Nissan hardbody

[JW]

I recently bought a 1989 Nissan hardbody. Ive been working thru some issues with it you can see my progress.

http://www.infamousnissan.com/forum/showthread.php?t=41351

I have successfully solved some problems using this forum.

[hiker]

I'm fed up with all the electronic crap on my f-250...wounder if I could yank it all off ..install a carb..from a older model and the old point system...its a 91...might be fun just to try.....not sure about the fuel pump...would be nice if theirs still a place to install one......?

[Bruce S]

Hiker;
I'm betting your fuel pump is located in the fuel tank.
You could install an electric transfer fuel pump from a semi, those are wonderful little devices  .

[hiker]

Yes ..one in each tank..just miss the simplicity and reliability of the past...

[electrondady1]

i'm working on my '55 international.

[JW]

Wow that is nice

[hiker]

Nice 55...I have a 53 chev carryall ..same as a panel truck .but has windows...drove it for years..starting after high school..71...drove it down to s Dakota ..and back.in the middle of winter..had a big cat heater up front..little cook stove and full length bed in back...my dad and I made the trip..engine never skipped a beat..235 straight six..drove it for years after..daily driver..still kicks over and runs fine...frt.main bearing on tranny started to go..so I parked it ..sat for a year..went to start one day ..all brakes locked up...it had a small leak in the brakes ..one day I needed fluid..ran into the closest store..dollar store..big mistake...cheap fluid locked up the brake cylenders...belive it's about time to bring back to life...needs fuel pump..ran dry diafram cracked..water pump seal might be going......😜

[JW]

Hey Hiker it probably wasn't the brake fluid (dot3) more likely contamination brake fluid is hydroscopic, over time it mixes with water and causes corrosion. Im assuming this doesn't have disk brakes and has wheel cylinders. Just knock out the pistons with a drift and hammer and hone the cylinders. Get a new set of cups sand the pistons. The master cylinder will have to be rebuilt to. 

[hiker]

Some kind of white powder from the cheap dollar store brake fluid...sized up the Pistons....I should have know better..but needed some in a hurry...it wasn't DOT 3 approved..some off the wall brand name..

[Bruce S]

Ahh; the simplicity of an inline 6, single barrel !
Workhorses! my '74 Nova came with the 250 version, lasted until I had a stupid moment and traded it off .
Don't tell too many people how easy it is to rebuild those brakes! They'll want to outlaw those too  .

Should only take a 6-pack to get'em all 4 done.

Cheers
Bruce S

[JW]

Ok everything arrived that I need to get the Nissan on the road. Tomorrow Im going to change the fuel pump (its in the tank) and that should make the rev limiter effect go away. If it doesn't then I have a ECM to try... Then I have to replace the con rod bearings, I was waiting for some crocus cloth so I can buff the journals before installing the new bearing shells.

After all that im also replacing the oil pump. Busy but easy day.

[Simen]

Some engines has a spring-loaded center-pin on the rotor in the distributor that limits the revs... (It disconnects the center-pin, due to rotational forces - my '91 Audi 100 had that...)

[JW]

Hi Simen the rev limiter is controlled by the ECU. Just as an aside it can limit timing and in some cases fuel injector. On this engine the distributor is driven directly with a helical gear to the crankshaft, and uses an optical pickup.

In some cases if the fuel pump cant keep up with flow requirements, it mimic's the effect of a rev limiter. Ive seen it before.

When the engine starts from cold the ignition automatically is advanced until it warms up then the ECU changes the timing back and it decreases the timing and the engine settles down.

I spun the #1 con rod bearing. I worked for about an couple hours burnishing and polished the journal. its doing well and I should be able to get away with. This engine puffs blue smoke so it needs new rings and a rebuilt.

If I can get away with about 20,000 miles from now things will be great. I will just swap a long block.

anyway thinking about this working. I've good compression 

This truck has two spark plugs per cylinder.. difficult to tune up.                                                       

[JW]

Still working on the rev limiter issue. When I was getting the engine up to 6000rpm I spun a con rod bearing. I have been resurfacing the bearing journal by hand with emery and crocus cloth for a copula days..

Today I replaced all the con rod bearings as well as the mains. They were all in bad shape, I glad I got into this while I'm home. As a master mechanic I can tell you, that you can replace the bearings without messing with the crank shaft. The bearings I selected were standard. Next will be the oil pump and after that will be the fuel pump. Once all this is done I will get back to the rev limiter issue. I have a new ECM if the new fuel pump doesn't correct the problem.

[Bruce S]

As a mechanic school and military taught , I can also see those bearings ran a little more than low on oil!
Look at those hot spots !
You gonna gauge those out? What's the crank looking like?
I've done a bearing swap on an Olds 455 , it was "FUN".

Have fun 

[hiker]

Had a 71 Plymouth satilite..heard a slight knocking sound....okay ILE change out the rod and mains...jacked up the front..crawled under ..dropped the pan..changed out rod bearings..changed out the mains...bearings all looked fine ..little worn..?  Torked it all down..installed pan...cranked it up...tick tick tick...just a tappet the whole time.!!!   Quick fix on that.! Back in the early 80s...😜

[Bruce S]

Ahh the days of actually working on a car and have it respond with something you could understand without need a degree in programming  .
That's what drew me to the early 80's MB diesels, even tho they had solid lifters, you could actually get under the hood and work on it.
Forgetting to put an oil baffle on it and getting oil all over the place was even fun.
What I don't miss is getting zapped by the coils , my poor elbows got tore up from the reaction. I wished I had owned a night time camera when I opened up a friend's car one late night only to see coil arcs going everywhere except to the plugs.

JW, I know were drifting ff course here, but the memories are great!!
Thanks

[JW]

Its still is on topic Bruce

Ok so today was the big day, I got all the bearings in and was waiting for oil pump gaskets. On the 1989 D21 2.4L the oil pump is driven by the crankshaft and has to index cyl #1 tdc. The oil pump is external I must have went thru 10 gaskets because I had to remove it in and out 20 times before I got it right.

While I was waiting for the gaskets I decided I would replace the in tank fuel pump. I have been building up to that for 2 days. As luck would have it the tank was full. Anyway it went as good as possible. I put the truck on a lift and used a transmission jack and supported the tank that way. Everything went good and I don't have to worry a 25 year old fuel pump now.

Ok so I also replaced the water pump.

Everything went well and the truck runs great....

Now comes the rev limiter....  The condition still exists even with the new fuel pump.

I was told by somebody on the Nissan forum since my truck is a 5 speed the ECM has a rev limiter built in. However the ECM for the auto transmission does not have this. I have one(A/T), everything else is done, so now we remove the seat then swap out the ECM's put the seat back and be done with the whole thing. 

 

[JW]

Well spun anther rod bearing, got a new motor and my nephew is helping me put the new engine in it. I stuck my otherpower bumper sticker on it and it blew up the truck.

[dbcollen]

whomever previously drove that truck really liked to ride the clutch, look at all the wear on the thrust bearing.

[JW]

Yes we are looking into that. We should have it going by tomorrow. I have 2 pressure plates and 2 friction disks and 2 flywheels to choose from, also a new pilot bearing. We have a new throw out bearing to.

The problem that has caused all kinds of trouble is the engine acts like it has a rev limiter and it shouldn't.