01Pathmaker

Ouch, sorry to hear about your issues, very surprising. I know Interco used to be a great company with great customer service, guess times have changed. Hope you have better luck with the new set.

2005 (R51) might not be in the same spot as the R50 (96-04) but it's easy enough to look for. On the R50 it's under the rear seat on the drivers side, under the sound/heat matting.

Why can't I find THAT spoiler in any of the catalogs? Very nice.

VQ swap? Would be a bit involved but an instant 60+hp increase. You could always snag a 01-04 and transfer your suspension and most other mods over. If you really want to make it a righteous build also swap the front different and rear ham over to benefit from the lower gears. That's my plan, as soon as I find a new ride for the wife and take the 01 back, I'm going to cannibalize the 96. Woohoo! Lifted VQ path with rear swing carrier and gears! Holy capable batman! Lol

Hmmm, how much coolant are you loosing and how fast? If it's not in the oil and there are no obvious leaks, are you blowing any white smoke out the tailpipe?

Hmmm, guess I'll have to check mine out next time I have a chance. Thanks for the info.

^^Correct, 3.3 only takes 4qts with filter change

Did you purge from the bleeder on top of the intake plenum? Trapped air in the cooling system can cause inconsistent temps, overheating and cavitation. Make sure during the bleeding process it gets warm enough to get full flow through the thermostat.

That's a slick plate setup you came up with, taking all the questions work out of this for me when the time comes. Looks great!

Currently 148xxx on the 2001 and 177xxx on the 96, both still kicking strong.

Ah, the old "streeeetch and STUFF!" Lol. Great shots!

Glad to hear your temp issue is gone. As for adding coolant, did you purge the air from the system? It could be that air is working itself out with repeated warm up cycles therefore dropping the level (unless you've been adding a lot). A milky appearance on the bottom of the oil cap is not uncommon, especially when shorter trips occur frequently, this is a build up of condensation.

Coolant temp sensor generally won't throw a code oddly enough. Was this happening before cleaning the MAF sensor? If not, check to be sure there are no leaks in the intake hose between the sensor and throttle body. Also be sure all vacuum lines in the area are properly connected and in good shape. A vacuum leak in that area could cause this issue. Be sure to check the rubber elbow that connects to the throttle body real well, cleaned my MAF as routine maintenance and ended up with a hairline split in that elbow giving me stumbling and hesitation, took me a while to pin that one down. If all looks good then look into the CTS,as that would be the next likely culprit.

2000 should have the vg 3.3. Look for a bleeder on top of the intake plenum, if you did a drain, flush, fill without purging the air out it could be the cause of your issue. The 3.3 does not have a secondary thermostat like the 3.5

^^Bingo!^^ Most definitely will cause the poor mileage.

Awesome! Thanks for all the advice (and the disclaimers!).

That's awesome! So just to reassure myself, you didn't add any reinforcement and it doesn't seem to waiver at all while open, with the tire plus your weight? I didn't think it would require much if any reinforcement, as it is very secure when closed, which is a majority of the time. Looks like I'll be swiping the carrier (and all associated bits) off my 96 before I sell it.

Looks like you're on the right track! Curious as to why you ditched the flares though...

Just by eyeballing it I'd say yes, they look identical on both my 96 and 01.

Mmmmm, only 2 of 8 came off fairly easy after applying some heat, breaker bar and gun. The other six the sawzall made quicker work of (went through a bunch of blades though).

Not really much "common labor" for these two jobs. If you're having the timing belt done, be sure high quality or oem parts are used (belt, guides, tensioner, water pump, thermostat, seals). As far as the knock sensor goes, if you have leaky valve cover gaskets then may as well replace the sensor and vcg's at the same time (upper plenum must come off to replace driver side vcg). If not, save a buttload of time and money by doing a knock sensor relocation (plenty of info can be found by searching here).

Typically work on the ac system isn't really a diy kind of thing. When replacing the condenser you'll be opening up the system, and to do that safely and responsibly, the system needs to be evacuated first (this is done with an expensive machine that captures all the Freon). Afterwards, the system will need to be recharged, which can be done diy, but unless you have the proper knowledge and equipment, this is best left to a professional.

Pics here would be nice too, especially for us non-Facebook types. Yep, I said it, some people actually do not have or want anything to do with Facebook, Twitter and things of the like. Heck, I'd like to go back to the days of the pager, I could still be notified of important issues/emergencies, but it wasn't the "techno-leash" that cell phones, oops, sorry, mobile devices have become.

This issue seems to be less common there farther north you go, but I've seen many vehicles with fading or peeling clearcoat, and not all were neglected. Regular wash/wax will help prevent this, but ultimately the environmental conditions that the vehicle is subject to is a bigger factor. Typically, if a vehicle is in a warm/sunny climate, not garage kept, not parked in shade often, this will speed the degradation of even the best kept finishes. Also, Nissan did have a clearcoat issue in the 2002-2006 timeframe that wasn't properly (in my opinion) dealt with. It seems the "squeaky wheel gets the grease" method was applied to the issue, only the customers that complained to corporate had any sort of resolution.

Looks like a blast! Think it's awesome taking the little one out there with you, my 2yo daughter loves going anywhere and everywhere with me, driving her powerwheels jeep (never made a Pathfinder, booooo), always asks me to go on "bouncy roads" (her way of saying she wants to go on a trail ride). Teach em young, these experiences will last a lifetime for both of you.