XPLORx4

I actually haven't had the compressor since '05. I've only had it for a few months, so I can only hope its long-term reliability isn't that bad. What compressor part(s) failed on you when you used it on your 'yota?

I've seen some pretty creative on-board air setups, so I thought I'd share the system I added to my rig. I originally used the ARB RDCKA air compressor to operate my rear air locker and to air up my tires, one at a time. However, using the ARB compressor and its single air chuck for tire-inflation duties proved to be excessively time consuming and inconvenient. First, the ARB air compressor isn't very fast, and second, it takes quite some time to continually check each tire's air pressure as it fills, then move the air hose to the next tire, until all 4 are filled. To combat the first problem (ARB compressor speed), I replaced the ARB compressor with a "Super Flow MV-50" compressor that in 2005, was discovered to be an incredibly good bargain, due to its incredibly low price and good performance. To combat the second problem, I took advantage of the air-holding function of my rock sliders by adding a pressure regulator, quick-disconnect fittings to the front and rear of the sliders, and building 4 short hoses to reach each tire's valve stem. This now makes my air-up process non-interactive; I hook it up, and when the compressor shuts off, I'm ready to roll. Here is my original installation of the ARB compressor, tire-inflation kit, and rear air-locker solenoid: This second revision was done when I got rock sliders that were plumbed to hold air (about 2 gallons total capacity). In this configuration, I rarely used the air-holding function of the sliders because the ARB compressor took so long to fill them. This photo shows the latest configuration, the MV-50 hard-mounted where the ARB compressor once lived in my Pathfinder: To accomplish this, I first removed the handle, outer cover, brackets, its air gauge and 1/8" NPT fitting from the MV-50. I then re-used the ARB compressor mounting bracket, whose diameter exactly matched the diameter of the MV-50 motor case. After mounting the compressor, I built my own air manifold using common 1/8" and 1/4" NPT brass fittings. I also created a small air reservoir using 2" galvanized pipe so that the air lockers can operate without frequent cycling of the compressor. The pressure regulator governs the air pressure that gets routed to the rock sliders, which I drilled, tapped with a 1/4" NPT tap, and installed quick-disconnect fittings in: The air fittings are protected by rubber caps when not in use. The caps are simply rubber feet for a folding chair. Finally, I made 4 short lengths of air hose with clip-on tire valve stem inflators. I made them long enough to reach the valve stems, even if they are on the far side of the wheel: To air up my tires, I simply turn on the compressor, open the valve to the sliders, and plug in the 4 air hoses. The regulator is pre-set at 32psi, so the compressor will automatically shut off when the tires reach 32psi. If I want to have a different front-to-rear bias for air pressure, it's simple to just use the tire gauge to reduce pressure. When finished, the 4 air hoses are easily stowed in the canvas bag that came with the MV-50 compressor:

No, the Optima is my main battery. The Odyssey is wired as my backup battery, used in case the main battery has been drained too low to start the truck.

Here's my dual-battery setup:

If you remove the plastic panel covering the right side of the cargo area, you will find a rather spacious cavity located beneath the rear side window and the wheel well. It may be large enough to hide your inverter in. Before you can remove the side panel, you need to unclip the little side storage compartment bin, which is held down by a plastic tab (which you can feel on the bottom of the compartment). The pin will pop out if you press DOWN on the center of it, and then the storage bin should lift right up.

With the amps installed there, you can't really fully use the cargo area with the seats folded down. I could never install anything like that on the seatbacks on my Pathy. I frequently use the cargo area with the seats down. It would be sorta inconvenient to try to move furniture or haul plants and bags of garden soil from Home Depot. But you probably don't ever plan to use your truck that way, so it must be a non-issue.

Rubbing is not generally an issue for the rear tires. It's almost always an issue for the front tires, which can tend to rub when you turn right or left. You mentioned you have a 2000 Pathy, so I assume you're running 16" wheels. In that case, you obviously cannot fit 31x10.50R15 tires. Instead, go with the tire size pictured above: 245/75R16. Or, have your tire store test fit the next larger size on a front tire before committing: 255/75R16. And, oh yeah, the BFG AT is a good choice. :cool2:

I'm not sure what kind of amp you have, but I managed to squeeze an Alpine MRP-F250 4-channel amp in thespace that previously housed the factory amp, behind the left rear cargo panel. I created my own metal adapter bracket to attach the new amp to the factory amp brackets. I had to be very selective about the dimensions of the amp I chose in order to fit it there. There's also an empty space above the right rear fender that might be usable to hide your inverter. You would just have to find some way of securing it there.

:confused: What does installing a bumper have to do with changing the fuel filter?

Black for me:

Well, if you try to support the weight of the truck on a boulder with one of them, then yes, they are weak. Otherwise, they're sufficiently strong.

