hawairish

@Robsredrocket Many R50s came with short capped breathers that came up only an inch (no tube), so they might not come into contact with a sway bar after lift. It was a problem on mine at one point, since I had swapped in a barbed breather. I haven't had any problems with the LR3 links at all (still installed), but those were also installed before I installed 9448's...so at about 6" of lift now, they're perfect. I checked with @TowndawgR50 and he's got material to make them. PM him and he should be able to get you set up. For the SFDs we've been selling, we've been extending links by 3", but if you need a shorter extension, that'd be doable. Easiest way to know how much extension you'll need is to disconnect the links from the sway bar, level the sway bar enough so that the ends don't hang below the trailing arms, and measure the gap.

I always liked some of the Rola units, but without some sort of lower crossbars or mounting options, they always looked goofy sitting above the OE crossbars. Beyond that, I'm not much help for alternative basket options. However, if you're looking for a lower profile "base rack" design with a ton of mounting provisions, consider some of the aluminum extrusion racks out there. They're pricey, and while some probably won't even fit our trucks without custom brackets, Prinsu universal racks (https://prinsudesignstudio.com/category/universal-top-racks/) and Smittybilt Adjust-a-Mount brackets (https://www.amazon.com/Smittybilt-AM-4-Mounting-Bracket/dp/B00AQFE8BG) might be a viable option...albeit a $900 one, after tax, shipping, and some additional hardware. To that extent, my buddy @Rockit and I are in the process of making our own base racks out of extrusions that are made-to-order (cut-to-length and machined for assembly). I was planning to start a new thread on the topic when both racks were complete, but maybe some info here/now might spark some ideas. Cost-wise, we're also well under half the cost of the Prinsu setup, with a result that'll fit our exact needs. These slotted extrusions are great because you can mount practically anything, anywhere, and there are already a bunch of off-the-shelf accessories for Rotopax, Hi-Lifts, etc (Prinsu has a full line-up of them). I'm fabbing up all our mounting and accessory brackets, like awning mounts and lighting tabs, but also have some ideas for other items. But these racks are far more versatile options than any basket I can think of. They're also lightweight, extremely strong, and corrosion resistant. Cost is a little higher than an off-the-shelf basket might be, but the versatility makes it worth it. For Rockit's QX4, we're doing a 50"L x 42"W x 2"H rack using 2"x1" and 1"x1" quarter-round extrusions, with the LH side being 72"L for full awning support, like so: I made some brackets that'll get the rack about 1" off the center of the roof (the height varies because of the curvatures F/R and L/R on the roof), and around 1.5" at the corners. The brackets are also slotted so the rack can be raised another inch if we need clearance anywhere, or to level it out: Since I have an SE roof rack, mine will be a drop-in rack that's 52"L x 36", and uses 2"x1" and 1"x1" extrusions:

Welcome. Longer end links are the solution. The sway bar rotating upward is a normal outcome of lifting. @TowndawgR50 and I also make extended OE links, though I run end links from an LR3: The OE-replacement specs are at the bottom of that thread.

@Sharar, welcome to the forum. A few things come to mind: Have you tried things without the new bulbs installed, or with the old bulbs re-installed? To confirm, the 4wd light is on but the truck doesn't engage 4wd? Have you been able to definitively confirm if it is or isn't in 4wd? How's your technical aptitude, or willingness to learn? Factory Service Manuals (FSM) are available online, for free, and are an extremely valuable resource. Not talking Haynes/Chilton, but the real Nissan Dealership stuff. Manuals found here: https://www.nicoclub.com/nissan-service-manuals Specifically, look at the Transfer chapter (https://www.nicoclub.com/service-manual?fsm=Pathfinder/2003/tf.pdf). Your "All-Mode" system is ATX14A, and there's a self-diagnostic mode described on TS-62. If the dealer inspected the solenoid and it functions fine, you should still confirm if that returns a diagnostic code. Keep in mind many diagnostic codes don't indicate a problem with a specific part, but part of the system pertaining to the part. The All-Mode system uses numerous inputs. Re-iterating my first question, if you have a known change to the system (bulbs), revert that and re-test. Hopefully it's something trivial, but if it working fine before modifying the switch, then I'd be starting with the switch.

Ha! I didn't know you pulled THAT much...that's awesome. Swap meet at your place!

Echoing what XPLORx4 said: there are no issues here. We put front and rear ARBs in @Rockit's QX4 the other month, so he can back drivability claims. Having them is inconsequential in Auto mode because they are disengaged. Though if you're also planning to get a front ARB, just know that ARB introduced issues that the previous locker did not have (I've installed both). The newer style requires pulling the pinion gear from the case, grinding it down 1-2mm on the head, and modifying the oil seal ring on the RH stub shaft, which requires a press to remove and reinstall in a new position a few mm's off. Lousy design on ARB's part.

