My Old Truck

[Kittamaru]

The Truck:

 

1990 Nissan Pathfinder 3.0L SE V6, fully STOCK as far as I know

 

The Question:

 

Maintenance... I needs ta know things

 

Alright, here's the thing:

 

I bought the truck from my Grandfather. He's taken pretty good care of it... few patches of rust I need to patch, but otherwise the body is great. The frame looks good climbing under the truck, and my muffler and possibly oil pan or gas tank (not sure which) needs to be replaced... it's rusting thru pretty badly. I need a new undercoat.

 

I am only 19 years old... I know a bit about the truck but not nearly as much as I'd like. I want some advice on what to do for it... I know my valve cover gasket is leaking a little bit of oil - that is something I want to replace as soon as funds allow.

 

Oh, before I continue, my Mechanic is a family friend and has been in the business for years... I wish I could do the work myself, but I have nowhere to do it, nor the tools to do it with.

 

I want, to be frank, to be able to hand the truck down to my kids and, if they take care of it, for them to be able to hand it down to their kids.

 

What information do I need to gather so i can put together a good maint schedule?

 

I know I'm LONG overdue for a tranny flush... I'm afraid to do it to be honest because of how overdue it is. I'm thinking just drain and re-fill without the acid bath?

 

I get my oil and filter changed every 3-4 thousand miles depending on weather and driving conditions.

 

The truck has a little over 143,000 miles on it.

 

I have had to replace my Tie rods due to them being completely broken (I drove into the shop with em broken... how that works I don't know but I WATCHED him lift the truck and saw his surprise... he showed me the problem... they were broken clean off)

 

I have replaced the shocks recently.

 

PCV valve and Fuel filter have been replaced within the last thousand miles.

 

I run an injector cleaner through every third or fourth gas up.

 

According to my mechanic, the engine is running nice and tight.

 

My 4WD transfer case is a little mucked up - it will no longer FULLY disengage on the fly - it partially disengages and then the gears grind a bit. I have to stop and reverse a few feet for it to fully disengage.

 

I am considering the following:

 

Engine rebuild kit

Iridium Spark Plugs w/ new wires

Tube replacement for all the tubes on the engine

Tranny drain and refil

Transfer Case Replacement

 

Anything else I should consider?

 

Also, does the 1990 model have any kind of locking differential? I've heard people say that, if you press the breaks, the rear diff will lock or partially lock... is this true?

 

Thank you all, I appreciate ANY help I can get. I really want to do a full restoration on this truck and hope I can get the information I need to do so.

 

Oh, also, my pathfinder has a strange quirk - it seems to 'stutter' between 1500-2000 rpm when accelerating. My mechanic thinks it may be crossfiring. Is this a serious problem to have looked at ASAP?

 

That and my torshin bar is kind of loose (due to age the brackets don't hold as tight as they should). Is this serious too?

 

The truck has never seen real off road activity... just a few romps thru my back yard and the treatcherous roads in Fort Washington Philly. She drives and handles more like a bloody sports car though... on the snaking roads around where I am, I can outrun most sportcars (chased down a 'vette once) because I seem to be more comfortable taking turns at high speed *shrug*.

 

I'm hoping that, once I get my own house, I can put her in the garage, get some tools, and do a complete breakdown, clean, and rebuild... but that's a few years off. How can I keep her running till then?

 

Edit to fix the confusion of some people that read a little TOO DEEPLY into things

Edited November 19, 2007 by Kittamaru

[adamzan]

I want, to be frank, to be able to hand the truck down to my kids and, if they take care of it, for them to be able to hand it down to their kids.

 

What information do I need to gather so i can put together a good maint schedule?

 

How can I keep her running till then?

My dad gave me mine , well my first one and im planning on keeping it for a looong time as well as my new one.

 

But to keep it running just get whatevers leaking fixed, replace the broken stuff and don't let the rust get out of hand, especially on the frame, you might want to bang on it with a hammer and see if theres any holes, as then you'll know how rusted it really is. My rust got out of hand....bad. Other than that, if you can keep on top of the maitenance, it'll last pratically forever and a day.

