Slartibartfast

My dad had a first or second year X and got rid of it pretty quickly. It was gutless (iirc the larger engine wasn't available yet) and the ride was really hard. Then again, it was an ex-rental, so maybe that had something to do with it. We did discover the rental place had screwed up the timing, but even after having that fixed, it still didn't tow very well. The X has a leaf spring rear end, which won't flex quite like a link-and-coil setup. I've heard however that for serious crawling, leafs are helpful, because they keep the axle from drooping too far (and can't drop a spring, I guess). Enough people mod both without interchanging the suspensions that I suspect they're both pretty capable. (Except for the engine, the rear suspension, and the body, they're very similar... thus this thread )

If he doesn't, no doubt we'll hound him until he does. Good to see updates! Can't wait to see it come together.

If you wanted to make this flush, it probably wouldn't be that horrible to chop up the back of the housings. Figure out how much of it needs to come back, and how big it needs to be, then cut out that size circle around the plug end, glue the pipe to the housing, cut to size, and install the plug on the end. Like frenching a tail light, but in reverse. Or... I haven't had my front end apart in a while, but, couldn't you just tighten the adjustment screws a little more? There's the one spot that's a ball swivel, but if you pushed that mount back a bit... might be easier than hacking the housing.

Transmission cooling seems to be a common Nissan weakness. The newer rigs with the four-liter engines blow automatics by cracking the (shared, again) radiator and mixing the ATF with the coolant.

I don't know transmissions too well, but that sounds like a good place to start.

How do the legit upgrade bumpers solve this? All I can think of is bracing the top to the body (so it can't fold up as easily) or adding some kind of sacrificial link that'll fail before the frame bends.

I dunno, mine look the same way. IIRC my dad said it had something to do with the stuff the DOT here uses instead of road salt. I haven't tried to do much about it, though. If rim cleaner doesn't budge it, it's probably solid enough for paint. Hit it with some aluminum primer, then paint it, and let us know if it holds up.

Looks scary! Good work getting them apart.

Hmm... doesn't sound like classic Pathfinder tranny clog then. Your guess about the torque converter may be right, I honestly don't know. It could also be low fluid not filling the TC, but you said that's good... only other thing I can think of is worn-out clutches. Is it any different with the O/D switch on/off? I'm pretty sure OD does something with the torque converter.

I'm not familiar with the R50 interior, but if I was to do this on my WD, I'd be inclined to tie it into the parking lights (you could wire to the cigarette lighter, but this'll save you a switch). Pull the cigarette lighter or mp3 charger or whatever from the socket, put your charger to 12v, and test the socket to figure out which part is + and which is -. If you test it backwards the needle will go the wrong way (or it'll show -12v if you've got a digital meter). Then find a good place to splice into the parking lights, test polarity there, and hook up accordingly (+ to +, - to -). Solder them up and cover with shrink wrap if you've got any. Liquid electrical tape or that self fusing silicone tape would also work. (I've had little success with regular electrical tape on small wires.) I'm not sure what oem switch you're talking about. Due to the low current draw of an LED, I suspect pretty much anything in the truck will power these. If you want them on button control, find a blanking plate, and put a switch there instead. I've got a blank plate in mine that I'll probably replace with a second hazard light switch at some point, wired to a set of driving lights. Every blank plate in a Nissan will take a switch. If you can't find an original switch, or it won't work for your application, just drill a hole in the plate and put a switch there. You can pull off some of the door and kick panel trim stuff to run the wires into the doors (assuming that's where you want them). Sounds like you've got mounting under control, though. Some cars have lighted window switches. If you feel brave, you could try drilling holes in the switch buttons, and stick an LED or two under them. Of course, this is a whole new can of worms... I've just sort of learned where stuff is in mine, so I don't have to take my eyes off the road. I'm no help on the wiper amplifier. But (on the WD anyway) you can easily access the wiper motor by removing the trim from the rear door. A little oil on the moving parts might help; if the motor's straining to push a sticky linkage, it'll draw more amps.

How's reverse?

Given the truck's age and the fact that you've been moving the wiring around hooking up the motor, maybe there's a bad connection. Plugs, continuity, probably worth a check. The MAF might've been fine, just undoing the plug scraped off enough corrosion for it to run right for a bit? Seeing as it's worse than before though I doubt it. You say you were pushing it a bit before it started running horribly. Craftsman says he has the same issue and an injector code. Perhaps you've got an injector issue also: while driving it in 3k failsafe mode, it didn't get a lot of sloshing in the tank, right? Dirty gas or whatever collects at the bottom. Then you start pushing it harder, it sucks some crap through, and it gums up an injector? The resulting misfiring etc might've put it back into failsafe mode even if the MAF's okay. (Check the fuel filter first?)

