hawairish

Nothing new quite yet. If push comes to shove, I can revisit the original design, or see what improvements can be made since my original set. A rear bumper will be the primary focus once the new plasma table is up. Thanks! Never did get around to making/selling them, but as above, perhaps I can whip something up if you want something to build around. Yep, I was on a video from the CANVAZ event in NV last October...complaining about my transmission, no less. he transmission is "fine", though I just hate it sometimes. Truck's pushing 182K and seems to get over anything I point the tires towards. Depending on where you're at in WA, there's several PNW guys that get together. To PM members, just hover over their username (or click it), then you'll see a "Message" link.

Another long-overdue update. Let me start by quoting myself from an FB response I posted earlier tonight, mainly in response to mentions that P2S has been trying for years to do things and will probably not materialize: I'll be honest: if P2S never becomes a legitimate, multi-state corporation, nor has a website or IG or FB page, I'll care very little. ( @TowndawgR50 probably won't let that happen as our Director of Public Relations.) If it remains a hobby, ok. It won't stop us from making things, and it hasn't stopped us either. The discussions and ideas we've had are just as frequent as they've always been. We've not been idle. Yes, it has been over two years since our initial post and we're still not "selling" SFD kits and we don't have a website, or secretary, or whatever. But yeah, we have kits out there already, and we're proud of that. We actually put a partial kit on a member's truck over a year ago; some setbacks prevented us from completing the install at the time, and ultimately led to a small redesign. We were expecting to have completed that installation this year, but the pandemic derailed things; barring some travel plans, we're ready to finish that job. As you've probably already seen here or on IG or FB, @Stpickens and @02_Pathy have been sporting the kits from the latest batch for a few weeks, and @RainGoat's install is coming up. So again, we're not idle. As suggested in my post, we've not needed to push the sale on the extra kits. They hopefully speak for themselves, but at the same time, we're still needing to fully vet our parts and test the waters by gauging interest from seeing real trucks with those parts installed. On the vetting side, we've even confirmed that an alignment shop was willing to adjust our spacers and was able to get the vehicle within spec. We've fully assessed the costs of our kits and the value of our time/work; these aren't rusty steel tubes with holes drilled in them. We've paid heavily into tooling to do this sort of stuff, and compromising on a price to meet all budgets isn't an option. The intention isn't to narrow the market, but it has that effect. Specifically regarding SFDs, we plan to have a new NPORA thread that just covers them. This thread is basically our "overdue update" thread now. The FB post pretty much provides the current state of things (noting that I never reply to things on FB but wanted to curb the bull@!*% there), but I'll add: Obviously, we have SFD kits available and intend to sell them eventually. A few people have messaged us here and on IG; we've not announced any pricing, and we're not keeping a wait list. We'll discuss that stuff in the new thread when ready. The parts for my new CNC plasma table have been delivered, but I have no space for it yet. The plan was to have personally delivered my current 2' x 2' table to @TowndawgR50 by now, but that didn't happen for obvious reasons. The new table gives me a 4' x 2'6" footprint, so dreams of more skids and bumpers may soon become reality (at least on my truck, ha!). When the new table is up, I plan to make a pair of plate-style rear bumpers with integrated tire carrier—one for my truck, another for a buddy's. I may eventually do a front bumper as well by year's end. We're discussing the feasibility of offering re-packed LSDs and/or complete 3rd member assemblies. Jake's already gung-ho about swapping to 4.6's ever since borrowing my truck for a few weeks while visiting AZ, and his swap will include a re-packed LSD and rear disc brakes (geez, finally!). We have the means to re-pack a few LSDs and offer them up, but I also intend to do a write-up about the process in the coming weeks. That's about it. Hope everyone's well given the state of things, pandemic, economy, yada. Take care!

Agreed. Though, it was a flip on a quote that came from the R50 FB group saying that NPORA gives owners bad info. The person who wrote it is king of bad info.

The NPORA FB group will often stray you wrong with R50. A 1" SFD is a lost cause, having personally attempted to install a 1.5" SFD; the constraints are the same. I've seen the hack jobs of others who have tried (can't recall if the guy referred to you just ended up stacking an extra rag joint in his link). After you've sorted that, then have fun modifying the motor mounts and replacing all the hardware with expensive longer bolts...to achieve less ground clearance. As speculated, all the steering parts will fit, you just need a shorter shaft piece. No one's done it correctly, so no one knows the right length. It's not a linear extension length, as the other guy mentioned.

