lint

When I got my '95, it had an oil leak. I bought it anyway, and as it turned out the oil pressure sender was leaking. ~ 10 bucks later, and with a 1,1/16 socket, I had'er done. Nice rig, you're gonna have fun! Welcome aboard!

So I installed the Moog progressive coil springs yesterday. It took a couple of hours. To elaborate on some previous discussions on spring compressors, I borrowed one, (made by Powerbuilt) but realized that it would not work because the design of the tool meant that it had to go INSIDE of the coil. Now, the last time I did this job, (on a different vehicle) I used a spring compressor that consisted of 2 pieces and went on the OUTSIDE of the coil. If you google spring compressor and go to images, you should see what I'm talking about. So, with the wrong compressor off to the side and after a few curses, I simply loosened the e-brake brackets under the passenger seats, jacked up the rig and put it on jack stands, removed the rear wheels. With a jack supporting the rear diff, I removed the rear shocks from the lower mounts and slowly lowered the rear axle until I could pry out the old springs using a large (14") screwdriver. Then I installed the new Moogs with the tighter coils at the top. I had to use a rubber hammer to bang it over the lower spring mount, but that was super easy. Put everything back the way it was, and went for a drive. A 300 km drive. With the proper compressor (external design) this job would have gone even faster. The result? No gain in lift, but then the rear doesn't sag when I load it up with groceries! Stopping is improved, as is acceleration as lost motion is greatly diminished. Handling is far superior with less body roll. Put 100 lbs of "winter weight" in the back today, over the axle and it's not even noticeable. I'm happy. Good value for the $$$. Was disappointed though that they didn't come with a sticker. I like stickers.

True! That's the reason why I "minus" sized on my winter tires; going from a 31x10.5x15 AT on Legos on my '95 SE to a 235x75x17 winter on 'Yota rims. The real bonus was that I also saved 200 bucks on the set of 4 Pirelli Scorpions.

My '95 SE has 187,000 km (116,000 miles)! Only had to do a major tune up, add tranny cooler & gauge, replace 4 rotors & pads, and replace shocks & springs. Sweeeeeet!

Oh yeah, right....I did follow those instructions correctly then! I too have a B&M Gauge, and I'm thinking about moving my temp sender over to the "before cooler" location instead of what they recommend (after cooler). Maybe I'll save myself some grief and just mentally add 20* to my reading. Agreed, what is most important is knowing when you're running hot. Like Alkorahil sez, the stacked plate is the way to go, especially if it is out front, running 100% efficiently.

yeah yeah, I've got that info clipped & on my garage wall....kinda scary ain't it? I'll let you know the readings once I swap it around. Now, back to hockey!

ok....back under the truck I go.....

So... on that note, should the temp gauge be on the line running INTO the cooler, or FROM the cooler? I put mine on the line running from the cooler, so I'd know if it wasn't working. But then again, I'd like to know how hot the tranny fluid is getting inside the transmission. Hwy driving through the mountains, I run about 130*

Thanks KING-man! That helps me out tons. I'll check it out at first light tomorrow! Cheers

So again, I crawled under the rig and checked everything out. But while it all seems good and tight under there, I really am starting to cringe when highway driving and the Pathy starts following the road ruts and I'm getting tossed about inside. I noticed that on one of the bushings for the front sway bar, I can see light around it. Do you think that this could be causing my poor handling? Tires & shocks are new. I've read a lot about the CL. How do I test it for being worn out? As always, thanks!

Yea yea! I did mine just like that too, except I put my B&M stacked plate on the drivers side. As a result, I had to grind down the depth of the plastic grill a bit in order to get everything to fit perfectly. The stacked plate can withstand being hit by rocks and gravel at highway speeds. Just make sure that you put the hoses so that they enter the cooler sideways, with the hot fluid going into the cooler at the bottom and the cooled fluid exiting from the top...that way you won't get a build up of air bubbles.

Just last week I also ordered some Moogs. I'll post the results after I install them in my 95.

