Is my wagon a wagon?

I don't suppose there's a used engine sitting somewhere on the Continent?

 

There's no shortage of them, as of yet. They usually survive the bodies. I'd like to get a spare for a project of which I've always wanted to do. Namely, dropping one into eithe a Renault 5 or 6. Perferably, one with an automatic. Both weigh about as much as mine does.
As I pulled the pan with the plug out, I was curios as to the amount of oil that gushed out. I thought, I had drained all of it, when I unscrewed the plug. What happened was there were no shortages of locaations in tha pan and baffling of which were trapping the oil. Since the fill requires pouring in 2.3 liters of oil with filter change, what was getting trapped was no small percentage. Common sense says, when you stamp a baffling plate, the ribs should rather be sticking out downwards. In order to keep trapped oil to a minimum, I proceeded to drill out each baffle pool with a 4 millimeter bit, as well as to cut out a section of the drainplug's threads. What they should have done at the factory was to weld the drainplug plate sideways below the floor of the pan.
This goes to show that the Japs don't do everything perfect, despite their cars carrying a good reputation.
I'm guessing, the baffle was welded in, in order to prevent oil from reaching the crank throws while cornering, being a trnsversely-mounted engine. Longitudinally-mounted engines shouldn't need this. Since I'm not doing any high-speed cornering on a freeway, the new drain holes shouldn't affect engine operation. It won't be 100% efficient. But, significantly more old will drain out than before the tweek

 

I've just seen one of these for the first time, yesterday. It was Swiss-registered. But, after looking it up, it was also sold here in Germany, as well as in North America. If I ever had to give my ride up, I'd consider one of these, as a replacement. They share a common platform with Dacia/Renault models, as well as drivetrains. Unfortunately, it didn't sell well, here, for whatever reason. Therefore, used body parts will be rare to get hold of. Also unfortunate is also all the gadgetry of which can fail and add weight. The drab instrument cluster, as well as the cheapness of interior trim material would be something to get used to.
Despite all that, if I could order one the way I prefered to, I'd order one combining both of the following, as a Diesel with a white-colored exterior and the interior from the black-colored one:

https://www.autoscout24.de/angebote...85a3-e8155c63e98a?cldtidx=14&cldtsrc=listPage



https://www.autoscout24.de/angebote...e053-0100007fc6ce?cldtidx=16&cldtsrc=listPage





Too bad, the attractive instrument cluster from a previous series wasn't carried over:

https://www.autotrader.com.au/car/11283927/nissan/cube/nsw/cabramatta/wagon

 

Cube=fugly

 

It still knocks. But, I'm not sure as to if it knocks as loud or not, since it's been so long since I've had it running. This is even worse than if it stopped knocking and then started up again, after the bearing wears in. At least, I'd be sure as to why it's acting up. It was all within specs, to begin with. Which makes it all even more strange.
After bleeding the brakes, this weekend, I'll take it for a spin, to see if it's knocking quieter or not. The accumulators for the camera are weak. If they'll hold out, I'll try catching a video of the ride

 

Wrist pins ? Wish you luck Doghead. The Nissan Cube is quite rare in our part of the US also but the Kia Soul is very common here as a personal and commercial vehicle. One of our friends has a Soul and absolutely loves it.

 

If it's a wristpin, pulling the sparkplug wire will quiet the knocking. Just don't shock yourself....

 

I tried that, before I renewed the bearings. I didn't notice any difference and no play was felt, as the caps were off. What I might do is to spray brake cleaner around the spark plugs, before pulling them and then running the engine with each sparkplug removed. Today, I'll hook up a vacuum guage, to rule out a bent valve stem possibly caused by botched timingbelt replacement

I like the looks of those. I haven't yet researched their sales records here. But, it would be interesting to know if their gamble in a segment where the Japs weren't successful at pays off or not.
Here's one getting compared with a similar series built by the manufacturer who built mine. The Cube is more comfortable, having a softer ride and tilt column which wasn't available on the Daihatsu. Because Nissan didn't adjust the steering appropriately, there is a loss of road feel, assisted by its power steering. The Daihatsu has a stiffer suspension (harder ride) which allows it to handle better

 

The cylinders are a little shorter than the ones replaced. I could tell from the increased distance required to operate the hand brake. That should have adjusted itself out, as I was continually braking in reverse gear. Since it isn't, I'll pull the drums again and will take a closer look. I forgot to perforate the backing plate for external mechanism release. If feasable, I might do it now. If not, I'll get to it this Autumn. I've got a bunch of errands which are overdue to run, at the moment.
The pedal is still somewhat spongy. I've got to get new pads anyway. So, maybe if I drive the pistons back in, for accomodating the new pads, any air trapped in the calipers should make its way out through the master. If the pedal's still spongy, it'll be because of air trapped in the cylinders.
I hooked up the vacuum guage to two of the available ports. The third one I'll get to later on, having a set of curved needle-nosed pliers handy. I've gotten fluctuation at idle on both ports, at about 14 Hg per inch, borderlining on late valve timing. I don't know if the fluctuation is due to the engine only having three cylinders. I'll have to pay attention to the reading at a higher r.p.m.. The fluctuation at idle is indicative of a sticking or burnt valve which could be possible, given the cold adjustment readings I've gotten before having adjusted the valves.
The knocking seems quieter, now. I don't know if it's due to the heavier oil or not. According to the sticker, they poured 10W-40 into it. I'm using 20W-50. If the knocking is originating from the valvetrain, I could live with it, since I'm not likely to get stranded somewhere because of it

