XPLORx4

OK, lastly: It's an LE, which means it has extra goodies that the XE and SE didn't have, including dual heater leather seats, compass/ext temp readout, Homelink buttons on the visor. Includes floor mats? Rear cargo cover? Basically, go through it with a fine-tooth comb and make sure that everything works. Rear defrost, power mirrors, sunroof, wipers/washers (both front and rear), etc. You get the point. If everything works (and I mean EVERYTHING), and the vehicle is in KBB "excellent" condition, it may be worth the asking price. If anything doesn't work, you have more points of negotiation. I did notice that the wheels appear to be el-cheapo steel wheels which were standard on the XE, not the LE, which should have been some kind of upgraded alloy wheel. Might wanna ask about that.

One more thing, in case you have grand plans for modifying the Pathfinder with big tires, lift, etc etc etc: Check the VIN ID plate in the engine bay (http://home.exetel.com.au/apcs/R50/VIN-Plate.jpg) near the windshield wiper motor. Look for the code "HG43" or "HG46". This indicates which gear ratio is installed in your diffs. HG43 means 4.363:1, and HG46 means 4.636:1. Be aware that HG43 gears will struggle to turn bigger tires more than HG46 if you decide to upsize later. I have a 97 LE which had HG43 gears from the factory. When I got bigger tires, I swapped out both diffs for HG46.

Looks like a good deal if it's a California vehicle that hasn't spent a winter in the northeast states. Ask to have a mechanic check it out before you buy it. Of course, drive it to see if it makes any unknown rattles and verify that the alignment tracks straight. Does it have a carfax? How many owners? What about maintenance records? Is engine compartment clean or dusty/sooty? Frequency of oil/filter changes? When was the last time it had trans/diff/t-case fluids replaced? Coolant flush? Brake fluid flush? Air filter? Spark plugs/wires? Cap/Rotor? Fuel filter? You will want to check the tires for cupping, inspect the brakes, rear suspension link bushings, and other suspension components such as swaybar bushings, bumpstops, etc. The Pathfinder has an issue that people refer to as the "death wobble" during acceleration or deceleration at highway speeds, which is caused by disintegrating rear bushings in the lower trailing links (aka rear lower control arms). Check for spare tire removal tool and jack (under rear seat). Also check for a tool bag (also under rear seat) that contains the lug nut wrench and some unfamiliar tools like this, which are for removing the spark plugs: 395663608.jpg Finally, don't just trust the owner's statement that there aren't any leaks. Look under the engine and transmission, transfer case, and rear diff yourself.

Yep. That would be the ones.

Work out the lengths for the upper links and axle/driveline angles properly, since if you tilt the axle back too much, you may need to also reposition/reweld the panhard rod mount

You'll probably need both the tranny control module and the engine control module.

Absolutely. The first few times I tried to shift into 4L, I did it timidly because I'd never done it before, and I got the grinding every time, until I shut off the engine before shifting, then restarting. I was like: OK, I'm in 4H. Stop car and shift transmission to "N". Push down on the t-case lever, move it to from "4H" to "N". Kewl, the lever moved! OK, now that I know the lever moves, now let's shift to 4L... GRIND GRIND GRIND!!! WTF??? Oh no did I break something? Let's try that again, move to 4L... GRIND GRIND!!! Crap. Shut off engine and shift, then restart! Eventually, I learned the proper technique and I haven't heard the grinding sound since. Move the lever swiftly, firmly and make sure it locks into place. The lever is pretty far back when in 4L, farther than you'd expect if you've never done it before. Now, I'm like: I'm in 4H. Stop car, shift tranny to "N". Grab t-case lever. Pushyankpull. Clink! Done. Shift into "D,2,1". Go. Whenever I'm in 4L, I almost ALWAYS have the tranny in "1" or "2". You should almost never be in "D" or "O/D" unless you need to go faster. "D" in 4L has a max speed similar to "1" in 4H.

Make the shift from 4H to 4L quickly and firmly. Press the t-case shift knob down into the floor, move the lever quickly back to 4L (while keeping downward pressure), then let the lever pop up to lock in 4L. If it takes longer than 2 seconds to shift between 4H and 4L, that's way too long. Do not linger in "N". It'll take some practice.

Where does one acquire the steering linkage from?

By the way, the swaying side-to-side is frequently referred to as the "death wobble" on this and other R50 forums. It is caused by worn bushings on the rear lower control arms, which allow the rear axle to steer the vehicle. Replacing the rear lower control arms (or if you have a press, just the bushings) is the remedy.

