TahoeRunner

I thought 2003 was the last year and they ditched it in the 04 last year run of the r50?

keep in mind that the kbb and Edmunds and NADA are all "guides" and can vary locally by a bit. If I recall Santa Fe is a mountain town correct? if its a small market and a mountain town 4x4's that are super clean and under 10k usually pull in more money. I have the same situation here in Reno. The mileage is a little high but an 02-03 with a stick is a rare bird, even more so with the sunroof and bose stereo. Especially as the car gets older, the kbb and such get less relevant. If I have a lower mileage 4x4 SUV Automatic anything that is one owner, super clean has all the power typical items its automatically worth $4k or more even with over 150k miles being 13 years old and even though kbb may value it at $2500. I'd say 5k is a pretty good price if it checks out really immaculate. Cars that are over 7-8 years old, and are actually in really good shape are rare. More than likely he got it for $4k or so, but those little shops have to clean-em-up nice and mark em up a lot or offer financing to people no body else would. The key is how long has he been sitting on it, and more than likely he knew it was rare being a stick, but the one buyer that would be searching for it hasn't shown up yet. That's a gamble as a dealer, and usually doesn't pan out in the end. Those looking for a stick, usually do their research and know what stuff is worth... So I'd say go down there, offer him $4500 and you'll probably end up in the middle and anything you can get it fro under $5k would be a bonus. Might be a good idea to take it to an independent shop and pay them $40 to give a good looksee and scan it.

Okay so I think I figured it out... I looked up those frontier wheels again and they actually have a +30mm offset, which doing the math = a 5.18" backspace, which would tuck the wheels way in right? What offset and width are the lego wheels?

Awesome, thanks kyle. Yeah I found a junked R50 here locally that has a good rack on it, and its beefier than the one that comes on a WD21 (which mine has no rack). Wanted to see if it would work!

Hey I need to know the dimensions of an R50 stock roof rack, will it fit on top of a WD21? How long are the tracks and how far apart are they spaced with the cross bars in. I'm just talking about the late 90's basic version, not the beefed up xterra looking one they started installing in 01 or 02. Can someone measure one for me?

So am I understanding it correctly as a - offset pushes the mounting point of the wheel, to the back of the wheel, therefore making it stick out farther, or do I have that backwards? So for those frontier wheels, they are 7" wide = 177.8 mm. So if they are a -30 mm = -30 + 177.8/2 + 12.7 mm = 71.6 mm = 2.8" backspace? but 2.8" is left of the numbers at the top of the chart... am I doing that right? what's that mean, it won't fit? is the goal to be 0 or slightly negative backspacing?

So you say 3-4" back spacing... how does that translate to the offset. I found these http://reno.craigslist.org/pts/4116838420.html They are -30 offset... but not sure what that means?

Wow I didn't realize it was just throwing in the JGC springs (which I was planning to do anyway from some recommending that to make towing a little less "squatty" in the rear and cranking the torsion bars. honestly doing that and throwing on some 31's though sounds like that would be perfect and cheap at least for the next few years. I just found a guy locally selling the frontier/xterra Nismo 16" wheels in good shape. Does anybody run those on the wd21? I'd like to see how that looks. I looked and they have 265/75r16's which are just a hair under 32" in diam. Would it be better to step down to a 70 series sidewall to get closer to 31's or would it run that okay?

yeah, we really enjoyed doing it as a family. Even our youngest had a blast... when I had to take a couple of attempts to get over a rock formation, everytime I had to abandon and retry, Ezra was squealing "UH-OH" from the back and they would both start giggling! I'm thinking just some 31's. I looked up the tires I have and they are only 28.9" diameter. So going to some 31's would give me an inch higher off the ground right there. My main goal is to just start playing with it, and outfitting it as best we can to be our outdoor adventure vehicle. I really need to get a rack and hitch for it first. Nice thing is I don't drive it daily so I can take my time. I may have the wheels, tire carrier and bumpers all powder coated or something to freshen them up since the rest of the truck is in such good shape. Precise, care to elaborate on the "poor mans lift"?

