hawairish

Nope. Why?

I think your passenger strut isn't assembled correctly...in particular, the upper spring seat needs to be clocked. If you look at the top of the spring, the thick metal bracket that cups spring is the upper seat. If you feel along its bottom edge, you should find a notch, like shown (this pic is of the part upside-down, btw): The notch needs to be on the back side of the strut, facing the engine. There may even be a "W" stamped on the opposite side of the notch on the seat, and this needs to be on the wheel side of the strut. The upper seat has an angled surface relative to the spring end where the strut bearing mounts. If the upper seat isn't clocked correctly, it doesn't affect the bearing, but it causes the spring to compress more on one side than the other, which causes the strut to be installed at a slight angle...likely enough to require the camber bolt. Also, when I put camber bolts on my truck, I noticed that the bolt couldn't cycle a full 360° (closer to 300°) because the strut would contact the knuckle. I tried the bolt in both mounting holes, and the bottom seemed to allow the most adjustability. At first I thought it was related to my OME struts, but I had the same observation on my buddy's truck with different camber bolts and KYB struts. My thought is that the upper seat needs to be rotated, they've attempted to cycle the camber bolt but it doesn't rotate enough to make it align-able, and because you were in a minor accident, the shops attribute the misalignment to that. And maybe the knuckle isn't bent at all!

Yep, that'll be nice. Every little bit helps.

4-6 hours is reasonable for swapping both diffs. My offset is different than yours, but with 33" tires (or ~32.8" for 285/75/16), your speedo offset will drop from 11.3% to 5.7%. When your speedo says 65mph, you'll be going about 69 instead of 72. To drive 65pmh, you'll needle on 61-62 instead of 58. The gears will definitely help the added weight.

Oops, forgot a word.

Looking good! What's the tube diameter used, though? I'd expect less space between the bolt holes and the weld if using a 4"ID tube, which I think is what's required to clear the strut mount. Take a look at the mount and KrF's spacers: You can see on the KrF spacers they couldn't weld near the holes. I CAD'd up the strut mount surface based on an extra spacer I have, and its got a 4"ID (it's the same spacer I run on my truck, and IIRC, it's a good fit), and my CAD shows about a 1/2" space.

R50s never came with them, so you should be able to remove them. Only toe was ever adjustable on R50s, though SuperPro produces offset bushings that adjust. I didn't need camber bolts until I hit the 4" lift mark. Aside from your current alignment woes, does it seem like there's another purpose that it has the kit on the passenger side?

Shot in the dark here, but how did you pull the 55 code? With a scanner or the ECU screw? If the latter, is it possible it was left in one of the diagnostic modes? Have you checked any of the other diagnostic modes results per the FSM? http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/Pathfinder/1994_Pathfinder/ec.pdf

Took a better look, and the cast iron cover is actually a little lower than the R50 cover, so grinding too much and exposing a hole probably isn't an issue. Still a lot of cutting and grinding, though. I think re-using it dependent on how to the driver's side mounting points are replicated. I was thinking about a bracket that bolts over the diff cover flange, and the advantage on the R50 cover is a much more flange area for a bracket, and the thickness is uniform. The cast iron one has limited around the bolt has an a non-uniform flange. But if a steel plate could be welded to the diff case and replicate the holes, then that's moot.

It was noticeable to me. When I did mine and test drove it, I was being more mindful about the re-packed LSD that I swapped in at the same time, but it was a straight-line flogging that caught me off guard. It just felt a lot peppier. It's a relatively small change at 6%, but when you think about it, the cost isn't unreasonable. You may have lost that amount just by running larger tires, so is 6% restoration worth it? If you think about it in terms of HP and torque, that's 14HP and 16 ft-lbs from a stock 3.5L.

Should fit fine on the QX4 (same quarter panel and bumper), but the rear hatch does have a more plastic trim around the license plate than the R50 that might interfere with the carrier.

Good question, actually. If you have the means (a grinder and patience), it's doable. The diff cover is cast steel, and it's pretty thick at that. But, it looks like the cast also dimples inward behind the mount a little, so grinding too deep might expose a hole, but it has to be ground enough to match the height of the R50 cover because crossmember clearance is limited.

Can you confirm which model/years it's good for? Just check for an 04 R50 and 04 WD22 and it's a no-go, but was legit for an 05 R51.

I still don't have any concerns for the hinge area, but I did notice last weekend that the panel where the latch hardware is bolted did flex outward a little from my last off-road trip, which was enough to keep my gate-open light on. I was able to hammer it back to being flat, but I do see some cracks to the paint, so I have a concern for pull-through. If that comes loose, and the gate flies open, that could be very problematic. So take a look at that...I never did originally check if that area is also reinforced (it's completely closed off too). I plan to rivet a strip of aluminum or steel over the rivnuts for exterior reinforcement.

Presuming for a moment he's just idling straight forward in 4wd just for the sake of testing things out, he should be fine. But yes, 4wd shouldn't be used for driving on pavement. That said, and testing in that manner, I'm inclined to agree with the mechanic about the CV angles given some first impressions about the AC springs. If the CVs are in fact binding, that could produce a wobble at very slow speeds in 4wd. I'd still expect something in 2wd, but probably not as pronounced because the front driveshaft isn't engaged. It's probably not a problem as the springs settle, but I have no first-hand experience with them. Alex, it'd be helpful to know the speeds at which you're experiencing vibrations, and whether or not it'd be relevant while offroading in 4wd conditions. Welcome aboard!

Excellent!

Totally cool, works for me. I completely applaud the use of the R50 as the platform, too. I was just having a hard to picturing it when the axles are bigger than the truck . And thanks for those pics...don't think I've seen anything like that before. Best of luck!

