drewp29

I do indeed have the LSD currently, and the donor HG43 is confirmed as a LSD as well (4x4 locking). Thanks for the advice fleurys!

So I found a used Rear Axle Assembly HG43 (confirmed) in excellent condition for $450 out of a 2002 Pathfinder. I can get it to my place for free because the salvage yard makes regular trips to my neck of the prairie. This seems like decent price compared to the others I have seen, and I don't have to trailer it myself. What do you think? Should I pull the trigger? So who has some extra friction plates/discs they'd like to give me a good deal on so I can build this thing before I swap it in?

Sweet, good to know . . . I was afraid with the rarity of the 5spd trannys that I would be SOL and have to change gear ratios front and rear, which would suck. Thanks!

No worries . . . but you kinda got my hopes up

So what you are saying is the Auto rear axle is a HG46? Apparently so according to Desert Rat . . . Damn now I gotta start hunting. Of course it wouldn't be as easy since the 5spd is different and there are almost ZERO 5spd Pathfinders. linky What Axle Do I Have

That's my understanding too . . . but a boy can dream right? I checked the firewall on the passenger side and the stamped tag says it is a HG43 rear drive assembly. I was actually reading that and thought it would be a great idea. I'm fairly handy with a wrench but projects usually take longer than I expect. I drive my Pathy currently to work during the week and would need to have everything back together in a couple days. I might take a longer look at that thread and compare to the service manual to see if I feel the job is doable for my skill level given time restraints. So I searched Colorado on car-part.com and came up with a rear axle assembly with a locking diff, with only 70k miles on it and graded an A. It shouldn't make a difference that it came from an automatic transmission and mine is a 5spd should it? Just wondering why they would include AT in the description if it doesn't matter.

Disc brake? or Drum brake? A rear with discs would be A-NICE!

Thanks XPLORx4 - so no options other than a used one? How about if I went with like an ARB Air Locker or a Detroit . . . or are there parts in mine that I need to use with the ARB or Detroit and thus would need a new one anyway? Not totally sure what all gets replaced with the Locker. Or is that overkill for my limited wheeling application? It's the LSD rear, so I am assuming 33 spline? or am I wrong on that?

So I posted this over on nicoclub, but at Towncivilians advice I am going to post it here as well. I had a buddy of mine take a look at my 02 Pathy on Saturday, due to some vibration issues at 45mph and 55-70mph, and while the truck was up on the lift we accelerated to about 55mph and the rear differential was making some horrible noises the whole time, but particularly when the speed was increased to 55 and under engine braking. We drained the differential and the amount of metal shavings and chunks that came out was incredible! So it was determined the rear diff is pretty shot and I'll need to get it fixed in the near future. I have only had the truck about 4 months and the noise has been present the entire time (156k currently on the OD). I got a pretty sweet deal on it so I am not too worried about putting money into it to fix the issues it has. I am not planning on any hardcore wheeling, just some off the beaten path trailheads for mountain biking. So what would you recommend? Looking for a used but good condition rear axle? Or should I look for an aftermarket upgrade? If I go aftermarket, please give me some recommendations . . . Thanks!

Hello Everyone! The past few days we have had quite a bit of snow around here, so I have been driving mostly in 4hi and I noticed something odd. While braking in 4hi and sliding slightly, I have heard a grinding coming from my front differential. At one corner in particular that is downhill and a little off camber it has happened twice now. My thoughts are that the ABS is kicking in from the slip condition and for some reason the front diff is not liking what the brake system is trying to accomplish. I think it is the front differential and not the brakes based on the location of the noise, but could be wrong. The first time it happened I thought I had a problem with my brakes, but otherwise they feel fine. This is the only condition in which the noise can be reproduced. Any thoughts on what might be the culprit? My 2002 Pathy has stock suspension, stock tire size, and the brakes are worn but NOT totally shot at this point.

Thanks Devonianwalk! I almost found out the hard way as well, but I noticed when the extensions came apart that the short extension would have been 'down in the hole' if I had it connected to the spark plug socket and I thought, 'cripes that would have sucked, better remember that for the next one!'. I thought myself smart until I cross-threaded the coil pack bolt on cylinder 5 and had to easy-out my way out of that problem. I even started the bolt by hand but apparently didn't get it threaded as much as I should have. Oh well, I re-tapped the hole after getting the sheared bolt out and all is good again. My projects always seem to take twice as long as I expect

Yay, first post . . . I lol'd at this comment Easily accessible must be subjective, cause I changed my 02's plugs a couple weekends back (never been done by the previous owner, 152k on the odometer! Yikes!) and yeah, once everything is outta the way, they are accessible, though I wouldn't say easily. Don't take this the wrong way Pmoore304, you can definitely change the plugs yourself, but be patient with it. It is going to take a little while to get access to the coil packs, and you are going to need a long and short extension for your socket wrench. I used the long+short combo to get down to the spark plug. If you do it this way, make sure you attach the short extension to the wrench in case they come apart while trying the pull the spark plug socket off the plug after install. That way you can still grab the long extension without it being down in the plug well. The great thing about this engine is most every bolt head is a 10mm socket, and the other few are either 12mm or 14mm.