Slartibartfast

I'd like to see that picture too, might make my VG33 swap easier when I get around to it. I have to ask, though--why is there a maple syrup jug on your strut tower?

I haven't heard of that issue before. Maybe they were designed to fit later trucks that didn't come with auto hubs? I don't know if the R50 spindles have those castellations or not. I imagine you could get away with grinding the spindle so long as you keep the shavings out of the wheel bearing. Does the snap ring look like it'll line up if the hub is seated the rest of the way? It would suck to modify the spindle just to find out that something else is wrong with them. I don't know of a source of new auto hubs, but the last time I checked (which was at least five years ago), new clutches to rebuild them were still available from Nissan. IIRC they were similar in cost to the manual hubs I wanted, so I just bought the manuals instead. Even when they worked how they were supposed to, the autos were more of a hassle than they were supposed to save. There's a writeup here with info on four different manual hubs (no idea if they're available/affordable down under). The hubs in your picture look a lot like the Rugged Ridge hubs Hawairish reviewed. In that thread, I linked to an old video I did when I installed my Mile Marker 435s, which also shows the setup I used to modify the hubcaps to fit. I don't know if the earlier style of hubcap has the convenient ring to run the router bearing around, though, so you may need to get creative there. I think the 435s stick out slightly more than the auto hubs did. Hasn't been an issue for me.

I imagine a mechanic would go about it similarly to how any of us would, with the exception of having a lift for easier access to the underside, or maybe having a few more common culprits in mind. Mine (VG engine) has a brief rattle on startup, especially if it's cold, especially if it's time to change the oil. That's just the lifters making noise until they see oil pressure, not sure if this is as common on the VQ. There is another ticking on mine that is worse when cold, and worse under load, and that's the exhaust leak. An exhaust leak at/near the engine can sound surprisingly metallic, and if it's a small leak, it may close up a little as the system warms. I don't know the VQ's weak spots for exhaust leaks, but if you're staring at the exhaust, keep an eye out for soot marks. (If it was a VG30, I'd say look for broken exhaust studs, but AFAIK Nissan had figured that one out by the time the VQ came out.) Could be a heat shield no longer has room to rattle when the system is warm. I don't know the VQ well enough to say it's definitely not the timing components, but I would expect most internal noises to get worse as the engine warms and the oil thins. If it was pinging I'd expect the computer to be all kinds of unhappy, and if the knock sensor wasn't working, I'd expect it to complain about that, too. If you want to rule out a lean burn, check a spark plug. I worked on a friend's Buick once that was running lean and going into limp mode if he stepped on it. I suspect it was running lean and pinging, and the knock sensor was triggering the limp mode. All I know is the plugs were white and the MAF was filthy, and cleaning it resolved the issue. Doesn't sound like your issue. I like the idea of brakestanding it to see if you can make it act up, but, yeah, I wouldn't roll under a brakestanding truck. I'll bet you could clamp a pair of vise grips to the the shield you suspect of making noise, and take it around the block, and see if the noise goes away. Even if you can't vise grip the shield to something solid, I would expect the weight of the grips hanging off the side to silence the rattle, or at least change it somewhat. I have removed loose heat shields without issue. Easy when they're rotten. Harder when they're still welded/bolted on most of the way around.

Not making the noise when you rev it in neutral makes me think it's not a timing chain guide or an accessory bearing (they shouldn't know if it's in gear or not). When the cat honeycomb broke free on my friend's Chevy, we found it pretty quickly by smacking the exhaust from underneath and listening for the rattle. Sounds like you've ruled that out too. Start with the shields you know are loose. If you can't get a hose clamp around them, try baling wire. I think I still have baling wire wrapped around a loose U bolt on my exhaust. That one caused a rattle from the transmission area, but only at part throttle/moderate load, which had me much more worried than I should've been.

Yeah, the upload function here basically doesn't work. I use flickr, but it's not built for it. If you'd rather I can send you my email address, you can send me the picture, and I'll upload it from there. Not sure if that's less work or not.

The front bumper is the same as the D21 pickup, so I imagine minitrucker demand keeps those available. The rear bumper is WD21 only. Best I can do is a couple of part #s. 85017-60G10 right side, 85016-60G10 left side. I googled one of them and found one available through Nissan Canada, but they were pretty proud of it.