I don't recall them coming with that middle washer, but I tend to use them if I have them on similar applications. Depends on if the bushings are flat on both sides, or if they have a raised lip to seat into the larger hole. Either approach is a means to prevent the hole from wallowing out should the link come loose.

Honestly, if you're in Stockton, I wouldn't even bother with that eBay unit. Pricewise, $300 for just the internals on that eBay unit is a rip. I just bought a full 3rd member with LSD and a pair of axle shafts last weekend for $210; my yard typically charges $150 for the complete 3rd member, and I've bought a few in the area for about the same price. Took hand tools and <30 mins to have it out, as you probably know. Not sure the supply of yards in Stockton, but there's a ton of them in Sacramento, especially in a pocket in Rancho Cordova. There used to be a "Nissan Only Wreckers" group there, but I think they are now Rancho Nissan Auto Dismantling. But that little area they're in has several other yards right there on the same street. Even if you don't pull it yourself, they'll pull it and warranty it for under that $300 I'm sure, in addition to having a large selection. If you're being picky, you'll ask for an LSD unit from a 00-02 Xterra V6 or 01-02 Frontier V6 with HG46 gears, since those will have the best LSD setup for a unit that'll bolt right into your truck. The 4.636 gears will be stamped with "51:11". The 2wd units may have the ABS sensor on the snout (see below)...you can just ignore that; the overall snout length is the same as the units without the ABS sensors (our sensors are on the axle housing ends). This is the LSD unit I just pulled the other day, from an 02 Xterra 2wd. LSD carrier (I have a couple units that aren't in the 3rd member if you need additional pics):

And yeah, mechanical lockers are great for what they are, but keep in mind they are more like "unlockers"...they're always locked under torque, and will only unlock when one tire needs to rotate faster than the other (say, around corners). The moment you give it gas, it'll lock up again. It's all negligible when going straight. But, it's not something I'd want to have when towing. (On the flip side, GM trucks have optional Eaton G80 mechanical lockers that are always unlocked, and will auto-lock when there's enough slip/rotation...pretty neat.)

If the diff really is an 02 Xterra open diff, it'll look exactly like the diff you've already got, not like the one in the eBay listing. If it's an 02 Xterra LSD diff, then it'll fit your truck perfectly because it'll be 33-spline. The Lock Right itself isn't splined for 31- or 33-spline ale shafts, but it re-uses the 31-spline side gears. As confirmed in another one of my posts, the 31- and 33-spline side gears are cut very differently, so the 33-spline side gears won't mate with the Lock Right's components (and the 33-spline side gears won't fit that 31-spline open carrier). Given all that, the Lock Right can only work in 31-spline applications that have the open diff. Across all H233B carriers, the LSD carrier is identical, and LSD internals can be interchanged. It's the open diffs that are different.

@Mattmill91 Replying to a few things here... Can I buy that double-cardan joint off you? Not sure it helps me, but I like collecting drive train stuff, lol. What gears are on that diff anyway (you can look for the ratio, it'll listed as ##:## on the perimeter of the ring gear). Guessing 4.363 (48:11) from a 2wd 96-00 R50. The diff being sold on eBay...I'm certain that's not from a 2002 Xterra. That style of carrier (4-pinion, 2-piece open diff) was used for 31-spline model H233B axles. 33-spline open diffs only ever had the 2-pinion, 1-piece open, like the one in your spare diff. If anything, it came from a 99-00 (early 00) 31-spline Frontier, or possibly older WD21 Pathfinder or D21 Pickup. If that diff came from any of the trucks I mentioned, the HG46 would actually mean it has 4.625 gears. 33-spline HG46 is 4.636. Trivial difference, but a difference nonetheless. The picture of that diff is from a rather old eBay listing I saw years ago (I've used that exact pic to reference that specific style of carrier several times in other discussions). The "Ace" logo and yellow stickers are from Ace Pickup Parts, a JY in Tucson, AZ. The Lock Right locker you linked does fit that eBay differential perfectly, but in order to make it work in your truck, you'd need 31-spline axle shafts. The shafts from a 99-00 Frontier work, as do ones from C200 Frontiers (I have a write up about this). The internals from a 33-spline unit won't swap. Not sure if @TowndawgR50 is still going to do the 31-spline swap, but he has all the parts you'd need.

