Al Savage's 1983 wagon

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asavage
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#31

Post by asavage »

I see that there is a dealer badge on the tailgate, "Dean Rawson - Datsun", which seems to indicate Omaha, NE origin. That explains the fuel preheater and tank-style engine heater installations.
Regards,
Al S.

1982 Maxima diesel wagon, 2nd & 4th owner, 165k miles, rusty & burgundy/grey. Purchased 1996, SOLD 16Feb10
1983 Maxima diesel wagon, 199k miles, rusty, light yellow/light brown. SOLD 14Jul07
1981 720 SD22 (scrapped 04Sep07)
1983 Sentra CD17, 255k, bought 06Jul08, gave it away 22Jun10.
glenlloyd
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Joined: 18 years ago
Location: Des Moines, Iowa

#32

Post by glenlloyd »

asavage wrote:I see that there is a dealer badge on the tailgate, "Dean Rawson - Datsun", which seems to indicate Omaha, NE origin. That explains the fuel preheater and tank-style engine heater installations.
Yes, we need some of those contraptions round this part of the country!

sa
97 Jetta TDI, 86 VW Golf D
89 VW Fox diesel, 92 MB 300SD W140

gir - won't the sploding hurt?
zim - silence!
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asavage
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#33

Post by asavage »

goglio704 wrote:How much work would the 83 need to be ready for a drive to TN?
Brakes. It's driveable as-is, but the fluid was non-existant in the MC when I got it, and all I did was pour some in and let it sit a couple of days. The pedal is low, not surprisingly, and it definitely feels like it should have the hydraulics replaced. But it does stop right now, and doesn't pull. I think the rotors pulse. The rack knocks.

Included is a set of new (cheap) rear wheel cylinders, a new (cheap) master cylinder, and shoes & pads (I think: pads for sure, I can't recall if I actually bought the shoes).

Valve cover gasket. Bought and sitting here. Leaks badly, absolutely must be changed. What's that, six bolts? And cleanup, of course.

Battery hold-down. Caxambu got me a used one from the JY. Just needs bolting in.

Coolant flush. Still haven't done it, and it needs it.

Optionally: IP belt & tensioner. I'd sure hate to get halfway across nowhere and have it break. I haven't flushed the coolant because I pull the radiator when I do the IP belt -- it just allows for a more professional, less stressful job.

Hmmm. Tires are OK. Comes with some odd steel rims on it, but a full set of merely-OK-looking Sedan factory alloys (w/lugs, mostly w/o caps). Yeah, I'd drive the tires that far, no problem.

Hmmm. That's about it, for a trip.

It has a PS leak at the rack. A "rebuilt" PS rack comes with it -- with a frozen inner tie rod end. A new inner tie rod end comes with it too ;) And I'll loan you the special wrench needed to change it out.

The radio is very good, you can turn it up loud to drown out anything you don't want to hear.

Comes with a spare set of front seats -- same color -- that it doesn't need, and a spare RF fender in brown that might improve its looks -- or not, since it would be a mis-matched color, but the brown fender is solid, while the one that's on the Wagon isn't. I also have a spare hood in brown too. We could strap it to the roof, I think. The fender will easily fit inside. Everything's clean.

Other things it'll need -- eventually -- include a trans flush, door cracks fix.

It has a coolant heater and fuel preheater installed. I don't know whether they work or not, I've never plugged them in.

I can't think of anything else right now. A co-worker drove it ten miles a couple of weeks ago without mishap. It has a one-year-old top-of-the-line Interstate battery. No, wait, it's older than that, I put the new one in my '82 Wagon a year ago, and the '82's one-year-old one in the '83, so I suppose that makes it two years old -- or a bit more.

Honestly, I haven't driven it other than to move it around the parking lot a couple of times in months, and I've never driven it more than five miles myself. I start it up every month and let it idle an hour. I've never even put any fuel in it -- it had a full tank of five-year-old diesel in it when Myrna gave it to me, and I've never used it up. I think maybe you might want to change the fuel filter (or at least have one with you).

What I need (for the '82) is a Wagon driveshaft, if someone can find a good one. I got one at the JY, but it's got bad joints. I've considered swapping them between the Wagons -- but I am ambivalent about that. Now that I'm driving the '82 daily, the start-off vibration is pretty bad. It's quite smooth above 25 though.

Well, I'm off to pull the Aero's trans -- again! I have the credit, I've found a couple of candidate replacement vans, but I'm loathe to take on the debt. I have to at least take a look at the bad trans. Maybe a JY trans for it, maybe I'll gulp and have it rebuilt again.

Matt, I'd really like to find another home for Myrna's Wagon, one where it won't' get parted for the crank and intake.
Regards,
Al S.

1982 Maxima diesel wagon, 2nd & 4th owner, 165k miles, rusty & burgundy/grey. Purchased 1996, SOLD 16Feb10
1983 Maxima diesel wagon, 199k miles, rusty, light yellow/light brown. SOLD 14Jul07
1981 720 SD22 (scrapped 04Sep07)
1983 Sentra CD17, 255k, bought 06Jul08, gave it away 22Jun10.
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asavage
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#34

Post by asavage »

Matt & I have been conversing, and one of his Qs was, "how bad is the rust". Since I recently saw the hole in the RR wheelwell of the '82 Wagon, letting water into the interiour, I took a flashlight out to the '83 to see what, if any, rust there might be in the same place.

