TerranoMW

One of my brand new KYB GR-2's broke (!) after just a few weeks - the part attached to the top mount just snapped. The mechanic ended up having to weld it back together - not a good look . . . That being said, my car only knows rough dirt roads and rarely sees pavement - but I never thought it was possible. Anyway, they've held now for a few months. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Next saga in Terrano Malawi - my mechanic says my "ABS motor" is stuffed. The ABS light was going on and off over a period of several weeks, but mostly the brakes were not working. You had to push down really hard to get the car to come to a stop, especially the first three times you braked in the morning. The pedal would not go to the floor, and you could feel the wheels shuddering at the same time - brakes not gripping equally is what the mechanic said when we test drove. So I had them check the brakes again after I'd already had a couple other mechanics check everything out without finding anything. This time, he said he found the rear drums were not spaced equally, so he re-spaced them, then one front pad was broken, and they also took the front disks in for "skimming" thinking the problem was the disks, but after all of that, they test drove again, and brakes were still not working. So finally they took out the "ABS motor", bypassed it, and they say it's working perfectly (I haven't picked it up from the garage yet cause I'm out of town). So they've installed a "t-joint" to officially bypass the ABS motor, and they say the brakes are great now. They say the ABS motor was "faulty". I'll just drive without any ABS brakes for a while . .. What d'ya reckon? I hope it wasn't the brake fluid all along, I'd feel pretty dumb then. The previous owner did tell me that he'd had to have the brake line fixed . . . Anybody ever heard of an ABS motor going bad? How can that happen? And I've been checking the internet, I can't find any ABS motors to purchase. Any ideas?

Good news and bad news . . . Got my new struts installed today, I love them. No more boinging. Also resolved the ABS warning light (was related to the bad strut) Downloaded the 1996 service manual. Yay! Now I can see what I'm talking about! Bad news: The previous struts were so bad that it's damaged the upper mounts and the "lower arm bush" (causing signifcant nooiisse) The brakes are getting worse. I have to push down really hard to stop. I think related to the time when we had to remove a rear brake drum, and it's been wacky ever since. Mechanic will check it out again on Monday, but I've had a couple other people check it, and nobody can find anything . . . :-p So my new shopping and importing list: upper strut mounts rear shocks stronger coils that bigboy suggested rear bound bumpers (aka bump stops) "lower arm bushes" (front) - do you know what they mean by this? They have different names for things here, and I need to figure out the common technical name to order the parts. The guy showed it to me, it's just behind the transverse link. Maybe he means "transverse link bush"? Maybe I'll post some photos tomorrow (more photos!). Anybody want to ship me some cheap parts? :-) Okay, here's some questions for you: Upgraded coils - should I get them for the front, the back, or both? Don't tell me both . . . oh, drat, I guess that would make sense . . . Also I've been wondering, somebody suggested bigger tires - how do bigger tires improve performance on rough roads? I notice in the service manual it also shows "bound bumpers" around the top of the struts, and there's nothing there on *my new struts*. Is that an important part or just to look pretty? :-) Okay, I think that's enough for today. I'm glad you guys are here, because otherwise I'd have to bore my friends with my car stories!

Just getting around to introducing myself, I've already posted a bit about my immediate car problems, so I've already told you a bit about myself. I guess it would be polite to introduce myself before I come barging in here asking a lot of questions . . ! But again, thanks for those who helped me figure out what year my Terrano is (1996!!) as well as assessing my suspension needs. So, yes, my Terrano lives in Malawi where I am currently working for an aid organization. I bought it off somebody in July who was leaving the country. I needed something with 4 wheel drive, especially in the rainy season it's the only way to get through, and in the dry season the roads are bone-jarring. I needed something that seats more than 2 people (like a pickup), and something with a *functional* transmission (most cars here the transmissions are trashed because many people don't understand what gears are for). So this one fit the bill. I really like it (once I get all the kinks worked out and I can actually drive it). It's the first time I've had an SUV. I have to say I'm not the type to buy an SUV just to go to the supermarket, and it's never occurred to me to go offroading before, but here in Malawi this is actually the car that I need in order to get around. So I'm pretty psyched. I knew the previous owner was pretty rough on it so I knew the shocks would be trashed (they are!). Getting new front struts put on as we speak. But my list of other things to replace is growing: rear shocks, rear coils, maybe a lift, maybe bigger tires, bump stops (?). Just on the last drive, the battery *disengaged*, and I lost both a flare and a stabilizer link. Fun stuff. There's something slightly wrong with the brakes, as well as the ABS light keeps coming on . . . Well, it's turning into a hobby! And I'm really glad to be here at NPORA! I would attach a photo, but I haven't figured out how to do that here yet. I'll try later.

