Bluewulf73

Took me a while but this is the number for the strut mount bearing for my 1998 pathfinder. I asume it fits at least 96 to 11-98 pathfinders. Oops...tried to rotate the photo but it always comes out like this. Sorry.

Wicked! Nice work; how long did that take you?

All I use: Blockheater, Synthetic 5W30, battery blanket, winter washer fluid. Keep a wary eye on window chips. There is nothing like ignoring a little chip which is fine in the cold but turns to a large crack the first time you crank the heat. The biggest problem I have is with the washer fluid (not here, in the banana-belt, when I go for winter drives out to Banff, Edmonton or Calgary) the fluid freezes in the hoses. Especially to the rear window. Also, in winter, warm the car up before driving. Keep extra washer fluid, oil, a shovel, blankets, candle(s) flashlight, a small bag of sand, salt or kitty litter and a cellphone charger. Brother lives up in Fairbanks, AK and he added the oil pan cooler. When it gets really cold there, pretty much everyone on campus plugs their car in while at school/work.

Looks awesome linkinnn.....linkinpark! Sorry, wiping away the drool.

Ahhh, I understand now.

Hey Steve, If these spacers you are speaking of go where the red is in the photo below, they would, theoretically work as that is what was recommended by the shops. Photo below By adding degrees you mean positive camber? Is this + camber something tha I can fix using two camber bolts as opposed to just one? Very interested in your offer. I have PM'd you as well.

Thanks for your adivise, however they told me that it is the overextension of the axle shaft that is causing the boot to pull off so, even if I do get a new Rockford boot, I might have the same issue. I looks like taking off the Nx4 spacer is the best way to go.

Niiiiiice! It'll look even better once its painted and your lights are on it. Perhaps you can use or copy one of the Thule or Yakima fairings to prevent it from becoming too noisy. Also, not sure what the bottom looks like but if you are intending on carrying someting heavy up there, perhaps some supportive bracing. If you want it to go lower and the length-wise edges line up with the rack runners, you gcould take off the cross bars and mount it directly on the runners a la stioc, I think...

Ok, so here's the skinny on things... Went to two different 4X garages today to assess the CV boot issue. Both garages state that the lift is too much and the angle is too high (measured at 3", comparing to my pre-lift measurements) so, basically, I have two options. 1- Take the 1" spacer off the struts 2- Make 1/2" spacers to sadwich between the transmission/transfercase and the axle, in order to push the axles out a bit more hence lessening the angle. Apparently, when I turn left, the boot is so stretched, it pulls off the cv housing. This is so incredibly frustrating!! I love the lift but I am not prepared to have it create more problems for me than I need. Has anyone here made these spacers? Does anyone here know if anyone makes these spacers? If I can't find a cheap alternative, soon I am taking these Nx4 strut spacers off. I was told alminium spacers matched to the diameter and the 6 holes of the axle assembly as well as 6 longer studs for each side would be sufficient.

Correct...Im getting the passenger side axle boot, grease and calmps replaced tomorrow. There is no binding of any sort in the old axle shaft. Just the boot pulling itself away from the grooves. Tried re-seating the boot and it helped a bit. Not losing nearly as much grease as I did in the begining. Hopefully my manual hubs will get here soon and in a week, I can recheck and adjust my -1 degree of camber (if its still there).

Glad to hear it.

If it is cutting out completely, check what all of the above members mentioned. If it is stumbling, all of the above and also check your fuel pump, filter and pressure regulator. Did you fuel up somewhere you haven't fueled up before? ie-cheap, no-name gas station? If you haven't changed the filter for a long time, I would recommend it. I find the VG33E in my Pathy is very sensitive to fuel quality. The engine in your 92 might be the same...or you could have alot of crud in your gas tank.

Wow, that's pretty stuck. Good thing you had the winch. That's all I need now. A winch and custom bumpers.

I think it all depends what you're going to be doing with the Pathy. Are you going to do serious wheeling? Is it a daily driver? How much do you use them? Do you have any shorties in your family? (I do in mine) Personally I am keeping mine on for protection (limited protection, yes but protection none-the-less) Once I can afford some sliders, I will be removing them and replacing them. In my opinion, although the Pathy's look nice without since when removed, give the appearance of higher clearance, I need them for my shorty kids 'n Wivy. Especially with the 3" lift afforded by the OEM/NX4 combo. It also depends what kind of running boards you have. Mine almost look like sliders, especially now that they are painted black.

Any pictures of that?

Just for $hits and giggles, I went to Nissan to ask what they'd charge to replace the boot and clamp on my axle. They quoted me $550.00 for parts and labour. So I asked what they'd charge for a passenger side axle. They quoted $680.00 plus labour, plus taxes for just one side. I almost pooped... How can it be that one can get a new axle online for $80-$100 but they charge over $500.00? I've seen boot kits online for $5.00 plus taxes. Locally, the cheapest I found it was $30.00. How does this happen? The guy who did my alignment, is away for two weeks and today, I once again, have some pretty hefty positive camber... So, I'm going to focus on re-greasing the joint and replacing the boot and clamp. Hopefully by the time the guy comes back, the springs settle a bit and camber will once again be more...normal. Some days the front of the Pathy just looks so high!

