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I had a RWD Frontier when I was a teenager and it seemed to go anywhere and very rarely ever got stuck. I never use 4WD on fire roads. Honestly the only time I use 4WD is when I’m going places my vehicle has no businesses being. I will say that without lower gearing you can run into overheating issues in the summer. My first engine didn’t have a blown HG and I did see temps go above normal when going slow on trails in the summer. A quick neutral engine rev would shoot the temp back down. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Well, we just got back from a 308 mile trip, and only used 18 gallons. That comes out to 17mpg. Granted, it was 99% 60-65. Couple small towns, couple elevation climbs of probably 1000'+. I'm ok with that. After changing the thermostat and coolant, temp gauge now gets to where the needle just touches the bulb on the thermometer on the temp gauge. And that's at the top of a good climb having to drop to 4th for the last mile or so. Wife and I, and a full tank. We actually had to turn the heat down. So, while it's not face melting, it is in fact adequate. I also have to remember I have at least double the volume of air to heat up as my Sammi, and it ain't no Bimmer. Thanks for all the help guys. I really do appreciate it. I'm gonna try to create some other posts on here when I get to other to-do's. Hubs. DeeDeer guard. Injectors -Bender -.

Sanity has a big effect on it too. If you are a bit off like me, it is amazing what a rear wheel drive can do. However, it does get expensive. If you were to put a locker in that rear axle, it really is incredible how far you can go, but you will get stuck even deeper. My one run of Hells Revenge was done in 2wd because I broke my steering at the beginning of the trail. I did have my locker and low range to help my insanity to get me through though. I just did the run in 4lo with the hubs unlocked and took the easy lines. Also left a lot of rubber on the rocks too.

Went to Leavenworth,WA this weekend. Really impressed with how the Wildpeak AT3Ws handled the snow.

Alright it's been a long time since I've been on here but the rig still exists in my life but now I'm addressing the huge oil leak I've had for a year or so and always put the job off to the side as it's somewhat a big one for a $20 part. Upper oil pan seal is completely shot with the RMS only weeping just a little bit of oil. Had to remove lots of large components to get the tranny out like the front diff, exhaust, drivelines obviously and other tid bits which add up time. So far got the flex plate off and called it a night and hopefully will resume next weekend. Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

Welcome! Nice rig! Sorry for your loss. Does your truck have the manual transfer case or electronic? (switch in the dash). There are a bunch of us in the PNW. We did a couple portions of the Washington backcountry discovery route this year and will definitely do more in the future. Very fun and great views. What part of WA are you in?

I think it’s about time I introduce myself. My name is John and I’ve been a lurker in this Forum for a while. I’ve owned many civics in my days as well as a Infiniti g35 and lowered e39 wagon. I never thought I would own a lifted suv in my life but sometimes things just happen. My father passed away in January and left behind this vehicle. It’s a 2001 LE 4x4 automatic with factory LSD and 135k “babied” miles. We were originally going to sell the vehicle but decided against it. The car is in great shape mechanically and inside with some battle damage outside from the brush guard. My father loved this car and this was prob his most prized thing he owned. He worked hard and spoiled my sister and I growing up but never gave himself anything nice except this car. I know he would be upset if we got rid of it especially since it’s not worth much. Needless to say this car has sedimental value to me. I want to thank everyone on this forum for sharing great ideas and awesome photos. I look forward to seeing more of your builds and being able to spend time wrenching on my own vehicle with my 8 year old son. I plan an taking the car on the Washington discover trail with my family this summer and other adventures. My mods so far include: OME front hd springs OME rear md springs New front struts and rear shocks 15” steel wheels with 31” duratracs All new fluids in the transfer case, transmission, diffs. New belts and pulleys Full tune up Power valve screws fixed Removed the brush guard Retrofit headlights I’m in the process of replacing the idle control valve oring so my ecu doesn’t fry. I also scored a complete rear tire carrier mount that will be installed once it’s a little warmer. There’s also a Rola roof basket sitting inside the car. I’ll be using the conduit mount method I learned from this forum. Future plans include: Arb front bumber Fluerys 1” spacers front and back Full size matching spare Full vinyl wrap Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hello i haven't posted much on here i haven't gotten around to it. i will be updating my page in the near future. I was curios what thickness of steel did you use to weld to and mount your bumper. It looks great and your rig inspired me to copy it.

