Howie

You should totally replace the boot and carry it as a spare. But do you really want to be changing that out on the trail? Easier to unlock your hubs and limp home. --Howie

Turning the wheels all the way to the left did NOT work for me. I still had to drop the lower control arm, and it was a bitch because those bolts are torqued on tight! Not to mention they've been on there for 10 years. Anyway, I finally got them off and was able to remove the axle. The spider joint was in really good shape. Even though the boot was torn, enough grease stayed in there to coat everything really well, so it was smooth as silk. Unfortunately, I did not have a press to remove the spider joint from the shaft, which meant I couldn't remove the slide joint housing, and hence couldn't change out the boot. I need to find a shop with a press so I can finish the job. Meanwhile, I just installed a new CV shaft from O'Reilly's. Does anyone know if the right and left axles are interchangeable? Also, has anyone removed that spider joint without using a press? I banged away at it (carefully), but couldn't get it to budge. --Howie

6-speed auto or manual? In your pathy or Maxima? I'm sorry, I got lost in the thread there... --Howie

Check the FSM. You should find what you need in there. http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=26616 --Howie

Oh whew, thanks. But I thought for sure I was going to get flack from the Canadian about 15 degrees being NOTHING, and don't even bother until it's 15 degrees BELOW. Although, I did buy some windshield washer fluid rated for 20 below, which I never had to do in Los Angeles. I just used plain water! No more... --Howie

I need to update my profile. I live in Evansville, IN. It's 15 degrees out now. --Howie

Yeah, that's exactly what mine do. I have to swipe a key card to get into work every morning, and I get scared the thing will get stuck down. But it goes up much faster than it goes down, even if it doesn't go down all the way. I might take it apart when the weather warms up, but I suspect things will be back to normal then. They must have not run these things through the Infiniti cold weather testing center. --Howie

Does anyone else here have problems with their power windows getting sluggish in the cold weather? --Howie

That's a really good point. You just helped me make up my mind to replace the entire shaft, because I have no idea how long that boot was ripped. I'll replace the shaft, then when I have time I'll open up the old one and clean it out as best I can, then replace the boot on it and keep it as a spare. --Howie

Okay, so my local O'Reilly has the half-shaft in stock for $70, but the replacement boot is just $10.50. My plan is to attempt to replace the boot. If I can't do it (which will depend on whether I can get that tripod joint/spider assembly apart), then I will just go get the whole axle and be done with it. The core charge is for a remanufactured shaft. If you get a new one, then you don't have to bring back your old one. At this store, the remanufactured one is $60 after core charge, and new one is $70, so I'd rather pay the extra $10 and keep my old axle, especially if I can put a new boot on it. If you guys are interested in pictures of the half-shaft disassembly let me know and I'll take some. --Howie

You can get a new boot for $8, put that on the old CV, and then get a new one. Total cost: $8 plus time to replace the boot. Most people wouldn't do that, but I would... --Howie

I was going to replace just the boot because I like to have stock parts on the car. However, if O'Reilly's has a lifetime warranty, I'll just do that. Then I can keep the old axle, replace the boot on that one, and have a spare ready to go! I replaced the snap rings this morning. I figured that they were fitted to the drive flanges and wouldn't work with the Warn hubs, but after reading your post I looked at it again and saw the grooves in the axle were still exposed, so I just put the snap rings back on. Good thing I hadn't driven it yet! I gotta call O'Reilly's now to order my new axle! Thanks again for all your help. I love this forum! --Howie

Hey, thanks for that awesome write-up! I need to do that soon because I have a torn inner boot on the passenger side. Did you replace the whole axle or just a boot? Also, when you installed your Warn hubs, you replaced the snap ring on the drive axle? I thought you could leave it off, but it seems like a much better idea to put it back on. --Howie

I installed Warn hubs, and so no longer have the snap ring on the outer part of the hub. Is there a snap ring on the inner side of the wheel also? The FSM doesn't show one, but there are thrust washer, grease seals, and a needle bearing in there. Do those things stay in place when you remove the axle? Which way should I turn the wheels for better access? If it's the right (passenger) side, then should I turn the wheels to the left? Finally, the FSM says to remove the lower control arm mounting bolts (which I would assume drops the inner part of the lower control arm). You didn't have to do that? Thanks for your advice. It really helps to talk to someone who's already done it! --Howie

I have a torn boot on my front right half-shaft also, but it's the inner one. Rockauto sells the whole shaft for $65 but just the inner boot for $7. I think I'll just replace the boot for now. After all, now that I have my Warn manual hubs, in the case of shaft failure I can still get home. And I concur with fleurys... was looking at the Service Manual just now, and it seems like just remove a few bolts and the the whole thing comes off. But my question is: can you leave the rotor, wheel, and brake calipers in place while slipping out the shaft? It seems like you could, but I'm not sure. Has anyone here done this repair? --Howie

This is the set I have: http://www.harborfreight.com/5-piece-auto-trim-and-molding-tool-set-67021.html You can order it online, but if you didn't want to wait, you might be able to find something similar at an auto parts store. I've always been lucky enough to have a Harbor Freight Tools near me in the last 3 cities I've lived. --Howie

Go to Harbor Freight Tools and spend $6 on a set of nylon dash tool removers. They work way better than a flathead screwdriver at prying the panels off, and they don't leave marks. Best investment I ever made. I use those things all the time, even around the house! --Howie

Do you get any rubbing? --Howie

Very nice! It's great to be rewarded for a little creativity and thinking outside the box, huh? --Howie

Post pics! --Howie

Yeah, balancing is something that looks so easy to do every time I watch them do it, but you have to have the machine, which nobody has at home so they have you over the barrel on that one. They're trying to get their money back on the machine they bought, which is why they charge so much to do so little. It's too bad we all live in different parts of the country, otherwise we could pool our resources and have everyone chip in to buy cool equipment to work on our Pathfinders! --Howie

So with that MAF adapter, are you using the stock MAF sensor? --Howie

What filter is that? --Howie

I got the one from RockAuto, and it's been working great. No more trouble codes. Did anyone else who replaced a rear O2 sensor have trouble getting to all the wiring harnesses? There were 2 of them I think up near the engine that I couldn't reach from above or below. So I ended up just cutting the wire and pulling the old one out. However, those harnesses are still there, and I couldn't get the new one attached to them. --Howie

Why is that? --Howie