[Kittamaru]

That's the thing, I know i'm behind on maintenance in some areas and I want to start fresh. If that means a full tranny and engine rebuild so be it.

[adamzan]

you sound as determined as i am for restoring my first one.

 

Where are you from, that'll tell us a lot about how much frame rot you can expect.

[Kittamaru]

you sound as determined as i am for restoring my first one.

 

Where are you from, that'll tell us a lot about how much frame rot you can expect.

\

Heh, PA my friend... salts, chemicals, snow, and all sorts of fun @!*%.

 

I'm working on repairing what rust there is, then I'm going to apply a new rubberized undercoating to help protect it all.

[adamzan]

ahh i remember driving right through harrisburg in the 93 pathy on the way to virginia where my dads friend lives. done that trip a few times.

 

I hate rust, you really gotta nip it in the bud though, or else it'll turn into this:

 

[Kittamaru]

I'll take some pictures ASAP, but my rust is NOTHING like that... mostly just body work. The frame is QUITE solid

[Roost]

The Truck:

 

1990 Nissan Pathfinder 3.0L SE V6, fully STOCK as far as I know

 

 

My 4WD transfer case is a little mucked up - it will no longer FULLY disengage on the fly - it partially disengages and then the gears grind a bit. I have to stop and reverse a few feet for it to fully disengage.

 

To disengage the transfer case properly, you are suppose to go in reverse for a few feet. Doing a transfer case disengage going forward is not recommended with the way a stock PF is set up.

 

Hope this helps

[adamzan]

I'll take some pictures ASAP, but my rust is NOTHING like that... mostly just body work. The frame is QUITE solid

 

Mine looked quite solid before I took off the tires and gave it a real hard look, But yours could very well be in good shape. But if there are any holes get it reinforced ASAP and then POR-15 it.

[nige]

I also though my frame was relatively solid until i started tapping on it with a hammer. You will definitely hear the difference when you hit a soft spot. The hammer will also 'bounce' back at you when you hit a thin spot. Mine looked ok at first. After hammering, i needed 3 patches. the biggest being an 18" long plate welded to the side of my frame over the rear driver's tire. For some reason, the driver's side of my truck is much worse than the passenger side.

 

I also recommend installing some sort of transmission cooler (get a bigger plate and fin type). These trucks have one built into the bottom of the radiator, but I simply bypassed it with the new cooler I installed in mine. Then go and get your tranny fluid replaced.

 

Check for rust holes under the rear seats, driver's side foot well (lift up all the carpet and sound deadener) IF you have fender flares, take them off and have a look for rust. Another spot is behind the weather stripping that seals the back hatch window. That spot takes a really long time to dry out.

 

Before you go buy an new one, check the transfer case fluid level. There is a drain and fill plug on the case. Use a 1/2" drive socket to open the upper fill plug on the t-case and check the fluid. I never 'shift on the fly' and regardless of what people say, i don't think it a good idea. I always stop, go into neutral and then shift into 4 hi or 4 lo before putting it in drive and starting to move. Roost is right too. Sometimes you need to roll back a few feet to get the automatic hubs to unlock for you. Every other 4wd I've driven needed to be shifted in and out of 4WD like that

 

You should get your gas tank replaced if it is leaking. It's dangerous and it will make your truck run rough.

 

The stutter could be from old plugs or maybe old wires. Check the cheapest parts first before spending money chasing down electrical problems.

 

Be careful with old undercoating. Like you, I live in the rust belt and I thought my undercoating was ok too. What had happened is the water had crept in behind it at the back of the front wheel well and rusted out most of the driver's side floorboard underneath the undercoating. It looks fine on the surface, but underneath the thick undercoating, the metal was slowly rotting away. I will have to wait for the spring to fix that one on my truck. The only attention it will get for the winter is a blob of tar

 

Since they are a little older, these trucks do need some maintenance, but on the bright side, they aren't too computer-dependent so you can fix most things yourself. There are a lot of people who have gone through the same thing and recorded most of it here. Spend a lot of time reading the garage section and you will have enough info for D.I.Y. jobs to save you a little bit of money.

