Sil80sydways Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 (edited) hey guys, I guess you could say this is my introduction to the forum and all the great guys and gals that come together for one reason, Nissan and to help each other on there journey to mechanical success! My name is Nathan and I am a Nissan Owner, Of both a 240sx/aka Sil-80 with the Silvia front end Which is in the middle of a tear down and is getting built as we speak! and A 1987 Pathfinder which is also getting picked apart but still on the road. Just the main fix'r upper's that you want to get replaced when you don't know the history of the vehicle, and a few extra special things! Issue #1- So here is the issue, At first heat was great..warm as a mud hut in Africa! But now it sends the temp gauge way up and there is like a luke-warm blowing out now! So I went to replace the water pump..lol which as you know is a hell of a rip..but when I got down to it I found that the pump was fine so i figured I would bring the new pump back( ya i know I should have just put it in but I was short on cash and needed a alt belt) and took the thermostat out to run it with-out it! (dont worry my winters up when I live are in between the -20c and -50c range so Its all good for now! But ya it is staying in the 1/4 range on the temp gauge! and the heat is still luke-warm! which I can understand as there is not a real heat up for the coolant due to the missing thermostat lol! So I am waiting for my stat to come in and I will throw that in to see it that may fix it! and give me some much needed heat! Issue#2- When I wake up and go to start the truck, its about -26 lately in the mornings and the truck will turn over like 10-12 times..understandable due to weather and its a carb injection! but when it gets going I have to stay in the truck on the gas at about 3000rpm to get it kinda warmed up? and there is black smoke puffin out the pipe! after a few mins the black goes away and its normal white! which is normal here in Northern Canada in the winter!lol and when the truck is running it really sputters! and there is a lack of power like if you are driving a V6 and stomp on it it should get up and go ..this thing is like a slug! not much power at all Oh and its thirsty as stranded city slicker in the desert. 20bucks a day and we dont do a whole lot of driving??? And so these are my issues, I would really appreciate some input on these problems! Thanks guys! -Nate Edited February 14, 2009 by Sil80sydways Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowTied Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 (edited) I suspect the original thermostat was stuck open. If you noticed little change by removing the stat, this likely confirms it. A new stat may fix it - however if the old stat stuck open due to crud in the system, the new stat may eventually suffer the same fate - a cooling system flush with a new stat and a new cap is recommended. "Carb injection" ???? Do you mean throttle body injection? If you meant that it is a just a carburator, then likley the choke is not working properly. THis can cause stalling when cold, running rich and black smoke can be caused by a stuck choke, this can lead to rough running and wasted fuel. HTH. EDIT: if it is regularily -25C or less over night where you are, I suggest using a block heater to make life easier. Edited February 15, 2009 by BowTied Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 Could be a bad wax choke (thermo element), O2 sensor, temp sensor, and I'd suggest pulling the heater blower fan to remove debris and make sure it's not blocked. Early WD21's are notorious for running rich when cold. Have you tried checking the ECU error codes yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sil80sydways Posted February 15, 2009 Author Share Posted February 15, 2009 (edited) lol ya I meant TB injection...oops, but ya I think the choke you guys speak of is sounding like it could be the cause! as for the overheating I think it may be that the past owner put hard water in there and it cause lime build-up so Im gonna do the old vinegar trick and run it threw the system then flush it all out and see what ends up coming out! and throw a new stat in! Ya the block heater will be going in soon for now it has warmed up to -20 ish so its holding up..its when we get down to -30 to -45c that you have to start watching your battery has a blanket and there is a block heater ...even handy to throw in an inline lower rad hose heater! Where would this wax choke be located and how would I go about getting it fixed! I mean I will end up doing some research after I post this but..its helps to have a second opinion! and it doesn't run rich just when cold..its all the time and there is very little power going out? Yes I have checked the codes and it only gives me one and that's 44 ECCS Normal Operation so Im unsure what that means? My guess is that the computer is not sensing any issues..? Am I wrong? So you think if I pull the blower motor and fan that there my be a clog..but there is lots of air being blown threw the vents its just not throwing out hot air just cold-luke warm? I am thinking maybe the heater core could be clogged or the rad!! I am going to check the rad and heater core..any other ideas would be great! Oh and when I bought the truck I found some mouse droppings on the intake cover! So I am thinking them buggers may have something to do with all this!?? thanks guys for the input..keep er' coming! -Nate Edited February 15, 2009 by Sil80sydways Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowTied Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 If it is throttle body, I would look at the O2 sensors as noted. Not really a choke on the TBs I have worked on (non Nissan). That is pretty cold, where do you live - Northern Manitoba? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sil80sydways Posted February 15, 2009 Author Share Posted February 15, 2009 Lol ya Im in Northern British Columbia! I moved here 2 years ago from southeastern Ontario..1hr away from Ottawa! But ya I am going to spend some time with this brawd today and see if I can get her heated! If she's like my woman wont take much lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sil80sydways Posted February 16, 2009 Author Share Posted February 16, 2009 So guys, I opened up the ac black box under the dash! and it was full of crap from mice..like leaves, insulation and pine cones..lol So I am thinking this is the same issue in the heater box right behind the center console of the dash, which means Im gonna have to rip the dash out and take both the ac and heater box's out to clean them? but yet I am getting pretty good air blown threw the vents just not good heat? Any suggestions before I finish taking the dash right out and if there is an easy way of getting the boxes out with-out taking the whole dash out would be helpful! That's a lot of outs! lol Oh and still even with-out the stat in, the temp gauge still gets up to the H and still doesn't blow hot air just warm??? Now would this nest effect the heat being blown ..I figured it would only effect the air flow being blown out the vents! but the air flow doesn't seem to be effected? Thanks guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingman Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 (edited) Issue#2-When I wake up and go to start the truck, its about -26 lately in the mornings and the truck will turn over like 10-12 times..understandable due to weather and its a carb injection! but when it gets going I have to stay in the truck on the gas at about 3000rpm to get it kinda warmed up? and there is black smoke puffin out the pipe! after a few mins the black goes away and its normal white! which is normal here in Northern Canada in the winter!lol and when the truck is running it really sputters! and there is a lack of power like if you are driving a V6 and stomp on it it should get up and go ..this thing is like a slug! not much power at all Oh and its thirsty as stranded city slicker in the desert. 