arcano

I agree with FUELER in that braking can be significantly improved without the expense or complexity of a rear disk swap. I had experienced a gradual deterioration of braking performance in my '98, and I had a couple of scares with brake fade. So, when the time came aroung to change brake pads I upgraded to Stillen drilled rotors, Stillen metal matrix front pads and Goodridge Gstop stainless steel brake lines. I also put new OEM pads in the rear drums. I finished the upgrade with a thorough flush and fresh DOT-3 fluid all around. Braking improved significantly. The pedal now feels much firmer, and modulation is very good. I can now lock up my tires easily, which is something I could not do easily before (I have no ABS). Keep in mind, it was not cheap. I spent around $400 on parts and around $100 to get everything installed. Still, its probably a lot less than a rear disk swap (definitely less headaches). So, even though the idea of rear disk brakes sounds very good (and yes, they look sexy), I don't think it's cost effective.

¿Que pasa Giancarlo? Too bad you're getting rid of the green pathy...but it's good to hear you're staying with Nissan. Are you having any major problems, or just looking for something newer/different? I love my R50, but sometimes I wish I also had a WD21 so I could put in a bigger lift and bigger tires. Notice I said "also", since I have no plans to get rid of my '98. It's my daily driver, super reliable, and it simply rocks.

I recently switched over my '98 with almost 100K miles from regular oil to synthetic with great results, so I say go for it. As FUELER suggested, I did a couple of oil changes with Castrol 10W-30 Syntec Blend to sort of “flush” the regular oil out, but I really don’t think it’s necessary. Then, about 8 months ago I switched to Castrol 10W-30 Syntec fully synthetic motor oil. I have done about 3 oil changes since the switch (every 5K miles or so). So far I've had no problems with leaks, and the engine consumes absolutely no oil. Just like before with regular oil, I fill it up to the mark, and when I change the oil a few months latter the dipstick reads at the same exact spot. I've always done good maintenance on my engine, so it ran very well before the switch, but I swear that after a few oil changes with synthetic oil it has made it run even smoother, especially right after startup. By the way, I recently also switched to Red Line Synthetic oils in the differentials, transmission (5-speed), and transfer, with the same great results.

For a slightly lifted R50 - with the Old Man Emu 1" lift coils and a front 3/4" spacer - what worked for me the best was the Rancho 99010 shocks for the rear (slightlhy longer and adjustable) and KYB GR2s struts for the front. Right now I have Rancho RSX struts, but I liked the GR2s better.

The subwoofer is self powered, with a built in amp rated at 150 watts max. It comes with a wiring harness that plugs right into the Kenwood head unit subwoofer output, so I can control the subwoofer's volume, crossover frequency and other from the head unit. Regarding the lack of air bags, my '98 SE is an oddball even here in Panama. I bought it used in 1999, but it came from the factory with no air bags at all, driver or passenger, no ABS brakes, manual 5-speed transmission, leather seats, 4.63 gears and rear LSD. Definetly not very common, at least I have not seen another one like it here in Panama. Most I've seen have automatic transmissions, both driver and passenger air bags, and ABS brakes.

I finally took a picture of the JKS Quicker Disconnect removable sway bar links I installed about a month ago. I took the picture right after a short ride in the rain, so everything is wet. I have not done any extensive riding with the links disconnected. The reason is that I still have not figured out a way to secure the sway bar when disconnected, but so far the links themselves are not causing any problems. I have greased them once since I installed them. It took me only a few minutes. Regarding the rear sway bar, which I completely removed, I can confirm that this had almost no effect on on-road handling. I don’t drive too fast, especially around corners, but with the stiffer springs and wider tire stance I can barely tell its not there. I hope that off-road it will provide a more stable ride, with more traction over uneven terrain. No problems from the front yet, but as I said above before have kept the links on while off-roading. Will keep everyone posted on the performance.

