XPLORx4

Hmmm. I guess you replaced the axle while you had the knuckle unbolted from the strut, right? Are you sure you reassembled the outer CV joint correctly when you put on the new boot? One way to tell if it's the CV axle or something else causing your noise is to remove the drive flanges from both front wheels (so that the front axles don't rotate with the wheels). If the noise goes away, then the problem is likely the CV axle. Perhaps the outer joint is worn because the boot was cracked and the joint lost too much grease.

Just curious to know: how did you "slide out the CV axle"? Did you make sure the seals and bushings were properly replaced?

Unless the front wheel bearings are damaged, there's no reason why you should need to replace them. At the very least, repack the bearings with new grease, since you've got to remove the hub to replace the rotor anyway. You will need a pair of new inner bearing grease seals.

That's seriously tweaked. I bet that rear tire was nearly touching the fender! How did it feel to crab-walk your Pathy?

Not if you want to have any hope of turning.

You could reinforce them cheaply with some angle iron, so they can't get bent like the top link in the photo below:

Just an FYI: that breather tube ends about 2" after it goes into that crossmember. It's worth considering a higher mounting location.

That sucks (about having to pay to ship the new one AND the old one). You might also try contacting Rancho. They may be easier to work with regarding shipping costs.

Nope. Maximum of 4" BS, minimum of 3.75" BS on an 8" wide wheel if you want to fit bigger tires. Smaller tires won't be a problem, though.

Do you have the receipt? Sounds like you may be able to file a warranty claim.

If the guy says they'll rub, then he's probably right. If you order them despite his warning and they don't fit, the shop may not let you return them. Pathfinders that came with factory 16" or larger wheels have bigger calipers. Therefore, most alloy 15" wheels won't fit. You're better off going with a 16" wheel and 255/75R16 tires if you want that wheel style.

If the axle moves out of position and the bolthole doesn't line up, just find a part of the undercarriage in front or behind the axle to attach the hook of the ratchet strap to (depending on which way you need to move the axle), and hook the other end around the axle. When I did this on may Pathy, I used a hand-winch [aka come-along] because I didn't own a ratchet strap. However, the principle is the same, and ratchet straps are far less expensive.

If you intend only to replace the lower links, just follow the instructions on wallpaperama, but leave out any steps which involve removing the upper links. The lower links are pretty easy, involving only removal of the ABS/parking brake cable brackets from the links, and then removing the links themselves. Also, remove and replace one link at a time. Do not remove both links simultaneously. It's possible that the axle may slightly move out of alignment when you remove the links, so you may need to use a ratchet strap to realign the axle with the bolts during reinstallation.

32" tires won't fit unless you remove the front and rear mudflaps and fender flares (if equipped), trim or remove the plastic front wheelwell liners, and roll the upper lip of the rear fenders. The proper wheel size is also required: 15x8 with 3.75" to 4" backspacing (4" preferred), in order to clear the strut. Also, if the model is an XE or LE, which came with 235/70R15 tires, the gearing will be way off for 32" tires, and you will notice a marked decrease in acceleration, fuel economy, and braking. What brand/model of tire will you be installing?

Oops, I didn't pay attention to the fact that you live in San Diego, so rust will not likely be an issue for you. ("Rust belt" refers to the northeast. Vehicles operated in states where the roads are salted in winter tend to have severe rust issues, which really complicates DIY repairs.) How many miles are on your pathy? How many more do you intend to drive it? FYI, the wobbling problem will be solved by replacing ONLY the lower links/bushings, which is useful information, especially if you're on a tight budget. The function of the upper links is mainly to maintain the proper pinion angle under acceleration or braking. FWIW, I replaced my lower link bushings with poly bushings about 5 years ago to solve the wobbling problem also, and I never touched the upper link bushings. One of these days I guess I'll get around to it. It's not difficult to simply swap old links for new ones, since the new links come with bushings. In your case, the extra difficulty of pressing poly bushings into the links may not be worth the effort if you don't have the tools and automotive experience. However, if you intend to keep your Pathy for many more miles and don't want to worry about this again, go with poly bushings. You don't absolutely need air tools to do the job, but they definitely make working on your rig easier. If you can't afford a compressor and air tools, go pick up a breaker bar or a pipe to give you extra leverage on your socket ratchet or box wrenches.