[Kittamaru]

My father is really good with vehicles (he's a master electrician, carpenter, metalworker, ect... he did building and equipment restoration for years) and he's helped me look over the truck.

 

The frame is solid all around, no questions there.

There is limited rust on the body, but all in all it's mostly cosmetic.

The gas tank isn't leaking, but a few layers have been eaten thru.

Same with my muffler.

I am planning on replacing ALL the weather stripping.

The 1990 Pathy manual (and a lot of people I've talked to) states that shift on the fly is okay at low speeds, and it should auto-disengage. It used to do that, but a few years of hard use in 4wd (Blizzard of 96 anyone?) probably did a little damage.

Fluid levels are something I'm going to have to check, definately. I do NOT have a lift of any sort, though... all I have is the tire change jack and two 2 foot high ramps...

The old undercoating is... well, mostly gone at this point. 17 years thru the grit, salt, chemicals, and cinders of northern PA have worn it away. I'm going to be using a chemical sealant and then the rubberized undercoat.

I dont' have any tire well leaks thankfully - they've all remained nicely tight. My floorboards are nice and rust free except for one patch near the rear left passenger door, though that's from the rust spot on the body I need to fix (just the very edge of the rug.. the door jam area started to rust a bit)

 

I really, REALLY, appreciate the help guys!

[zonianbrat]

A 1990 with only 143,000 should not necassarilly need a engine rebuild kit just yet if it runs ok and does not blow smoke out constantly or run like sh!t. If your mechanic says it runs tight then I would focus on fixing the little things like your valve gasket leak, gas tank for sure, muffler for inspection purposes. Then I would mainly focus on the fluids all being changed, a good tune up with spark plugs, wires etc. Oh and mainly dont forget about the timing belt if it has not been replaced have it replaced asap seriously, asap. If that is the original and it is 17 yrs old then it might go out on you....wait a minute did a 1990 have a chain instead of a belt? I do not even know. Look into it though sounds like a nice truck keep us updated on it and show us some pics.

[Roost]

My father is really good with vehicles (he's a master electrician, carpenter, metalworker, ect... he did building and equipment restoration for years) and he's helped me look over the truck.

 

The 1990 Pathy manual (and a lot of people I've talked to) states that shift on the fly is okay at low speeds, and it should auto-disengage. It used to do that, but a few years of hard use in 4wd (Blizzard of 96 anyone?) probably did a little damage.

 

Going into 4x4 on the fly is fine as long as it is into 4 high and your going below 25mph, I believe. Going into 4 low, I believe you should be stopped to go into it, I can't remember for sure. Coming out of 4x4 into 2 WD, you can do it on the fly a few time, but it is NOT recommended. Stopping, shifting, go into reverse for a few feet is what disengages 4WD "properly".

 

Of course, I cannot come make you shift it, but that is the way to keep it working for a long period of use. I don't have enough money to be going through transfer cases, so I have to be smart about how I use it.

 

Good luck with all the repairs and I know that this vehicle will give you many years of enjoyable service, if you maintain it correctly

Edited November 18, 2007 by Roost

[Kittamaru]

See, I only shift into 4x4 on the fly if I start to skid out around a real bad turn in snow or rain after it hasn't rained for a while. It's at low speed, and I just do it to pull my front end around. Beyond that, I attempt to stop before shifting into or out of even 4WDH

 

Also, I'm looking at getting a finned or ribbed transmission fluid pan. I hear they disperse heat a LOT better.

 

Can someone recommend a good parts store? Good quality and decent prices?

Edited November 18, 2007 by Kittamaru

[Kittamaru]

I don't take them recklessly fast, but I keep my speed up for the very reason you mentioned. If I were to slow down, and let my wheels ride into the potholes, I'd probably wind up loosing said wheels.

 

I'm talking potholes deep enough to bottom out an Altima.

 

She actually seems to enjoy it... as far as trucks can enjoy things *shrugs*

[adamzan]

My truck used to enjoy driving untill the frame went to hell

 

But I've got a new one to get me around, and I'm going to try and rebuild my old one. So if you're rebuilding anything i am, i'd like to seen how you do it.