About 2 months ago I finally took my manual transmission down to replace the throwout bearing, which had been howling when cold for well over a year. I went ahead and replaced the whole clutch while I had it down. I also replaced both the transmission and transfer case oil with Red Line MT-90 synthetic manual transmission oil. At first the dealer's mechanic said I should only use ATF for the transfer case, but after I pointed out that the service manual calls for either Dextron II (ATF) or API GL-4 (gear oil) he asked the resident expert, and they confirmed the redline MT-90 would actually be a very good choice. I like the fact that both transmission and transfer now have the same oil. I also drained and filled the rear and front differentials with Red Line 75W-90 NS synthetic gear oil (GL-5). The front probably had never been changed, but the oil still looked pretty good. The rear, on the other hand, had been changed when I installed the locker about 4 months ago, but had not been changed since. ARB calls for a 500 mile break-in period before heavy use (which I followed), but highly recommends changing the oil afterwards, which I had not done. After about 3,000 miles the rear oil looked a bit dark, with very fine grey particles. I understand this is normal, but I wish I had changed it earlier. The transmission and transfer now shift a smooth as new, or better...and I've had no problems at all with leaking or overheating. Actually, the transmision seems to run cooler (gauging by how hot the area around the shifter gets after a long drive...I think it used to get much hotter.) Overall, I am totally satisfied. By the way, I have also been using Castrol 10W-30 synthetic oil in my engine for over a year, with absolutely great results.

A few months ago I finally got around to upgrading my truck's stereo. My old unit was an Alpine, which sounded OK, but was very limited as far as playing some types of CDs and some file formats. Basically, it would only play plain CDs bought from the store, and had no options for AUX or iPod input. I replaced the head unit with a Kenwood Excelon KDC-X891, and I put Kenwood Excelon speakers on all 4 doors. I already had an Alpine Flex-4 75Wx4 amp under the passenger seat, put in by the previous owner. I also added iPod and Bluetooth adaptors. The sound has improved significantly, and now I can listen to my whole music collection from my iPod while it sits safely in the glove box, and I can answer and place calls through the head unit and talk hands free, without even reaching for my phone. Here are some pictures of the new head unit installed. In the second picture you can also see the switches for the lights below the head unit, and for the compressor and locker right behind the shifter. The only part that was still lacking a bit was bass response. So, I recently added a Kenwood KSC-SW1 powered enclosed subwoofer. This thing is really small, and I think is a real good alternative if you don't want to sacrifice too much cabin or trunk space but still want better bass. It uses a 6 1/2" driver and a 6 1/2" "passive radiator" to produce decent bass for its size. It won't rattle windows or nothing like that, but definitely improves the sound. I mounted the woofer in the truck, on the drivers side. I used the provided bracket to mount it vertically, so its really out of the way. Here are some pictures: Subwoofer: Overall...I think it was a good investment.

As far as I know, nobody makes longer travel struts for the R50. The suspension lifts available for the R50 simply use stiffer springs, so the truck sits higher, but since total front travel is limited by the strut, the front downtravel is reduced by the same amount as the lift. By the way, the original equipment struts in my truck were made by KYB (it was stamped right on the strut body), but they were definetly NOT the same as the KYB GR2 struts sold as aftermarket replacements. I replaced my OEM struts with KYB GR2s first, and then with Rancho RSXs, so I have used them both with a 1" lift without issues. I know others have used them with bigger lifts with only minor topping out issues due to the reduced downtravel. The KYBs lasted well over 4 years. The Ranchos have been on for a bit over 2 years. Each time I replaced struts I compared the lenght of the new and the old, and they were identical. Right now I still have the Rancho struts, but I will probably switch back to KYBs next time I need to replace them. Both are great, and the handling is very similar, but I think liked the KYBs a bit better (and they were cheaper). In the end, I don't think you can go wrong with either one. Good luck...

Yep, no ABS on mine. No airbags either. I always wondered if that was normal for a '98 SE. I thought ABS brakes and airbags would be standard equipment, even back then.

Here is were I put mine: It was a tight fit, but in the end it worked out really well. I used a piece of hose to relocate the filter element for better access. I'll try to find a better picture.