Can you post a picture from your owner's manual? I'm not doubting you, just confused. The only paper owner's manual I've got is for a '95. I was able to find a PDF version of the '93 owner's manual, but it shows what looks like a '92 or earlier cluster on page 1-2, and I don't see the Christmas ornament idiot light listed with the other idiot lights on page 1-6. I have several service manuals for these ('87, '89, '90, '94/'95), but I have not gotten ahold of the '93 (irritating given that's what mine is). Usually the '90 is close enough, but it seems we're up against some one-year weirdness here. Does anyone have a copy of the '93 FSM? The one thing I can say for sure is that this light is not connected to anything in mine. The wires dead-end at the connector to the dash harness. In a vehicle where the dash harness does include the wiring for this light, I would expect the other end to connect to an engine oil temperature switch like this, this, or this. I did not find an oil temp switch advertised for any gen of Pathfinder.

I would check the steering rack bushings and the rear trailing arm bushings, see if anything moves that shouldn't. Also look into the Missing Link. It's a simple mod, connects two points on the undercarriage that look like they were supposed to have a crossmember but for some reason don't. Might firm it up a little. Did they give you a printout of the alignment?

What part of the handling is letting you down? Grip, body roll, steering feel, dancing on washboard?

I popped mine out today to have a look. Is this what yours looks like? I'm not sure what to make of the sweaty free-balling Christmas ornament second from the right. The drip says some kind of fluid is involved, and the color says it's urgent, but I don't see anything indicating heat. The '87 service manual shows a fuel filter light in the warning lamps section, specific to the SD25 diesel. I suspect that's what this is supposed to be. Maybe the bit at the bottom is supposed to be a sediment bowl? Naturally the manual only shows the circuit schematic, not the picture that the bulb lights up. The manual also shows a glow plug light, but nothing about that idiot light says "glow plug" to me (not that it really screams "filter," either). There is a bulb in that slot, and it's wired to the plug on the back of the surround, but the dash harness that plugs into it is not pinned for either of this bulb's wires. The left side has two idiot lights for the auto trans (O/D Off and Power), one blacked-out idiot light slot with no bulb in it, and a low washer fluid light, which does have a bulb, despite being marked Canada-only in every service manual I've looked at. I did not chase the wiring to see if the washer fluid light or the empty slot are wired in the dash harness, but I did see that the dash harness plug has five pins, which is more than the two lights for the trans should need. (I'm also curious whether the manual US-spec trucks have a different rack of idiot lights for the left side, or whether it's just completely blanked out.)

I've got the same '93-only cluster in mine and don't remember seeing one of those while I had it out, though IIRC there was at least one symbol that I couldn't work out a purpose for. Like Adam, I assumed it was diesel-related. Does yours say engine oil temp or is it a picture? I might have to pop mine out and have a look with a flashlight. I haven't found a '93 FSM yet, but '90 and '95 have no mention of an engine oil temp light. Operator's manual, you mean like the one in the glovebox, with the jacking points and whatnot?

First I've heard of it. There's a transmission oil temp light, haven't heard of an engine oil temp light or sensor though. Where on the cluster? Round dash or square?

Good idea with the grease nipples, haven't seen that done for bushings before.

I doubt there would be much of a downside, other than looking like you've got too much stuff in the back.

I would expect heavy-duty front springs to change the ride or at least the rake in the summer. I think our plow rig (old IH Scout) has standard front springs, and they do just fine. My only reservation with putting a plow on an R50 would be figuring out how to mount the thing to the unibody. It's bolted to the frame on the Scout, and those mounting points take a hell of a beating. This might give you some ideas for mounting, if you don't already have that side of things locked down.

Nissanpartsdeal lists 33251-2W510 for an '03 R50 with the ATX14A (which their diagrams call the XN3) auto transfer case, and 33274-7S110 for an '06 R51. The pictures look reasonably similar between them, but they've only got a line drawing for the R50 actuator. I suspect you'd be better off tracking down the right part from a wrecker vs trying to make the R51 actuator work.

Nice! Did you do anything to it, or is it just the neutral>reverse trick keeping you going? If that's all it takes to make it grab reverse, I wonder if the shift cable might just be a little wonky.

