Pinelli's Accidental 4WD

Accidental? Wasn't particularly looking for a 4WD, just a well maintained dual cab for a growing family. I bought this 86 Navara about 5 years ago, after looking at too many poorly maintained, oily, rusty, crappy mid-90s couriers, tritons and toyotas. This one had been a top of the range Navara (carpets AND airconditioning!), and had been well maintained over many years, with receipts showing all services and repairs carried out over the previous owners 15 years of ownership. Very nice. Also came with a canopy and the original tonneau cover, both of which are still serviceable.

First step was to add in a couple of anchor points for the little campers in the family.


You'll notice the passenger door is slightly different in colour. More on that later.

All was good until last year. Convinced the head had a shot valve, I managed to source a good second hand head, and was ready to whip off the old one and replace it, a good afternoon's work, when I discovered this


Ended up replacing the engine with a KA24E from a '99 2WD Navara, as it was available at the local wreckers. Not much choice around here.

Only major issues was the sump, which looked like


So modded the old Z24 sump to look like


See the extra flange on the front?
Otherwise pretty easy for a first engine swap. A few other details on the forum here if you look about a bit.

An accident while camping meant the passenger door needed to be replaced. Got one from a Pathfinder, year unknown, but being a Nissan, it swapped right over, including the lock, the door interior and the mirror, so looks like the original, other than the missing quarterpane and the dodgy paint job.

The new door didn't have a window winder, so gave me a reason to wire in the electric window and door lock to the centre console. Anyone else aware of an 86 Navara with an electric window and 'central locking' (at least on one door)

I dont know why but I love the look of the D21 extra and dual cabs....

Most recent work is the 'missing' O2 sensor. The KA24E has an O2 sensor in passenger cars in Oz, but the Navara being a commercial vehicle didn't need it. Probably saved nissan all of $20 in emitting it from the production line.

Normally O2 sensors check the fuel/oxygen ration in the exhaust gases, and minimise the amount of fuel being injected. Without the O2 sensor, the ECU automatically runs the engine rich, so that it doesn't run lean. Rich fuel will foul the plugs and Cat (which the Navara doesn't have), but lean fuel will make the engine go bang. What would you prefer in the absence of an O2 sensor? In theory, adding an O2 sensor should make the engine run leaner and use less fuel. This is my aim.

The standard KA24E O2 sensor is a three wire job, with one wire (the black) being the sensor, and two white wires being the power for the heater. One power wire goes to the battery (via a fuse), and the second connects to the ECU, where it is earthed to make the heater work. This works until the O2 sensor is at exhaust temps, and then the heater is switched off. A one wire O2 sensor, with only the sensor wire, will also work, but take a while to kick in. The sensor wire also goes back to the ECU. There are no wires in harness for an O2 sensor, but the pins are there. I'm assuming that the ECU is programmed to use the O2 sensor, but normally operates as if it wasn't there, ie runs rich.

So a few assumptions, but it's in, and I'll give it a bash and see if I can get any results. The ute is now a backup car, so won't get the ks it used to get, so might take a while to ge a couple of tanks through it

Extractors with lug for O2 sensor


Extractors back in engine bay

D21 dualcab Z24 4X4 said:

I dont know why but I love the look of the D21 extra and dual cabs....

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Bloody hell! Quick reply, I was still going.

I like em too. The newer D40 looks like its on steroids. The D21s look very understated to me. Like they know they don't need to show off to impress

Bugger about the engine.I could have sold you a d21 3.3 v6 conversion all complete with gearbox.

scottybobcat said:

Bugger about the engine.I could have sold you a d21 3.3 v6 conversion all complete with gearbox.

Click to expand...

Might still be on. Gearbox is on the way out, and I'm thinking if I have to pull the gearbox, I might as well go a V6 while I'm at it. PM on the way.

I just replied to your Pm

Good right up Pinelli.

Keep the info coming.

Dave.

Pinelli said:

Bloody hell! Quick reply, I was still going.

I like em too. The newer D40 looks like its on steroids. The D21s look very understated to me. Like they know they don't need to show off to impress

Click to expand...

May be interested in a complete KA24E conversion if it comes on the market

D21 dualcab Z24 4X4 said:

May be interested in a complete KA24E conversion if it comes on the market

Click to expand...

Maybe in a couple of months. But then again, maybe not

Stay tuned. If I go for the V6 conversion, I'll be talking about it here.

If its a "spare" car, Im gunna guess maybe not, But i will be watching !!!!!

