XPLORx4

This is a fun thread, so I'll weigh in here. When I purchased my 97 LE 4x4 in 1998, the Xterra was barely a gleam in Nissan's eye. The Xterra wasn't even introduced until 2001. In 1998, the only alternative I was willing to consider was the 4Runner, but it was too expensive. When I bought my Pathy, I actually wasn't even into 4-wheeling. I was into watersports, and I figured 4WD might come in handy for the occasional slippery launch ramp. It wasn't until I actually went off-roading for the first time that I got hooked. I started building my R50 into a "serious" 4-wheeler. By "serious" I mean, I actually drive it off-road, over boulders, often getting 2 wheels in the air. My R50 is not a mall crawler or poseur expedition rig. In the early days, there was almost ZERO aftermarket support for the R50, so I had to find creative ways to build up what I owned. I started with 31" tires, then had a local spring fabricator custom-make 2" lift springs for me. I did a little trial-and-error shopping for Rancho RS9000 shocks that worked with the lift. Soon afterward, I scored a TJM T-15 bull bar and added a Warn winch to it. I added a Safari-style roof rack and found a local fabricator to build rock sliders for me. This was all prior to 2001 (again, BEFORE the Xterra was introduced). By the time the Xterra PRO4X models were even available, my Pathy was paid off and was mostly fully built. The only things I've added since the PRO4X became available on new Xterras (circa 2011) are: LED lights, which replaced the IPF driving lights I had before, and a 4" subframe drop to add to my existing 2" lift and a matching 6" rear spring/shock combo. I suppose if anyone interested in getting off the beaten path and actually fully using 4WD, a decent pre-owned platform to start with might be the Xterra PRO4X, since it's newer, larger, better equipped, and more powerful than even the youngest R50. It'll also be more expensive, but that's what it takes to drive something at least 7 years newer. I doubt that many R50 owners chose the inexpensive, reliable platform to build into a "serious" off-roader with resale in mind. Starting an off-road build with the R50 platform is certainly more complicated than building a PRO4X, but it is a completely unfounded statement to say that the R50 cannot be built to be as competent as a PRO4X.

My 97 doesn't sputter as if running out of gas until somewhere around 19+ gallons consumed. I have a Scan-Gauge II which has a "fuel tank capacity" setting to help compute "distance to empty". Even though the fuel tank capacity is technically 21.1 gallons, I set the tank capacity to 20 gallons, because I've actually sputtered to a total stop 2 miles from the gas station when it registered a little over 20 gallons consumed. Even though the low fuel light had been glowing for a good 30+ miles, I thought I could make it because of my trust in the SGII display. Although it's usually pretty accurate, I have to remember that the Scan-Gauge II fuel consumption display is calculated by other OBD2 sensors, not actual fuel use. Anyway, if you refill an empty* tank after pumping only 16 gallons before auto-shutoff, that is much different than my experience. This is why I think it's worth checking the fuel pump pickup or fuel filter. *"empty" means the engine stalled and would not restart because it ran out of fuel.

Replace the fuel filter first. Or, perhaps your fuel pump filter is dirty or the fuel pump has become dislodged from the bottom of the tank.

I am not 100% certain that it's as simple as you described, but it could be. The worst case scenario would be that you might have to loosen the bolts holding the steering rack brackets to the subframe in order to get enough clearance to reindex the splines. You shouldn't need to undo the tie rod ends, although it's certain you'll need an alignment afterwards.

When you installed the rack, there was a short splined shaft sticking out the top of it. Onto this short shaft you attached the linkage from the steering box. It is this linkage that needs to be reindexed. It’s probably off by two splines. Once you have reindexed the linkage you can adjust the toe at the tie rods ends to center the steering wheel.

Even though you adjusted the tie rod ends to be the same as before, when you installed the rack, it wasn't centered.