I've seen a few sites selling panels. Here's one: http://www.partstrain.com/ShopByDepartment/Rocker_Panel/NISSAN/PATHFINDER There was a link to another one posted on the forum a few weeks ago, but I don't remember the URL.

Last winter my truck ran without much issue on 10w30, provided I let it warm up for a minute or so (it was pretty cold). If you're doing an oil change for winter anyway, 5w might be a good idea. Mine ticks a little on cold starts, but that's just the lifters before the oil gets up there, which I understand is pretty common. Is it a tick or a knock? Check the computer if you can, if it's knocking, it may be throwing codes.

So... it clanks, pulls hard to that side, then when it clanks again, it's normal/the other way? Sounds like the pinion's skipping teeth on the rack. The lack of oil (?) may have worn out the bushings or whatever in the steering box.

I can really see either working, but imo the coolest would be both in a basic camo. Complex/expensive though. Are you painting the bumpers the same color? Or keeping them black/chrome? The tan looks a little classier, but less interesting; the brown's more in your face, but I dunno if it would go with the truck's lines. It's easiest to decide what you like when the color's on the car. With that in mind, print off a pic of a clean white Pathy, get a tan pencil and a brown pencil, and see what you think.

I'd be more suspect of the wires than the computer. I've only heard of a few people losing the computer, and that was usually either a result of flooding it with water, or a mysteriously (but obviously) blown resistor. Also iirc you have to disconnect the battery to clear the codes, so if you think you've fixed it, clear the code and see if it comes back.

Keep in mind the xterra transmissions are tougher. If I had to replace mine, I'd go for one of those, with a new trans cooler.

I have a rear flare from a 93, and its mounting points/mudflap mount are totally different from the damaged flare on my 95. Sounds like so long as you get flares from 93 or older you'll be good to go. Seems like more than the dashboard changed between 93 and 94... interesting. Also, IIRC my front flares do tie into the metal lip, they've got little metal clips.

Life itself is now known to the state of California to cause cancer.

Good to know. Sorry for any confusion. I've engaged auto hubs from a dead stop too, though they didn't engage until the rears had spun for a moment. (I'd gotten it stuck on an icy incline.) Does sound like the trans is getting iffy, though.

Finally got the rear bumper reinstalled and repainted. Not quite a thing of beauty, but a definite improvement!

It's close to the filter, but it's the mass air flow sensor. It senses how much air is coming into the engine, and if it gets dirty it'll quit reading right and the engine won't run as well.

Sports/touring? I've got one labelled "sport/comfort," I suspect it's the same deal, just a different market/version. It alters the shocks to make it ride harder or softer.. You can test it by putting it in position (pretty sure the ignition has to be on), and rocking the truck from a corner. It should be harder to rock on the 'sport' setting. My understanding is that you can't really pull the transmission without also removing the engine. I could be wrong. If you don't have/can't borrow an engine hoist, your best bet is probably going through a mechanic. You have the parts already, so most of the cost will be labor; you could call around to different shops and see what they'll quote you on it. I suspect, however, that the transmission isn't the issue. Does it have the stock automatic hubs? They can fail to engage. If the hubs aren't hooking up, the transfer case can spin the front driveline and diff all it wants without spinning the front wheels. You might be able to fix it by swapping in a set of manual hubs, which shouldn't set you back nearly as far as a trans install. I guess the transfer case could be the issue, but I've never heard of one failing. If it drives around fine in 2H, and spins the rear wheels when stuck, it's probably the hubs. I don't think the transmission is the issue. Auto trans issues are common on WDs but usually they take the form of reverse not working, other gears slipping, and finally straight up refusing to move. If it's still driving the rear wheels fine, look at the hubs before tearing into the transmission. (Keep in mind I could be wrong too, I'm not nearly as knowledgeable as many of the guys on here, I just lurk around here too much. ) Good luck.

I saw a guy with a Chevy sand down the translucent paint behind his gauge cluster and respray it another color. A can of candy orange (or like Nunya said, orange LED bulbs) should do the trick. I doubt another dash would bolt straight up.