My original post says you can use the rear studs up front. If you're doing wide spacers (1/2"-up), you don't need or want longer studs. Longer studs are desirable for short spacers, like 1/4".

Driver’s side (you said passenger earlier). There’s no adjustment, but you can try tightening that bolt in the center of the flange. Torque spec is something like 30-35 ft-lbs I believe. May want to check if there’s still an o-ring on the bolt under the washer.

I presume you're talking about the one bolt on the driver's side? If so, no; that's only for the driver's shaft. There are 4 bolts/nuts that hold the passenger shaft in, and if those are tight, probably need to pull the shaft and inspect the bearing. Shouldn't be that much play.

Having seen his, they’re definitely in the blue/purple 6.5K+ “white” and not the 5K white shown in those pics.

Stumbled across this video today that has some visual information about the assembly and some support to what I've written. No real technical info, though. He took the approach of grinding down a piece to create a shim and adding it to a full clutch pack prior to this rebuild. Earlier in the video (and a prior video) he reported it being too tight and spool-like for his application (a 2WD VG30 turbo'd Hardbody/Navara...3rd gear burnouts at 17:15, nice...albeit slick road and bald tires...still nice). He ends up removing the shims and using spring discs and spring plates from an older LSD since he had them, and it took out the axle jitters he previously had. I have a 98 Frontier KC 2wd that I will be putting an H233B axle on and...of course...putting an LSD into it (and rear disc brakes, because I can). I'll pretty much be doing the opposite of everything prescribed here as far as repacking goes, instead shooting for some sub-100 ft-lb target using leftover pieces and weaker configuration. With the truck being relatively light and not very powerful, it doesn't need much to be effective. Arguably, it the truck probably doesn't even need to have an LSD (let alone H233B), but what fun would that be?

I'll definitely defer to Mr_Reverse's experience on the normalcy of the items since this is his profession. I started to wonder if perhaps I was too zoomed in on the images to gauge the size of the objects, but in hindsight, the particles are probably relatively small and insignificant. Like before, I think the sliver is probably just from the drain or fill plug thread (I've seen it before). I agree small specks shavings are generally not abnormal, but the shape of the chunk on the magnet still seems questionable. Can't say I've seen oil like that, though, but I don't disagree that old oil can break down in that manner, possibly due to prolonged use, moisture, rust, etc. The trucks I've worked on all from dry environments where those aren't normal factors. Also, note that I said unbolting the driveshaft, not the diff. This is so you can remove any additional resistance on the pinion when rotating it. At that point, you'll have isolated it to the pair of pinion bearings and the pair of carrier bearings and sensing for any issues. Since you've drained and refilled the diff, you can probably avoid repeating work unless the axle bearings don't end up being the problem. As for the ABS sensors, the tips of the sensor protrude about 1/8" into the tube. I've normally advocated avoiding removing the sensors for the exact reason you mentioned: the bolts are prone to seizing and snapping, and even with the bolt removed, there's a possibility that rust may prevent removing the sensor. This obviously varies from vehicle to vehicle depending on corrosion; with a CAN truck, I'd probably just work around them. Same is true with the front sensors. With the sensors still install, you're more likely to damage the sensor tip than the wired, but there's plenty of space to work with, including if you need to replace the oil seal. Just be mindful of them. And Mr_Reverse is absolutely right about the noises finding a harmonic balance, which can make them even tougher to identify. I think you're on the right track as far as having to rely on other clues (turning, acceleration, noises) to pinpoint it. It may help to look at other sources of vibration to see if those are not interfering (or amplifying) the problem. I usually suggest looking at the all the rubber components...a failed bushing may be allowing metal-metal contact and just amplifying road noise; a split transmission mount allowing excess vibration; etc.

