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hawairish last won the day on February 6
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About hawairish
- Birthday 01/17/1980
Previous Fields
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Your Pathfinder Info
2004 Nissan Pathfinder SE 4WD
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Mechanical Skill Level
Standalone Tool Chest Mechanic
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Your Age
41-45
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What do you consider yourself?
I Go When I Can
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Model
SE
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Year
2004
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Gender
Male
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Location
Surprise, AZ
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Country
United States
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@Lock Glad you found this useful! No ban on posting links. Amayama is a great source for these and many other parts that are difficult to acquire or not available here. In fact, I actually have two open orders with them right now. I have purchased clutch pieces from them in the past, though at some point the supply was exhausted, particularly for the thicker pieces. Looks like there are many in the UAE at higher/normal costs, but it's the less expensive supply from Japan that was always questionable or long lead times. As for the ramp-angle LSDs, those were in Patrols. There's not really as much of a difference between those styles and these in terms of functionality, though. The spider gears in ours will apply outward force on the side gears to compress the clutch pack, because the clutch pack rests directly on the side gear. In the Patrol units, the clutch pack rests entirely on those inner housings, which compress the pack when the cross-shaft ramps up on them, which means the side gears might not exert significantly on the housing (or it's a combination of both). In both cases, there's varying outward force when differential action occurs. Might also be the case where less, but bigger, clutch pieces has about as much friction as more, but smaller, clutch pieces. Speculation in the absence of factory specs and dimensions. That all said, I'd surely rather have the Patrol units because of the beef factor they add, but I'd be curious to know if it's a drastically better solution that what we have available. Just another thing I wish they'd have here.
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hawairish started following Only getting 16mpg on the highway , R50 series l tailights , Lift options and 3 others
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Fitting, no. Bulbs were in different locations and different lens colors, but I presume the bulb sockets and fitment into the housings were the same (might be able to swap the pigtails if the bulb sockets were different). Though I don't think you had the Infiniti models there (where there Regulus models there or was that just another Terrano trim?), the QX4 models here also fit all the same, except they lacked reverse lights, which were located on the liftgate around the license plate. You probably wouldn't want those, if they existed there.
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There's definitely a snow-ball effect as you've noticed. The CVs see the most of the impact, though. One thing to check on the TrakMotives is at the bottom of the strut on full droop. Seen a few guys on FB end up busting the TMs, which they think is due to their angles after adding spacers, but to me it looks like they're contacting the strut body and then snapping. I had to run two sets of camber bolts to get close on my setup, but my setup was a little different anyway.
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But then again...if you're buying OME, just buy them from somewhere else, otherwise you'll be paying for them to drop ship to FL for them to repackage and send to WA.
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If you pony up for the $214 springs at AC, those are the OME springs. The $180 ones are the house brand. For the longest time, the OMEs were cheaper than the house brand...
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Definitely can't beat the price of R50/QX4 out there vs. Toyota anything. Still, there are some other vehicles of that era that also have some decent support. Always liked the idea of getting a Trooper, Montero, or Montero Sport. Xterra got way more love than the Pathfinders did if you're wanting to dive into the Nissan world. Keep in mind that a spring lift has the same effect on CVs as torsion bar lifts. Both change the operating range/angles to one with higher oscillations but within the same suspension travel range (limited by LCAs). Subframe Drops (SFDs) were the best way to get lift and keep factory geometries. No personal experience with the AC springs, and it's been a common topic here, but since you mentioned "house" springs, you've probably seen discussions (likely from me) that AC sells OME springs without saying they're OME springs. The fact that they mask brands and repackage them is not a practice I support. But, they're pretty much the last company to support the platform.
