hawairish

Sounds you've got the Mad Max Edition trailing arms.

Yes, sorry to hear about the passing. Taking a stab at the P1110 code... From what I understand from the EC section of the FSM, the VTC system consists of a position sensor and a solenoid. P1110 reads as a failure for the system (well, the passenger side of the system, in conjunction with P1135), and not any one part, because it describes the functions of the solenoids and sensors on both the passenger and driver sides. It also reads like it's RPM- and load-dependent and not so much speed dependent. It seems like the code should be accompanied by some additional codes according to the Malfunction A and B description; expected codes might be P1111 or P1140, specifically for the passenger side (also referenced as B1). On EC-449, those are the expected voltages on the solenoid and position sensors...of course, those are some pretty quick pulses to measure for, but you should be able to confirm the nominal voltages. But, it might be easier to test the solenoid or position sensor first, instead. According to P1111, testing the solenoid should be very easy; it should click when 12V is applied (see EC-457). P1140 is for the sensor and troubleshooting looks to be pretty straight-forward (description starts on EC-484, but see EC-489 for the diagnostic procedure). Just need a multimeter. Hope that info helps!

Maybe it's a...nail welded to a rubber block?? Just checked mine and I don't have anything matching that description. Even checked out the pics on a few RockAuto options, I don't see anything resembling that either, except fin-like brace that would (hardly) protect the axle. Got a pic?

Excellent. I did something like that for my iPhone using a belt holster an old bracket from my Jeep; same spot. I need to start thinking about a CB install at some point. Gearing for GONE...CB required. Been reading up on it here and there, just need to find a really compact unit that meets my install requirements. Been eye-balling the Cobra 75 WX ST, but all the compact ones I really like are from AUS websites.

Good question. Supposing for a moment it does fit, it probably wouldn't be a good choice. Z- and SX-based LSDs are usually "viscous" LSDs, or VLSDs, which are speed-sensitive and fluid-driven. There are better ways to explain it, but the rotation of the carrier creates a fluid pressure that enables the LSD. At low speeds, its benefits are low/negligible/none. It would only be beneficial at moderate/high speeds while in 4wd and driveline torque applied. Not really a good scenario for us, but possible (maniacs!). There are also aftermarket Torsen/Helical LSDs for various R200s. These are gear, rather than fluid or clutch, driven. These would have some benefit to us at any speed, but only when the tires are on the ground. Here's an excellent primer on the differences, btw: http://www.trak-life.com/basic-introduction-helical-torsen-viscous-mechanical-limited-slip-differentials-lsd/ But, assuming it was of some benefit, the carrier and side shafts make it tricky. Part of the problem is matching the spline counts/sizes. Across all truck-based R200, we have maybe 3-4 passenger-side shafts. Across all car-based models, the output shafts are the same per vehicle, and they are all short, and there are probably dozens of them. But even within our limited selection, even 3mm can be the difference-maker: If I put the R50 shaft into the WD21 housing, there'd be a gap between the spline nut on the side gear and the tip of the output shaft. Upon tightening the bolt to hold to the shaft in place, it would draw against the oil seal and damage it. You could put a spacer between in the gap. If I put the WD21 shaft into the R50 housing, the shaft would be up against the splined nut, but I would have a gap at the oil seal. If either fit, at least in the case of R50 vs WD21, you'd have mismatched output shafts (not a terrible problem, just need an adapter of sorts). The scenario above isn't necessarily a good one because it's apples-to-oranges, believe it or not. It doesn't take into account gear thicknesses and any differences in the shims used. That is, gears will change thickness (er, height for rings, and diameter for pinions) depending on the tooth counts for each, and require completely different amounts of shimming to set lash. We might get lucky on swapping carriers in general, and they should be the same or very similar. Perhaps I will try swapping them anyway. It does seems possible that they should interchange. I'm not tooled to pull/install pinions, but I can at least swap rings and carriers to see if it's possible, and take measurements. Curiosity piqued. Parting thought: Hardbodies and Frontiers with C200 axles had clutch-type LSDs available. Those should fit, and would be a good improvement (and are also subject to LSD re-packs!) because they are speed independent (though increased input torque does improve the breakaway). The splines must fit because the ARB locker is for both R200 and C200 models. Hahaha, you and your machinist humor...good stuff! Yes, any info about any truck-based R200A is appreciated!

More like gearnose...everything smells like gear oil again. Just when I thought I had gotten rid of the smell... (And thanks for moving the post.) Thanks! A picture would be great. I think the only difference is the CV flange...wouldn't happen to have the measurements for that? I can't make sense of my own handwriting or measurements...the dyslexia in me apparently wrote 3/38" when I'm pretty sure it's 3-3/8". Not sure how I would have measured a 38th, let alone 3 of them. I must've been eyeballing it with beer goggles or something.

Haha, that's funny, but glad it won't be an everyday annoyance. I can imagine something like being easy to overlook!

