herm

Sliderz are awesome for protection and make a fully functional running board to stand on when you have gear on the roof. They stick out a bit farther than the running boards, and you need to step clear of them if you're 'well dressed' in bad weather, they cake up with slush and ice, but pretty much the same issue happens with factory running boards. The lighter duty Sliderz seem fine to me - they offer 2 wall thicknesses. They are both heavy, so they may begin to compromise a stock suspension. But I have no complaints with mine. The square stock allows a high lift jack to seat on them solidly, and you can pivot the whole vehicle on, over and around a rock with these.

yakima or thule would be the easy way.

the cam seals leak on most of the 3.3 motors around 75k+, not sure if same is true on 3.5 motors.

Black Panther is top shelf, first class all the way! I'm really happy with my skids.

I think you'll like 'em! I have no complaints with my Old Man Emu suspension, it is sweet. m.

Model year? Mileage? The high speed pathy dance - sounds like control arm bushings - see my site for my experiences www.purplelizard.com may also be struts - seem to get soft around 70k miles - check your rear bumpstops to get an idea if the rear coils are getting soft (if the bumpstops are broken or missing that is a sign you have bottomed out a few time too many, and the coils are fatigued) The major suspension components are: Front struts Front coils Rear Coils rear shocks upper and lower control arms Known problems (Nissan has a TSB) concerning swaying at speed are the rubber bushings in the control arms. I think this is what you are experiencing. Dealer will replace all four for about $550 p/l. Or you can do it yourself, or you can consider poly bushings (see the other post nearby concerning this) Secondary known problems are the struts although I think the SE comes with a better strut than the XE. The better strut to replace with is the KYB gas; stiffer, stronger and cheaper! I got them from tirerack.com on the dealers recomemndation. Lastly, if you carry heavy loads or drive on rough trails often you will fatigue the rear coils. Replace with Nissan if you want the same ride; look to Old Man Emu if you want a firmer coil without a noticeable lift; or take the hardcore off-road approach with Automotive Customizers 2 inch lift coils. More choices than most owners realize - the msg boards rule! m.

4x4parts.com sells poly bushings for the R50s. You can search thier msg boards (96+ Pathys) and you'll find a lot of discussion concerning pressing these in yourself. There is a metal sleeve on the OEM bushings that can be hard to remove, but some guys found the right technique. Pressing in the polys can be quite a battle too. Some guys do it themselves OK, others tried and failed, you'll get a considerable amount of info there. see my site (www.purplelizard.com) for my experiences with the bushings, I had the dealer replace all 4 links. I don't trust poly bushings in really cold climates (I'm in maine) but maybe that is a false fear. Another trick thing being done to the lower arms is welding a section of angle iron to the underside, sort of a mini rock slider, it stiffens the arm and offers protection. I was a newbie when I had the swaying problems, I wish I kept the original links from the dealer to experiment with. I'll prolly pull a set from the boneyard to modify one of these days. mike

Mknabb335 - click on my link for some vendor resources for suspension options.

my 97 may take a block or so to disengage - sooner if I can take the tension off the drivetrain. Try coasting in nuetral for a few seconds, that may speed up the disengage. Certainly if you stop, and especially if you back up, the system should disengage. If not you may have a problem, but what you describe sounds normal. The length of time/distance to disengage should vary based on throttle input (which is directly related to drivetrain load) mike