Good info. I personally use SONAX and 3M stuff with excellent results. I start with SONAX concentrated car wash, then use SONAX tar remover for cleaning tar, stains, dead bugs, etc. from the paint. I follow that with medium and fine 3M rubbing compound for removing scratches and swirl marks. Then 3M glaze to fill deep scratches and even the surface out, followed by two coats of 3M liquid wax. I also use SONAX rubber restorer on all the exterior black rubber. For the interior I use 3M leather and vinyl restorer, which really works wonders, and SONAX heavy duty shampoo for the rugs. I've done this to my '98 on average every 2-3 months since I bought it in 2000, and after 8 years the paint still looks great. In between I just let it get dirty, and when necessary I just use lots of water and a clean sponge. The smooth waxed surface just lets the dirt wash right off, and when it doesn't it means its time for another full polish and wax job.

x4 on the KYB GR2 struts. I have used them in the past and they are great. I currently have Rancho RSX struts, and they are also pretty good, but I will definetly switch back to KYB struts when I need to change them again. I also agree with the comment about using only OEM strut bearings, much better quality than KYB. Same thing goes for the strut mount: get the nissan stuff. If I were you I would change both mount and bearing while you are in there. Of course, I also learned all of this the hard way...

They are JKS part number 4100. I am almost sure they are the same ones you used. You did mention that they required lots of maintenance and seizing was a problem. So, I bought a grease gun and some red high pressure grease and pumped them full of the good stuff before putting them on. Then, I did it again last night while the links were on the vehicle to see how hard it was. No problem, and it only took about 10 minutes per side. If that is all it takes I don't mind greasing them once every copuple of weeks. Its just a little messy So, to me, finding a way to hold the swaybar is the real killer right now. By the way, dialed my rear shocks back down to 6, which is my normal setting, and I can barely feel the additional roll when going around corners. Very happy so far.

Thanks for the suggestion Simon. That was my first idea. Unfortunately, it seems as if when you compress the "linked" side of the suspension while the "unlinked" side is extended, the unlinked end of the sway bar could come into contact with the brake line bracket in the strut and possibly rip off the break line on the unlinked side. It’s hard to explain, and maybe I am wrong, but I would not like to find out the hard way. Still, thanks for the suggestion. I may still try it very carefully to see if it actually comes into contact with anything. What I would prefer is to figure out a way to secure the sway bar when I remove the links, so that it stays in one position and does not move up and down with the suspension. Hopefully it can be secured in a position where it will not come into contact with anything as the suspension cycles up and down.

For a long time I had been thinking about doing something with the sway bars in order to get more articulation and better traction on uneven terrain, but I was concerned about street handling. The Pathfinder is my daily driver, and I have two young kids, so safety is paramount to me. A while ago I even bought a set of JKS "quick disconnect" sway bar links for the front, after reading a write-up from XPLORx4, only to find out that he did not like how they worked (I think he ended up just removing the front sway bar). It sounded as if the problem was not with the links themselves, which seem to be very well built, but with the sway bar banging around when the links were removed. So, it should just be a matter of engineering some way to hold the sway bar in place. I figure it can't be too hard. On saturday I finally went ahead and completely removed the rear sway bar. That was easy enough. I also decided to go ahead and install the removable links up front. That was also pretty straightforward, and the links fit very well. My plan is to drive the truck for a few days with the links on to make sure there are no adverse effects, noises, etc. while I figure out a way to secure the sway bar when the links come off. So far I am really happy. The front feels very good with the links in place, as expected, with no binding or strange sounds. I dialed my rear Ranchos to 9, and I can't tell any difference from the missing rear sway bar (although the ride is a little harsh). Today I will dial them down a bit to do some more testing, and if it stops raining I will try to take some pictures. Any ideas on how to hold the sway bar when the links come off?

Here is what I did (you will need a good vice and a REALLY BIG hammer): 1. Secure the mount in the vice, clamping the mount as close as possible to the bolt you want to remove, with the bolt head facing away from you 2. Hit the bolt as hard as you can with the REALLY BIG hammer 3. Reposition mount and repeat for each bolt, then do the other mount All of mine came out with one blow. Watch out for flying bolts... Then, make sure you get good quality hardware (grade 8 or equivalent) and either glue or epoxy the bolts to the mounts so you don't have to hold them in place as you try to tighten the nuts from inside the engine bay. Do not spot weld the bolts to the base, since the heat will change the bolt's metal, probably making it more brittle (after welding, the bolt will not be grade 8 anymore ). Good luck!

