mel.d

Hollister was great! What a cool place to go wheeling. There were so many trails with various levels of difficulty and some cool obstacle courses. That one climb that Vinit and I got hung-up on scared me a bit. When I first saw it, I said to myself "this does NOT look like an easy trail". But after getting up and over that one part that I got hung-up on, the rest wasn't bad at all. Oh and thanks to SC88Pathy for riding shotgun and giving me pointers. Thanks as well to Dean for leading the group and Andrew for spotting me. I learned quite a bit from everyone and I feel a little more confident on how to handle certain obstacles and terrain. Now I just need more seat time and mods (I was already checking out sliders, hubs, and a locker when I got home).

Thanks, Dean. I'll need to borrow one since I didn't have a chance to get one today. The forecast for tomorrow is rain. Will this be a problem?

I don't have either one. I can get one before Saturday. Any recommendations on brand, model, etc?

I'm a newbie, so if you guys are doing easy trails, then count me in. -Mel

I agree with XPLORx4. Having one side locked will still rotate the opposite axle. Therefore, you will not be able to isolate which of the two is the root cause of the shudder. You may have to remove one side and put back the old axle to determine which is the cause. On a side note, at any point during the installation of the new axle, did you pull the axle outwards? The inner joint that mates to the diff is designed to slide in and out. If you pull on it too much or let it hang at an extreme angle, any one of the three bearings in the inner joint can slide off. Just one of those bearings can throw the balance off.

Thanks for the laugh.

Go back and read the first sentence. The OP states he bought new axles to replace the original ones that were clicking. After replacing them, he is now experiencing a shudder.

The shudder is likely due to the axle not being balanced correctly from the factory. You best option is to replace it with another axle. If one hub is locked the axle on the unlocked side will likely spin in the opposite direction since the front diff is open. It would be similar to lifting up the rear end and spinning one tire in one direction and the other side spinning in the opposite direction (assuming it doesn't have LSD).

You're not really rebuilding the axles, you are only replacing the boots. This is more of a preventive maintenance before the boot actually rips and loses all grease. It will not resolve the clicking of the axles that the OP is experiencing. In his case, the bearings in the CV cages are the cause of the clicking because of wear.

Sonny said his wife didn't like driving it because the topping out would scare her. I'm hoping she'll convince him to put the stock step rails back on so that he can sell me his sliders for a really good price

That was my understanding as well. If your LSD is chattering, then it needs the friction modifier to reduce friction; ie LSD engagement. So if I change my rear diff oil to regular diff oil, then wouldn't the LSD engage more frequently leading to the chatter?

It is my understanding that an open diff is easier to upgrade to a locker than a diff with an LSD. Got it. I'll perform the same test but add some resistance to the opposite wheel to see if the LSD engages. If it is worn, I don't think I would bother rebuilding or adding any plates but rather look into a locker instead. Over the weekend, a cousin and I replaced the clutch on his 350Z. While it was on jack stands, I spun one wheel and the opposite wheel rotated in the same direction. Essentially it was the same test that I did on my Pathfinder, so clearly he has an LSD. That is what got me thinking that mine was either worn or does not exist.

I'm certain it is a clutch type LSD. I've used Mobil 1 gear oil in the correct weight. It is a synthetic and according to the bottle, is compatible with LSD rear differentials. At this point, I'll assume its just a worn out LSD. I was hoping that it was an open diff because it would make upgrading to a rear locker so much simpler.

I know it's a weird question, but my 02 LE has the orange LSD sticker on the rear diff. However, when I had my truck on jack stands, I was rotating one side of the wheel in the forward direction and the other side of the wheel was turning in the opposite direction while in neutral. This indicated that this was an open diff. So is it possible that an LSD can wear out to the point where it becomes an open diff? I have 130k on my truck. I purchased it at 100k and immediately changed the rear diff with Mobil 1 gear oil. I have done a second change at 120k. Thoughts?

He mentioned that you helped him with his CV axle and that he has you're old diff after you swapped it for an ARB. If he decides to convert back to stock, tell him I'd be interested in buying his sliders and Warn hubs (if they'll fit my stock wheels).

Sweet looking ATM tires. I was considering the Dynapros a few months back, but got a good deal on some Falken Wildpeaks. Now go get them dirty

Sounds like you threw a rod. If the rod snapped at the piston end, it would rotate freely on the crank banging on the inside cylinder wall and eventually making its way to the oil pan which would explain the hole. Since there is no rod connected to the piston, the piston would have blown out of the cylinder and end up in the oil pan as well. Post some pics for analysis.

Hey folks, sorry for the late reply. I just got done installing a clutch in a cousin's Nissan 350Z and boy was that a pain. Total install time took 12 hours over two days. I think you're right. The original suspension was probably sagging 1" which would explain the total 3" lift. The part number is KYB 343379 I'm in North San Jose, but work in Santa Clara. When I saw the Craigslist listing for the AC lift, I couldn't believe the asking price of the seller. It was definitely a huge score. I think the seller is also a member on here. That would be awesome! I've only been to the Livermore offroad 4x4 play area once and that was the extent of my offroading experience. So I'm still a newbie. Do you know a guy named Sonny? He was the one I bought the AC lift from. I think he mentioned you and this forum as we discussed his rig. and to everyone else, thanks for the kind words.

I use to be the type to over analyze oil and oil filters and would only buy the best. My father on the other hand buys the cheapest oil and oil filters from Walmart and has never had any issues with any of his cars. Many of which have gone 200k+ miles. I've read many experiments on used oil analysis between different brands of oil and oil filters and have come to the conclusion that there is no need to go overboard and buy the best oil and oil filters on the market. A cheap but good Purolator filter and Walmart brand oil works just fine so long as the oil changes are done per recommended intervals.

Hey everyone. I've been a long time lurker here and I finally found a reason to start posting to the forum. I purchased my 02 LE three years ago with 100k miles on it and have been very pleased with it. Upon purchasing it, I immediately replaced all fluids (oil, tranny, fr/rr differential, transfer case, coolant, brake fluid), spark plugs, pcv valve, filters, and locktite the power screws. Since then, the truck continues to run perfect. Recently I found a great deal on a used AC lift ($125 on Craigslist) that I couldn't pass up. So I bought the lift and installed it along with new KYB struts and shocks. I was expecting 2" of lift, but instead I have 3" of lift even after a couple of weeks after the install. I figured since the AC springs were used, that they would have already 'settled' with the previous owner. However, the lift still seems to top out often over speed bumps and potholes. I'm not really concerned too much about the top out since it is very common with this lift. My question is will the springs still settle down to 2"? or will it remain at 3"? I have 245/65/17 Falken Wildpeak ATs and now that the pathy is lifted, I want to get rid of some of that gap and go with a 31" tire. Unfortunately the Wildpeaks are fairly new with less than 3k miles on them, so unless I can sell them for a fair price, I may have to wait until they need to be changed. -Mel

How much for the Duratracs?