XPLORx4

Airlift bags run under $100 for the kit. Check out http://www.airliftcompany.com

Years ago, before I installed a lift on my Pathfinder, I had the same problem while towing a boat. There are a couple of solutions to this issue: • you could install different shocks, perhaps Rancho RS9000X adjustable shocks, p/n 999010 or 999116 • you could install Airlift air bags which fit inside the coil springs and provide additional load-carrying capacity for those times when you've got people and/or gear in back. • you could install a coil spring lift Also, since your bumpstops are destroyed, it's probably a good idea to replace them, unless you go with Airlift springs, which can replace the bumpstops if you wish.

I would probably recommend taking the car to a repair shop that specializes in alignments and suspension and have them take a look at it to find the problem.

To clarify, Ackerman angle isn't the same thing as caster. Ackerman angle refers to the difference in the steering angle between left and right wheels when turning. When making tight turns, the inside wheel travels a smaller radius than the outside wheel. Ackerman angle is a function of the design of the steering system. It's generally not adjustable in the same way that alignment (caster, camber, toe) is. On the R50, only TOE is adjustable with factory-original equipment, but camber can be corrected with aftermarket "camber bolts". Caster is not adjustable. As Kingman pointed out earlier, if caster is out of spec, something in the suspension or steering is likely damaged or worn.

While the strength and reliability is undoubtedly questionable, I'm really curious to find out its road manners with the tie rods at such a severe angle relative to the A_arms. As the front wheels encounter road imperfections, the tires will toe out and in, causing a lot of bump-steer. What do you plan to do to lift the rear 12"?

When engine is cold, idle speed will be faster (up to 1500rpm) and will slow to around 700-800 after engine warms up to normal operating temp. RPM will drop if you shift the transmission into gear. The 2001 Pathfinder recommended transmission fluid is Nissan Matic "D" ATF or a Dexron III/Mercon compatible ATF. AC Delco makes several different types of ATF. Ask your mechanic which type of AC Delco ATF he used.

What's the idle speed when you shift from P to any gear? High idle will result in a hard shift when placing the transmission in gear. It sounds like the transmission fluid may be of a different type than what was previously installed, and the torque converter is engaging more forcefully than before.

Try reviewing the troubleshooting tips in the Factory Service Manual: BR.pdf (Brakes)

Which axle has more of a lean? Front or rear? Sometimes a lean can be due to a problem on the opposing corner of the vehicle. For example, if you have a broken spring or very very low air pressure in the tire on the front right, then the rear left will appear to be higher than the rear right, even though there's technically nothing wrong with the rear at all. Measure the front spring lengths from the top of the strut spring mount to the strut spring pan. Bounce the front corners of the vehicle to check for a sticking strut. Bounce the rear and check for a sticking shock. Finally, if you suspect that you have a tired rear spring, consider swapping left with right to see if the lean changes sides.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/41184956@N08/sets/72157629989182681/

I'm betting that the 999112's valving is designed for a much lighter load, in which you can tell the difference between 1 and 9. I would have tried the 999010's, had it not been for the dented shock body which pushed me towards finding a shock that could be mounted with the shaft down.

Stablemates: 1997 Nissan Pathfinder LE and 2005 Toyota Sequoia Limited

The max tire size has a lot to do with the strut-to-tire clearance, wheel width, and wheel offset. It has less to do with having a SFD, OME, or AC 2" lift, though at some point, tire-to-fender clearance becomes an issue. Even if you had enough clearance between the fenders and tires to fit huge tires, you will still have a clearance issue with the strut. If you have the stock wheels, they do not have the correct offset to allow fitment of larger tires, because the tires will hit the strut. What size wheels and tires are you using now?

SES light blinking indicates a misfire condition. Excessive misfiring could damage the catalytic converters. Check the spark plugs and coil packs.

