Steve_RI Posted January 2, 2017 Share Posted January 2, 2017 Question on 4wd on my 92. In the 20+ years I've owned a pathfinder I have never really had any trouble with it, using mainly for snow travel, and very limited off-road. I was heading up to VT last weekend and when I was in 4 high the truck was not handling well and there was vibration type feeling. Normally I can do 50-55mph, but anything over 40-45mph did not feel right...truck was kind of laboring. I recently did the ball joints, so I popped the hub's off to see if anything looked off, but they looked fine. Any ideas, thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citron Posted January 2, 2017 Share Posted January 2, 2017 Vibration only in 4hi, or also 2hi? Was vibration related to road speed, meaning it changed the faster you went, or was it more related to rpm? Not handling well, can you explain? Initial thought was ujoints on the front drivline, but answering the above questions will help narrow it down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_RI Posted January 2, 2017 Author Share Posted January 2, 2017 2hi is fine, no issues. The truck just felt squirrelly on the road, kinda like the death wobble. I came home and was doing 75mph in 2hi with no problem. Vibration was more related to road speed. Truck felt labored a just did not feel right in 4hi around 40-45mph, around 2k rpms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citron Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 Sounds like it is in the front drive system. Check CV axles, front drive line. I would bet something is binding, which would also explain the truck labouring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_RI Posted January 3, 2017 Author Share Posted January 3, 2017 I think a better way to describe the feel of the truck is it felt like a caliper sticking in 4wd. I did add some grease when I did the ball joints, maybe I overdid it. I'll check the axles and drive line when I get a chance, but I think I'm going to take the hubs off and clean them up just to eliminate something fairly easy. I also have the hubs from my 89. I know the spline count is different, but I think the brakes (part A/B) are in better shape. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 Check the front driveshaft, u joints or the slip joint could be binding. Does it change at all if you drive with the hubs locked, but shifter in 2hi? (engage 4wd, but don't reverse after shifting to 2hi) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_RI Posted January 3, 2017 Author Share Posted January 3, 2017 Check the front driveshaft, u joints or the slip joint could be binding. Does it change at all if you drive with the hubs locked, but shifter in 2hi? (engage 4wd, but don't reverse after shifting to 2hi) Thanks, forgot this detail. It did not change at all with hubs locked in 2hi (green light on/off). Only after shifting to 2hi and reversing the truck felt normal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citron Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 If it were the brakes or the hub bearings, it would also do it in 2hi. Since it is only when the front drive components are spinning, then the problem is there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 Could pull the driveshaft and lock the hubs, and take it for a test drive. While its out check that the slip joint and u joints operate smoothly. If it still happens your problem is in the CV's. I did have an issue with certain aftermarket cv axles causing this. And it felt like the more you got on the throttle the worse it got. They were Cardone parts. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_RI Posted January 3, 2017 Author Share Posted January 3, 2017 Okay, thanks for the help, at least now I have a clear understanding of what's going on. These are the original axles and while I have done many on the wife's VW I have never had any problems with my truck or the 89 I had before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 Usually they don't ever go bad. Even if the boots were torn, you'd hear them clicking whenever you turn in 4wd or 2wd with hubs locked. They never turn otherwise so they pretty much last as long as the boots don't let all the grease out. I change the boots on my factory ones because all the aftermarket axles suck, at least so it seems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_RI Posted January 4, 2017 Author Share Posted January 4, 2017 Yea, that's the one thing that makes me think the axles are not the issue, boots are fine and no clicking/noise with the hubs locked. The cheap aftermarket axles are hit or miss, I use Raxles for the VW. They re-use the shaft, everything else is brand new. Prices have gone up, but they are still cheaper than OEM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverton Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 Your alignment is probably not perfect, and your center link is probably wore out. The two fronts are fighting for the "lead", so you get a wobble. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_RI Posted January 18, 2017 Author Share Posted January 18, 2017 Haven't had time to really get into this. I was up North again this weekend with the truck and now I'm getting this same thumping/clunking in 2wd. It's most prevalent between 30-50mph, but eventually disappears at higher speed. Symptoms are the same whether the truck is in gear or not (5spd). I think this is coming from the rear of the truck. I don't get any feedback through the steering wheel or brakes. I'm home this weekend, so I will finally be able to check things out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citron Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 Keep us posted on what you find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_RI Posted January 19, 2017 Author Share Posted January 19, 2017 Pulled the rear tires last night to discover rear calipers are seized up. This probably had something to do with the truck feeling sluggish. Warrantied calipers will be in Saturday. U-joints on both axles look fine and the rear bushings look to be in pretty good shape....I'll keep searching. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_RI Posted January 23, 2017 Author Share Posted January 23, 2017 Alright, some resolution here. It seems the issue was the rear passenger caliper. When I re-greased the guide pins before the beginning of winter and put new pads in I forgot to put the clips back on the caliper (the clips the pads slide on). I remember I was in a big rush that day because I needed the truck. My guess is that this was enough room for the brakes to vibrate when the the piston seized up and cause this bizarre issue. This is the first time I have had problems with the piston, it's usually the guide pins that get sticky. The only thing that I can't figure out is why the problem felt worse in 4wd. Thanks for the the help. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverton Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 Things get weird or just strange when all four wheels have power versus two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citron Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 I never would have expected that. Thanks for the update, it is nice knowing how an issue was fixed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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