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Spied a listing for a tight looking little 4x4 of uncertain reliability yesterday around noon, bought it an hour later for $2700 cash after a quick test drive. Pre-purchase inspections? Whassat? The Hardbody:  Awwww yeah, 20-odd years of vintage 4x4 goodness. Cascadian Teal and a canopy too! Other features include a ridiculous alarm system, upgraded stereo, remote start (odd for reasons which will become clear) and problems! Let's take a look under the hood:  3L V6 VG33e, will probably run until the bombs drop with proper maintenance. Standard transmission, too! (remember the remote start?) Upon closer inspection:  Horn is duct-taped on? Ehhh.  That may be the original battery...  Definitely some oil bathing from the left side of the engine, but it's not dripping on the ground yet.  Hmm, yes, that would explain this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1e36u3CS6U I'm pretty sure anything soft underneath needs replacing.  The good: - Runs like a champ once it's warmed up. - Remote start is a great party trick. - 4x4 is strong and  does this thing have torque for the fuel economy (+-20mpg).- Tires are kinda-sorta newish. DPO repairs: -replaced headlamp switch 2017 -replaced front shocks 2016 -replaced ignition switch 2016 -new front brake pads and rotors, serviced calipers 2016 -new RH tie rod 2014 -new battery 2014 -new rear brakes 2014 -new winsdhield 2013 -new clutch 2013 -exhaust manifold studs replaced 2011 The Bad: - That godawful creak whenever it moves over any slight bump. - The timing belt was last replaced in, uh, 2003. Scheduled replacement is around every 90k km, and that was oh 200k km ago?  - Might as well do the water pump at the same time. - Odometer doesn't work. - Temperature gauge flutters but doesn't work. - AC is kinda warmish. - Fuel pump may or may not be going, hard to tell. - Lifters tick in a cyclical fashion until the engine is warmed up (from reading it appears they just do this, and it's probably not a concern). - Canopy is leaking at the base, needs new gaskets. List O' poo poo to do within 14 days - Timing Belt, Water Pump, Temp gauge. - New Battery - Odometer - Canopy Gasket. I rebuilt a motorcycle once so I should be able to handle this, right? Follow along on this magical journey of making sure this thing doesn't die for at least 12 months! Bonus: I learned to drive standard as I was peeling out of the DPO's driveway. Super fun! Rime fucked around with this message at 20:18 on Jun 17, 2017 |
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Jun 17, 2017 20:12
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| # ? May 5, 2024 11:18 |
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It's good to see a nice driver-grade maintenance project thread again. Were you the Canpol regular who was going to live out of a van?
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Jun 17, 2017 21:44
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Totes! Vans are terrible off pavement, this is the proper dirtbagging platform. ....once the canopy is sealed.
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Jun 17, 2017 22:07
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Well, no sense in wasting time. Ordered the belt and pump through Lordco, but while we wait let's see if the odometer can be fixed. Should be easy peasy right? Six screws and the cluster slides out most of the way.  poo poo. Everything is seated fine and there's no corrosion on the contacts, so that's not it. Time to crawl underneath and locate the cable on the transmission. (I'll be returning to this to swap the dim-as-poo poo bulbs out for LED's in the near future). 30 Minutes of Wandering in the abyss later: Found speedo cable, everything was A-OK on the connection. Since the Speedo works fine, I can only assume the gauge is going and I should head to a junk yard ASAP to prepare for when it does. Meanwhile, further discoveries abound.  Well, there's the source of one of those drat creaks. Holy poo poo.  Hmmmmmmmmm. Yes. Indeed. This is going to be a long summer, good thing there's too much snow on the mountains to be out of town on the weekends.
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Jun 18, 2017 05:19
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Ooh, that's a nice. Have you seen any signs of significant frame rust? If not, that looks like a Good Truck. Is the interior as nice as the outside?
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Jun 18, 2017 08:11
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Invalido posted:Ooh, that's a nice. He's from BC so it already has a racial bonus against rust, and also because it looks like a hybrid Exxon Valdez/Peter North cosplayer I think there isn't enough unoiled frame left to rust. Bushings, though..
