1986 Nissan Hardbody Pickup LX King Cab 2.4 4 cylinder from North America

Summary:

Japanese garbage

Faults:

Clutch was out when I first bought the truck. Replaced.

Fuel line rusted in two in first month.

Never idled right at all.

Carrier bearing failed, driveshaft fell out in the middle of the road at 11 in the night. 5 months.

Rear-end chattered really bad, leaked all the gear oil out daily. Quit putting lube in and found a replacement. 6 months.

Gas tank began leaking, would only hold 1/2 tank. 6 months.

Brakes took a complete dump. 8 months.

Main bearing started knocking. 8 months.

Motor mounts broke. 8 months.

One coil went bad. 8 months.

Timing chain started rattling, then jumped time suddenly and warped all the valves. $1000 for new chain, full rebuild. 8 months.

Automatic hubs quit working. Would barely go into 4x4, then when I would put it in 2wd and back up, it would never go out. Then would go out, and come back in suddenly going down the road. 10 months.

Electricals went crazy. One high beam, would blow fuses to taillights and turn signals when fixed. 1 year.

Key switch messed up. Would stick in "Engine Start" unless manually turned back.

Throwout bearing began to go bad. 1 year, 6 months.

Timing chain jumped again when I upshifted from 4th to 3rd to go up a very mild hill on the highway. 1 year, 6 months.

General Comments:

I'm a mechanic, I maintain my vehicles fairly well. But this truck is a complete turd.

Bought this truck planning on it being efficient, weak, and reliable. It was all but reliable. 30 mpg, something broke monthly or never worked right at all. The money I saved in gas I had to buy parts for.

I never beat on the truck too hard either. It seen some very mild off-roading maybe once every couple of months, but nothing to explain how it fell apart over a year and half. Every single time something broke on the truck, I would be putting along at 45 mph in 4th gear. It especially like to break down at night it seemed.

It was fuel efficient, drove pretty well, and was very comfortable to drive and operate. Smooth clutch, gears fell into place before the throwout bearing began to go out. When I did have to do some fourwheeling, I rarely put it in 4x4 because of the transfer case. I never even spun or got stuck, ever.

Since everything is broke on the truck, it's currently awaiting a full-size 4x4 Chevy frame swap.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 14th December, 2009

14th Dec 2009, 12:32

In fairness to Nissan (and your truck), it was 21 years old and had well over 200,000 miles on it when you purchased it.

As a mechanic I'm sure you realize that most vehicles this old would be pretty worn out and used up by now.

In any case, I wouldn't base by opinion of the make or model on your experience with one very old truck.

1986 Nissan Hardbody Pickup XE 2.4L Z24i from North America

Summary:

Best small truck on the road - well-built, fast and solid

Faults:

The truck is a 1986.5 Hardbody with the Z24i fuel-injected engine and 5 speed manual trans.

I bought the truck from a party who had recently installed a new head, not sure what the damage was to the previous head. The engine was not all together or running when purchased. My Dad, a mechanic for 60 years, rebuilt the engine completely from the bottom up, new pistons, rings, valves, timing chain, etc.

General Comments:

This truck runs tight and fast.

Good power from the Z24i fuel-injected engine.

The 5 speed manual transmission is also tight and shifts easily.

The medium blue interior is immaculate, as is the light blue cloth bench seat. The seat is firm but comfortable.

Basic model XE, light metallic blue, flat black bumpers, ext. handles, trim. Factory chrome wheels.

I like it better every time I drive it, probably the best vehicle I have ever owned, plan on keeping it for a long time.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 13th March, 2009