Howie

Might be stating the obvious here, but make sure you have at least 16" wheels if you want to upgrade the brakes.16's came standard on my '01, and when I went to look at putting 15" rims on, the tire guy pointed out that they would never fit the brakes.

I know it's over $100, but this is the cable I use: http://www.blazt.biz/index.php It's specific to Nissan, and they're great with customer support. It does more than reset your light and pull codes. It can shut off your fuel pump, deactivate cylinders, and pulls real-time voltage data from all your sensors. I used it to diagnose a bad O2 sensor without any trouble at all, as well as other stuff.

I remember it being called a "Diversity Antenna" a while back. Of course, I never listen to the radio anymore, either FM or AM, so I don't need it but I don't notice it.

You're welcome! I recommend you do what XPLORx4 did. That sounds like your best option.

Good point. The springs aren't a usual wear item like shocks are. However, the factory springs are tuned much softer than the aftermarket ones, so even when your car was brand new it probably would have sagged under the load. You can get OME springs with only 0.5" of lift, which is negligible, but they're stiffer than the factory ones which would mean less sag under a load. There was a thread on here a few weeks ago from somebody who was carrying around 600 lbs. of equipment in his cargo area continually, and the suggestion was to get the stiffer springs. However, if you don't want stiffer springs (and its consequent slightly rougher ride), then the way to go would be keep your factory coils and add the airbags. You can have nice ride when not towing, bags deflated, and then use the bags when towing. Still definitely replace the shocks though. Just don't expect them to keep your truck from sagging under the load.

At 110k miles, you could definitely use new shocks. However, if you want to avoid sag, it's new springs you want (shocks don't support the weight of your car.. springs do). You'll notice much less sag (if any) if you get new springs, especially if you go with aftermarket ones like Old Man Emu or AC. If you'll be towing a lot, get the airlifts as well. If only a few times a year, and want to save the expense, then you don't need the airlifts if you have good aftermarket coils. So to answer your question: get new shocks, coil springs and airlifts (depending on how much you tow).

Careful when cleaning that MAF. I ruined mine by trying to do that, but of course I think the thing was bad to start with and might have been on its last legs. If you do need a new MAF, do the Maxima trick where you pay only $50 as opposed to $300. It's posted elsewhere on this forum, and worked out real well for me.

What's wrong with your current engine?

You could physically remove all the emissions stuff, but then you'll have a constant CEL lit. If you don't do anything to trick the ECU into thinking that the system is sealed with a vacuum, then it will think you're driving around with the gas cap off and light the CEL. I guess you could locate the sensor that tells it that and replace it with some sort of device that sends the proper voltage. --Howie

I can't speak to the AWD system, but I know my part-time system (mated to the 5-speed manual) operates in a similar fashion to your old Explorer. Power is constantly sent to the rear drive shaft, but in 2WD the front drive shaft is uncoupled at the transfer case. When you engage the 4WD lever (either Hi or Lo), it engages the front drive shaft, which turns the front wheels. The wheels have drive flanges (not auto hubs), which means they are always locked to the front drive axles. So with 4WD disengaged, the wheels are still spinning the front drive axles. That is why a lot of us on this forum have replaced the front drive axles with Warn hubs. Not only does this save some mpg, it also saves wear and tear on your CV joints because now the front axles are not spinning all the time. Finally, if you're on the trail and bust a front drive axle, you can unlock the hub and still drive home (provided you don't need 4WD to do it!). --Howie

I'm pretty sure that only applies to automatic transmissions, and not the manual. And that's all I know about that.

I agree with everything Pezzy said. I own an '01 Pathfinder with the 3.5L VQ engine. The VQ has a timing chain, not belt, so it doesn't need replacing. I think the VQ is a better engine than the VG. It's got more horsepower (does great on inclines and even towing) and has been extremely reliable for me. I got mine new, and have done oil changes religiously, so YMMV getting a used one that might have had shoddy maintenance. However, as covered in a recent thread here, if you like modifying your engine with turbos and stuff you might want to get the VG, because it's got more tolerance for that sort of thing. The VQ is in the '01 to '04 model years. I'm biased of course, but I think the '05 to present model sucks. It's not as nice as the R50's. I have seen over 20 mpg in my Pathy, but only on very long road trips where I'd go for stretches of 8 hours on the highway. Otherwise, I get about 15-16 in daily driving. I have a 20-25 minute commute. I have a 1.5" lift on it which probably cuts my mileage down a bit. When I lived in L.A. I had a 6 minute commute, and my mileage sucked at 14 mpg. Also, 4WD, which you definitely want to get, costs you about 1 mpg from the 2WD version. Not sure how much the Warn hubs add back, but some say it's like 2-3 mpg. So anyway, I recommend you find yourself an '01-'04 Pathfinder with 4WD and put Warn hubs on it. Get nice tires like Pezzy said, and you won't even need a lift to get you where you want to go. If you want to tow heavy stuff, you have to get the automatic transmission. I have the manual, because I think it's more fun to drive. --Howie

