Mr_Reverse

Yep, the stock setup is more of a cold air intake since it draws air from outside the engine bay. The air gets quite warm in that small space between the exhaust manifold and radiator that the so called cold air intakes put the filter. The stock airbox does a good job of keeping water out as long as you don't go deeper than the top of the tires. If water is a concern, a snorkel is the best route. My old Pathfinder uses a K&N filter in the stock airbox. I have done water crossings up to my headlights with no problems pulling water into the engine.

Strange noises out of the alternator is a red flag. Sounds like brushes or bearings are about done. I can tell you that my old 93 is sensitive to dirty and low power from a failing or bad alternator. Newer stuff is even more so. Voltage testing is ok for basic checking, but current testing is also required for alternators. It can put out good voltage, but low current. Need to use the AC voltmeter setting to check how clean or dirty the power is.

Could be the TPS, the plug, the wiring, or something else entirely. The codes just give you a starting point, still have to put in the work and diagnosis to actually find the problem. It is possible that a poor electrical connection at the battery, fusible links, ground, or a failing alternator could cause false codes to set because the ECU is simply seeing voltage on the circuit that is outside of what is allowed. With your other symptoms you have described, I would personally start by ensuring the electrical system is good. Most of your local auto parts stores can perform a battery and charging test in the parking lot and don't charge for it. Try wiggling wiring and see if anything is loose or damaged. Check for corrosion at terminals and connectors. Wiggle things with the engine running and see if it glitches. I had a gremlin in my 1980 200sx long ago that drove me nuts. Took a dark night for me to see the Sparks where the fuel injection harness ground wire screw was just a little loose. Cleaned and tightened the ground wire and the problem went away, making room for so many others. That car hated my wife, it was smarter than me there.

Like the others have said, change the battery and fluids and do an inspection of the moving parts. Might want to pull the caliper slide pins and regrease them with a silicone based grease so they will slide properly. With the truck being stored inside, it has been better protected and sitting damage should be much less. The tires should be ok, but the rubber does degrade over time. That is why tire shops generally won't repair or install tires that are over 5 years old, the liability issues are simply too high. Replacing the belts wouldn't hurt either, but don't really see them as critical. They tend to give warnings before they quit.

Sanity has a big effect on it too. If you are a bit off like me, it is amazing what a rear wheel drive can do. However, it does get expensive. If you were to put a locker in that rear axle, it really is incredible how far you can go, but you will get stuck even deeper. My one run of Hells Revenge was done in 2wd because I broke my steering at the beginning of the trail. I did have my locker and low range to help my insanity to get me through though. I just did the run in 4lo with the hubs unlocked and took the easy lines. Also left a lot of rubber on the rocks too.

Sorry, been away for a while. I just run the regular grade fuel in mine. Mostly from Sam's or Costco pumps. The compression is so low that even mid grade raises the emissions slightly. Anything more than regular is a waste in these engines. 20 years ago when I bought mine, I was averaging 19 city and 24 highway. However that was back when it was completely stock rolling on the stock sized 31x10.50 AT's. Also, didn't have ethanol in the fuel either. It did have 128k miles on the clock and 6 years old when I bought it. Size wise, it is pretty much the same size and weight as an S Blazer or Exploder from the same era. However, mine might have been a special one, but tended to put the power down and definitely worked off pavement better than the GM and Ford compacts that friends had. She seemed to give similar fuel economy too. Now the old XJ that a friend had was lighter and the 4.0 I6 seemed to have plenty of torque. Most of my local friends ran full sized with 35 being the common tire, but after a few runs, they all had great respect for the little Nissan and had no concerns that it would have trouble on the trails. Was also the popular one for the ride home after the trails because it was so comfortable. I miss that old truck, the lifts, bigger tires, age and abuse have reduced the comfort greatly. I suggest a hotter thermostat, your engine is just running too cold. I haven't had an engine driven fan in mine for at least 14 years. I currently have a pair of 14" electrics running off of a thermostat in mine. I simply took the studs out of the waterpump and replaced them with some bolts to hold the pulley on. Common size, 6mm 1.0 thread. Quick, simple change that frees up a lot of room and a little bit of a reduction in rotating mass/drag on the engine.