For well over a year my '98 SE has been making a howling noise when I press the clutch pedal, especially when cold. I was sure it was the release bearing, so I was planning to redo the whole clutch while I was in there. I had already bought the parts (dealer had a sale on parts for older models, and I got a complete kit for about $300). The dealer also quoted me $400 for the labor, which I think is reasonable considering the amount of work involved. I am also way overdue on changing the transmission and transfer case oil, and I want to switch to synthetic. So, I bought 8 quarts of Redline MT-90, but I have been waiting to redo the clutch before I put it in (this stuff is expensive). On what I thought was a completely unrelated issue, for a very long time the truck had a small coolant leak I could not find. It was small enough that I could just check my coolant level every couple of weeks and top it off as necessary. About a month ago I finally found the leak: it was one of the heater hoses that goes into the cabin. The hose had a small crack, and coolant would spray onto the firewall and drip down on to the top of the transmission, around it, and pool on the skid plate, where it would dry before it had a chance to drip to the floor. A couple of plugs and a "U" shaped hose and the leak was fixed, bypassing the whole heater thing (no need for it in Panama). Now here is the strange part: A few weeks after fixing the coolant leak the clutch howling started going away, and now it is completely gone! The only thing I can think of is that the coolant leak was somehow related to the howling, and now that the leak is fixed the problem has gone away. Maybe some coolant was somehow getting to the clutch release bearing, but I don’t know if it’s possible. So, here are some questions for the experts: Can these two problems really be related? Can coolant make the clutch release bearing howl, and can it fix itself after fixing the leak? Is the lack of howling a good sign, or should I still be worried about an imminent clutch failure? Also, if I go ahead and change the transmission and transfer case oil to synthetic, will I have to drain the oil if I still need to redo the clutch in the near future?

I have these same wheels, but in 15" x 8" with 4.00" backspacing, and I think they fit perfectly on my '98 SE with the OME lift and 3/4" strut spacers (no rubbing at all). I bought them from Summit Racing also, for around $45 each about a year ago. Part Number is USW-84-5860L. I am pretty sure they will fit a stock Pathy, but you will definetly have some rubbing up front with 31" tires. Here is a couple of pictures with 31x10.5 BFGs: Rear: Side (with no rear bumper, hence the extra rear lift): Another side shot (with rear bumper):

I second some of the previous posts about the poor quality of KYB strut bearings and mounts (strut issolators?). I had my original OEM bearings and mounts last well over 80,000 miles (6 years!) before the passenger side started making noises. I replaced with KYB bearings and mounts, which looked very flimsy when compared with the OEM. The first set of KYB mounts were completely destroyed in less than a week, but I blamed it on improper installation of strut spacers. I replaced with second set of KYBs, with the strut spacer installed correctly, and they worked OK for a while, but finally started making popping noises within 1 year (both of them). I finally replaced with OEM bearings and mounts, and they have been in the truck for well over 2 years with no problems. On the other hand, KYB struts and shocks are great, so don't let the quality of the strut bearings discourage you. I liked my KYB gas struts better than my current Rancho RSXs, and the KYBs were cheaper. When I switch struts again I will probably get KYBs...

I also have the OME lift coils, heavy duty front and medium rear (by the way, i don't think OME makes heavy duty coils for the rear, only for the front). I currently also have Rancho RSX struts and custom 3/4" strut spacers up front, and Rancho RS9000X adjustable shocks in the rear. When I originally installed the OME coils (without the strut spacers) I had no bull bar, winch or skid plates. With that setup I think the heavy duty front OME coils were way too stiff. I got over 1" of front lift, but the struts would constantly "top-out" when going over large bumps, just like with the AC 2" lift coils. But, after installing a bull bar, winch and skid plates the ride felt much better and the struts would not top out anymore. Unfortunately I lost about 1/2" of lift, and my front end was sitting close to 1" lower than the rear. So, I installed the strut spacers. With this final setup the truck sits perfectly level. The ride is firm but by no means harsh. I personally think its close to "perfect" I previously had KYB stuts and shocks. If I had to do it again I might switch back to KYB struts up front because I think they "felt" better over large bumps, but the adjustable Ranchos in the rear really make a big differrence. I can set then softer for city driving with the truck empty, and stiffer when the truck is loaded or when I want more stability on the highway. So, I think the ideal setup if you plan on installing a winch would be KYB struts and HD OME coils up front, and Rancho 9000s with the medium OME coils in the rear. If you are not planning on installing a winch, I would go for the same setup, except medium OME coils all around. Good luck!