Me neither, but I do try to go into second if I'm rolling. --Howie

I'm at 131,000 miles, replaced the release bearing at 90,000 but otherwise original clutch and tranny. Changed all the oil (transfer, tranny and diff) once at 90,000 as well. No problems, no noises. --Howie

My clock tends to run a little fast. It seems to gain a minute every few weeks or so. I know solder won't fix it, but has anyone else noticed that?

I think the OME springs might give you what you want, but it's hard to say and I'm not sure how you'd do a test without actually getting the springs. Call the guys at OME and ask them. http://www.rocky-road.com/pathfindersus.html What are you hauling around that's 600 lbs?

Very nice tires! And all the other mods too! --Howie

Oh, sorry. Yeah, the pictures came out well, and I just went back and re-read the part about the power steering hard lines. I'm not too sure about that. Will have to dig some more in the FSM to find out what that thing does. It will be harder to find, I'm sure, and I'm tired now so going to bed. --Howie

What power steering connector are you referring to? Can you describe it better, or even a pic? I think I have enough power on my washer pump, but I have had to redirect the nozzles every once in a while to get complete coverage. --Howie

I'm sorry that happened to you. It really blows. But I admire your electrical skills. I think for a lot of us here what happened to you would have been a very expensive trip to the mechanic, as opposed to an opportunity to upgrade your washer pumps! Anyway, you might find the following info helpful: (from the FSM) "WASHER OPERATION With the ignition switch in the ACC or ON position, power is supplied through 20A fuse [No. 19, located in the fuse block] to front washer motor terminal 1. When the lever is pulled to the WASH position, ground is supplied to front washer motor terminal 2 through terminal 18 of the front wiper switch through terminal 17 of the front wiper switch, and through body grounds E13 and E41. With power and ground supplied, the front washer motor operates. When the lever is pulled to the WASH position for one second or more, the front wiper motor operates at low speed for approximately 3 seconds to clean windshield. This feature is controlled by the wiper amplifier in the same manner as the intermittent operation." To answer your question (I think), the No. 19 20A fuse is located in the Junction Box, which is behind the door that opens like a pocket just to the left of the steering wheel (above your OBD-II port). You have to pull it past the first detent, then it comes right off. You'll see a bunch of fuses in a grid, with spare fuses in the lower right hand corner, along with a fuse puller. The fuses are numbered sequentially from the upper left to bottom right (like reading words on a page). So #1 is the upper left fuse, and #29 is the lower right. #19 is 4th row down, 4th column from the left. --Howie

I think the main point here is that the OP said he's replaced his parts with OEM stuff. Since with OEM the only adjustment you can make is toe, then if you don't feel it pulling it's probably not bad enough to ruin your tires (for a few weeks). Once he gets the aftermarket stuff on it's a different story, where you can adjust camber as well (I still don't think you'd be able to adjust caster). Then it would be more critical to align it right away, but in his current situation I think he'll be okay to save some money. --Howie

I don't think you'll mess up your tires if you put off the alignment for a few weeks (especially if you don't feel it pulling to the side), but it's definitely a good idea after doing suspension work. Some other guys have mentioned the lifetime alignment deal that Firestone has, where you pay once and can get free alignments for the life of the car or something like that. Unfortunately, I don't have a Firestone near me. I'd totally do that if I did. --Howie

So if it was like in the picture, then you had to hit UPWARDS with the rubber mallet? Because the spider would have come off the top end, right? --Howie

Sweet! Now I'm glad that I replaced it and kept a spare. I need a vise. I'm sure I could've gotten it off if I'd had one. The picture in the FSM shows putting it in a press where it hangs down from the spider joint, and then you press the axle out of it. How did you use the vise? Did you grip it by the axle with the spider joint facing down, and then hit the spider joint off? I think that's what I would do. And yes, I did remove the snap ring. I saw that in the FSM. How did you get everything so clean? Mine had retained most of the (white) grease, and it was all over everything. Wiping it down only seemed to spread it around. You must have a parts washer. --Howie