Perhaps they refer to the rear suspension links as "drag links" instead of control arms. Don't take it to the dealer unless you have a really good relationship with them and their prices are better than independent shops. As for tools and knowledge, well, the knowledge is available on this website, so you're set there, and the tools? Hmm, how much do you expect to pay a shop to do the work? OK, now take that dollar amount and instead, buy tools. Now you have the tools to do it yourself! And the bonus is that you get to KEEP the tools to use later! BTW, do you live in the rust belt? If so, then it might be better for you to have a shop do it. Just my $.02

Correction: open loop. Closed-loop uses the O2 sensors to calculate A/F ratio. Open-loop uses the preset computer A/F maps, which is usually much richer than needed.

Here's a tip: Cover the steering rack with some rags. Loosen the filter just enough so that the rubber seal does not allow oil to leak out, but you can easily twist it off. Place a plastic zip lock sandwich bag over the filter and then loosen the filter and let the oil spill into the ziplock baggie. Continue twisting off the filter with the ziplock bag around it. It gets slippery, so it'll take a bit of fiddling to get the filter all the way off without significant spillage.

Read this for various opinions on welded front diffs, and decide if it's right for you.

Wow, that's the first oil filter relocation kit that looks like it would work! Great find! Let us know how it goes with the installation! I expect a write-up with pics!

Not necessarily. I used to have a Flexalite 295 fan in my Pathy, and I had more problems with my Pathy after installing it than with the stock fan, so I removed it and went back to stock. To start with, there were fitment issues. Plus, the fan draws 30 amps. I fried my alternator while running the A/C and all of my off-road lights at the same time in Death Valley, CA. I learned it's very unwise to rely solely on the electrical system to provide engine cooling while off-road. However, I don't see any problem with installing a small (~12") auxiliary electric fan to supplement the existing engine-driven fan on an as-needed basis. Depending on how it's wired, it can help keep A/C temps cool at idle speeds during hot summers.

"Fan kicks on and off"...????? How can you tell when it would "kick on and off"? It should be on all the time, spinning with more or less force depending on how hot it is. (The stock fan uses a clutch.) If the engine runs hot at idle or low speeds, then the problem is likely the fan clutch. If the engine runs hot at speed (as well as at idle), then it's more likely the thermostat. In your case, I would be suspicious of the fan clutch. BTW, if the engine truly overheats (i.e. coolant temp exceeds about 250°F), the computer will shut the engine off for you.

I don't know what kind of rock rails you have installed, but the rock sliderz on my R50 are bolted to the unibody with the same 6 bolts that held on the original side steps. They're not welded, and they've been working great for a long time, and have held up under very heavy abuse. Of course, they don't look like this anymore. They are gouged and scratched up.

Yep, it's pretty common. You'll grow accustomed to it, though it should reduce in its severity over the next few months as the springs settle.

Perhaps, but there are other non-tangible costs, such as the inconvenience of having to get out and lock/unlock the hubs, maintenance issues, appearance, etc. which each owner needs to determine for himself. Therefore, I don't put too much emphasis on the expected or potential fuel savings. If gas costs $2.09 (close to the current avg unleaded price in Calif) and you increase mpg from 17 to only 18, the miles required to pay for the hubs is 21,958, a much longer ROI. When I put on my hubs, the gas price was well under $2/gallon, and I netted a less than 1mpg improvement in fuel economy, which is statistically insignificant. Consider also that I now drive my truck less than 4000 miles a year, so I don't know how long it really took to see a return on my investment. So, did it make financial sense for me to install hubs? Nope. Am I upset that I 'wasted' $150 on hubs? Nope. Why not? Because fuel savings was not the primary motivation for installing hubs. All I'm trying to say is this: Don't jump on the manual hubs bandwagon because everyone else is doing it, expecting to save hundreds of dollars on gas. It's not a guarantee.