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QX4 and R50 are practically identical in every way. Key differences are generally the luxury items (interior trims, fancy headlight options), but everything else being the same. Biggest notable difference, specifically for 4WD models, is all QX4 have the full-time "all-mode" 4WD system, whereas only some Pathfinders have that system (generally the LE trim), with the rest getting a part-time system. The full-time system is all electrically actuated; shifting is done by a dial to select the drive mode between 2WD, Auto/AWD, and 4H/4L. Part-time system has a floor shifter. If you have no concerns with an electric transfer case, then you're good (you would want to do due diligence if a prospective purchase has any issues with the t-case; check for dash lights!). Suspension wise, they are identical with the exception of a few more vibration/noise/harshness items around the truck to help make it a "premium" ride. All parts are interchangeable. If you're new to the platform in general, the suspension is the biggest hang-up for it. Front McPherson struts make for a great ride, but also creates a complete lack of aftermarket support. Not even sure what's available these days beyond strut spacers to lift things. Old Man Emu front springs are the way to go if they're still available. A lot of people use a Land Rover springs for the rear. Overall, the drivetrain is solid in stock form. Very stout and practically identical to all Nissan trucks through 2005...and arguably stronger than anything Nissan produced after that. However, the R50/QX4 platform is an absolute bastard...Nissan made pretty much everything unique to the platform, despite being "identical" to other Nissan trucks/SUVs of the era. In a few ways it was actually better (high-pinion front axle, lower 4L gears in the all-mode transfer case), but at the same time, also worse because it's basically a one-off platform that no one supports. All said, QX4 is as great as any R50 because they're the same, but the platform at large may be limiting depending on what you want to do with it. If you think you'll want to modify it in terms of lifting or traction, I'd recommend looking elsewhere. Will it strand you? Probably not, unless you do something dumb. Notably, I've helped build up several of these trucks with lifts and lockers, including a sweet 02 QX4 that I'll see again in a few months, and can attest they're very capable vehicles. But I think the truck is long past its prime in terms of aftermarket support.
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Can't say it's something I'd ever consider doing. That guy seemed to do a great job of figuring out where that hole needed to be. You're going to hate it if you miss the mark, though. Maybe if you're able to cut a large piece from a donor truck to use as a proper cover. This idea doesn't sit well with me. Your truck, of course. I'd sooner buy the transmission jack and drop it all down. Especially if you already have a leaking RMS. Changing the RMS is a bigger pain in the...
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Dude...your reply struck a total déjà vu moment...except it really happened! In fact, exactly one year ago, I replied to a thread on the Club Frontier forum about this exact same issue where ATF was unbelievably dripping from wiring insulation. I had forgotten all about the leaking through the insulation, only recalling the general nature of the failure. While I was typing my reply there, the topic starter had posted that he found the same issue on the Club Xterra forum. All these trucks use the same transmission, of course. This post shows the failure at the tip of the sensor. So, my money's on that sensor. Unfortunately, if it is that sensor, it's not cheap and not easy to replace. Unfortunately, part two, I decided to crawl under my truck to see what plugs are visible to confirm if I could see what you see. I see that my harness also shows a layer of grime on it...which is highly unfortunate because I just had the transmission down in 2023 and didn't notice it.
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Given the saturation, I'd say it's probably a sensor atop the transmission. There are no fluid lines in that area, so it has to be travelling down the loom. Guessing that's the only sign of saturation. There are two sensors on top. Hopefully it's the revolution sensor at the rear end of the transmission and not the turbine revolution sensor at the front of the transmission. Older/OE turbine revolution sensors had a rubber/plastic boot that can crack at the top and allow ATF to be expelled; replacing it requires dropping the transmission because the sensor is ridiculously long. The rear sensor is much shorter and more accessible, but also just uses an o-ring to seal. Keep in mind your transfer case uses ATF, too, and is in that area. Since you have the LE, you have the full-time ATX14A transfer case and I'm not sure what sensors exist there. Doubt it's the breather on top of the rear section of the case, but wouldn't hurt to inspect (it points in the wrong direction of your leak and likely not a factor unless you regularly park on an incline). If the ATX14A is like the TX10A at the tail of the case, the fluid line is relatively low in that area when the truck is level, and there's a baffle plate inside that prevents fluid from being slung directly into the tube. Of course, usually helps to power wash the area as best you can and try to see if/where a new leak/drip develops.