Thanks! Eventually I'll add some better details about the X/Fr version...keeping my eye out for 4.90 set for my project. Also, Mods: I meant to put this in The Garage section, not General. Please move when you get a moment?

And now, the internals... So, I started to disassemble things, but it quickly got to the point where it didn’t make sense to continue...things were just different enough to make it clear that nothing, except maybe bearings and seals, were interchangeable. Close, but not close enough. I bet things would physically fit, but would be out of spec by small amounts. That said, pics…let’s start with the gears. Here’s why they aren’t interchangeable: R50: Every other R200: Note the gear cuts going in opposite directions. That’s why any gears for us must be just for us. You can also see a big difference in carriers, although both are open. We have 2-pinion 1-piece carriers, but so do Xterras and Frontiers. Older WD21 and D21 versions had 4-pinion 2-piece carriers, as seen. The biggest surprise for me was finding out that the short shafts were a little different (not counting their CV bolt pattern). The spline count and size is identical (29-spline), but despite being shorter overall, the WD21 flange actually goes further into the carrier by about 3mm. The difference in installation depth of the short shaft in the carrier is seemingly enough to confirm that even the carrier is not interchangeable (though, this is likely not true for X/Fr carriers because they are of the same design, and possibly the same). The only benefit to changing this is that the Lokka won’t fit the 4-pinion carrier, but otherwise, there really is no benefit. Didn’t pull the ring gears out/off...even if the bolt patterns are the same, it’s of no benefit. Same with the long shafts...there’s nothing similar about them except the splined part. Some other notables and observations about the R200A and related Nissan axles... The CV bolt pattern on Xterra and Frontier appears to be the same as the R50 (3 sets of 2 bolts). I believe them to be the same size, but I’m not sure at this time. I do know the X/Fr CV is about 2” longer. I believe all non-R50 R200/R200A use the diff cover as a mounting point, so their covers are usually cast iron. In all those cases, the diff cover either mounts to a crossmember (4wd trucks/SUVs) or subframe (RWD/AWD cars, R51) using bushings. The R50 diff cover bolt pattern differs from all other R200 and C200 diffs I’ve seen (9 bolts vs 8), but R200/C200 appear to be the same. However, I’m not aware of a C200 cover that bolts to a crossmember or subframe, so its cover is not used for structural mounting and is stamped steel like ours. I’m looking to confirm the bolt pattern, though it’s unlikely anyone will have swapped covers to find out. To my knowledge, the C200 only appears as rear axles on trucks/SUVs, and is always paired with the R180A front axle (if 4wd). The R200A is paired with the H233B. (A member here, Stovanovich, confirmed that his 92 TD27 Terrano has an R180A/H233B combo). The C200 shares many parts with the non-R50 R200A, including gears. You can always tell a C200 from an H233B or H190A by the diff cover; the latter two don’t have one. The H233B and H190A (almost exclusively found on 2wd 4-cyl Hardbodies and Frontiers) are similar in the sense that they have removable third members in lieu of covers. Outside of the truck/SUV line-up, the R200/R200A has appeared as rear axles on various Nissan and Infiniti AWD/RWD cars, and more recently the R51 Pathfinder. R52 Pathfinders have...I have no clue, but it appears to be about as powerful as a loaf of bread (and the same size). The R180/A, similar in style to the R200, has appeared in Nissans as both a front axle in 4wd trucks/SUVs, and rear axles in older Nissan/Datsuns. R180A front axles changed considerably with the 2005+ truck/SUV lineup (excluding Titan/Armada); completely re-designed with aluminum housings instead of steel. There were apparently no shortage of problems with them (weak housing and internals grenading re: several X/Fr forums). Oh, and in case you didn’t know it, the numbers in the axle codes indicate the diameter of the ring gears in millimeters. Circling back to the R52...it’s axle code includes a “145”. That ring gear would fit inside the H233B ring gear. If anyone can confirm, deny, or add to these observations, please do!

Haha, get it...what’s the diff? Ok, sorry. Tough crowd. Thought I’d share some details about the R200 diff for a project that’s in my head. Lately I’ve been seeing a bit of chatter about gearing options for the R50, and I’ve been playing bubble-buster by saying the only gear options are 4.363 and 4.636, which are what came stock on 96-04 Pathfinders. Of course, even more bad news is that most R50s from 96-02 already had 4.636, while all 03-04 models had 4.363 only, further limiting the crowd that can actually benefit from a gear change after increasing tire size. I’m hoping to fix that. So if Xterras, Frontiers, Hardbodies, and Pathfinders all have the R200A front axle, then why can’t we interchange gears? Well, Nissan does some silly stuff sometimes. In this case, they put a front axle called the “R200A” in just about every truck and SUV from 1986 to 2004. Yet for an elite class of SUVs (the R50, of course), they put a bastard variant up front. Lucky us, right? Despite sharing an axle code, there are numerous other differences, the most notable one being that gears between are not interchangeable. The R50 version has high-pinion, reverse cut gears, while every other version has low-pinion, standard cut gears. That said, unless a vendor says a set of gears is for—and only for—an R50, will it actually work. With that aside, let’s talk about the exterior differences. R50: WD21: Passenger’s side: R50 diff cover: WD21 diff cover: High-pinion vs low-pinion: As you can see, very different. The obvious visual differences: Axle width CV bolt pattern Pinion height Chassis mounting method Diff cover Pinion offset from driver’s side CV flange Passenger-side flange (the manner in which it bolts to the axle tube) Similarities: Driveshaft flange Distance from axle centerline to flange