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Jun 18, 2017 16:00
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Yeah the frame lives up to the name, there is nothing except the mildest of surface spatter anywhere. Like, the kind of stuff you can't even call rust, just corrosion. I've looked inside the rails, same deal. If I had the will to wire down and POR15 this thing it would probably outlast my knees. Interior is eh, about what you'd expect for a moderately used 21 year old 4x4. And yes, every bushing is turbofucked, as pictured. Since it was raining and miserable, I have no parts for anything, I can barely drive stick, and I don't know what might I be ready to break at any moment....clearly the best plan was to go flog it 60km up an abandoned FSR and go hiking.  This thing eats potholes and shits insane laughter. Crawled up one nasty spot in second, where multiple other trucks I've been in have required 4-lo on dry days. Unless I am very doing the math wrong it's also getting 37mpg (280km on 15L?). 
Rime fucked around with this message at 03:12 on Jun 19, 2017 |
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Jun 19, 2017 01:51
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Rime posted:Yeah the frame lives up to the name, there is nothing except the mildest of surface spatter anywhere. Like, the kind of stuff you can't even call rust, just corrosion. I've looked inside the rails, same deal. If I had the will to wire down and POR15 this thing it would probably outlast my knees. Interior is eh, about what you'd expect for a moderately used 21 year old 4x4. That works out to 5.3L/100, which is golf diesel territory, so i suspect somethings out considering D21's arent known for their fuel sipping.
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Jun 19, 2017 03:19
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Something is way the gently caress off on the mileage. If the engine isn't pinging itself to death, then your math is way off. The 4 cyl version - standard cab, manual transmission, 2WD - was rated 27 mpg highway. And I find that number pretty impossible - I had the DOHC version of the 4 cyl in my Altima, and the best I ever managed out of that thing was about 28 MPG. That car was a hell of a lot more aerodynamic than a 4WD pickup. If for some reason it's running lean as hell, it might be getting 37, but the engine isn't long for this world if that's the case.
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Jun 19, 2017 10:34
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I'm running the same motor in a 2000 Terrano (Pathfinder) and I average a shade under 16mpg. 37 is dreamland, even allowing for the weight difference.
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Jun 20, 2017 02:35
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There appears to be no firm consensus online as to whether this truck has the 16 Gallon or 21 Gallon fuel tank, making it pretty much impossible to guess the economy until I crawl under there and take a look.  Toddled over to Lordco today and it appears a water pump and timing belt will cost me a whopping $290.  Not sure if I should even bother performing the surgery myself now, vs. just coughing up another $180 to have a mechanic do it and possibly find other fun things wrong.
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Jun 20, 2017 04:25
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Rime posted:Toddled over to Lordco today and it appears a water pump and timing belt will cost me a whopping $290. Try RockAuto, Lordco prices spiral out of loving control as soon as a car passes about 10-15 years old in my experience.
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Jun 20, 2017 04:31
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Seat Safety Switch posted:Try RockAuto, Lordco prices spiral out of loving control as soon as a car passes about 10-15 years old in my experience. Save about $30 after shipping and customs. 
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Jun 20, 2017 04:49
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Rime posted:Save about $30 after shipping and customs. My dude, have you seen ebay? I was a little jealous of your sweet truck but then I remembered when I owned an import. Parts prices for imports in Canada are loving disgusting. Really, parts prices in general are loving horse poo poo. Even when you factor in the exchange rate there's like a 10% markup. I would have saved like, $60 if I could import tires and tubes for my moped but nope, got to pay the extra dollars for worse tires at fortnine. The only thing that saved me when I had my protege was ebay parts.
