MichiganAve

So I gave it a shot in 2wd with the hubs unlocked again today. Went about 9 miles on the highway before the error light began flashing slowly again. I quickly turned the engine off and on and that reset it. I drove another 5 miles before the light came back on. Again, quicked turned off and on the engine to reset. I then drove another 6 miles and didn't get the code again. At this point I gave up in confusion as if this is overheating in the transfer case then I figured the warning light should come on quickly after resetting the code (ie the temp would still be high).

Is this an auto-mode 4wd? I don't think anyone is certain: http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=10318 There was actually a bit more discussion on a similar thread on the AC board.

Regardless of when things switch between the two pumps, the front drive shaft powers neither so having manual hubs shouldn't change anything, right? The only real argument I've heard against the manual hubs on the all-mode 4wd is potential for not having the clutches completely disengaged in 2wd mode, and thus grinding. I believe it was suggested to test this by lifting the whole vehicle and seeing if the fronts move while in 2wd. If they are stationary, then the clutch should be completely disengaged. Now, if only I could lift the whole car with my spare tire jack to test this lol.

So for dummies like me, it just happens to be near the front drive shaft but absolutely nothing requires the front shaft to be moving? Right? With more analysis this is sounding pretty benign and safe to use. This is the comment posted by 4x4LE on the Automotive Customizers (4x4parts.com) board that still worries me: I never was able to find discussion about the wet clutch system being damaged by manual hubs however.

Okay, so I have posted 4 pages of the FSM that show the transfer case cross section and some basic info at http://www.geocities.com/fansler01/transfer.pdf if you think you can decipher how the pump is driven. Alex said he thought the pump was driven by the front shaft. I am also posting the whole section on the transfer case but it is 3megs and you will quickly surpass my bandwidth, so only download it if you really want to see all the diagnostics and further diagrams of the all-mode transfer case: http://www.geocities.com/fansler01/TM.pdf

Okay, so the factory manual for 1998 says that flashing every 2 seconds is overheating (what I am getting). Every 1 second would be difference in tire diameter. Other model years are opposite. I also have a final answer here. Manual hubs should not be used with the auto-mode 4wd found in QX4/Pathfinder. A Nissan master tech told me the following: "The front drive shaft has to turn for the pump inside the transfer case to operate. These all wheel mode transfer cases have a valve body and clutch pack just like an automatic transmission and require a pump to supply pressure to the assembly. If it is not pumping it will overheat. It will now work properly and can damage the transfer case internals." Looking at the factory service manual diagrams this appears to be the case- the front drive shaft drives the pump. In addition to not running manual hubs, the master tech also recommended changing the fluid in my transfer case.

Found this on a random website, not sure if it is true yet: Like I said, its a slow flash, like every 2 seconds. It may be sensing the difference as the fronts are not connected, although the light doesn't come on for a good number of miles which is odd...

Drove the 13 miles back with hubs in 4x4 and dash selector in 2WD. No errors. Seems pretty consistent only to come on in 4x2. I can live with the error light in 4x2 if I can know I'm not causing damage.

Update: I drove about 7 miles this morning with hubs in 4x2 and dash selector on 2wd, then the error light came on again. It is flashing "4WD" slowly just to the left of my cruise control indicator light, it is not solid. I switched the hubs to 4x4 but the light did not go out. I turned off and on the vehicle and the ligth was off again. I drove the rest of my 6 miles without the light coming back on. In the parking lot I switched the dash selector to 4lock and took tight semi-circles to both the left and the right. Both times I got that creepy "I'm driving on dry pavement in 4x4" feeling. No error lights with that. Switched back to 2wd ok. I will drive the next 13 miles before lunch with the hubs still in 4x4 and the dash selector in 2wd to see if the light stays out.

Yes, I got your WARN WARNing . I also remember speaking with Mike at AC who said they were fine.

Yup, got the warn manual hubs installed on my 98 QX4 today. Note, this has the shift on the fly automatic 4wd that can selectively apply power to the front wheels when the rears spin, I don't know which models of Pathy have this setup. My understanding previously was: 1) 2wd on the hubs is okay to use only with 2wd on my dash selector. 2) 4wd on my hubs can be used just like stock. 3) Auto and 4lock should only be used with 4wd on the hubs. I got the 4WD indicator warning light about 10 minutes into driving home. It was in 2wd on the dash selector and the hubs were both in 2wd. The QX4 has an indicator on the dash as well which showed 2WD engaged, not 4auto or 4lock. It was not accidentally in 4lo. After stopping and double checking and restarting, the light stayed off for another ten minutes, then came on. Turned the hubs to 4x4, turned the dash switch to 4lock, drove (seemed to engage properly), then back to 2wd (seemed to switch). Drove it the rest of the way home (~30 miles) with the hubs in 4 and the dash selector in 2 without any error light. I later took it for a quick 6 miles test run with the hubs in 2wd and the dash selector in 2wd and didn't get the error again. FYI I found this thread on an Isuzu board: http://forum.planetisuzoo.com/viewtopic.php?t=4580 and am suspicious that the mechanic may have tested out 4wd on his test run. This was no idiot mechanic though, he's a former rally champion from eastern europe, who retired to become the head mechanic for a rally car team, and now is the senior mechanic at a small shop here in Chicago. Not sure I can really ask exactly what he did on that test drive however, as we have a language barrier... I will be driving 25 miles each way tomorrow in 2wd/2wd to see if the error comes back.