Haven't been posting much, but keeping up with the forum reading everything... but thought you guys might like this. So after all this time, I finally got to stretch the ole' mountain goat's legs. Our old off-roading group from a few years ago, finally got back together along with some new people and we headed up the Hunter lake trail just west of Reno that is about 30 miles long and heads straight up into the mountains and drops you back down in Verdi, close to the Cali border. It was quite the day... It used to take about 3 hours if you didn't really stop, however the trail has gotten a lot more challenging with continued washout and traffic, and a couple of trucks were taken down by the trail, so we started at 10:30 am and didn't finish till 7:00 that night. I've only taken Sarge on the occasional dirt road since I bought him and have been itching to see what it can do. All I have to say is I'm super impressed. We had a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee (stock), 2 - 2000-ish Jeep Wranglers moderately modified, a 2004 Colorado (super lifted and outfitted) and then my bone stock 1995 Pathy XE. I've only off roaded in pick-ups before, so this was my first with an SUV with coil-spring rear suspension, and it was awesome. and usually the limited slips are kind of hokey, but it worked surprisingly well. The short wheelbase was awesome. There were some ravines we drove up, and we did some moderate rock crawling that I had to make a couple of attempts to get over. I think I only rapped the rear diff on a rock once when I hit it on the rebound, but other than that Sarge did so well. It kept up with the good Jeep Wrangler every where he went, and everybody was so impressed by how flawlessly it handled the trail. It was so easy to drive through the boulder tops with 4 lo that I was allowed to really stay off the clutch pedal. I think I fell in love with the pathfinder all over again! We lost a jeep wrangler that wouldn't stay in 4-lo and with a 4 cyl, didn't have enough cajones to charge up the steep stuff without 4-lo, and the Colorado snapped a rear axle shaft half way up the mountain which delayed us by and hour and a half as we helped him back down to a clearing which stopping every few hundred feet to jack the truck up and push the wheel and axle back in! He had to leave his truck up there! My favorite part, was getting to take the whole family along and they had a blast. My oldest, Asher (in the last pic with me) was just loving it the whole time, especially when we got up on three wheels scrambling up one of the ravines (of course my wife was taking pictures and freaked out!) My boys are getting older (my youngest is 18 months) so we will be doing this more often. So now I've got the itch... my first move is to get slightly bigger wheels and tires. I can't see myself needing to do that much to it, given that it wheels so good stock. Money and time are limited... so we'll see. Enjoy the pictures!

I live in Reno where its dry as can be most of the time... you don't even have time to physically dry the car after washing it before the atomosphere takes care of that for you. I say mine is about a 9, I've got just ever so slight discoloration in a few spots on the frame but its not progressing because I keep the frame rails flushed out twice a year and I have some slight paint peeling (smaller than a dime) in the front door/ lower fender spots that were full of dirt when I bought it, but after flushing all that out, hasn't progressed a lick. I'm very fortunate when it comes to rust!

So is there not much left you can do to the VG30e? If I could get it to push 180hp with some more useable torque that would be nice. Maybe it would be worth upgrading to a 96-00 pathfinder and doing all those same upgrades and not have to swap the engine in mine! LOL 210/225 would be plenty of power in the unibody pathfinder I would think and they are easier to find with the stick-shift compared to the 01-02's with the VQ. too much to consider I guess... I'm starting to wonder off topic, but is the 5speed manual/rear-end in the 96-00 R50's the same as in my 1995? Gearing wise anyways or is the R50 a little more relaxed on the freeway?

Don't you mean putting the 33e cams in my stock 30e? I've seen you guys talking about that, how much power does that usually provide. I'd be open to just doing some exhaust and intake and then the cams on mine, just to give it some more power, especially if I could do all that for only a few hundred. Even spending up to a grand to do the 33e swap wouldn't be bad since I know the history on mine with it being one owner before me, and its always been garaged, low miles, etc. it would take a while to find something newer with that same kind of history and care. If I really start towing the tent trailer though, I know I would need to beef up the rear springs, and I need to tighten up the steering by probably replacing the centerlink that seems to be fairly weak. The pathfy has had a pretty easy life, so none of that has been done to it. Anything else I should take a look at if i'm going to be towing probably once a month in the summer months?

Nefarious, so the VG33e stock you gain 17hp and 16 lb-ft of torque I think. which isn't a lot, but percentage wise, I would think is noticeable. With the other upgrades you did along with the swap what do you think you are actually making power wise? did you use your same transmission, change gearing at all? I would consider a swap as I love projects... only problem is that I have two very young and energetic boys (not old enough to help) and a demanding career so finding time for such a project would be pretty difficult. I may consider it though.

