XPLORx4

I'm not sure where you guys are getting your specs from, but just about every spec I've read about the R50, no matter what model or year, indicates it has a 21.1 gallon (80 liter) fuel tank. In my experience, the low-fuel indicator light usually starts glowing solid when there is about 3.5 gallons left. On my truck, that means I better start thinking about refueling within the next 50 miles.

The strut bearing isn't really a bearing at all. It's just a greased plastic bushing, just like you see in the pics (except in those pics, the grease has dried up and the plastic has been scored). The Nissan OEM part number is 54325-0W000. Click here for pricing. And yes, you will need to remove the strut and compress the spring to replace the bearing.

Strut bearing pics: This is what the inside looks like when the bearing is toast:

Your wheels are 6.5" if they're the steel chrome rims (XE), 7" if they're the 6-spoke alloy wheels (SE). If you had and LE, you'd know it from the badge on the rear tailgate. Anyway, I'm not sure of the backspacing on your wheels, but the best way to determine if 31x1050R15's will fit is to visit your local tire shop when you're ready to buy and have them try to fit on one. An 8"-wide wheel will make a 31" tire stick out well beyond the edge of the fender, somewhere around 3/4". Positive backspacing on 8" wheels will be much harder to find. You'd be better trying a 7"-wide wheel instead.

The inner tie rod socket is the part that connects your steering rack to the outer tie rod end. Protected by the steering rack boots, the inner tie rod socket is a ball-joint of sorts. You need an inner tie rod tool to remove and replace it. Search the AC 96+ forum with the keywords "+inner +tie +rod" and date range newer than 3 years and you'll get some posts I made regarding the parts and replacement procedure.

I know you addressed the question to Stryker, so I'll assume you have plans to beat on your Pathy. It's sort of a weird question, asking what parts break first, rather than what you should do to prevent your truck from breaking... Anyhoo... IMO: How liberally you use the go-pedal, how high you launch, and how careless you are with your equipment will determine the parts that fail the most. The size of your pocketbook, in part, will determine how much care you take while off-roading. For example, if you love slogging through mud, the parts that will fail the first will be the alternator, the engine, the ECU, the brakes, the hubs, and most things electrical. If you love rock-crawling, the parts that will fail first will be your rocker panels, undercarriage parts like gas tank, oil pan, transmission, transfer case, and other body parts. If you love launching your truck in the air, the parts that will fail first will be the suspension bits and the chassis. That being said, even with careful driving, the parts that will likely need attention first will be: shocks struts rear control arms inner tie rod sockets hubs brakes CV axles Note that these components are also things that tend to wear out even if the truck never sees dirt.

I'm not sure which sat. receiver you got, but I recently installed an XM Roady2 in my Pathy, and I placed the antenna right above the windshield, near the driver's side roof rack rail. It's been working fine there. Plus, it was easy to route antenna wire down the windshield weatherstripping, and into the cabin through the clutch-hole cover.

The coil is inside the distributor. Unfortunately, that means you have to replace the entire distributor. It costs around $300: click here for info.

Your assessment is probably right. The switches are likely bad. Verify this by unplugging the switches from their wiring harness (after you remove the driver's side armrest) and trying to manually "short out" the appropriate wires to operate the windows. If the windows operate well, then the switches are bad. If the windows don't operate well, then the motor or wiring is bad.

The Lock-Right for the WD21s won't fit in the R50 H233B. The axle splines are different. The WD21 H233B has 31 splines, where the R50 (and WD22) have 33 splines. OEM open, OEM LSD, or ARB locker are the only options for the R50.

If the vibration occurs only when the brakes are applied, then you need to resurface the front rotors. If the vibration happens independently of brake application, then you need to have your tires balanced and/or the wheels checked to see if one is bent. Other suspension components should also be checked.

Wobbling? No. Vibration, maybe. By "wobbling" do you mean that the steering wheel shakes, or that the truck rocks side to side?

Sounds like a good deal to me. I have 2 aftermarket CV axles on my truck, and they're doing fine. They'd be good as spares, too, except you probably don't need spares... Well, actually, one of them seems to be seeping oil from the cap on the back of the inner CV joint, so I've gotta take care of that.

Probably not on an '02, which would be past the 36-month bumper-to-bumper warranty.

Depending on how many miles are on the vehicle, how well-tuned your engine is and what your driving habits are like, that sounds about right. The rated fuel economy is 15city/19hwy, so 16 isn't extraordinarily abnormal.

It was the knock sensor replacement that killed ya. A bad knock sensor (common on the VG33 motor) won't trigger a check-engine light that causes an inspection to fail. Therefore, it's not absolutely necessary to replace it. It was the bad O2 sensors that caused the CEL and the failed inspection. But what's done is done. Oh well. Unless you're doing other work that requires removal of the manifold, save yourself the cash and don't bother fussing with the KS.

Don't worry about the load ratings for off-roading. For your vehicle, you need not worry about higher load ratings. It's not like you're gonna be towing a fifth-wheel or anything. Your Pathy is light.

Below are links to some more pics that might help you. Note: since removing the rotor requires removal of the hub assembly, you might as well plan to do a bearing repack while you're at it. You will need new inner bearing grease seals. (There's one per hub.) Removing the outer hubs (ignore steps describing installation of manual hubs): http://www.xplorx4.com/pathfinder/upgrades/warnhubs/ Removing the entire hub assembly: http://www.xplorx4.com/pathfinder/upgrades/hub_replacement/

If you can take a week off of work, have about $800-$1000 to cover your food/lodging/gas expenses for that week, and don't mind driving 1000+ miles one-way, go hang out with these guys.

I'm using a Firestik 4' antenna, but it's mounted to my bull bar. Any CB antenna that's properly mounted and tuned will work fine with the 75WXST. The type of antenna you use depends on how and where you want to mount it.

If you're willing to spend a little more money, you can replace the battery with an Exide Orbital or Optima red-top battery. Both of these batteries are sealed, never need refilling, and never leak. They can also withstand being completely discharged better than a standard battery. Another benefit of this type of battery is that the terminals never corrode, either.

Yeah, that's another alternative, but it would be harder to weld to the trailer hitch! You'd need to build the bracketry, then bolt the teflon pads to the bottom of the brackets, making sure that the bolts/screws/etc. are countersunk. This is actually something that could be added and used in combination with the wheels. The brackets on mine that extend forward of the wheels a few inches could be lined with the teflon. Right now, they're just plain ol' 2" box steel that clank rather loudly when impacted.

That's a great mod! Very clean installation. How many sets of lights do you have, and what is each switch for? I noticed you have a blank spot still available in the panel above the coin tray. Still room to grow! PS- What's that switch next to the mirror control?

It's a single-core radiator.

There's another entertaining quicktime video of Potato Salad Hill, complete with a rollover, in Moab here. No Nissans though.