# Ok, bought 97 HB! Dissappointed?



## 68Datsun510 (Jan 19, 2009)

Okey, so I bought this beauty of a 97 HB. A few dings and dents here and there, some small unimportant bits missing, but I am the second owner of this truck with 146000 miles on it.


























In the past with my 720's they always had a hard time maintaining speed on long hills, I thought from the NAPS-Z engines lack of power and the extra weight of them both being 4wd's.

Well, this 97 HB SINGLE CAB 2WD has just as hard of time maintaining speed on hills. 5th and 4th wont do it. It became clear quickly that the rear end ratio is highly inappropriate for this truck, the old Datsuns could barely muster 40mph in 3rd, this things good for 60!

Some things I notice though is the battery cables are heavily corroded, and the air filter is filthy. The ignition components also look way overdue for a tune up.

Opinions? 1st gear is too high to even effectively climb into my parents driveway, a steep dirt hill, the engine bogs and if it gets too low, bucks.

WHen my 2BBL L20B powered 510 can maintain 75 uphill with 70HP, it makes me concerned...

Or am I just being an ass???


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## Peterdaniel (May 24, 2005)

you should just do a full tune-up.... especially the air filter. How would YOU do if I taped your mouth and 1 of your nostrils shut with duct tape and then asked you to run a mile?

You shouldn't have any problem getting up those hills.

Change the plugs, cap and rotor and air filter. Watch truck fly. : )


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## Peterdaniel (May 24, 2005)

how much did you say you weigh? lol :fluffpol:


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## 68Datsun510 (Jan 19, 2009)

Oh come on man, not THAT much lol


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## 68Datsun510 (Jan 19, 2009)

Ok, so full tune up, as i suspected, as far as oil goes, how does that valvoline 75000+ mile synthetic oil stack up?


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## CMax03 (Jan 17, 2009)

perform a tune up B4 you start complaining....if you're that worried perform a compression check , I would have done that b4 buying it....And just for the record my NAP-Z was always a beast. Hell i'd cruise across the Mississippi bridge in Baton Rouge in 5th gear maintaining 65+ up hill! Regarding oil any top brand will do I like Pennzoil it's always been good to me and my rides.


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## 68Datsun510 (Jan 19, 2009)

Not complaining, simply concerned. Was your NAPS a Z24?

I was referring primarily to the Z22S/E engines. Both my trucks had it, and I even installed one on my 510 with 200SX EFI. It was a dead reliable and strong motor in a 2100# chassis, but wasnt particularly quick. Even less so in my 3300# 4wd chassis.

So, def not bashing the NAPS-Z, 60000 miles in 3 years in a 510 proved its worth to me lol =)

Already ordering the bits from Courtesy Nissans online parts page.

Thanks all!


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## CMax03 (Jan 17, 2009)

Yeah, It's a Napz-Z24i, Arp headstuds, High Volume 280zx turbo oil pump, oil cooler, H-D drive spindle, 3 angle valve job, ported, port matched, & shaved head, Pacesetter headers, Dual MSD oil filled coils, K&N air filter and CAI ram air setup.


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## dvdswanson (Nov 6, 2005)

nice looking truck


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## 68Datsun510 (Jan 19, 2009)

Holy crap! @ Cmax03 Must be an awesome engine!

Anyway, HUGE SUCCESS! Turns out the wires on the poor thing are cooked, one broke off removing it, the plugs are autolite gapped at at least .060, yeah, BAD! The cap and rotor also appear to be usa made junk from your FLAPS.

This thing shall soon fly!


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## CMax03 (Jan 17, 2009)

68Datsun510 said:


> Holy crap! @ Cmax03 Must be an awesome engine!
> 
> Anyway, HUGE SUCCESS! Turns out the wires on the poor thing are cooked, one broke off removing it, the plugs are autolite gapped at at least .060, yeah, BAD! The cap and rotor also appear to be usa made junk from your FLAPS.
> 
> This thing shall soon fly!


Forgot the mention I'm running a Nissan Motorsport Stage 1 camshaft with an Nissan Motorsport adjustable camshaft sprocket set @ 3 degrees advance, this engine really pulls hard and is very peppy and the way to 6000 rpm. It fools quite alot of people, they always think it was a VG30 that ran away from them. My exhaust is 2.25", T-409 stainless steel, after the header, there's a 2.25",carsound Hi-flow cat, and a 7" x 14" round Magnaflow muffler. That stock exhaust is puny and hella restrictive.....I'm glade you found your problems, so hang on it's about to take off now.....


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## soreyes (Aug 5, 2008)

I have a 94 4cyl 4wd king cab that i aquired in August. I have also been surprised by the slowness. i changed the wires, plugs, dist cp, rotor, cleaned the k&n. Now it runs a little smoother, but really no more notable power. There are a lot of big hills here in WA and it takes a lot of downshifting to deal with them. It gets gets killed on the hwy when i hit the hills. I have to get into third in some cases if I want to keep it at 60. It really really works hard for as slow as it is.