Yeah, I love my pathy, but it just doesn't seem to make much sense to do a VG33e swap when I could just sell it and buy a nice lower mile late 90's pathfinder with a nicer interior and quieter smoother ride... I used to own an 03 Frontier with that motor back in my single days, and from what I remember it was stout but not quick either. although I towed my Dad's 4k lb boat and trailer regularly in the flats with no issue. I guess the alarming thing is that when I parked the trailer in the driveway and the Pathy in front of it, the trailer looked like it dwarfed it! I forget how small the pathfinder is on the outside sometimes! the tent trailer is the larger floor plan jayco though. LOL I think I might be more worried about the trailer driving the truck. and the rear end sags a little but I don't know what it would do with a load yet. If most of our camping was local, it would probably be no worries, but you are driving at least an hour to get to some cool places and many of the places we want to explore are 2+ hours away, via hills. I think I'll have to try it out. I know it will be slow, i'm never in a hurry when I drive sarge anyways. If we take it to the lake, I spend most the time climbing Mt Rose in 2nd and 3rd gears so I'm used to that. And as far as gas mileage I don't expect it to be good. I usually average 19 in my work truck, but we averaged 15 towing the trailer on our trip. And as far as upgrading, I'm well aware of the 05+ radiator/transmission issues, but like I said it would be manual transmission only. If I do the Xterra route though we are probably going to have to wait a year or two, so Sarge will have to work regardless! I'm just having a hard time because otherwise I love my pathy and its in such good shape, and you just hardly see them anywhere. My wife and I have a thing for rarer manual transmission cars (the anti-toyota camrys).... you think I can do a 4.0/6speed swap? Hahaha Thanks for the help. So for the rear end, swapping for some GC rear springs, fixes the tongue weight, sagging issue?

Glad to hear it was recovered! Hope its in decent shape... bummer you have to wait through the weekend!

I'm assuming the recommendations for the cooler are for the auto, correct? Mine is a 5 speed... probably should have mentioned that. Its running redline MT-90 and is overfilled by the way. yeah if I upgrade, I thought about maybe an 02-04 xterra with a manual or a 99-2000 pathfinder to minimize cash outlay but at least get something a little more modern and safer, but its probably not even worth the swap as I don't think I'd be gaining much on the towing front. The benefit with going with the 05+ Xterra is that I have a 5k lb tow capacity no matter which tranny (as opposed to the 01-02 pathy with the 3.5 and 5spd) and all the modern comforts, but alas I spend the most money. Whatever we upgrade to if we choose that route, it will be Nissan and a manual transmission... good thing they have a lot to choose from!

Hi everyone. Its been a while, but not much to report these days. My Pathy barely gets driven so not much to talk about! I filled it up for the first time in 3 months because we finally drove it up to Lake Tahoe so I've got that going for me! One thing I was hoping to do was tow with it for the first time last week. We are considering buying a really nice 1995 jayco tent trailer off some friends of ours. Last weekend they lets us borrow it to go camping to see how we liked it and I intended to tow with Sarge to see how he did, but time constraints kept me from purchasing a tow hitch and installing it in time, so I borrowed my work truck to pull it (2013 Silverado 1500 with the 5.3). I know a few of you have towed various things and it seems like Sarge should be able to tow 2500ish low profile pounds okay? We have lots of hills around here obviously so not sure what to do. It's geared so low and is already so slow, that I can't imagine it getting much slower towing that weight around. I've been looking at possibly replacing it with either a 2005+ Xterra or 01-02 Pathfinder, but I really don't want to spend more money on something that rarely gets driven and my Pathy is in such dang good shape! Now that my youngest is 1 though, I expect to weekend warrior more often and hit the slopes with my older son. The other benefit to selling and buying something newer is getting something more comfy, safer (airbags and ABS for one!) and has cupholders! LOL I guess If I decide to sell, I'll let you guys know first We've been toying around with this for a while and not sure what to do. Am I crazy or should Sarge be able to pull a tent trailer just fine?