Those CV axles are fine. To diagnose your ABS problem, follow the procedures outlined on page BR-46 and following from the factory service manual brake section (BR.pdf): https://www.dropbox.com/s/1qk3m8p1gj9rvnh/BR.pdf?dl=0 Location of the ABS sensor wires and the tone rings on the hub is diagrammed on pages BR-34 and BR-35

You will not be able to see the ABS tone ring, as it is behind the brake dust shield on the back side of the hub/rotor. You'd have to take the wheel off and look behind the brake caliper to see it. You could at least check the condition of the ABS wheel sensor cabling, but it's still advisable to remove the wheel for the best diagnosis. A floor jack, impact wrench, and 19mm socket will make short work of that.

When you replaced the rack did you lock the steering wheel? 108 degrees off is a lot. You are at risk of breaking the clock spring. It is not possible to center the steering wheel with tie rod alignment adjustments only. What you will need to do is re-index the splines from the steering link to the rack. First, steer so the wheels are straight. Remove the key and lock the steering wheel. Loosen and unmesh the splined shaft on the rack from the steering linkage. Next, insert key and unlock the steering wheel and center it. Remove the key and lock the wheel again. Now remesh the splines on the steering linkage and tighten everything back up

Interesting note about the CV axle. My 97's ABS tone rings are pressed onto the back side of the hubs. In order to get to them, you have to pull the hub assembly. I have never seen an ABS tone ring on an R50 CV axle before. enchoian- Did you have any service to the front brakes or hubs when you replaced the CV axles?

To determine if the lurching happens due to a malfunction in the braking system or drivetrain (transmission, driveshaft, etc), shift to neutral and try braking to a stop. As you slow to a stop, keep an eye on the RPM. Listen and feel for any abnormalities in the engine/drivetrain. The lurching could be a transmission issue or another issue that affects the engine idle RPM. Do you have a glowing CHECK ENGINE light?

The ABS wheel sensors are installed in the spindle/knuckle and the wire harness is clipped to the strut before it gets to the wiring connector mounted on the inner wheel well. If the hub assembly is allowed to drop too far when working on the front suspension, the connector could become unplugged from the wheel well, or the wire itself could become damaged or stretched. The sensor itself could also be damaged, or there is excessive metallic debris around the ABS tone ring mounted to the back of the hub, preventing it from obtaining accurate readings. The only way to thoroughly check is to remove the wheels and inspect the cable and the connector where it attaches to the wheel well.

It’s likely that one of the abs wheel sensors or cables was damaged or disconnected when the axles were replaced. the lurching forward could be a number of things. A description of the specific conditions under which this happens would be helpful in providing a more accurate diagnosis

Unbolt the brackets holding the sway bar to the axle and remove the nuts holding it to the sway bar links.

That part is simply a metal brace to provide backup support for the splash guard. It's not terribly important if you choose to remove it, and it's probably preferable to replace the splash guard and the brace with a genuine skid plate such as this one: https://sfcreation.com/products/front-skidplate-14-aluminium

Auto mode (AWD) simply allows the center differential to slip to compensate for different front and rear driveshaft speeds while turning. It normally biases output to the rear driveshaft, but can transfer up to 50% of torque to the front driveshaft if conditions warrant it. It doesn't know whether the front and/or rear axles are locked. In fact, you can have both front and rear locked while in AWD, and it'll work just fine. Granted, if you're in a situation where you're using any kind of selectable locking differential, you'd best already be in 4H or 4L. Auto mode is for use while driving in inclement weather, not for off-roading where a locking diff is desirable. Since the ARB is a selectable locker, it runs open when it's not engaged. Hence, it'll be invisible to the center diff while in Auto mode. By the way, the ARB locking diff bolts directly to the ring gear and fully replaces the carrier, so it doesn't matter whether you have an LSD or an open diff to start with. The Lokka (front diff) is an automatic locker. Again, whether you're in 2H, 4H, 4L or AWD, it'll work the same. The AWD system won't even know it's there.

I cover the steering rack with rags, then after I lightly loosen the filter, I put a ziplock around it while spinning it off. It takes longer because it’s slippery, but there’s rarely any mess. Another alternative is to cut the bottom quarter off a 2 liter bottle and allow it to serve as a funnel and container to direct the oil away from Paets you want to keep clean. The most important part to keep oil away from is the steering rack bushing, which will break down and deteriorate if it’s always oily.