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Jun 20, 2017 11:50
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Rime posted:There appears to be no firm consensus online as to whether this truck has the 16 Gallon or 21 Gallon fuel tank, making it pretty much impossible to guess the economy until I crawl under there and take a look. Does your trip odometer still work? If yes, reset it next time you fill up. Drive it until you're down to, say, 1/4 of a tank. Fill up again. Preferably at the same pump, but you'll get a rough idea if you use a different pump. Just let the pump run until it clicks off once, don't try to top it off (topping it off would throw the math off, plus you wind up forcing fuel into evap hoses and such when you do that). I know the math to figure out MPG (miles driven divided by gallons it took to fill back up). I'm sure Google will turn up the math you need to figure out metric units, but you guys do that 100 liters/km thing and I don't really care to try and figure it out right now. If your trip odometer no longer works, use some kind of GPS app on your phone to track your distance for the entire tank, just make sure you run it every time you drive. It won't be very accurate, but it'll get you into the ballpark. If it's only $180 to have a shop do the timing belt job vs DIY, I'd be handing it over to a shop. It's not difficult at all on your truck, but I personally hate touching timing belts. randomidiot fucked around with this message at 12:02 on Jun 20, 2017 |
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Jun 20, 2017 11:56
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Yeah I called around today and three shops all quoted me $1000-$1500 for the belt & pump, so I'll be doing this myself.  Neither trip nor regular odometer work, I suspect it might be a broken dial gear so I'm going to take the speedo faceplate off and see inspect the internals tonight.
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Jun 20, 2017 22:54
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Vigorous forest service roads have sheared off a shock-absorbing exhaust mount.  And some body panel struts...   I guess that's why I don't have a mud flap on the driver's side, heh, didn't notice before. Oh well, off to some more mountains today! 
Rime fucked around with this message at 15:39 on Jun 24, 2017 |
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Jun 24, 2017 15:28
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Unsurprisingly, my exhaust has blown open at the joint just before the muffler!
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Jun 25, 2017 04:04
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Rime posted:Unsurprisingly, my exhaust has blown open at the joint just before the muffler! Way I see it, you've got two options: cherry bomb or bed stacks.
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Jun 25, 2017 22:57
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I had a 93. Great truck. It handled everything I threw at it and laughed back at me. 
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Jul 11, 2017 23:46
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A friend with a welder and 6" of pipe has replaced the flange I blew out, however this caused two more to pop open, so exhaust putty will be curing on those this weekend while I'm out of town. Decided to take it into Nissan this week to have them give it the full 200-point and tell me how much I'm on the hook for, after my Speedometer started failing and I noticed a clunk coming from the rear when I take a right-hand turn at more than 30km/h. I suspect this is a hub about to go, which I can't fix on my own, but I'd like to know the full list of things which will probably kill me / destroy my bank account.  At the start I set aside $2000 to the "fix this to the point where it lasts 3 years" budget. That should fix the clunk, the timing belt, buy me a new dash cluster + sending unit, and leave some left over for minor things. I hope. gently caress. Rime fucked around with this message at 00:13 on Jul 12, 2017 |
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Jul 11, 2017 23:55
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The clunk could very well be a shot shock. Every used truck I've bought had the rear shocks completely dickered and the clunk was the sound of it compressing all the way. You can legally cut the exhaust back to right behind the cab and have your muffler under the box. I get rid of tons of exhaust leaks this way (a side pipe or at least a downpipe is recommended but not necessary). Check all of the bushings. The leaf spring bushings are likely cracked and lovely and probably making noise. You can grease them with white grease for now to stop the sound, but they're not expensive or hard to replace. edit: half != have autism ZX spectrum fucked around with this message at 01:46 on Jul 12, 2017 |
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Jul 12, 2017 00:52
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Like he said, when I lower my trucks i cut the exhaust off after the muffler and then make a turndown out of what I cut off.
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Jul 12, 2017 01:39
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I went out to investigate the clunk, check over the leaf spring hangers and shocks. Found this instead.  Thank god they're 10ply, but that's hella close to the bead.
