01Pathmaker
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Posts posted by 01Pathmaker
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Well, about 30mins ago I got an email from the ebay seller I ordered my new OME 2923's from, that were supposed to be "in stock" and listed as "last one". Surprise! They claim the warehouse guy noticed a manufacture defect and when they tried to have another set drop shipped, they were told they're on national backorder and won't ship until lare September (duh!). So I replied to get a refund, punched up 4x4parts (AC), and that's when things got crazy. I called them, asked if they had HD fronts springs for my 2001 Pathfinder, he answered with "yeah, we usually keep a couple on hand", then he wasn't terribly happy when I asked him to physically check, but begrudgingly he did. After about 6-7mins on hold, he came back and said "we've got 'em, I hand my own hands on them", so I ordered them on the spot. I almost choked on the $54.90 UPS ground shipping charge, but either way I was forced to eat it, since my backup plan was to have him look for MD's, then lastly their 2" springs. Now the waiting game begins and we'll see what actually arrives...
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1 hour ago, NWr50 said:
Well the OME/ARB are backorder until the end of September at the earliest. I just put in an order for the AC 2" front springs. The plan is to pair that with the full 9449 in the rear. Will post pictures once its done
It's unfortunate they drastically overcharge on shipping, they would do so much more business! I just got off the phone with them about 10 minutes ago, had him physically look and put his hands on a set of OME HD's (2928) after he told me they "usually keep a couple on hand", he had them so I placed the order on the spot, Their 2" coils were gonna be my backup plan. Fingers crossed that I actually get the HD's...
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Your ride is coming along nicely! As for your reminder, we do these things because of our love for outdoor adventures, it wouldn't be nearly as much fun playing an off-road game while sitting on the couch! Cheers!
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Nice new ride, good luck with it. I'm leisurely beginning to look for a clean, low mileage R51 to replace my gradually rotting R50. I'd like to find a V8, as I loved that engine in my Titan, but they seem to be far more rare around here. As far as headlights go, I've had excellent results with replacements from Diode Dynamics, they're a little pricey, but great quality, plug & play and are backed by excellent customer support. Enjoy!
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Here's my cosmetic rust!
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Wow! That’s an ‘01? I take it the beach you’re on is an ocean beach? No matter how careful you are, that salt just gets in there. I was recently working on my Mom’s 2018 4Runner & was shocked to see it was more rusty than my ‘02 Path. I think it must have been just her rare winter use in KC (also, I’ve become progressively more convinced that Toyota just doesn’t do a great job with rust prevention.
Yes, I live on Long Island, surrounded by salt water. Most of my beach use is on the south shore (Atlantic Ocean). Up until the last 2 years, I had a very meticulous washdown procedure, but kind of laxed on it since it's not a dd anymore. Still can't complain, 19 years of ocean beaches and overly salted winter roads, it's lasted longer than some of my other vehicles. Mechanically, even approaching 200k, I've done very few repairs, mainly meticulous maintenance and she still runs and drives better than most other vehicles I've been in with much less mileage. Despite the unibody, this is (in my opinion) the most bulletproof, reliable and capable vehicle I've experienced. I loved my old D21, but hated that 3.0 motor & bed that turned to Swiss cheese by year 6, loved my 96 & 01 R50's, loved my Titan too, but I treated it more like a 1-ton (commercial plowing, regularly towing a skidsteer or dump trailer) so it started racking up the repair bills when I got North of 100k, no doubt any other half-ton would have crumbled under the abuse I fed that thing. And yes, I totally agree that Toyota does a terrible job with rust prevention.
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So I crept around under the ol' gal today and I found some good, as well as some not so good. After my inspection I scoured the interwebs in search of my most economical option. Low and behold I found a seller on eBay that had 1 last, lonely set of OME 2923's, so it looks like I'm just going to replace my tired MD's with fresh ones. Since I've only got less than 40k on my front KYB's and have newish rear springs and shocks collecting dust in the garage, I jumped on Rockauto and ordered up sway bar links for all 4 corners, some new camber bolts and some other new nuts & bolts. So fingers crossed, I'll be all-in and back on the road for about as much as the AC springs would've been, shipped to my door. I just can't justify dumping more than I have to into it, it's just got too much structural rust issues beginning to develop. I always knew that it would turn to dust before it died mechanically. She has and will continue to serve her purpose, without skipping a beat, until I deem her unsafe for my family. It'll also give me time to find a viable replacement.
