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I'm the second owner of my pretty much stock 03 Pathfinder SE (auto, part-time 4wd) since 2015. Things happened in 2020. Decided to convert the Pathfinder to manual. Bought a manual trans from a 2002, took my time, and in summer 2023 finished rebuilding it. Not including that here as it's pretty routine - all new synchros, bearings, input shaft and some gears that had chipped teeth, then back together. If you have a 2000, 01 or 02 part-time or rwd you can swap in a manual, get a manual ECU, (deal with NATS), and be done. (You can't manual swap a full-time 4wd, fulltime unit only works with an auto) My problem with the 03 was Nissan discontinued manuals in the US in late 2002 for model year 2003, which also had new revisions with a more advanced ECU including electric throttle body and other changes. So I could either go 'backwards' to a US 2002 manual ECU and install throttle cable, find a wrecked US manual truck and swap everything across - or get an 03 manual ECU and make it work. I didn't want to go backwards. I'm also in WA which doesn't do smog checks so no issues modifying or mixing and matching. Luckily, Nissan still sold the 03-04 as manual in Canada. Looking at parts diagrams in Amayama it looked like the Canadian auto 03 model was near-identical to the US model, so the manual couldn't be that different, I figured. The worst outcome was it wouldn't work at all, or that I'd have to keep spending money until it worked or I gave up. I took the gamble. I reviewed the earlier Pathfinder auto to manual guide linked on this forum, and also looked up a lot of 350Z conversion forums as it's the same engine and ECU. Also Nissan Skyline and 300ZX forums as different engine, but same transmission. I found the throttle body changed part numbers in 07/2002 from cable to electric, so that was the cutover date. Anything after that was right. I searched individual junk yards in Canada until I found a place selling a clutch pedal and bracket, ECU, and flywheel. The tell with the 'right' car was there were no throttle/cruise cables in the engine bay pics, cuz electric throttle. The yards that had what I needed were in rural Alberta. Apparently Alberta has a lot of R50 Pathfinders in their yards. I mainly used car-part.com. I sent the ECU away to get NATS disabled so I wouldn't need to deal with it. Got everything in and worked end of summer 2024, and wanted to share here. Pics and posts to follow once I get an image service set up.

I have an extra distributor that I marked core. I have had it so long I forget why I marked it that way. I figured I would try and put that one in and see if the issue goes away. The issue went away. I couldn’t get it any closer than 17 degrees. That’s within the range the manual gives. I am relieved to know that it should be the distributor. I will get an another one and cross my fingers that it fixes the problem. I will report back after the new one is installed.

The manual transmission chassis cover plate was unavailable, so I cut the existing one to fit the manual shifter The service manual says to fill the transmission from the shifter hole, so I did Intermediate covers and soundproofing Manual transmission trim installed The original auto transmission connector block. I connected up the neutral position switch to the PNP relay so it only starts when the shifter is in neutral. And connected up the reverse lights, just four wires

I made an adapter for my transmission jack to securely hold the manual transmission in place. I've used ordinary jacks to reinstall car transmissions before but this thing is pretty heavy even without the transfer case and I didn't want it falling on me About to go in Lining up manual transmissions just right to install is always annoying. Sometimes you gotta take it completely back out and down and start again. Sometimes it pops right in You can see the innards of the transmission before the transfer case is attached. Without sealant the transmission oil would all seep out Technically the manual transmission transfer case is different - it has a small gutter under the input shaft, and subgears to absorb shock. But nothing that is needed for the conversion. The auto transmission transfer case works fine. But you have to apply sealant as the back of the manual transmission is open

A pic of the back of the new flywheel showing 03-04 signal plate A view of the clutch fork from the outside. It pushes towards the engine, which pulls the pressure plate 'off' the clutch and flywheel

So first I tried a 350Z flywheel - but it was too high and wouldn't allow the pull clutch to work so couldn't release the clutch. So pulled the transmission out again, and next I installed a US '02 flywheel But the signal plate is way different, it's for the cable throttle ECU and the engine wouldn't start 00-01-02 signal plate on left with like 300 or something holes. 03-04 signal plate on the right. The right side has 3x 10 holes. That's what I needed, but flywheel not flex plate I found I needed part number 123105W90A (03-04 only) which is unique to the R50 Pathy due to the pull clutch. It was hard to find but found one in the UAE from I think partsouq Correct flywheel installed I found the starter motor had to be shimmed back about a 1/2 inch otherwise starter gear would hit the flywheel. There's an official part number for this, a plate the starter sits sandwiched under, but it's out of stock so I just used washers OEM clutch plate is an Exedy Pressure plate installed It's pretty big as pressure plates go, but the pull clutch means the clutch pedal is light (is why they chose it for the Pathfinder - more grab but lighter to use)

