran the simulation to see what kind of rebate I would get if I sold the '93 pathfinder and bought a 2005 Xterra. $0.00. ---------------------------------------------------------- None of these feel-good program will have the same impact as high excise (green) taxes on diesel and gasoline. BTW, my caribou shoulders tell me that fuel prices should decline and stay low for the next few years thanks to a highly synchronized global recession. Now is probably a good time to buy gas-guzzling 4X4s. We thought hard about buying a recent-vintage Xterra last summer but figured that keeping the '93 pathfinder for a few more years would be the cost-effective solution. One of these days there will be a better selection of modern diesel-powered 4X4 SUVs to choose from.