XPLORx4

Any suspension component that moves and is attached in any way to a non-movable part (such as the frame) is usally attached with some kind of rubber bushing or other material that is prone to wear. Clunking in the suspension could be caused by any number of things. However, the easiest to check are the following: Figure 1- Suspension Components: Figure 2- Steering Components: - Antiswaybar endlinks (Fig1 #15). These are the short vertical rods that attach the swaybar to the strut. They can either be loose in their mounts or the sockets on either end of the link may be worn. Shaking them by hand or cycling the suspension up/down reveals their condition. Also check for torn or cracked rubber boots on the endlinks. (Photo here.) -Ball joints (Fig1 #5). With the front wheels raised off the ground, shake the bottom of the tire toward and away from the truck. Rattling or any kind of movement at the ball joint indicates it is worn out. (Also check for torn rubber boots.) -Antiswaybar bushings (Fig1 #17). These rubber parts isolate the metal swaybar from the frame. Over time the bushings can harden or change shape, allowing the swaybar to move freely up and down during suspension cycling. The bushings are located on either side of the frame, just inboard of where the swaybar bends. Shake the swaybar up/down and check for movement. -Inner tie rod ends (Fig2 #3). With the front wheels raised off the ground and the steering wheel locked, shake the tire in such a way as to attempt to turn it left/right. Excessive play or rattling while doing so reveals that the inner tie rod socket is worn and should be replaced. -A-arm bushings. They are located at the front and rear of the lower A-arm (Fig1 #6). It's more unlikely that the A-arm bushings cause rattling/clunking sounds than any of the other components mentioned above. However, they should be checked as well. -Strut components. Worn parts in the strut are hardest to diagnose because they cannot be easily seen. If all of the other suspension parts check out OK, first pull the rubber cap off the top of the strut and check that the nut holding the strut shaft is tight. If so, likely causes for clunking are: worn strut mount (Fig1 #13); worn strut bearing (Fig1 #11); hardened/worn rubber boot (Fig1 #10).

They look like a poor-man's solution to a real lift, and (IMO) a sort-of "billyjoebob redneck" method. I would be wary of spring stability if placed outside of the coil (ie. on top or on bottom) since the spring could pop out of its mount. Also, they look like they wouldn't work well on the front springs, since by installing them you will lose significant uptravel (spring can't compress as much). Plus, they're so thick I don't know how you'd fit them between the spring coils, then get the coils in the truck anyway.

$400 for a wheel bearing repack!!!??? OMG, what a ripoff! For starters, you can drive a lot longer than 30K before you have to repack the bearings. I don't necessarily recommend that you do this, but I drove ~60K miles before repacking the bearings. It shouldn't take a qualified mechanic more than an hour per side to repack the bearings. If you have the wherewithall to do it yourself, it's not really that hard. It's just kinda messy.

If none of those parts are the cause, check your inner tie rod ends, the ball joints, or the rubber bushings that hold the swaybar to the frame. At some point or another all of these parts needed replacing on my truck, and all of them caused a slight clunking sound before replacement.

pathmaker- I 'wheel in the Sierras mostly when there isn't snow, since I live in San Jose. However, I grew up in Valencia and the mountains around SCV used to be my stomping grounds when I was in high school. I once took my parents' 2wd Ford van out in the boonies near Sand Canyon and got it stuck so bad on a 4WD jeep trail that it took 3 weeks to find a 4WD towing company to go get it! Do you live in SCV or just go there to 'wheel? Oh yeah, one last question for ya- have you noticed a big drop in acceleration with those tires?

If you want to buy a set of good sliders (without having someone custom-fab a set just for you) you can try 4crawler. Shipping could be pricey for you if you're far from California, but otherwise they're well-made and relatively affordable. I have a pair on my truck. Pics here

Neither, I'm guessing. They're probably 285/70R17, since BFG doesn't make flotation sizes for 17" wheels.

