arctic_mark

Hey, if you're interested in wheelin' round Edmonton come out with the Northern Alberta 4WD Association. I'm the only Pathy driver in the club (Nissan Man on the NA4WDA forum) and need company! :sniff: We meet every wednesday night around 7pm for wings etc at the Montana's down by Ikea in South Edmonton Common , except for the first Wednesday of each month at 7:30pm which is our monthly planning meet at the Alberta Safety Council building (4831 - 93Av). Some of our details are on our (honestly not brilliant) Web Site but far more happens on the club Forum though this seems to have been hacked by some A-hole today! :furious: As for trips we go out atleast once a month with both weekend overnighters and day trips from mild to pretty heavy duty. We don't post pics or trips on the website 'cos the tree-huggers read it, but if you're a member you can access the members only stuff on the forum and show your muddy pics and get trip details. Our next trip is a Santa's Anonymous run on Sunday Dec 3rd through Edmonton. Check out the website for details. We're also planning a Christmas Tree Run in the snow to west of Drayton Valey for Saturady Dec 9th. Anyway, I'd love to see some real 4x4s in the club and less of these damn Jeeps! Maybe see you on Wednesday night Mark

OK, there's a lot of info and debate about wheel rim sizes etc, but I can't seem to find out what I want to know!!! Perhaps I'm just being a bit "chalanged" :confused: Anyways. . . for my '94 SE V6 Pathy:- If I have a 3" suspension lift and 3" body lift giving a combined 6" what size rims should I be running for 33" tires wothout getting any fender rub? (something tells me this is a very common question!) I want to run 33s on 15" rims but not sure what the best rim width and tire width would be and what the best back spacing would be. But I'd like something wider than the 31x10.50 tires / 15"x7" rims that I'm running now:- maybe 31x12.50R15s on 15'x10' rims? I'm willing to do a bit of trimming but don't want to get too crazy with the Sawzall. I'm a little afraid of f***ing the whole thing up if I do that so would rather go for an option with limited or no rub at all. If all this is posted somewhere else them I prostrate myself before you in abject appology :bow: Thanks Mark

Yeah, looks like a little trimming may be in order. But the left hand side was running lower than the right, so a tweak on the T-bar seems to have levelled it up and given enough room to stop the rubbing. Didn't help that one of the rear swaybar discos had come adrift from the swaybar!! That's what happens I guess when you go away for 3 weeks and let your "friends" baby-sit your truck!!

Yeah, that may be the case. But the suspension does seem stiffer on the front left than on the right. Will have to maybe test it on an improvised RTI ramp! Perhaps my perception that it's getting worse and that the left is looser is a case of Vehicular Hypochondria, but there's no denying that it is rubbing on the corner of the fender panel and plastic trim where that metal valance below the bumper wraps round.

OK, so I’ve had a lot of bugs to iron out since I put in my 3” suspension lift (Calmini): nasty squeaks, alignment screw-ups etc. But after replacing the entire steering linkage and the tension/compression rods all was well I managed to sort it all out. Then went and got her properly aligned by Nissan. Then the latest bug has come to light! When braking hard and turning right, like off a main road into a parking lot, the front left tire rubs on the wheel arch trim. Compression of the front suspension during braking and transfer of weight onto left tire when turning. It never used to happen before the lift went in and the final alignment was done. In fact it didn’t happen after all the mods and steering overhaul was completed, only after the final alignment. I’m still running the stock 31s on there which never used to rub. Maybe it’s my imagination but it seems to be getting worse. Is this simply because that with the new lift I’ve got more travel in the shocks so the tire can ride up and rub, or do I have a problem!? If this isn’t unexpected then I guess all I can do is trim and add the body lift I want. It doesn’t appear to happen on the right hand side when turning left, but then I guess when turning left you’re turning across traffic so are normally going slower. Anyway, gonna check that the ride height is level all the way round and tweak the torsion bars as needed tonight, but just from a quick visual inspection left and right / front and back seem pretty close and level. Any suggestions? Mark

Yeah, I think the supersoaker is the way to go. The idea behind snapping on the winter rad protector just before hitting the offending mud hole would be along the same lines as the tarp over thr grille. But only just before the mud and then off right after. May work, I'll see, there's plenty of mud right now in northern Alberta to go play in!

Still pretty new to wheelin' but am finding out the hard way that my Pathy just loves to overheat after dropping into a good mud hole. Get that hot chocolate gunk all over the rad and in a few minutes my temp is at the top of the dial and boiling out! Apart from the obvious (don't go into the mud hole!!!) are there any Pathy secrets (mods, techniques) to going through mud up to the top off the hood without coating your rad in high quality insulating material!? Would clipping on my winter rad grill-cover before entering the goop (and removing it after) help shield the rad in any way or do I need to carry a built in jet washer!!?? I've even considered a built in reservoir, water pump and spray-nozzle system to clean the mud off the rad on the fly! Any thoughts on this would be great Mark

Yeah, the trucks old but the boots aint, I replaced them about 18 months ago! So that's why I'm thinking they were pinched in the CV joint when the suspension compressed. Are there any bigger or stronger boots out there?

