The time has ccome to do a good amount of work to the pathy so it lasts another 130k miles. The brakes are starting to sound pretty crappy, so it's time to do some maintenance. And the belts are needing replacement. Also, i plan on attempting to check the plugs/coils. I basically want to do a super overhaul and make sure everything is in check. My dad didn't do too much other than the regular oil change/airfilter stuff. So, I have a few questions as far as options:
Front brakes-1) Turn stock rotors and get stock pads from nissan (hardest, i dont have a second car)2) Brembo rotors and some sort of pad (need good suggestions) from Tirerack3) O'Reilly's/Autozone rotors and their pads
Rear Brakes-Need a good spray coating to stop rust of the drumsAnd a good suggestion on shoes (autozone/o'reilly's, tire rack, nissan)
Belts-Again, same thing1) Nissan parts2) Autozone/O'Reillys Premium or their cheapo stuff
Also plan on doing the PCV valve and make sure everything is good.
Any other suggestions. Also, do we get a discount with any Nissan places? I know we have ton's of sponsors, but I'm near Courtesy in Richardson, TX so I just get stuff from there. Thanks guys
-Seth
Super maintenance on a 2002 Pathy....Need parts advice.
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Buzzman
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Re: Super maintenance on a 2002 Pathy....Need parts advice. (Megaseth)
Good luck on that one.Have you seen where it is, and how to change it?No-one I know has ever bothered to replace it.Megaseth wrote:
Also plan on doing the PCV valve and make sure everything is good.
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MachinegunT
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Re: Super maintenance on a 2002 Pathy....Need parts advice. (Megaseth)
Make sure you do the plugs, transmission, rear dif, and transfer case! Also have the radiator flushed! I always just buy new pads and rotors and don't f*** with turning them! I would also use a OEM belt! I would not bother with the PCV valve!
T
T
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slickroger
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Re: Super maintenance on a 2002 Pathy....Need parts advice. (Megaseth)
the PCV valve is in a really tough spot.i have to replace my ECT sensor which is deep at the back of the engine and i had to remove my intake manifold to get it and i can now see my PCV. so unless you want to remove the intake manifold i would leave it if it is good.
Yuck, I didn't know about the PCV valve. It was so much easier on my Accord....then again, the fuel filter required the hands of a small child with the strength of a gorilla to get to AND change.
Alright, I'll check the transmission fluid and rear diff, no transfercase though, it's 2wd. And any advice on rotor/pad brand?
Thanks for the info guys, this place hasn't let me down since I joined.
Alright, I'll check the transmission fluid and rear diff, no transfercase though, it's 2wd. And any advice on rotor/pad brand?
Thanks for the info guys, this place hasn't let me down since I joined.
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Chuck Tribolet
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Re: (Megaseth)
The engineer who did the front brakes is on my engineering heroes list (and I are an engineer). They just swing up out of the way. Unless the front pads are down to the metal, OR the rotor is below spec thickness, just change the front pads out and use new Nissan pads and don't mess with the rotors.
Don't assume you need new rear brake shoes. I'm at 160K, and haven't needed them yet. I'm on the third set of front pads (About half my miles are towing a boat, and the boat trailer doesn't have brakes).
Do change all the lubricants.
You didn't mention greasing stuff. Grease it. GOOD grease from somebody you would buy motor oil from. Check the FSM for where all the grease fittings are.
Be sure you use distilled water and NISSAN coolant when refilling the rad. Distilled water will keep it from getting gunked up, NISSAN coolant is what's speced. There are lots of horror stories about coolant incompatibilities, and you don't know what's in there now. I'd flush several times with fresh water to get all the old coolant out, then one flush with distilled water to get the hardness of the fresh water out. If you live where there's hard water, do a second distilled water flush. BTW: water softener water should NEVER go in a radiator. There's other nasty ions floating around in it (like from the salt).
To do a flush right, let it warm up to operating temp, then shut it off and let it cool. A big fan helps. Figure an hour. Taking the skid plate off helps (more air flow up and out the hood. If you are a sports fan, work this into half times, etc.
When you are refilling the rad, there's a vent you need to open. Up against the firewall, dead center, is a metal tube with a rubber cap. Pull the cap before draining, and after refilling. Be very carefull with the hose clamp, there's a reason they are called "Jesus clips".
The rad should flow perfectly clean. I drained mine after 130 K miles, and poured it through a coffee filter. There were like two specs of grit. The inside of the rad looked like a new Coors can. An iron block engine would have had a ton of rust (the 'vette did, 31K miles, but more years, as did several other iron block cars I've flushed including my 240z and a '70 Datsun PU).
Fuel flter also requires the hands of a gorilla, And you need to relieve the pressure (there's a procedure in the FSM) or you'll have gas spraying everywhere because the gas in the filter is under pressure. I know. But FSM says don't change it unless there's cause to suspect it. It's got a huge surface area. I'd pull the inspection port on the gas tank (under the passengers seat on the US driver's side, and have a look. If the inside of the tank looks clean, and the truck runs good at at full throttle high revs AFTER you do everything else here, leave it alone.
