2WD Steering Setup Installed w/ Pictures, Using OEM Steering Damper.

[Nefarious]

Finished my 2wd steering setup, everything went according to plan! Here's just a few pics of the setup installed. I welded on the OEM pathfinder steering damper bracket to the right place/angle on the 2WD center link to retain it's use. Everything works great! Steering is about 50% easier to turn (with 33x12.5 tires on 15x10 steel rims) and the bump steer has been reduced greatly. It is almost un-noticeable now and my truck hasn't been aligned yet. Once I get an alignment I will check back in and update. Enjoy the pics!

 

[Nefarious]

As you can see the steering/tie rod angles are WAY better than factory. I have about 2.5" of lift in the front suspension and my tie rods ball joint angles are almost centered, it clears everything fine and those are extended sway bar end links for the lift.

 

It is a huge difference in steering feel. REALLY easy to turn the wheels now, especially since I have very heavy wheels. I cut off the steering damper mount from my old pathy center link and welded it to the 2wd hardbody center link. Retains my factory steering damper/location. Theres tons of room to align, I still have most of the threads in the adjustment sleeve as well so it should be really strong. My stock inner tie rods were already near new so I just reused them and here's the following cost of the swap.

 

2wd Inner tie rods x2 ($41 shipped) autopartsway.ca (Qsten brand)

2wd center link x1 ($70 shipped) ebay.ca (OE Parts brand) -- MUST USE SMALL TAPER PITMAN ARM

4wd Inner tie rods (already had)

adjustment sleeves machined ($25)

 

bringing my grand total to 136$ for the entire swap, very economical way to go as well!

It drives great on the street so far, a LOT better than before. We will see how it holds up to the trails tomorrow after the alignment!

Edited May 23, 2012 by Nefarious

[adamzan]

So no more steering wheel being ripped out of your hands when going over dips in the road lol.

[Tungsten]

First of all, very nice work.

 

It's interesting my 2WD center link actually did come with the bracket to mount the damper but I cut it off in favor of using an aftermarket Bilstein damper.

[Nefarious]

Yeah the wheel stays nice and solid now and that's with a quick string line backyard alignment just to get it to the alignment shop. Can't wait to feel it after everything is done!

 

Yeah the center link didn't come with a steering damper bracket . But I believe it would have been on the wrong side anyways. I know there were no captive nuts welded inside the holes in the frame on the other side for the damper pin.

 

I just got a Lincoln MIG pak 180 so it was my first test I needed an excuse to use it. Was a great excuse! And thanks!

[silverton]

I have a feeling that this setup is not meant to be put through the abuse of a 4x4 vehicle and offroad environments. otherwise, Nissan wouldn't have made a 4x4 specific setup. I think all the improvements you've noticed, would have also been seen in NEW 4x4 parts, or a grasslinks/calmini setup.

 

But! I guess go thrash on it in the woods, and report back!

[Nefarious]

I dunno. It's designed better to flex. It feels more solid than new oem parts by far, the differences I noticed were in comparison to new oem parts. I have done my front end a few times now with all new parts. I wheel quite a bit. Wanted to try something new and for 136$ I can't go wrong.

 

It looks very similar to the 4runner steering now. They hold up to abuse quite well.

http://jaw.iinet.net.au/cars/4runner/idlerarm_2.jpg

[Nefarious]

Just a heads up. I found out since my truck is a 1993 (made after 07/1992 production date) it has a large taper pitman arm hole. The 2WD center link has a 1986-1992 style smaller taper on the pitman arm. This causes the taper of the centerlink to be too loose to fit properly in the pitman arm hole.

 

The solution is to swap in a pitman arm from a 1991-1992 truck (with production dates from 07/1990-07/1992) which has the large steering gear output shaft and same spline count as well as the smaller taper. Pitman arms on trucks older than 1991 will not work to swap to a 1993+ truck (production date 07/1992 or newer) as they use a small steering gear output shaft with a different spline count.

 

So for future reference to do this swap you must have a 86 to 92 model year truck or you must swap in a 91 or 92 model year pitman arm if you have a 93 or newer truck.

 

There are 3 types of pitman arms. One from 07/1986 to 06/1990 (small spines and small taper) one from 07/1990 to 06/1992 (large spline small taper, the one you want to swap in if your truck is made after 06/1992) and then one from 07/1992+ (large spline large taper).

 

It will of course fit fine on older trucks before 91 of course, but this is if you want to use a new model power steering gear box with the older smaller taper.

 

Just thought I would clarify for anyone doing the swap.

Edited May 23, 2012 by Nefarious

[Tungsten]

Yeah I wish I spotted that sooner when I swapped up to a 95 box. I ended up loosing a boot from the pitman compressing on the joint. Good thing for me I already had a 1991 box so I just grabbed the arm from there.

[Nefarious]

lucky!

[wax]

To those people that think it may not be as strong. Its actually bigger in the threads than the 4wd. Its like nissan got it back to front when the made it

[Slartibartfast]

Are the idler arms the same throughout?

