XPLORx4

Well, yeah, it is. I never said it would be cheap! The wire cable+fairlead probably weighs about 50 pounds. But, as I'm sure you're aware, there are a lot of other advantages to synthetic besides weight.

Very nice! Where did you mount the control box? BTW, you should consider replacing the steel wire cable with synthetic, and use a billet aluminum hawse fairlead. This will reduce the weight on your front suspension and increase your approach angle.

Plus they cost about the same, unless you're getting huge discounts on the new OEM parts.

Yeah, it's plastic trim that was only offered on the LE's until 99. It still gouges and scratches, though.

Good call! Yes, there is. I read about it on the edmunds.com forums. From nissanhelp.com: Service Bulletin Num : 00084 Date of Bulletin: OCT 16, 2000 View Document Component: POWER TRAIN: AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION: CONTROL MODULE (TCM, PCM) Summary: CUSTOMER MAY COMMENT THAT THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FLARES ON THE 1-2 SHIFT WHEN ACCELERATING HARD FROM A STOP AND THEN BACKING OFF ON THE THROTTLE. From edmunds.com's Pathfinder forums: Service Bulletin Number: NTB00084 Bulletin Sequence Number: 187 Date of Bulletin: 0010 NHTSA Item Number: SB618803 Make: NISSAN Model: PATHFINDER Year: 2001 Component: POWER TRAIN:TRANSMISSION:AUTOMATIC:CONTROL MODULE (TCM, PCM) Summary: CUSTOMER MAY COMMENT THAT THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FLARES ON THE 1-2 SHIFT WHEN ACCELERATING HARD FROM A STOP AND THEN BACKING OFF ON THE THROTTLE. *TT Another post: Transmission: I also noticed my auto-tranny pausing or flaring while shifting between 1st-to-2nd gear. There is a Service Bulletin on this complaint also. They checked it out and said they needed to order a part: Part # 31036-4W001

I've been watching this discussion to see what comes up, but I think the observations made are not normal. What is normal is this: Shifter in "D". OD on. Start from stop, accelerate normally to 65mph and then cruise on a level surface. Here's what the tranny should do: Starts in 1st gear, TC unlocked. Shifts to 2nd gear, TC unlocked. Shifts to 3rd gear, TC unlocked. Shifts to 4th gear, TC unlocked. TC locks. Now, if try to lightly accelerate to 75mph, the TC may unlock, then depending on the engine load, will relock again when you are cruising. If you reduce speed to 65, then disable OD, then the tranny will downshift to 3rd gear, and lock the TC. If you reenable OD, the TC will first unlock in 3rd gear, then shift to 4th, then lock again. Now, if you slow to 52mph and shift to "2", then the tranny will shift to 2nd gear and lock the TC. Below 50, the TC will unlock again. The unlocked TC makes it feel like the tranny is slipping, which of course, it is. That's why you don't want to drive too long with the TC unlocked. It could overheat the ATF. Whenever the TC unlocks, the RPMs usually increase by about 400-600, then drop back down when the TC locks up again.

I actually had to articulate the rear axle a bit to get the wheel to stuff so I could use the baseball bat. (Put opposiing corners on ramps.) There's too much room between the tire and the fender otherwise.

Yeah, that's it. Except I used a baseball bat (much cheaper) to roll my fenders.

There are aftermarket pre-cats available for MUCH less than the dealer prices. I wish I could remember the source I got mine at. I had trouble passing emissions last year, and the cause was melted cats and a bad distributor (coil). After making several calls to the California Air Resources Board, they provided me with some aftermarket cat mfr's, and I bought new cats for about $200 each.

You might also need to remove your front mudflaps and roll the upper lip of the rear fender.

:cool2: Great link Pezzy!

Funny, on my truck (1997), it only has "pre-cats" that bolt to the manifolds. There are no "post-cats" anywhere on my exhaust system.

Do you still have catalytic converters installed with those headers? The pic makes it look like you don't have any cat's.

The long tube in the OEM toolbag is for plugs 1-5. The shorter bar that has a narrower end with 4 holes in it is for plug #6. I've done plugs 3 times using the OEM tools. I've found that accessing #6 is easiest when the engine is cool, so you can place some pillows, blanket, or other padding on top of the engine and lie down on top of the engine while you reach for that last plug. (This is especially useful if you're not that tall and your truck is lifted.)

It won't put "too many volts" to the distributor, but you may set a check-engine light. I think the ECU shuts off power to the coil under certain conditions.

You want to take off the doors, but still have power windows and locks? Uh, am I missing something here? Dude, just cut the wires, wrap 'em in electrical tape and stuff them into the holes they came from!

How much did it run you to get the cams installed? Where did you get new lifters from?

How do you know your other car's speedometer is accurate? Maybe yours is 2.5mph off, and the other is 2.5mph off in the other direction. Also, note that the error isn't a fixed mph value, it's a percentage of your current speed. If your speedometer is off 5mph at 50mph, then it will be 2.5mph off at 25mph, and 10mph off at 100mph. Increasing or decreasing tire size as appropriate will partially mitigate the error.

That "fluttering" sound would be the A/C compressor. If the air coming out of your vents is cold, then it's working normally.

Another way is to use a pressure washer. I accidentally blasted off parts of the pinstriping on my truck with my 1750psi electric pressure washer, so I just continued blasting away until it was all off. I than had to remove the adhesive with goo-gone. It was a pain.

You are aware that the OEM side-steps aren't nerf bars, right? Under severe use, they will bend. You can purchase real nerf-bars (aka rock sliders) which can support the weight of the truck for about $300.

You got it. Although IMO, at this point, unless you have a buddy who knows how to to engine swaps for cheap, it would probably be more cost-effective to just trade in your truck for an 01, rather than attempt an engine/tranny/ECU-swap. FWIW, my '97 has nearly the same amount of miles, and it doesn't seem the least bit "tired", although it could use new valve cover gaskets.

To safely use a Pathfinder as a dinghy (towed behind an RV), you will need to do the following: 1) Install manual hubs on the front wheels. 2) Disconnect the rear driveshaft whenever it's towed. See attached info from the 97 owner's manual.

According to the FSM, the IAT sensor isn't used for engine operation at all. It's only for diagnostic purposes. (This is on a '97.) Maybe it's different on your '98.

I have a Dell Axim x51v, and use a Seidio powered mount for it. I've thought about the ProClip, but the Seidio windshield mount has worked OK so far.