Jetmugg

I recently developed a code p0446 - EVAP vent valve. Just today, I disconnected the battery and replaced the vent valve and charcoal canister. The lines have previously been cleared of all charcoal residue. After replacing the valve and canister, and hooking up the battery, I expected the SES light to be off. However, to my surprise, I still have the light. Does this code - 0446 - need to be cycled though its normal diagnostics before it turns the light off, or am I possibly missing something? I know that the EVAP vent valve only opens and closes periodically, but does it need to cycle befor the SES light goes off? SteveM

How are you planning to make 1" spacers with aluminum plate and a plasma cutter? Are you going to put longer studs on your truck at all 4 corners? Or were you planning to make a set of spacers with 2 bolt patterns - one to bolt to the hub, and then studs pressed into the spacers to attach the wheels? In either case, I believe you need to use more sophiticated tooling than a plasma cutter. This type of work calls for a lathe and a milling machine (or a good drill press in place of the milling machine). You might want to look into a set of commercially available spacers as well. I know the lure of doing it yourself is strong (I have the same affliction), but sometimes you are better off to buy than to build. That's my 2 cents. SteveM.

There's a '97 R50 at the Pick-N-Pull in St Louis. I pulled some parts from it last weekend. It had suffered a pretty major under-hood fire. Still lots of good interior and suspension parts, though. I won't have a chance to get there this weekend, but if there is another member in the StLouis area, perhaps they could "hook you up". SteveM.

Looks to me like it's physically fractured all the way across the bracket. Personally, I would weld it back together with its mating piece. If you don't have access to your own welder, try a local exhaust shop. They will probably be able to weld it together for a handful of dollars. (cash, of course). SteveM.

The entire weight of the front of the truck is supported by the upper strut mounts. I want to be able to spread that load out as much as possible to keep the localized stresses to a minimum. I could "reverse engineer" a spacer if I took my front suspension apart before starting the project. Part of my "day job" is managing a machine shop, and I have the perfect chunk of aluminum sitting in my office right now. However, I was hoping to get a drawing so I could make the spacers before pulling the front end apart. I think I'm headed to the junkyard on Saturday - maybe I can find a strut and mount to use as a template. If I come up with something that works, I'll be happy to share. SteveM.

Puh-lease. Panacea U? Good Ol' PU? What kind of accredited degrees do they offer? NONE. That is not a real University. Try to find one that ends in .edu SteveM.

What are the actual codes? If you post the numerical codes, then you will get a lot more help from this forum. I had to replace the crank position sensor on my '97 recently. It is located on the tranny bellhousing, just behind the junction of the engine block and tranny bellhousing. It took me about 45 minutes before I could even see or touch the sensor. It is very tough to get to. I had to remove the front driveshaft and transmission crossmember before I could even touch it with my fingertips. I had to do the entire job "by feel". That being said, that crank position sensor is only used to diagnose misfires, not to trigger the ignition. Get the actual codes first, before changing any parts. It will save you a lot of time and money. If the truck still runs, take it to Autozone - they will scan the codes for free and give you a printout of each one. SteveM.

I, for one, am a lot less concerned about what happens in a court room or in the court of public opinion than I am about what happens in a laboratory or under the hood of a car. There have been conspiracy theories about all kinds of events through history (Model T carburetor that gets 200 mpg, Holocaust denial, assassination of JFK, man landing on the moon, 9/11 bombings, etc.) The coroner's report (I know, I know, the coroner must have been in on the oil company's conspiracy also) determined that Stanley Meyer died of some kind of brain aneurism, not poisoning by Big oil. Let's try to restrict this discussion to factual matters. If someone can simply point to some valid scientific research, or a true working model of a "car that runs on water", then the future will be very bright. To date, no one has produced any such research, and has not driven their car across the country on a little bit of gasoline and a whole lot of water. If these HHO enthusiasts have done it before, it shouldn't be too hard to do again, correct? Surely there are universities all over the globe working on this issue if it has the potential to create energy from the dissociation of water. Somebody please point us to one of their research papers. (Rant over) SteveM.

As a factual matter, Stanley Meyer was found guilty of Gross and Egregious Fraud in a court of law due to all of the false claims he made related to the "fuel cell" he was promoting (and fleecing investors along the way). "The Man" was not keeping Stanley Meyer down. It was the laws of physics and thermodynamics that held him back. SteveM.

I call BS. An engine fully running on water, used to power an electrolytic cell, that in turn keeps the engine running by the products of electrolysis... That is the definition of a perpetual motion machine. Bottle that and you have just solved the earth's energy crisis.

Can anyone provide a link to any legitimate, independent (i.e. university level) research that indicates any of this HHO generation / Brown's gas stuff is anything OTHER than a scam? If such research is out there, I haven't been able to find it. Please post a link to any research performed by a website that ends in .edu Anecdotal evidence provided by people who are trying to sell plans or equipment doesn't impress me. I will keep an open mind, but I will also keep the experience and engineering knowledge I've gained over the past 40 years. Please - somebody point me to some university type research that proves the feasibility of HHO generators under the hoods of cars. SteveM.