Was wheelin' at the weekend and afterwards found both inner CV boots were ripped. Nice clean cuts too, almost all the way round. Only thing I can think of is that I was givin' her to get up this soft steep slope, front wheels both came off the ground and landed hard, but not too badly. Otherwise the trail was pretty tame. I've just also recently installed a Calmini 3' suspension lift as well. So, the questions!:- Is this typical if you jump the front end? Is this going to happen to me again if I pull the same move? Is this due to the increased angle over stock on the CV joints pinching the boot? What's the soultion 'cos I don't want to have to keep replacing my boots every time I wheel her hard!? Hope you can give me some advice. And for the recdord, didn't look like any dirt got in there so I taped one up with duct tape and the otehr I tried one of those split-boopts from AC but it was the wrong size so that got the tape as well. Thanks - Mark

Just a couple more questions about the lift from this novice wrencher! 1) There's a bit of play on the upper link spindles resulting in slight lateral movement of the A-arm bushings and sleeves (and thus the upper A-arm it self) so that when I brake there's a nasty clunk/bang. Hopefully I should be able to tighten the nuts on the end of the spindle to stop things from moving this evening, but if not, would adding suitable sized washers (same diameter as the sleeve or bushing) to the outer ends of the spindle do the trick? 2) The whole suspension is now creaking like crazy even though I lubed up all bushings with dielectric grease as recommended by a couple of dudes I wheel with who've lifted their own rigs. Is this typical after an SL job, will it settle down after time; is there anything I can do to get it to be quiet; or is indicative of a crappy lift kit, poor install or other bent frame/knuckle spindle problems!!?? Thanks for the help people Mark

Commiserations dude!! That's insane. Wish I'd know that before, would have gone some place else! As it was it took them over a month from getting my cash to actually sending out my order. I got my Pathy booked in for a dealership alignment but that isn't until next Wednesday (was the earliest of all three nissan dealerships in Edmonton!) and then well see if the problems are Calmini's, my effed-up rig, or my poor instal job!!

Well, it was a b**ch to put on and I haven't got it on the trail yet either. Wanna solve the alignement probs, let the T-bars settle down, and solve the damn knocking from the upper a-arm spindle when I use the brakes! Seems the sleeves and bushings don't want to go tight enough! May have to add a few washers on there behind the nuts on either end of the spindle (would this work!?). Or is this a Calmini problem?! pssd And I'm hoping that the alignment probs aren't a Calmini problem too! It better darned work well for all the cash that's been flowing in the wrong direction so far!

Don't know what I'm getting at the moment though I've got it written down at home (will post soon). But thought I may post this link too:- Acetone fuel suplement Sounds like it gets results adding a little acetone to your petrol. I'm thinking of trying this but before I do, has anyone else tried it, or what's the consesus here? Good or Bad!? Mark

OK, so tell me what's the deal with Calmini? Sens me a PM if it's that bad!!! :X And I'll try the dealership first before I look at the adjustable balljoint option. Mark

Installed the Calmini 3" lift kit over the weekend and took the rig to Kal-Tire for alignment. The left front wheel is fine but according to their technician, there's no way to correct the excessive positive camber on the right side. Was a little bad before the lift but now it's awful. He suggested that the frame could be distorted a bit requiring expensive straightening!! Would ball joints (either upper or lower) with elongated slots rather than holes (where they attach to the control arms) giving room to slightly re-position them help solve this, and do they exist as aftermarket items for the WD21? If so, where can I get them? I know you can get them for other import makes. Guess if i went that route I'd need to replace them on eitehr side? If they don't exist, would it be safe have a machinist extend the holes into slots to give more room for adjustment?? Thanks Mark

Hey EDMONTON NISSAN!!! Glad to see there are some other Pathfinder drivers in E-town who actually wheel their beasts rather than filling up the Safeway parking lot!! I want to extend an open invitation to all Edmonton and N. Alberta Nissans out there to come out wheeling with the Northern Alberta 4WD Assoc as I'm the only Nissan driver who goes out regularly with them and gets all sorts of ribbing for not driving a Jeep!!! I live about 15 mins west of Stony Plain on an acreage just of the Yellowhead so I'll look out for your rig in Stony!! Anyway, if you or anyone else is interested in wheeling with the NA4WDA drop me an e-mail or PM or check out or website and forum:- http://www.na4wda.org/ http://www.hboss.net/forums/ See you on the trails Mark

OK, this may sound stupid, as I've been under my rig on many many occasions (most times voluntarily! ). But last time, I noticed that I don't have a catalytic converter, just your standard exhaust pipe running past the heat shield where the cat should be. Did the 1994 Canadian WD21 SE V6 4WD come with a cat, or has some cheapskate not replaced it when they put a new exhaust in before I bought the truck a couple of years ago!? And without it, will I start failing emissions tests (thinking MoT annual testing here when I ship her back to the UK!? Thanks Mark PS: had no warning lights or ECU troubles to indicate that the electronic control system was looking for a cat.