The "design" i am refering to is really a 3d model I did with Google Sketchup (which is free). All models in SketchUp are fully dimensionable, and I built the model based on real life dimensions I took of my truck, but the measurements were taken mostly with a measuring tape or a ruler, some with a vernier caliper, so the model is only an approximation to show the shop what I wanted the bumper to "look like". My agreement with the shop was that they would follow my model as a conceptual design, but I left them my truck for a week so they could re-measure everything and do the "real life" fitting. So, the model is close, but has some level of inaccuracy and may as well have some significant errors I don't know about. I can send the model by e-mail to anyone who thinks it may be useful. You will need Google Sketchup, which you can get for free here By the way, check out whats next... Can you say winch bumper!!! (the front bumper is also included in the model file, by the way...)

Thanks for the compliments. Really, I am the one who needs to congratulate everyone here for such a great site. Just about everything I have done to my truck has been inspired by stuff I have seen either here or in other forums like this. My bumper was mostly inspired by XPLORx4 and Pezzy's excelent writeups, plus ideas I got from other forums and sites. I shamelessly copied many of XPLORx4's mount ideas. I shopped off the standard bumper mounts (which are made out of really thin and soft metal) and cut little groves in the sheet metal to make the mounting bracket sit flush against the unibody. The bumper mounts using the stock hitch mounting points and 8 large bolts (M12, grade 10.9 of course). I also copied his idea of using four holes left by the spare tire hardware to attach the hitch directly to the unibody for additional support when towing. Here are some pictures of the original design I made, which shows the mounting brackets: There are more pictures during fabrication here The standard NISSAN hitch uses an additional 2 mounting holes that go straight up into the unibody. Some people, including XPLORx4 I believe, used these mounting locations to further reinforce the bumper mount. I decided to keep the design simple and the cost down and only use the main 8 mounting holes, and I've had no problems so far. Visibility is also great out the back, and the spare tire sits low and far enough that I can still open the rear glass without opening the swingout tire carrier! Regarding the cost, I agree that being in Panama helped a little, since labor is not as expensive as in the US. Also, consider that I spent close to $150 on hardware, including push pins, latch, spindle, etc. So, total cost came out to about a grand.

I change the engine oil on my '98 every 10,000 Km (about 6,000 miles). About 6 months ago I switched from dino oil to Castrol Semi Synthetic 10W-30. I think I had about 130,000 Km when I switched (about 81,000 Miles). I didn't have any leaking problems, but honestly, I did not notice much of a difference either. Then, a couple of weeks ago I switched to Castrol Fully Synthetic 10W-30, right at about 150,000 Km (about 93,000 Miles). I swear it made a significant difference in a couple of ways. First, the engine seems to start up smoother in the morning, as if the oil is flowing quicker inside the engine during startup (no valve clatter). Also, the engine used to make some faint ticking or clattering noise when under heavy load, specially under a high gear with low RPMs, and the sound is now almost completely gone. Also, the engine seems to have a little bit of more whomp, maybe a couple of extra HP. No leaking or consumption of oil so far, but it’s only been a couple of weeks. By the way, I also put Red Line synthetic oil in my rear differential about the same time I switched to Semi Synthetic, and I am planning on also putting Red Line in the front differential, transmission and transfer case next time I change the oil in those, which should be soon.

I finally got around to taking some pictures of my new rear bumper... My original bumper got pretty banged up in a road accident last year, so I started thinking about replacing it with a custom job. I got ideas from many bumpers I found on the internet, including XPLORX's and Pezzy's custom rear bumpers, as well as KMA's multicarrier and many other bumpers for other makes and models. After much research I ordered the spindle (RockLogic), shackle mounting brackets with backing plates (Expedition Exchange), toggle clamp and pull pins (McMaster-Carr). I designed the bumper on Google Sketchup and had a local shop fabricate it. The whole bumper is made of 3/16" steel, with 3/4" mounting brackets. Total cost was $860USD installed. I think they did an excelent job. Here is the final result: As you can see, now I have tons of rear clearance, and my departure angle is huge! I've had the bumper on since december, and it has worked great so far. Opening and closing is real smooth, and once closed its really solid. I still need to relocate the license plate, which is now completely covered by the spare tire. I thought I would get a ticket right away, but so far cops have either not noticed or not cared enough to stop me.