88SubGL

You could take it to a radiator shop and see if they can clean it for you.

I think in 1985 it only came with either a push button 4wd or a dual range 4wd, both of which are not full time, so no fuse to pull. Post a picture of your shifter to now which setup you have.

That was a nice car. I hope the insurance paid you well.

Manual transmission= Millennial Anti-theft Device

If it’s the original alternator, have it tested and if needed have it rebuilt. Better than the aftermarket junk.

*Coolant hose*

There is a small coolant under the intake.

That’s an EA81 isn’t it? No timing belt.

EJ it. Lots of information here about it.

I have an ‘85 Nissan pickup that had 400,000 miles on it before I opened it up after it blew a head gasket. I bought it with 75,000 miles on it and used whatever was the cheapest oil and filter I could find, including Fram filters, and changed the oil every 3,000 miles. I was surprised to find the factory crosshatching in the cylinders. Cleaned up the pistons, re-ringed it, new bearings, timing set and head reworked and it runs as good as when I first bought it. Point being, based on my personal experience, it’s much less about brands than frequency. I also have an ‘04 Frontier with 281,000, an ‘04 Tahoe with 212,000 and a ‘15 Legacy with 148,000. All running strong.

As regards the brake fluid, you may need to check your brake wear. The fluid level goes down as the brakes wear.

I’m glad I’m not the only one who doesn’t think that’s a Justy.

If it’s built right, there’s no reason to baby it. Drive it like you stole it, it’ll help seat the rings.

Could it be just a bad sending unit?

EJ it and have some fun.