88pathoffroad

One thing to note...saying that the skidplate protects the "IFS" in general is incorrect. IFS stands for Independent Front Suspension, which includes the control arms, struts, coil springs and steering rack. You can cover the bottom sides with so much steel, but it's really not feasible to try and say it will cover everything. Just a thought.

Sure. So can the hubs, occasionally.

*nodnod* The plastic cover should pop off, then releasing the latch is pretty simple from inside the door. Hard part is taking off the cover while the door is shut. >.<

Or print each page as needed pertaining to the project at hand...

Sweet! If you drained the MC, you'd have to bench-bleed it to get the air out of it, so unless you really want to go through all the hassle of doing that plus trying to get all the air out of the brake lines afterward, I'd just go the turkey baster route. AFAIK, the ABS systems on Nissans aren't that touchy, but having air in the lines isn't a good thing in any case.

But if you had a Zuki weighing 2100 lbs with 31x13.5 Swampers, would you run tham all at 35 PSI as opposed to having 29x9 Swampers? I think the bigger tire should need to be run at a lower pressure. *shrug*

The rims of my wheels are all kinds of bent up. I had to take a tire off the rim, put a big Crescent wrench on it, then slip a pipe over the handle of that to bend out a couple of the bigger rock rash dents. You oughta see my tire treads. I think there's one outer tread block on the back that's got half of it missing...

Diesels don't have BOV's. The noise you're hearing is the wastegate shutting. BOV's are used on gasoline engines because when the throttle closes after running the engine at high RPM's, an excess amount of air is still being compressed by the turbine, which would create a terribly lean condition inside the combustion chambers, plus it will backpressurize the turbine, possibly causing damage to that. Running a turbocharged gasoline engine too lean is a recipe for disaster. Dumping the excess pressurized intake air via the BOV when the throttle plate shuts prevents this. On a diesel it doesn't matter if it runs lean, because it's built to detonate on purpose. The internals will take it. Adding forced induction is simply an easy way to pack more fuel and air into the combustion chamber and produce more power. Manual boost controller theory: That's for a manual boost controller. A computer-controlled one is lots more expensive, but almost infinitely adjustable and tuneable.

I did both of mine not too long ago. I had a hard time finding boot kits for it, and the clamps they come with are next to impossible to attach without the special tool for it. I ended up using two hose clamps on one of the axles. Anyway, it's a tedious task, takes a while, lots of front end disassembly...and yes, the new boot kit comes with a little Ziploc bag full of CV grease (which IS NOT the same as axle grease, just so you know). I got an extra little tub of CV grease for mine, they didn't seem to have put quite enough into the little Ziploc baggie in my kits. Here's a picture of the fun. My old CV boot had somehow gotten a rock inside of it...found that when I took it off. Good thing I hadn't been running it in 4WD with a rock inside! The steering knuckle is removed in this pic, I was also replacing my balljoints while I had it all apart. $25 each and voila, I don't have to mess with them for a while or wonder if they're OK. Ouch. Wrecked CV joint boot. Rock and roll!

They don't. That's really uncommon, I've never heard of a newer vehicle actually breaking a coil spring before.

That's absolutely normal. There is no such thing as full, 4 wheels spinning at the same time, 4 wheel drive, off the factory floor for a Pathfinder. Pulling the transfer case lever doesn't do anything to your differentials to make them work in unison. The front diff is open, the LSD slips, as you've noticed, and they don't offer any way to do anything about it. There's only one transfer case. You can install manual locking hubs, but your front axles are ALREADY locked fulltime due to the design Nissan gave them. You have drive flanges in there right now. You can install ARB air lockers front and rear, but they run about $700 each plus a $250 compressor and installation cost... EVERY vehicle with 4WD has a terrible turning radius when in 4WD. The tires are locked together front and rear via the transfer case, making it a bit hard to spin circles. See, the rear tire wants to go straight forward and the front tire wants to turn, but at the same time they just have to make a giant circle instead of a tight one. That's how it works.

Not telling! k9sar: Shush!

Who, me? I've removed and reinstalled the radiator, yes. My Pathy has about 139,950 miles on it right now. wcruise: Make sure your transmission cooler lines are all in good shape... I've heard of someone having the transmission shift poorly or not at all, due to a bent cooler line or bent fitting in the transmission fluid lines. It was easily fixed by replacing the bent line.

Yeah, I call bullcrap on that idea too. My 33's run smooth, no problems.