Try replacing the bulbs first.

jyeager- I don't want to build it myself. I don't have the time or motivation. I read on the pinned topic about the SFD that online orders at KRFabs are not being accepted. Huh? Can anyone weigh in on this? Also, what are your opinions about 2x4 stock being cut and drilled vs blocks that use a different shape/design. Probably my main concern with 2x4 stock is that over time it could look like this: ___ \ \ \ \ ---- I have seen others who make their SFD drop brackets like this: ====== | | ====== I do agree, though, that the most important parts are the strut spacers which have the proper camber angle.

CDN_S4 are those shocks mounted body up or down?

Hey guys, I've been quite satisfied with my 97 Pathfinder's off-road capability for nearly 10 years now. Believe it or not, it's still got just the 2" coil spring lift and 32" BFG KM2 tires. My last major wave of upgrades was in 2006-2007, when it got new t-case crawler gears, a front locker, and a custom rear bumper/tire carrier. I have finally decided to bite the bullet and get a SFD. This means I will need all of the parts required to lift the Pathy another 4" (for a total of 6" lift, since I will keep the front 2" springs). Fortunately, I already have extended brake lines installed, which I added with the expectation of eventually getting the SFD. However, I am a firm believer in a turnkey solution, which I haven't really seen made available anywhere. I know I need subframe drop spacers, strut spacers, motor mount spacers, steering extension, and a panhard rod drop spacer (plus appropriate hardware). Other than KRFabs, who else makes an R50 4" SFD kit? Also, another thing that is still not clear to me is what is the best way to lift the rear suspension. SFD is great for lifting the front, but shouldn't the kit also include a simple way to lift the rear? Also, I know I will need longer rear shocks, but again, getting shocks that are valved properly and have the right compressed/extended lengths is not well-documented. I would appreciate help in getting all of the necessary parts together before taking the plunge.

If the CV is making noise when the vehicle is on the ground, then limiting straps will not help. If the CV makes noise or binds only when the wheels are in the air, then the issue is that your strut spacers are too tall for the tolerances of that CV axle, and while you could install some way to limit the strut travel, it might be easier to find a CV axle whose guts have better clearance.

I discovered that not all CV joints sold for installation on the R50 are created equal. Specifically, the inner joint clearances vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. A Cardone CV axle I bought from RockAuto had different clearances than one I bought at my local O'Reilly Auto Parts. It is possible that one CV axle has a different inner joint than the other, and this difference isn't compatible with a suspension lift. Or, it is possible that while you were installing the lift, the inner joint was dislocated and didn't reseat properly. Either way, the best diagnosis would be to remove the CV axle that's causing the problem and check it.

I got this one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PFFG1EO?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01 This WiFi adapter works well with my iPhone 5S and OBD Fusion app.

Dang, I think the hatch release I was thinking of only applied to the rear window, not the hatch.

My only gripe about sleeping in the back of my Pathy is that there's no interior hatch release. It's cumbersome to get out from the rear doors. It would be fantastic to swap in that feature from a QX4.

I have a WiFi OBDII adapter and OBD Fusion (similar to Torque) on my iOS device. Each of my vehicles (Pathy and '05 Sequoia) has its own Scan-Gauge constantly attached to the OBDII port. Scan-Gauge and OBD Fusion serve different purposes for me. I only use OBD Fusion for diagnostic info, such as O2 sensor performance, checking readiness monitors, etc. on an occasional basis. I do not want to launch an app every time I get in the car to keep track of MPG and other things that the ECU reports. My iPhone is for navigation, calls, and streaming music. The Scan-Gauge is connected all the time, except when getting a SMOG check or when I want to run OBD Fusion. For sheer convenience, the Scan Gauge is a very good choice for tracking fuel economy and reporting other useful OBDII info, and you still get to use your phone for other things, such as music, phone calls, navigation, etc. For other things that Scan-Gauge can't do, OBD Fusion (or Torque) is superior.

Queen mattress will not fit. Queen is 60"x80". Twin air mattress fits ok if you remove the rear seat bottoms.

Your 265's rubbed on the bottom of the front coil spring because of the wheel offset, not the lack of lift. You either need to replace the wheels with 16x8 that have a maximum of 4.25" backspacing or you need to install wheel spacers.

greenda3- While your suggestion is free, it has caveats (which you mentioned) plus you lose the marker lamp functionality. But it's certainly worth considering if cost is a factor.

You could try something like this: http://www.instructables.com/id/Neat-Turn-Signal-Effects-Circuit/?ALLSTEPS

This may not be 100% relevant to this discussion, but my '97 has a power antenna and when I connect the antenna/amp lead from the head unit to the antenna wire, it always goes up whenever the radio is turned on. I don't often listen to radio, and I usually use Pandora, spotify, etc through my iPhone. So, to keep the antenna from raising, I wired in a switch in the antenna-power lead and installed it next to the cigarette lighter. That way, the power antenna doesn't activate for no reason.