Hey all,

After many months my 1992 sentra se-r is finally beginning to take shape. I got the new sr20de in there, water pump, intake, cat, and tires and wheels on there. But it still has some problems. Are there any good FAQ's out there, that aren't entirely performance based? My goal is to get the car up and running precisely as it should, then focus more on performance later. If it helps here is what I'm currently dealing with:

-After filling with coolant, car now overheats-Speedometer suddenly conked out and doesn't register-Heater just blows cold air-Brake pedal will occasionally sink to the floor when held down at a stoplight-Occasionally when pressing on the gas, it feels like you're pushing against a wall and with enough force, it'll break free and rev fine. This has only happened a couple of times, but both havc been at stoplights and I want to address this.

Problem fix in the order you listed:1. The coolant system needs to be bled.2. Check the speedometer connection at the tranny3. Once system is bled, heater should work fine, might want to change Thermostat as well if you didn't when you swapped motor4. Trying bleeding the brake system, if that doesn't work, probably need a new master cylinder5. Have you checked the MAF and TPS voltages?

Guess I need to get some info for basic maintenance stickied

By bled do you mean flushed and refilled? I keep getting conflicting steps on how to do that. I got a guy saying one thing, my Haynes manual says another.

The Haynes manual says to remove the rad cap, drain coolant, then pull a couple of drain plugs and further drain coolant from the engine. Then, plug the caps and fill as usual. Does that sound correct?

THat is flushing the system. When you refil the system, sometimes air is trapped inside the block.

Step by step process for bleeding system:

# With the front and rear bleeders still open and the heater control to full hot, fill the radiator and coolant reservoir with a mix of your favorite anti-freeze and distilled water (between 50/50 and 70/30 anti-freeze to distilled water is typical) until some spills from the front bleeder.# Install the front bleeder plug.# Fill the radiator with more coolant until some spills from the rear bleeder.# Install the rear bleeder cap and radiator cap.# Start the engine. Listen for strange noises, check for leaks, and keep an eye on the temperature gauge to avoid overheating.# After the radiator fan begins to run, allow the engine to run a few more minutes, then shut down.# Allow the engine to cool for an hour, then remove the rear bleeder cap and radiator cap.# Fill the coolant reservoir if necessary, and fill the radiator until fluid spills from the rear bleeder.# Install the rear bleeder cap and radiator cap. At this point, the cooling system should be sufficiently purged of air. With the engine running, you should feel hot air from the heater and hear no noises from the heater core. Note: the reservoir usually completes the last little bit of this job for you, so check the coolant level routinely after each drive over the next few days.# Close the hood, lower the car, and go for a drive! Watch the temperature gauge, listen for strange noises, and check for leaks upon return.

*Some even say to jack up the front of the car when bleeding the system*

This is the rear bleeder, with the cap perched on the firewall ledge to the upper left.

The front bleeder plug is in the center of this image, to the upper right of the thermostat housing as indicated by the gold label.

Hopefully this will clear up any questions.