Looking at an 89 5 speed nisson p.u. bad truck body but good cab. do these things have to have timing belt changed 60,000 miles like mitsubishi ?? how can i test 4 wheel driveto be sure it is engaged ? also how hard is it to install free wheeling hubs ? and is $400,to much to pay for an 89 .Runs pretty good but noisy ,no muffler so i wont be able to hear any engine noises or if the tranny is making noise ,Would appreaciate any heads up .

Well you didnt say if it was a V6 or a 4cyl, but the V6s are recommened to be changed every 105k and i would recommend changing the 4cyl somewhere between 100 and 150k to be on the safe side. Remember 4cyl is a timing chain and the V6 is a belt. As far as the 4wd goes, jack up one front tire and one rear tire at the same time and engage the 4wd, put it in gear and ease off the clutch. Be very careful when doing this as not to fall off the jack. The tires in the air should turn signifying the four wheel is working. NOTE* this will only work if the truck has open differentials front and rear. The hubs are extremely easy to install if you are going with manual locking hubs, it took me about 30-45min. to install my warn premium hubs. Sounds like a fair price to me. Check for rust spots on the frame and especially in the bed. Check the exhaust manifold for cracks....ummmm thats all i can think of right now besides checking the oil and pull a few of the spark plugs to look for tell tell signs of problems.

the nissan hardbody's are damn good trucks, I have owned 2, one was a 2wd and the other was a 4wd. The 4wd when I sold it had 250,000 on it and still pured like a little hellcat and everything still worked well. When putting it in 4wd you should be able to tell just by the torque, put it in 4 low and you will definatlly tell a difference and you should also drive it a little in 4wd to make sure it is working proplerly. 400 is not a bad price for a trail beater.