FWIW, the starter motor isn't that hard to replace. Mine started having the same solenoid issues a few months ago. Turn the key, nothing happens but a click. Turn it a couple more times until it finally engages. It was especially bad if I didn't drive for a couple days and the battery voltage was lower than normal. I replaced the starter motor and it's better than new!

By undervalved, I mean that between setting 1 and setting 9, I couldn't really tell much difference in the damping using the 999112's. This was much much different than my experience with the 99010's, which were nearly solid at setting 9 and very supple at setting 1. It's like the 999112's settings 1-9 span the same range as the 99010's settings 2-4. Too bad Rancho discontinued the RS9000 series and made the 9000XL so fat. Fortunately they didn't bottom out, but with 2 people in the back and a couple hundred pounds of camping gear, it was a bit bouncier than I would have liked. Note: it has been several years since I've run Rancho products, so my memory could be a bit over-exaggerated. The bottom line is that overall I wasn't happy with the 999112's. When the dented body happened, I was running without a swaybar, and I had recently replaced the lower trailing link bushings with polyurethane bushings. However, I am not sure that simply running without a swaybar is enough to limit the articulation to avoid denting the shock body. It will happen when you stuff the left rear tire and let the right rear tire droop, I'm just not sure at what point in the suspension movement it will happen. After the shock was dented, it didn't leak, but a friend following me noticed that one side of rear suspension seemed to be lower than the other. When I removed the dented shock, I found that the piston tended to be slightly more difficult to move towards the middle of its stroke. To be perfectly honest, it could have been just a perception due to my bias to believe that a dented shock means it won't perform properly. Besides, it was a good excuse to ditch them in favor of the Bilstein shocks that had better damping and could be mounted with the shaft on the bottom so I wouldn't have to worry about clearance issues. Of course, keep in mind that I use my Pathy in ways that are far more extreme than many members (possibly including you) on this forum, so you may have a completely satisfactory experience. For your sake (and your wallet) I hope that's 100% true. I look forward to hearing about your experiences after you've completed the installation.

96-99 R50's have a different shock mounting layout than 99.5-04. https://xplorx4.shutterfly.com/pictures/1983

What's the part number for the 9000XL shocks you got? I think the ones I bought from 4x4parts (before I swapped in my Bilsteins a few years ago) were 999112. (I believe 999116 are good for non-lifted Pathfinders; I believe those are the p/n for 1st-gen Xterra rear suspension.) Unfortunately, the 999112's turned out to be undervalved for my Pathfinder, which was a big bummer. Not only that, but I did end up denting the right shock body on an off-road trip because the 9000XL's are so much fatter than their predecessor. Had it not been for the dented shock body, I might have tried the 999010's to see if they have different valving, because I really liked being able to dial in the shock settings based on vehicle load. Prior to the 9000XL's, I had Rancho's original RS9000's installed (p/n 99010); they were installed upside-down and worked great. No clearance issues, easy to reach the adjustment knob, and nice stiff valving at dial setting "9" (good for towing, hauling heavy loads, and rock-crawling). The lightly-used 9000XL's (although one was dented) eventually got tossed out during a garage clean-up effort. BTW, when installing the shocks, you may find that the lower mounting brackets are too wide for the included shock bushing sleeve, and you'll get some slop/play when attempting to tighten them. You can compensate for this by placing large washers on either side of the shock bushing sleeve, so you don't completely deform the lower shock mount. Choose the longest sleeve whose inner diameter matches the lower shock bolt. Apply a coating of grease on the inside of the shock bushings (and on the sleeves) to reduce suspension squeaking.

What model of Rancho rear shock did you purchase? Find out if you can mount them upside down (shock body on top, shaft on bottom). If so, the adjustment knob is super easy to get to- just reach into the rear wheel well and rotate the knob. Also, when mounting the rear right shock (if the body must be on the bottom), take note that the panhard rod mount has the potential to dent the shock body when the left tire is stuffed and the right tire is at full droop.