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Jul 12, 2017 02:03
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In a shocking turn of events, after two hours of going over it, Nissan has concluded that this truck is in fact in great shape and that all suspension parts (with the exception of a worn rear lower control arm bushing) are fine.  The full exhaust run is shot, but we knew that. "Complete internal disintegration of catalytic converter, muffler, resonator & all flanges." Noted as marginal: - Power steering pump seepage. - Engine Front & Rear Seals - Unsatisfactory / bad "Valve noise"  - Transmission Leak & Noise And that's...it? Whew, things are looking up. Tires also measured out at 10/32-7/32 which is kind of insane given they're nearly a decade old and have 100,000+ on them, but with so much amount of cracking they and then the timing belt are first on the list. My plan being to do the timing belt next weekend, as I don't really want to do 1500km of remote BC driving with that ticking away on me... Honestly I've been procrastinating on that timing belt for a month because I'm terrified I'm going to gently caress it up. 
Rime fucked around with this message at 02:14 on Jul 14, 2017 |
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Jul 14, 2017 02:09
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At least if you gently caress it up you won't be scared anymore :p Go real slow, label everything and definitely get a manual for it. Factory Service manual ideally but it could probably be done with a Chiltons/Haynes. You'll more than likely want an impact wrench or at least a fuckoff big breaker bar. If you have the $2k you can spend and really don't want to take everything apart now would be the time to spend it, not that I'd ever advocate not doing work yourself.
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Jul 14, 2017 03:30
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Breakfast Feud posted:Factory Service manual ideally Here ya go! This is the chapter list - use the 2 letter designation to figure out which pdf to open. It's for the US model, but I can't imagine the Canadian model being very different (aside from the cluster). randomidiot fucked around with this message at 05:55 on Jul 14, 2017 |
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Jul 14, 2017 05:52
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When I was a clueless teenager I did the timing belt on my z31 vg30et as my first real automotive wrenching experience with the help of a mediocre haynes manual and it was fine. I was seriously dumb as gently caress, don't be too scared. Half the battle was working space which won't nearly be as bad for you. And yeah, those vg motors had a characteristic tick, that would be the least of my concerns.
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Jul 14, 2017 05:55
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Glad to hear the truck got a clean bill of health. I'll echo the others timing belt DIYers. If you're somewhat handy, have a modest tool set and some patience you'll be fine. If you've rebuilt a motorcycle, you've probably dealt with timing the crank and cams which is usually the trickiest part of the job. Take pictures, and if if things seem harder than they should be, stop and think (or see if you can find someone doing the job on Youtube).
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Jul 14, 2017 06:52
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Boys who love boys
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It scared the poo poo out of me the first time I did a timing belt too, and that was on a non-interference engine. I went as far as to count the teeth between the gears and check it 100 times to make sure it was right. You'll be fine.
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Jul 14, 2017 16:41
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Being a man who thinks spending $500+ on a new exhaust run, on a 22 y/o truck, is stupid - I did the needful: Awww yeah, look at all that rust, and that lovely gasket, and that bent flange. Getting those fuckers out without actually jacking up the truck was great, glad there's so much headroom down there. A good 40 minutes of cursing because investing in PB-Blaster is silly.  $2 in hardware and a $5 tube of goop later, presto. Did the one above that too, but couldn't get a good shot of it. Exhaust Cement gets a bad rap. If you use that poo poo to patch a hole, it's gonna to fall off. If you immediately rev your engine to "cure" it, it's going to blow all over the fuckin' place. Use it in flanges as a high-temp pseudo-gasket? Give it half a day to dry and then idle the truck for 15 minutes without ever touching the gas pedal? This should last at least three weeks!
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Jul 20, 2017 03:44
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Copper RTV is my jam for stuff like that. I'm surprised you didn't just cut off the old hardware with a grinder since it was getting tossed.
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Jul 20, 2017 18:27
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Well, with around a foot of clearance the blade would have been terrifyingly close to my face. But I also don't own an angle grinder, my tools on hand are a sears 200 piece tool kit and a MAP torch.