[Kittamaru]

See, here's my question:

 

Why would high-intensity roadway driving be any worse than high-stakes offroad driving? I've seen pathy's with 53 inch tires and 21 inches of suspension travel literally torshin their frame into a pretzle, only to have it rebound when they come off the boulder they're sitting on! It's bleeding fantastic!

[adamzan]

53 inch tires? HOLY CHIT BATMAN Where did those come from

 

Well there is one difference you're going a lot faster on the road. But to each his own. I drive crazy sometimes but try to stay safe. I guess if you know your trucks limits....

[Kittamaru]

Yeah, it was a rock climber pathy... strange looking beast it was!

 

Only recognized it as a pathy because of the decal on the back that read PATHFINDER XD

 

Tires looked something like these:

 

 

Here's a picture from this site of all places, of the kind of twist that scares me

 

 

How much modding do I need for my stock truck to do this? XD

 

BTW - that second picture, that is NOT the truck I saw... just that I liked the twist and movement ont he suspension.

Edited November 19, 2007 by Kittamaru

[zonianbrat]

ha that's funny the guy in the pathfinder is on this forum as 87pathy. His tires are 36" not 53" and yes that is one bad-arse rig he drives. And just a friendly piece of advice, if you think your truck handles like a sportscar and "likes" it you might watch yourself. These trucks can lean alot before they tip but it only takes that one extra degree and over you go. Try driving a sports car with suspension mods/tires and good weight distribution and then drive your pathy and you will see these trucks are nothing like sports cars, better in most instances. I had a fast sports car and I do miss it.

[Kittamaru]

hehe, I just had my alignments done... the tie rods were actually BROKEN (they were the original ones) because of the 17 years of @!*% that truck has seen... dunno how I was able to drive it tot he shop... it handled great though

[adamzan]

well if it handles better without the tie rods it'd probably be bad a$$ if you disconnect the ball joints

[Kittamaru]

Rofl

 

I dunno why mate, it was steering alright without them, though it pulled HEAVILY to the right when I let go of the wheel.

 

New tie rods, new connectors, and a new set of tires + alignment (I was over an inch and a half out of alignment) and she rides pretty as can be!

 

... EDIT ...

 

Thinking about it... i guess pulling to the side means it wasn't steering alright huh XD

Edited November 19, 2007 by Kittamaru

[adamzan]

I want to see pictures of your engine bay, suspension and steering system. Cause I want whatever enables you to do chit like that

[Kittamaru]

I want to see pictures of your engine bay, suspension and steering system. Cause I want whatever enables you to do chit like that

 

*nods* Once I actually have a Micro SD card for my camera so I can upload them to my PC, i will.

 

it's weird because all the 89, 90, and 91 pathy's around here have a very different setup than mine... I don't know who did what to it, but it's the same setup it's had since my family owned it, thus I think it's stock... just stock what?

 

And what enables me to do that? I'm not afraid to do it, that's what. The truck oversteers a little so I've learned to use that to my advantage when making tight corners. The truck has better acceleration between 2500-3500 rpm, so I play with break, gas, and the pre-shift to stay in my optimum power zone if I'm trying to "race" someone. Oh, and I'm not afraid to push someone around if they try to move into my lane or cut me off.

 

I know my own limits and the limits of my truck's road potential. I know how hard I can push her around turns before I risk a skid and I know how much I can attempt to accelerate before I risk pushing myself around.

 

My point was, at 19 years old, I'm a pretty decent driver in most road conditions, be it driving carefully on snowy / icy roads, racing a friend around a closed track, or having fun in a snow covered parking lot. I'm not saying my truck will beat your Diablo down a 1/4 mile track... I'm not saying it'll do better on the trail than your daddy's Laredo. What I AM saying is that, for a 17 year old truck that's been on a not so faithful maintenance schedule, she has held up damn nice and I want to LEARN to maintain her exceptionally well, not just be another one of your "every day dickheads* that doesn't know how to take care of his truck.

 

Now, can we ALL put our E-Peens away and get back on the freaking subject? Man o live... I asked a question, gave all the info I thought was pertinant... and then you contest it. You wanted to know how I drive it, I told you. End o Story.

Edited November 19, 2007 by Kittamaru