NissanDiesel Forums

Hi there guys this is my first post after the introductory one and although I didn't want it to be a "Help me!" post it surely will be one. Bought this car a month ago kitted it out and wanted to take it on its first bigger spin up Arthur's Pass today. It has been working nicely with the temp gauge never going over 1/2, blowing a bit of black and a bit of blue smoke when cool but I definitely had issues today.

Driving the car west into the wind I noticed it losing power after sitting on 3200rpm for about 30 minutes. As soon as I encountered the first bigger hill I had to consistently shift down while vibrations in the car were getting more while the temp gauge rose above 2/3 at which point I stopped and let it cool down. Also was blowing black smoke like...

Going downhill and into the other direction, over 3200rpm for more than an hour I never scratched the 1/2 mark. Looking inside there are no air bubbles in the radiator nor "cappucino" in the oil. I blew through the overfill hose from the radiator to the coolant overflow which I guess was blocked. Also sucked on it a couple of times and a lot of gunk came out. So today the coolant colour is brown/green instead of pure green as it was yesterday before I cleaned the hose.
After I bought it I flushed the radiator for several hours with water and proper flush, cleaned the overfill and the heater system. Changed oil, fuel and air filters. I also poured some injector cleaner in the tank as it all looked pretty sooty in there.

I wonder what it could be? Thermostat? Waterpump? Injectors? Going crazy right now as it'll mean I'll have to sit on my arse for a couple of days more before I can take the baby out.

Thanks for the help!

I would definitely check out the thermostat. You already did a nice servicing on the rest of it. You might want to adjust your 'smoke point' as a steady diet of particulate carbon WILL damage the rings and dirties the oil pretty fast too...

NR

Seems like I didn't do that much of a good job in servicing it...at least some stuff missed my eye.

The radiator core now basically consists out of solidified rust and dirt - it was pretty brown when I looked at it but still thought that to be alright. So could it have been only this? Pump and thermostat are off now but could be working fine. What is the normal price for radiator (new or reconditioning), water pump and thermostat?

I am with a guy in Christchurch now who helps me to sort this stuff out as I don't have all the tools I need. Cheers and thanks in advance.

If the rad is externally not rotted out or otherwise damaged beyond repair, take it to a rad shop and see if they can improve on it. You may have to get the pump rebuilt; new heavy parts like waterpump assemblies for those are getting scarce; at least here they are... You should be able to get a thermostat at any UAP/NAPA dealer. You can test it by submerging in a pot of boiling water where it should open fully while in it and close when removed. Opening and closing should be SMOOTH (Not jerky) and slowwww... Make sure the new thermostat has the same step as the old one; they don't look like thermostats that most vehicles use. If you are unsure about this, enlist the help of someone who absolutely knows what they are doing with this old engine and its somewhat different parts...

NR

G'Day, I've a homy too, could you post a pic of the fusebox diagram, mine got burned in an electrical fire cause by some McGyver wiring Thanks