xterra

Thanks, Nefarious. In my (lame) defense, I had tested continuity on the switch (confirmed that "off" meant open) and also whether it showed voltage. Since it didn't register any voltage, I just assumed it was switching ground. My mistake was that I didn't check if there was actually continuity to ground until after I smelled burnt electronic components.

Installed an alarm system, so I finally have keyless entry! Also installed an automatic headlight system, which worked great until I fried the control unit trying to install a lighted rocker switch instead of the ugly little toggle switch that it came with. (Not to self: don't assume that a switch is either (+) or (-) - sometimes it just interrupts a signal from a photocell...) At least it was only a $30 mistake and all I have to do is swap out the brains when the replacement shows up.

Thanks, B. I'm always learning more about the oily bits of these trucks. I'll have to see what the shop says. Regarding the torsion bars, Sway-Away is coming back at 2-to-1 against Nissan OEM parts pricing. ($200-ish each for Nissan, $210 for the SA pair from RuggedRocks and 4x4parts.) So here's another assumption: Aftermarket torsion bars claim a 20-30% increase spring rate over factory, which to me means a slightly smoother ride on pavement.

So I've got an appointment for the end of the month to take it to a new shop and have them give it the once over. Based on what I've read, I'm inclined to leave the ball joints, UCA and LCA bushing, and tie rod ends alone. I'll make sure they look at the compression rod bushings closely. (Thanks to all for the sanity check!!) For the rear, based on the last shop's assessment and my own looking around, the helper spring seats are toast - so since I'm having to replace those I might was well replace the springs, too. Like I mentioned before, the bump stops are completely gone so need those, too. For the front, there are a couple reasons I'm looking at new torsion bars: the LH has sagged from close to normal to pretty darned low in less than a year, and RH has been low since I bought the truck. They're sagging at different rates, so (and correct me if I'm wrong) there's really no way to get them level. New ones would solve that. As for the shocks, I need to rethink the OME or Ranchos. I'm looking for something that will smooth out the ride a bit, not make it stiffer. Right now it has low-end Monroe shocks and the ride is jarring - but I also don't know how old they are, just that they're showing signs of going bad. I've seen KYB and Bilsteins mentioned in several threads, so I may look at those. Anyone have any experience with Gabriel Max Control? A buddy here has them on his F-150 and swears by them.

RF & B- Thanks. Those are two very different approaches. B- I know that I need shocks, helper springs, and t-bars just based on the ride and noises. Steering overall is fine. The last time that I had it in the shop they said that the idler arm bushing needed to be replaced, but that's all they found in the front.

I know, this topic has been batted around here quite a bit, and I've search for what I could find. However, I still have questions that I'm hoping y'all can help me with. The rig is a 1990 2-Door SE automatic with 165K miles at stock height. 90+ percent of my driving is blacktop or asphalt, with the rest being well groomed trails. In other words, nothing extreme. I'm not planning to do any kind of suspension or body lift, with the exception of possibly Old Man Emu helper springs in the back for ~3/4" lift. The wife has agreed to let me get this done, so I want to do as much as I can without freaking her out. Since it's my daily driver, I will be outsourcing the work to a local shop - mostly because I can't take the time to do it myself. I know that I'm going to replace: - Rear helper springs because of compression & noise, either with Nissan OEM or OME - Front & rear shocks because they're weeping, with either Rancho or OME - Rear bump stops are completely gone, with Nissan OEM - Torsion bars because they're cranked and still sagging, probably with Sway-a-Way - Idler arm, with Moog (because it's just as much as replacing the idler arm bushing on the factory piece, per the shop) What I need help deciding is if it makes sense to do any or all of the following: - Front ball joints (top and bottom) and inner and outer tie rod ends and tie rod adjuster. (There's a Moog kit that has all of this together.) How do I know if it's needed, or should I just do it? - UCA and LCA bushings. If figure if I'm doing the stuff above, these wouldn't hurt. Anything else that you would recommend based on this? Apologies for the long post, but wanted to get the details out up front. Thanks for all your advice.

