XPLORx4

I originally got the clinometer because there were many times I was freaked out by being off-camber, and I thought I was close to rolling. It wasn't until after I learned that the R50 has a 45° static rollover angle and purchased the clinometer that I had the confidence to proceed, knowing how close to tipping I actually am. In practice, the actual rollover angle depends on lots of other factors including cargo, passengers, and other mods, but it's still nice to know where you're at. Believe me, 25° off-camber feels quite disconcerting, usually enough to make you rethink whether you want to continue over an obstacle.

Various online sources sell clinometers. They are not vehicle-specific, and usually come with a Jeep graphic or a pickup truck graphic. The pickup truck graphic is harder to find. They are easy to install with a couple of wire connections for the light and double-sided tape to stick it to your dash. Search google for "pickup truck graphic clinometer".

Do you mean like this? More "Expedition" pics here

Adjusting the idle screw does NOT increase the idle speed, since the PCM will try to reset it back to the "proper" rpm! The mechanic who worked on your truck probably isn't familiar enough with the Nissan PCM. Your TPS is probably improperly adjusted, or you may have a problem with the IACV. It's more likely the TPS, since the tranny shifts incorrectly. Right-click and save as then navigate to page EC-75. Read pp EC-75 to EC-80, EC-121 to EC-126. Right-click and save as, then navigate to page "AT-111" That should help you out better.

Hahaha! Those things are a poor-man's coil spring lift. You can find similar devices sold in the "Help! accessories" aisle of most Pep Boys, Schuck's, or Kragen Auto Parts. Get those things out of there. They should be relatively easy to pull out if you get the wheels off the ground to fully extend the springs.

Do you want tall skinny tires (33x9.50)? 33x9.50's will be good for increased ground clearance, but aren't so good for flotation (i.e. running on sand). What kinds of trails will you be running?

That link incorrectly used the terms "backspacing" and "offset" interchangeably. Backspacing is not the same thing as offset, as that link may lead you to believe. Backspacing is the distance from the inner edge of the rim to the hub mounting surface. (They got that right.) Offset, however, is the distance between the centerline of the wheel and the hub mounting surface, and is usually measured in millimeters. Wheel Offset Explained

MT's will be louder, wear faster, and provide lower fuel economy than AT's. If you'll be doing primarily highway driving with the occasional jaunt off the pavement, the BFG AT will do you fine. My previous set of BFG AT 31" tires lasted 40K miles, and if my rig were still a daily driver, it would be wearing BFG AT 32" tires (or possibly a set of Bridgestone AT Revo's). The 32" Goodyear MT/R's I'm running now perform great off-road, but they are LOUD, and aren't wearing nearly as nicely as my BFG AT's used to. BTW, my friend's Xterra is equipped with BFG MT's and they don't seem to perform as well off-road (on rocks) as my MT/R's do.

I've never needed camber bolts on my rig, but I've installed AC 2" lifts on 3 other rigs and all of them needed camber bolts. You can run without them for a little while, but if your camber is out of spec, you'll wear out the outer edges of the front tires quickly.

4.5" BS is too much if you ever want to fit 265/75/16's on. 4.5" BS will put the tire too close to the strut lower spring perch. You will need rims with BS between 3.75 and 4" if you hope to fit larger-size tires.

I'm not aware of the WD21 IFS travel, but the first photo below shows my R50 at max flex without a front swaybar. This old photo shows flex with the front swaybar installed: The difference is about 2-3" of articulation. There are more R50 flex pics here. This pic of system-f's caR50 shows how much the front will flex without a swaybar. (Note that the driver's side A-arm is level with the lower crossmember, compared to the second photo of my truck above.)

I would have to disagree with that. I noticed a huge difference in front suspension articulation with no swaybar. The rear didn't seem to do very much at all. I finally removed it last year when it snapped in half. I guess too many off-road miles and axle-twisting obstacles killed it! Regarding disconnects for the front, you can't do it with any commerically-available products. Many years ago, I tried using JKS disconnects designed for a Jeep, but I discovered that the swaybar bangs and clanks around when disconnected, since it rests on top of the CV axles. I abandoned the use of the JKS disconnects after my first trip out with them installed, and eventually opted to completely remove the front swaybar permanently. The only disconnect design that I think could possibly work at all on the R50 would be something following this concept.

