Slartibartfast

For anyone wondering what it takes to LED-swap the rocker switches, here ya go. I haven't had a round-dash push-switch apart in a while, but I would expect a similar approach to work there too.

Oh, nice! Good to know that's what goes wrong with these. If the reflow keeps working, keep that one on the shelf as a spare. And yeah, get that Claymore outta there.

No personal experience. I think I saw someone complain about them being reboxed aftermarket crap on r/justrolledintotheshop, but can't find the post now, and the name is generic enough that I could be confusing it with something else. There was some chatter on the Farcebook group a while ago about aftermarket CVs with a better range of motion than stock, not sure if those are still available. Rebooting is also an option--though the last time I did that, I swore I'd just buy new ones the next time. Good lord those things put up a fight. The vibration getting worse with the lift and tires is interesting. If the vibration's still there with the driveshaft out, and you haven't tried rotating the tires yet, give that a go.

Looks like fun! Nice bumpers, too.

I doubt the wrong MAF only started being a problem recently, after running normally for however long it's been in there, but your symptoms are pretty close to how my WD21 behaved when the electrical connector for the MAF was acting up. Check the tube from the MAF to the throttle body while you're in there, make sure it's not torn. I would also check the filaments on the old MAF for any obvious contamination. The fuel filter's not a bad idea for preventative maintenance, but, yeah, I doubt it's related. Normally I would suggest cleaning the throttle body, but I've read horror stories of the drive-by-wire computer noticing the difference, deciding the throttle body is broken, and needing a trip to the dealer to convince it otherwise, so maybe leave that one well enough alone--or at least do your homework first. Hopefully the first shot from the parts cannon gets the job done!

TF-160 of the '03 manual shows the oil pump on the back of the transfer, accessible by removing the tailshaft housing, geared off the rear output shaft (actually looks like it's running off the speedometer drive gear). Based on that, looks like it should pump regardless of what the front end is doing. And yeah, I'd expect it to behave about the same as unlocked hubs. You might get a light on the dash if the control unit for the transfer gets confused--IIRC some of them determine front wheel speed from the ABS sensors, and some watch a sensor on the front output of the transfer, and the latter system gets understandably confused when it sees what looks like a rolling burnout at highway speed for hours. AFAIK the transfer itself doesn't notice or care. TL;DR, yeah, should be fine. If it doesn't vibrate with the driveshaft out, that points to the driveshaft. I haven't messed with the U joints on mine, but I've heard they can be a PITA to get balanced again afterwards. The PD section of the manual shows a bunch of different thicknesses of snap rings that I assume are used to get the end-play correct. Worth a look if you haven't yet. I remember one case where a guy had a vibration only in 4x which IIRC came down to his front diff bushings being so trashed that the diff was moving and screwing up the U-joint angle when the front end was loaded. Doesn't really match your symptoms, but it's the only other thing I can think of that would cause a front-end vibration that isn't tire wear or bearings or something along those lines. My money's still on the driveshaft.

Looking good! Bet it's nice to have the suspension level again. Jesus that's an expensive roof rack.

^ That's a good idea! I didn't know slow-blow blade fuses were a thing.

Yeah, I haven't heard of it happening, but figured it might be worth mentioning. My cheap OBDII scanner shows live data (no graphing or anything special) and pending codes.

If the computer is pulling timing, it's probably got a reason. I would start with the scanner, live data and codes. Only other thing I can think of is if it's jumped timing. I wouldn't expect a chain to do that, but I do remember reading about some chain guide issues on the 4.0. I don't know the VQ, but the 2UZ-FE in my dad's Yota ran poorly with the belt one tooth off, and not at all two teeth off. (A mouse found its way into the timing cover, and had a Very Bad Time inside.) Threw a cam sensor code IIRC.

LOL, reminds me of the stereo that was in mine when I got it. The faceplate motored open to reveal the CD slot, which would've been kinda neat if the faceplate didn't run into the shifter, strain for a moment, and then close again. I think I saw someone a while back who moved the HVAC controls down to where the head unit used to be, and somehow put the double-din up above. Might've deleted the middle vents to make it work? Must've been a square-dash. Better spot for the screen, but probably more work than it's worth.

Looked better tucked into the hole IMO but I imagine the neck makes it easier to read and reach the screen. How's that pivot locked? Looks like something that could start working its way down after a few good bumps. I kept mine simple, basic single-din HU that I can plug an ipod into. I spend enough time swearing at touchscreens when I'm not driving. When I need maps, I just stick my phone in the ashtray. +1 for Dire Straits, though.

There was no info in the post, just pictures. Looks close to the same width as the top of the fender, though.

