TowndawgR50

It pings with a lot with 87, sometimes with 91, but never did once even with off brand 92 octane gas out of California. But I have the 3.5 so maybe its more finicky?

And more thing- These trucks LOVE 92 octane. The California 91 just doesn't compare. Looking forward to WA gas... No pinging at all with out of state gas.

Well for 2400 miles towing roughly 4500lbs most of the time this truck KICKED ASS. Only issues on the trip were the trailer tires failing prematurely due to exceeding their weight rating and the brake light switch failed ( most likely caused by the brake controller for the trailer). This caused the shift lock release and brake lights to not function but we made it back by using the shift lock override button just below the console. While short distance driving doesnt really show the MPG increase with the manual hubs it DEFINITELY adds up after 2400 miles. The savings was huge, even towing the trailer. Only time we really sucked up the fuel was in the northern California/Oregon mountain pass area. At the steepest climbs we pulled back and kept it to 40-50 mph with the OD off. Stopped in Mt. Shasta city to take a break, fill up on water at the headwaters park and let the truck chill. One thing i noticed is these trucks would benefit a ton from hood vents to allow more cooling. Our temp never flinched even in 90-100 degree heat ( with the AC on!!) but when we stopped after the climbs i could feel tons of heat venting between the fender and the hood. I popped the hood while we parked to aid in cooling. Drafting behind semi trucks and other auto drawn trailers was the key to keeping the RPMS low and fuel consumption down. The wind drag is really noticeable when you leave the draft of another rig. I was able to keep the speed at 60mph with the OD on at 2100rpm using this method. The truck seemed happy and wasnt straining at all. Without a draft cruise control would not let the truck shift into the final OD gear, keeping revs at 2500-2500rpm. So for the next and hopefully final round of driving the things I need/want to do are: -Hood Vents -Modified or independent brake light switch for trailer brakes -Vented brake rotors -trans oil temp gauge -motor/tranny oil change -buy and mount air pump for tires and airlift system -install SFD to fix CV angle( Thanks Hawairish!!!) Time is a scarce and I dont think i'll get to everything. We'll see...

I never looked to hard at the metal housing. Just figured out how to remove, cut and re-install the foam rubber stop. I'll try and get a better picture for ya

I totally agree...

3/8 NPT is not the same. #6 JIC/AN fitting thread pitch is 9/16x18. If by swivel you are referring to the nut spinning independently of the hose barb that doesn't exist with these types of fittings. Thats how they are compressed for a good seal. If you were to have a solid connection between the barb and nut the male end would gall against the female end of the barb, damaging the mating surfaces, causing a poor seal and leaks, especially with an aluminum or brass AN fitting. see this chart for AN/JIC sizes. The line going to a #6 fitting would be 3/8 but the thread pitch is not 3/8 or NPT thread. http://www.lostracing.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/jic.jpg

double post

you can see them pretty clearly in previous posts during the rear lift installation

Yup. That's the style. They look like they've been there for quite some time. They had me fooled. Lol. What do the OE units look like?

The black piece is the metal "cup" that the orange foam/rubber bumpstop sits in. 1400 Miles through California, Oregon and much of Washington with the Pathfinder and its performed great. Really love this truck. Have another 1000 miles back to California to round off part 1 of this journey... Downtown Portland Oregon with the trailer and we found parking!!! Elwa River Dam, Olympic National Park Washington Loaded up on the ferry to cross into the peninsula Mt Rainier Result of trailer tires not holding up to the extra weight. Upgraded to 8 ply heavy duty tires This drought is serious business...shasta is supposed to look like the postcard...

Well I'm happy to report that after the first 400 + miles of driving the OME's settled and required the airlift bags, which totally nailed it. With a touch of air the rear end raised back to a level height and the ride quality did not suffer. I estimate we were close to 4500lbs loaded. Almost 900 miles and 2 days later the truck performed like a BOSS. Holy crap, I love this thing. The sweet spot was 60mph. We were getting around 220-240 miles on a tank, about 170 at the My Shasta area with many steep grades, and making good time with leisurely stops throughout to eat, water the dawgs and stretch/rest. The trailer on the other hand needs new tires. Went through one, and the other is soon to follow. They aren't rated for load we had and the extreme heat during the drive didn't help. 7ply heavy duty rubber for the next round....