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I need to be super clear that the level of work I've described so far was specifically to service the crossover pipe. That means I need to pull back most details about my experience because they will not be the same as yours if you need to replace your RMS. My apologies for not realizing or stating this earlier. That said... Replacing the RMS on this truck requires a SIGNIFICANT amount of effort and equipment. In my case, I had zero intentions of replacing it because I knew the amount of work it required. I intended to apply RTV to the exterior of the RMS to seal a minor leak I was aware of. If you're losing that much oil, this is surely not the option you'd take. To replace the RMS, we're talking about pulling the transmission, draining coolant and motor oil, dropping the front axle, slinging the engine, lowering the subframe, and splitting the engine. The factory service manual assumes you have access to a 2/4-post lift, a cherry picker/hoist, and a transmission or trolley jack. To your point, pulling the engine could be the home mechanic way to do this job...but not the best way. In essence, you need to support the engine from above while the subframe is lowered to provide space to drop the upper oil pan. I'm trying to finish a straight axle swap and for the last 10-11 months, I'd been using an engine support bar to suspend the engine, which is really all you need to do here. I thought I had a better pic, but you can find these at Harbor Freight or on Amazon. I got mine from Amazon for about $80 I think. I can tell you firsthand that slinging options on this engine absolutely suck. The factory sling points are in the dumbest locations, and you basically need factory slingers to even use them (one point is behind the power steering pump, which must be removed to access, but the points are tucked in an obscure spot...can't just put a bolt in and use it with chains; the driver's side spot is a little more accessible but also not usable with the support bar. There are no exposed bolt holes, no clear paths to wrap a strap around without compressing against coolant hard lines/pipes or wiring, nothing to chain to...it's absolute crap. In that pic, I made a plate that bolts where the power steering pump goes, but I eventually replaced it with one that attaches to the brackets that hold the motor mounts. My slingers are basically permanent fixtures on the engine at this point for future use. You could potentially make a sling plate that bolts onto the intake manifold (i.e., the actual manifold on the engine underneath the intake plenums), but frankly, I didn't like that option at all. You can drop the transmission without slinging the engine. And you probably should do this first to determine what part of the RMS is actually leaking. But with the engine slung, you can do all the work necessary to lower the subframe. You'll also avoid having to disconnect engine harnesses, detach the exhaust system, split the A/C, and many many other things...it will still be a lot of work, but it will save a lot of time and possibly money (recharging AC lines). If you're not familiar with the Factory Service Manuals, get familiar: https://www.nicoclub.com/nissan-service-manuals Drill down into Pathfinder > 2001 or 2001.5 > Engine Mechanical. In that chapter, start at with page EM-15. You'll quickly see the major steps that are involved. If you start with EM-37 you'll be very disappointed that Nissan makes the procedure look like it's 6 easy steps. Re: 2001 vs 2001.5...2001 was a split year. Your exact manual will depend on your truck's manufacture date (I don't know the cut off) but the procedures here should be the same. I recommend opening each link in a new browser tab, then clicking the "Click here to download a copy" link below each PDF inset on the page so that you can save all the PDFs to a local folder and reference later. I like to keep mine on a Google Drive share so I can pull them up whenever. The FSM site does not load well on mobile devices, if at all. And yes, the transmission must be removed to access the RMS. As is separating the upper oil pan from the block. The RMS is actually a seal within a housing ("retainer"). The seal cannot be removed like a conventional RMS on the truck because it is installed from the backside of the housing. As mentioned earlier, the seal itself does not tend to fail, but instead a seal on the perimeter of the housing. The housing uses both a paper gasket (engine block) and rubber strip/seal (upper pan) in addition to a bead of RTV all around. Given the volume of oil you're leaking, the rubber seal is surely compromised. I bought the Ultra Power set from Rock Auto because it include the rubber seal; I don't think the other ones (which only show the gasket) include the rubber seal. (If you need a replacement, send me a message and I'll send you the kit I have...I don't have a need for it at this point.)
