# Need Pictures of Rear Emissions Plumbing



## northwindone (Mar 5, 2013)

My truck (1997 2WD XE) popped an emissions code last year and after some troubleshooting I found out the vapor canister had failed and filled the purge line with charcoal all the way back up to the throttle body. I removed it and the associated plumbing and then was shocked to find out how much they cost. I also broke a tube off of the vapor cut valve and had to order another one of those for a ridiculous price as well for a small plastic part. Since registration was coming up which included SMOG, I parked it and changed it to PNO. 

Fast forward about 5 or 6 months and I was finally get enough free time to use an air compressor and a nozzle clear all the charcoal out of the purge line by removing every rubber part of it (and also breaking the y going into the pressure monitor before it leaves the frame rail in the back). I got the new charcoal canister installed and am waiting for the new vapor cut valve to arrive. My problem is I've waited too long and cant remember where the mounting hardware goes and which hose goes where. I usually take pictures of this kind of stuff, but I didn't think it would be this long until I put it back together. 

The Haynes manual has no pictures of anything after probably '88 so it is no help, it doesn't even cover '96 or '97 emission systems or OBDII for that matter. So does anyone have a picture of their own late 90's hardbody or know where I can find one. All I need is a picture and I can get this thing put back together and back on the road where it belongs. If it matters it is a early 97 (appears to have '96 emissions configuration) and is federal emissions and not California. 

On a positive note I charged the battery while I was working on it and after 5 or 6 months sitting in my backyard it fired right up like I had just driven it yesterday. I shouldn't be surprised I guess. :laugh:


----------



## Grug (Aug 20, 2009)

Welcome, northwind.

I too have a '97 XE, but mine is 4WD.

I'd like to help out, but I don't think our set-ups are the same. In my part of the world, smog testing doesn't exist...yet. (However, it is illegal to replace a fouled catalytic converter with a straight pipe.)

I know folks who've been driving for years (literally, years) with their check engine light on. And 99% of the time, the CEL comes on due to emission faults.

Sorry, man.


----------



## northwindone (Mar 5, 2013)

Grug said:


> Welcome, northwind.
> ...I know folks who've been driving for years (literally, years) with their check engine light on. And 99% of the time, the CEL comes on due to emission faults...


Isn't that the truth, if I didn't live in California (or any other place the requires SMOG) I wouldn't have worried about it. I've only seen the CEL on my truck twice and both times it has been emmisions related and both times right before it was due for SMOG. The first time was a couple of years ago and a new gas cap fixed the problem. I was hoping it was the case again this time since I did buy a fairly cheap replacement gas cap. But it wasn't that simple. 

I'm not sure how different the 4x4 plumbing by the spare tire is, but I'm not going to expect someone I don't know to climb under their truck just to take pictures of it. I should have known better than to not take note of where everything went. I had to take the throttle body and intake manifold off my 6.8L V10 a few months before that and even though it was 10x more complicated I had no problems putting everything back together to include all vacuum lines and electrical connectors without any issues. I'm sure I'll figure this out too, I always do.


----------



## Grug (Aug 20, 2009)

I tell ya' what. I will have a peek under the truck bed and see if I can get a worthwhile photo for you. Lots of undercoating under there, so I won't make any promises.

As it's winter, I don't keep the spare suspended under the truck. In winter, I keep the spare in the box of the truck (I have a lockable fiberglass cap). It keeps the spare dry and free of ice/snow.

I do know of a coupla' fellas' that temporarily fooled their CEL's by disconnecting the battery overnight. It must erase the codes (temporarily, I suppose). One guy told me it took several days of normal driving before the CEL came on again. Another guy's came back on in less than 10 minutes.


----------



## northwindone (Mar 5, 2013)

Grug said:


> I tell ya' what. I will have a peek under the truck bed and see if I can get a worthwhile photo for you. Lots of undercoating under there, so I won't make any promises.
> 
> As it's winter, I don't keep the spare suspended under the truck. In winter, I keep the spare in the box of the truck (I have a lockable fiberglass cap). It keeps the spare dry and free of ice/snow.
> 
> I do know of a coupla' fellas' that temporarily fooled their CEL's by disconnecting the battery overnight. It must erase the codes (temporarily, I suppose). One guy told me it took several days of normal driving before the CEL came on again. Another guy's came back on in less than 10 minutes.


Hopefully you didn't go to the trouble yet, but I appreciate the offer. I was able to figure it out once I got the rest of the components in place, then it became clear where everything went. I had to replace most of the hoses since I had to cut slits in the old ones just to get them off without breaking some of the plastic pieces. It is all back together with the replacement parts. Now I just have to put some new tires on it and take it in to SMOG. Hopefully it passes without any issues.


----------



## Grug (Aug 20, 2009)

Nope, never did make it out under the belly of the beast. Old Man Winter hasn't been cooperating.