I hear you. Not one local auto store, even speed shop, had them in stock or even knew about them. Then I went the JIC route and googled local suppliers for hydraulic fittings and found a spot 15minutes away.

I would get a #6 jic female to 3/8 hose barb

definitely sounds like size 6 jic/AN

Oh, by the way. JIC and AN are the same thread and flange pitch. AN is usually aluminum and used on automotive applications. JIC is industrial standard and made from many materials You can definitely use either. I used JIC

I just went through a similar process. I bought an oil cooler, one of the fittings sent was wrong and needed another. From your description it sounds like you have a #6 JIC, or AN fitting. This is the best for fluid connections. Find a hydraulic or hose fitting supplier an they will definitely have it. I used a #6 to a 3/8 barbed adapter." Hoses and fittings etc" is a national chain that might have a location near you.

ah, I see now. You are talking about removing the housing that holds the foam stop as well. Didn't know that was bolt on. I was thinking that the recommended action was to remove the foam but leave the housing, allowing only the lip of the housing as a point of contact for the air bag. I cut the foam on mine, so the housing and foam are flush, giving a large flat surface for the bag to push against. If I was to remove the whole unit there would be SUBSTANTIAL room before the bag made contact, and which point I would be worried I was overloaded as these OME's are pretty beefy

I would definitely be worried about running without cutting the old foam stop or replacing it with something of substantial surface area. If someone was to just remove the foam stop and use the bags there is nothing supporting the bag on the upper end except for the 1/16" metal lip of the retaining cup for the old stop. I can only assume that would not fair well under any kind of load or pressure

I still have my sway bar on but with the new OME springs havent come close to compressing to a point where i can use the bags. With the trailer on the hitch the springs compress to just above the airbags. I assume when its fully loaded I'll air them up to bring the rear back to level. As for the spacer, AirLift has you cut the old foam stops flush with the metal housing they sit in which works fine provided you dont have the above spring type spacer. I used 1" of fluery's rear spacers on the bottom end of my springs with the air bags with no issues.

Thats pretty sweet! Love it!

Im on the home stretch!!! The next two days are critical for the truck. I need to install the cooler, brake pads, brake controller and loctite the valves... The first time loading up the trailer was pretty cool. The tongue weight is clearly more than i thought but the OME springs are taking it well. They are just on the verge of barely needing the AirLift bags but not quite there. still a little wiggle room but not much. Going down the road with the trailer now feels MUCH better. The trailer tracks better and the truck doesnt seem to want to jerk around as much. Only thing Ive noticed that might be problematic is the negative camber in front now. With the weight on the rear the front end is lifting slightly... Crunch time

Yes, my original studs were long enough, but compromised. Changed them all out. Scary how easily I snapped a few of them. They were all very soft. succeeded in getting the hubs installed though. HUGE difference in how light the front end feels. It's a different beast on the road. Last day of work before the trip to WA. Just need to install the oil cooler, loctite, new brakes and brake controller....

In an attempt to utilize the limited time we have until blast off i started installing the Warn hubs this evening and the 1 of the original studs snapped off on the drivers side with the rest refusing to pull out. Had to call it a night. Too hot in the garage, too grumpy and I had to make an emergency repair out at a refinery in 100+ heat so im done for the day. I'll have to try using a pen torch tomorrow to pull the bastards. If all fails I'll bring the hub assembly into work and drill them out. Was hoping to install hubs and new brake pads tonight, loctite power valves tomorrow before work and fluid change thursday. there goes that plan

Thanks guys. It was good to put faces to names. Loved your rigs and enjoyed the meetup. Looking forward to a potential Hollister trip!

Might not make it guys. Procrastinated on getting my act together for our moving sale tomorrow. If you all are still hanging out closer 8-9 I might make the tail end. Delta has my #. Let me know!