XPLORx4

You got yourself an ambitious project vehicle, there! Lookin' good so far. Hey, do you happen to know the part number for the rear rubber upper spring isolator? I need new ones. Finally, correct me if I'm wrong, but it looks like the pic below shows the stock front spring beside a new REAR spring. I assume you figured this out when you went to install it...

What kind of tires do you have? Maybe the "howling" sound you're describing is NVH caused by the tires and transmitted from the axle through the harder control arm bushings.

Those springs aren't even R50 rear springs at all! R50 rear springs are constant diameter and fit around the large hump on the lower spring perch. Looks like someone did a hackjob on your rear suspension at some time. OEM R50 rear springs look like the one on the right: Were you looking to lift the truck at some point? If so, then you can install the 2" lift springs, though it'll look really funny. How long do you think it'd be before you put in new front springs?

I used some 1/4" galvanized hardware cloth to cover the intake opening on my car. I'd previously used the material for the subfloor vent openings on my house and also to make a dirt/rock sifter for my garden. You don't want to use a screen that rodents can chew through, or one that restricts the intake opening too much.

First, check that the motor mount has actually failed by opening the hood, then while seated in the driver's seat, firmly apply the brake, shift into 1st gear and watch for extreme engine movement while you press the gas pedal. Do the same in reverse. If you see the engine move up or down more than 3/4" then you have a failed motor mount. If the engine doesn't seem to move too much, the clunk may be caused by something else. If it is indeed a motor mount, you will need to remove the front differential to access them.

I haven't replaced the condenser before, but I have replaced the radiator. I wasn't able to find a replacement with aluminum tanks that was narrow enough to accommodate the fan shroud and clear the steering box, so I just got a like-OEM replacement from my local auto parts store. I think it cost around $90, but I don't remember the brand; it has worked just fine since I installed in in 2007.

Unless you installed manual hubs on your Pathy, the hubs are full-time engaged, even in 2WD. But what you describe seems like the symptoms of a blown strut. How many miles are on the struts? As stated above, other things to check are bushings, wheel bearings, ball joints.

What you're describing sounds like just the ABS kicking in, not anything related to the front diff.

The most ironic thing about that on the VG33-equipped R50 is that the IAT is not even used for engine operation at all. It's only used for diagnostic purposes. Fooling the IAT to read a lower temp will have no effect on the engine performance!

The R/P orientation is irrelevant to the operation of the differential. As long as the differential has the same number of splines, is the same diameter (i.e. bolt holes line up on ring gear), and has the same dimensions, the only thing I think you need to be concerned with is whether the driver's side axle will bolt to the side gear of the Z32 VLSD in the same way that it currently bolts to the side gear of the R50 R200A open diff. Here are some other interesting threads to check out: link 1 link 2 link with WD21 R200A diff exploded diagram (R50 R200A is slightly different).

If you really want to attempt this, you can try to see if the R200 LSD carrier will bolt up to the R200A ring gear. The challenge, though, is to understand how the front axles attach to the carrier. The R200A carrier may have a thrust block in the center of the spider gears that is used to bolt up the axles. The R200 LSD (since it is designed for a rear axle) may not have the thrust block.

The R50 Pathfinder ('96-'04) has an R200A front differential. Theoretically, it should fit, but there may be slight differences in the way the axles attach to the diff that may make it a little more complicated than a straight bolt-in.

Those springs certainly look a lot shorter than either the stock or the 2" lift springs, so I would guess that they are indeed lowering springs. The taper is correct for the front springs. The larger diameter goes on the strut spring pan, and the smaller diameter fits into the strut top mount.

What year Pathy are you hoping to put that on? Your profile says you have an '88. I can make some measurements for you when I have a chance. Which measurements do you want?

That TJM isn't for the R50. It lacks the "wings" on either side of the bumper that wrap around the front fenders. If it's for a Pathy at all, it's for the WD21. Compare your pics to this photo.

The vibration you feel in the transfer case lever is normal vibration from the engine. The lever is directly attached to the transfer case, which is directly attached to the transmission, which is directly attached to the engine. Since there isn't much in the way of vibration damping between the engine and the t-case lever, any vibration you feel is normal.

It's not difficult to fix on your own if you have the right tools, enough patience, and time. However, it is fairly involved. You might have more success replacing the whole transfer case with a junkyard unit than opening yours up and replacing the gears and/or chain. Either way, the transfer case has to be removed from the vehicle. When I removed my transfer case for a gear swap, I had to remove a lot of the interior to reach a few bolts on the top of the t-case. I had to remove both front seats, the center console, and the whole lower dashboard. Since my Pathy has a lot of custom wiring for lights, stereo, extra switches, etc., I didn't want some shop to do it and risk having them screw up my custom wiring. Dropping the t-case after the driveshafts, the VSS connector, and other bolts are removed is actually quite straightforward (though the case itself weighs ~140 lbs).

I don't have the SFD kit, but I just installed a set of Bilstein 5150's and I'm pretty happy with them. For the SFD, you will probably want part number 25-101874. Ext Length": 29.7" Comp Length: 17.78" Travel: 11.93" Valving: 255/70 They run about $100 each. http://www.eshocks.com/bil_ORsb.asp?Series_Index=Q8&SubChar=Q

captandy: 8" wheels with 4" backspacing will cause the tires to extend past the wheel wells on your Pathy, giving it a wider track, and making it appear "tougher". The downside is that the sides of your truck will get a lot dirtier, especially in mud. Here's a photo of 31x10.50R15 BFG AT's mounted on 15x8 wheels with 4" backspacing on a 1997 LE: Click if image doesn't appear above

The spring shouldn't be twisting in the strut, even if the isolator is worn. Either your mechanic reassembled the top of the strut backwards or he didn't replace the strut bearings and they're binding when you turn.

What you've described really seems to be symptomatic of completely shot strut bearings. If the strut bearings are "sticking" the wheels cannot turn left/right freely and the whole strut assembly binds. When you turn past the toughest binding point, the tension is released and the strut bearing "pops". Worn bearings will also keep the truck from tracking straight, no matter how good your alignment is. The strut "bearing" is actually just two plastic rings that snap together, and between the two rings is a greased hard-plastic (maybe delrin?) ring that allows the top and bottom halves of the bearing to rotate. They're not terribly robust. The first time I changed my struts (around 60K miles), the bearings were totally dried out, although they weren't binding. Here's what the strut "bearing" looks like: This is the inside of a worn strut bearing. It's supposed to be really smooth and full of white grease, not scored and dried out. to see a youtube video of a guy who replaced the strut bearing himself. Fast-forward to 8:00 in to see pics of the condition of the old strut bearing that was replaced.

Does your truck actually pull to one side or the other or does the wheel just not center when you drive straight? If the truck actually pulls (that is, you have to keep constant pressure on the steering wheel to keep it from drifting) then that's an indication of alignment problems. Popping, clunking, clanking, etc. that occurs only when turning the steering wheel indicates that the strut bearings or the steering rack is worn. It's more likely that the strut bearings are worn out than the steering rack is.

Lookin' good! So is that the SFD + 2" lift springs? Did you have to cut off any coils from the rear springs? Since the truck was on the 2-post lift, how did you support the engine while dropping the subframe?

I assumed that the shop replaced the bushings for him since the "problems have improved".

The problem you described earlier was diagnosed properly by the shop. Oil dripping from the filter during oil changes falls onto one of the two rubber bushings that secure the rack to the subframe. Oil disintegrates rubber, and without both of those bushings, the rack can't be held in place. As for the popping/clanking noise, how many miles are on your struts? The popping noise could be caused by worn-out strut bearings.