pathfounder

If you want to replace the bearings, it makes sense to replace the races. Unfortunately, they can be stubborn or if you have bad aim with the hammer and punch, you can damage the hub itself. I say run the old ones if the races look good.

Have you ever smacked a curb hard with the rear end or anything like that? I agree that your installation issues are suspect, but I also agree with the other people that say that the small lateral location issue from the angled panhard rod is probably not your problem, especially because others with the same lift have been getting away with it.

You can narrow this down with a stethoscope, but you'd need someone else to start the truck obviously. I usually suspect things like bearings in an accessory, or an idler pulley.

The #5 injector is in plain sight if I recall correctly. Not so on the other side of the engine (cyls 2,4,6). The knock sensor isn't directional, so it can't "know" which cylinder had a misfire. I think it throws the "multiple cyl misfire" code, whatever code number that is. The ECU will throw a specific cylinder misfire code for a (detectable) bad injector, along with a couple other things.

The engine only has one knock sensor, so it can't throw a code for a specific cylinder. There's a good chance it has to do with #5's fuel injector because that is one of the only things that are detectable for a cylinder-specific misfire code.

The coil spacers shouldn't be made of aluminum. They will wear out quickly. OEMs use aluminum almost nowhere on suspension because of its softness and poor ability to handle fatigue. Some control arms are made of aluminum, but they are way overbuilt in that case, and aren't under the same type of loads.

Think of the transfer case as a manual transmission with no synchronizers. The real transmission should be in park or neutral (though park does nothing if the t-case is in neutral), wait a few seconds, and then slowly pull the handle to the 4LO position. It may still make a grinding noise for a quick second.

When you put it in drive, the engine shifts to one side, and when you put it in reverse, it shifts to the other. madhornet's suggestion makes a lot of sense. You could be closing a crack in a pipe by putting it in drive. I would start it up, and jump out and start bending/flexing the inlet pipes and hoses that connect to it to see if any of them cause the engine to misbehave.

The panhard rod should be parallel to the axle. If it's on an angle, then it has moved the axle laterally, which can change the angle of the axle to the body. Fancier setups use Watts linkages instead; they don't have this problem to the same extent.

Usually when the cooling system's capacity to keep it cool under increasing load and outdoor temperature has gone down, it is the fan(s) or the rad itself. A new rad should solve the problem. I wouldn't worry about what the rad is made out of, as long as it's nice and big.

Gears wear together. Keep the same ring and pinion gears paired together. There is way more to it than backlash. You need the proper carrier preload, pinion bearing preload, and tooth pattern. Most of these affect all of the others. I've done it before and it's a pain. I do almost everything myself, but even this, I would just pay someone else to do it next time.

I firmly believe in driving vehicles until the wheels come off. It's the only way to justify the purchase price. The exception is if you can't tolerate any breakdowns, either because you have a job requiring driving, children, or an inconsiderate wife. Then, trade up while it's worth something.

My PS pump's adjuster bolt was corroded and needed to be turned 5-10 million times to get the belt loose enough to come off. Of course, if your belt snapped, this is not an issue. The belt is behind the serpentine one, so be prepared to slacken and remove that one to get the new PS one on.

I would agree with this, but 325 refers specifically to the KS circuit and not actual misfires, and it has nothing to do with coolant temp or transmission parts.

The first two are related; you have a bad coolant sensor and/or wiring. 745: transmission problem, line pressure solenoid valve. 505: Idle air compensator solenoid. You have to pop the upper intake off to get to it. 325: Your knock sensor is dead. You have to replace it to clear the code and keep the engine running at its best. You can do a bunch of workarounds like shorting it with a resistor or relocating to the top of the intake, but I wouldn't. Sounds like your Pathy needs some love.

That mileage is not that bad. We see threads like this pretty often. 3 miles is pretty short. Ride a bike or walk.

The manual for my '97 says 5000-7500 miles between oil changes.

I did mine by popping off the starter motor and blocking the flexplate with a pry bar. Of course, with a manual transmission, this is a non-issue...

You'd probably want to drain a bit out of the rad just to save having a mess, but no, you wouldn't need to drain the whole system.

Coolant is run to the throttle body to prevent "carb" icing. You want it.

Running boards just get my pants dirty as I step in to the vehicle. I get the point of them for short people / big trucks, but for tall people and/or small trucks, they are just dead weight and in the way.

SAS is "solid axle swap". You remove the entire front suspension and replace it with a live axle and presumably a multi-link setup. It is a ton of work but it really improves the 4x4 ability. I think fender flares (when done properly) can make a Pathfinder look good. Probably best to avoid things like 4" exhaust tips, hood scoops, etc.

That's nothing, Canadian Tire balanced zero out of four wheels when I had them do a tire swap on the Pathfinder.

I don't know the answer to your last question directly, but I can tell you it's not your problem. Most sensors and whatnot used by the ECU run at 5 volts or some other very low voltage.

I sort-of remember buying a 27mm just to work on something on the Pathfinder.