Thanks for the detailed info on that prior post. Listening to the audio, I definitely hear the hum. It sounded like tire hum sometimes, but only time I've heard it that pronounced was when they were nearing the wear limit. Not very likely the source with new tires until they're some real meaty treads. The pics say a lot, though. The amount of material on that drain plug is very high, and the chunks and that long sliver are very concerning. Though, the arc of the long sliver seems similar to that of the drain plug, so maybe it's just from the diff housing from a prior tightening. The chunk is questionable, though. Some material is to be expected as the LSD pieces wear down, but they result in a very fine, sandy material on the plug. When you wiped it off, were there other small slivers in there, too, or is that just the magnetism causing all the spikes? As far as the rubber metal chunks, the only thing that seems to meet those material types would be the pinion seal, which has rubber bonded to metal, but that's on the outside of the pinion bearing...it'd have to get chewed threw the bearing to make it inside, and that's seems incredibly unlikely (you'd have a nasty leak at the pinion dust shield, too). There are oil seals at the axle tube ends with similar composition, but also far-fetched that they'd make it into the diff area. Beyond that, there's no other rubber pieces in there. I've never seen gear oil that brown or translucent. It might be expected from mileage and/or age, but I'd have expected it to be more greenish-yellow, or even a silvery-green and fairly opaque. My impression is that it's burnt, which isn't a good sign either. With the axles out, does the pinion shaft turn smoothly by hand? And is it easy to turn? There should be a fairly low amount of resistance, but I can only give a subjective description. I'd unbolt the driveshaft to sense it better.

I hate it when I put my worms in other Pathfinders... I do know that the Rancho struts were also built to similar OME dimensions, which were both based on the longer struts that 96-99 R50s had. Depending on how tall your spacers are (2"?) it'll probably be at the upper range of the CV angle, but if it's clear that the setup works on one side and not the other, I can only presume it's because of CV differences. Not that you'd want to redo the work, but I'd also bet swapping your CVs would move the problem to the driver's side. Totally agree on with buying a new CV vs. replacing boots. I'm dreading doing it on my passenger side, but now would be a good time to do it so that I can collect some real data on them when they're apart.

Ah, I thought you were having both axles done. By chance, did you try rotating the axle shaft/bearings once they were off the truck but still on the backing plates? With the shaft out of the differential, it makes it a bit easier to sense for any hesitation or play (there should be none for both). Did the shop give any assessment about the bearings they pulled, or did they just do the work without question? Did the keep the bearings, by chance? At this point, checking the differential is only a nuts and bolts away if you think that's it possible source, but you'll need some special tools like a dial indicator to sense for backlash and play. But if the sound changes or is otherwise amplified during a turn, I wouldn't think it'd be from the differential, since the only thing that changes there during a turn is the rotation of the side and spider gears (in a straight line, they're not turning). Rereading your first post, you mentioned there's vibration, too. What kind of vibration? I wouldn't think a wheel bearing can cause that, unless it's about to seize up and grenade. Does the vibration and noise seem in sync?

The inner joints on mine have a step. In fact, if I had to make any direct comparison, mine look like the picture of the Cardone remanufactured unit, p/n 606185, on Rock Auto: The shaft shape seems to be what we, so far, leaning towards being OEM. This reman'd unit could potentially be that.

Awesome, @PathyDude17! I totally forgot about the round inner joint flanges; perhaps that's the easiest indicator of early model CVs. Am noticing your first CVs have the same style shaft as mine. Wish I knew if mine were OE or not...I only know the boots were replaced previously. I rebuilt one of mine the other month (and hated every minute of it), but can't seem to find the pics I took. I vowed to never rebuild another one, but with this discovery and the fact that I'm sitting on spare boots, I may need to face the music and rebuild the other. I've been wanting to keep a spare CV for off-road use, but I can't move forward on that until I have an answer about these. I may just end up bringing an angle finger to the JY and finding the right set.

Late chiming in. The shock mounts are the only major difference. Everything else interchanges. For the lower shock mount, you could weld on shock tabs to the backside of the mounting tower to match the older style. Then you could cut off the low-hanging parts of the shock tower. Alternatively, you can determine if your truck has the mounting provisions to use the upper shock mount bracket from the newer truck. Not sure how cleanly the bracket comes off, but when I've looked at mine, they seem bolted, glued, and spot welded on. Either option should allow you to retain use of an off-the-shelf shock so you're not fussing with something oddball (or...take this an opportunity to convert it to use something better). Too bad you weren't closer...I could swap you with early model axle.

