Slartibartfast

The two down stream O2s are throwing codes because the cats are gutted. That alone shouldn't cause performance issues. The FSM may be your best bet. Failing that, however, I'd start with the plugs for the MAF, throttle position sensor, and coolant temp sensor. Unplug, inspect the wiring, clean the plug contacts if necessary, stick them back together and see if that helps.

Welding the front end has been done: Sounds like it's great in some situations and a PITA the rest of the time. The LSD sounds like a better option IMO, although apparently it's not easy on the front end either. I suspect hydro steer would just kill the joints quicker.

That would've been a funeral to see! Sorry to hear you lost your friend. I've been using my Pathy as an oversized lawn tractor lately. Turns out it can pull down snags.

I would expect carbon buildup or cracked vacuum lines.

We have a Facebook page?

Just the one sensor. Looks like page EF&EC 96 of the FSM shows a test procedure. If you haven't downloaded the service manual, do it, it comes in handy.

Those look pretty stout! You might want to brace that idler, though, it'll have a lot of twisting force on it with one joint above/one below like that.

The head unit needs input from the hand brake?

I'm running straight 10W30 without apparent issue. I might try 5W30 on my next change to see if the lifters tick less on cold starts. Thanks for the link B, it fills in a lot of stuff I didn't know. From what I've read, the Lucas stuff serves to quiet down engines that are just about shot, kind of like adding sawdust to the oil, or mixing aluminum powder into the cooling system to stop up a leak. If your engine's in good shape, it's probably better off on the oil it was designed for.

One of my dad's Nissans (I think it was the car50) was set up so that the windows could be operated after shutting it off. It stayed live until you opened a door. You may be able to program the existing hardware to do this; my dad's R51 Frontier had a preset that made the doors lock if you went over 10 mph or something (because paranoia), and we found instructions to turn that off by turning the key and messing with the window switch in the right sequence. It might've been in the owner's manual actually. I don't know how the later Pathfinders (much less the Aussie rigs) were optioned, but look into this before cutting wires. If that doesn't pan out, I'd just run a relay off the parking lights to feed power to the windows. The problem would be figuring out how to wire the thing. Is the window circuit fused in the box? If it is, it's probably on a bus with a bunch of other things, so powering it up would also power up whatever else is on that bus--radio, fuel pump, whatever. If this isn't a problem, you're good. If it is, you could isolate it so it's only powered through the relay, but then the windows don't work unless you have your parking lights on. I think to do it properly you'd have to hook the relay output to the windows, and then run a diode between the relay output and the fuse box, so either the bus or the relay could power the windows but the relay couldn't power the fuse box. And yes, just pulling the fuse and hooking unswitched + to the side that's not the bus would be much easier. I'd make them switched because if something goes wrong, it's good to have some way to turn them off short of disconnecting the ground wire from the battery. I would also worry about it drawing down the battery if the windows are controlled by some kind of electronic module. All of this assumes the window circuitry is free-standing and not built into some all-encompassing computer system. If it is, I'd put down the wire strippers, back away slowly, and make a note to roll up the windows before shutting off the engine, because ain't nobody got time for that.

No idea on part number, but if you search for pathfinder bumper bracket on eBay you should find some. How mucked up are your old brackets? Mine were pretty bad, but I just loosely bolted them to the bumper (with a bunch of washers on the driver's side one), slid them into the body, then bolted them in, then finished bolting the bumper in. Not perfect but it got the bumper back on!