A full bumper replacement, such as an ARB or TJM, is much stronger than a grille guard. A bull bar attaches to two places on the frame, whereas a grille guard attaches only to the bottom of the frame, near the tow hooks. Therefore, due to leverage, it takes even LESS force to damage a grille guard (and potentially push it into the hood) because the impact force is acting on a point higher than the mounting location. Additionally, grille guards typically are positioned much closer to the headlamps, corners, and hood than bull bars. Note: we're not talking about a collision that would even damage the radiator. We're talking about "fender benders" such as this one. Ex: Hold your fist about 1" away from your nose, with your upper arm horizontal, and your forearm vertical. Your shoulder represents the mounting location of the grille guard, your fist represents the top of the grille guard. Your nose represents the hood. Now, have your buddy hit your elbow. Did your fist hit your nose? No? That's because all of the impact force was transferred through your upper arm to your shoulder, the "mounting point". Now, have your buddy hit your forearm. That hurt, didn't it?

Looks nice, but you'd better hope you never get in a fender bender. In collisions harder than the occasional wayward shopping cart, a grille guard usually causes more damage to the vehicle than if it weren't installed.

Done!

That bumper looks nice! I like how the carrier is mounted. Do you have some pics of the carrier latch?

It looks also like there's not enough clearance between the oil filter plate and the power steering pump bracket to install a relocation kit.

The best way to figure this out is to remove an OEM shock, measure its compressed and extended length, then find a Rancho shock that has close to 2" extra extension, but nearly similar compression. From my recollection, Rancho shock part number 99116 is close to OEM, while 99010 is about 2" longer when extended, but only 1" longer when compressed. If you can find the specs for each of those and compare them to your OEM shock, that's the best thing to do.

Huh? This is a new post! -bounce- Looks good, though.

Wow, that sucks! What was the condition of the strut mount? Do you know why the strut separated from the mount? This nearly happened to me last year! I was on a multiday trip in Death Valley National Park (involving nearly 100 miles of off-roading on bumpy roads), and I kept hearing a sharp rattling sound coming from the front suspension. Thorough investigation at our campsite in Furnace Creek (1/4-mile from the visitor center and main "civilized" area of the park) revealed that the threaded portion of the strut shaft had been vibrating in the strut mount, and the hole in the mount had become elongated. Furthermore, the threaded portion of the strut shaft had worn down to about 1/2 its diameter. When I tried to remove the nut, the threads sheared right off! Fortunately, the maintenance yard had a TIG welder, and the maintenance dude welded the top of the strut to the strut mount so that I could drive it home, 400 miles away. I really dodged a bullet there! Looks like you weren't so lucky. :sniff:

As long as you don't need to have the bumper painted, it's quite easy to replace yourself. Simply pop off the clips holding the fender liners, fender flares, and splash guard to the bumper and lower bumper cover. There may also be clips, screws or bolts holding the lower bumper cover to the body. Remove these. Next, remove the turn signals. Look up and inward through the turn signal opening. You should see some nuts holding the bumper bracket to the frame. You don't need to remove them, you just need to loosen them so that the bracket can slide out. In the photo below, the nuts to loosen are the ones holding top of the black bracket (for my TJM bumper) to the frame. You may also need to disconnect the fog lights from their wiring harness. Finally, the sides of the bumper where it wraps around under the corner lamps, may be clipped to the body. The clips allow the bumper to slide forward. Don't try to pull outward as you remove the bumper.

The O2 sensor doesn't trigger the PCM to switch back and forth between open-loop and closed-loop. Once the engine is warmed up, the PCM operates in closed-loop mode. (I think it switches to open-loop under full throttle.) If the O2 sensors are bad, they'll likely thow a code, but replacing a sluggishly-responding sensor will improve economy as well as emissions. I found this article very informative about how O2 sensors work.

When the ECT is low, the PCM operates in open loop mode, which means instead of using the O2 sensors to monitor air-fuel ratio for optimum performance and fuel economy, it will use a pre-programmed fuel map. Typically this fuel map causes the engine to run a little rich. When the ECT reaches 154°F, the PCM switches to closed-loop mode and begins using the O2 sensors to regulate the fuel injectors. So, let's say for example that your ECT sensor reads too low by 30 degrees. The thermostat opens at 180°F, and the normal operating range of the engine is between 175-225 (needle stays in the middle), but if the ECT sensor reads only 150°F when the temp is really 180, the PCM may cycle back and forth between open and closed-loop, reducing your fuel economy. Variable, I suppose. I have nearly 150K on my '97 and the sensor seems to be operating normally.

The rear end of R50's is the same H233B used on virtually all Nissan V6's with 33-spline axles. The 33-spline was used on the Patrol before it made it into the R50, then later the Xterra.

You can see lots of pics of the bumper by clicking THIS LINK

In the link I posted, it says he lost his job.