GoPathyGo

Amen. I used to go exclusively OEM on everything till I started comparing parts in detail. Now I go good-quality aftermarket on "wear" items (air/oil/fuel filters, poly belts, coolant/engine oil/PS fluid) and OEM on "long-life items" (water pumps, control arms etc). Good-quality aftermarket can be anything from Royal Purple to Purolator to Goodyear; all high-quality stuff made by companies that will issue refunds or returns but are still cheaper than OEM. Even OEM "wear" items ordered online add up once you add in shipping. For reference, by going aftermarket for the filters and coolant, I was able to buy the long-life poly belts... Anyway, matter of preference. Overall, I've had a great experience on both eBay and online stores.

Nice! I use titanium-tipped drillbits. Home Depot often has them on sale for < $20. You can also get a mega-set on Amazon when they go on "Gold Box special" for $50. Great improvisation, though. Nice work.

I've bought both parts and tools extensively on fleabay. Saved me tons of $ and allowed me to buy things I wouldn't have otherwise. I stick to top-rated sellers (98% or higher feedback) who specify where they got the part from, e.g., junkyard, generic manufacturer, clearance, used out of their own toolbox/rig etc etc. Out of the 100-150 transactions I've done on eBay(buying and selling), I've had only 2 bad experiences. In one, a guy sold me clearly used impact sockets as "new". I asked him to return them, he refused. I disputed it with eBay and Paypal. He issued a refund. In the 2nd, a guy bought an LCD screen from me, bust it and returned it saying it was broken. I had pics of it working before it left. Disputed again with eBay. Took longer but they made him pay for it. So overall, I'd say I'm very positive on it. Just be careful.

B has good advice. Really really sux about the pain and damage. I don't know how the insurance laws over there work, but here I'd be calling a lawyer to discuss my options before agreeing to anything. Anyway, get well soon! Can they pay you the $5500 + value of parts even if that doesn't add up to $8200 ? I dunno. My experience was that, with the right tires and driving approach, all-mode wasn't really necessary for our trucks. Manual 4x4 is much simpler and less complicated stuff (ABS sensors, computer calculations, blah) going on. All-mode is great for "set and forget" cars since it is basically 2Hi with a clutch pack that engages the front when the ABS sensors detect wheelspin. But, in our trucks, chances are if things are bad enough to have you thinking about 4WD, you will have good tires on and engage 4Hi BEFORE you get into lousy conditions. Now, if you're getting it for the Xenon projectors, well that's a whole 'nother story.

The metal on some of these may be quite soft, not lending itself to welding etc. Try using a drill bit just a little thinner than the bolt itself. E.g., if the bolt is an M8 try a 6mm drill bit. Drill straight into it. Just enough to hollow it out a bit. Be very careful not to angle the drill (into the hub) or go too deep (into the hub). Just enough for the middle of the bolt to be hollow. Then insert a screwdriver into the hollow space and turn it.

Dude! If I'd had to spend that much, I'd be pretty frustrated too - specially since it's only got 100k and change miles (kilometres shilometres ). As others have pointed out, dealership and fancy mechanics charge A LOT. Heck, I get quoted 200% markups on AIR FILTERS - I had a local dealer ask $33 for ONE! BUT, I used to pay $75 for oil changes at the dealer until I started working on my own cars - so I can understand why things happened the way they did. Here are a few suggestions: 1. Don't feel bad about things. All cars have problems. You'll run into this with anything on the road, whether it cost $10k new or $100k new. Specially with used cars. All used cars require some amount of initial maintenance - filters, belts, tires blah blah. 2. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. The temptation to keep the car "like new" is high. Preventive maintenance can also turn into gold-plating the car. As B pointed out, control arms don't need to be fixed until the the wobble begins. Remember, some things were meant to last forever while others will wear out over time. The things that wear should be replaced and help keep the long-life stuff going. 3. If at all possible, do it yourself. This saves money and, just as important, ensures it's done right. I just bought a used car. The owner had taken it in for service regularly, right on schedule. The dimwits didn't tighten the oil filter enough so it leaked oil. *sigh* A local tool supplier told me that out of the 150-odd mechanics he supplies, he'd trust maybe 5 to actually work on his car... They are usually focused on volume, not quality - specially since problems down the road mean you come back for more repairs. I know it seems time-consuming but, honestly, think of the time you will be waiting for it to be done at the dealership - and fixed again if they get it wrong... 4. Buy parts online even if you don't install them. Parts markup is insane. Factorynissanparts.com usually has the lowest parts prices around (I check regularly) and the parts manager is a good guy who is on this board. 5. Find a decent independent mechanic 6. Spend $15 on the Factory Service Manual and read some online guides on how cars are put together. This will allow you to tell if the dealership/mechanic is being accurate. It may also be helpful to see how straightforward most things are. 7. If you do do-it-yourself, expect skinned knuckles and wasted time to start. I just changed the rusted-out rotors and gunked-in-place pads on my Altima. Took me about an hour and a half. The first time I did rotor-and-pad changes on a car, it took the better part of a day because I had no idea what was going on... 8. Don't get discouraged. We are around to help. Oh, and tell that "serpentine and timing belt weren't done right" guy to take a long walk off a short pier. What's the worst the previous mechanic would have done ? Not tighten it correctly ? BIG DEAL! Either he should fix it or the new mechanic should do it in 20 minutes. "Everything needs to be taken off"... It's a longitudanally mounted engine with the belts up front. Gimme a break... Nonsense... Good luck!