I think what he was saying is that the valve cover tube seals aren't available separately; that might be why the valve cover would need to be replaced. The spark plug tubes are readily available (p/n 11095-31U0A). There appears to be a Fel-Pro seal set on RockAuto, but the description, "For use with removable PCV Valve baffles only; w/o Welded Plastic Design" and negative Amazon reviews indicate it probably won't fit (p/n ES72481). This company and process comes up frequently on searches. I think the "removable PCV Valve baffle" mentioned above is the plastic piece that is shown with the warning "PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE BAFFLE PLATE" about 1/3rd of the way down. Judging by some eBay pics of R50-specific valve covers, ours have the plastic baffles. I wouldn't be surprised if the cheaper Fel-Pro set ($7 @ RA) could be installed in the same manner, but don't take my word on it. But, they look pretty much the same.

Definitely an interesting project. Curious to know more about the custom subframe you mentioned...any pics of other vehicles for inspiration? Why this route over something more conventional?

Got around taking the diffs apart last night, and it gets a little trickier. Keep in mind, too, that the plan is to use a W/D22 R200A, but I presume the WD21 I have is identical to it. The good news is that the R50 diff cover does indeed fit the WD21 diff, with the exception of that one bolt I mentioned. However, the 7th bolt hole leaves a small gap that will need to be plugged, and absence of flange where the bolt will go. The fill hole is at the same height as the WD21 cover. Next challenge is the passenger side oil seal. On the WD21, it's at the end of the tube. On the R50, it's next to the carrier. The R50 side shaft has a collar pressed towards the splined end that fits into the R50 seal. The WD21 side shaft only has a collar next to the bearing. However, the R50 shaft also has the same collar, in the same position, and uses the same bearing. This basically means that in order to re-use the R50 shaft, we just need an oil seal at the end. Both axles use the same oil seals, too, so things (doesn't hurt that I also have extra oil seals for these diffs laying around for getting dimensions). So, back to my approaches... I do think the best approach is to swap the axle tubes. The tube diameters where they are pressed in appears identical, clearance issues prevent exact dimensions. The WD21 has one plug weld, and the R50 has two. Once the tubes are pulled, the R50 end needs an oil seal recess milled out, then it can go back together. R50 passenger end...oil seal recess would be milled in the black part in the center: Can't see it too well, but the oil seal just inside the black area. The alternate approach is a spacer that adapts the WD21 end to the R50 side shaft end, in concept: Obviously, this would be an elaborate piece, but it would have all the right mating and mounting surfaces. You'd just bolt it to the diff, and bolt the R50 shaft to it. But this could be a rather expensive piece and requires precision. You'd also need to grind off the mounting piece on the axle tube. Now, for the driver's side. Still thinking about this one. I may need to hit the JY for the bracket that the axles mount to, see if there's another way. But ideally, a bracket will attach over the diff cover's flange using the existing bolts, and join up with the vertical cylindrical mount on the WD21 axle...however, that mount is where one of the mounting holes for the R50 diff is. Open to ideas...

No sweat, and good luck!

Don't forget you need to translate the DTC codes you get from the ECU to the P-codes, so... 0101 = P0304, Camshaft position sensor 0201 = P1320, Ignition Signal - Primary 0304 = P0325, Knock sensor These are a bit more suited to your situation. Like XPLORx4 mentioned, the camshaft position sensor is likely the culprit. That'd be where I'd start. The other two codes will likely be addressed once the engine fires up.

Sort of, but you'd also need the bumper. The 00-04 had larger bumper covers and a hidden bumper. 96-99 had an exposed bumper with a cover below it. I suppose you could swap it all over, but might look funny with the odd contours. There may even be some subtle grille or fender differences that affect fitment. But for the most part, the unibodies are same/similar.

You don't need a scanner. The procedure is in the FSM; in your case, see EC-59 for 1999 models. If you've pulled codes from another Nissan before (particularly an older one), this won't be much different. The MIL blinks any/all codes at Diagnostic Mode II (EC-60). It's a very simple pattern of long flashes and short flashes to make a 4-digit DTC code, which then needs to be translated to the more-common P-code (EC-2). If you get a 0505 code (5 long flashes and 5 short flashes), then the system didn't detect anything...but of course, that doesn't mean you don't still have a problem. If the gauge cluster responds in the On position, then the ECU can throw some codes. Turning it to Start and not getting a start-up response is also enough to trigger codes. I recommend recording the MIL flashes with your cell and then resetting the codes. You can reset the codes by following the flow chart, or retain the codes by turning the ignition to Off after you've recorded all the DTC codes (they repeat endlessly until you take an action). Just be sure the screw is fully clockwise before going back into Diagnostic Modes. I've been using this exact procedure on a 98 Frontier for the life of it (and we still have it). In fact, I never attached a scanner to it until a few months ago. A "fix" I made to the ECU long ago allows me to pull codes without a scanner or tools. But, the fix was out of necessity—I'll tell you first-hand that you don't want to break the screw off inside the ECU while in Diagnostic Mode II. (Hint: the screw is delicate.) The procedure on late-model R50s is a bit more complex, but fortunately doesn't require ECU access. I did a few times before finally getting a wifi module. Like the others have suggested, I recommend it, too. It opens up the vehicle to a lot more information, including real time values. Good luck, and report back any codes.

Are they different length struts by some odd chance? You may just need to unbolt one end of the other strut so that you can lift the tailgate a little higher. You may need to prop up the tailgate or get some help. I actually had this exact problem the other week, but on a different vehicle (changing them on my R50 has been a snap). The replacement struts were longer than OE by a full inch (despite being "OE" match), so I had to do what I described above to make it work.