 

Something this simple seems to have grown into a monster. The pan gasket on my automatic transmission should be identicle to that of other brands using an Aisin unit. I've got two easier ways out, instead of ordering one (if even still available) from a former dealer who books postage onto the price of the item, I could either pack the pan with plaster of Paris and then take the mold over to the parts store where the clerk said that he could match up the old gasket with one he might have in stock. That is, if he even has one in stock.
The second possibility would to get a sheet of cork and then fabricate a replacement gasket. Cork will not fail, if it's constantly kept moist from its retaining fluid. This is why cork valve cover gaskets fail, when an engine has been taken out of service for over a longer period of time and why they're reliable when installed properly on transmission pan applications.
The postage for individual sheets often superceeds the cost of the sheet itself



I could get a roll of it, at a local hardware store. But, what would I do with the rest of my stock?

 

I went on tour, last week, only to discover that at high speeds, the drivetrain was leaking. Being colorblind, I couldn't tell if the oil was red or not. The transmission fluid showed way overfull, simultaneous to the front of the engine being wet starting from the valve cover on down. Luckilly, I had the proper tools with me and proceeded to tighten down the valve cover again. It appeared to have given way, being a rubber gasket. After having driven further, it was still leaking. The gasket then gave way, to the point where I could tighten the cover all the way to the end of the stud threads. Again, it was still leaking.
On the way home, I stopped into a former Daihatsu dealer listed in my 23-year old service manual directory. Of course, new vehicles are no longer sold anywhere in Europe. But, he still services the ones left. I told him about when Turbo Hydramatics blow the front seals when over-filled. He said that my unit isn't prone to the like. So, that was a relief. After having returned home, I proceeded to manufacture an aluminum plate designed to keep leaking oil from dripping onto the exhaust pipe. The burning oil was what alerted me to the leak, as if by design. A pair of hoseclamps was used for holding the plate in place



To remove overfilled oil without removing the pan, I ended up converting some cheap foot pump I found somewhere into a sringe. Since the sringe's hose ended at the bottom of the pan, what was extracted looked pretty muddy and wouldn't even clear up, after sitting still for a couple days.
The needle was part of a needle set optioned for my compressor's air gun. It fit onto the sringe, without me having to cut new threads



What I suspect was leaking was the valvecover gasket, because its circumference was smaller than the cover itself. When I mounted it, I could get the gasket to cover the longer sides. But, the rubber was hanging away from the curved ends which seems to have pulled at the rest of the gasket while mounting. I suspect the unnamed country of origin to be at fault, on this internet-bought part.
I then tried cleaning all contact surfaces with brake cleaner and then applying silicone. I've also sealed the oil-fill cap in the same manner.
Since the drivetrain didn't leak at that location before I replaced the gasket, it only had to be the new replacement at fault

 

The lady who's now driving my previous vehicle has a third one in her barn. While fixing it up, I asked her if she likes the cluster silver-colored. She liked the one I've done up in the one she's driving and then agreed to have another one done. This time around, it's one with the factory tachometer option. This'll be practice for if I'll ever find one for mine.
The arrow points to where the automatic transmission selector lighting would be located. Finding a cluster for one optioned with an automatic would be even more difficult:



Electrically, the cluster's already set up for an automatic, as pointed out. Circled is where the lighting would be installed. For that, I'd have to carefully cut out the pattern from around the bulb sockets:



I won't be modifying the appearance, on the instruments themselves, since the needles are already colored, except for highlighting the lines representing 30 and 50, since these are common limit speeds used here



Here, a detailed close-up of where the selector would be located. All that's missing is the selector plate:



I broke out a can of what I assumed to be primer and started spraying the frame. After it was done, I noticed that the finish wasn't dull like primer usually is:



I then waited a couple of hours, as the frame was getting sun-baked. I then sprayed it silver and was noticing some slight buckling. The day after, I read the discription on the can of which I thought was primer, only to discover that it was some sort of Rustoleum-type paint of which an at least 24 hour drying period was required:





I then installed it temporarilly, to see if the tachometer would work without additional hook-ups. To my delight, it certainly was wired for universal use at the factory:

 

I've been busy with some first round apple harvesting, using my former short Longroof and present 3-wheeler for hauling

 

I found out that certain Toyota forklifts were equipped with the carbureted version of my engine:

https://picclick.com.au/Daihatsu-ED-Engine-for-Toyota-FG7-FG9-Forklifts-141640099110.html



That gave me the idea of trying to get a brand new cylinder head from a forklift dealer. The ones I've tried are tight-lipped, as if they want you to bring in your forklift, instead of selling parts outright

 

I've heard, these engines are known for knocking, because the journals holding the camshafts wear out. Judging by the looks of the rod bearings I pulled, this could be true. Unfortunately for me, unlike other makes, this one doesen't have replacable bearings. Here's what it sounds like, when running. The camera couldn't pick up the knocking from the tailpipe, like I could, in the first two videos:



These two include a couple horn blasts, after I replaced the original clown horn with a set of high- and low tone ones harvested from a Mercedes and Audi each :