hawairish

Just to give my $0.02 or affirm other answers here... In your current setup (open), running with one hub locked would have no benefit. In 2wd, it's just stuff spinning. In 4wd, any applied torque just goes to the wheel with least resistance...a CV disconnected from the wheel is about as least resistance as you can get, so that CV would just spin without purpose, never transfering power to the other wheel. Unnecessary wear and tear. With a Lokka and 2wd, running with one hub locked would have no benefit. The other CV and front driveshaft would just spin. Unnecessary wear and tear. With a Lokka and 4wd, running with one hub would not be good, particularly around turns. Inner and outer tires spin at different rates around turns...but if one wheel is locked, it will handle differently between left and right turns. Factor in an open rear differential, for one turn, both tires on the same side will drive the vehicle (normal), but for the other turn, opposite tires will be driving...I'd imagine the vehicle would want to push straight around that turn. A Lokka in 2wd is fine on any terrain, including regular roads. It is designed to disengage around turns, when the rotational difference between tires exists, specifically around turns if there's enough friction at the wheel. That's when you'll hear the clicking...normal operation. In very loose terrain, the locker might not disengage around corners because the tire breaks friction on the terrain. But even in snowy terrains, it should be enough to disengage the locker. In either case, the steering might feel a little firmer during low speed turns, at least before the locker disengages. Until it disengages, steering will be firm as both tires will want to straighten out. Lokka or not, you should only engage 4wd on loose terrain. In your case, if you're going between pavement (dry?) and snow frequently, you'll need to be conscious of your terrain and shift between 2H and 4H appropriately, which you can do on the fly under 50mph if you have the Part-Time 4wd system (the All-Mode auto system will do it whenever in Auto mode). I'd imagine you'd have plenty of heads-up on terrain changes. You will need both hubs locked for either system, otherwise the transfer case might not engage the front output. If the terrain changes abruptly between loose and dry conditions, you'll need to stick with 2wd and drive with care.

Nope, they are a different size and shape.

Yes, just pull the complete rack. Though, the rails on your current rack are the same as the 'lower' rails on the updated style. So, you basically need the upper rails (with Pathfinder letters), crossbars, the front and rear caps, and the plastic trim that goes from rail to the windshield (I think those pieces just slide forward, IIRC). Beyond that, you shouldn't need to make any major changes to your current rack, short of sliding off the 5 crossbars. But you can keep those for additional load support and roof protection...I use a couple on mine for that reason.

That is interesting, but probably not too surprising. There are model variations for "CA" and "FED" emissions, which wouldn't surprise me if some regions came with the resonators where they weren't mandated. I always saw those designations for my Frontier, but there was never a difference on the emissions parts. Does yours have resonators like that? My truck was originally sold in AZ and has all cats.

Sort of. You'd have to do the 31-spline swap I described on another thread.

Haha, gotta love that CARB designation! Since everything else came down easily, I'd probably share the same stubbornness and try to conquer, too. Got a pic of the space you're working with?

That would be nice, but there actually four cats, two per bank. It's kind of weird how Nissan shows them in the FSM, because they don't show all four in the Fuel and Exhaust chapters, which only shows the rears. The fronts are shown in the Engine Mechanical section. They'll be listed as "TWC" for three-way catalyst. Ron, lifting the engine might not give much clearance, except maybe if you loosen the two bolts at bottom of the motor mount. Might only create extra work, though. Normally I'd say if you've come this far, go the distance and swap it out (otherwise it'll come back and haunt you!), but for stuff like this that doesn't seem to trigger a code, and for an expensive part like a cat, I'd probably forego the work and return the unit. If the issue, or another related issue, manifests, you'll be back under there anyway. Though, one other option might be to warm up the exhaust first (careful working around it), or soak it in penetrating oil and see what additional leverage you can get on the bolt. Perhaps vice grips and a small cheater bar would come in handy. I think your local parts store may also have a loaner set of bolt extractors. One other reminder is to look for local catalytic converter recyclers if you do replace yours. There are even online scrappers. It can recoup a decent chunk of the costs of a new unit, though I don't think the pre-cats (show in this post) are worth as much as the rear units.

