XPLORx4

The P0325 knock sensor code is the only one you can ignore. As for the others, it's very unlikely this is just coincidence. Hmmm. The first thing I would do is to remove the IAT sensor from the intake tube and put it in the flextube that you installed in your bumper and replace the tube that you drilled out. There must be some good reason that the IAT sensor was not located after the MAF. When you extended the wires for the IAT sensor, how did you insulate them? Check that they're not shorting. Check the other hoses going into your custom intake tube to see if those don't have a vacuum leak as well.

A bad Panhard bushing would allow side-to-side movement, not vertical vibration. Try swapping the left and right shocks to see if the problem moves to the left side.

It is possible that you have a vacuum leak where you've installed the IAT sensor. Try removing the IAT sensor from the hole you drilled in the intake tube, and temporarily placing duct tape over the hole to see if the engine idles better. As I mentioned earlier, the IAT contributes nothing to the engine operation on earlier model R50s. If the behavior changes, repair or replace the intake tube with one that hasn't been drilled for the IAT.

P0325 is the knock sensor code. You may safely ignore this code. P0505 indicates a problem related to the idle air control valve. I'm not sure how the IAT sensor on your '98 works, but on my '97, the IAT is not used for engine operation (as mentioned on page EC-111 in the FSM), so relocating the IAT as you have done may not have been necessary. When I installed my Pop Charger intake, I relocated the IAT sensor "nearby" the air filter element.

It's a 97, so it has the lever-operated part-time TX10 transfer case.

You shouldn't need wheel spacers to fit those 31's on your stock wheels. They should fit just fine. The Pathfinder doesn't lend itself to having an easy swaybar disconnect method. The rear swaybar seems to have little effect for on-road performance and can simply be removed. The front swaybar, if disconnected, will bang around on the axles when the front suspension articulates. If you don't mind having a bit more body sway while on-road, you can go ahead and remove the front swaybar too. I've been running swaybarless on my Pathfinder for 6 years.

Sounds like it's a starter issue, or even the cables running from the starter to the battery. Check for loose or corroded connections between the starter and battery. If they look good, it could be your starter. Alternatively, that "first gear" thing you mentioned may indicate an electrical problem with the neutral safety switch.

After you lift, 32x11.50R15's will fit on 15x8 wheels (3.75" to 4" backspacing). You can also fit 265/75R16's on 16x8 wheels with up to +10mm offset. Wider tires (285/75R16) will require wheels with less offset, or you will need wheel spacers. In all cases, it is likely that you will need to trim, remove, or reshape (with a heatgun) parts of the front plastic fender liner.

I've owned several Optimas for many years, but recently after two of them (a yellowtop and a redtop) died quite unexpectedly in 2 different vehicles, I switched to Sears Diehard Platinum batteries, which have a greater reserve capacity than the Optimas and also have higher cranking amps. The Pathfinder can use a Platinum P-1, a Platinum P-4 or a Platinum PM-2 (which is the marine equivalent of the P-1, with additional posts on top). I have the PM-2, along with an Odyssey PC680 as an emergency starting battery. If you read reviews online comparing the Diehard Platinums to Optimas, you'll find that the Diehards get favorable reviews. Just my 2 cents.

When this happens, is the off-center direction always to one direction, or does it sometimes go left or right? You will probably need to check the steering rack bushings and check for looseness/play in the rack or other steering components. Also check your tie-rods, ball joints, and A-arm bushings (front and rear).

Are the battery terminal mating surfaces clean? I mean, the exterior of the posts need to be completely free of corrosion, grease, contaminants, etc., and the interior of each battery cable terminal needs to be similarly clean. Don't use a Dremel on those. A little baking soda mixed with water can help remove corrosion. You can buy a special battery terminal cleaning tool, if your wire brush doesn't do a good enough job.

This is really sounding more like a battery issue. You earlier said you tried four other batteries. Were they new or in an unknown condition? Check the water levels in the battery. You should also have the battery load-tested to see if it's good. I recently had to replace my old Optima yellow-top. I ended up replacing it with a Sears Die-Hard Platinum maintenance-free battery. All is good now.