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Manual Transmission won't detach from engine ( 2001 Pathfinder VG35 )
hawairish replied to IRONFIST's topic in The Garage
That's a very helpful explanation! Honestly, I've never heard of a pull-type clutch like that. And very typical of Nissan to make this truck an absolute bastard in one more way (we already know this is the case with the R50...it shares practically NOTHING with any other VQ35DE model, except the exhaust manifold gaskets basically). Looking at pictures on RA for 02 R50s, I see what you mean. "Diaphragm style". Wild. I never knew. But yeah, that makes a lot more sense now. And that clutch literally only cross-refs to 01-02 R50. How stupid... Lastly, welcome to NPORA! Great info for an early post. As far as image hosting goes...there is none. If you want to post pictures here, you'll need to use a 3rd party image host and then link to it in the post (pasting a URL in the text field should auto load the image, similar to how I posted the RockAuto pic above). -
You can access the water control valve and crossover pipe and gaskets with the transmission removed. That’s how I did it. It’s still a little tight, but you can tip the engine forward a small amount…as long as the mounts aren’t toast and it wants to just fall forward. However, there’s the RMS itself and a seal around the plate that holds the RMS. The failure point is usually the seal around the plate and not the RMS itself, which is what requires separating the upper oil pan (the black pan you see is the lower pan) from the block. To separate the upper pan and the block there’s a lot of other things that need to be loosened or removed. When I was in there to address my leak (not nearly as as bad as yours), I just slathered some RTV along the plate seal. As for pulling the engine instead and leaving the transmission in…I think pulling the transmission (and t-case) down is the easier route. That way to don’t have to disconnect all the electrical and exhaust stuff. Pulling the transmission just needs detaching the driveshaft, unplugging the harness pigtail, and detaching the ATF lines. Get a transmission jack.
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16 mpg on a misfire...I'd be happy to see that on my truck! But ultimately, a misfire will absolutely affect mileage. Since cylinder #4 (the "04" in P0304) is easily accessible on the engine (driver's side), you could at least swap the #2 and #4 coil packs to see if the problem travels, and pull the #4 spark plug to check its condition and replace if warranted. Those two actions would at least rule out spark issues. Air and fuel you can't really check without tearing down the top of the engine a bit, but maybe a borescope might show something. In tracking down my own engine issues in recent years, a smoke machine proved super valuable in finding leaks. Maybe run a fuel system treatment for a tank or two in case it's something with the injector. Unlikely the code is tied to clogged cat. Two other cylinders exist on the engine bank, so you'd throw a bank-specific cat or O2 sensor code instead.
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Time to SAS Hawairish's truck
hawairish replied to hawairish's topic in Solid Axle Swaps, Hardcore Custom Fab
Honestly, that's not a terrible idea and I'm sitting on an absurd amount of unused water bottles. I took a quick look at universal and other OEM bottle options, but the R50 has this stupid gooseneck design that might complicate tucking another bottle in the same spot...and there's no space under the hood for a different option. I may just pick up some fiberglass stuff or a plastic welding kit and see if can be repaired...not that I use washer fluid all that often anyway. And yeah, shopping for shocks was enough of a challenge, but spring choices and unknown variables (like what's my new sprung weight?) were something else. Just finding options that aren't $80/ea ($320 for the whole setup!) complicates things, since that's apparently the going rate for most springs. BUT...on that note, I did order springs last night from Summit and they should be here next week. After mulling on it some more and seeing what was actually available and from where, I went with 9" and 12" springs at 300 lb/ins each. So 150/300 will be the resulting rate. Even better was getting costs under $250 before tax (free shipping at least) if I didn't mind using different brands and different colors. In this case, Summit house brand in silver and Aldan American brand in black. Considering I have a silver truck and practically everything else will be painted black, not to mention the Fox shocks are chrome and black, I'd say it's going to work fine. Never heard of the latter brand, but I presume a spring is a spring is a spring, and they're both made in USA (not that that's much of a factor for most of my purchases). At this point, the coilover setup ends up being a big dent on the project budget at around $1100, or about 25% of what I've got into the project so far. I admittedly had some buyers remorse buying the 1st coilover. In hindsight, sticking with leaf springs would have been a fantastic option for this project both for costs and effort...I surely could have been done months ago had I gone that route. But, no real regrets at this point aside from not putting more effort into it last year. Anyway...this week's been too busy with work to touch the truck, but hoping to jam on stuff over the 3-day weekend.