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## brookwood61 (Aug 18, 2005)

soreyes - check your converter


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## Skinny G (May 9, 2002)

Mine can barely pull the scum off warm rice pudding. If you're willing to take it right up to the redline, it's much more fun. But I can fart harder than this truck can accelerate.


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## 68Datsun510 (Jan 19, 2009)

wow, i hope mine does better than that, this is why i opted to not get a 4wd, HEAVY


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## Peterdaniel (May 24, 2005)

I think you all must be smoking some fine mary jane... I have driven a 4wd KC 4 cylinder and it pretty much flys down the road. No, you aren't going to dust that POS Mustang.. but it moves just fine on its own merit.

What are you used to and what did you just get out of driving when you get into your Nissan?


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## 68Datsun510 (Jan 19, 2009)

A 40 year old 510 with a very tired 2bbl carbureted 26 year old L20B stuffed inside it?










Ehh, im not worried anymore, it will improve after i get done replacing a lot of things.


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## Peterdaniel (May 24, 2005)

oooooooh I like 510's :idhitit:


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## Skinny G (May 9, 2002)

*IF* I take the HB right up to the red line, it accelerates as quick as my B13 Sentra XE did. While yes, it moves under its own power, it is only adequate, and not a lot of fun to drive.

Compared to my summer car, which is a little more entertaining:


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## soreyes (Aug 5, 2008)

Peterdaniel said:


> I think you all must be smoking some fine mary jane... I have driven a 4wd KC 4 cylinder and it pretty much flys down the road. No, you aren't going to dust that POS Mustang.. but it moves just fine on its own merit.
> 
> What are you used to and what did you just get out of driving when you get into your Nissan?


Stock civics and a cr-v. The nissan is not half as slow as my vanagon camper, but it has a hell of a time on hills. It's not as if I am rolling backwards, but I downshift a lot more than i ever had in a civic. The engine seems to bog down easilly and I lose rpms until I downshift. The main issue is the steep or long hills and the mtns. It will get it done, but not without a ton of rowing and flooring it. By then, it has lost a lot of speed.


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## Skinny G (May 9, 2002)

Yeah, exactly. There's a big huge hill on the highway from here to Vancouver. My old 1.6 Sentra could pull it easy in 4th at 120km/h. The truck, not so well. It also takes a lot of work to even spin the tires (except in the rain or snow - way way too much wheel spin). It's power is just not awe-inspiring. It's actually very very boring.


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## 68Datsun510 (Jan 19, 2009)

Is this a KA problem, or a truck problem?


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## Peterdaniel (May 24, 2005)

68Datsun510 said:


> Is this a KA problem, or a truck problem?


Sounds to me like a human problem :lame:


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## 68Datsun510 (Jan 19, 2009)

Wow peter, you come off real friendly in PM's, but you just cant help but crap on posts all the time. I dont need your help. Take your perfect lil SE pickup and shove it.


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## Peterdaniel (May 24, 2005)

its not crap, you are reading it wrong.. sorry!! But in all honesty, it IS a human problem. What do people want in a big heavy solid truck with a 4 cylinder? Its not going to be fast or quick. Look at the power to weight ratio. That will tell you everything you need to know.. You know that.. All I have done is defend these trucks while others tear them down. Toyota's are just as slow.

And then everyone complains about the "poor" fuel mileage:wtf:

And its not meant to pull up a hill in 5th gear. Thats why you have A MANUAL TRANSMISSION. Why is it such a crime to actually have to downshift??

Im sorry you took that last post the wrong way, but it gets tiring reading about people complaining about something that is either normal, to be expected or is normal based on how or what the condition of the vehicle is ( ie. poor condition of motor, tune up, altitude etc..)

My friends 97 has 172K miles on it. I sold it to him when it had 112K. He does not take care of it whatsoever. It zips along just nicely, quite peppy and will get to 80 mph really smoothly. Its an amazing vehicle. will it pin you in your seat? No... but it really does zip along nicely.

Something to consider. I am sure without a doubt that as a vehicle ages, things like the MAF and the O2 sensors are not as efficient. Things like these items, we don't think about since they don't show obvious signs of trouble until they are in fact really broken

Again sorry for the misunderstanding... Friends? Group hug?:fluffy:


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## Skinny G (May 9, 2002)

I've driven 4cyl pickup Toyotas, Mazdas, Fords and Nissans in both 2wd and 4wd. They are very uninspiring power-wise. They don't get the power to go with the uninspiring fuel economy either. Do they work? Oh yeah. Are they awesome? Oh no. They do the job; they do what they are designed for. 