@Strato_54 FWIW, I just keyed this up...given your use and hesitation, if you're considering hubs at all still, the RR-style hubs are a reasonable alternative.

...or whenever the wheels with the smaller inner cap came in (02+?). Rephrased, they weren't spec'd for the wheels with smaller center caps because the unaltered wheel won't fit them. Doubt anyone is willing to do that work on all their wheels.

I'm with XPLORx4 on their necessity. The improvement is fairly parasitic, and there are better things to put the money towards. If you plan to lift it, or install a Lokka, then yes, consider factoring that into the budget. Engaging the hubs is fairly trivial...maybe 15s tops. I'm sure there are some nasty weather conditions to step out into, but it's a pretty minor inconvenience if you bought them to save on other items. Now, that all said...I just upgraded to Warns today. I don't think they're all that better than the Rugged Ridge ones they replaced, to be honest (I'll do a small write-up in the Product Review forum). The RR's were on the truck when I bought it used. The Warns were part of a trade for a re-packed LSD, and since I just switched to QX4 wheels today, now I can actually run them. (BTW, the reason the Warns and MM's aren't spec'd for 01+ Pathfinders is because the OE wheel won't clear them...RR's fit, though.)

Went to 33" tires on QX4 wheels... Just a wee bit bigger...

Did you replace with rubber or poly bushings? What brand of shocks, and are they OE lengths? Any lift? How are the springs? In general, the bushings and trailing arms don’t contribute significantly to sway. Worn bushings can lead to tracking and instability issues. As suggested earlier, check for a snapped bar. The bushings trap dirt and the bar is most prone to rust and breakage under the bushing. If you have lift, the bar ends should also be somewhat parallel, which is only achievable with longer end links. Worn joints and bushings probably won’t contribute to excessive sway, but check that all hardware is tightened anyway.

Honestly, I didn’t either, but that’s what the FSM showed. I was originally going to describe the pedal procedure.

@DesertKyle I was actually down there over Christmas, but not with the Pathfinder. Truck needs a little maintenance soon, but it'll be down in Tucson mid February when @TowndawgR50 is visiting AZ. If his schedule permits, maybe I come down and we hit a trail. I lived down there for a decade and still go there semi-frequently, but I didn't get into 4-wheeling until well after I had moved away, so I'd love to see the trails there offer. Back then I only had a lifted 2wd Frontier and would go camping up in Oracle. I only recently realized that the Charouleau gap trailhead is only a few minutes north of where I lived (OV).

Forget the Owners Manual. You need the Factory Service Manual: https://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/Pathfinder/2000_Pathfinder/ Specifically, get friendly with the Engine Control (EC) chapter: https://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/Pathfinder/2000_Pathfinder/ec.pdf Codes can clear themselves depending on the "trip detection logic" and severity/type of code. Not that it helps determine the code, of course, but I'd start with EC-54 and get familiar with the system. Then jump to EC-70. Have you tried putting the truck into diagnostic mode before? The 01+ trucks use a sequence of pedal presses, but the 96-00 will use a small screw-potentiometer on the ECM itself. On EC-72, that's the procedure to enter the diagnostic modes on the truck. Even if there is no stored code, it flashes a code to indicate there are no stored codes, and then shutting it off resets the ECM. The first thing I would check is that the diagnostic screw is rotated fully counter-clockwise. If you attempt this, be careful as it can be fragile...use a small screwdriver with gentle turns...breaking it off isn't fun. Then, follow the procedure to trigger any codes, which get flashed on the MIL light in a long-short pattern. The FSM describes what to look for, and you can let it blink endlessly to ensure you've gotten all codes. An "0505" (5x long + 5x short) code means there are no codes stored. Notably, I've had identical symptoms to what you've described, but on my 98 Frontier: truck ran fine, but every now and then the MIL would be on for a while, then go off randomly, but never return any codes. The reason I mentioned checking that the screw was fully counter-clockwise is because it needs to be in that position when not in diagnostic mode. Otherwise, I think it can leave the ECM in a diagnostic mode that monitors the O2 sensors. My situation is only unique in the sense that I had accidentally damaged the diagnostic screw and ended up soldering in a different style of potentiometer, and then eventually forgot which direction had become CC and CCW. As such, for years the ECM wasn't ready. I hadn't realized I had the rotation backwards until I needed to get it emissions tested and realized that none of the truck's emissions systems were ready despite years of driving. Ooops.