You gotta also take into consideration that they have a limited and concrete amount of factoids at their disposal (that probably never get updated or changed), and they also sell hundreds of different products for hundreds of different vehicles. They don't know any better, and there's no motivating factor there for them to go find out what works for every person that asks about each individual vehicle. I mean...2WD, 4WD, SE, XE, LE, E, V6, 4 cyl, auto tranny, manual tranny, the list goes on and on JUST for Pathfinders from 1987-1995 alone! You might email them the link to this thread and let them know.

But was that with the e-brake handle pulled all the way up or not? I still suggest having a shop check the brakes if you don't know what you're doing, in any case. You don't HAVE to have them do work on it if you don't want them to, but they can diagnose problems very quickly and easily compared to trying to figure out what's wrong by asking a bunch of guys living scattered across continents on a Nissan forum on the internet...

Sounds like something sold outside the US. Perhaps a JDM-only offering? I've never heard of a VG33B engine.

That's not a common problem, no. I'd say you have a defective spring. The dealership should warranty that sort of thing if they're worth their salt...even if just to keep someone happy.

Mine's mounted right below the stock stereo, but in the 90-up Pathys, there's another DIN-sized changeholder/storage deal under there so there's no room. I dunno. You'll have to hold the CB in several different places to see where it'll fit. Here's some very useful CB radio information. No-Ground-Plane antenna systems have a very specific purpose. They should be the system of choice when you have no other choice. When your vehicle has little or no metallic surface area for the antenna to use as its NEEDED counterpoise your decision process should be; 1. I just won't have a CB in my vehicle. 2. I will use a ground plane (GP) system and suffer the possible consequences. 3. I will use a no-ground-plane (NGP) system and be able to use my CB. In short, the NGP system (we call it a system because the antenna and coaxial cable are a matched set that may not be interchanged with other NGP antennas and coax assemblies) is a problem solver. If your vehicle does not provide sufficient ground plane for a regular GP antenna, the NGP system will solve the problem. Who should use an NGP system? Here are some probabilities. * Fiberglass or plastic vehicles * Hot air balloons * Wilderness back pack frames * Fiberglass pick-up bed caps * Aluminum and/or fiberglass boats and canoes * Aluminum and/or fiberglass cab-over campers (antenna on camper) * Aluminum and/or fiberglass travel trailers The NGP systems are not "required" on metal vehicles. They will work but you are almost better off using a GP set-up if you have the reflective surface available. The ground wave field strength of a GP antenna on a metallic surface is about 15% stronger than a NGP system on the same vehicle in the same location. This is directly due to the way that the radio's power is delivered to the antenna via the special cable. There is some energy absorption within the cable assembly. However, and again we stress the specific purpose of the NGP system, it is better to have some energy absorbed in the cable assembly than it is to have no communications, or very poor performance with a GP set-up. If your vehicle fits one of the above mentioned profiles and you are doing the first install, you should think of using an NGP system. Furthermore, if your vehicle fits the profile and you already have a disappointing performing antenna, you are a prime candidate for a change. Do keep in mind that the NGP antenna system will not fix the problems that are due to poor installation locations. That is, if you've mounted a GP antenna in a manner that prevents it from radiating energy into free space (usually shows up as an unmanageable SWR problem), the NGP antenna will fail as well. As with most matters involving communications, we try to lay down some basic rules to help you before you get into too much trouble. While theory is okay for grasping a basic concept, if you let it give you tunnel vision you will probably run into a problem from time to time. We like a foundation of theory but cannot ignore over 30 years of actual experience in matters involving CB communications. Accordingly, we know there are exceptions to everything we write and say. But, when we write we need to aim the content towards the majority. It is beyond our capacity to write installation guidelines for every vehicle on the road and every possible location that an antenna could be mounted on the vehicle. For instance, on some fiberglass motorhomes with a steel substructure it is possible to tap into the underlying structure and get a GP antenna to work just fine. Likewise, many Corvette owners have attached a long mounting bracket to the right-rear frame and the good chassis ground allows the use of a regular GP antenna set-up. But, how do you explain to someone who just spent half a day routing cables and installing mounts that their problem is due to insufficient ground plane and they need to tear the whole thing apart and start all over. There are some things you can do before you get too involved in the installation. First of all, find the metal. If you can't … don't even fool with a GP set-up. If you do, make ABSOLUTELY sure that your antenna mount is grounded to the vehicle in some manner, if not directly then with a short grounding