Megaton

Finally got to the bottom of the problem. It wasn't exactly the timing, however, the tensioners were at their limits. It was clogged catalytic converters.

Thanks for the info. My mechanic is a former Honda mechanic and he doesn't know to much about Nissan. This should help him.

anyone know if the timing on a 4.0 can be checked with a timing light? I've had a major drop in power and my mechanic says it could be the timing.

I know exactly where your coming from. My 97 has 336k on it now. It's getting hard to justify spending the money to fix all the little problems that add up to one big problem... it's just worn out and rusting away. Health reasons don't allow me to do my own work on it and money reasons won't allow me to pay to get it done. It's kind of a sad situation.

Look into General Grabber AT2. I run 31x10.50x15 LTs. They have been a great all round tire for me. A couple of winters ago we had 2+ feet of snow and I had no problem with it. I even pulled out a couple of stuck side-by-sides which left the drivers a little impressed. I think the Grabbers are a little cheaper than the KOs but they might not be as good of tire. I'm just going by my experiences.

Anything new on the front bumper brackets? I'm interested in the rear bumper also maybe with a swing out tire carrier on the bumper?

That's about the same off set I have. I added a set of Pacer rubber fender flares that just covers the "stick-out". They work well and look pretty good too.

I replaced all the rubber parts and added the trim packers (they are steel). With all of that sandwiched in there the bolts on part 54322 are a little short. I got away ( so far ) without replacing the bolts. They were already installed before I realised it. The bolts don't quite stick out through the nuts when mounted. If I had realized it, I would have replaced them. They can be pressed out and replaced with the same type bolts only a little longer.

I used the same setup you're using. I bought all the parts and made a complete assembly so the old strut/spring assembly could be pulled out and the new one put in. You can reuse all the old metal parts as long as they aren't bent or rusted to bad. Definitely replace the strut bearings with oem. If you use the trim packers you will need to use longer mounting bolts. The trim packers are just spacers. Press out the old bolts and replace with longer ones. The bump stops and bellows did not come with my struts and had to be purchased separately. They may come with yours. I hope this helps you.

The steering rack is still moving a tiny bit. I can hear creaking when I turn the steering wheel. The movement of the rack is unnoticeable but you can hear it. The steering wheel was turning from the 11 o'clock to the 1 o'clock positions before the tires would move. It's tight now. Time will tell.

In the last two years I have gone through two sets of Dorman bushings due to oil contamination. Dorman says the bushings are polyurethane and oil shouldn't hurt them but they won't honor their warranty because they were used on an off road vehicle. So I'm trying Ricochet polyurethane technologies part no. N8 N9-90 BLU. Anyone else use these? I will give periodic updates. By the way, I think I got the oil leak under control.

You might want to check the drains also. They are located in the front corners of the sun roof recess and drain down the A pillars. Just run a stiff wire or equivalent down the drain to open it. Test it by pouring a little water into the drain and watching to see if it runs out down at the rear of the front fender. I had a similar problem and after I cleaned the drains the leak went away.

I don't have any photos but the cut off line is a little ragged but acceptable. Apparently the glare isn't too bad because I don't get " bright lighted" by opposing traffic. As Rosie said we have faceted glass lenses that focuses the light. I don't know much about how they will work with clear unfaceted lenses.

I got a set from Kensun at Amazon. They are Chinese but I've never had any problems with them in the five or so years I've had them. It includes everything you need to install. A basic understanding of wiring helps. I've had no problems with opposing traffic either. I really like the difference they make in inclimate weather.

Best news I've heard all year!