It does sound like the thermostat is opening early. Normal temp is usually between 1/3-1/2 on the range. Simple thing that is old guys do in colder climates have been doing for decades with our trucks that run too cold in the winter is to use a piece of cardboard and partially block off the radiator. Years ago, Nissan had a TSB for the engine coolant temperature sensor in the 93. I know this because mine is one. The original one was yellow and the revised one is blue. This is the 2 wire sensor screwed into the coolant outlet pipe near the top radiator hose. The single wire one next to it is for the gauge. If the sensor is lying and reporting to the ECU that the engine is colder than it really is, it will cold start and run ok, but tend to run rich when at operating temperature. Check and see if you have the blue sensor. The plug is yellow, but if the sensor is yellow too, I would swap the sensor out and see if that helps. The 12 mpg thing is my life with mine. Last fill-up, I found I was down to 10 mpg. Understandable due to the less than a mile commute I have for work, the cooler temps, the extended idle, and playing in the snow in the mountains here with that last tank. I normally get about 13 with the crappy E10 fuel I get here. Ethanol free and 60 mph on the highway will usually give me about 16 even with my lift, 33x12.50 MT's, and all the crap I carry around.

Yep. With my old truck, if there is snow on the ground, I will usually lock the hubs before leaving the driveway and just shift the transfer case into 4WD when needed. Unless there is damage in the drivetrain, you won't have any issues.

With the R50, no advantage when 4 wheeling unless you have a locked front diff. The R50 uses drive flanges so a very solid and absolutely reliable connection between the axle an wheel hub. As has been said earlier, the advantage is when in 2WD, it saves parasitic drag and wear in the front drivetrain. Older trucks like my WD21 had auto locking hubs that by their design, are less useful and reliable when off pavement so are a good upgrade. I have actually considered getting a pair of R50 flanges to carry in my truck as emergency spares for if I manage to break a locking hub. The auto hubs do lock in both forward and reverse, but there is a short period where they unlock when changing between forward and back. Example, when 4wd is selected, the front drive turns and engages the hubs when the axles turn in either forward or reverse. The hubs then remain locked until you change direction. Then the hubs unlock and then relock. Normally not a problem, but if you are stuck and try rocking to unstick yourself, there is the lag with the front. That tends to cause the rear to dig in and make the stuck worse. Happened to me a couple times. Also, in higher throttle applications and a front wheel lifts, like climbing a hill if you let off the throttle while a wheel is in the air the momentum of the spinning wheel will cause the hub to unlock when the wheel is turning faster than the axle. Then if you get back on to the throttle, the hub will relock violently and makes a horrible bang and can cause the hub to break. Had both types of events happen to me with my truck back when she was new to me a few times, so I was motivated to understand how the hubs work. Also made me find the money for my Warns. Problems you R50 folks won't have unless you replace the drive flanges with the automatic hubs found on the WD21s and V6 D21 trucks.

Problem is that your truck is more reliable than the Rovers, at least here in the US anyway, not sure how the club will accept that. I doubt you will have issues with the CVs, they are pretty robust and as long as the boots are intact, can take a lot of abuse. I have seen more problems with wheel bearings than with the CV.

Sounds like it might be a Nissan specific code. Most generic code readers don't go much past the basic codes that are mandated by OBD2.

I hate the intermittent issues. It makes the diagnosis so much harder. The Titans had a recall for the relay that powered the ecm a while back for similar issues.

I am leaning towards worn swaybar bushings and end links with your symptoms. I had one of my end links break a few weeks after I replaced bad bushings in my rear links and it felt like the new bushings were worse than the old ones. It took physically pulling on the link to find the ball had snapped off the stud. Just looking, everything looked ok because the stud was still in the swaybar and lined up with the socket of the endlink.

Ahh, your buddy probably has projectors in his Lexus. Those are very picky about their bulbs. All my rides have stock housings so no projectors to deal with.

Those bits are hard to see on my phone, but they look like the bits are from bearings rather than the gears. If you have a limited slip, could be bits from the clutch and drive plates. If you are not noticing any strange movements, should be ok for your trip.

I tried the Ultras a few times. They were great at first, but I found for me, I only got about 1 year out of them before failure. That was in my 93 Pathy, 04 Sorento, and 10 Altima(back when it was new, car was 6 months old when I swapped bulbs and found the Ultras were not noticeably brighter than the stock ones, so when one died 9 months later, put the factory ones back in. For the record, those Ultras in all 3 cost about $60 per pair for me. Just too expensive for the performance I got out of them. Just my personal experience that I have had, your results can be different. You R50 folks have better headlights and wiring for them than us old WD21 guys, so you wont see as much difference, but a good pair of LEDs will make a big difference and these days they are built much better and have patterns that very closely match the halogens.

