jmol50

That's almost exactly what I did. I took it to a repair shop and they disassembled and reassembled for a small fee. I can't remember what it was exactly without digging up my receipt folder. I'm not super handy, but I make up for it with good old-fashioned research (FSM, Chilton's/Hayne's, YouTube, etc). I'm also learning that it's ok to make mistakes, especially if you're just using hand tools LOL. The spring compressor, however, that thing frightens the snot out of me.

Very good I ordered the parts from RockAuto and will get it done next weekend. I spent the extra $5 each to get KYBs instead of Monroe. Happy 4th to you Kyle!

At my last oil change the shop said I had a shot front strut that needs to be replaced. Their quote was $842. I priced the struts and mounts/bearings/boots at $194 on RockAuto. Just wanted to confirm I was getting the right stuff. This is a Pathfinder that only goes "off road" to go camping on BLM land here in Colorado. Nothing crazy.

Yeah it went pretty smoothly. If I didn't have a helping hand with the how-to open, it probably would have taken me another hour or two. OK one more question… what can I do with my old rotors, cv axles, and auto hubs? Would a junk yard buy them?

Well, the job got done today with the help of a friend (same level of "experience"). 9am to 3pm with a lunch break. No pics. Too cold.

I'm still here, haven't disappeared yet Plan is to tackle this assignment over the weekend but sub-zero temps in Colorado may push it into the next weekend. I don't need it to get to work next week so this won't be an issue.

Alkorahil (Rob Lacy) sounds like a real catch hahaha Thanks for the heads up on wheel bearings (my parts list is growing each day) and the FSM. I've also read and re-read individual threads on cv axles, brakes, and warn hubs. Before I did my first repair on the Ranger I must have read the how-to and watched the YouTube clip a few dozen times.

Hi guys, just picked up a 1997 Pathfinder with 166k miles. Rust and dent free with 4wd and a m/t were my requirements. I'll be using this to go fishing around Boulder County and camping with our growing family - we have a 4 year old chocolate lab and we've got a baby boy due in a month or so. Pre-buy inspection revealed torn cv boots in the front and the brake pads need replacing. While I'm replacing the cv axles and pads/rotors, would I be saving much time by installing locking hubs at the same time? I'm estimating it will take me 5 hours to do the whole job. All of my DIY experience has been in the last year on an old Ford Ranger - I did all four shocks and replaced all the fluids (rear diff, m/t, transfer case, p/s fluid, coolant, etc). Do you guys think 5 hours for my skill level seems reasonable? What if I wait until the spring to do the hubs - 4 hours total? One other question, how do I know what trim level I have? I know it's not an LE (no leather, no auto trans) but not sure between XE and SE. Does it even matter? I ask because the auto parts stores always want to know.