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1 hour ago, RainGoat said:
For what it’s worth, my wife has been along for most of my trucks 18yrs & >100K. On the very first drive with the OME fronts & LR/Bilstein rears, my wife spontaneously asked about 10 minutes into the drive what I’d done to make it drive so much better. Ride is very subjective & your sense of it may be much finer than the average owner. Alot of the younger & newer guys just don’t have the seat time or are going from worn out OEM setups to something new so anything is better. Given your age & experience, I think you’ll notice the differences more than you might realize. I’ve found that I’ve driven other owners rigs & can feel something “off” that they just don’t have the experience yet to identify yet.
To be honest, the nearly imperceptible new drivetrain hum from my lift is a constant annoyance to both my wife and myself. After 2 decades without it, it hits our subconscious “somethings not right” sense. I’ve had it checked over several times by@TowndawgR50 who assures me it’s okay. Unfortunately, it’s just ingrained in us & almost impossible to ignore.I agree 100%! Case in point, I was running it for about 2 months with a slight exhaust leak (didn't seem that loud since it was gradual onset) at the flange above the rear axle, which finally gave out completely. I ordered up a new warranty resonator assembly (gotta love lifetime warranty parts!), swapped in the new one and on the first drive to the beach (about an hour later) my wife said "what did you do? It's so much quieter and feels more smooth"! I was thinking the same thing!
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9 hours ago, NWr50 said:
Ah shoot. Welp the AC should match the 9449 well. Otherwise a 1.5"=2" spacer should do the trick until this 3" subframe drop hits the market.............
I'm in a similar dilemma, after putting ~140k on my OME MD's one coil snapped the other day. I called Desert Rat, the MD & HD OME springs are on North American backorder. He told me I could call back on Monday and he would check with ARB Australia to find out lead times, but he also said even if they have them ready to go it would probably be at least a few weeks out. I might be going AC/9449 also.
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11 hours ago, PathyDude17 said:
As much as I hate to say it, it seems like experiences with AC coils have some variance.
I get pretty solid trail usage out of my R50, and I also do plenty of daily driving (I did almost 1000 miles today, yup, 1k). I don’t really get top out except for when I fail to slow down for unforeseen trail obstacles. It’s a stiff ride, I’ve driven a broken-in OME, and no doubt it was a smoother ride. But, at the same time, I’ve never considered switching after installing the AC’s.
I’ve heard and talked with other other people who seem to get more top out than I do, @Dbot being one of the two or three conversations I’ve had about it.
cant go wrong with the land rovers, 9447 or the stiffer 9449 are both great from everything I’ve heard and personally experienced. I have the 9449’s. Those are two solid part numbers that won’t give much more or less than an inch of rake if you lift the front 2”
Thanks for the input! I really did like the ride on the OME's, but at this point, availability might force my hand. Your setup is actually one of my favorites. I feel like it looks and (seemingly) performs the way it should have come from the factory, as an option package! You aced the stance and functionality. Since I'm just shy of 200k and developing a lot of body rust (in some unusual places too), I'm going to get under it today and give it a real close inspection of everything structural, then go from there. I'd hate to decide to collect all the parts to go all-in, only to find catastrophic issues when I start pulling her apart.
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11 hours ago, colinnwn said:
The AC springs are harsh like my old leaf spring Scout. I was fine with it. But my wife said her boobs couldn't take it anymore, as our travel trailer towing rig, after the Pathfinder's engine gave out. I can't imagine it being worse than a UPS truck. When it had 400 lbs on the trailer tongue it evened the truck stance out, and made the ride pretty nice.
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Hmm, I might have a similar issue with my wife, she already complains when the beach is impassable and we have to use the "road" behind the dunes to get out to the inlet, I don't even want to think of her reaction if it's noticeably stiffer. I already air down to 12psi for the beach, which works very well, but when we have to take the "road" I bring it down to 8psi just to soften the ride as much as possible. Guess I've still got some thinking to do...
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51 minutes ago, colinnwn said:
I don't know if you are trying to economize but you could put the 2" ACs on the front, and the OME MD you have on the back, if you don't need the additional rear load carrying ability. I bet it would be pretty close to level. And if you don't like it, you aren't out anything but a little bit of work to go to the 9449s.
I had the AC springs all around, and it had a little too much rake. But it came in handy many years later when I started towing a 3,000 lb RV.
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How stiff are the AC's? This is no longer my dd, just my trailer towing, dog hauling, beach bomb, soccer mobile, and I'm used to driving a harsh riding usps death machine all day, so... I do carry a fair load regularly and also have a homebuilt 5x12 heavy duty trailer that I tow several times a year to haul stuff for my various projects (and fill it up with my 2 youth soccer teams for my towns Christmas parade!), so load capacity is fairly important. I'm not even considering the AC's in the rear, as so many have such good feedback on the far less expensive LR springs. I have been fairly happy with the OME MD's in the rear, just wish they were a hair taller. I have noticed they don't carry the loads as well as they used to anymore, but at about 140k on them, I can't complain. My stock springs were sagging by 45k, hence stepping up to the MD's many years ago. I'm thinking I could blow the dust off the boxes with the springs and shocks and put them up for sale, to recoup some of the cost of the new parts, but I'm just not sure which way to go.
