Couple of Issues

[jgrote]

Well, I've had my new ride long enough to start getting to know her, and now I have a few questions.

1) What's the best way to change the rear main seal? Engine pull or tranny pull? I knew it was "seeping" (according to the seller) when I bought it, but it's a little more than a seep. I don't have a lift, so I'm leaning toward pulling the engine. That will also allow me to do the VC gaskets easier, as well as whatever else I run into.

 

2) Is this bad? (See pic.) Where is the best place to buy a replacement fan?

 

Other than that and a little rust, she seems to be pretty solid. So far I'm very happy with this truck. I'm looking forward to getting out and into the mountains this summer.

[colinnwn]

#2 yes. It is probably out of balance (mine was). And will eventually let go and tear up your radiator.

 

I replaced with an electric fan. If I was going to replace that, I would have used Courtesy Nissan in Dallas, or PartsGeek or RockAuto for aftermarket.

 

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[Pathypop]

Looking at the picture of your fan had me run out to check mine. Sure enough, several small cracks, just about every other blade section starting from the engine side. Yours looks like it is cracking from both sides through. Surprisingly, I didn't see them on Rock Auto or Partsgeek, but I see them new on ebay for ~$60 shipped (part #210606P00A).

 

Regarding your RMS, suggest trying Blue Devil sealant specifically for the front and rear seals. The Pathfinder my son just bought had 3-4 drops leak just waiting for the smog check which they quoted $650 to replace. We negotiated this into the price. For $15, figured we'd try the sealant. It slowed the leak after just 200 miles and now at 1000 miles it is barely wet with no drips. I haven't been a fan of oil additives, but this is one that worked. This Pathfinder, with 120k miles, had only been driven about 3k miles in the last year so I'd say the seals probably just dried out.

[jgrote]

I did find that Dorman makes a few fans also, but have not been able to verify which is the correct one. Their website doesn't say they have one, but Amazon does. There seems to be a lot of confusion out there about what fits the 3.3, 3.5, and 4.0. Many of the reviews said that the "right" fan did not actually fit. $650 seems like a pretty good deal. However, I'll DIY mine. It'll make it easier to freshen up anything else that needs doing. I know the VC gaskets are leaking. Might as well take care of that while I'm in there.

[jgrote]

I got the fan out and found it to be worse than I thought. I got to it just in time! And FWIW, removing the fan is much more difficult than it should be. I had to drain the radiator down enough to remove the top hose, and then loosen up the shroud. Even then, the shroud wouldn't come out. It seems you have to remove the rad. to get the shroud out. Grrrr. NBD, I got it done. Now what to fix next...

 

FYI, I bought this one:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/182496545024?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

It fit perfectly, and seems relatively balanced.

Edited April 20, 2017 by jgrote

[onespiritbrain]

DIY FTW

 

 

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[jgrote]

DIY FTW

 

 

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Thanks man. I'm more than a little handy. I'm a service tech by trade. (However, not on cars. Dental equipment if you can believe that.) The older I get, the less I want to wrench on the weekends, but I will still do it when needed. With my stable consisting of an 02 Pathy and an 04 Forester, there is always something to be fixed. This summer will be spent doing the RMS on mine and possibly a newer engine in the Foz. I'm shooting for a half-million miles between the two of them. We're at 224k and 175k respectively.