Awesome suggestions! Thanks man! This will get me started and gives me some hope. I think the guy who did it has just run out of gas and doesn't know or isn't interested in finishing. That's fine - I just won't pay him the full price. Agree on the Jeep ABS sensors. When he told me that, I was like,"What ??" I don't actually care about VDC/ABS etc. In fact, with the new setup, I don't want the computer butting in and doing things that are OK for a stock vehicle but may have strange results on a modified rig. Re Pump, pulley idea is brilliant. Pump'd wear out faster but I can get those at the local pick-a-part pretty easily. I was also thinking about checking out the mounts on a Titan and seeing if I could bolt in a Titan pump, assuming it's larger. Calipers and pads are whatever cheapie units he could get. The piston diameter on the caliper is pretty good, but a twin or even four piston setup might be better. For the kind of rockcrawling I'd like to do, brakes are going to be critical and I don't want to cheap out only to find myself at the bottom of a hill a**-end up. Since it's now a D44 front, there are a lot more aftermarket options... Check out my build thread (J's work in progress) for pics of the mods etc.

Sure, once I get it back. Expense was a big part of not going full hydro. The front end is heavy and bulky enough - and the steering needs to be reliable enough - that getting a beefy system and adding that to the mix was proving very expensive. Plus the whole street legal part...

Front-end too heavy with the axle, 35s, reinforcements etc. Was difficult enough to move with some boost, let alone none... Plus this thing needs to pass inspection or else the wife is gonna make me sell it.

I should add that if I was doing it again, I'd probably go coils. The problem was matching the coils with the required axle length and lift setup. We skipped doing a Super Duty-style Dana 60 because it was too wide and chopping it + matching the U-joints and shafts and blah blah was going to be a really difficult job. But, looking back, if I could have used it I would. Would have got ABS in the bargain. Heck, looking back, I'm wondering if I shouldn't have just put a Nissan axle up front. Oh well. Next project!

The steering box was replaced, too; think it was the waggy box actually. Pump's the stock Nissan pump BUT the problem is that at low speeds it doesn't provide enough boost. Not good when wheeling. There was a solenoid that may have been triggering the pump to provide more boost, but the shop was having a hard time figuring out how to wire it in. So they ended up boring out the pump instead and adjusting the pressure so, in essence, you're at high boost all the time. Rear driveshaft stayed the same. Used old Wrangler 6" lift coils to get the rear to match up with the front leafs but the stock driveshaft had no probs. Front driveshaft angle is terrible. Once I get it back I may go for a double-jointed setup to relieve the strain. Would have to be a custom job but desertrunners do it. No way to move the axle forward because of the location of the steering box and, well, the rest of the front end. Re AWD, yeah, 01SilvaPathy's right. I have the All-Mode and, right now, we suspect the lack of front ABS feedback is causing the computer to send power to the front. They tried splicing Jeep ABS sensors in but that didn't work. (Duh.) An electrical guy I spoke with said a lot would depend on how the Nissan ABS is set up. If it's resistance-based, might be hard to calibrate. I may go the old tech route and just pull the fuse. This should not be a problem with a manual t-case. The brakes suck. And I mean SUCK. Gonna bleed 'em myself but right now my '99 Altima with no pads and rusted rotors stopped better than the Pathy.

Ok, so after getting a few PM questions about my SAS I thought I'd start this thread. That way, it benefits everyone who's interested. As you may know, I've SASed my 2003 R50. Details on the components are in my build thread. This is more to address questions and provide info on issues. I am taking the Pathy back from the shop that did the SAS and finishing it myself since they don't seem to be able to finish it up. The finishing items are things like PS boost, ABS/AWD sensor and programming, brake pressure etc. I will post some of the issues I've run into later today. But feel free to post any questions and I'll do my best to answer. Thanks!