Thanks @fleurys for chiming in. I especially wanted you to see this because I've seen some of the complaints on FB and they're totally unwarranted; there are simply "bad" CVs out there that will bind with with the slightest amount of lift. Hopefully this post becomes a means to identify them beforehand. Thanks, too, @mjotrainbrain. Rebuilding OEM CVs seems like the way to go, and I think that's why remanufactured CVs will be hit or miss since they might be made from OEM parts. I doubt we'll ever have a shop specializing in OEM rebuilds...the market's not there, and there may not be a good way to identify them. I'm hoping someone with a genuine part can shed light on identifiers. (@RainGoat, were yours ever changed?). I was also just reading up on Nissan's Value Advantage parts line-up and it reads like the CVs are all new but perhaps aftermarket..."a quality product validated by Nissan Engineers". At 4x-5x the cost of an aftermarket, I'd hope these are the "good" CVs. I refrained from mentioning it in the 1st post {puts on tin foil hat}, but what if this is a conspiracy by the aftermarket to sell more CVs but producing a product that can't range as well as OEM? That's defective in my book. Since Nissan still lists one CV to cover all R50 applications, I doubt the part number change they made in between was to lessen the angle range. Otherwise, it would surely fail on the early model. If the aftermarket is supposed to build to OE specs, several degrees off seems like a major oversight. It's nonsense to have an aftermarket CV that binds on an OE-spec strut, even a little, and that's defective in my book. I also wonder if it affects 1st gen Frontiers and Xterras...the only difference between those CV and ours is the shaft length (ours are shorter). The joints, bearings, and boots are all identical. Probably not an issue on those trucks because the only way to induce binding is with longer UCAs, and if they have as much wheel travel as ours, the longer shaft means they have lower operating angles. Anyway, don't dive into the conspiracy theory here, but just something to think about.

I'll start with these setups: CV Brand/PN: Cardone 66-6185 (New) Markings: "6185 20/04" (presuming date code of 04/2020) Strut Brand/PN: OME N145S/N146S Strut Spacers: 3" (w/ 3" SFD) Binding: 3-Severe CV Brand/PN: unknown Markings: none Strut Brand/PN: KYB 335032/335033 Spacers: 3" (w/ 3" SFD) Binding: 0-none

This topic is probably going to have a lot of debate on it, but I'll cut to the point: not all R50 CVs are created equal, and one variation of them is prone to binding even in stock applications. I think this variation is undoubtedly the reason why there's such mixed opinions about the use of spacers and lift springs in regards to people busting CVs. Let's be clear up front on some things: Binding in this context is the inability for the CV to rotate smoothly, without restriction, when the suspension is at full droop (i.e., tire off the ground). We'll be talking about any severity of binding, as a CV shaft should always be able to rotate without binding. Without a doubt, spacers can contribute to binding because they move the wheel hub downward, causing the normal operating angle of the shaft to increase. There's obviously an upper limit to the amount of spacers that can be used. For the sake of argument, let's say 2" is maximum permissible spacer lift amount for a non-SFD truck. (@fleurys, please weigh in on your opinion here since you've probably sold hundreds of your spacers and will have more insight than anyone here.) No lift spring can cause binding, ever. The operating angle of a CV is strictly limited to the travel range of the wheel hub, which is directly limited to the compressed and extended lengths of the strut. The strut length is unaffected by a lift spring. I'm making the claim about CVs because we observed it first-hand over the weekend while working on @Rockit's and @R50JR's trucks. On Rockit's truck, we installed a 3" SFD and replaced OME MDs with HDs on OME struts. On R50JR's, we didn't change anything about his suspension, but he has OME HDs on KYB struts. Adding my truck to the mix, I have a 3" SFD with OME HDs on KYB struts. For apples-to-apples, @Stpickens's has the same exact setup as Rockit's. On Rockit's truck, we installed a pair of brand new Cardone 66-6185 (new, not remanufactured) CVs during the installation process. As we were starting to bolt everything back together, we noticed that both CVs were binding severely—guaranteed imminent failure. We debated whether it was the CV or the SFD, and I demonstrated that on my truck with a similar setup, I had no binding whatsoever. We eventually re-installed the original CVs and there was absolutely no binding. We also later confirmed that Stpicken's truck also had no binding. After taking a few measurements, we confirmed that the OME strut is about 1" longer than a KYB strut, which basically has the effect of having a 1" spacer. We then determined that the new Cardone CV would begin to bind at 19°, whereas the original CV reached 24° with no binding at the maximum droop. That 5° also equated to 1" of travel, since we also measured the distance between the rotor and the ground. On R50JR's truck, he had previously dealt with binding when he had a 1" spacer with the same KYB strut and OME HD spring. Even with the spacer removed, a very slight binding was still present. Coincidentally, the CV shaft shape looked exactly like the new Cardones. Neither of them looked like mine. This is definitive evidence that R50 CVs are definitely not the spec'd the same. I've speculated that it's related to the fact that early model R50s and QX4 (99 and earlier) had struts that were longer than later models (00 and after), and this is confirmed by several manufacturers (including OME and Rancho) producing struts of different lengths. However, the length change could simply be attributed to the two different strut mounts (aftermarket mounts include a spacer so the same mount can be used for either application.) If perhaps the longer struts on early models equated to a longer droop relative to the newer models with shorter struts, it would suggest that older CVs may have had a higher maximum operating angle than newer. As such, it would then be plausible that aftermarket manufacturers used the new CV dimensions and then applied the parts to the full 96-04 model range. That's my best guess at the moment. Also, we believe the issue is with the inner joint, not the outer because the binding occurred about every 120°, which coincides with the 3 bearing cups on the inner joint. As far as sensing binding, we put a screwdriver in the brake rotor slots and give it a slow turn. If there's binding, you'll feel it, but can also watch the front differential hangers shifting at the bushings. What does it mean for us? Well it means that, potentially, for all the people who have had binding or have broken CVs when using spacers up to 2" tall, the issue may have actually been the CVs the whole time. As noted, there's slight binding on R50JR's with KYB struts and no spacers...not factoring the lift he's getting from his springs, this is an extremely common OE replacement setup that should have absolutely no binding at droop. The main CV options are either OEM, aftermarket-new, or rebuilt. The problem here is that there's not usually any clear indicators of which is which, so there's not really good advice on which to buy. OEMs are presumably the best option to avoid this issue, but they can be very expensive ($550) though Nissan does have a "Value Advantage" part available ($150). Aftermarket ones are clearly less expensive, but if brand new Cardone ones aren't built to the same spec, you'd have to chance a rebuilt one being of one spec or another. At this point, we might need a lot of community input to see if we can determine who has, or had, binding with which CV and which setup before we can know which CVs to avoid. We may need to rely on physical appearance of parts since some brandings or p/ns might not be visible. I'm thinking it's best to list the following: CV brand and p/n (if known) Any markings on the shaft Your strut brand and p/n (stamped on the body) Spacer height (if any) Severity of binding on a 0-3 scale: 0 - no binding 1 - slight binding 2 - binding (can be overcome) 3 - severe binding (can be overcome with more force, or not at all) A picture of shaft Since strut p/ns vary by LH and RH side, it may help to include both if perhaps you've replaced struts and/or CVs separately and potentially have a mismatch (@notmeami). Copy/Paste template... CV Brand/PN: Markings: Strut Brand/PN: Spacers: Binding:

@notmeami In the scenario where you've got the front end off the ground, presumably with truck supported with jack stands, put your jack under the passenger LCA or ball joint and lift it a little. Does the binding persist? Do the shafts on both CVs look the same (paying attention to any contours on the shaft)? Over the weekend, @R50JR observed that not all CVs are same and there's a major difference in their operating angles. A brand new set of CVs binded completely, whereas the old set on the same suspension had no problem. My hunch is your CVs aren't the "same", but are for sure for your truck. I'm about to open a can of worms on the topic in a separate post.

The chisel was to gently tap the axle nut only, which is threaded, if you don’t have a special spanner. The tone ring is pressed on; it needs to be pulled off.

Mine snapped back in Feb, just like that, when @TowndawgR50 had the truck. He can probably attest to the usefulness of it coming down the mountain on the curvy sections of I-17.

The service tool is not required, but it really only does 3 of the 5 mains steps needed to completely disassemble the axle shaft: Pull the ABS tone ring (does) Remove the axle nut (does) Pull the bearing cup assembly (does) Pull the 2nd bearing cone off the axle shaft (doesn't) Remove the bearing race from the bearing up (doesn't) I use a floor press for all steps except 2, which can be done with a chisel or screwdriver and a hammer (I've made my own axle nut wrenches). Toyota axles are very similar to ours (but let it be known they are still punier than the mighty H233B!). The most notable difference is the use of a double-cone tapered bearing instead of single row sealed ball bearing shown in the video. The bearing difference is what may be the most problematic, because if you were to do all the steps in the video, one of the tapered bearing cones would still be on the axle shaft (step 4 above). You could technically use a bearing splitter to move it a little bit at a time, but you'd have to keep putting some shims behind the splitter in order to slide the bearing almost an 1.5" off the shaft (although, you could put a notch in the cone and crack it with a chisel...I've had to do that before on a diff bearing). Would the video work? Technically, yes, but it'd absolutely suck. I couldn't possibly recommend it. In case it helps, this is the only pic I have handy of all the pieces of the axle shaft, in their order on the shaft: L to R: ABS tone ring, axle nut, lock nut, washer, inner bearing, bearing race, outer bearing, bearing cup, grease seal. The brake backing plate and mounting studs are not shown, but those fit over the bearing cup on the wheel hub side.