Honestly, if you're in Stockton, I wouldn't even bother with that eBay unit. Pricewise, $300 for just the internals on that eBay unit is a rip. I just bought a full 3rd member with LSD and a pair of axle shafts last weekend for $210; my yard typically charges $150 for the complete 3rd member, and I've bought a few in the area for about the same price. Took hand tools and <30 mins to have it out, as you probably know. Not sure the supply of yards in Stockton, but there's a ton of them in Sacramento, especially in a pocket in Rancho Cordova. There used to be a "Nissan Only Wreckers" group there, but I think they are now Rancho Nissan Auto Dismantling. But that little area they're in has several other yards right there on the same street. Even if you don't pull it yourself, they'll pull it and warranty it for under that $300 I'm sure, in addition to having a large selection. If you're being picky, you'll ask for an LSD unit from a 00-02 Xterra V6 or 01-02 Frontier V6 with HG46 gears, since those will have the best LSD setup for a unit that'll bolt right into your truck. The 4.636 gears will be stamped with "51:11". The 2wd units may have the ABS sensor on the snout (see below)...you can just ignore that; the overall snout length is the same as the units without the ABS sensors (our sensors are on the axle housing ends). This is the LSD unit I just pulled the other day, from an 02 Xterra 2wd. LSD carrier (I have a couple units that aren't in the 3rd member if you need additional pics):

And yeah, mechanical lockers are great for what they are, but keep in mind they are more like "unlockers"...they're always locked under torque, and will only unlock when one tire needs to rotate faster than the other (say, around corners). The moment you give it gas, it'll lock up again. It's all negligible when going straight. But, it's not something I'd want to have when towing. (On the flip side, GM trucks have optional Eaton G80 mechanical lockers that are always unlocked, and will auto-lock when there's enough slip/rotation...pretty neat.)

If the diff really is an 02 Xterra open diff, it'll look exactly like the diff you've already got, not like the one in the eBay listing. If it's an 02 Xterra LSD diff, then it'll fit your truck perfectly because it'll be 33-spline. The Lock Right itself isn't splined for 31- or 33-spline ale shafts, but it re-uses the 31-spline side gears. As confirmed in another one of my posts, the 31- and 33-spline side gears are cut very differently, so the 33-spline side gears won't mate with the Lock Right's components (and the 33-spline side gears won't fit that 31-spline open carrier). Given all that, the Lock Right can only work in 31-spline applications that have the open diff. Across all H233B carriers, the LSD carrier is identical, and LSD internals can be interchanged. It's the open diffs that are different.

I wouldn't tow with a rear differential lunch box. They're great for a dedicated trail rig but under load they lock the rear axle up, which would be most of the time with a trailer.

Lol, was just going to say and @hawairish beat me to it. I do have a complete axle swap that Im not going to use. I cant use the lunchbox setup for my rig as I need to tow a trailer.