The plugs are speced for about 100K miles, and that's a good number. If you don't know that they were changed before, change them. I use Nissan NGKs because the come gapped right (though I always check them). The aft left (US driver's side) plug is a bit fiddly. You have to take some of the induction system apart to get at it, but you PROBABLY won't need a new gasket on the induction system. I'd do this on a day when I knew there was a Nissan parts dept open and I had a way to get there.
Good (Permatex) anti-seize compound on the plug threads. Use a torque wrench.
Parts quality: Don't skimp.
Check all the rubber boots (steering, CV joints, etc).
Check the U joints.
Replace ALL the coolent hoses. Mark them before you take them off, there's one (US drivers side rad hose, IIRC) that's will fit either way, but there's a clearance problem if fitted the wrong way round. I haven't seen evidence that there's a need to replace stuff like fuel hoses.
Modified by Chuck Tribolet at 10:00 PM 5/21/2009
Modified by Chuck Tribolet at 10:00 PM 5/21/2009
Modified by Chuck Tribolet at 10:01 PM 5/21/2009
Modified by Chuck Tribolet at 10:02 PM 5/21/2009
Modified by Chuck Tribolet at 10:03 PM 5/21/2009
Don't assume you need new rear brake shoes. I'm at 160K, and haven't needed them yet. I'm on the third set of front pads (About half my miles are towing a boat, and the boat trailer doesn't have brakes).
Do change all the lubricants.
You didn't mention greasing stuff. Grease it. GOOD grease from somebody you would buy motor oil from. Check the FSM for where all the grease fittings are.
Be sure you use distilled water and NISSAN coolant when refilling the rad. Distilled water will keep it from getting gunked up, NISSAN coolant is what's speced. There are lots of horror stories about coolant incompatibilities, and you don't know what's in there now. I'd flush several times with fresh water to get all the old coolant out, then one flush with distilled water to get the hardness of the fresh water out. If you live where there's hard water, do a second distilled water flush. BTW: water softener water should NEVER go in a radiator. There's other nasty ions floating around in it (like from the salt).
To do a flush right, let it warm up to operating temp, then shut it off and let it cool. A big fan helps. Figure an hour. Taking the skid plate off helps (more air flow up and out the hood. If you are a sports fan, work this into half times, etc.
When you are refilling the rad, there's a vent you need to open. Up against the firewall, dead center, is a metal tube with a rubber cap. Pull the cap before draining, and after refilling. Be very carefull with the hose clamp, there's a reason they are called "Jesus clips".
The rad should flow perfectly clean. I drained mine after 130 K miles, and poured it through a coffee filter. There were like two specs of grit. The inside of the rad looked like a new Coors can. An iron block engine would have had a ton of rust (the 'vette did, 31K miles, but more years, as did several other iron block cars I've flushed including my 240z and a '70 Datsun PU).
Fuel flter also requires the hands of a gorilla, And you need to relieve the pressure (there's a procedure in the FSM) or you'll have gas spraying everywhere because the gas in the filter is under pressure. I know. But FSM says don't change it unless there's cause to suspect it. It's got a huge surface area. I'd pull the inspection port on the gas tank (under the passengers seat on the US driver's side, and have a look. If the inside of the tank looks clean, and the truck runs good at at full throttle high revs AFTER you do everything else here, leave it alone.
The plugs are speced for about 100K miles, and that's a good number. If you don't know that they were changed before, change them. I use Nissan NGKs because the come gapped right (though I always check them). The aft left (US driver's side) plug is a bit fiddly. You have to take some of the induction system apart to get at it, but you PROBABLY won't need a new gasket on the induction system. I'd do this on a day when I knew there was a Nissan parts dept open and I had a way to get there.
Good (Permatex) anti-seize compound on the plug threads. Use a torque wrench.
Parts quality: Don't skimp.
Check all the rubber boots (steering, CV joints, etc).
Check the U joints.
Replace ALL the coolent hoses. Mark them before you take them off, there's one (US drivers side rad hose, IIRC) that's will fit either way, but there's a clearance problem if fitted the wrong way round. I haven't seen evidence that there's a need to replace stuff like fuel hoses.
Modified by Chuck Tribolet at 10:00 PM 5/21/2009
Modified by Chuck Tribolet at 10:00 PM 5/21/2009
Modified by Chuck Tribolet at 10:01 PM 5/21/2009
Modified by Chuck Tribolet at 10:02 PM 5/21/2009
Modified by Chuck Tribolet at 10:03 PM 5/21/2009
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GRNMACHINE
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Re: (Chuck Tribolet)
Great advice/info Chuck! The fuel filter is alot easier if you remove the spare tire. Be careful of the bolt that holds the filter tight, mine snapped off it was so rusty.
Chuck, is there an easy way to do front diff change without a lift. It looked pretty tight to get to the filler and drain plugs. I did the rear diff and it was very easy.
Thanks
Chuck, is there an easy way to do front diff change without a lift. It looked pretty tight to get to the filler and drain plugs. I did the rear diff and it was very easy.
Thanks
I haven't checked this in a while, but wow, thanks a million! I have a trip coming up for labor day so I want to get all of the major things done. I already took care of some of the other things, but there's a few biggies I need to do. I know why I first came to this site with my old 240sx. Thanks again guys!