A tight small block in a full size could get almost the same fuel economy (if you drive accordingly) and have power to show for it when you need it. The newer diesels can match the economy, have even more power _and_ 4wd.

I like my little hardbody because it fits in my garage. It gives me reasonable mileage, reasonable performance, allows me to haul stuff to the dump, can still carry my kids, and it's easy to drive _and_ park.










It's just not.... _inspiring._

I don't mean to sound like I'm complaining. It's a truck.


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## Skinny G (May 9, 2002)

Do we _have_ to hug?


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## 68Datsun510 (Jan 19, 2009)

Peterdaniel;1254854]its not crap, you are reading it wrong.. sorry!! But in all honesty, it IS a human problem. What do people want in a big heavy solid truck with a 4 cylinder? Its not going to be fast or quick. Look at the power to weight ratio. That will tell you everything you need to know.. You know that.. All I have done is defend these trucks while others tear them down. Toyota's are just as slow.

<My understanding of your post was wrong, i thought you were pointing a finger at me calling me an idiot, just not in so many words, I dont expect blazing speed, nothing of the sort, as I figured out how bad of shape the thing truly was in engine wise it all made sense. And by "truck problem" i didnt blame the hardbody, the whole range of 4 cylinder pickups! Power to weight ratio as you mentioned, exactly!. I have never torn them down, if I did, i wouldnt have owned ONLY nissans since I was 16, an 82 720 4wd, 91 Sentra SE-R, 81 720 4wd, 69 510, 68 510, and now this 97 HB. I initially complained about the acceleration also because my 81 with 220000 miles on a z22e would have kicked the ass of my HB when the vacuum secondary kicked in, because the 81 was TUNED UP! lol>

And then everyone complains about the "poor" fuel mileage:wtf:

<Complain? me? Never, i was amazed that even with the poor tune i only used 1/16th of a tank in 45 miles of freeway driving uphill!>

And its not meant to pull up a hill in 5th gear. Thats why you have A MANUAL TRANSMISSION. Why is it such a crime to actually have to downshift??

<Not a crime at all, as a matter of fact, i straigt up REFUSE to buy anything with an automatic. Back to the poor tune again, at the time, i didnt know it, and it surprised me that the venerable KA24 was down to 3rd gear on the highway on a 5% grade unloaded.>

Im sorry you took that last post the wrong way, but it gets tiring reading about people complaining about something that is either normal, to be expected or is normal based on how or what the condition of the vehicle is ( ie. poor condition of motor, tune up, altitude etc..)

<I get that, "whyz wod my datsoon need breaks, itz onlee 40 yeerz old!">

My friends 97 has 172K miles on it. I sold it to him when it had 112K. He does not take care of it whatsoever. It zips along just nicely, quite peppy and will get to 80 mph really smoothly. Its an amazing vehicle. will it pin you in your seat? No... but it really does zip along nicely.

<Just drove it today with new plugs, a cleaned TB, and Nissan wires from my SE-R on it, the wires had 60K miles on them, and guess what, WAY smoother, picked up real nicely, and drove fine!>

Something to consider. I am sure without a doubt that as a vehicle ages, things like the MAF and the O2 sensors are not as efficient. Things like these items, we don't think about since they don't show obvious signs of trouble until they are in fact really broken

<Cleaned the MAF with MAF cleaner, it helped too, the 02's are on my list of things to replace.>

Again sorry for the misunderstanding... Friends? Group hug?:fluffy

<Im sorry for blowing up too, now, lets get back to some nissan lovin, not hatin


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## 68Datsun510 (Jan 19, 2009)

<THREAD CLOSED>


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## Peterdaniel (May 24, 2005)

Allright!!! I'm up for that! We can e hug if that makes you feel better..:thumbup::banana:


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## 68Datsun510 (Jan 19, 2009)

I'll pass lol


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## hans747 (Jul 14, 2005)

I've owned my 1996 HB since new, and it never had a ton of power. I think it was like 140 hp brand new. It's a four-banger pushing a vehicle that's got all the aerodynamic qualities of a lunchbox. 

I live in the Smoky Mountains, and I can tell you that, yes, you have to downshift. Keep the RPMs at no less that 2400 if you want the truck to drive up steeper hills comfortably. And before you think this is some sort of anomaly, i can tell you that I also own a 2002 Camry V6 and a 1998 Volvo with an inline six-cyl, and both their auto trannies downshift on the same hills that my I downshift my truck.

Yes, these engines are gutless, but then again, i don't know anyone that bought a stock 4-cyl mini truck for performance reasons. That's like going to a bar, ordering a glass of milk, and then telling the bartender that your drink's not strong enough.


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## 68Datsun510 (Jan 19, 2009)

Did you read page 2, we already discussed this.

THank you for your input though! =)


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## hans747 (Jul 14, 2005)

sorry. yes I did read page 2, but thought I would add to the argument anyway. It's more fun that way.


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