19 minutes ago, RainGoat said:You, like me, have driven your truck for a LONG time. I suspect you will be bothered by the harshness of the AC springs compared to OEM & OME. That is why I went with OME, I knew that after 2 decades & >100K of driving that truck, I would be unhappy with a harsh ride. That said, I’ve never driven one with AC springs so I can’t tell you if that’s actually true but it does seem to be the consensus of those who have driven both.
The LR Springs, on the other hand, drive wonderfully. I have the 9228 & couldn’t be happier. I don’t know of anyone with complaints. They are less than $100 to your door so I really don’t see any reason why anyone would use anything but them now. I think the real question will become, is there an LR spring upgrade we should be considering....
9228's?? Great, now I have more springs to look into?! I'm not totally opposed to a little more stiffness in ride, as it's no longer my dd, plus 8-10 months out of the year I have my front rack on and loaded, in addition to the roof basket with enough beach stuff for our family of 4, surfcasting gear, cooler, wife, kids & dog. I'm sure I could recoup the cost of the LR springs, if not more, by selling the parts I've been hoarding in the garage (sounds like I'm talking myself into the LR swap). My biggest issue is the front spring dilemma, as much as I'm not a big fan of 4x4parts (namely their outrageous shipping costs, springs to my door are ~$230), I can't wait 2+ months to get it rolling again if I wait for new OME's. In just a few short weeks the fishing is gonna be slamming again and I'll be damned if I'm gonna miss out on that!! I guess maybe I'm now trying to be talked out of the AC/LR/Billy combo!! LMAO!
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16 minutes ago, RainGoat said:
Actually, I believe they were standard on LE, at least as of ‘02 (mine had it when I bought it new & it wasn’t an option, whereas@TowndawgR50 is an LE & does not have it). The attachment design changed from ‘01 to ‘02-‘04. As of ‘02 it is 2 units that are the hinge & the pylon, before that (at least in the U.S., the hing & spoiler pylon were separate units - I believe the pylon/riser was outboard of the hatch hinge.
Hmm, my father-in-law bought his 01 LE the same time I bought my 01 SE (Aug 2001), I have it, he doesn't. May depend on particular packages and options. We all know how often Nissan likes to switch things up!
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So yesterday on my way to the beach, as I was approaching a stop sign, stepped on the brakes, started to do its normal slight nosedive and POW! It sounded and felt like someone just shot my Pathy! I pull off to the side, check around and under both sides, not seeing anything, I notice as I'm getting up off the ground near the right front tire, hmmm, that doesn't look right, oh ok, I just snapped the right front coil spring! I've been running these OME MD springs all around for about 140k miles without any issues, no noticeable sagging, still supports the extra weight of my front hitch caddy (loaded up with beach/fishing gear) with no problem. Quite surprised, I turn around and limp it home (thanking God it didn't happen 3 or 4 miles out on the beach!).
Here's my conundrum: I called Desert Rat to check availability and lead time on a new set of OME HD springs (2928), on national backorder, have him check the MD springs, also on national backorder. My plan was to replace the fronts with new OME HD's, rehab my rear (currently MD's of the same vintage) with a "gently used" set of MD's (from @CDN_S4) and OME shocks (from @hawairish) since I've been sitting on these parts for a few years now. Since there's no good idea of when the new OME springs might be available, is this the universe telling me I need to pony-up for AC front springs, LR 9449's and Billies??? My current tires are fairly new, so I don't plan on dropping more on a larger set any time soon, but I know darn well, if I go the full 2" route, I'm gonna really want to step to the dark side with at least 32's...
Looking for suggestions, advice, parts, anything!!!
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On 4/9/2020 at 11:52 PM, Dozzerwd21 said:
Yup first gen spoiler hinges. Didn't know they would fit an 04.
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Nope, not first gen (88-95), the 96-04 had them also. Typically here in the states, the SE models had the rear spoiler, most XE & LE models did not.
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On 8/18/2020 at 9:26 PM, Dave.Bert said:
I am wanting to remove the Roof Rack with the spoiler looking thing in front and install the one with the bard across the top(like the silver pathy)
Is it possible to do this?
thank you
Too bad you're in Kentucky, I'd swap with you and walk you through it...