Dude, the changes on the carrier look great! Looks awesome tucked up high like that and the re-arranged carriers. Anxious to see how the sliders turn out...that's Colin doing the work, right?

He does! http://4x4design.com. He goes by the handle fleurys around here.

Front Runner Outfitters has a low-profile slimline system that will replace the rack, and has a slew of other accessories. Not terribly cheap, but seemingly of high quality.

It's crazy to me that debris that size can even make it into the cabin.

Good to know! Almost wonder if that setup did exist here then. I actually hadn't seen a coil-sprung C200 until very recently, and that was interesting to see (I was doubting their existence). Here's the unicorn, in case any one else was curious (note the removable diff cover...):

You talking about a rack to replace the current rack completely? Or just replace the two cross bars?

So I picked up the diffs and started taking measurements. I also started a write-up about the differences and got plenty of pics. I haven't cracked it open yet. Will probably do that tonight. Stay tuned. At a high level, this is very doable. It would be bolt-on and re-use CVs. The axle would need a mount cut off, a new diff cover (one from a C200 or car-based R200 oughta fit) and CV spacers/adapters (axle is narrower and WD21 has different CV bolt patterns). I have some other ideas, too like using longer CVs from an X/Fr for increased range, and an integrated missing link. It's no SAS, but it'll open up gearing options for sure.

Clarify to the shop that the lift is nothing more than MacPherson strut assemblies (strut and springs), rear springs and rear shocks. (The "complete" kit is 2x struts, 2x shocks, 4x springs; you can buy just the springs, but the installation is exactly the same). They will need to remove and disassemble the current struts to re-use some parts. If they can't reduce their estimate to 3-4 hours, find another shop. A single mechanic in any suspension shop (or general mechanic) can do it in that amount of time. It takes me that long with on a garage floor with hand tools, a floor jack, jack stands, and a rented (free) set of spring compressors. The R50 suspension isn't magical. Changing the front struts and spring is absolutely no different than any strut-based car (sucks to say, but 'tis true). The most annoying part? Removing/loosening the air box stuff under the hood to get to the driver's side strut tower bolts, which are blocked by a bracket. For the rear, it's even simpler. Just disconnect the shocks and sway bar, let the axle droop, swap springs springs, reinstall shocks. With a 2/4-post lift, this should take no more than 30 mins, and you don't even have to remove the tires nor compress the springs! Again, if your shop has a beef with that estimate, find another shop.

Exactly. I know the responses are meant to be helpful (though admittedly, I disagree with some things), but they are off-topic. If the OP wants to steer the conversation in those directions, that's cool, but for now let's make sure he's got clear and accurate answers to his questions.

To be clear, you're talking about converting your 2006 2wd Pathfinder to a 4wd by buying a bunch of wrecked Pathfinders? Honestly, that sounds like a very cumbersome approach. What you'd be better of doing is finding one wrecked, rear-ended R51 and using that as your donor. You have a lot of research you probably still need to do, but the main thing you're looking for is proof that the 2wd frame is the same as the 4wd frame. If so, everything from the 4wd should just transfer over, and you'll have a perfectly good (hopefully) donor with transfer case, transmission, driveshafts, front suspension, front axle, and any wiring for switches, sensors, etc. Then, you can sell off the engine, front body panels, doors, interior, whatever to recoup costs. Then, scrap what's left for a little more cash. But that's really the long road ahead. For possibly no cost, could you trade in your 2wd 06 for an 4wd 05 and come out even? That's almost zero work.

Wow

I'm so confused. The only place to get AC springs is from AC (Automotive Customizers = 4x4parts.com). The kit is 4 springs. You should need nothing else, assuming items that will be re-used (struts, strut bearing, strut mount, shocks) are all in good shape. Consider longer rear shocks, as you'll be consuming 2" of extension with the springs. Welcome to the forum, don't forget to search. Plenty of pinned threads will answer any suspension questions you'll have.

Wicked. New thread: WD21 to S30 Parts Interchangeability

That's a negative, Ghost Rider. http://www.forum4x4.org/threads/62702-remplacement-du-differentiel-du-pont-R180A-par-un-Quaife

Going into?