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handb94's 2004 Desert Runner

38K views 103 replies 18 participants last post by  handb94 
#1 · (Edited)
Truck for sale!!!

This truck is for sale. Asking $10,000 or best offer. I will be removing the CB radio and lights off the front. I put the Titan steels back on with Michelin tires. They have good tread left.

West Palm Beach, Fl


Username: handb94 (Alex)
Year: 2004
Make: Nissan
Model: Frontier
Trim: XE V6 Desert Runner
Color: Black
I hope I did all of this correctly. I want to say thanks for all of the help/advice given from everyone here. This really is a great site and please use the search function. It does work.

Mods: Axle vent mod, Dual electric Nissan Maxima fans, Quest alternator

Interior: Panasonic head unit, New door speakers, LED's in map and dome lights

Exterior: Custom front prerunner style bumper, Painted headlight housings black, Stubby antenna, Decals on rear window

Drivetrain: ARB Rear Air locker (I lost the other button that's why it says front), Custom Extended oil pan (6 qts),

Suspension & Tires: Total Chaos long travel kit, Sway-a-Way 2.5 Emulsion shocks, FoA 500lb 16" coils, FOA 2.0 reservoir shocks in the back, Front sway bar removed, 18" steel Titan wheels with Michelin AT2's.

Armor: Front bumper skid plate, stock skid plate

Performance: Jim Wolf Technology Stage 2 Cams and valve springs, Doug Thorley Headers, Walker cat deletes, Remote mount turbo in bed

Gear and Other: ARB air line repair kit
 
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#3 ·
Thank you. No I haven't yet. There is a shop locally that I can get three runs with a wideband o2 sensor hooked up for $75. I just haven't gotten around to doing it. I am very curious though. I want to send my ecu out to get flashed. I called jet performance and they said their program isn't for motors that have had internal engine work done. I will have to look into 4x4 parts and see of they can help me.

The other option is getting a piggyback through aem. I got a quote from a company to make a harness for the ecu to module and they wanted $300. ouch. I do believe I need some tuning done I just don't know which route I want to go.
 
#4 ·
What motor do you have in your truck? Looks like the VG33ER Super Charged? I would really like to know more detail about those headers and how your eliminating cats (front cats only?) , etc. Do you have DMV inspections in your state? Any further details would be greatly appreciated. Have my eye on those Thorley headers just need to know how I can get through a DMV inspection.
 
#5 ·
The motor is the vg33e. Non supercharged. I removed 4 cats. Two with the headers and two with the walker test pipes. Good ole Florida no inspections. I am using spark plug anti-fowlers on the rear o2 sensors so the check engine light won't come on. It has once or twice but I just clear it out.

If they don't do a visual inspection you can get away with the headers because you can keep the check engine light off. Other than that you might get in trouble.
 
#8 · (Edited)
#11 ·
First off nice truck, love the long travel set up. I want to ask you how hard were the headers to install? I've been eyeing them for a while now and soon as the funds come I am pulling the plug and buying me a pair. Should I take it to a shop or can anyone install them? I might of misread but what all do I need to keep the SES light off? I live in Maryland and of course I have emissions laws. Thanks and nice truck!
 
#12 ·
Hey sorry it's taken so long to reply. Thank you. The headers really weren't that hard to put in. Granted I work at a shop with a lift and air tools. If you have tools and some help I think you can do it yourself. Jack up the truck and take the wheels off and that will give you some room. I think I had a thread with a bunch of pictures of how to do it. I can't find it. I believe the passenger side comes out from the top and the drivers comes out from the bottom.

Get some rust solvent and spray all the bolts when they are hot to let it soak in. One trick is you will need to back out one of the power steering pump bolts in order to remove one of the header bolts. Also if you have egr bending the pipe is a pain.

As far as the check engine light goes... You can either buy the two CEL eliminators that 4x4 parts sells or you can go to an auto parts store and buy "spark plug anti-foulers" (they are much cheaper) but you have to drill out the inside to make the tip of the o2 sensor fit. You thread the anti-fouler in the exhaust first then the o2 sensor. You will only need to do this to the front sensors. I did it on my Cavalier also and never had the light come on.
 
#13 ·
I picked this up earlier in the week. AEM F/IC-6. I hope to wire it up within the next week or two. The local shop, Japtrix, said they can dyno tune it for about $300. Not too bad I don't think. The truck runs great right now but kind of rich at idle. I think this will let it run even better. I got it for a great price off of eBay.



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#14 ·
Thanks for the reply. I received my headers on Tuesday. I could probably do the job but I do not have the access of tools to do so. So with that said I gritted my teeth and I am going to have a performance shop install them for me. Thanks for the tips though I can't wait to see how they perform. I hope good for the cost of everything lol.

I will keep my eye out on this thread I am curious to see what your truck does on the dyno with the tune.
 
#16 ·
From what I have read headers are the second best thing you can do for performance. Cams being the first. I'm happy with them. I will post up dyno numbers when it gets done.

I already sorted the wires I will need and put butt connectors on them so if for whatever reason I wanted to take it out I can plug the factory harness back together. The only problem I am having right now is finding out which wires are the signal wires back to the ecm to splice into. I have a chiltons manual that shows most of them. I just need to write everything down first.
 
#17 · (Edited)
This should help:

AEM F/ic writeup : 240sx General Discussion

And if you get tired of messing with it and simply want to open your wallet and checkbook that part of it, just get a harness from Boomslang. I'll bet when you compare the pinouts on the 1996 300ZX, it will be real close to your VG33.