[andrewt6447]

Are the idler arms the same throughout?

Yeh, all the same part from what I've found.

I think they used the larger joint on pitman on the later one's to try to stop it wearing out so fast. It's the one that holds the crossrod from rocking.

Edited May 24, 2012 by andrewt6447

[Tungsten]

Yep, that's it. RockAuto.com has different part numbers for newer 4WD center links.

[Nefarious]

Yeah the idler arms are the same, all the ones I have come across are the smaller taper. When you look at a newer style 4wd center link it has a small taper on one end and larger on the other. So you should be fine there!

[Tungsten]

I find it really weird how they only changed the pitman taper but not the idler.

[Nefarious]

I know... Me too. and in my experience it's been the joint on the idler side of the center link that goes, not the pitman side. 2 center links now I have gone through same thing. Now my idler arm is braced though so that shouldn't happen anymore.

[unccpathfinder]

I don't like the severe bends in the TRE's clearing the CL...believe they will bend/break there just as easily as a stock TRE when put into any severe offroading application...but good work in figuring it out and hope it works for you...just always carry trail spares

[Tungsten]

The stock TREs seem to bend against the joint. These solve that problem by changing the direction of travel of the joint. I think it will hold up better than the 4WD stuff.

[Nefarious]

Yeah severe as in bashing around on rocks maybe. This isn't a rock crawler its my dd and weekend fun rig. I'm not worried about bending anything...I wheel a lot but I don't try and bounce up trails... more slow technical crawling. I've never bent a steering or suspension part but I have had my steering joints go loose rapidly from the bad angles the inner/outer tie rods are at when the t-bars are cranked up. Also since the dog bone style is gone, the tie rods dont pry up and down so hard on the center link joints, they are allowed to easilly twist the inner tie rods ball joint rather than pushing it through to the end of it's range and prying on the edge of the joint and the center link.

 

Also I was so sick of dd my rig with all the bumpsteer from the bad angles of the stock steering for a truck lifted 3 inches up front. My bumpsteer even on really bad roads is almost totally gone. Feels way better in that respect. Its also a lot more comfortable to drive offroad as the wheel isn't jerking around everywhere!

Edited May 28, 2012 by Nefarious

[Nefarious]

Okay now that I have really driven this thing around with a good alignment I have nothing but good things to say.... truck drives just amazing. Better than it ever did with the factory steering setup. It is so nice to drive my rig around without the wheel flailing all over the place. It's also easier to turn my big heavy wheels by a good amount.

 

I don't know if its just the leverage difference or what but my steering input is a lot easier than before with my 90 lb wheels. It has held up great so far. Lots of rough broken roads, logging roads, off-road driving, no wear yet in any joints. It all is as tight as new. I can see why every other ifs 4x4 uses this style steering... the dogbone is just hoakey for a truck with any lift or suspension articulation.

 

I had a chat with jimmy baja on Facebook and he agreed the 2wd has a lot better steering for offroading. He built the long travel 4x4 wd21 and 2wd d21. He uses the stock steering of the 2wd truck for his long travel kit. It must be ok.

Edited May 29, 2012 by Nefarious

[Tungsten]

Yeah the setup really kicks ass. I could stay on a beat up road all day long going 40 mph and the truck just goes like a boat through water. I got one quick question though... My steering fluid is running a little warm. Maybe around 65 C. Is that normal?

[Nefarious]

Well I have no power steering temp gauge but I have been having no issues at will the setup. no weird p/s noises or strains, I am also running a vg33e with r50 accessories too so I have the stronger power steering pump so that may help as well.

[unccpathfinder]

I'm not a rock racer...slow and technical is my game....just at certain angles without sway bars and full rebound it was always a known...I basically knew if i was going to bend something before I got on the obstacle...but that's just me knowing my truck...other issues contributed but I'm fixing it with a D44

 

I bent a free TREs while it was my DD but there are always some in my rescue box BC if i don't need them someone else might...

[Nefarious]

Ah I gotcha. I run with my sway bars on as I spend too much time driving in really crappy city conditions as well as up in the mountains. looking into sway disconnects but I definitely need them on front and rear for my city driving time, I hate sloshy sloppy handling (too much time driving my 240sx and z32 300zx lol). There are fatter options out there for the inner tie rod, like the moog ones tungsten is using. They are crazy beefy and I doubt you would bend one of those unless it took a real good hit. I think sloppy bushings make a big difference too... i going to do polyurethane uca and lca bushings, i have poly everywhere else already and it was a major positive. I think the chance of bending things goes down a lot when all the slack and slop is taken out of the system, thats just my opinion though.

 

I just did this on the cheap as I just need it to tie me over until next year after electronics tech school when I can take the time to sas it with a 3-link. and it sure rides a hell of a lot better with my torsion crank. the tie rod joints arent nearly as flexed to their end of their travel like they were before with the dogbone style too..