I have this saved in my Evernote from another thread on this topic (http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/topic/27747-anyone-know-a-way-to-fix-seatbelts-so-they-retract/page-2), just in case I ever need it. Hope this works for you. WARRANTY COVERAGE PLAN SB Seat Belts - Useful life of the vehicle for 1989-2002 vehicles, 10 years for 2003 up vehicles. OpCode VK22AA Replace Front Seat Belt Tounge Assembly - One side OpCode VK213AA Replace Front Seat Belt Tounge Assembly - Both Sides If you take your vehicle to get seat belts done, and they say it is not covered, tell your Service Advisor to contact their Warranty Administrator and give this information, if they do not cooperate call 1-800-NISSAN1.

I think (hope?) you mean Prost (cheers). As far as I remember, Bröst is breast or chest... So Prost! to all y'all

German heritage with a Tennessee twang.

Frohe Weihnachten und ein glückliches neues Jahr, y'all...

Is it a Nissan factory VSS? If it is, I doubt that a draw on the battery would cause the horn to trigger. I'd look at the door and hatch switches to make sure that they're in working order, since the VSS is supposed to be wired right into those. If it's an aftermarket alarm, it's possible that a sudden increase in draw could be interpreted as an incursion into the vehicle that would trip the alarm, since they're generally based on current draw and not door switch.

Assuming it's a factory alarm, it sounds like the "brain" may be going bad. I pulled mine out a few months ago. It just so happens that the installation manuals are available here (http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/topic/19755-fix-your-keyless-entry/) - so you can figure out what goes where.

It does make it interesting for a small minority of us, though. The 90-95 is where I need to go for any of the driveline stuff. (I have yet to pull my auto-locking hubs, so I don't know if it's 27 or 28 spline.) The 87-89 is where I need to go for any of the body and interior stuff. Electrical has been hit and miss. I would have thought there would be a similar split in the R50s - those with VG engines and those with VQs.

Made a pilgrimage to the parts store junk yard. Didn't find what i was looking for, but I did manage to get a good pair of headlight lenses and a sunroof for my spares collection.

Got new a new exhaust installed - everything behind the cat. I had them re-route the tailpipe so it's going straight out the back instead of the side - and put on a chrome finisher.

I thought about it, but I've got two issues with that approach. First is the gauge color. Mine has white gauges, the '88 donor has orange. My OCD won't let me do that. (I only have the speedo, not the complete cluster from the '88.) The second is the mileage difference. My rig: 165K-ish. The donor: 325K-ish Fastest I could get it to move with my drill and a square bit was ~70 MPH. That's nearly 90 days running 24 hours a day. I think I'd burn out a few drills doing that. I did find a '93 complete gauge cluster that's only got 180K on it, but it's not a direct pop-in replacement for the '90. While it physically fits, the wiring harness is dramatically different. I've got the pin-outs for both my '90 and the '93 to see what would be involved, but I haven't done the mapping yet.

Diagnosed my speedo issue - turned out to be the gauge and not the gear. Put in a K&N air filter, replaced the air intake duct and the two smaller hoses that come off of it - all were split or wrapped in tape by the PO. Last, I started (and finished) my headlight relay mod. Along with new set of SilverStars to replace the (apparently original) bulbs that were in it, there's a very noticeable improvement - at least in the garage. Roadtest has to wait a bit until it's dark outside.