@Mattmill91 Replying to a few things here... Can I buy that double-cardan joint off you? Not sure it helps me, but I like collecting drive train stuff, lol. What gears are on that diff anyway (you can look for the ratio, it'll listed as ##:## on the perimeter of the ring gear). Guessing 4.363 (48:11) from a 2wd 96-00 R50. The diff being sold on eBay...I'm certain that's not from a 2002 Xterra. That style of carrier (4-pinion, 2-piece open diff) was used for 31-spline model H233B axles. 33-spline open diffs only ever had the 2-pinion, 1-piece open, like the one in your spare diff. If anything, it came from a 99-00 (early 00) 31-spline Frontier, or possibly older WD21 Pathfinder or D21 Pickup. If that diff came from any of the trucks I mentioned, the HG46 would actually mean it has 4.625 gears. 33-spline HG46 is 4.636. Trivial difference, but a difference nonetheless. The picture of that diff is from a rather old eBay listing I saw years ago (I've used that exact pic to reference that specific style of carrier several times in other discussions). The "Ace" logo and yellow stickers are from Ace Pickup Parts, a JY in Tucson, AZ. The Lock Right locker you linked does fit that eBay differential perfectly, but in order to make it work in your truck, you'd need 31-spline axle shafts. The shafts from a 99-00 Frontier work, as do ones from C200 Frontiers (I have a write up about this). The internals from a 33-spline unit won't swap. Not sure if @TowndawgR50 is still going to do the 31-spline swap, but he has all the parts you'd need.

There are no lunchbox locker options for the rear axles on R50's without switching from 33 spline to the somewhat hard to find 31 spline axle shafts out of an early Supercharged Frontier. @hawairish covered the details in another thread but its a pretty involved job if you can find the axle shafts

True that! I was 15 and I took my parent’s 1985 Volvo 240 out for a drive in what was supposed to only be in our neighborhood but I actually took it across town. I was coasting in neutral at about 50mph when I accidentally threw it in reverse instead of drive and it instantly started spinning around in circles right in the middle of the road. Luckily it stopped perfectly on the side of the road as if I had pulled off on purpose. I made it home before the rear end died but it never left the driveway under its own power again. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

This is my '87 , it has only 22k miles on it. Picture doesn't do the car justice..

Time to take it off the road until that's fixed. Ain't nobody got time for the rear end locking up at highway speed.

Condolences on your Father. I’m sure he’d be happy to know the truck is getting a new life with you. Ditto on[mention=37543]TowndawgR50[/mention] comments. I’m just down the road from you between Kirkland, Redmond & Woodinville. Curious where you got those aftermarket headlights? [Found your excellent write up http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/topic/45416-headlight-retrofit/] Have an offline conversation with @jzuniga before you put spacers on - I don’t think he’d recommend it & I’d agree. On bumpers, Coastal Offroad is just above us in Vancouver. There are pros & cons to his bumper. I have one that you can look at in person if you’d like. Good job getting the power valve screws fixed. Don’t be in a hurry to pull those running boards. They’re pretty sturdy & very handy. We have several damaged doors & rocker panels on trucks without them. I’m finally replacing mine with RRO sliders but I’ve had the truck 106K, mostly stock, over almost all the big CO passes with no problem. You can see my truck & some of the other local guys on IG: raing0at, jzuniga510, grizzlypath & the PDX guys theblackpathfinder, stpickens, thesilverpathfinder. I have an 8yo boy (&10yo daughter) as well. WABDR is very accessible & fun.

@Strato_54 FWIW, I just keyed this up...given your use and hesitation, if you're considering hubs at all still, the RR-style hubs are a reasonable alternative.

Yeah its definitely a nightmare come true for me lol Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

Yikes man, that kind of job is probably my biggest nightmare when it comes to the pathy

Enjoying a 2wd for offroad use all depends on the difficulty of the trails you drive on. I would recommend avoiding all mud, and don’t drive on any roads that require steep, slow climbing since you don’t have low range gearing. Carry with you some means of self-recovery in case you get stuck. That means a d-ring shackles, tow strap or two, a hi-lift jack perhaps, and maybe some MaxTrax. Air compressor and tire deflators also.

...or whenever the wheels with the smaller inner cap came in (02+?). Rephrased, they weren't spec'd for the wheels with smaller center caps because the unaltered wheel won't fit them. Doubt anyone is willing to do that work on all their wheels.