Excellent! I think that clinches it! As somebody said earlier, that would make it a 96 model? Thanks for that everybody! Couldn't have done it without you. Yay! Hmmm, 12 years old huh? I wonder how many years is that in human years . . . ? :-)

Can anybody read Russian???? This is what comes up when I follow runet's directions: Производитель: Nissan Кузов: PR50006339 Дата выпуска: Октябрь 1995 года (1995.10) Внимание! Именно такого номера в базе нет, произведен подбор даты по ближайшим известным номерам. Возможно, данные неточны, и дата выпуска отличается на 1-2 месяца. It definitely says something about October 1995. What else does it say?

Okay, I'm not sure there's anybody in this country who knows how to do a lift. If I ordered the parts, would an inexperienced mechanic know what to do with them? I will look into heavy duty coils. Any suggested supplier? Scenery - yeah, I have some pics, but I'll need to figure out how to put photos on here - that's more time consuming that sorting out my car (!). We'll see how we go . . .

Sorry, please clarify. Very curious. How do you know there's no VIN on Japanese cars? And how do you come up with Oct 95?? You have some information that the rest of us don't have? Please share. Very grateful.

Thanks, guys, this is all very useful and encouraging. The identification plate under the hood gives the following: Type - KD-PR50 Chassis No. - PR50-006339 Engine - TD27(ETi) 2664 Model - VVPZRSFR50UDATH (this is listed as the VIN on the registration) The model aka VIN no. is only 15 digits, not 17, and it's completely different from the info on http://www.courtesyparts.com/specs/vin.html. Drat. Can anybody make heads or tails out of this? Any more suggestions? Maybe I do need to find somebody who can read Japanese to read the sticker inside the drivers door . . . Yes, from a lot of photos that I looked up, as well as specs for different years, it falls into 96-99. I know most of the parts are the same for those years, that's okay when I just ordered front struts, but I will need to know exactly what year it is in future. Any advice welcome.

This sounds good. I'll have to see if I can get some "bump stops" around here. When you say upgrade the coil springs, what does that mean? What sort of specs or product do I need to look for? Thanks.

Thanks for this. What exactly do you mean by "ac 2in suspension with 31's". Do you mean a 2 inch lift and 31" tires? What's "ac"? Thanks

Right, next question: My Terrano lives in Malawi in Africa and I use it to for work in rural areas several days per week. It needs to travel on very rough roads as well as extreme mud in the rainy season, at relative speed with full load of passengers and luggage. I just bought it recently from somebody leaving the country, and I know he was very rough on it. The shocks are trashed. At the moment it's boinging up and down over any bump in the road. I just imported some KYB front struts, will get mechanic to install them tomorrow. Hoping that will decrease the boinging. Will then assess condition of rear shock absorbers. However, attached photo shows state of rear springs and rubber (somebody tell me the name for this thing). Does this need to be replaced, or can I carry on with it? (photo of another forum member for comparison). Also curious: I've seen a bit on this forum about lifting. What is the purpose of lifting, and would it help on my rough roads? I'm afraid that I'll be going through a pair of struts every few months . . . Very grateful.

Hi, new here, but have an immediate question. Well, a few questions, but in order to get parts and other stuff for my car, I need to find out what year my Terrano is. I don't have any papers for it from before it was imported from South Africa a few years back. I just purchased it from somebody who was leaving Malawi, he told me it's a 99, but all the registration papers say it's a 1990 (not surprising in order to decrease customs taxes), but after some research and photos, I'm sure it's somewhere between 96 to 99 at a stretch. Does anybody have any suggestions as to how to find out what year my car is? It's not on the vehicle as everything's in Japanese. Maybe I need to find somebody who can read Japanese . . or do I need to call the factory in Japan? Don't tell me to go to the local dealer because they have no idea. Photos attached and some vital specs: R50 Model R3m Engine TD27ETI Engine Size 2.7 litres (2663 cc) Turbo Diesel 4 wheel drive 5 speed manual Very grateful.