OK, settle down everybody. There's no need for this topic to denigrate into social mayhem. It is obvious that clear communication is very difficult in printed/typed words alone. The absence of vocal intonation and body language can cause misinterpretation of the words read on an computer screen, which apparently were read as sarcasm. Listen, I don't need to dish out attitude to anyone; my ego is not bruised by people I do not have a personal relationship with. I'm sure you can all agree that it's hard enough dealing with people in real life. I actually didn't take offense at the Maury Povich comment. My response only meant to indicate that I believed my previous comments were misunderstood by R3DN1CK. When he originally asked about whether anyone would recommend Rancho struts, I indicated that I had doubts about their overall product quality due to bracket fitment issues. He apparently mistook that to mean that the struts didn't have any brackets attached. Now, since it's been several years since I've worked with Rancho products, I can't say for sure whether they have corrected the fitment issue with the brake line bracket or not. But if his installation works out, then terrific! I'm happy for him, that he got to install a matching set of Rancho suspension parts on his Pathy. If it doesn't work out, at least he will have been informed about the possibility of quality issues prior to purchasing the struts. Almost all of the advice I offer on internet forums (and previously on the 4x4parts.com forum) is due to personal experience, having purchased my '97 LE in 1998 with 11,000 miles on it, and having learned how to work on it and upgrade it the hard way- trial and error - over the past 17 years and 170,000 miles. In the early 2000's, NOBODY made diddly squat with regard to mods for the R50; there was no "Pathfinder association" forum to ask questions on, 4x4parts didn't even exist when I lifted my R50. The internet was still in its childhood. I had to learn myself! I had to call a spring fabricator 80 miles away to get custom 2" lift coil springs made and installed on my R50. There was no such thing as strut spacers. UHMWPE hadn't been adapted for widespread use yet. I pored over shock size charts at my local 4wheelparts to find Rancho 9000 shocks with the correct length and construction, then accept their "we can't warranty shocks installed on vehicles they weren't designed for" policy. You guys honestly don't realize how easy you have it now. You have 4x4parts, you have SFD, you have spacers, you have choices! Most importantly, you have the collective knowledgebase of dozens of experienced R50 4WD enthusiasts at your fingertips. So, let's move on. R3DN1CK, I really hope you get those struts worked out, and you fall more in love with your R50 than you ever did with your WD21. Cared for properly, driven judiciously, it will give you many years of joy.

You misunderstood my previous comments. On the Rancho's I installed, the brake line tab was not properly sized, and you couldn't secure the brake line to the strut using the spring clip, instead having to use a zip tie. I did not say the mounting tabs for brake, ABS, and sway bar were missing. They're all there, but just not the right size for a clean OEM-looking install. Maybe they're different now than they were years ago. If so, that's great for you. I hope it works out.

I have found at least these two things to have a big impact on Pathfinder fuel economy: 1. Acceleration and deceleration 2. Cold starts If you are heavy on the gas and brake, that's just wasting gas. Think about it this way: When you accelerate, any fuel you use to reach a certain speed is converted into nothing more than heat, dissipated in your brake rotors, when you slow down or stop. Gentle acceleration uses less fuel than heavy acceleration, and you can use less fuel by looking ahead at traffic patterns to coast to slow down vs brake to slow down. When the engine and transmission are cold, it takes longer for them to reach peak operating efficiency. The transmission torque converter will not lock up as early when the AT fluid is cold, causing reduced drivetrain efficiency. I find that I can get better fuel economy in warmer temperatures than in cold temperatures.

Steering limits are built into the steering rack.

To avoid letting this thread become all about parting out your WD21 instead of all about your new R50, consider taking those types of messages to PM or create a parting out thread in the WD21 section (if you haven't already done so). I'd like to hear how your new R50 Rancho parts work out once they're installed.

You can order custom thickness spacers from 4x4design. I ordered 1/2" spacers from him.