Boomslang Fabrication | ECU Engine Management Wire Harnesses


And here's a link to the 3 ECU diagrams from Alldata. just let me know when you've downloaded them as I will clear them from my Dropbox.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/yx4y2oeaezmn5a5/NissanECU.zip
 
#18 · (Edited)
Thanks. I already spoke with boomslang. Yea for $300 I'll cut and splice myself. I was looking in the FSM and it doesn't have any diagrams either. Which I thought was weird. When I get home I will post a picture of the wiring of the cam position sensor. It has two signals going into one wire. One for 1 degree and one for 120 degree. I assume I can use the Cam 1 signal on the f/ic since the ecu uses one wire for both signals.


Edit. You can remove the files now. I actually have those.
 
#19 ·
So anyways a little update. I wired in the F/IC didn't have too many problems. I found out that I could not use the crankshaft position sensor wired in through the box. The truck wouldn't start. I removed that from the circuit and truck fired right up. It really wasn't bad. I hooked it up so if I choose to remove it I can hook it all back to stock. I plan to get it dyno tuned at the beginning of next month.
 
#20 ·


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I also installed this today. Made from aluminum. .65" thick. My boss' buddy has a machine shop and this didn't cost me a dime.
 
#21 ·
New update. I went to the dyno shop, Japtrix, on 11/2/2013. First baseline run showed the truck was running pretty lean throughout the entire powerband. 3000 to 5800 rpm. He advanced the timing about 6 degrees to 16. The power declined any farther than that.

After added fuel in some spots and taking it away in others he did what he could to maximize the power. He said basically if I had more compression it would help a lot. Since that is out of the question boost is my only option.

It was amazing that I could get 4 hp and 5 lb/tq at the wheels with just a little timing advance. It was a total of 6 or 7 runs. All in all ended up with 170hp and 190 lb/tq at the wheels.

Not as high as I was hoping but I can't be too upset I guess. I know the compression is way too low for an N/A motor.
 
#23 ·
Thank. I would like to do that but I think the only real option is to go with the VQ pistons and that requires me to get the block bored out and everything. Thats a lot of work to get to 9.7 compression. If it brought me to lets say 10.5 I would probably go for it.

I think I am going to do the shocks and some other cosmetic work first before I do anything else with the motor.
 
#24 ·
So I bought a Z31 aluminum under drive crank pulley off of eBay for like $50 bucks. I had some grooves cut in it at a machine shop to line up the outside a/c belt. I did some math to find out the new shorter belt lengths. I made the part numbers and called around. I was wrong on the alternator belt but found the correct size.

After some modification to the bottom timing cover and adding a washer behind the crank pulley everything lines up perfectly. New belts installed (old ones were about to come apart) and I haven't had any issues yet. Only about a week being on and maybe 75 miles. I brought it up to 85mph and 6000 rpm and it ran great.

I'll post some pictures when I can and update if there are any changes in mpg or if something breaks.

On a side note I have the JWT cams installed and at idle it sounded like a diesel. After I put the pulley on there is no valve train noise. Its really strange but I imagine it can't be a bad thing.
 
#27 · (Edited)
It has been a long time since I have updated my thread. The turbo project is happening and is in the collecting parts faze. The original plan was to have it done by the end of the year but bills must get paid.

Currently I have installed: an AEM 320 LPH fuel pump (installed like it was oem), Lo-tek gauge pillar (really poor fitment for the price) with AEM wide band sensor and Autometer vac/boost gauge, the exhaust is routed up into the bed, oil pump,

The parts that are sitting in my house: 660cc fuel injectors from RB26, Denso spark plugs (colder rating), tubing and fittings for turbo, blow off valve, assorted pipe for intake, turbo, electronic boost controller, intercooler,

The parts I still need: more pipe for intake, flanges for turbo to exhaust hook up.

I will post up pictures if requested of any parts.
 
#28 ·
Does the F/IC support an EBC solenoid? If it does, I recommend it. You can get the MAC solenoids for around $75 and they are better than most plug and play solenoids and beat the pants off a manual one. Why not look at the GTX3076? Much more usable powerband down low and the same power up top as the GT35. That way you can benefit from the power in most of the rev range of the truck since the VG33 are slow spinning pigs and also not have such a violent boost transition when the power comes on in the GT35. The GTXs are the best of all worlds in the Garrett line up.

I hope 660cc injectors give you the head space you need.

What are your power goals?
 
#29 · (Edited)
I believe it does yes. I will have to double check. I found that brand for $45. I would prefer an electric bc but the last time I priced them out they we're minimum $200.

After doing a ton of math and plotting graphs the map on the gt35 is right where I need it to be. 2.02 pressure ratio with 21 caf at 3000 rpm and 41 caf at 6000 rpm. (I know that will make sense to you.)

Ummm cost is a pretty big factor. Like a huge factor. $1500 is way out of my price range. I am going China eBay on this. I am going to get a seal rebuild kit with good seals,Garrett preferably, and I shouldn't have a problem. The other thing is I want an oil only turbo with an internal wastegate.

I don't know if it's because of the mods I've done but my truck revs up fairly quickly.

What do you mean by head space? Realistically I could've gone with the 550's and just upp'd the fuel pressure. I can't imagine I'll have a fuel issue.

Power goal is a good question. I won't accept anything less than 350 to the wheels. I plan to run 15lbs of boost. I've read of guys running 18 to 20 as a dd with no issue.

Edit: Yes I have the ability to command a boost controller on, you enter the tps, rpm, and boost conditions for it to turn on and off.
 
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