NissanPartsDeal lists three ASCD computers that'll fit a '99 (18930-0W000, 10/'95-12/'98; 18930-1W200, 7/'97-12/'98; 18930-2W600, 12/'98-01/'00), but all three are listed for MT and AT. So, yeah, swap the auto trans shifter safety for a clutch safety and you should be golden. I'll bet pin 12 is how the ASCD tells the TCM to shift up or down. Might be straight-up commanding the TCM to shift, might just be feeding it the target speed so it can make up its own mind. I assume the ASCD doesn't expect a reply and so doesn't know/care if there's a TCM present or not. I remember someone came up with a rail shifter kit for the RE4R01A, but they were using it in a W/D21. I can only imagine how upset the VQ R50's electrical system would get if something else was controlling the slushbox.

Link's not working on my end, guessing this one? I haven't tried it, but wouldn't expect it to do much. Carb spacers, sure, but all that's doing is adding a small amount of volume to the plenum. I wouldn't expect gains from the hot-air intake in that thread, either.

Maintenance is always a good idea. I did the transmission and transfer case fluids when I got mine (at similar mileage), and the junk that came out of the auto trans made me glad I did. If yours is manual, make sure you use GL-4 fluid, the more common GL-5 eats the synchros. I added a cooler and an external filter to the trans cooler plumbing while I was in there. If you replace the diff oil, and you've got the limited slip in the back, make sure you've got the limited slip additive to keep that alive. Power steering and brake fluid are usually neglected and nasty. Check the brakes. Have a look at the brake hoses, too, they may be in rough shape if they're original. Check that the front wheel bearings are tight, and the boots on the CVs and rack aren't blown out. Look for any obviously loose suspension/steering joints. Shoot some grease at any zerk fittings you find. Check for rust in the strut towers and fuel filler neck, or anywhere else you find it. Check the drive belts. Check the cooling system. If you don't know when the timing belt was done last, or it's been over 100k, do the timing belt. These are interference, so you don't want that to let go while the engine is running. While you're in there, do the idler, bypass hose, water pump, thermostat, and the cam/crank seals. There are instructions in the service manual, and in 5523's writeup, which has a less fussy way of setting the belt tension. Manual hubs should get you some mileage. Having it tuned up and running right will help too (plugs/wires/cap/rotor, air and fuel filters, maybe check the timing while you're in there). Make sure the MAF is good and clean, the vacuum lines are intact (including the one to the fuel pressure regulator at the back), the throttle body is reasonably clean, and the tube between the MAF and the throttle body isn't split. If you've got any OBDII codes, chase those down.

Oof. Yeah, that sounds like time to give up on the arm. A relief cut should do it, just make sure you don't nick the splines. Cut it most of the way, crack it with a chisel. Replied to your PM. Arm is off the donor, just need an address to send it to.

Cutting/welding might work if you've got the skills and time to do it right. I wouldn't tackle it myself, but after seeing this guy get away with far worse on a Ferrari engine, I'm sure it's possible. I don't see why the VQ40 wouldn't fit, given they got the VQ35 in there. IIRC it's direct-injected, so you'd need pretty much the whole fuel system out of the X, and the electronics could be a struggle given how interwoven all the electrical systems are on newer stuff. If the transfer case output is on the driver's side, you could get driveshafts made to work with the stock running gear.

Nissanpartsdeal says they have them. The part number might help you find one listed cheaper, but given it's not a part that wears out, I wouldn't expect to find an aftermarket version. I bought one from a wrecking yard a while back, but keep in mind you'll need one off a mid '92 or later. Earlier arms have smaller tapers, and the very early/4-cylinder arms have smaller splines too. Expect a fight getting it off the steering box. Which side broke, the bolt or the joint? If the link is still on there, have you tried a pickle fork? If you're using the pullers with two arms, I haven't had much luck with those either. I use one of these and haven't managed to break it yet. Usually I'll tighten it up and whack the end of the screw with the hammer. If it still won't come loose/air hammer turned it to hamburger, and you can't find one locally, PM me. I've got one on my parts truck.

The transfer case from an auto truck should bolt to the five-speed without issue. The transfer the five-speed comes with is basically the same box apart from a lip under the input shaft seal. Not sure what it's for, haven't heard of anyone running into issues without it. Same driveshafts. I've read the bellhousing and transfer case bolts are longer for the manual than for the auto, so try and get those with the transmission. I didn't even know there was a six-speed in the second gen X. I would not expect it to bolt up. Different engine, different transfer case. Not sure about the six-speed but I don't think the five-speed has a separate bellhousing.

Reminds me of doing the starter on mine. Hopefully you don't have to do it again any time soon!