kev9180 Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 Hey guys, I'm new here, and very much a beginner when it comes to vehicle maintenance. I like to do what I can, but if it gets to be too much I head to a shop and have them do it. I love to teach myself and do as much as i can though. Loved working on my bikes, and did some maintenance on my old civic on my own, but other than that, not much else. My '90 SE 4x4, 5-speed is an old beater, having some issues but i love it so far. Here's my issues: Clutch pedal doesn't return fully to position after pressing it down, making me have to pull it back up with my foot. If i don't pull it up with my foot all the way, I can shift from gear to neutral so it must not be disengaging the clutch completely or something. When i start it up in the morning after it sitting over night (cold mornings so far), I haven't been able to get it in gear with the clutch pressed in until the vehicle has warmed up a bit. Very difficult. I can get it in gear, but i have to force it and definitely don't wanna do that. There's no grinding gears, and once it's warmed up, I can shift smooth as butter. Someone said look at the gearbox and check for sludge or oil viscosity? Don't know what that really means or how to check that though. And last issue (at the moment) is my trunk window has a hatch assembly towards the roof that holds the window to the vehicle to open it. The one on the passenger side is broken and leaves the window hanging down a bit. Not a big deal, but I'd like to fix it. Any ideas? Looks like i'll just have to buy a complete new part. If so, any recommendations where to get the part online? I've checked out the junkyard here and no pathfinders at all -_- Pic at bottom of the hatch thing! Any help is greatly appreciated! Thank you very much guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebayfish Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 Window hinges: http://m.ebay.com/itm/151527627331?nav=SEARCH The ones without the spoiler are cheaper. As for the clutch & hard shifting,these may be separate issues. How many miles does your truck have? Does it slip at all? There should be a drain plug(large, probably 14mm, 17mm or 1/2 drive socket) near the bottom of the transmission & a similar fill plug near the top(just like your oil plug). I have an auto, so I'm not positive. You could try changing the gear oil in the transmission, but I'd bet its more of a synchronizer issue, but new oil never hurts. I believe the clutch pedal is tensioned by a spring, you may just need to replace that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kev9180 Posted December 30, 2014 Author Share Posted December 30, 2014 ebayfish - Awesome, thank you! Truck has ~180k miles, not slipping at all. Would it just be a matter of getting down there, draining the fluid and refilling? Simple as that? I tried getting down by the clutch to see if i could spot what was up, could barely see the spring down there, tight fit lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebayfish Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 (edited) Yes, replacing the fluid should be as easy as opening the top plug, then the bottom, letting all the gear oil drain. Replace the bottom plug(if it has a copper crunch ring to seal the plug, its worthwhile to replace it). Refill with new lube( buy qt containers & a pump, much easier than the squeeze bottle with nipple type) through the top plug until completey full, replace plug (& copper ring/gasket if necessary). If its never been done, changing that, the oil in your differentials, transfer case, brake reservoir & power steering is a good afternoon project to protect the parts you often overlook. There is a good write up in the garage section that lists out all weights of oil & capacities. Maybe you'll get lucky & that fixes the issue. I think though it could be a hard part starting to fail or something in linkage. Check to see if that spring has stretched or broke; I know its tight, but Nissans were never built for us big handed Westerners to work on. Edited December 30, 2014 by ebayfish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebayfish Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 Lube specs http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/topic/28134-wd21-d21-and-r50-lube-specifications/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madhakish Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 Welcome Kev! Sounds like you have some fun projects ahead of you.. A.) The clutch pedal, my guess is you need to bleed your clutch.. Go to your nearest parts shop and pickup a do it yourself brake bleed kit. Under the hood along the firewall you'll see a line running from your clutch fluid reservoir (drivers side) over to the passenger side and its got a little bleeder valve on it near the passenger side.. Grab a buddy and have him pump the clutch by hand while you open the screw and add fluid at the reservoir - don't let it get empty or you'll suck air in.. Repeat until no air bubbles comes from the clutch fluid pumping through and it looks clear vs. Old and cloudy/dirty. Now tighten that bleeder valve back up and you should have a solid clutch pedal again. B.) Tough shifting when cold - this is your synchros and there's little you can do.. A fluid flush will help a bit as it will be a bit more viscous when cold. C.) Get 5L of redline mtl 90 and flush/fill your tranny as ebayfish noted, but you will overfill it with 5L instead of the factory 3. (there's a service bulletin about it) which will help keep your bearings saturated and properly. That should get you shifting smoothly again, and welcome to the wonderful world of being your own wd21 mechanic! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 Agreed, bleed the clutch and see how it works then. Remember, the is a clutch damper on the firewall with a bleed point as well, and I think you bleed that before the slave cylinder underneath. Download the FSM from the pinned thread in the Garage section, it will tell you. 1994 is the earliest version, but it will be the same for everything but some trim, interior and cosmetic stuff. MT-90 is well recommended, but might be a little pricey. See if you can source some GL-4 of the proper weight (75-w90?), even if you can only order 1 gallon on the internet, top it off with a quart of lucas oil stabilizer and you should be good to go. Not certain if it will cure the issue, but you'll at least have clean oil in there. Window hinges: http://m.ebay.com/itm/151527627331?nav=SEARCHThe ones without the spoiler are cheaper.As for the clutch & hard shifting,these may be separate issues. How many miles does your truck have? Does it slip at all? There should be a drain plug(large, probably 14mm, 17mm or 1/2 drive socket) near the bottom of the transmission & a similar fill plug near the top(just like your oil plug). I have an auto, so I'm not positive. You could try changing the gear oil in the transmission, but I'd bet its more of a synchronizer issue, but new oil never hurts. I believe the clutch pedal is tensioned by a spring, you may just need to replace that. It is a 13mm square drive. 1/2"=12.7mm so that usually works. I'm pretty sure there is a return spring on the clutch pedal, so make sure that is in place and in good shape. When you have something like that that is hard to see (and it will only get worse as you age) a nice trick to use is a flashlight and a mirror on a stick, 2" round or 2x3" rectangular. Shine the flashlight into the mirror and start looking... B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kev9180 Posted December 30, 2014 Author Share Posted December 30, 2014 Sounds like I've got my first projects ready to go then! I'll get the fluid switched out and then bleed the clutch, and keep you all posted. Might have some other questions along the way Quick question, if I change my oil and put 5w30 in, should i then use the redline mtl90 75w80? Says this about it "satisfies the gear oil viscosity requirements of 75W, 80W, and motor oil viscosities of SAE 30, 10W30, and 5W30' Thanks for the help guys. Like i said, i'm somewhat new to all the maintenance portions but i'll familiarize myself with the Garage section. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 Ok, just so things don't get confused, 5W30 is motor oil and is totally different and independent from gear oil. 5w30 is a good weight for you to run since you are in cold country and it will be thinner on start up. Here is a brief blurb from Summit Racing about the MT-90. Red Line Oil's MT-90 transmission gear oil is designed to provide excellent protection and improved shiftability for manual transmissions and transaxles. Popular in Nissan, Toyota, and Mazda manual transmissions and transaxles, as well as other selected applications, this is a 75W90 GL-4 gear oil that's slightly heavier than MTL. It provides excellent protection of gears and synchronizers, and its balanced slipperiness provides a perfect coefficient of friction, allowing for easier shifting. So, if you go to page MA-9 in the Factory Service Manual that you have downloaded and will reference the entire time you own you Pathfinder, you will see it stated that "75W-90 is preferred for transmissions if the ambient temperature is below 104F" which should apply to you. Again, this has nothing to do with what engine oil you are using. Here is a good site to read if you want to learn more about oils and greases. http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/ B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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