I've been wheeling my R50 pretty hard since '98, and I've never reinforced anything in the front suspension. While I do have a pretty sturdy custom-built metal front skid plate, everything else pretty much uses stock parts. Amazingly, I've never bent a tie-rod, in spite of how much longer they are than those on the WD21 and Xterra (which seem to break quite frequently). As Simon mentioned, I did bend a front control arm (click for pic) last year when I accidentally smacked an obscured log, dead-on with the edge of my front passenger-side tire at around 5mph. The impact yanked the steering wheel out of my hands and bent the control arm, causing the right-side wheel to be pushed backwards about 1.5" from normal. It's the only real front-suspension damage I have ever sustained in over 150,000 miles of ownership. Granted, how "weak" a part is is purely a function of how much it's abused. If you drive conservatively and carefully, you shouldn't ever have a problem with the control arms. The control arm is certainly not a part that I would consider weak, and in need of mandatory reinforcement. I'm actually glad it bent first, rather than bending something else, such as the subframe. On the other hand, the rear lower links (aka control arms) are much more vulnerable to damage, especially when rock-crawling. I bent one of them while crawling over a big rock, so I had both rear lower control arms reinforced with angle-iron to prevent bending. (click for pics)

• When removing an oil filter, enclose it in a ziplock sandwich bag so that when it starts to leak, the bag catches most of the oil. • Remove tie rod ends or ball joints without having to use a pickle-fork by whacking the knuckle with a large hammer (such as a 2-lb sledge). The impact will pop the TRE or BJ loose. • Always loosen or remove the fill plug on differentials and/or transfer cases before removing the drain plug. • Use a safety pin or a needle to clean/aim the windshield washer nozzles.

Service Engine Soon light (SES) = Check Engine Light (CEL) = Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL). The terms are used interchangeably among various vehicle brands, but basically all signal the same thing: the engine control computer (Nissan calls it the PCM, or Powertrain Control Module) has detected a malfunction with a sensor, which could contribute to an increase in emissions. There are several ways to reset the MIL, the cheapest being to simply disconnect the battery. (That's like unplugging your Windows PC from the wall when it crashes, instead of trying to find out why it crashed.) The problem with this technique is that you don't find out why the MIL was triggered. Instead, it's usually advisable to get an OBD-II (On-Board Diagnostics revision II) code reader, plug it into the OBD-II diagnostic port under the dash, and retrieve the DTC (Diagnostic Trouble Code) that indicates which sensor has a problem. Once you know the DTC, you can repair the problematic sensor (or system), then use the code reader to reset the MIL. Use your favorite internet search engine (such as google) for information about reading and interpreting OBD-II codes. If you're inclined to purchase a code-reader, I highly recommend the Scan-Gauge. It's priced a little more than a generic code-reader, but has many more useful features that make it a worthwhile investment. Regarding your outside temp gauge, it's very likely that the sensor is faulty. The sensor is mounted mid-way up on the hood latch support bracket.

Well, OK, yeah, air is not required, but it'll take several HOURS of using a 1/2" ratchet to compress the springs with those cheap spring compressors. It's hard to tighten down the compressors when the whole strut assembly wants to roll around with it. The first time I replaced the struts, I didn't own air tools, and I spent an entire day (~9 hours) doing it with hand tools. I'd have been better off paying Pep Boys $80. So, like I said, it comes down to how much your time is worth.

It depends on how much your time is worth, the condition of the fasteners on the suspension (i.e. rust/corrosion issues), and if you already have the proper tools. You will need strut coil spring compressors, as well as an air wrench to operate the spring compressors. This link provides a relatively straightforward pictorial walk-through of how to replace the struts. If you lift the truck using new springs, you will also need to get an alignment.

The strut mount is the rubber insulator that the strut shaft attaches to. It's also sometimes called a "strut top-hat". The strut bearing is the plastic disc that allows for the strut assembly to turn relative to the strut mount. Since replacing the strut and/or spring requires removal of the strut mount and bearing, and those parts are relatively inexpensive to replace compared to the cost and inconvenience of labor, it's usually a good idea to replace them so you don't have to repeat the process over again. This link shows all of the various components of the strut.

As long as your new tires won't be significantly larger than the current ones you're replacing, and the best of the 4 still has more tread than the treadwear-bar indicator level, I would use an old tire as your spare. The only reason I wouldn't use an old tire to replace a cracking original spare is if I were upsizing the tires, eg. from 235-70-15's to 31-1050-15's. You want to have a spare tire that is within 1" diameter of the rest of the tires on the vehicle.

It's actually easier to remove the alternator from the top of the engine compartment. You'll need to remove the battery to provide enough room to pull out the alternator. There are also some body brackets that hold on the + battery cable/harness that you might need to loosen as well. You can just move the belt aside after you've removed it from the alternator pulley.

This one says it's for the R50 (and others).

No. It's no worse than installing 600 lbs of misc off-road equipment and 32" or larger tires.

The canister is located between the left rear wheel well and the rear bumper, under the body. You may need to remove the mud flap and the plastic wheel well liner to fully access it.

Yep, the only locking diff available for the 33-spline H233B is the ARB. Read about my rear ARB installation and simultaneous gear-swap from 4.363 to 4.636 here. BTW, the ARB replaces the entire diff carrier, so it doesn't matter if you have an open or LSD.

No. The transfer of power from one side of the axle to the other has no relevance to the final drive ratio (and therefore, the tranny shifting behavior).