Precise1

You are welcome. B

Oh, look! Someone stepped on an Aztek! Whether it performs or not, damn that has a fugly arse! B

You are welcome, and good luck. Just stay organized and don't rush or guess. Sounds like you have the right idea, so you should do just fine. Have you downloaded a copy of the 1994 FSM from the Garage section yet? That will have most of the information you could need... B

I am a bit more restricted in my area, about 50 miles north of San Francisco, due to population, private land and zoning, but a few hours travel away are several 'parks' and forests to play in and 1/2 day travel will put you in fairly remote wilderness that has countless miles of roads and tracks to explore. I had a cousin visit from Germany and I took him out to a lake and rented a small speed boat. He had a blast zooming around, because in Germany you needed certain permits based on the size and horsepower of the boat; he wouldn't have been able to do anything like that at home without special licensing. Yes, you can come over, rent a vehicle and go offroading. Just make sure to get the rental companies full coverage insurance... B

That does seem odd... Well, it seems like the best bet is to aquire the tranny out of a supercharged VG33 4x4 and call it good. It has been a while since I pulled my tranny to change the clutch, but damn, those beasts are big! B I cleaned a few things up for you Mr Moore...

Considering the OP was last active almost 5 years ago, I'd say it is probably a no go on that one. Sorry... B

There is a very informative post somewhere here that listed the difference in the internals between the original and the HD versions, by Mr510 IIRC. While I'm not a tranny guy, there was a fair number of significant changes... Let me see if I can find it. Oh, I edited your original post and can remove your last post as well if you wish. B Bah, all I found was the same link you posted. I SUMMON... Alkorahil!

4wheelparts? I've bought/ordered 3-4 things through them and never had an issue, but I knew the parts/numbers before I called and never had to return anything. I'd give them 4 out of 5 as a parts house, but I'd never let them work on my truck, maybe that is where the negativity comes from. B

The only one that is a problem is the off center one. WTH is wrong with people? You can probably get it out and put an insert in the right place, but it will take a little finesse. The rest are quite salvageable, but at only 1/2 inch deep, are there still studs in there? (test with something magnetic) If the motor runs fine, I'd be more inclined to address those 4 holes rather than replace both heads. B

Damn! That could have helped you out a bit... Rebelord has a good point though, I don't think they can challenge that. B

The safest thing is to go no deeper than a) you have to or no deeper than they already are. Put graduation lines on a bamboo skewer with a marker and just do a down and dirty check what the current depths are first, then get yourself the proper sized drill stop... http://www.harborfreight.com/7-piece-drill-stop-set-38336.html B

Well, that gets rid of two posibilities... Normally it shouldn't... There is a tensioner/idler for the timing belt that could make noise as well, but if the water pump was changed, hopefully the timing belt and idler were also at the same time. At this point, I would remove or loosen and suspend the two remaining belts and start the vehicle to see if it is still making the same noise, and try again to see if you can pin point it. B

Two approaches I'd do in this order (hopefully you have a set of calipers). Measure the diameter of the holes in the header and the blind holes in the head, both at the mouth and as deep as you can go to see if they are bell mouthed, Measure the depth and write all this info down for each hole. If the holes in the head are not larger than 8.3-8.4mm (.326-331", other than perhaps right at the mouth) you can drill out to that size and tap/insert helicoil as long as you have sufficient depth VS insert length. If the holes in the head are larger than that, but smaller than 8.8mm (.346"), you can drill them out to that size and directly tap M10x1.25. If the holes in the headers are larger than 10mm (.394") you could go with straight M10 studs; if not you need to drill the holes larger or use stepped studs (M8 to M10). It all comes down to what dimmensions you have now to determine what is the best/easiest way to approach this. Post that and I'll give you my professional opinion. For the record, I am a machinist who has honestly tapped countless holes and helicoiled thousands of them. Here is a little light reading... http://www.helicoil.in/pdf/HeliCoil%20Catalogue.pdf B

Not necessarily... 9.5k# Smittybilt winch for $300 @ 4wheelparts, lock right mechanical locker for about $300 and what else did you need? B

Crap, I'm sorry to hear that, but that is the way it goes sometimes. One last question that might still help you, can you buy it back and not title it. IE put it in your driveway and part it out, then call a wrecker to haul off the carcass off when you are done? Depending how far you want to go, you could make some pretty good coin by selling parts both local and with shipping. The stripped carcass of my first WD21 was worth almost $400 alone when the wrecker came to pick it up... B

The idler pulley on the top for one of the belts is a common suspect, but fan clutch, water pump and anything else that spins is possible. Check the fan clutch to see if/how it spins and if it wobbles or is loose... Buy a mechanic stethoscope or cheap by using a long metal rod or screw driver, place one end on a part or area, cup your hand around the other end of it, and listen. This usually works well to narrow down sound origins. B

Ok, I read this far, and, well, duh... The science is nice, but really no more than a summary of what is said over and over by people with experience in most every 4x4 forum. I really do wish he would stop mentioning train tires as though they have anything in common other than being round; they are totally different.... B

Glad you got it worked out and it was fairly simple, but sorry that it has been an issue for years! Yeah, honestly, most people are better off coming here, asking the forum for help/input and doing it themselves. And it isn't just the price point either... I've always had a problem paying for parts/labor that doesn't solve the issue. I know it isn't always their fault, but still. B

I'll be nice and not comment on that... B

Nice! I don't think that top rail is too tall... So, when do we get some good pictures of the mounts? B

Steeeeeeeevo is the only guy I can think of that completed a 2wd to 4wd build, but I don't know if he modified his 2wd tranny or just swapped one in. Personally, I agree with Adam, just find the right tranny and bolt it in... B

I wonder if Derek (5235Pathfinder) is allowed to work on Nissans at his Toyota dealership? He'd be the one I'd go to if possible, being a former Nissan/Infinity master tech... B

Ok, sorry for the false lead, it is just where I would have started. I've never inspected a R50 tire carrier, but I can't imagine it is completely different. Can you study the WD21 write ups and then go out and look at your to see what they have in common? B

You know better than to ask that! Next time, if need be, put a metal shim on one side of the square drive, the harder the better. That will give you far better odds, I've found electrical tape doesn't do much in this scenario. Sorry though, I was rushing this morning and didn't pay attention to your year and assumed a VG33, not VQ35 so the quantity was wrong, and the link I provided was supposed to be for a 10mm square drive, not a 10mm hex. Don't know what happened other than carelessness... I would still get the 10mm square drive and hammer it in there to get it loose and replace the damaged plug. If you were 2 quarts down, I suspect there is some other issue and you may have to revisit this sooner than later. Are you sure the torque is in inch/lbs? that is almost nothing... B

I'd still go back there and give them an ear full. It's not like anything broke, it is missing major components! Ok, you can handle this easy then. Get some hubs, go through the FSM, deal with the bearings and preloading them, and isntall the hubs. Just for kicks, you might want to take a moment and jack up each wheel to see if it feels loose, crunchy or what. It might give you a heads up on what to expect or not to drive it... B