NovaPath

Ok sweet thanks. Do you feel it will be strong enough to take the occasional "oops there is a tree back there" treatment that I tend to subject my truck to? My concern is causing damage to the body if/when I accidentally back into a tree, or slam down on a rock(less likely due to location, but still possible I suppose). Thanks Again,

So am I reading this correctly, and that the only attachment points are the 4 blind nuts on the outside sheet metal? If so, and that actually holds, this project may be simple enough for me to attack as well. Thanks,

Yeah, they are. You can actually feel the ball joint pop when you rock the truck back and forth with your other hand on the link...

I was able to use the existing students with my manual hubs, was that not an option for you? Made life much simpler

I purchased some moog Sway bar links, you know the ones, the ones with the regreaseable zerk fitting. Well, I am hear to tell you, they are garbage. Less than 7k miles(and I've lubed them twice), and the passenger side is shot and clunking like mad. I'm going to pump some grease into it again to see if it will shut up for a little bit longer, but this is rediculous. It isn't just a light rattle kind of shot, either, it is the kind of shot that when turning you can feel it clunk in the floor board. Infuriating. Ok, rant over.

no flex at all? I know the IFS won't do much but the back should provide some decent articulation. Do you have a rear sway bar still?

It does! By only about an inch though Once I go up to 33's it is going to have to come off.....

no roof rack suggestions but I can tell you that I absolutely love my bilstein's combined with the ac 2" lift. The ride improvement over stock is significant.

To my knowledge 2000 pathfinder did not have the option for the selectable switch. Why are you sure he has this?

tie rod is definitely on the list, Axles are not different so one spare is sufficient, and easy!

It's not incredibly modified but not stock either(2" lift, 31's, skid plates etc). I typically take it relatively easy but every once in a while will push it pretty hard as well.

I'm starting to put together a tool kit of parts and the accompanying tools to take with me on my camping and wheeling trips. So far what I either have or am working on acquiring is: Spare front CV axle Spare tie rod end spare ball joint tire plug kit misc fluids and quick set metal epoxies(think JB weld etc) Should I be carrying spare u-joints? Seems like the Jeeps I go with are always either popping caps off or grenadine these things, but I haven't seen reports of our pathfinder doing the same thing. Would this be a replaceable component mid trail if it were to break on one of these? Any other items common to break when wheeling these things? Thanks!

oops, username is actually not the same. This is the link to the post though, user name RG5384. http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/138822-R50-Pathfinder-Progression-Trip-Thread

I think the top out issue with the Ac lift is overblown. The only time I've noticed it is if I take a speed bump way faster than I should be anyways. I've wheeled the thing harder than most(with exception of a select few of you ;D ), and never run into a problem. Perhaps it is just my opinion but I find the ac 2" lift to be a perfect combo of stiffness and ride quality, but then again I haven't ever ridden in one equipped with the OME setup, either. From Indy's picture above it looks like the OME would fit your needs equally well, hard to go wrong with either IMO as they both have to be a huge improvement over the stock. If you don't need to the ground clearance might as well go with OME for the better ride(again, no personal experience just what I've read and researched prior to going with AC.) If you want to see pictures, articulation etc of the Ac lift check out my build thread on expedition portal, same user name.

That looks great. Sorry if you have covered this elsewhere, but what fender flares are you using? They don't look stock. Thanks,

Thanks for the clarification on OME not having an HD spring, I could have sworn I was trying to decide between those and the ac lift but it was a while back... I can tell you that swapping out my rear Springs was Huge on the ability to safely carry cargo. I don't know if the factory Springs were always weak be design or if they just fatigue, but replacing them with an upgraded coil is almost a must on these trucks in my opinion...

You are definitely going to want to upgrade the rear springs, I used the lift kit from ac customizers (4x4parts.com) and haven't looked back. You will also want to put airbags in the back, but to that note I have no experience with as my Springs solved all of my issues, but I Don't tow with mine. The most I've done is haul a trunk load of firewood or camping gear... I've heard great things about the OME lift, but don't have any personal experience. With what you are towing and hauling regularly I'm surprised you aren't looking at the HD lineup though. Nice Pathy!

For what it's worth I checked the resistance of mine after a similar driving situation, and even though I could audibly tell it was locked it still spun easily by hand with the engine off.

While not ideal, the best solution seems to be to get a 31" spare to fit there, that way you are decreasing your rolling diameter difference to 2". When I upgrade to 33's that's what I plan to do, and I will just put the smaller tire on of the front wheels so I don't burn up the LSD. I've got manual hubs in the front so aside from it driving funky there should be no real mechanical problems.... Good Luck

Thanks for the replies guys, but this job is already over and done with . I went with the Raybestos professional grade from rockauto and ordered the rest of the parts from the dealer.

So, the new starter is in. I did not take any pictures(sorry!) as it was a very messy/dirty job(I do wheel my truck, afterall...). The good part is I did not have to move any other components out of the way. The bad part is, this job sucks, flat out sucks. There is no room to work what-so-ever, you have to wait until you get the two bolts out before you can disconnect the starter solenoid wireing, and then you have to literally turn your hands inside out to twist and mangle this thing out of a hole that is maybe 1/4" bigger than the assembly when it is in the exact right position. Installation is, of course, the same as removeal. I'm glad this job is over. All said and done it took about 3 hours, including fiddling with the lift electrical connection so we could use it. That may not seem bad, but remember, this job is literally 3 bolts....and it took That long.

parts and labor totalled 300(288 to be exact). I purchased the starter and will be installing myself tomorrow. Thanks for the help guys!

So, there is another thread on this, but being that I am debating between paying the $300.00 to have a shop do it, or doing it myself for the part cost of $80, I Thought I would start another in hopes of getting some feedback. Anyone done a starter replacement on a 2001+(VQ 3.5) 4wd automatic? Was it a bear or as easy as the FSM states?(two bolts). The shop has it listed as an hour labor, but if I'm having to remove axles or twist steering racks I'll gladly pay to have someone else waste their time installing this thing.. Thanks in advance

The clutch on mine only "locks" when it is significantly hot our and I am either idling for long periods of time or am moving and stop and go traffic(I live around the DC area so stop and go traffic is severe). If it is not cold at first start up while idling, I suspect you are low on freon. Good Luck!

Yup, as they said either A. low on Freon, or B. mechanical fan clutch is not "clutching" any longer.