Well Thursday I finally received the little drain plug key I ordered from England. What a stinking life saver. The drain plug for the transmission came right out with a 19 mm socket over it and some coercion from a 30" breaker bar. So, 2 things. The transmission was not overfilled as I took out the fill plug first and just a drip of fluid came out. for having over 130k miles I'm surprised that I don't have a whiny transmission or anything. I guess the old people that had it before me just drove it really easy. So I popped the drain plug and drained what it had in it. The other thing is that I didn't have time to go in from the shifter hole, so I jacked up the passenger side as high as I could and was able to get 4.5 qts in it at least. That will take care of it for now. The old fluid came out pretty black looking, which kind of surprised me since the t-case fluid was still pretty red and the rear differential was still a nice golden color. One thing I will say is after putting the MT90, is that holy cow does it shift nice now!!! The slight catch I had while shifting from first to second is now gone and all the other shifts are much smoother too. That and I got the new exhaust hanger installed and no more rumbly and rattly exhaust! So now Sarge is in tip-top shape! Now just waiting for funds and time to get a few fun things like mount a roof rack and get a gear basket, and install a tow package... oh and to do a good deep clean on the interior and pour some more MT90 from up top.

yeah I was just worried I'd twist something off necking down to a 3/8" drive as stubborn as its been to get off. The set would be nice, but our only other car that I would need to work is my wife's 2012 Mazda 5 which at only having 7k miles on it should hopefully be years before I have to do anything to it! I'll let you guys know how it works out. supposed to be 5-8 days to get it... from London!

So that harbor freight set is only a 3/8" drive I noticed. I ended up finding this instead and ordering it last night. This gives me the option to use the 1/2" breaker with a 19mm socket or a 19mm wrench!! http://www.amazon.com/Laser-1578-Drain-Plug-13mm/dp/B009UE4IEG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1364919555&sr=8-1&keywords=drain+plug+key I actually ordered one off of ebay, but tons of companies in the UK Selling these. anybody used one?

Towncivilian, I look at Harbor Freight tomorrow. We have one in town, but I didn't think they would have it. I checked with napa today and they didn't have anything...

Hey so I got the rear diff, and the t-case done this weekend but for the life of me couldn't complete the front diff and transmission. By the way the fluid came out pretty clean looking of both. The T-case was ATF and still pretty bright red, and the rear diff was still a nice golden color. There is no way the fluids are 17 years and 134k miles old, so the previous owner must have had his fluids swapped out at some point and forgotten. He had lost his receipts that were older than 6-7 years old and he was an older gentleman. Makes me feel better. I was only working with a 1/2" drive ratchet and mallet and a almost 3' long breaker bar. I was able to get both plugs off the rear diff and was able to get the fill plug loose on the transmission and drain loose the front diff. I couldn't get enough bite on the transmission drain plug though with anything with exhaust and cross members in the way... At one point I was hugging a cross member and braced with both feet on one of the tires under the truck and the bar slipped out... that hurt. I soaked the drain plug in PB Blaster twice to hopefully get rid of anything in there. Any tips? what's worked for you getting that plug out. I'm going to get a 13mm square bit today... Nobody close to me had one on the weekend. on the front diff, there is so much stuff in the way of the fill plug. The only thing I could get in there was a 6" extension with the 1/2 ratchet but I couldn't get any type of force on it with only the 1/2" tip. I'm hoping the 13mm bit will help that situation... I'm open to successful ideas...

Yeah my 1995 XE with the 5speed runs around 3400-3500 rpms at 70-73 mph. I think I figured out mine has 4.57 gears in the rear end? does that sound right? Mine has the sport package with the limited slip so not sure if that makes the gearing shorter. yeah I'd say that you are a little high, however with mine, the tires are stock 235's but my speedo is still 4-5mph to slow at 70 mph. So depending on the accuracy, I might actually be spinning a little lower rpms for the speed (if i'm actually going 75 when i'm going 70). One thing is check the tire pressure too. Mine was more than 5 mph slow and seemed like the rpms were worse, and then I found out that at his last rotation Costco inflated the tires to the max psi on the tire. I brought it down to 30 psi and that helped some.

beastpath, you are right that the hanger bolts to the bracket that is mounted to the exhaust, but the hanger is slightly modified compared to this one. I'll have to look at our pick and pull, but with it being so dry around these parts, I wouldn't think a junk yard one would last too long if it is still kept together by the rubber piece