Yeah, I think the group got set to private at some point. Here's a screenshot of the finished product. I like that Flatout kit. A friend of mine used plastic lawn edging for flares on his S10 Blazer. It was cheap and quick, and it does keep the mud off the sides of the truck. It does however look like plastic lawn edging.

No aftermarket ones that I'm aware of, but a guy on the Farcebook page (what are the chances that link actually works?) made up a set a while ago. Looks like sheet metal and tubing, pretty simple. Also looks like the guy has a pet monkey.

Sounds like junk to me then. I'd be surprised if you got more than the core charge out of it.

If you're throwing a computer at it without knowing for sure that the old one is the problem, might be worth keeping it, or at least stalling on sending it back, until you're sure the old one is in fact roached. If it is verified junk, send it in as a core and let someone else deal with it. I doubt anyone but the rebuilder is looking for a blown up computer for a '98 Pathfinder.

The fuse links are intentionally undersized. That's what makes them the weak link, so they burn up before the harness does. Looks like they're usually four sizes smaller than the wiring they interrupt, which matches your observation that a wire which should be 12ga to take the rated amps appears to be 16ga. Blade fuses would be more convenient, but might be tricky to size properly. They don't work the same as fuse links. Fuse links are slow-blow. A blade fuse might pop for brief overloads that the fuse link never noticed, and if you fixed this with a bigger fuse, it might not fail for a lower-but-sustained overload that would've taken out the fuse link. I'm not saying that it can't be done, or that it would definitely change the failure point enough to matter (surely it's not on a knife's edge if they trusted it to fuse links in the first place), but I don't know how far I'd trust it. I've never had to replace a fuse link on mine, so I'm inclined to leave well enough alone. If I was going to reengineer them, I like your idea with the screw terminals. Make sure you get the special fuse link wire, sounds like its got special insulation so it doesn't start a fire when it blows.

Makes sense it's momentary so you don't leave it disengaged by accident.

Drop-downs and a VCR would've been pretty impressive in the late '90s.

Those two switches are for entirely separate systems. The interlock switch is for the starter motor. If the starter interlock is on, the starter will only run if the clutch pedal is down. The interlock's meant to stop you from running into parked cars/garage doors/etc if you forget it's in gear when you try to start it. With the interlock switched off, you can move a disabled vehicle a short distance using the starter motor, or reach in and fire it up without getting into the driver's seat if you're sure you've got it in neutral. I've read you can also use it to drive out of precarious situations off-road where you don't want to slip the clutch and risk rolling backwards. The switch for the adjustable shocks powers a little motor/solenoid at the top of the shock, which opens or closes a bypass for the piston inside. There's a motor/solenoid in the can on top of the shock that opens and closes a valve to allow oil to bypass the piston. You should hear a little click from the can when you switch settings. Very simple system. It might've even done something when the truck was new. I couldn't tell the difference from the driver's seat in my '95, but the truck was a little harder to rock from the outside when the shocks were in sport mode (valves closed). If the PO replaced the suspension, that likely included the shocks, and they likely used regular non-adjustable shocks rather than trying to track down the originals. That's what I did on mine.

If one hole was weak enough to strip, and they're in the same area on the same truck, I would not be surprised if the others were similarly compromised. And, yeah, lubed threads can cause overtorquing (if the spec assumes they're dry). You may be giving weakened threads more torque than they wanted when they were new.

If the noise went away for a while, that makes me think you were on the right track. Could be the zip tie isn't around the end that was rattling, or the engine moves under load in a way that slackens the zip tie, if it's on the engine mount. IIRC the service manual has a procedure for resetting the computer (some Konami code entered by turning the key on and off and pushing pedals). Took us a couple of tries to get it right on my dad's R50, but it did work in the end, though of course it did not fix the issue we were chasing. Unhooking the battery for a while should work too. If it was pinging that hard, I would expect it to pull timing until it wasn't, or go into some kind of limp mode. I haven't done belts on a VQ. If they're like the belts on mine, they're a little fiddly to get to, but otherwise not too bad. If you're happy with the tension now, you could mark or measure the adjusters and just shoot for the same point when you put it back together, assuming you're re-using the belts. Not a bad idea to check the accessory drive, but again, if it's only making noise when it's in gear, I would not expect it to be an accessory or timing component.

News to me too! They look similar to the adjusters in the WD21 adjustable shocks. I had no idea they carried that design into the R50.

Might be the relay, though I can't say I've heard of one flashing like that. Easy enough to swap and see if that clears it up. Is it flashing slow, fast, irregularly? What year was the harness donor? I'll look at the diagram and see if something jumps out at me as a possible cause. Does sound like you've lost an injector. I have not heard much good about the eBay ones. I can't think of a way they'd mess with the battery light, though.