braid or wire (minimum of 12 gauge). The fact that the coax cable may be grounded at the radio connection is NOT sufficient and does not exempt you from having a good chassis ground on the mount of a GP set-up. If you mount a GP set-up on an insulated roof rack, ladder, or spare tire rack (most of which have no or intermittent grounding), metal vehicle or not, you must run a ground from the vehicle to the mount. If you aren't sure what to do, you should find someone who can give you some help. Worse case, if you have a GP set-up and are wondering if it will work, than do a temporary installation. That is, put the mount in the area that you plan to make a permanent installation, ground the mount, route the coax from the mount to the radio through a window or door and do a SWR check. This could save you a lot of trouble and keep you from yanking us from your Christmas card list. And last but not least, regardless of the antenna system selected, ALL transmitting antennas MUST be TUNED in their final mounting location. We thought that we would be able to stop mentioning this fact around 1978, but there isn't a week that goes by that someone doesn't says "Huh!" when we ask them if the antenna was tuned. Not tuning your antenna is the same as not putting air in your tires after they are installed. A tire without air is a flat … an antenna without tuning is a stick. Q The antenna I bought claims to be pre-tuned. Do I need to do anything? A Yes. You must tune your antenna to your vehicle. The antenna is pre-tuned on a test bench to make certain it is within the general frequency specifications. It will be somewhat different on your vehicle because of the difference in the ground plane and surroundings. Always check your antenna ... even if you move it from one location on your vehicle to another. Q Can I use any kind of wire to hook my antenna to my radio? A No! For single antenna installations we recommend RG-58 A/U type coaxial cable. If you are running dual antennas (co-phased) you must use RG-59 A/U type coax. Make sure you buy the best cable too. We see numerous problems caused by low grade coax. Don't cut corners when it comes to coax. Q Is the length of the coax cable important? A We find that it is very important ... especially with high performance top-loaded antennas. Your safest bet is to use 18 feet (5.5 meters) coaxial leads on all of your CB installations. Q I only needed 9 feet of coax to go from my radio to my antenna. How should I handle the excess? A What ever you do, do not roll it into a small convenient coil. It will become an RF choke. If you cannot let it lie loose under a seat or in a headliner, wrap it into a yarn-like skein of about 12 to 16 inches, put a wire tie in the center and tuck it under your dash, seat, etc. Q My system has very high SWR, but I only talk very short distances. Since distance isn't important, should I be concerned about high SWR? A Absolutely! High SWR will limits distance and may cause serious damage to your transmitter. The time spent tuning your antenna is time well spent. Don't take the chance. Q What is are the most common errors you find on CB installations? A In order of most to least common, 1) antenna not tuned to vehicle, 2) mounting locations chosen for convenience or appearance versus effectiveness, 3) coax cable ... low quality, worn out, wrong length, or severely pinched, 4) standard antennas used on vehicle with no ground plane instead of special no-ground-plane system. Q There are a lot of different antennas available for CB. Are some better than others? A Without a doubt, top loaded antennas are better than center loaded antennas, and center loaded antenna are better than base loaded antennas. Also, within each style, the taller the antenna the better it will generally perform. Q How important is it to have the antenna mount grounded to the vehicle? A Unless you are using a no-ground plane system, it is extremely important. Ungrounded mounts will usually cause SWR to be high across all channels. Every industry has its bottom dwellers. We cannot protect you from them. Consumers who make decisions based strictly on price, or on what someone says instead of what they can do, will often fall prey to the bottom dwellers. Beware of information from "experts" (real or self-proclaimed). There is antenna theory and there is antenna reality. We have yet to see a vehicle that simulates a lab. While theory is a good starting place...experience is invaluable when it comes to real problems. The knowledge gained from the best book on theory will not necessarily produce the best antenna design. Some "experts" may "claim" 5/8 wave mobile antennas are not possible because they would need to be 23 feet high. They are wrong! Physical length and ground wave performance are not the same. If you ever hear someone make that claim, ask them how a handheld CB can have a 1/4 wave antenna 8 inches long and mobile 1/4 wave antennas can be anywhere from 12-60 inches long in spite of the fact that a physical 1/4 wave is 108 inches. Never key up or attempt to operate your CB without a working antenna or "silly load" (non-radiating antenna simulating device) connected to the radios antenna jack, unless you have extra money to buy another radio, or know a good repairman. All mobile and base transmitting antennas need counter-poise, more commonly called ground plane. The antenna is the reactive unit, the ground plane is the reflective unit. Neither is more important than the other. In mobile installations with standard antenna systems, the vehicle