Well, you really gotta figure out what kind of off-roading you do. If your truck is driven on a daily basis, and you don't do a whole lot of agressive off-roading, you're better off with a less agressive tire such as the BFG AT or the Bridgestone Dueler AT/Revo. AT tires are less expensive, quieter, last longer, have better highway manners and get better gas mileage than MT tires. Plus, your ride is pretty blingin' [that's a compliment] for MT tires. Unless you only want MT tires to add more bling (which IMO is being a little too poseurish), go with an AT tire like the ones I mentioned above. On the other hand, if you plan to regularly get your truck dirty, aren't afraid of paint scratches or (gasp!) a dented step-rail or two, and are on your way to building a serious 4x4, the BFG MT or the Goodyear MTR are excellent choices for daily driver/weekend warrior rigs.

Super Swampers are probably the best mud tires. What kind of mud to you intend to drive through that requires top-of-the-line mud tires?

snosnk- Ahh, I thought you did the work yourself! How much did CBI charge you to fab the bumper? I may try to find a shop locally that can do something similar (if the price is right!)

If tire balancing doesn't solve the problem, then I'd start checking other steering and suspension components such as the ball joints and tie-rod ends. It's a bit odd that the vibration is short and only occurs at certain speeds.

Wow, nice work, man! I like how you integrated a receiver hitch into the bumper design. It looks like you gained an extra 5 degrees of departure angle! Does the spare tire carrier still latch onto the original factory location or did you have to fab up a new latch for it? Also, do you have any gusseting or reinforcements for the "wings" that wrap around the rear corners? If you hit one of those on a rock and it deflects, it will surely munch the bodywork. I've been wanting to replace my rear bumper with something very much like what you've designed, except for me it would have to include a provision for a spare tire carrier, since my truck lacks the OEM carrier.

Since you have a 2WD it's not CV joints. It may simply be an out of balance tire.

Just get the Nissan bearings. Your local dealer should have them for ~$25 each or you can order them online. Part number 54325-0w000 See this diagram to see where they go:

Nice looking ride, pathmaker. I take it those BFG MT's are 285/70R17. I'm impressed you managed to squeeze those babies in there. The clearance between the front tire and the fender (where the mud flap attaches) looks really close. How much sheet metal (fender) did you have to trim back? How did you get those tires home from the tire shop if they were rubbing so badly? Be sure to test tire clearance with the truck twisted up. You may find that the rear tire contacts the front part of the rear fenders. Where do you off-road mostly?

Using a trunk release solenoid to have a keyless rear-glass-open feature would be nice. If you install 2 solenoids (one for the hatch/glass lock mechanism, and the other for the hatch-release) you could have the best of both worlds!

If you want a more protected way to run the lights for your roof, you can run them through the existing wiring harness boot. This might be too much trouble for you since you've already got something working, but it's just a tip for others. http://www.xplorx4.com/Pathfinder/upgrades...ghts/wires2.jpg (For some reason, this site capitalizes "Pathfinder". You'll have to change "Pathfinder" to all lowercase in the URL to see the image. [edit: thanks Pezzy]

Nice truck, man! Do you have any rubbing problems with those tires? Do you find a noticeable improvement in articulation with the swaybar disconnected? I've never disconnected mine and it doesn't seem to make much difference either way. I've removed the front swaybar on my truck, and that makes a HUGE difference off-road.

Do you want a scan tool or a code reader? Scan tools are pricey, but code readers can be had pretty cheap. Search ebay for "obd code reader" for the best deals.

Hopefully you've released the parking brake. If your brake drums are not severely worn/grooved, you should be able to slide the brake drum right off the lugnut studs. If not, there are a couple of holes in the brake drum into which you can insert a bolt (metric size, sorry I don't know the size or pitch of the threads) and as you tighten the bolt, it will push the drum away from the wheel hub.

The timing belt is due for a change at 105K miles, and the water pump is usually replaced at the same time. You're close to that mileage already, so it could be that the water pump is finally giving out on you.