Nope, I don't think that those tires would be good for winter, at least a Canadian winter. Here's a decent link on buying snow tires. http://www.1010tires.com/tech.asp?type=tires Get something with tons of sipes, designated with the "mountain snowflake" logo, an LT sidewall rating and you'll be good to go. Remember, rubber hardens with lower temps. Typical MT and AT tires will harden up at 7* C, while winter rated tires remain flexible at lower temps. Winter tires, because they are softer, often feel "squishy". For that reason, make sure they have a good load rating and strong sidewall (hence the LT designation). Great brands are Nokian, Pirelli, Yokohama and Bridgestone (DMV1). I run Nokians (AT) and Pirelli (Winter Scorpion), and I bought them for about that of those Nankangs. Who makes Nankang? I've never heard of them... cheers, d

Oops, my bad! I meant: solid & VENTED front and solid vented rear. My rotor in the front is warped, and a rear one is super nasty. Change to post was made Good thread for the owners out there considering slotted vrs drilled rotors. http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=20306&st=0

I found the "What oil do you run" thread by XSrcing really informative (thanks for that and all members who contributed) ! While sourcing out a new set of front and rear pads and rotors, I got a little overloaded with the choices out there! I thought that this topic would / could be helpful for some members. The P.O. put in some kind of generic, standard semi-metallic pads. The rears wore out in 37,000 miles (60,000 km) and the fronts in less than that. Not good value in my books. OEM is semi-metallic. "Organic" brake pads usually contain asbestos (so I've heard). Ceramic brakes aren't recommended for suv's. I read this somewhere lately, but think it is debatable. High friction usually wear faster and emit more dust. Good for the track I guess. Shimmed, chamfered and slotted pads are quieter to run. Heard good things about Hawk LTS (light truck, suv) semi-metallic Same of EBC 6000 series, 7000 series with kevlar Any comments on Akebono? Axxis? Cross drilled, or slotted or solid (vented) rotors? I am inclined to go with a solid vented front rotor and solid vented rotor for the rear. Maybe slotted vented in the front because I drive a lot in the wet. Maybe EBC all the way 'round is the way to go (I use their compounds on my bikes). I use the the rig for back country dirt roads, bombing up to the ski hill, and towing a trailer with a couple of vintage '60's Lambretta scooters (1500 lbs total) over the mountain ranges. Your opinions are appreciated! Thanks!!

Some really great info here! Could we also add "Litres" to the quantities to help out the Canadians?

'95 SE 185,000 km. But that's gonna change now that I'm driving 5000 km/month.

In Vancouver it rains for at least half the year. I treat the windows with Rain-X twice a year (it comes in a bottle and is applied with a cloth). This makes the rain really bead off the glass. Then, I use cheap blades for the summer, and then use Rain-X winter blades for the nasty stuff. I replace my blades every 2 years.

"Dexron III has not been superseded by anything. It's still out there, on a shelf in almost any store." Damn! I hate it when those parts-guys start talking like a knowitall just to make the sale and sell me the wrong stuff.

ATF is specified in my '95 SE. That's what came out, and that's what went back in.

'95 Pathfinder: I just changed the ATF in the transfer case and the guy at the store told me Dextron 3 was superceded by Dextron 4 which was superceeded by Dextron 5 and that they are all backwards compatible (anyone have a comment on this?). When I changed the ATF in the transmission, I bought the fluid at the dealer as I've read that the transmission is very particular about what type of Dextron it uses. That said, it seems that all Dextron fluids are not created equal. My advice: suck up the costs and buy it from the dealer when you are changing it in the transmission.

GREAT idea for the metal mesh! I'm gonna do something like that. Thanks for sharing your idea!

My last ride was an '88 Jetta with 365,000 original km on a gas engine (and is going to my 16 year old nephew). Older than my '95 SE, but the quality of parts is much better on the Nissan. The Jetta went thru 4 exhaust systems, 2 rads and a bunch of other stuff in its time. The Nissan is my 6th vehicle and I bought it used and it is definitely not a clunker! Now that the maintanence is up to date, I'm planning on driving this for the next 10 years and hope to surpass the VW's mileage. Nissan created an easy to maintain, solid and reliable vehicle with the notable exceptions of the exhaust manifold studs, oil filter location, AT cooler, headlight wiring and frame rust. Get this stuff sorted and you've got a good rig. Some people complain about the fuel economy and I agree it could be better, but like others said before.....it's paid for, it's mine, and I'm not making payments on some plastic bumpered rig that is costing me half my paycheque to insure. Just my 5 (Canadian) cents.

I used zap-straps (zip-ties) after mine broke when I was trying to remove them to clear out the accumulated leaves....I always thought it was ghetto. Now, after reading other solutions, I'll go dig out my speed nuts. Yay!