Perpetual Motion Machine. You cannot get more energy out of a system than you put in. SteveM.

That's good information for the next junkyard trip - as soon as the rest of the snow melts here. SteveM.

Nissandoms: Your inbox is full. SteveM.

Do the Hardbody units work on R50 Pathfinders? SteveM

PM sent, thanks for the offer.

Still looking for some more info on the spacers that are available.... Does anyone have the Snake Racing models for an R-50? I see that they look completely round in their website photos. However, when I look at my strut towers, it looks like a completely round shape won't work due to interference with the "squared off" shape of the strut tower. Again, if anyone is using these Snake Racing round style spacers, I'd love to hear from them. SteveM.

I could make my own as well, but the dimensions would be very helpful. Since I had never laid eyes on one of these spacers, I didn't realize how simple their shape is. Does anyone have a set to measure the inside and outside diameters of the spacer rings? It looks like a little time with some aluminum bar stock on a lathe and in a milling machine (or even a drill press), and voila - strut spacers. Those dimensions would be extremely helpful. I think I could get close if I took my suspension apart first, but my Pathy is all together right now, and I'd like to keep it that way, at least unti the time comes to pop the spacers in. SteveM.

There used to be a link to a .pdf drawing (blueprints for the old timers) for strut spacers. The link is dead now. Does anyone have a copy of this drawing they could share? Alternatively, are the spacers commercially available? SteveM.

What's the price for the springs and struts? Mine needs new struts anyway, and I've been itching to level it out as well. SteveM.

What is the stock size? SteveM.

Okay, I've got a '97 pathfinder. Well, after living with a noticeable exhaust leak that sounded like it's coming from the passenger's side (US Spec) exhaust manifild, I finally pulled the heat shield off the manifold. The manifold is cracked between the 2nd and 3rd cylinders on that side. I managed to get the heat shield loose, but cannot get the shield out of the engine compartment (yet). It looks like I will have to remove the alternator in order for the heat shield to come out. I will be replacing the passenger's side manifold over the next few days, but could use a little guidance with respect to the best way to proceed. Should I unbolt the catalytic converter from the exhaust pipe at the bottom of the cat, and then try to remove the cat along with the manifold out the top side of the engine compartment? Should I remove the heat shield from the cat and then unbolt the cat from the exhaust manifold, then pull the manifold out the top side? I have 5 of the 6 heat shield bolts (on the cat) removed, but the 6th one seems VERY difficult to get to, almost up against the firewall. Or does the assembly (manifold and cat) go out the bottom side? Anyone who has successfully replaced the passenger's side exhaust manifold on an R50 Pathy - please share your experience with me, so I can make this job as easy as possible. Thank You, SteveM.

I've got an exhaust leak that seems to be coming from the passenger's side (US spec) exhaust manifold area. I have read the threads about cracked manifolds, and suspect that mine might be cracked. In order to check the manifold, I need to pull the heat shield. Taking a look under the hood, I can't tell if I will need to remove the O2 sensor to get the manifold heat shield off, or if the one around the O2 sensor is a separate shield. I have not attempted to remove the heat shield yet, I wanted to do a little research here first. Is it possible to remove the bolts holding the heat shield to the manifold (I think there ae 4 of them) and then completely remove the shield from the manifold? Or does the O2 sensor have to come out and let the lower heat shield somehow slide up and out? Any help would be appreciated. SteveM.

I just replaced my lowers a couple of weeks ago with factory units. The entire arm with both bushings already installed was $107 per side. Unless you have your own press, and a lathe to turn a tool to press out the bushings, it's tough to beat a brand new bolt-in unit for $107. Another warning for this job is that the rear bolts (attaching the arms to the axle bracket) were completely siezed on mine (and many others). The nuts came off the bolts just fine, but the bolts were rusted to the I.D. of the steel sleeves. I ended up having to cut the heads off both bolts with a grinder, cutting the remaining length off the threaded side, and prying the bracket slightly apart to get the old arms out. I had already purchased new bolts to replace the old ones. The job isn't too bad if you are prepared for it. If you are not prepared to cut bolts, replace them, press the bushings in and out (try to only work on 1 side at a time), then you will be in for a long weekend. SteveM.

I've only been driving mine for a couple hundred miles with an "empty" canister so far. No codes have popped up. It passed emissions testing in Missouri with flying colors. They hook up an OBDII scantool to all '96 and newer gasoline powered vehicles in MO. If you have any codes, you will fail the emissions test. It was amazing how much crumbled up charcoal I got out of the entire system. The line from the canister to the vacuum valve under the hood was totally clogged. By the time I got it cleared, it looked like an atomic bomb had hit a coal mine in my garage. If I replace my canister, I think I'll put some kind of a filter in the main line, near the rear wheelwell. Nissan should have put some kind of a screen on those canisters to keep the charcoal inside. SteveM.