Very easy swap if going from 02 to 04...the only gear ratio was 4.363, so all you have to do is swap the 3rd member over. Not much more than disconnecting brake lines, sliding the axle shaft assembly out a couple inches, undoing the driveshaft, and unbolting the 3rd member from the axle housing. If you don't have the need for a selectable locker, Lokka makes a good front locker. I was very pleased with a Lokka/LSD setup when I had it (noting I had repacked my LSD). Not sure if the LE models only had the All-Mode 4wd, so there are some other notables about leaving it in 2WD and/or getting manual hubs if that's the case. That alone would save some serious cash for other goodies, and be quite capable.

I just remembered something else about the front bushing...it can only be removed in one direction and has a flange that would make it difficult even with a press. The flanged side is towards the front of the vehicle. Not only can you not get a press behind it because of the rest of the arm, even if you had a suitable tool for the sleeve, you'd need some other tool for the control arm to center up the press over the bushing. That said, the only reason to bother with this process is if you want to run poly bushings. You can buy replacement rubber bushings, but screw that! New arms are the way to go if going rubber. Key thing about rubber bushings is that you don't tighten the bolts until the truck is on the ground, at ride height, with "normal" payload (spare, cargo, fuel, etc.). With poly, you can torque while still on stands. Admittedly, though, I have no complaints about using poly. Crappy job to get there, but I've been pleased with them. My fronts are SuperPro, rears are some eBay generic. I plan to pull inspect them all in the coming weeks, very likely doing custom trailing arms with Energy Suspension bushings. On the Frontier, giving Nolathane (same company as Whiteline) a try. I don't think there's any real difference between brands, though. Poly is poly is poly.

Motor mount? Well need a better description of the noise. How frequent...what does it sound like...under acceleration... going over bumps...?

Hey Andy! I did it to mine a few years ago, and also just switched to poly on my Frontier last week. Both jobs were equally awful. Having a press only helps it you have the right size die. The bushings have a very thin metal sleeve, so tooling has to be spot on. I didn't have a press when I did the R50, but I do now and couldn't really use it for the D22 anyway. Maybe if I had the right tooling... The fallback procedure requires other tools: drill, vise, sawzall, chisel/punch, hammer, cussing, beer, time, cussing (more), torch. 1. Remove the inner bushing sleeve from the rubber. If the rubber is already destroyed, then you can use the press to rip the sleeve from the rubber. If not, drill a bunch of holes into the rubber, then use the press. The torch will also help weaken the rubber. 2. Put the part in a vise and bust out the sawzall! You need to cut a slit through the outer sleeve, but avoid cutting into the control arm (cut towards the thicker/reinforced part of the arm). You don't need to cut all the way through the sleeve, but you do need to cut the entire length of the sleeve to weaken it enough. 3. Use chisel/punch and hammer to tap the outer sleeve out. You'd need to do this only to the front bushing on the LCA. Can't remember how I pulled the rear bushing off, but it was relatively easy...I think I just used a punch and hammer to tap it off. This is the same procedure I used for the trailing arms, and also the UCA, LCA, and leaf springs on my Frontier. Not a terrible job, just very time consuming. (It's terrible when the bushing is installed in the frame, like on a Frontier!) If you can deal with rubber bushings, the complete control arm is worth it. But if you're still wheeling, poly is the better option I think.

No progress, but it's not forgotten. A few recent projects have had me looking at my stash of front diffs, but the more I think about it, the more complex it gets. I'll have an opportunity in the coming months to pull down a subframe and get some dimensions and perhaps mock stuff up, but not sure what the outcome will be quite yet.

Probably not. But is it harder to find or something in your area? Prices are the same, and the 3.5 uses a higher amperage unit (110 vs 90).

The brackets do not hug the quarter panel exactly...there are gaps except where the bolt holes meet the panel. There were rubber gaskets that got sandwiched in, but those parts are NLA from Nissan. I tried using thin adhesive-backed neoprene sheets, but it was still a little too thick for liking. And yes, the hole is for a pin to keep the gate open. Mines pretty fubard too.

