New 720 owner here, 84 model and needing tips

[newdatsunowner720]

I got my service manual today so that should help me as well locate all these parts . I need all the help I can get

[720inOlyWa]

This may be shakey advice, as I am no expert on my 85 720 King cab. But I am a decent mechanic and so far, I have replaced the head gasket and timing chain, so I have been all up in her, so to speak.

 

My truck is not making an eighty mile commute, but I bet it could do it now, reliably. Thing is, when I got her, I made a list of what it needed and I have been methodically checking off that list, project at a time, until I get the truck long-road capable. I may never drive it a long ways, but the goal for me is pretty much ’showroom fresh’, mechanically speaking. I am pretty close to it now.

 

Having said this, I strongly heed the advice above and get BOTH the Nissan service manual for your year / model AND get the Clymer too (or whatever your preference.) Between those two, I can figure out how to do pretty much anything on my truck. those two AND this forum, that is. This good news for both of us is that these trucks are very analog still, so you can fix / replace anything fairly easily.

 

I would have primary concerns for the cooling system as you describe it. That is where I would start my focus. Flush everything, but also take a hard look at what is coming out. If the brown stuff gets clumpy, thick or gooey, you have a different problem- one that needs immediate attention. If there is brown oily residue in the radiator overflow, same sitch.

 

Speaking of head gasket issues, boy howdy, you want to heed the advice above and re-torque your head bolts on a regular basis. That torque value is something you will want to know about right up front too, as you sort things out.

 

My little truck had been serviced poorly and relatively cheap parts were used whenever possible. Mine sure ran a lot better when I replaced the cap and rotor with OEM spec parts.

 

Good news is, this is a rugged little engine that responds well to attentive care. One local retired Datsun mechanic told me that he “never saw the bottom end fail” on one of these.

 

Good luck with your chore list!

[newdatsunowner720]

This may be shakey advice, as I am no expert on my 85 720 King cab. But I am a decent mechanic and so far, I have replaced the head gasket and timing chain, so I have been all up in her, so to speak.

 

My truck is not making an eighty mile commute, but I bet it could do it now, reliably. Thing is, when I got her, I made a list of what it needed and I have been methodically checking off that list, project at a time, until I get the truck long-road capable. I may never drive it a long ways, but the goal for me is pretty much ’showroom fresh’, mechanically speaking. I am pretty close to it now.

 

Having said this, I strongly heed the advice above and get BOTH the Nissan service manual for your year / model AND get the Clymer too (or whatever your preference.) Between those two, I can figure out how to do pretty much anything on my truck. those two AND this forum, that is. This good news for both of us is that these trucks are very analog still, so you can fix / replace anything fairly easily.

 

I would have primary concerns for the cooling system as you describe it. That is where I would start my focus. Flush everything, but also take a hard look at what is coming out. If the brown stuff gets clumpy, thick or gooey, you have a different problem- one that needs immediate attention. If there is brown oily residue in the radiator overflow, same sitch.

 

Speaking of head gasket issues, boy howdy, you want to heed the advice above and re-torque your head bolts on a regular basis. That torque value is something you will want to know about right up front too, as you sort things out.

 

My little truck had been serviced poorly and relatively cheap parts were used whenever possible. Mine sure ran a lot better when I replaced the cap and rotor with OEM spec parts.

 

Good news is, this is a rugged little engine that responds well to attentive care. One local retired Datsun mechanic told me that he “never saw the bottom end fail” on one of these.

 

Good luck with your chore list!

Thank you man I needed that , yea I focusing on my coolant first and yea it looks like rust filled water mix idk I'll have to post some pics up on here tomorrow. I just got my service manual today so I'm in business for more complicated stuff

[720inOlyWa]

It really spells things out for you. A great investment.

[newdatsunowner720]

I know i should probably start a new thread or look for this topic but in have another question about my truck. I noticed my belts on my truck look like the original belts that came on my truck and look really old. Is this a problem ? Should I replace them ? Will it help my performance of my engine? And how hard is it to replace the belts?

