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86-95 Pathfinder Warn Premium Hub Installation


statikuz
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4)  I used high-temp brake grease to lube the heck out of the innards of the new

    manual hubs.  They were very dry - "factory-greased" is not what I call greased.

Just curious if you had any problems with your hubs? The instructions say they are assembled with the appropriate amount of grease. And the service instructions say to not pack the hubs with grease or they will not function properly.

 

Also I notice several posts talk about Pathfinders with "automatic hubs." Is this correct? It is my understanding they ALL have solid drive flanges, which are quite different to auto hubs, and NO one has made auto hubs for Pathfinders. A few people may have retrofitted Xterra auto hubs to Pathfinders.

 

Solid drive flanges permanently connect the wheels to the axles and therefore spin the front differential constantly, increasing wear. The 4x4 shifter controls whether the diff is connected to the transmission for power. But they act just like a locked manual hub and are almost bulletproof, being immediately solidly engaged without delay or "hunting" like an auto hub.

 

Auto hubs automatically disconnect the wheels from the axles when there is no power being transmitted by the diff to the axles. This stops the rotation and reduces wear on the CV joints, axles, and diff, just like a manual hub would, but they have the drawbacks previously mentioned.

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Edited by colinnwn
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  • 8 months later...

In response to using loads of high-temp grease with the hubs... I tore them apart over the winter and de-greased them, then re-greased and re-assembled them. They are functioning perfectly and I noticed that all that grease that was near the seal actually kept dirt, dust, and salt out. They still turn easily and seem to engage/disengage with no issues. So far so good!

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Manual hubs are the true answer for the serious. .

 

what about full time 4wd? no hubs at all...i dont like auto hubs...they've gotten me in trouble a couple times...but i got a lot of grinding in the 95 last time i got stuck and was shifting back and forth from r and 1st to rock out...and i had the auto's not engage 1 time when i was in the 87 and theres a video out there of them partially engaging and grinding like hell...manuals are the way to go...i always lock them right b4 wheeling but i always see what i can do in 2wd b4 4wd so locking them allows me to shift the tcase and not have to get in the mud

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  • 4 weeks later...

fyi... using this write up i still made a few mistakes.. probably due to not being able to see the pictures casue the links are dead

 

the snap ring goes back on the outer notch...

 

and dont take off the wheel bearing lock washer and nut.

 

heres also a few other good links that i found usefull after messing it up ^^

 

http://www.4x4parts.com/ubbthreads/showfla...part=1&vc=1

 

http://www.nissanoffroad.net/how_to/hubs/hub.asp

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well at the time i didnt know how the auto hubs worked.. or the wheel bearings.. so i didnt know what i was supposed to take off and what not to.. now that i understand it, its pretty simple.

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  • 4 months later...

I don't have a problem with my auto hubs as of yet. So I'm going to keep them for now. However, I'm going to listen to the voices of experience and change over to manuals if anything goes wrong. My question is: when the auto hubs fail, does it damage anything else? I mean, the day they decide to lock/unlock themselves, can I just swap out to manuals, or am I looking at replacing some broken parts first?

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  • 4 weeks later...

Well, after damaging clutch plates in my auto hubs when changing my CV axles I got me the Mile Marker Premium hubs. Hopefully now I shouldn't get stuck in my own snowy driveway when the hubs refuse to engage! Got the new hubs on my desk and got Thursday off work! Sweet!

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  • 4 weeks later...

I've never had a problem with my '90's auto hubs not engaging... they always click when I shift into 4WD... often within a few inches of tire movement.

 

Are there any better Auto Hubs that I can use instead of the stock ones? Do the hubs need replacing every so often?

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Nothing to worry about. If they're working, they're working. I had 310,000kms on my truck when my autos finally gave up on me. There are no stronger automatic hubs out there for our application. If you want to go back to auto, do so. Personally, I like knowing, for certain that my hubs are locked, or unlocked when I want them to be. That's why I went with Warns. :aok:

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Just curious..... I have a 1985 Ford F-150 4x4 with manual Warn hubs and I can shift on the fly well over 25mph from 2wd to 4Hi and back again with no problems.

My Suzuki's were the same way.

 

Not that mine's going anywhere soon, But

Why do (all?) pathfinders have to be shifted from 2 to 4Hi below 25mph?

 

Dave

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You don't HAVE to do it below 25... I've done it once at 55mph... (hey... I was on the turnpike... in almost six inches of snow/sleet/ice some douche decided to cut me off and lost control of his car... in the attempt to NOT have him clip my front bumper (which was successful) I wound up sliding sideways and driving, at 55 mph, sideways, down the turnpike... doglegging I guess it's called. Threw her into 4wdhi and mashed the gas with light pressure on the brakes to lock my diff and pulled her straight as pretty as can be)

 

Thing is, it risks damaging the system... transfer case and splines and things like that I guess... not really sure.

 

So, while you CAN do it much higher... you shouldn't.

 

On another note... manual hubs. I'm assuming you lock them and thus tie the wheels to the front driveshaft... then the drive selector simply engages / disengages the transfer case?

Edited by Kittamaru
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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...
  • 11 months later...

I've got a 98 pathfinder se, I'm about to do the 2" lift, and install the Warn manuals... after reading colin's post earlier about auto hubs and solid drive flanges, I'm not sure what the hell to do. Someone want to Give me a "Yay or Nay" on the Warns for my application?

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I've got a 98 pathfinder se, I'm about to do the 2" lift, and install the Warn manuals... after reading colin's post earlier about auto hubs and solid drive flanges, I'm not sure what the hell to do. Someone want to Give me a "Yay or Nay" on the Warns for my application?

I say yay, the WD21 had auto hubs and the R50 had drive flanges, all that matters is both of them use the same Warn manual hubs...

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  • 4 weeks later...

Ive got Warn manual hubs not sure if it came with them from the factory but I had to tighten a couple of bolts and the insides have what looks like dirt all through it. Plus one of the locks is a bit loose. Should I replace them or just take 'em out and give them a good clean?

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Ive got Warn manual hubs not sure if it came with them from the factory but I had to tighten a couple of bolts and the insides have what looks like dirt all through it. Plus one of the locks is a bit loose. Should I replace them or just take 'em out and give them a good clean?

 

 

check to make sure the rubber o ring around the dial is in good shape so it doesn't leak dirty water in there again. Also check to make sure the paper gasket is also good. Clean them out, re-lube them with light oil and put them back on. You can try putting a drop of blue loc-tite on the mounting bolts to keep them from backing out.

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  • 4 weeks later...

:puterpunch: I have recently embarked on the task of replacing my front wheel bearings and in doing so I decided that I would rebuild my hubs while I was in there. Well, while I was looking :googleit: for the A&B brakes to go into my auto hub, I ran across this post :goodpost: and have decided to go with the manual hubs. Now when I look up the hubs on Amazon (turning up great for my part needs), there is a note attached to the description (same on the Warn site as well) that states:

Product Description

WARN PREMIUM MANUAL HUB -- Durable, Chrome-Plated, Resists Corrosion, ZA Alloy Dial, Wave Spring Technology Increases Reliability Over Standard Coil Springs, All Metal Construction, Requires 9/10 Of A Turn To Insure Positive Engagement, Designed For The Hardcore Off-Roader And Truck Owner, Hub Set Includes Stud Kit PN 38003 , When Replacing Factory Automatic Hubs With Manual Hubs, You Must Also Purchase Spindle Nut Conversion Kit #29918 (Except For ADD)

 

 

 

So do I need this part for my 1994 Pathy's? I also assume that the sited kit will contain a "pair" of hubs and not individual kits.

 

Thanx

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