Nice, that's a solid deal. The latch housing is welded or riveted IIRC, so really the only thing you can do is spray it down liberally with some WD40 or silicone spray and work the latch with a screwdriver or the latch bracket, just constantly engaging it until things free up. I ended up doing that for both the carriers I installed.

Check the brass-looking cap on the snout of the differential, behind the pinion flange. It can get misaligned and rub on the snout cast a little as it rotates, though probably not enough to make considerable noise. Another thing on the driveline are the pinion bearings, though hopefully thats fine considering youve buttoned everything back up. Perhaps u-joints need greasing or replacement?

I did it according to the 2004 FSM, which appears same as 97 (http://www.nicoclub.com/manuals/Pathfinder/1997_Pathfinder/ra.pdf, see RA-8). It's done in smaller parts instead of all-at-once: 1. Press the race into the bearing cup. I used the old bearing race to get it all the way in (it's got just enough clearance to not get pressed into the cup). Make sure it seats fully on the grease seal side. 2. Press the grease seal into the bearing cup. 3. Grease up outer bearing (hub side) and slip into the cone through the grease seal. Put the axle shaft through the outer bearing, bearing cup, and greased inner bearing (diff side). Press all those together. You'll need a suitable spacer on the cone of the inner bearing...you can use the old bearing cone if you used the chisel method to crack it, or if you Dremel/file out the inner diameter a little so that it doesn't get pressed on with everything. Then just need to press on the ABS tone ring once the bearing washer, lock washer, and nut are on. Good time to change the oil seal (43252-0W000) and o-ring (43085-42G00) on the axle tube ends, and new diff gasket (38320-T3322) if you don't have them already.

Sorry, didn't notice which forum I was in. Changing my vote to the steering stop caps, too. My 98 Frontier uses them, and I hate them. They don't last long, and it's clear as day when they're trashed or missing...particularly when backing out of a driveway and coming off the gutter/curb (which is probably what destroys them). Grease helped a little. They're cheap enough to keep spares. Your p/n is 40039-D0100, though the nylon seems to be a bit thinner than mine (40039-2S400) judging by online pics...guessing different bolt heads.

Sway bar link has my vote. Happened to mine the other day, nut was loose and caused an annoying occasional pop. Some links had a hex socket on the stud to help with tightening, but sometimes you gotta get an impact gun on them to really lock them down.

http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/Pathfinder/2002_Pathfinder/

Probably not as much work as you'd think. For these sort of trucks, much of the chassis probably remains untouched, only added to. Of course, for every amount of space they free up inside, they quickly consume. The external fuel tank is probably removed completely, and probably a pair of spare tires back there. Windows were probably just popped out and panels welded in. For overlanding, though, gutting out the rear would be very useful.

Something to be mindful about when buying stuff from AC/4x4parts.com is that you don't know what you're getting. They unbrand everything as sell as if it were their own. The medium duty $160 rear springs they sell are OME MD (p/n 2922) springs. Also keep in mind that load carrying is a function of springs, and load dampening is a function of shocks. If the shocks can't dampen the load, or if the load compresses the springs enough, then the bumpstops also get factored in. My guess is that when you were loaded, the shocks allowed enough jounce to allow the axle to bump the bumpstops...which can also make the bumps feel harsher. Though, with spacers installed, you probably have even more clearance between bumpstop and axle, unless you extended the bumpstops. How are your shocks?

Those are sweet. I like the look with the back windows covered up.

That's awesome! (And unheard of here in the US.) Citron, I think it's just be a big catch can for sand/dirt, where it just settles at the bottom without obstructing the filter (presumably cone shape).

Looks like you made some progress. As you've probably discovered, the ABS tone ring is pressed on. A new double-taper race does come with a new bearing. For that outer bearing cone, you'll either need to put a bearing separator on it (it will damage the grease seal...cheap replacement), or dremel as much/deep of a notch as you can and hammer a chisel into it to crack it open.