Horrors!

Image Image Image

The magnitude is about 3.5" vertical. You are seeing the wiring harness loom and the back of the carpet on the inside of the wheelwell.
Regards,
Al S.

1982 Maxima diesel wagon, 2nd & 4th owner, 165k miles, rusty & burgundy/grey. Purchased 1996, SOLD 16Feb10
1983 Maxima diesel wagon, 199k miles, rusty, light yellow/light brown. SOLD 14Jul07
1981 720 SD22 (scrapped 04Sep07)
1983 Sentra CD17, 255k, bought 06Jul08, gave it away 22Jun10.
glenlloyd
Posts: 640
Joined: 18 years ago
Location: Des Moines, Iowa

#35

Post by glenlloyd »

Now that's what I call an open sore! I would guess that the other side has something of the same??

steve a
97 Jetta TDI, 86 VW Golf D
89 VW Fox diesel, 92 MB 300SD W140

gir - won't the sploding hurt?
zim - silence!
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asavage
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#36

Post by asavage »

Pass. side is not nearly as bad, but is also perforated. Under an inch, IIRC.
Regards,
Al S.

1982 Maxima diesel wagon, 2nd & 4th owner, 165k miles, rusty & burgundy/grey. Purchased 1996, SOLD 16Feb10
1983 Maxima diesel wagon, 199k miles, rusty, light yellow/light brown. SOLD 14Jul07
1981 720 SD22 (scrapped 04Sep07)
1983 Sentra CD17, 255k, bought 06Jul08, gave it away 22Jun10.
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kassim503
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Joined: 18 years ago
Location: Stony Brook, NY

#37

Post by kassim503 »

thats huge!
'83 maxima sedan, l24e, a/t, black

227K SOLD 6/7/2012
glenlloyd
Posts: 640
Joined: 18 years ago
Location: Des Moines, Iowa

#38

Post by glenlloyd »

That's the kind of thing I would expect to see in my area of the country on a car of that vintage..if not worse.

steve a
97 Jetta TDI, 86 VW Golf D
89 VW Fox diesel, 92 MB 300SD W140

gir - won't the sploding hurt?
zim - silence!
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asavage
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#39

Post by asavage »

asavage wrote:Pass. side is not nearly as bad . . .
I was wrong, I had the two sides confused.

The other side is three times as bad.

This is now a parts car. Steve, you still need an A/C compressor? This one was quiet, IIRC.
Regards,
Al S.

1982 Maxima diesel wagon, 2nd & 4th owner, 165k miles, rusty & burgundy/grey. Purchased 1996, SOLD 16Feb10
1983 Maxima diesel wagon, 199k miles, rusty, light yellow/light brown. SOLD 14Jul07
1981 720 SD22 (scrapped 04Sep07)
1983 Sentra CD17, 255k, bought 06Jul08, gave it away 22Jun10.
glenlloyd
Posts: 640
Joined: 18 years ago
Location: Des Moines, Iowa

#40

Post by glenlloyd »

asavage wrote:
asavage wrote:Pass. side is not nearly as bad . . .
I was wrong, I had the two sides confused.

The other side is three times as bad.

This is now a parts car. Steve, you still need an A/C compressor? This one was quiet, IIRC.
(in a whining voice) Yes, but I wanted the whole car! :cry:

steve a
97 Jetta TDI, 86 VW Golf D
89 VW Fox diesel, 92 MB 300SD W140

gir - won't the sploding hurt?
zim - silence!
User avatar
asavage
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Joined: 18 years ago
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#41

Post by asavage »

You can have the whole car. Come on out and get it, or pay me to take a week off and I'll drive it there. Really.
Regards,
Al S.

1982 Maxima diesel wagon, 2nd & 4th owner, 165k miles, rusty & burgundy/grey. Purchased 1996, SOLD 16Feb10
1983 Maxima diesel wagon, 199k miles, rusty, light yellow/light brown. SOLD 14Jul07
1981 720 SD22 (scrapped 04Sep07)
1983 Sentra CD17, 255k, bought 06Jul08, gave it away 22Jun10.
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asavage
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Joined: 18 years ago
Location: Oak Harbor, Wash.
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#42

Post by asavage »

I've got a fellow who wants a pair of LD28s for his boat. I may sell him this Wagon + my spare '82 LD28 if he comes up with the cash. I really hate to, but other than selling this Wagon as a project to someone in the Southwest, what are my choices?
Regards,
Al S.