Looks like it was the speedo gauge - picked one out of an '88 at the JY. I figured it was the easiest first step, and I got lucky. I popped it in, and went for a little test drive, and the gauge and the GPS matched. I kinda wish it had been the speedo gear, because now I just need to keep my eye out for a 90-91 SE gauge with close to my mileage and I'll be all set. <I'm Not holding my breath on that one>

Only 3 jokes about speedos (I really expected more) 2 votes that the gear was changed and that my mechanic didn't really check (thanks Nunya and I've got no idea if it was changed or not, so I'll be cracking open the FSM to see what I'm up against. Already planning to pull my factory hubs and counting my splines (since it's a 90 2-door, I want to double check before ordering mine manual hubs), so just a bit more work Nunya - No issues with confidence in the masculinity area - lots of issues with the beer gut. Terra - I though of that first, but didn't figure it would do much good since it was off by a percentage and not a fixed amount. I'll be heading to the JY in the morning to see what I can find - looks like they've got a couple possible donors for a speedo and/or gear setup.

Now that I've got your attention, I don't mean this kind of speedo: I mean this kind of speedo: Now that we've got that out of the way, on my real problem. Or at least, my truck's real problem. Had the truck at my mechanic to give it the once over before doing the shocks, springs, t-bars, brakes, and exhaust next month. There's one issue that has him (and me) puzzled, though. The speedo on my truck has been off a bit since I got it. After a lot of driving, using a GPS, and having my wife pace me, I've been able to figure out the it's off by 10%. If I'm going 50, it shows 55. In order to be going 70, it needs to read 77ish. Thats bad for me since it says I've driven over 11K in the last year, but it's really closer to 10K. The guy I took it to is an old school mechanic, and he says he's never seen anything like it (which worries me a bit). He confirmed It's got the right sized tires. He said that replacing the speedo cable won't fix it. He said it hasn't been regeared. His only suggestion was that possibly the springs in the speedo gauge itself have stretched out over time - but he didn't seem real confident. So I'm putting the question out to y'all: - Is this something anyone's ever seen or heard of? - Should I start looking for a new speedo at the JY? If I find one, what are the chances it will have the same issue? - Should I start looking for a new mechanic? (Or at least take it to a speedo shop?) Any ideas or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

For a base, I'd have to go with The Zombie Proof House someone actually built. Solid concrete perimeter wall - goes on the assumption that zombies can't jump. If they do somehow get through that, concrete panels close off the windows - and a steel door covers the back of the house. In safe mode, the only way in is from a retractable bridge on the second floor. And the roof can be used as your lookout points to take down the walkers. And while waiting for the apocalypse, there's a pool house and great views. http://all-that-is-interesting.com/post/4956385434/the-first-zombie-proof-house

Okay, so I've got a 2-door - so no rear door doors. But also no need to remove the trim behind the front seat. No dash removal was needed, either. Remove the A pillar trim and the trim above the front door. This will give you easy access above the headliner. Once you have the A-Pillar trim off, you'll see a small gap with enough room to fish a few wires.

It's really not that difficult on the WDs. I had to run power for my Homelink, power and signal for my Compass/Temp mirror, and the hands free mic for my stereo (so I've done this three times in the last year ). Take the trim off from above the door and the A-pillar. Then take off the visor and sun visor clip so that you can easily get behind the headliner. I have a sunroof, so I gently pull the headliner out of the sunroof trim and pulled it down to give me access. From there, I could easily fish the wires from the pillar to under the headliner. (If you don't have a sunroof, then this gets to be more difficult.) On mine, there was already a small bundle of wires running up the LH pillar (probably for the dome light), so I just zipped tied my cables to those so that there wouldn't be any rattle.

Finally got my 3rd brake light installed. Used a donor from a 2002 and 3M molding mounting tape to attach directly to the hatch glass. Also reattached factor speaker grilles to the door cards, since the PO had pulled them out.

There are also some state parks that allow OHVs (everything from motorcycles to quads to 4x4s). Usually just an admission fee or one-day pass needed, although some are called "Land Use Permits." From what I've seen, the rules are the same in most of the parks. Here's an example of the rules for the Prentice Cooper State Park, which is relatively close to me: http://www.tn.gov/agriculture/forestry/stateforest07.shtml Around here, if you were to try and hike or picnic on private property, you're very likely to be shot or arrested.