I'm with XPLORx4 on their necessity. The improvement is fairly parasitic, and there are better things to put the money towards. If you plan to lift it, or install a Lokka, then yes, consider factoring that into the budget. Engaging the hubs is fairly trivial...maybe 15s tops. I'm sure there are some nasty weather conditions to step out into, but it's a pretty minor inconvenience if you bought them to save on other items. Now, that all said...I just upgraded to Warns today. I don't think they're all that better than the Rugged Ridge ones they replaced, to be honest (I'll do a small write-up in the Product Review forum). The RR's were on the truck when I bought it used. The Warns were part of a trade for a re-packed LSD, and since I just switched to QX4 wheels today, now I can actually run them. (BTW, the reason the Warns and MM's aren't spec'd for 01+ Pathfinders is because the OE wheel won't clear them...RR's fit, though.)

Went to 33" tires on QX4 wheels... Just a wee bit bigger...

I've got Mile Markers on my '93. McBay Performance (online) had the best price at the time. No complaints mechanically but their chrome sucks, most of it has blistered and peeled off the aluminum trim rings. The dials still look alright. I had to modify the hubcaps a little to clear them, I don't remember if the R50 wheels require similar treatment. They were a huge upgrade from my crap-tastic worn-out auto hubs. Your drive flanges are at least reliable, so you may not get as much benefit for the money as I did. Whether it's worth it depends on how you use the truck and what other mods you're planning to do in the future. And yeah, the only real downside is having to get out to engage them. I leave mine locked all winter, so this is only a problem if I get into something I didn't expect during the other half of the year. Even then it's not really an issue unless you're bogged to the frame in pig crap and the pigs have you surrounded.

Playing in the mountains!

IMO, installation of manual hubs is not one of the first things of importance when spending money on upgrades for a stock vehicle. Save the hundred or so dollars and put it to use elsewhere, such as better tires, recovery gear, air compressor, automatic tire deflators, or better camping gear. You may save some money on gas by installing manual hubs, but unless you drive A LOT, it'll take several years to break even on the gas savings. I would recommend installing hubs when you decide to lift it, and factor in the cost of the hubs with the suspension components when you save up enough money. It'll reduce wear on the CV boots.

Yeah manual hubs are actually of no benefit off-road. The benefit of having them is that they dramatically increase the life of CVs if you’re (suspension) lifted since the CVs won’t be spinning unless you engage the hubs manually. The “auto” hubs aren’t automatic, they’re just always engaged. And like Pathydude said, you save gas because the rotating mass and rolling resistance of the CVs, front differential, front propeller shaft, and front drive components in the transfer case are all disconnected from the front wheels. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Did you replace with rubber or poly bushings? What brand of shocks, and are they OE lengths? Any lift? How are the springs? In general, the bushings and trailing arms don’t contribute significantly to sway. Worn bushings can lead to tracking and instability issues. As suggested earlier, check for a snapped bar. The bushings trap dirt and the bar is most prone to rust and breakage under the bushing. If you have lift, the bar ends should also be somewhat parallel, which is only achievable with longer end links. Worn joints and bushings probably won’t contribute to excessive sway, but check that all hardware is tightened anyway.

More of what I've been up to over break: Junkyards and Wheeling!

Section 3 of the Washington state Backcountry Discovery Route with @RainGoat

Nah it wasnt those. It was this guy, which took a tremendous amount of googleing to figure out what it was! Appologies for my poor explanation - I was a bit flustered. Turns out I cant be stuffed ordering one and waiting around. So I made a new one... Its an ugly sucker... Found some scrap pipe at the shop Was out of argon, so I used MIG gas on the TIG. Worked well enough for me! I'm not great at welding out pipe anyway. Welded out and cleaned up a bit Hit it with cold galv inside and out, to possibly slow down the rust. One of the little pipes was stainless, but the other and the filler is mild steel. It's installed and works a treat!! Went out for a test drive and my brakes dont work. But I'll make another post for that... Cheers, Taylor