metal (body, frame, etc.) acts as the ground plane. In "no-ground-plane" systems, the coax shield is used for counterpoise. Most, but not all, manufacturers pre-tune their mobile antennas on a test bench. To protect your radio's circuitry and achieve optimum performance, mobile transmitting antennas (CB, cell phone, amateur, etc.) need to be tuned on the vehicle. Before transmitting, you should check your antenna system for shorts or opens. If you have continuity between the center pin of the connector and the outer threaded housing, you may have a short. Don't transmit! If you do not find continuity between the center pin of the coax and the antenna base, you have an open. Fix it. (See "Testing Continuity") Exceptions: Some base loaded antennas use a center tap design and there will be continuity from ground to center conductor. SWR that pegs the needle on all channels almost always indicates a short in your antenna system. Do not attempt to tune the antenna until the short is fixed. Operating with high SWR will probably damage your CB's internal circuits. Make sure that the antenna you are using is the right antenna for your application. Don't use a TV antenna or an AM/FM antenna for your CB. Do not operate your CB without an antenna or silly load. Transmitting antennas are sensitive to objects in their "near field of radiation." Tune your antennas in an open area. Never tune inside or next to a building, near or under trees, near or under power lines, and never with a person holding or standing next to the antenna. Try to simulate normal operating conditions. If you mount two or more antennas close to each other, you will alter the transmission patterns of each one. The affect may be either positive or negative. A recommend minimum of 12" should exist between your CB antenna and other types of antennas. Your radio cannot tell one component from another. As far as the radio is concerned, the coax, stud mount, mounting bracket, antenna and vehicle is ONE unit. Don't be too quick to fault your antenna until you are sure that all of the other components have been given equal consideration. In almost every instance, once you get the same SWR reading on channels 1 and 40, further antenna tuning will not improve the readings. If the SWR is still over 2:1, you have other problems to conquer. Exception: There are rare occasions when the ground plane is so small or large that the system is way out of phase (especially with high-performance antennas). If you have high SWR on all channels and have confirmed that you have no opens or shorts in the feedline, try making a small tuning adjustment in the antenna. There are times when the SWR will drop equally across all channels under unusual ground plane conditions. If you find this to be the case, carefully adjust the antenna. SWR that is high on all channels (over 2:1 but not pegging the needle) after the antenna has been tuned normally indicates a ground plane or coax cable problem. The doors, mirrors, spare tire racks, luggage racks, etc. on many vehicles are insulated from a good ground with nylon or rubber bushings. This also stands true for fiberglass vehicles. Make sure that your antenna mount is grounded, even if it entails running a ground wire to the vehicle chassis. Bad hard ground at the mount generally equates to less than optimum performance. Exception: No ground plane antenna kits do not require a grounded mount. If you are hearing whining noises from your radio while your vehicle is running, it is probably due to "dirty power" being supplied to the radio. Under dash power may be more convenient, but the "cleanest" power will be found by running the radio's power leads straight to the battery. You can never buy coax cable that is too good for your system. Never compromise quality for cost when purchasing coax. Your best bet is to stick with coax that has a stranded center conductor and 90% or higher shielding. Most manufacturers of high performance antennas recommend a specific length of coax cable. If your antenna manufacturer suggests a specific length, give priority to that recommendation. If your ground plane is good, your mount grounded and, your antenna favorably located, coax length rarely becomes an issue. But, if one or more mismatches occur, you may find high SWR. This can often be corrected by using 18 feet lengths of high quality coax. Excess coax between your radio and antenna mount should never be wound into a circular coil of less than 12" in diameter. Doing so can cause system problems. Your best option for handling excess coax is to serpentine the cable into a 12 to 18 inch yarn-like skein. Secure the skein in the center with a wire tie and tuck it away. Single antenna installations require coax with approximately 50 ohm's of resistance (RG-58/U, RG-58 A/U or RG-8X). Dual antenna installations require the use of 72 ohm cable (RG-59/U or RG-59 A/U). Coaxial cables with foam (polyfoam) center conductor insulation should be your last choice for use on mobile (vehicle) installations. Even though it will work initially, it has limited life and does not stand up to the conditions encountered in the mobile environment. Choose coax with polyvinyl insulation when doing mobile installs. Coax cables should never be cut and spliced together like common electrical wire. Line losses will occur. Coaxial cable with holes in the outer insulation, severe bends, or door, trunk or hood caused pinches will cause performance problems. Treat your coax with care. If you live in an area where rain and/or sleet is common, wipe