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The only other way I know of is to burn them out with a torch, but that's not fun (or very environmentally friendly) either.
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I would start by checking all of your battery cables and their connection points. It could very possibly be a poor connection, so look hard and be sure to grab the cables and give them a little tug/wiggle action. This same issue happened on my brother-in-laws car a few months ago, everything appeared ok visually, but as soon as I gave the negative cable a little tug, it flopped loose from the terminal connection. The stranded wire had actually disintegrated under the insulation just before the terminal. It's also not a bad idea to periodically inspect them and clean all the terminals, connections and ground points anyway, as this alone prevents numerous mysterious gremlins.
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Looking good even with all those Canadian speed holes! I'm jealous of that tire carrier/rear gate find, just hope you also grabbed the latch mechanism that bolts to the bumper. I so regret selling my 96, I should've at least removed the carrier first since I can't find one for the life of me now...
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On 6/29/2020 at 4:37 PM, EricCR said:
Hi folks!
First time posting here. Disclaimer: I'm a total newbie when it comes to R50's but I *think* I have done my homework and I'm 100% sure I'll buy one, so you will hear from me again.
I'm about to buy a pathy and I definitely want the VQ engine. I'm a bit biased towards a manual car but I won't discard a nice example just because it's an auto. I won't use it frequently and mostly on gravel and maybe dirt roads but nothing extreme (some places around here are a bit remote but most roads are properly paved). I have a few questions about what I've seen and what concerns me around them:
- Went to see a 2003 auto which grinds just a bit only when going *out* of low range (from 4L to 2H). The 4x4 cluster light also stayed on after switching back to 2H the very first time (it was fine in a couple more tries afterwards). The car has 130k miles. This is the 3rd auto R50 I test and the others didn't grind. It felt to me like the transmission was still spinning even in neutral and the owner says that the last time he used 4x4 was years ago. Is that something I should be worried about? Other than that, the car was imported from the US back in 2012 and there is a bit of rust, but mostly around clips, screws, nuts, etc. The body is healthy otherwise and it's a loaded SE, still rocking the original BOSE stereo.
- Saw another automatic, a 2004 sold by the dealer here, so it's pretty barebones. Manual AC controls, no cruise, no fog lights (but weirdly has leather seats). The good thing is that it has 80k miles, almost smells like new still, the car is basically flawless. It's a bit more expensive than the others currently for sale, around $1k more. It will probably go for a couple of years without any major issues.
I saw a couple more, one has too many miles and the other had a recent engine rebuild (it's manual so whatever killed it wasn't the power valves), so I discarded them. All 4 owners have told me their cars don't burn oil but 3 out of 4 had an almost dry dipstick. Nobody seems to know about the power valves, so maybe it wasn't as common as forums lead you to believe?
The thing is, would you go for the better optioned car even with all the above quirks? Should I just sit and wait for the perfect manual to show up? Are manuals considerably more reliable? Manual+VQ combos are not as rare as in the US but they usually very basic.
If some of these things have already been discussed to death, just point me in the right direction.
Cheers,
Eric
Welcome! Out of the vehicles you listed above, I'd either go for the '04 low mileage bare bones or wait to see what else comes along. I wouldn't be against the '04 just because it's bare bones, unless there are specific options that you must have. My theory has always been, the fewer "bells and whistles", the less to go wrong and cause problems later on. For the record, I bought my well optioned SE new in '01, have kept up on all maintenance, just a few actual repairs have been required, and with the exception of rust starting to blow up all over the place and the Bose cd changer, she's still runs beautifully and drives good. I'm slowly creeping up on the 200k mark, but this has by far been the most reliable and moderately capable vehicle I've ever owned. For the past few years she's by a 3rd vehicle, primarily used for fishing the outer ocean beaches, hunting, dog hauling, home improvement store trips, towing and foul weather commuting.
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NIce work & great to follow along! These are fun little animals...
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Been offline for a bit, just catching up, but looks like that hitch setup will work for your needs. Several years ago, I grabbed an old rear hitch off a friends Expedition he was getting ready to junk, cut oi down to size and welded it to those same tow hook/tie down brackets, reinforced with some beefy angle iron. I use mine year round, Snowsport utility plow for my driveway in winter and cargo/cooler/fishing pole rack in the summer and its held up great! Nice use of ingenuity! Nice bikes too!
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The products look amazing, as does the nose job on the gambler! Really got me looking for a clapped out silver pre-facelift R50, with a tire carrier! Love the thought of the rugged look with the power of the vq35...
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Calling my fellow old timers!!
in 96-2004 R50 Pathfinders
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