Man, it's been over a year since our announcement. Where are we? We're behind where we wanted to be. We still talk about projects endlessly (today's topic was rear disc brake conversions), but a couple events in our personal lives this year surely derailed us a bit. I think @TowndawgR50 will give a separate update, but in general, I'll take the blame for things being slow throughout the year. At this point, we are finishing up 6 kits (3 each of 3" and 4"), plus some other side parts to complete another kit already partially in the field. Four of those kits are spoken for among the PNW crew, leaving 1 each of 3" and 4". I'm not sure when we'll push those latter two kits out, likely after we've had some additional hands-on with the parts and installs. That's the focus right now. We're still discussing 2020 plans, but tentatively we're talking about a few short run kits here and there rather than anything full-fledged. Our work schedules and locations presented their fair share of challenges, and Jake and I both have a few personal projects we'd like to focus on, so we've been discussing ways to make our two locations a little more independent. Part of that will be transferring my current CNC plasma table to him once my new one arrives and is operational. That would put nearly all of the SFD-making equipment in his hands, plus give him a kick-ass tool for a ton of projects. Since I'll have a larger table, I'll probably be exploring bumpers and skids, but will also be able to supplement SFD parts and such, too. More to follow soon...

@fleurys, @Mr_Reverse is right. Fuses 56 and 57 also tie into the "Electrical Load Signal" circuit (as "LOAD" on the EL-9 schematic). Take a look at page EC-647 for that circuit.

Sorry fellas, guess I hadn't been following this post. Yeah, the bumper bracket projects got put on hold while working some other projects. I may resurrect this project in 2020, since I'm planning to redo mine with plate style bumpers. I think that'd might open up some other options.

Awesome, thanks for the tips. It's something I'd end up doing myself I'm sure. I doubt it's a fun job, but probably one I'd take a stab at. Good to know about the expectations, too. I don't stay in 4L much except for obstacles, so that latter part shouldn't be a problem. Thanks on the bumper. I might end up replacing both in 2020 with plated versions, though, once I've got my new plasma table up. I discovered the other week that the smash in that video put a hairline crack in a weld, so it'll need repair anyway. If you can ever make it down here, that'd be great. Sedona has a good trail selection, though some of the more-popular ones are usually clogged with Jeep tours. Still plenty of options all around, though. Jake (TowndawgR50) will be down here in February and I'm hoping we can hit some trails here and down in Tucson. Another buddy down in May for Expo West. I think I'm planning to pass through CA en route to visit Jake and the PNW guys in March. Should be a busy year. Yeah, I've dismissed the idea of converting to manual...parts too tough to come by. I've converted a S13 240SX from AT to MT, but it also helped that there was tons of info out there. As for the throttle control...that's been the problem: I'm not being aggressive on the pedal at all, but what you see is the result. I'm literally feathering into it as gently as I possibly can, the tiniest increments I can make. The truck gives a highly digital response...it's either going or it's not. Gearing has got to be the solution. On a semi-related note, for everyone's entertainment...Tacoma triple t-case, insane crawl ratio, just idling up. If only...

Totally appreciate that feedback. I'm in agreement with you that it does boil down to the gearing and torque converter at this point. I think I wanted to blame the responsiveness of the DBW system, but it's the entire crawl ratio of the truck. I've looked into AC's and Calmini's options. I have the TX10. I'm considering them, though it'll likely happen when there's more opportunity for it (there's a small RMS leak, so it's bound to need it). If my understanding is correct, the ACs don't require grinding the t-case housing for clearance, but the Calmini's do. Correct?

Actually, it should be as simple as being black or not. The aluminum covers were unfinished silver; the plastics were black. Otherwise, give them a tap with screwdriver handle or something...should be clearly audible metal vs. plastic.

@johann_peralta, great info. Thanks!

Yeah, but you gave no info about it.