Clutch pedal installed. I couldn't find a Pathy brake pedal - probably because its bracket wraps around the steering column. I kept hitting the brake when I went for the clutch, so I ended up just cutting the brake pedal the same size as the clutch pedal and it looks factory now You can't really see, but the clutch pedal bracket goes where the auto trans computer used to be. It has a clutch starter switch but I didn't connect it (did connect the neutral start switch though) The Pathfinder manual uses a pull clutch (not a regular push clutch) which I had to figure out how it works Got the OEM parts Assembled. It 'clicks' into the pressure plate on installation. Then to release you pull out that pin, and the fork falls out. You lift the collar on the clutch release bearing to release it from the pressure plate. It's kinda hard to explain without seeing it in action.

First things first - remove the transfer case Lots of extensions needed to get to bellhousing bolts. I bought proper long ones after this. Auto transmission detached Flexplate Flexplate removed Source of my rear engine oil leak (after clean up) - rear pan seal job was badly done Sealed it up good. Also I didn't take a photo, but you need to remove the steel inner collar. It's a total pita to get out. It centers the torque converter, but the manual transmission uses a small brass one. There's videos online, the 350Z auto to manual conversion videos cover it. I couldn't get it out for hours and broke various tools, I thought that was the end of the project. But I got it out eventually with the exact right sized puller. Fortunately the R50 chassis has the clutch master cylinder hole already there under a plate Turns out the auto trans computer sits on the other side of the clutch blank plate so both come out at once Factory clutch master cylinder. I thought about steel clutch lines, but ended up using an ebay 240SX clutch line kit. Works fine.

I had never rebuilt a manual trans before. Followed the service manual, "Beer Garage" (since deleted), and youtube videos and took my time. I used a toaster oven to make dropping the press fit gears back on easier. I bought a factory shifter. But I thought it was too tall so I cut about an inch off it and welded. I am not a professional welder at all. But it has held up fine. I also found and bought a NOS Pathfinder clutch, and a 350Z flywheel. I figured a 350Z is the same engine and clutch, and the clutch and flywheel fit together. Seemed so far so good.

My one tip is to make sure you can get the fill plug loose before draining the oil.

I just cut a hole in the top of the cap and put a little hose in with come compressed air. hasn't failed me yet

This is super cool. glad to see people out here still swapping in manuals lol

Hopefully yours don't look like that! A couple did in the VG33 I was going to put in mine, and some of the missing material had found its way past the pickup screen and chewed up the oil pump. The crank and cam bearings were all shot, I assume from low oil pressure. It still ran surprisingly well.

I did the same with my auto. I don't tow but I just don't want the auto to break. Like yours it went into the radiator cooler, through the Hayden aux cooler and to a magnefine filter. I took the trans out at like 177,000 it still shifted great, so I think it helped. Didn't seem to do any harm. When they were plastic you could unscrew and open them. When replacing them I'd take the magnet out and keep it. Looking at the magnet and filters you could definitely see they caught some stuff. Better than the standard pan for sure.

Oh wow! ok, so if any of mine look like that or worse then MAYBE consider replacing. got it. When I'm in there I'll inspect them and decide. WD21 are getting rarer so I'm trying to buy up the parts I want even if I don't put them in right away

Yes

really depends on how they look id say. I just re did headgaskets on my 96 and i had 4 or 5 that looked like this. didnt realize till i was putting it back together. Even then i still ran them and it barley makes any noise so i got lucky lmao https://imgur.com/27n9NYb

The manifold is warped. I haven’t measured it, but it looks like around 1/8” or so. It’s at the front of the manifold. I don’t think it’s going to want to bend that much going back together. The middle and the back are flat. I have a belt sander but I can’t find any sanding belts that are the right size. If I can find the right size, it’s the wrong material. It’s going to take me for ever to make it flat with the belt I have now. I was wanting to get this finished this weekend. That’s not going to happen. I only had to drill and resize one hole. It was the very front. Thankfully it was the easier one to get to without having to get an extra long drill bit. We don’t have the corrosion out here compared to others. I can’t imagine having to deal with that. The O2 was a Bosch, I think. I made sure to keep the wires away from things.