Hey, Welcome! Though I'm something of a newbie here too! Glad to see there are a few Terranos/Pathfinders in the UK!! I'm in Canada right now but will most likely be shipping my '94 Pathy back to Blighty when my contract expires at the end of October. Not sure where I'll end up when I return (could be Cornwall or North Wales!), but we'll have to go wheeling some time!!! Cheers Mate Mark

Went through everything more thoroughly last night rather than just thinking "Oh Crap" and dashing off to work. The full tally was no corner lights, no chime when lights left on (but chime worked when keys left in ign.), no tail lights but brake, indicator and reverse lights ok, no illumination on instrument cluster, and my CB was dead too. Turns out that the new snorkel install I'd done a couple of weeks ago had caused the +ive wire to the front left corner light to rub through and ground on the frame, continuously blowing the fuse (lower row, furthest right) in the fuse block. Managed to miss that when I checked them through at midnight the night before! So traced it back to the snorkel install after watching 3 fuses blow in succession and there you go! So yeah, I was totally missing something obvious!!

After a worrying "ffzztt" sort of sound from under the dash, the front side lights (corner lights, or clearance lamps according to Nissan?) and that annoying warning chime that you've left your lights on no longer operate! Everything else electrical on my 1994 Canada spec. SE V6 seems to be operating OK. All the fuses in the fuse block check out OK. Am I missing something obvious or are there some hidden fuses somewhere? The garage manual wiring diagrams are doing my head in! Any advice would be great Thanks Mark

Well, went wheelin' the other weekend with new rear swaybar disconnects on an otherwise stock suspension and really noticed the increased arcticulation. Made a hell of a difference, though the 31" tires were hitting the wheel arches way more often than wheeling without them. But I think I'll be reconnecting the bar for on-road use for that very "seat-belt, ABS" reason. Does anyone have any ideas for rigging front swaybar (quick!?) disconnects as it don't appear that there are any after-market ones. But while I ponder that, I'll be installing the Calmini 3" lift this weekend! Mark

Sorry, no pics from me as the wife is away on fieldwork up north and took the camera! pssd But hopefully some of the lads should be posting their pics on the Northern Alberta 4WD Assoc. forum under Offroad Trips & Trail reports. http://www.hboss.net/forums/index.php Was a pretty good trip all things considered, peaty mud with a gravitational pull on your rig, some good very bumpy hard packed sandy trails, thick goopy clay that turned even the most arresive boggers into racing slicks, steep sand hill climbs. Shame the river was too far up to make a crossing, but hey, you can't have everything. As for the disconnects, I was well impressed with the articulation, and the rubber bungee cord option for keeping the sway bar out of harms way worked really well. If any pics of the day come up, I'll post the link. Mark

Yeah, tested 'em out on Saturday, out with a few rigs from the Northern Alberta 4WD Assoc. up on the Athabasca River near Fort Assineboine. Sand hills with muskeg in between. :cool2: Really noticed the difference with both ends disconnected and held up with bungees. Will keep the bar there though as I got a long commute in to work and the road gets fast and bendy! Still, least it wasn't me who's rig started drifting down river in the current, wasn't me who bust their winch cable, and it wasn't me who flipped their TJ when trying to pull a YJ out of the goop!! Fun and games!

yeah, I'll give that a try tomorrow out in the sand hills. Bungee cords, duct tape and cable ties, life's three great all-purpose solutions!

I got me a pair of rear sway bar disconnects from AC recently, got them installed nice enough too. But if I disconnect both of them the sway bar just sags there, resting on the rear diff with the disconnected ends pointing at the ground and just inviting something to snag on them. What would you recommend? Securing the disconnected bar with bungee cords? Only disconnecting one end? Truth is, that un-lifted, with the long disconnects on, the ends of the bar point down pretty low anyways, so I'd rather disconnect both ends and stow her away underneath out of harms way. Got a Calmini lift on order so it shouldn't be like this for too long. I'd loose the sway bar totally but I do a lot of highway driving in my rig. Anyway, any advice would be great, would the bungee cord option work? Mark