[84720FourWheel]

I would say that a new thread isn't needed, and its best to keep everything consolidated. 
 

It could end up being a problem, as a belt failure could lead to a loss of power steering, water pump. or charging system failure. 

I would recommend replacement. If they look cracked or frayed, definitely replace them. 

It won't effect the performance. 

 

Replacing the belts is fairly simple, the hard part is getting around the fan, it takes a bit of trial and error, but its not too hard. There are 2 tensioners in the system, if you have A/C. You'll notice an idler pulley on the upper drivers side of the engine, loosen the center bolt and then you loosen the adjuster bolt. IIRC its a 12 and a 14 mm. Same thing by the A/C compressor. The alternator has the adjuster bolt on the top, but you need to loosen the bolts on the bottom to get it to slide. If all goes well, shouldn't take too much longer than 30 minutes. Make sure you get the alternator belt nice and tight or it'll squeal. A breaker bar between the alt and the engine block will help you get you the leverage you'll need. You may want some help, as trying to hold tension and tighten the bolts is a pain. 

 

Good luck.

[newdatsunowner720]

I would say that a new thread isn't needed, and its best to keep everything consolidated. 

 

It could end up being a problem, as a belt failure could lead to a loss of power steering, water pump. or charging system failure. 

I would recommend replacement. If they look cracked or frayed, definitely replace them. 

It won't effect the performance. 

 

Replacing the belts is fairly simple, the hard part is getting around the fan, it takes a bit of trial and error, but its not too hard. There are 2 tensioners in the system, if you have A/C. You'll notice an idler pulley on the upper drivers side of the engine, loosen the center bolt and then you loosen the adjuster bolt. IIRC its a 12 and a 14 mm. Same thing by the A/C compressor. The alternator has the adjuster bolt on the top, but you need to loosen the bolts on the bottom to get it to slide. If all goes well, shouldn't take too much longer than 30 minutes. Make sure you get the alternator belt nice and tight or it'll squeal. A breaker bar between the alt and the engine block will help you get you the leverage you'll need. You may want some help, as trying to hold tension and tighten the bolts is a pain. 

 

Good luck.

Thank you ! I have to muster up some confidence going into projects like this

[720inOlyWa]

I honestly know how you feel, but it is an easy machine to work on and, in my experience, it rewards you quickly for your investment in maintenance. Really. Dive in, man- it’s fun! Just take it step at a time, check YouTube for videos, hang out here, read the manual, put all parts and pieces together in baggies or paper latte cups as you take them off, label things. (Wait- you are in Alabama. Make that red Solo cups.)  I try to be as pedantic and thorough as possible when I work on my truck, because it is hard for me to be that way anyway in regular life.

 

Know that it all goes back together pretty much the way it came apart. And being stranded, even if you do have a cell phone, really sucks. I never want to be stranded and I don’t want to drive anything that makes me feel like that could happen- especially if I could have done something about it. I beat the living shit out of myself for doing things like that.

 

On occasion, I have to drive to SE Nevada, from Washington state. Once you drop into eastern Nevada, you are in some of the most remote and desolate areas of the country. It is awesome, high desert country and you should see it someday. It is harsh- brutally cold in winter, broiling hot in summer. Anyway, when I go there, I like to question the locals about even more remote routes in this area, because they can be really, really interesting! Point is, I fully expect to be doing that in my 720 Nissan at some point soonish. My resto list is aimed squarely at having a rig that I can take to a place like that- three states away- without any reservations at all. 

 

Now I aint preachin’ here. And I hope it doesn’t come off that way. As a newbie, I made it sort of a game, a mission, to bring this truck to the point where it eventually goes to the Nevada desert with me. And that is how I developed my resto project list. Every time I check off another major item on the list, I get closer. In the mean time, my rock solid 1995 Subaru Legacy wagon, with 330k miles on it, makes the trip.