Hey man, As I wrote on FB, it sucks. But it could have been much much worse. I know that doesn't sound like much consolation, specially after you put so much work and money into the car. But better some door dents and a tire than a major wreck. Guy who went to my college around the same time I did died because a girl in oncoming traffic decided to change her sweater and asked her friend to hold the wheel while she did so. Of course her truck went out of control. The guy swerved hard right so his door would take the brunt of the impact. He saved his pregnant wife but died in the process... Can you check if it's just door damage and not unfixable unibody damage ? I have dents on my doors and was gonna go to the pick-a-part and grab some doors for $25. Tires can be replaced. If you can do that, maybe the insurance company can write you a check and you fix it yourself. It's just a few bolts and you can be back on the road with some $$$ in your pocket. Anyway, important thing is you're ok.

Happy Birthday man

Electric fans are most useful when there is a serious danger of overheating. Some cars come with lousy cooling systems(German cars seem particularly susceptible to this) while others sit in 100 degree traffic for hours (LA residents seem particularly susceptible to this). Electric fan manufacturers will usually happily provide their fans' cfm capability. Car manufacturers don't post how much air the stock fans move though I'm sure there's some way to calculate it using fan diameter, blade size etc etc. If you're worried about overheating, you may want to look into altering the coolant mix to something like 70/30 before going to the expense of an electric fan. The coolant temp range will increase but there will still be enough to give you the antifreeze effect, corrosion protection etc etc. I've tried the Royal Purple version of Water Wetter and, frankly, it did nothing for me, but maybe I just don't encounter sever enough conditions. Just a thought. Would suggest researching before switching coolant or electric fan conversions.

@ nunya Welcome back. As a former BMW owner, I feel your pain. No german cars again for me... ever... Nissan FTW.

BTW, if you want a "quick and dirty" impression (atrocious pun intended) idea of how your oil is doing, peer inside the oil filler hole. If you can fit a videoscope (can get some pretty cheap now, used via craigslist or ebay for under $100) or a small angle mirror in, you'll be able to see the cams and some of what's underneath the valve cover. Not a great view but it will at least give you some sense of how things are going. Also a useful trick when evaluating used cars. Doing that would have saved me a fortune once... Ugh...

I use Royal Purple 10W40 or 5W30, depending on vehicle and conditions. Used Mobil1 exclusively (engine and differentials) for a while but it seemed to shear and thin very quickly. Spoke at length twice with the guys at RP (just call and ask for technical assistance) and they really knew their stuff. That gave me some confidence. Now run RP in the engine, diff and trannies with no smoke, noises, clatter, thinning/shearing etc. Tried their oil filters but, frankly, those don't seem to be any better/worse than stock and cost much more.

Awsome!

Ok, I'd like to officially apply for membership. Joined April 10 2009. 2003 Pathy LE. SASed with Dana 44 front axle, leaf springs & shocks, custom hi-steer steering, manual locking hubs. ARB lockers F&R. Nissan Japan 4.88 gears. 35" Super Swamper Radials. App pics: Let me know if I need to do anything else. Thanks. Doh! I just read the instructions. Filled out form! Sorry.

Great info. Thanks guys! We will check driveshaft angles and switches tomorrow. Any and all other info/suggestions welcome.

Simon, I wondered about that too. It'd make sense for it to spin a bit in 4-Auto given the whole "no ABS sensor" thing, but even in 2-Hi ? I wasn't sure if, with this case, 2-Hi got some spin courtesy parasitic drag. Steeevo, thanks. The driveshaft angles *should* be correct, BUT I'll have them check again. Maybe if we compare it to a bone stock All-Mode LE we can be sure. Maybe I can just drive around in a SASed Pathy with the driveshaft in the back seat, ready for me to bolt on when I go wheeling.

Ok, an initial search didn't bring up many hits, so posting here. Sorry if this has been addressed earlier. Wanted to get folks' opinion. We put in a new, simple front driveshaft with U joints at each end on my '03 LE as part of the SAS. The LEs came with the All-mode transfer case that has 2-Hi, 4-Auto, 4-Lo and 4-Hi. IIRC, the all-mode has a clutch pack that uses the ABS sensors to figure out whether the front's losing traction and sends power to the front accordingly. We've bypassed the ABS pump since the Waggy front axle can't do ABS. We also have manual hubs on. We noticed that the front driveshaft is spinning even in 2-Hi, causing a noticeable vibration. Take the driveshaft off and no probs. Put it in and hello vibrations and excess wear. Happens even with the hubs unlocked. Just seems to spin; no torque going to the front. 4-Hi and 4-Lo seem to work fine. Does the all-mode ALWAYS spin the front driveshaft, even if you're in 2-Hi ? Is this something I should be concerned about ? TIA, GPG.