Glad you got it all figured out.

Good luck and drive safe.

Cheers!
Grug


----------



## jp2code (Jun 2, 2011)




----------



## northwindone (Mar 5, 2013)

Thanks! Useful stuff, but I needed the plumbing for the rear of the truck under the spare tire, no one seems to have any drawings of that. I was able to figure out though and got it all put back together. I'll be sure to save this though for future reference.


----------



## jp2code (Jun 2, 2011)

Come on, man! I left the link on the image so you could learn how to fish for yourself, no so I could spoon feed everything to you.

I don't have a 1997, and I'm getting paid nothing to help here.

Go to nico's website shown up there, download your Factory Service Manual section, and look it up.

Sorry, but this forum will hack out a URL to nico.


----------



## Grug (Aug 20, 2009)

jp2code said:


> Come on, man! I left the link on the image so you could learn how to fish for yourself, no so I could spoon feed everything to you.
> 
> I don't have a 1997, and I'm getting paid nothing to help here.


Calm down there, big fella'. None of us are here for the cash. We've got a community kinda' thing going on. The common good. Paying it forward. 

Ok, and now we take you back to your regularly scheduled program.


----------



## jp2code (Jun 2, 2011)

LOL.

This forum doesn't like mentioning that other site that offers the free service manuals.

They must be brothers.


----------



## ziggatron (Feb 6, 2014)

It's one single line from the gas tank to the canister. Nice link by the way.


----------



## jp2code (Jun 2, 2011)

ziggatron said:


> It's one single line from the gas tank to the canister. Nice link by the way.


Do you think I'll get banned from this? I hope not.

Honestly, if it is helpful to others, I don't see it as a bad thing:










If your D21 is 1989 or earlier, use the 1989 PDF.

If you contain the Bastard Year 1993, some of it contains newer stuff found in the 1994 files and some of it contains older stuff that you will need to look in the 1990 file.

If you have a 1994 or newer, there are procedures and pictures in the newer Service Manuals that the writers did not know to include in the earlier versions.

I only wished the 1994 - 1997 versions were all one file, like in the 1989 and 1990 versions.

I've got a "single file" 1994 version that I purchased before finding the free downloads:

http://www.jp2code.net/downloads/D21_1994.pdf

I have offered it to the site admins in the screen shot above, but they never wrote back or included it.


----------



## ziggatron (Feb 6, 2014)

We use that on 240sx forums. Not sure why people would bitch over free info. I bought the fsm for my s13 and it was $75 or so. The link you have is the same thing only pdf. I didn't have Google I had learn to use a book before I learned to work on cars. Wish people weren't so lazy and did stuff for them selves.


----------



## northwindone (Mar 5, 2013)

Got it all back together a couple months ago with help from the "sources" I was given. Got it smogged right away, but it failed because not enough monitors had run yet despite driving it 25 miles. I took it out for a 75 miles drive last weekend and after 70 miles it finally cleared enough monitors to pass (inluding the EVAP, which is the one I was nervous about). It of course passed with flying colors. 

As I said in another thread, the down side is that now that it is fixed it is going up for sale.

I'm going to miss this truck since I've had it for 11 years and it has been one of the most reliable vehicles that I have ever owned. But with 2 kids it just doesn't make sense to keep a vehicle with only 2 seats. Hopefully the next owner will enjoy it as much as I have.


----------



## jp2code (Jun 2, 2011)

Where do you have it listed?

Do you have a link?


----------



## northwindone (Mar 5, 2013)

It isn't listed officially yet, trying to sell it at work first since I have 200+ "co-workers" that might be interested in it. I created this site quickly last night though just to show pictures, but it isn't complete yet....

https://sites.google.com/site/rcnissan4sale/

I still need to add quite a few more pictures and some of the mileage figures on the repairs are incorrect since they were based on a guess at the time.


----------



## jp2code (Jun 2, 2011)

Pretty cool. I haven't seen too many people do stuff with the Google Sites.

On that camper top, you might be able to sell that separately. There are a lot of people on Infamous Nissan who ask where they can find those.

You could list it in their classifieds section for free.


----------



## northwindone (Mar 5, 2013)

Sounds like a good idea. I only paid $100 for it 10+ years ago (the camper shell that is). Never did quite match, but it was in much better condition than it is now. It was my wife and I's only vehicle for 2 years and we needed a way to at least lock up our stuff while shopping. Once we got the F-350 Crew Cab with a camper shell and a mini van I took the camper shell off about 3 or 4 years ago and haven't put it back on since then. I mostly use it now days for dump runs and pulling my utility trailer to the dump, so the camper shell just got in the way. Now it's just used as shade for our outdoor cat, chickens, and the occasional jack rabbit.


----------