1982 Maxima diesel wagon, 2nd & 4th owner, 165k miles, rusty & burgundy/grey. Purchased 1996, SOLD 16Feb10
1983 Maxima diesel wagon, 199k miles, rusty, light yellow/light brown. SOLD 14Jul07
1981 720 SD22 (scrapped 04Sep07)
1983 Sentra CD17, 255k, bought 06Jul08, gave it away 22Jun10.
goglio704
Posts: 726
Joined: 18 years ago
Location: East Tennessee

#43

Post by goglio704 »

Boat engine is not a terrible fate for an LD28. The engines will outlive the Maxima chassis in all but the most arid climes. No way around it. Plus, the boat guy shouldn't need the intake hose. :wink:
Matt B.

83 Maxima Sedan, LD28, 5 speed, white, 130k miles. My original Maxima.
83 Maxima Sedan converted from gasser, LD28, 5 speed, 2 tone blue, 230k miles
82 Maxima Sedan, LD28, 3 speed auto, 2 tone Gray/Silver, 140k miles
81 810 Sedan, LD28, 3 speed auto, rust, rust, and more rust!

2005 Jeep Liberty CRD
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asavage
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#44

Post by asavage »

Impressions . . .

I pulled the '83's driveshaft, separated it, then decided to just put it back in. The centre support brg rubber is bad. The front u-joint is slightly stiff and is no better than the JY '82 Wagon driveshaft I've got laying on the floor under the bench, so I'll put the JY driveshaft in my '82.

Took pics of both rear wheelwells. It's scary but not dangerous. Must make a heck of a mess when driving in the rain; I've not done that.

Warmed it up, drove it six miles.

It accelerates better than my '82. I'm attributing that to the lower rear gears of the '83.

It part-throttle upshifts later and harder, and part-throttle downshifts sooner, though that's harder to gauge because it has one more gear (or the TC) it drops out of at 45-50, depending upon load.

The exhaust if aftermarket from the front resonator back, and doesn't fit quite right, is missing at least one hanger donut, and from the sound inside (after driving my '82 for a month daily) I'm fairly certain there's some exhaust vibration noise. The exhaust does not leak (I did a block-the-exit leak check).

Balljoints are tight, no zerks. Both inner tie rod ends loose. Rack leaks PS fluid, but not enough to worry about for a trip. Battery needs hold-down installed.

Thermostat does not keep temp up as high as I'd like.

The front vibrates. Feels 75% chance it's just out-of-true rims, bad tires, or bad tire balance, but it *could* be the tie rods. At 50-60 (my test speed tonight) it was not dangerous-bad, but could be fatiguing. I will take it to the tire store and have the front tires checked for runout and balance, maybe tomorrow. If the rims are bad, I'll throw a couple of the alloys w/Michelins on the front and retest.

Brakes stop straight. Pedal is low: out of adjustment rears + air is my guess. It stops fine and I'm not going to play with them, it's safe enough for me to drive if I had to.

The '83's dome lights fade to dark, unlike the '82's which just go off after a bit of time.

The trip meter is just as dark and hard to see at night as my '82's.

The ride is much better in the '83 (coil rears) than my '82 (leaf rears), *much* better rear suspension travel.

The '83 smells a LOT better than my '82 with the mouse urine smell still faintly present.

Trans fluid needs changing but is full. I might want to suck out the panfull and refill, just to get some additives in from the new fluid. It seems to work fine though.

The engine/trans is not leaking (except the VC gasket and the PS rack).

Despite the Rev A bus bar, my replacement of the wires to it, and good numbers on the compression test, it does not fire right up (neither does my '82). I have taken to keeping on the starter until it will accel on its own for both of them.

All lights are working.

PS seems lighter to me than the '82. LF tire was very low on air, I checked the pressure on all four and only that one was low. It's a "Kirkland" tire (Costco house brand, stay away).

Radio still works great!
Regards,
Al S.

1982 Maxima diesel wagon, 2nd & 4th owner, 165k miles, rusty & burgundy/grey. Purchased 1996, SOLD 16Feb10
1983 Maxima diesel wagon, 199k miles, rusty, light yellow/light brown. SOLD 14Jul07
1981 720 SD22 (scrapped 04Sep07)
1983 Sentra CD17, 255k, bought 06Jul08, gave it away 22Jun10.
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asavage
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Location: Oak Harbor, Wash.
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#45

Post by asavage »

Oh, the CC doesn't work. The console light lights up, but no action. Most likely another vacuum leak to sort out.
asavage wrote:Took pics of both rear wheelwells. It's scary but not dangerous. Must make a heck of a mess when driving in the rain; I've not done that.
Jacked it up for these pics, rear axle hanging.

Take a look at this! Driver's side:
Image Image

Passenger side:
Image

There are holes in the rockers too, but the subframe is rust-free. It's weird how these rust out the way they do.
Last edited by asavage 17 years ago, edited 1 time in total.
Regards,
Al S.

1982 Maxima diesel wagon, 2nd & 4th owner, 165k miles, rusty & burgundy/grey. Purchased 1996, SOLD 16Feb10
1983 Maxima diesel wagon, 199k miles, rusty, light yellow/light brown. SOLD 14Jul07
1981 720 SD22 (scrapped 04Sep07)
1983 Sentra CD17, 255k, bought 06Jul08, gave it away 22Jun10.
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