snow4me Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 Hi guys and gals, pretty excited about this truck! It belongs to an elderly coworker of mine and has been garaged most of its life. It has 120,000 miles on it which seems to be fairly average and has the 3.5 engine and has an automatic trans. The 4x4 engagement is manual so one of the first things on my list is manual from hubs for better mileage. I am also looking to do more upgrades in the name of better fuel economy, so any ideas would be appreciated. I tow a 2 place snowmobile trailer in the winter so finding a hitch for it will be on the list for this summer. Asking price is $4,000 but I am hoping to negotiate a little lower if possible. Anyhow, nice to be here and look forward to reading more threads. Thanks, Daryl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSlowReliable Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 Be sure to check/ask when the timing belt was changed, I believe the r50s are 115k miles....so if its at 120, it could very well need a fair bit of work done, which if you don't do it yourself gets expensive fast Sounds like a good buy though! Welcome!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pezzy Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 Be sure to check/ask when the timing belt was changed... If he has the 3.5, I believe the engine has a timing chain. Welcome to NPORA, good luck with the buy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snow4me Posted January 23, 2011 Author Share Posted January 23, 2011 If he has the 3.5, I believe the engine has a timing chain. Welcome to NPORA, good luck with the buy. I was just going to ask that question. I had thought I read that it did have a chain. The truck has been treated to oil changes regularly every 3500 miles since new so I'm happy about that. As far as major internal issues, are there any? MAF sensor or coils aside that is. If I were going to use the truck for "off road" use only, are there any reasons the cats couldn't be deleted? Thanks for the warm welcome. Daryl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSlowReliable Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 Lol, it probably does have a chain...I have never owned a car newer than 98 so I wouldn't know....lol Just noticed you were in michigan, good to see another midwester around here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 Welcome to NPORA!! As long as it is in good shape, $4k for a 01 R50 with 120k miles on it is a good deal!! I wouldn't push too hard on the price lest you piss them off. There are some power valve screws that need to be loctited in place IIRC but I'm not very familiar with the VQ motor. As for the cats, the reason not to 'delete' them is to be socially and environmentally responsible. Some yahoo's who aren't think that they will get 70 ka-zillion horsepower more by getting rid of the cats which simply isn't true. The most you would do is replace them with high flow cats that cost about $100 each... B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snow4me Posted January 23, 2011 Author Share Posted January 23, 2011 We don't have pollution here in Michigan, LoL! I will have to look into those screws. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dowser Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 Congratulations on the Possible purchase. Lots of stuff you can do to make your vehicle even more capable and this is the place to find out how. But I have to agree with Precise. It doesn't always have to do with what your state regulates or not. At the cost of getting rid of the Cats to gain the whopping 1/4 to 1 horsepower you would get, there would be very little difference then paying for a High Flow Cat. I don't know about the newer model Pathfinders but I know a lot of newer vehicles have O2 sensors before and after the Cats which tell the computer the information it needs to give proper fuel mixtures. Just remember that messing with things the ECU may be getting readings from, may not be an IMPROVEMENT. Although as I stated, I don't know enough about the 2001 models to claim a fact. I can just say that the cost to replace the cats with straight pipe vs replacing it with what SHOULD be there is not that much of a difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snow4me Posted January 24, 2011 Author Share Posted January 24, 2011 Really I was just joking about removing them but if they plugged, I don't know if I'd spend the money to replace them or not unless I had to. Thanks for the replies so far, I will know within the week if this is going to happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesRich Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 If you remove the cats on an OBDII emission system the ECU will not like it and you will get a check engine light. The only way to get around the engine light is to get O2 simulators to replace the rear sensors and sometimes these don't work. It would probably cost almost as much as just replacing the cats. Unless you are doing radical engine mods removing the cats will be more trouble than it's worth. James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snow4me Posted February 17, 2011 Author Share Posted February 17, 2011 Well guys, I bought it!!! He wouldn't budge on the 4K price but I think I got a good deal. Had the local shop give it a quick once over and it checked out good. Been doing a whole bunch of reading about lift kits and I think I'd like to get one. Looking at 4x4parts.com, I see their kits have different shock/strut combos. I am leaning towards the bilstein rear shocks but what about the struts? Isn't Rancho a better quality than KYB GR2's? Planning on using Nissan factory mounts and bearings. Any input is appreciated, looking forward to something I can do together with my kids, a little family off roading. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaMountianbiker Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Most people like the KYB's better. I was told to stay away from the rancho stuff.In fact if your struts aren't bad don't even change them just get the lift coils and rear shocks and camber bolts for alignment and you will be set. There was a poll in the R50 section a little while back on what everyone is running or likes best I can't remember look it up.Congrats on purchase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Der_Vier Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 From the prices i've seen around here (DC area) 4k for an '01 sounds like a really good deal, you prolly got yours less since you're in ford/cheby/dodge country. In regards to shock/struts, there are a few threads on here addressing them. Personally when I go to replace my shocks/struts/springs, etc ill be ordering from 4x4parts.com and going with the racho/kyb setup with medium duty springs, as I don't intend to do any heavy wheeling, so it sounds like we are in the same boat, more or less. If you are carrying family around thats extra weight too so consider the medium duty springs or heavy duty...thats what ive gathered from lurking the threads here. Good luck with what ya get and remember.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snow4me Posted February 17, 2011 Author Share Posted February 17, 2011 Thanks, I have seen that thread and was surprised to see KYB being chosen over the Rancho. I appreciate the time. Daryl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snow4me Posted February 17, 2011 Author Share Posted February 17, 2011 Der_Vier, I didn't know they had different spring stiffness available at 4x4parts.com Also, isn't bilstien a much higher quality shock than Rancho? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Der_Vier Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Thought I saw them having different stiffnesses at 4x4 parts, maybe its a different site...here is a link, just for you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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