I had a whistle from the intake tube on mine a while back. Drove me nuts. Near as I could tell, it was the sharp edge on the bung that the pipe feeding the idle air control goes into. I "reshaped" it a little with a big drill bit and it's been quiet since. Engine ran the same whether it was whistling or not, though.

The one they are talking about is the one that connects the intake manifold vacuum to the fuel pressure regulator, not very long and easy to miss.

Here's a video on the Subject I hope this helps Chris.

Good tip, especially for the rear end.

I'm running a Magnefine on mine as well. I don't know that it's strictly necessary, but I wanted to give my high-mileage slushbox every chance I could, especially after seeing a little glitter in the fluid when I flushed it. I routed the lines on mine so the fluid goes from the trans, through the stock cooler in the rad, through the aux cooler, through the filter, then back to the trans. My thinking was that the OE cooler can only bring the fluid temp down to the coolant temp, so it should be the first stage. I put the filter on the return side just in case the cooler (which was not new when I installed it) had some schmutz in it. That I don't know. But I've had the filter on mine for the last 30k miles, and it hasn't complained.

So it's going back and forth between good and high? The mixture's actually supposed to bounce back and forth a little when it's in closed loop, that's how it controls the mixture with a narrowband oxygen sensor. Maybe the sensor's on its way out and it's responding very slowly? There is a test mode for the oxygen sensor, might be worth running that to see if the light's flashing like it should. Some codes don't trip the light, so I'd run those too on the off chance.

If the clutch pedal is anything like the clutch pedal on an R50 it might be caused be a worn clutch pedal assembly. I had a very similar issue on my R50 not to long ago. Turns out that the pin that connects the clutch pedal to the clutch master cylinder had wallowed out the hole that it goes through and caused the clutch pedal to not be able to fully return to its resting place after the clutch pedal was released. Check out this short video for reference.

96 SE

Mine (96 SE) has 32115015C BFG AT TA KO2 and PXA7069-5883 ProComp 15x8 with ACs up front, and just put on Warn hubs. A little trimming needed up front, not too much and none in the rear.

Found a couple videos for the upper and lowers. Looks pretty straight forward aside from running into seized bolts of course. So my question is, can the uppers and lowers be done on the ground with wheels on?

Just reiterating what was already said. I would definitely get you a ratchet strap. It will help pull the rear end to your control arm or control arm to the body. The bolts are a booger unless you get lucky. I would Jack it up and remove your wheels. Getem outta the way. 17mm wrench/socket 19 Wrench/Socket, breaker bar and Impact if available. 10mm for the cover over the control arm where it connects to the body. Also use the FSM manuals available online just search for your year R50 and go to the RA section. Make sure and torque to specs. NISSAN recommends you change the nuts. More than likely the bolts will get ruined removing them I know mine did. Good Luck. Sent from my SM-S367VL using Tapatalk

im running euro cams with vg34. i just slapped the cams without upgrading the lifters. the torque is a night and day difference compare to a stock 3.3L

I ran the hoses today. I used the included band clamps for all the hoses, and everything turned out OK. I got an additional 5ft of hose (I asked for 4, the guy at the auto parts store was generous to give me 5ft for the price of 4 since only the 5ft was left, and a 1ft piece of hose would not sell ) for the aux cooler input line. Both of the hoses were too long, but I'd rather have some slack than for them to be too short by like 2 inches. The band clamps all looked like this. Perhaps I'll eventually replace them all with fuel line clamps from the junkyard. I didn't tighten the clamp around the stock cooler's output enough at first and it leaked. After tightening that, I tested thoroughly before actually driving by revving up to around 1500-2000rpm in all the gears and there were no more leaks. On the drive back though, the trans was acting a bit funny, seems like it was hunting for gears or something, but maybe I just was iffy with the throttle or something... since it was raining and dark I didn't check for leaks when I arrived home, but will check in the morning. I didn't lose very much fluid, maybe 300mL, and strangely the fluid level still remained in the middle of the "HOT" mark, so I did not need to add any more fluid. I was expecting to add at least some due to the additional capacity of the cooler and the in-line filter... I'll have to check the fluid again. The stock cooler's output line is on the passenger side as indicated by TSB NTB00-056b "1988 AND LATER NISSAN VEHICLES AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION OIL COOLER CLEANING". I secured the hoses using a few zip-ties. I'll need to see if the stock undercover will still fit properly; the only thing that might interfere with it is the bottoms of the cooler's mounting hardware. I will post some pictures of how I routed the hoses tomorrow. Overall it was a very easy install, didn't take more than an hour total to mount the cooler and run the hoses.