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Jul 20, 2017 21:03
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Rime posted:Well, with around a foot of clearance the blade would have been terrifyingly close to my face. But I also don't own an angle grinder, my tools on hand are a sears 200 piece tool kit and a MAP torch. Learn to suppress that fear of abrasive wheels. They are your friends. Wear eye pro, though. Or better yet get a face mask.
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Jul 20, 2017 22:54
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Always wear a face mask with a grinder especially at odd angles/under trucks. I've had the loving grinder catch and hit me in the face(mask) a few times and I've had a cutting wheel grenade once.
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Jul 20, 2017 23:45
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Breakfast Feud posted:Always wear a face mask with a grinder especially at odd angles/under trucks. I've had the loving grinder catch and hit me in the face(mask) a few times and I've had a cutting wheel grenade once. Show me a guy who hasn't gotten a split lip from the tail end of a grinder going for a walk and I'll show you a guy who has never used a grinder.
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Jul 21, 2017 07:15
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Nissan D21 King Cab is Best Truck! Yours just looks suspiciously pretty, but I may be somewhat biased in my cosmetic standards: I had an exhaust leak at just that kind of flange right under the drivers seat (possibly not quite the same spot as I have no cat and not a V6), which made it both noisy and smelly. I found a new gasket but still had to apply a liberal amount of monkey feces to seal it up. Now a couple months later, it leaks a tiny bit but just sounds somewhat sporty from the outside. It will do for now. Seat Safety Switch posted:Show me a guy who hasn't gotten a split lip from the tail end of a grinder going for a walk and I'll show you a guy who has never used a grinder. One of the dumbest things I've ever done was to grind something under a car jacked up not-very-high with a cutoff wheel that had a little bit missing, and a grinder that was missing the guard. This was repairs at night during a 24h race weekend, so workplace safety was not my primary concern. Since it was too tight for a decent working position, I sort of held it above my chest. It caught on something while grinding (due to the uneven wheel), bounced off it, and got caught in my hoodie turning it into a strait-jacket. Zero physical damage to me though.
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Jul 21, 2017 08:23
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Thursday: Herp Derp, gonna put a quart of 10w30 Synthetic in my engine because some internet people said that will make the lifters calm their poo poo down. Friday: All is cool, lifters still noisy. Saturday: All is cool, lifters still noisy. Sunday: CLACK CLACK CLACK CLACK CLACK CLACK (Even when coasting). Me: Ohfuckohfuckohfuck, I'm an hour outside of town and my timing belt must have skipped. I have no money to tow this poo poo, oh gently caress. Wait, why am I not losing power and everything seems fine aside from it sounding like metal clapping in there? (go hiking for 6 hours, come back, start truck) Lifters: clicky clicky clicky. Me: Monday: Lifters: click click click So that was some poo poo. Best as I can google, because I took off pretty fast on Sunday the hydraulic lifters got pissy and churned the oil into a frothy mess which made them sound quite loud, and now they have bled out and will be settled for a while. Either that or something is super hosed and I'm going to end up stranded 800km from home in a week.
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Jul 25, 2017 02:21
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A month passed quietly, with the truck kicking up no fuss. Ran it on a 900km road trip into the middle of nowhere, and it was smooth as butter. Recently, however.... Last weekend: Driving up to Squamish, truck starts making a terrible racket, the return of the CLACK CLACK CLACK valve noise. Get to our destination and discover that the radiator vented a large amount of coolant from the cap, but no other signs of trouble. Truck makes the return trip smoothly and quietly... Today: Truck drives perfectly fine across town. Is parked for an hour. On the return trip the engine dies HARD when the clutch is fully depressed. Shuts off like the key was turned, unless I keep the gas on to rev it. This leads to a harrowing half-hour of having to clutch and gas simultaneously to keep it from dying. Yeesh.
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Sep 1, 2017 03:28
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This morning it wouldn't idle below 2000 at startup, then after ten minutes of driving to work it started dying on the clutch again. When I pulled it, it was idling super rough around 300 and pouring black smoke out the tailpipe. Shits super hosed, isn't it.
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Sep 1, 2017 15:48
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