Hey karmann, on some of my other vehicles, here is what I noticed when hearing a pop/twang...noise: On one vehicle, the spring was not seated correctly and every time I turned, it rotated ever so slightly but because it was under pressure, it twanged (a pop with resonance) re-seating the spring corrected the issue. The way I diagnosed it was by having a friend turn the steering wheel while I listened with the hood open On another vehicle, the nut at the top of the right strut was loose. Every time I turned left, the geometry changed and the threads on the strut top popped as they rubbed up/down against the strut top hat. This reverberated all over the cabin. I had to replace the strut. The way I diagnosed it was by having a friend turn the steering wheel while I listened with the hood open. To confirm my findings, I also rocked the car from side to side and up/down at both front corners while a friend watched and listened. On another vehicle, the culprit was a torn engine mount. I replaced and filled it to prevent it from tearing again, darn Mazda mounts. This one too a while to diagnose as the issue occurred on acceleration and turning to the left. Eventually, with the hood removed, driving around the block, I saw the engine rocking or rather bucking violently. Mount was so far gone that almost no rubber remained (This on a 5 year-old Protege5 too) Lastly, I've experienced popping noises coming from my Pathfinder's suspension. One was a worn ball-joint, another was due to weak/torn anti-swaybar bushings. Lately the noise is coming from the new strut boots (these are made of a more rigid plastic which make noise when they impact the top of the strut body as it compresses. Yesterday I was having issues with an axle replacement. The new axles were binding when turning left and every time the axle turned over the cups (inner axle CV) it hopped and made a popping noise. Diagnosed the joints and bushings by getting under the truck, prodding, pushing pulling, turning the wheels, looking in through the engine bay, checking all suspension components, etc) The axle issue, not 100 % sure yet but have a good lead thanks to rebelord and other great folks on this forum. In short, I'm just echoing pretty much all the answers given above by others with my experiences. All you need to do now is find the time and a place to go at 'er. If I remember anything else, I'll post again. Good luck and please post your findings.

Wow! you gained MPG with no doors??? I can see how losing the weight would increase your MPG and power but towing and no doors increased your MPG!? Darn Vancouver rain, BC laws and wife!!!!I want to increase my power to weight ratio and mpg too. I didn't even think of or see the mirrors when I first saw the photos. Very stealth...

That looks like a useful tool. Believe me theexbrit, I've been looking around for an alternative (brush-guard, bumper, etc) for a while. These are hard to come by around here. Well, at least decently priced ones... True-dat. I have been researching other uses (read - watching youtube) for the hi-lift and have it on my pathy with some chain and other recovery gear just in case. Never had to use it yet but am itching to try it as practise (before I really need it.) I don't rely on my cellphone in the bush. Ever. I do carry a CB and FRS radios with scanning possibilities but when I go wheelin' alone, I go expecting no help from anyone. If I get some, I consider myself very lucky.

I'll post my findings once the camber is corrected and the boot is replaced.

Hey rebelord, I think you might have helped me solve it. Thank you. Let me explain... After trying three different axles (all of them binding with the suspension hanging, and although, while road testing, no binding on a straight line, there was some pretty nasty binding, thumping and shaking my steering wheel while turning left) from Cardone, and Vision, none of them worked. So I put my old one back on and have absolutely no issues, other than the boot leaking grease from the end with the large clamp. I can understand that tolerances are much tighter in a brand new unit but for it to make that much difference, well I am very surprised. After my lift, I went to get an alignment. When I read the last post in the topic you found, I checked the sheet for my alignment and apparently, the passenger side (which is the side giving me trouble) is at -1 degree, while the driver's side is at +1 degree. I am having absolutely no issues with the driver's side axle or boots so the more I think about it, the more the evidence points to the alignment being the culprit. I will take the car back to the alignment place have them change the angle to + 1 degree and have them change my my axle's grease and boot. Hopefully that'll fix everything. I can't wait to get my manual hubs...

We tried three different axles from two different places. Two different brands and all three binded. independent auto parts store, Lordco. Noticed grease leaking out of my passenger's side boot yesterday, checked the boot, no cuts, holes or anything else. It just appears as if the boot shifted forward. I think I'm going to rebuild my axle. On anouther sour note, I just found out that my 98 is actually a 97. Maybe that is why the axles didn't fit...perhaps I should try a 97 axle, although it probably won't make a difference... I think that my new OME/NX4 lift probably caused this...there is a 3" difference in height between pre and post lift. I'm at a loss here...

As the title states, replaced shaft with new one and it binds!

Hey stioc, Thank you for your advice and explanations. I still keep and use the factory jack for tire changing (when on relatively even ground) my concern was getting stuck on uneven ground with little or not traction and/due to a flat. I will heed your advice and will take a look at the video you recommended as well as use thehi-lift only for situations where there is no alternative. To tell you the truth, if I had it my way, I would rather put a winch on my pathy and winch myself on to flat(ter) ground in order to use the factory jack but I have neither funds, nor knowledge, nor equipment to fabricate a front/rear bumper or receiver hitch to mount a winch on. So, I'll have to make due with what I've got.