Give your rear swaybar end links and bushings a close look, look at the swaybar itself as well, I have seen them broken before. Mine is a WD21, but has a similar suspension. I have found that when one of my rear swaybar links breaks(I have broken a few) that the truck becomes very unstable in the rear, and it is worse when loaded. Wouldn't hurt to check the panhard rod and bushings as well. Carrying a load it is a good idea to bump the tire pressure up a bit, do a chalk test to find the optimum pressure for your tires and loading. if you are running P rated tires, it would be a good idea to upgrade to LT for the extra loading.

Are you driving on hard surfaces while in 4wd? Even patchy surfaces will allow drivetrain bind to build up. 4wd is only to be used on slick/loose surfaces with our old trucks because unlike newer ones, we don't have a center differential to allow the front and rear to move at different speeds. Are your tires matched? all 4 being the same size and type( same make and model is preferred) and are the tire pressures the same. very small differences in the tires and pressure will add to drivetrain bind. Unless you are driving on low traction surfaces exclusively, pressure will build in the drivetrain until it gets high enough to overcome the grip of the tires to allow it to release. It will often make a bang like noise and a thud you will feel. That is all normal operation in the old 4wd systems our trucks use.

I can't recall exactly how I did mine, but I believe I removed the starter and got the converter bolts through the starter hole. I have a 3" body lift on my Pathfinder, so I had a bit more room to work with and didn't have to mess with the front axle. However, if it was stock, the front axle housing and suspension cross member would have to be removed to be able to get the engine snaked out of the engine bay. I believe I had the upper intake off as well to make a bit more room for lifting and wiggling the engine to get it out and the replacement in.

How much lift are you after with these springs? They have a higher load rating than the Pathfinder springs so they might be shorter uncompressed, but installed, not as compressed so you have lift. The Ford F150 springs I had in there before were about 5-6" shorter than the Pathfinder springs, so had problems with the right one falling out when flexed on the trail. However, they were so stiff, they held the rear bumper about 3" higher. Also allowed me to carry 1500+# in the back without too much squat. Made for a terrible ride though unless I had at least 800# in the back. The Jeep Grand Cherokee front 4" lift coils gave me the 5" of lift I was after and a much better ride. Solved the falling out problem too, though a bunch of zip-ties got me through a couple of Moab trips with the Ford springs. I don't recall the part number for mine, but I think they came in a Moog box, I ordered them through a local 4x4 shop.

I have had good results with Hikari LED bulbs in my Sorento and the Sealight 9004 conversion units in my 93 Pathfinder are working well. Haven't had people flashing their lights at me and for me, I get better visibility. I did notice more glare back at me in snowstorms than I did with the halogens, but I simply turn off the headlights and run the Amber fog lights when the snow fall is too heavy. Both of the light sets were about $40 US on Amazon.

Simple. There is something else on the same circuit. If you dig through enough of your wiring diagrams, you will find that fuse is powering more than just the window defogger. Is the draw constant, or does it go away after 10 min or so. With modern autos, you need to wait a while after connecting the battery to do a parasitic draw test to let all the modules shut down.

When I did my springs, I cut the pigtail off to let the spring fit. My Jeep springs were 4" lift coils that I wound up cutting a coil off to get them to fit and the desired height.

As with the GM, you can test the sensor by measuring the resistance at certain temps to confirm it is accurate. The service manuals give the details. I just know about the revised sensor because I live in northern Utah where my local elevation is about 4400 ft and I am in the bottom of the valley. It doesn't get particularly cold very often, usually doesn't drop below 10°F here. But I did come across the revision because it was in a TSB. When I bought my Pathfinder almost 21 years ago, I also bought an Alldata service manual for it. That included recalls and TSBs for the truck. The sensor was inexpensive and easy to replace, so I replaced it to prevent problems. Don't know if it had an effect, but haven't had any problems in 20 years related to that and that does include a lot of time spent over 7k ft and temps down to -35°F.

No, it doesn't learn the TPS, it isn't advanced enough. Setting the sensor involves using an ohmmeter. Can't recall the process, but it is in the manuals. Same with the testing. However, it is easy to look and verify the plugs are tight and the wires are undamaged.