XPLORx4

The Pathy does not send oil pressure via OBDII, so even though the DashHawk supports this sensor, it will be blank when it's connected to the Pathfinder. Other vehicles may provide this sensor via OBDII, which is why the DashHawk supports it.

In the summer, you'll rarely find that ABS kicks in. Remember, if you disable ABS and you start to skid, you won't have any control of the vehicle at all. Don't do it without first doing some controlled tests in a safe place (such as in an office complex parking lot on a weekend) with ABS on and off.

Yeah, I have a Scan Gauge II in my Pathy and in my Mazdaspeed6. The DashHawk can display a lot more parameters, but most of them don't seem to be especially useful for daily driving. And as tmorgan4 mentioned, the DashHawk is about twice the price of a Scan Gauge, and there's a group buy for the SGII currently going on at Mazda6club. If you go to the vendor's website and enter the promo code from the Group Buy, you can get a pretty significant discount on the SGII. Another advantage of the Scan Gauge is that it will show your fuel economy and allow you to correct for different tire sizes. In the Pathy, I use it to display MPG, Volts, Coolant Temp, and one other sensor (such as Calculated Engine Load, Intake Air Temp, MPH, TPS, or MAP) depending on conditions.

It really doesn't sound to me like you need to replace any parts. As you noticed, the sound (the ABS engaging) is merely preventing your tires from locking up when you brake on low-traction surfaces, such as ice. This is normal. It's important to understand that ABS does not shorten braking distances on slick surfaces. Its primary function is to help you maintain control of the vehicle while braking.

Welcome to being the 5th R50 4x4 enthusiast in Northern California! Now that you've got a few of the kinks worked out, how do you plan to use your new 4x4? Getting groceries and driving over the curbs in the mall, or venturing off the beaten path and exploring the great outdoors? -bounce-

zonian- Actually, the shimmy is different than the death wobble that's caused by worn rear trailing arm bushings. The shimmy, typically felt in the steering wheel at certain speeds (usu. 50-60mph), is caused mainly by out-of-balance tires. The front suspension design seems to be particularly sensitive to wheel balancing. CALPATHY- congrats on your new ride! I may see you around sometime. (I live in San Jose.)

T- I didn't get the impression from Pezzy's posts that she thinks the ARB is less stout than the TJM. If I had a 99.5-04 (ie. R50.5), I would probably get an ARB instead of a TJM, also. The ARB just looks sick, especially with those integrated fogs. I don't mind a little bling as long as it is just as practical. I'm pretty sure, though, that the ARB won't fit on 96-99 without an unattractive gap between the grille and bull bar, since the grille doesn't extend forward as far as on the R50.5. I think that's all that Pezzy was alluding to.

Hmmm, well that hitch modification was done in spring 2003, so it's been a while!

Yup, that's the RMS. Bummer. I have a similar leak, although not as severe as what you're describing. My oil leak is a quarter-sized spot on the ground every week, but then again, I don't drive it that often. During my last oil change, I added a some oil additives (Stop Leak and Auto-RX to help reduce the leaking. I've got to drive a few more thousand miles to really determine how well those products are living up to their claims.

You're going to end up laughing your a$$ off then.

I had to cut and paste your links to see the pics. Apparently google doesn't allow hotlinking. Anyway, the split hose looks like a PCV hose to me. Should be relatively inexpensive to replace with a short section of new PCV hose. Edit: the PCV hose (or "Valve Cover Breather Tube") simply allows crankcase and valve cover pressure to be vented back into the intake manifold for burning.

FYI, AC will be canceling their order if they don't have enough committed buyers by Feb. 1. Way to show that the aftermarket should pay attention to the R50 community, guys! pssd I don't suppose anyone ever heard back from the other company?

Also, the U-haul hitch bolts to the frame in more places than other hitches. I've seen hitches that only bolt to the frame where the factory tow-loop brackets attach (4 bolts per side). The U-haul hitch also bolts to the frame further forward (5 bolts per side): (Ignore the extra bracketry and wheels on the sides of the hitch; those were added to my U-haul hitch later.)

Fabbed. Used 2" square stock, drilled holes for the receiver hitch pin, welded one of these to the end of it, then painted it. If I were to do it again, I'd use a much shallower angle (10-15° from vertical) instead of 45° so it doesn't stick down so much.

My Pathy has been equipped with a U-haul hitch since about the first month I owned it, and it has held up to major abuse. I've never got "hung up" because of the hitch. However, it has saved my bumper quite a few times. Just about all hitches for the Pathy stick out as far as the U-haul hitch, because it has to clear the under-mounted spare tire. If you're that worried about it, do this:

The bumper is done, but the builder is recording measurements for it (and hopefully making a jig) for production. I'm scheduled to have the bumper mounted next Friday (Feb 2), which is when I will take some final photos. Pricing and distribution options have not yet been determined. As for a lock for the jerry-can, yes, it's lockable: You can buy the holder and Wedco jerry cans here.

Yeah, I should have qualified my statement with "For fuel-injected engines..."

You do realize that the "gas" pedal, actually the accelerator pedal, is really an "air" pedal, right? In other words, pressing the accelerator moves the butterfly valve on the throttle body, allowing more air into the engine. It doesn't add gas. If the butterfly valve is sticking (for whatever reason), tapping the accelerator will help unstick it.

It's not SOS, it's SES, for Service Engine Soon. Find out what the SES code is, then we can give more help.

As mentioned by Simon, the axles are different lengths, so a WD22 CV is not interchangeable with an R50 CV.

If you can, try to narrow the width of the bumper by about 5 inches. It'll look a lot better. Cut out a section from the center, drill holes in the remaining ends near the cut, insert a section of smaller diameter tube in there, and plug-weld the holes to hold the inner tubes in place. Weld the two halves of the bumper together, then grind off the extra weld bead to make the seam look like one tube again. You can get winch dimensions on the Warn web site.

Nice! Simple and clean design. It has a very appealing shape. It looks a little wide, though. Why did you choose to make it extend so far past the OEM bumper?

And thanks for not taking it personally. herm- CV axle replacement generally isn't normally a "preventative maintenance" thing. Unless the joints are making clicking noises, the boots are torn/cracked, or the condition of the axleshafts themselves is compromised somehow, then they should pretty much be just as strong as new ones.

The clunking could be the shocks. Did you use the collars on the bottom shock mounts? If so, you should have noticed that the collars aren't long enough to span the gap on the lower shock mount bracket. I actually used some large washers between the bracket and either side of the shock bushing to help span the gap. How tight did you tighten the lower bolts? Also, the bolt outside diameter seems to be just a little smaller than the inside diameter of the collar. That could contribute to the clunking. Check those things and see if that helps.

Hi 88pathoffroad- Respectully, please try to remember prior to posting that there are R50 owners who have actually done this before. If it appears to you that I am quoting WD21 CV shaft removal procedures, then it seems that R50's and WD21's have more in common than we thought! Several R50 owners have quite a bit of firsthand knowledge about repair and maintenance procedures. Rather than try to tell me what I'm quoting, perhaps a better way to say what you meant is: The procedures quoted seem to be very similar to those for a WD21. I don't own an R50, so don't take my word for it, but you should search for this for an R50, because the procedure might be a little different. The procedure I specified in my post above is a lot easier than removing the strut and tie rod end from the heavy and awkard-to-handle knuckle/hub/rotor. Note in the photo below that if the A-arm is swung down so it's perpendicular to the ground, there is ample clearance to slide the CV out. If I ever have to replace a CV axle again, this is the method I will use. Best regards, Dean "XPLORx4" Thayer R50 owner/operator/DIY mechanic since 1998