your antenna down with a rag that has been coated with WD-40, Armor-All, Pledge, light oil, etc. This trick prevents ice build up that can overload and cause your antenna to break. In an emergency use butter, cooking oil or anything else that will repel water. When tuning your antenna(s), make sure that you do so with the vehicle doors, hood and trunk closed. If left open, they can cause inaccurate SWR readings. Try to simulate actual operating conditions. Mobile antennas, for best performance, should have no less than 60% of their overall length above the vehicles roof line. For co-phased antennas to perform optimally, the space between the top 60% of the two antennas needs to be unobstructed. Remember, all transmitting antennas need ground plane (counterpoise). Base antennas, much like "no ground plane" antennas, build it in. Do not use mobile antennas for base station applications unless you know how to build your own ground plane. If you are installing a single antenna on one side or the other of your vehicle, best on-the-road performance will be realized if the antenna is on the passenger side of the vehicle (Passenger cars and light trucks) Large trucks or vehicles pulling large trailers should put the antenna on the drivers side to avoid the signal from being blocked by the trailer and to keep from hitting road side trees. Co-phased (dual) antenna installations create a radiation pattern that favors communication directly in front and back of the vehicle. This is why co-phase systems are popular with people who do a lot of highway driving. Co-phase antennas must be center or top loaded. Top loaded antennas are the best. Co-phase antennas can improve performance on vehicles that lack good ground plane characteristics (fiberglass motorhomes, trucks, etc.). Instead of using available metal to reflect the radiated energy, the antennas use each others field. When tuning co-phased antennas (dual), it is best to adjust both antennas an equal amount to maintain equality in their individual resonant frequency. On a co-phase system, if you try to tune each antenna independently using RG-58 type coax and then connect them to the co-phasing harness, you will almost always find that they will appear electrically short as a set. We recommend that you first assemble the entire system. Take all measurements and make all adjustments with both antennas in place. If you are experiencing SWR that is high across the entire band and have eliminated shorts, opens, groundless mounts and coax as potential problems, suspect lack of ground plane. Try adding a spring or quick disconnect to the antenna base. In some cases, the repositioning of the antenna relevant to available ground plane will solve the problem. Magnetic mounts should be used in temporary situations only. If you leave them in the same spot for a long period, the paint will not age like that of the uncovered areas and/or moisture will be trapped between the mount and vehicle causing rust or discoloration. Periodically lift the magnet and gently clean off the underside of the magnet and the vehicle surface. Generally speaking, center loaded antennas perform better than base loaded antennas, and top loaded antennas perform better than all. For any given antenna design (base, center or top loaded), the taller the antenna the better. With length comes a wider bandwidth (lower SWR over more channels), more power handling capability and overall performance increases. When ultimate mobile performance is desired, function should be given precedence over mounting location convenience and appearance. Don't confuse SWR with overall performance. You should seek SWR of 2:1 or lower on channel 1 and 40, but keep in mind that best performance may not be found at the lowest SWR readings. For the most part, if you get your SWR below 2:1, on both ends of the band, don't be overly concerned about using meter tricking procedures that bleed off energy. The SWR meters built into CB radios are okay for general readings, but are rarely sensitive and/or accurate enough for fine tuning of antennas. Use them mostly to indicate serious high SWR problems only. Aside from cost, the type of wire used in or on antennas (copper, silver, aluminum, gold, tinned, etc.) has negligible effect on antenna performance. The antenna must be designed to resonate with the wire type and gauge chosen by the designer. However, larger wire gauges will normally increase the bandwidth and heat dissipation abilities of the antenna.

*nod* If it's that loose, though....there's something REALLY slack on the cables. Dunno if you could tighten the adjuster that far.

You'd about tip over at 50 degrees! Pathys are good up to 45 at least, though. I've seen several of those things go for at least $50 on Ebay...you can buy a Steel Horse tiltmeter/clinometer for about $20 new if that's all you wanted. I never wanted to drop $50 on one specifically from Japan. Spendy toy, that's for sure!

They're about the same as Rancho RS5000's. I've never heard anything good nor bad about Trailmaster shocks. Matterhorn has them on his Pathy, I think. Ask him.

Unnecessary. That pitman arm's stronger than the idler arm by miles. The idler arm has multiple weak points.

The headers themselves fit just fine, it's the crossover pipe that doesn't fit around the auto transmission pan. That's the deal. An exhaust shop should be able to get the crossover pipe to fit with a little creative cutting, bending and welding. It's been done before.

Are you saying that this topic has gone OFF TOPIC?!? Heavens, no!