OME/LR combo refers to Old Man Emu + Land Rover springs. However, that's of little help without information about whether those springs lifted, lowered, or kept the ride height. The mention of part numbers or vendor information would also be helpful.

Hawairish, your observations confirm something I learned a few years ago when I replaced a CV axle with a replacement I bought either at O'Reilly or Autozone... or possibly RockAuto. I cannot recall whether the axle was a Duralast-branded part or whatever brand O'Reilly sells. I have typically bought CV axles locally rather than waiting for parts to ship from Rockauto due to the urgency of the repair. Anyway, during the replacement, I noticed that the inner cup on the previous CV was different than on the replacement axle. The wall thickness of each of the cups was different, and the bearing sizes were also different. I believe that the thinner-walled cup with larger bearings allowed more operating angle before binding, whereas the other axle whose inner CV cup had thicker walls and smaller bearings had binding at a lower operating angle. I was able to check the wall thickness and bearing sizes by popping the grease cap off the back of the inner cup. Unfortunately, it's hard to tell just from brand/part number/new/reman whether you'll get a thin-walled inner CV or a thick-walled inner CV. Anyway, if I recall, I think I may have returned the thick-walled CV axle back to the store I bought it from (eg. Autozone) and got one from the other store (eg. O'Reilly Auto), which had thinner walls.

Measure the distance from the end of the pinion flange to the mounting surface of the third member on each. I don’t know what the sensor is for, but if the third member dimensions match, I think you should be ok.

I think you can just get a replacement bushing.

Your 4wd system will apply at most 50% torque to the front driveshaft. Because the front differential is open, the wheel with the least traction will get the most torque. In your situation, the drivers wheel probably had lots of traction and the passenger wheel did not. The open diff transferred engine power to the passenger wheel. what kind of tires do you have?

I used to run 265/75R16 BFG MT on my Ultra Rogue 175 wheels, 16x8 with 10mm offset, and they fit with my 2" lift. The worry I had was how much clearance is there between the tire should and strut. I do know that 15x8 wheels with 32x11.5R15 tires need no more than 4" backspacing. When I upsized to 285/75R16, I did have to install wheel spacers to clear the strut.

The early R50 models were specced kind weird. The diff ratios weren’t based on the transmission but instead on the equipped tire size. For the 97 model year, at least in the US, the XE and LE were equipped with 235/70R15 tires, with the steel 15x6 chrome wheels on the XE, and spoked 15x6.5” alloy wheels on the LE. Both had 4.363 diff gearing. Because of the smaller tire size, they had a different steering rack with more throw that gave them a tighter turning radius. The SE models had 265/70R15 tires, with slightly lower diff gearing (4.636:1) to account for the taller tires. They also had a steering rack with less throw, resulting in a wider turning radius. If you want to install bigger tires, you will have no problems fitting 30x9.50R15 on the chrome wheels. You might even squeeze 31x10.50 on those wheels but you might have slight rubbing on the right inner wheel well, especially when turning fully right, because of the combination of wheel width, wheel offset, tighter turning radius, and larger tire size. I know you’re probably on a tight budget, but if you so plan to continue modding this R50, I would advise running some inexpensive 30” tires for the next year or so while you save up for new 16x8 wheels and tires. Unless you do a lot of fender liner trimming, you won’t be able to fit 265/75R16 tires without a 2” lift. I have owned my 97 LE since 1998, and I went through all of these same issues, but I had to do so without the benefit of the internet. I spent a lot of money on trial and error getting my rig to its current configuration.

Hmmm that sure looks like an XE to me but if you have the original window sticker that says SE, I guess you have a rare unicorn. SE models typically had alloy wheels and black fender flares and chrome bumpers. Any way, check the door placard and the vin plate on the firewall. You should be able to easily fit 265/75R15 or 31x10.5R15 on those wheels. If the gearing is 4.36, you’ll notice an immediate reduction in acceleration performance. The speedometer could also read too slow afterwards. Ideally you should probably replace the wheels with 16x8 or 17x8 wheels and upsize to a tire size in the 31” diameter range until you lift it.