Auto hubs are kind of a crapshoot, especially if they haven't been used in a while. I don't remember hearing anything from the hubs unless the rear is slipping when they lock (wham!) or the one time that one of them came half disengaged and chattered. To check them I'd say try and put it in 4x (engage the transfer case and then drive it several feet forward), jack up the front end, spin a wheel and see if the CV shaft spins with the wheel. If the CV and wheel don't spin together, then that hub isn't locked in. The front diff on these is wide open so both hubs have to lock for the front wheels to do anything. You can open them up and service them (just a grease job) and check the thickness of the bits inside (the service manual calls them brakes) against the specs in the manual. Mine are worn way past tolerance and their performance is spotty, though they do usually work. A word of warning, though, after I worked on mine, one of the clutch sections found a way to bind up and made the truck handle like the brake caliper on that side was dragging. (I may have simply put it back together wrong.) A good whack with a rubber mallet might unstick a hub without having to disassemble it, and if it doesn't, it might at least make you feel better. Most people recommend manual hubs. I'm planning to install a set before next winter.

IIRC the only change in the transmissions was that they put the fill hole a little higher so you don't have to add oil through the shifter hole. Ratios might be slightly different too, I don't know. I imagine it would bolt up just fine.

I don't know about the DRL modules but it's common for the actual switch (the one on the column) to make one headlight or the other not work. One of my high beams quit once, and cleaning the switch contacts fixed the problem.

I notched the ends of some needlenose pliers with a cutoff wheel in my Dremel knockoff. It wasn't the right tool by any stretch of the imagination but it got the job done. I found that a paint can opener helped a lot for pulling the ring along the shaft while the pliers held it open.

I ended up cutting the pin off of mine (the clips broke, so it banged into stuff). Somehow I always end up parking it with the passenger's side higher by enough to make the carrier want to shut on me. So I jam a screwdriver or a stick or something in there to hold it open.

Sounds idle air control related to me. Basically it's the thing that bumps up your idle speed when the engine is cold. I suspect it kicks in with the power steering and air conditioner as well so that those can't stall it out. Yours might need cleaning, or the connector might be a little corroded. Good to hear it's back to normal now though. I used denatured alcohol and a q-tip to very carefully clean my MAF. Be sure that whatever you use won't leave a residue, and be gentle with the sensor filaments.

I dropped mine to replace it. Ramps help a lot, as does taking the rear fender flares off and pulling the gas filler completely out before trying to move the tank. How rusty is your rig? If the bolts are rusted in, you're gonna have a bad time. I broke several of the tank bolts trying to get them out. Getting it back in is also fun, especially the part where you hold it up with your knee while trying to get the bolts to thread. You can use a jack but put a board on the top or you'll dent the tank. The plastic lid sounds like a great way to go!

Your gauge sounds like mine. My tank usually takes something like 16 gallons when the needle's approaching empty. The pump can't drain all 21 gallons out of there. I don't have much to check it against, but it will run out of gas just past empty, so I suspect the gauge is working more or less like it should. The low fuel light, not so much...

I bought my driver's mirror used and the fading is close enough that I haven't noticed any color difference. Maybe an Arizona mirror on a Seattle truck would show.

Base model.

Sorry there aren't many people on here with diesels.

IIRC I read they'd had tranny issues with it? Nice to see it turn up again.

If the cat's good and clogged up I guess it could be making it misfire (and it would certainly cut power and fuel economy). 12.5 on a stock rig ain't normal. My money's on the ignition though... check the same stuff you checked last time, see if anything's loose or if the wires are arcing to something they shouldn't be.

I don't think I've read about may dead heater fans, but I had my blower motor to bits a few months ago and ended up cleaning the motor out. It was getting kind of nasty inside. Works fine now, but then, it did before too; I took it out because I was in there anyway and figured I might as well. I'd just pull the fan motor, test it, and go from there. (It's not too hard to get to.) If the motor's okay, check the wiring (and the resistor pack that sticks into the airbox; there's a thread on here for cleaning out around those, which is good to do anyway). If the motor doesn't work, try cleaning it out. Might be dirty inside like mine was, or it might have leaves/pine needles/live squirrels in the fan. If it's truly shot, I imagine most any Pathfinder or Hardbody at a wrecking yard would have one. Reminds me of my (other) project car... the blower didn't work when we got it. Turned out the motor was fine, but mice had packed most of the passenger's seat into the fan housing!