It sounds like the negative battery cable could be bad. As mentioned above, with all cables connected to the battery, use a voltmeter to check the voltage on the battery posts, then check the voltage at the positive battery post and the engine block. When you get a jump start, where do you attach the negative jumper cable?

The air flow is not blocked, it's forced through the opening where the fan is mounted. The purpose of the shroud is to maximize the cooling efficiency of the fan, so that most of the radiator is subjected to the forced-air flow. Without the shroud, the fan will only cool the part of the radiator it's covering.

I used to have a Flex-a-lite #295 electric fan in my Pathy, but I have since removed it. Here's why: A few years ago, I was off-roading in Death Valley NP, where the nearest city is over 2 hours away from the paved roads in the park, and paved roads can be over 50 miles away, if you're off-road. Well, anyway, I was out there, and I had a lot of electrical accessories going, including my audio system, AC, and lights. Of course, the electric fan was running at full power, too, since it was about 95°F out. Suddenly, my alternator died. I guess it could no longer keep up with the continuous load on it. So, I shut off as many electrical electrical loads as possible (except for the engine and fan, of course), but since the engine was cooled only by the fan (which drew about 30 amps), I could only drive for about 15 minutes before the voltage dropped too low, so, I would stop to let another rig hook up jumper cables to recharge my battery for 15 minutes. This quickly grew tiresome, since we still had over 40 miles (i.e. 4+ hours) of rough driving to reach pavement, and a further 30 miles to reach the developed campground (and facilities) where repairs could be safely made. If the engine fan had not been electrically-driven, the battery would have lasted much longer between "recharges". I am now of the opinion that it is a big risk to rely on the electrical system to provide engine cooling. Plus, while I had the electric fan installed, I didn't notice a measurable improvement in fuel economy, nor did I feel a big-enough difference in engine performance to warrant the risk.

I cannot remember if auto hubs from an X or Frontier will work on the Pathy. I think they do, but I forget how they're assembled inside. Although the axle spline counts are the same, the length of the axle may be a little shorter on the R50 and may not engage the auto hubs in the same way as drive flanges or Warn Premium manual hubs. This application chart indicates that Warn part 29091 works on Frontiers, Xterras, and Pathfinders: http://www.warn.com/truck/hubs/premium_application_chart.shtml

I just had the RMS replaced on my Pathy, and they also had to replace an oil pan "lip seal" too (which they can't see until the tranny is separated). Labor rates being more in CA than they are in FL, I ended up paying $1K for the job. I didn't have any other fluid-change services done, since they didn't lose a significant amount of ATF when they pulled the tranny. If you don't mind replacing the ATF yourself when it's time to do so, you don't need to have further work done.

Don't bother with the knock sensor code. That one doesn't trip the SES light, doesn't seem to really have much benefit unless you use REALLY crappy gas, and it's quite extensive in labor to replace it. The 1447 EVAP code could be due to any of: clogged EVAP lines EVAP canister purge volume control valve stuck closed EVAP canister purge valve stuck closed EVAP canister purge control solenoid valve damaged EVAP canister Absolute pressure sensor malfunction MAP/BARO switch solenoid valve

Nice pics! How did you manage to reinstall your stock plastic splash guard with the subframe drop?

Looks nice! So is there a spring retainer also on the upper mount?

The whole strut assembly, except for the top part that's bolted to the body, is supposed to rotate with the wheel. There's a plastic "bearing" between the top mount and the upper spring seat that, when worn, can make the popping sounds.

Wow, an R50 trailer queen, huh? I think that's the most redneck R50 I've ever seen. I wonder what's that "scoop" on the hood...

Nice choice! Wow, your truck looks almost like mine (when it was about 2 years old)! My first set of aftermarket wheels were those exact same Panther wheels, and I even had a bug deflector! I'll have to go dig through some old pics to find the closest match.

Well, as long as we're all beating the "use a jackstand" dead horse, might as well share the love.... muddfildvaynes: whoever used that hi-lift should be whipped with a wet noodle! When using a hi-lift, the handle should ALWAYS be returned to an upright position, never left in the horizontal position. A failure on the jack could cause that handle to ratchet back to vertical on its own, and if anyone's body parts are in the way, they could be seriously injured.

Good to hear that it was just a bad CV axle, not your diff!