20bucks a day and we dont do a whole lot of driving??? Sounds like your ECM Coolant Temp Sensor (code 13) is acting up. It's telling your ECU it's much colder than it actually is and so your ECU is dumping a ton of gas into the engine, and the ignition and engine have a hard time keeping up. My ECU gave all-clear codes (44 and 55) right up until the sensor completely went out. I drove 8 miles and used damn near a half a tank of gas on my way to school. Now, if it is the sensor, it's costly to replace. The sensor is around $55 bucks, but it's buried in the valley of the engine, right below the intake manifold. The shop I went to book rated this job at 5.5 hours, at $99.50 an hour. Plus other little charges, the total was roughly $850. I called 5 other shops after I got the bill, and all were within $50 of this price for the same work. Hopefully, for your wallet, this isn't your problem, but yours is doing exactly what mine was. Edited February 16, 2009 by kingman92010 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sil80sydways Posted February 16, 2009 Author Share Posted February 16, 2009 Jeez man, thank god I've always done my own work. That makes me sick, what garages charge! Where I am the rate is 122.00/hr isn't that wild! Well thanks for the heads up..I will look into getting a sensor and just replacing it for the hell of it! Might as well give it a try! So, over to the heat issue. I ripped the ac box out and emptied the crap out of it, and there was nothing in the heat core box. But I felt the 2 metal hoses on the inside of the firewall that supply and send back out the coolant and they were nice and hot! but I put my hand on the heat core itself and was not anywhere close to the heat of the hoses! So my thought is that there is a good clog in the heat core! I'm just letting the truck cool off and Im gonna take off the return line from the outside of the firewall and run it into a jug and see if the flow is there. so I'll get back to you guys if that works! Anymore ideas? thanks, -Nate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 I think you're thinking of the knock sensor, which an 87 does not have. The temp sensors for the 87 are right up front, they don't cost too much and they're fairly easy to change. Sounds like your ECM Coolant Temp Sensor (code 13) is acting up. It's telling your ECU it's much colder than it actually is and so your ECU is dumping a ton of gas into the engine, and the ignition and engine have a hard time keeping up. My ECU gave all-clear codes (44 and 55) right up until the sensor completely went out. I drove 8 miles and used damn near a half a tank of gas on my way to school. Now, if it is the sensor, it's costly to replace. The sensor is around $55 bucks, but it's buried in the valley of the engine, right below the intake manifold. The shop I went to book rated this job at 5.5 hours, at $99.50 an hour. Plus other little charges, the total was roughly $850. I called 5 other shops after I got the bill, and all were within $50 of this price for the same work. Hopefully, for your wallet, this isn't your problem, but yours is doing exactly what mine was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingman Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 (edited) I think you're thinking of the knock sensor, which an 87 does not have. The temp sensors for the 87 are right up front, they don't cost too much and they're fairly easy to change. There's 2 temp sensors, one is 13 and the other is 98. Code 13 is the one in the valley that feeds the ECU, the other one is the one that screws in and is for the temp gauge on the cluster. My sensor was feeding the ecu 179 ohms, when spec is .3-1.7 ohms. The code 98 sensor is book rated at 1/2 hours work, while the code 13 is rated at 5.5 hours work. I also called back a while ago and questioned the work, because I talked to Nissan and they told me what you did, about the sensor being right up front. So I called the place back and he read to me right from the service book both the code 13 replacement procedures and charges, and the code 98 procedures and charges. It was aggravating, because I was hoping to get some money back for the extreme bill, but turns out Nissan was talking about the other sensor. If I didn't need the truck back the next day for school, I would have done the work myself, saving a lot of money. Edited February 17, 2009 by kingman92010 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sil80sydways Posted February 17, 2009 Author Share Posted February 17, 2009 yep I know what you mean man, you gotta do these things sometime, I had to do the same thing when I bought the pathy..The exhaust had more holes then then kISS in the 70's so I brought it in to a local muffler shop to get a full DP back exhaust! All because I didn't have my welder with me! Still got a good deal! but ya..still not getting much heat..its alright when the truck is right warmed up and the gauge is staying at the 1/4 so I will throw in the stat and see what happens and I guess I will focus on the lack of power and gas consumption! I will look into these sensors, check my codes again! and take readings from all and make sure there spec! Other then that, thanks guys! -Nate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sil80sydways Posted February 19, 2009 Author Share Posted February 19, 2009 hey guys/gals, Sooo I go out the start the pathy and yet another issue. So whats happening now is I go to turn it over and it grabs for like 2 secs and ten lets go of the flywheel and all you hear is the zing from the starter! Im thinking the solenoid is screwy or the teeth on ether the starter or the flywheel are chewed up? And another thing I noticed is that the sensor right above the starter and beside the oil filter has 2 wires going to it but one of them is broken off the sensor? What sensor is this, the motors a v6 3.0L?! Thanks guys! -nate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 That's the oil pressure sender unit. Also notorious for leaking all over the starter. Try splicing the wire and see what happens. As for the starting issue, selenoid? Bad teeth? Check the starter bolts to make sure it is tight (watch out for the hot wire), then try whacking the selenoid a few times. This is what starts my spare pathy... B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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