Where can I find more pics of this set-up of yours??? Do you have any rubbing? Did you require any trimming? Your profile says .25" spacers, but now you have 1.5" adapter spacers? There is a significant difference between adapters and plain spacers in terms of stress placed on the bolts. The adapters have lugs for stock bolts, then you get a whole new set of bolts to tighten your wheels to. Plain spacers just put a gap between the hub and the wheel, but still are tightening the wheels to the stock bolts, just much further out on them causing increased forces. Also, what are the specs on your wheels? In the case of adapters, the stress is mostly just from moving the wheel away further from the body, not anything more special. Of course if your wheels have a high backspacing number (ie would be closer to the strut), then you won't be sticking out as far. Being in the 3.75 to 4 total backspacing range may theoretically cause more forces on steering than the stock 4.5 to 5, but there are clearly many people running such a set-up for long periods of time without any problems. I don't know if anybody is running a number less than 3.5 and if that is causing additional wear- I'd be more expecting them to have rubbing on the fenders as the limiting problem!

265/75/16 is similar to 265/70/17 in most brands. What are the specs on those 17" wheels? I was not able to find any 17x8" alloys I liked in 3.75 to 4" backspacing.

I think he meant that you DO want backspacing to be between 3.75 and 4. So it seems that a 1" wheel adapter spacer is just going to push it a little further than 3.75 and might cause rubbing. Well, at least on an 8" rim, not sure if the stock 7" rim would be as likely... I personally don't feel like spending the money on spacers just to test, so I'll just wait for my 4"bs wheels to come in before buying my 32s (about 6 week backorder on the wheels I want).

So it would seem that my new tires will be 0.5" closer to the strut, so the 1" adapters should be plenty to back it away from the strut? My biggest concern is that I'll have an equivalent of 3.68" backspacing with the 1" adapters while most people recommend 4" or 3.75". Is that moved too far out?

BTW, here is what I've calculated thus far: The centerline would be 3.5", so stock backspacing should be 3.75+1.18 = 4.68". My stock tires 245/70/16 are approx 29.6x9.7" My new tires 265/75/16 will be approx 31.7x10.6"

Having issues getting the aftermarket wheels I wanted. So I'm thinking about wheel adapter spacers in 1", 1.25", or 1.5". Which ones? Info: Stock 1998 Infiniti QX4 wheels are 16x7 w/ 1.18" (30mm) backspacing. I am going to be using 265/75/16 BFGs with a 2" AC lift. I do not want to take off my stock fender flares. I want to limit trimming. Thanks!

come on now, lets see some pics!!!

Explode huh...

QX4 has 4 year warranty, Pathfinder has a 3 year warranty. So a 2003 QX4 might still still have some time left. That would give you a few months in case there are any problems with your new purchase to get it fixed. To me this was worth the higher initial cost. I also like the exterior styling better and the interior. My family intended on buying a Pathfinder originally, but now we have two QX4s (97 and 98). Bought them both with 1 year left on the factory warranty. I'm happy with them. Parts are almost completely interchangeable with the Pathy, so no difference in maintenance cost. I don't know about the 2003s, but for 98 the QX4 had 4.6 gears and the Pathy had 4.3 gears. So at least theoretically I can run larger tires than the Pathy without the hit in miles per gallon. You can also do a few things to improve mpg like getting manual hubs for ~ $125USD and disengaging the front wheels during the summer, switching to synthetic oils, etc.

What advantages can you get from installing a tranny cooler if you only tow a few times per year? I mostly do city driving otherwise. I don't think my 98 QX4 came with one stock, does that make it harder to install? Thanks.

I want to go with Trxus MT and my options are: 1. 255/85/16 (32.7x10.1) 2. 265/75/16 (31.9x10.5) 3. 285/75/16 (32.7x11.2) I don't want to take off the stock fender flares, but I'm willing to massage the inner liners with a heat gun. This is with 2" AC lift. I don't like the 255/85 dimensions (pizza cutter). The 265/75 could fit on a 16x7 w/ 4"bs you think? The 285/75 would deserve a 16x8 and there is room to upgrade if I ever can get the 4" lift. Thanks.

Sorry, I've been looking for some BLACK 16x8 6 on 5.5 3.75"bs wheels and am having trouble locating any. I found the following two but they say "for Toyota applications only", will they work? Alternatively does anyone know if a 15x8 rock crawler would fit on a 98 QX4? http://www.4wheelcustoms.com/Products.asp?Cat=415 Pro Comp Wheels Series 97 16X8 6X5.5 3.75BS Part #:97-6883S3.75 $69.80 http://www.4wheelcustoms.com/Products.asp?Cat=1251 Pro Comp Wheels Series 87 Monster Mod 16X8 6X5.5 3.75"BS Part #:87-6883T $73.35

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/619404/2 http://www.cardomain.com/ride/175402/3 That's what I'm afraid of- if it is just adhesive backing will it start to come off or look badly. To be honest, I think the 'wood' from the factory looks lonely- there are so many plain plastic parts that should match it that I always thought something was missing to pull the dash together. I don't really want blingy- no "dubs" or carbon fiber or that junk.

I remember seeing a few Infiniti QX4s on cardomain that had aftermarket wood trim kits that covered more than the stock woodgrain. Anybody know where to get good ones (for 1998 QX4)? How was the installation process and has it held up well? Thanks.