No good news on the O2 sensor I'm afraid. Doesn't seem to have changed fuel consumption much. On the other hand fuel consumption isn't getting any worse with an increasingly whiny gearbox either. I reckon the O2 sensor not working is one of two things:

1. Poor installation . Perhaps not connecting properly at the ECU although I was reasonably happy with my work.
2. Aus ECU doesn't recognise the O2 sensor. Only way to sort that out would be to source an ECU from the states. I think I'll leave that to someone else.

Sorted out a replacement gearbox for the Nav now. See it here in the pic?


It's hiding underneath that Terrano in my garage there.
It's mated to a TD27T so it won't match up to the my KA24E, so I'm going to sling the both of them in the Nav together and get my hands greasy learning how diesels work up close, something I haven't had the chance to do yet, hey. Mechanically the swap looks quite simple, but I reckon there's more to the wiring than the Z24/KA24 swap.

Oh, this one's an auto too, with all sorts of whizz bang features like an A.T.P. warning light. Took me ages to find out what that was for - it reminds you not to leave the wagon in Park with the transfer case in Neutral

Best yet, it came with decent seats, all for about the price of getting my gearbox fixed up.

Looks like I'll have a reasonably young KA24E up for sale soon, with associated bits and pieces. And is anyone after a Terrano body? Externally in reasonable condition for its age, one spot of rust a couple of dings, interior a little mucky. I'd do it up myself, but I've been informed I can't come back into the house from the shed until all my projects are complete

Terrano wiring into Nav will be alright, swap absolutely everything in.

I'd take the rear half of the chassis, with rear axle and suspension if you were closer.

Yeah, thought about doing the suspension swap myself, but one thing at a time hey

If you were closer, you'd be welcome to it though.

You're right about the wiring - just swapping looms over will be easiest - fuse box will be tricky though. Do I bring over the Terrano fse box, complete with Japanese inscriptions???

Also realised today that the Terrano has climate control air con. The Nav already has an aircon system, but will be interesting to see if I can use the control system from the Terrano in the Nav or not - same size in the console so I don't see why not. Hmmm. Might have the only D21 Navara with electric windows and climate control aircon in the country

A bit of an update on the donor Terrano - motor and auto not quite out yet, but enough destruction has been wreaked such that only one bolt hold the motor to the gearbox, and the front driveshaft is out. Rear driveshaft is soaking in WD40. Exhaust is half out. Torsion bars and crossmembers to happen soon.

Inside is a mess. Dash is entirely out exposing the loom. All connectors are labelled. Wanted bits have been kept, other bits in the boot of the wagon awaiting disposal. You want any bits? Let me know.


Don't know if these were standard, but the Terrano also came with a front bash plate and recovery hook. Hook now on Nav, not sure about the bash plate. Want it? Make an offer that's enough to stop me putting it on the Nav whan all is finished.


Engine - All hoses/cables disconnected and labelled. One bolt still holding auto and engine together, bastard of a thing. I think I'll take the auto out first, as I see no way of disconnecting the torque converter with the gearbox in place, and don't want to pull out the engine with the torque converter still attached. Just letting the rear driveshaft soak in WD40 overnight, having almost given myself a hernia trying to undo it today. Hopefully auto out in the next couple of days, closely followed by the engine.

Seats - out of Terrano and in the Nav, and don't they make a difference! Man, the old seats were stuffed. Now I won't need that kidney transplant I was thinking of getting.

Have a good New Year all!

Ha, still not much progress with the Terrano. Torsion bars all done bar one bolt on each one. I've had to invent new swearwords for this job; I've run out of the old ones.

On an aside, I moved the Terrano seats across to the Nav (much better) and so had a couple of seats gong spare, taking up room in the shed. I also had a problem in that I had nothing to sit on while thinking and planning in the shed, and so was born...


I bought a welder last year to do a couple of jobs, including repairing a staircase. Never having welded before, it's stayed in the box while chatting to a few blokes at work who are good welders. Finally got it out last night, and above you see my first ever welding job. A couple of the seams are pretty good, but most of it is pretty ugly. It passed the BFH test though.

The two rails are almost exactly 40mm different in height, so a 400mm length of 40mm box pipe was perfect. It's pretty high though, so I think for the second one I'll just use the one piece of box section rather than three, and then weld the bottom plate directly on that. I've used the original bolts to bolt the base to the chair.

I'll have to do the second one because I showed the wife and she assumed I'd made her a new office chair!

Good work.

Got a date you want it finished by or just ASAP.

Dave.