That link wasn't exactly correct for 1996+ R50s. The reason many folks change to Warn hubs on the second gen pathys is to lessen the wear and tear on the front drivetrain. I'm still a bit confused on the specifics of the model years, but my understanding is the 97s automatic hubs require the front driveline to be engaged all the time. Not under load, as in 4wd, but still spinning, which contributes to wear and costs maybe 1 mpg. As I said, I'm still a bit confused... so anyone have the specifics? I installed the Warns partly due to this wear and tear issue, but more purely for strength. I had an interesting experience in Colorado when my 87 4Runner (auto hubs) decided to no longer engage, when I was in the backcountry. It forced an immediate retreat and made the route a challenge in 2wd. I was lucky and made it out, but haven't trusted auto hubs since. As for the stopping to get out and lock the hubs - two thoughts here. First off, you can simply lock the Warn hubs and the pathy will work just like you have auto hubs. You don't have to stop, just shift on the fly like the stock set-up. If your hubs are not locked, of course, you will not engage 4wd until they are. I live in Maine - I lock the hubs at the first snow and unlock them in the spring. For interstate travel I usually unlock them, weather permitting. But ya know, isn't the whole "Gettin' out to lock in the hubs" kinda fun anyway? It's like a right of passage, when the pavement ends and you're heading into the backcountry and it's time to pull over, breath in the view, double check the maps, grab a cold one an head out - with the hubs locked and loaded. I really never saw going to manual hubs as an inconvenience. m.

Just a guess here - The rubber coating on the hatch door latch (mounted on the sill of the pathy, not on the hatch) can wear out and cause a rattle associated with the rear hatch - maybe that is the noise?

Get a set of winter blades. They use a rubber boot over the wiper linkage to keep them from freezing. The idea of putting them 'up' when it snows will only prevent the blades from sticking to the windshield, but a few minutes of defrost should free them up. I only put the wipers up on nights when an ice storm is predicted, but not for snow. And yes, it's allready snowing in Maine. m.

Are you sure the wheel bearing is the culprit? Seems like a vague suggestion, not a definate fix. I'm not sure how you'd actually feel play at the wheel if the wheelbearing was bad. It would have to be totally shrapnelled to allow play - IMHO anyway. Didja look close at the sway bar links? Those pesky little things wear out around 60,000 miles. I haven't heard of anyone else posting a symptom like yours related to wheel bearings, and as you can see, it's a PITA to swap them out. I have 100,000 miles on mine with no wheelbearing service yet. m.

that's the going price ($125) I bought direct from Warn. I ended up having my mechanic do the install, because I was actually struggling instantly with the dust caps. Those things were rusted ON and I beat the hell out of 'em to get them off. Then the bolts were siezed, so I didn't want to make it worse, and admitted an early defeat. A real mechanic did it in about 90 minutes. There used to be a link on Dean Thayer's website on installing the hubs, but when I just checked it it didn't connect. see www.xplorx4.com m.

There isn't much you can do for brakes as 'preventative', other than don't use 'em hard. Not sure why the dealer is suggesting a wheel bearing repack at 60k. My 97 has 100k with original front rotors and the bearings have never been repacked. Not sure how the 2001s are designed, but on 96-99s you have to remove the front discs to get to the bearings. I had front brake pads installed at 80k, rear shoes are still original. Rotors/drums are all original. My dealer will look at the rotors this month, I'm starting to feel a vibration under hard braking and they'll determine if the rotors can be turned down or need to be replaced. If they can be turned down, they have a gadget that can resurface the rotors on the vehicle. If they need to be replaced, then I'll have the bearings repacked as preventative maintenence since they'll be ripping it apart anyway. I was looking at an aftermarket rotor, but i figure since I got 100k with no complaints on OEM Nissan, I'll stick with that. Ask your dealer to just check the brakes - I'd be really surprised if you need anything more than pads. Wheel bearings hold up well on Pathys, unless you've submerged them often in muddy water I think you're fine. m.

It took a while for my EMU stuff to arrive - ordered thru Rocky Road in Utah (see my website for links). They told me it may take 30 days, but it came in a bit sooner. I have the Emu coils and shocks on my 97, and are VERY happy with them. I hope the matching shocks resolve your problems. m.

have you replaced the sway link yet? Its a vertical link that parallels the strut, and the bushings wear out which makes a klunking noise. grab it and see if it has play. they're cheap - 30 or 40$. m.

i like the OME alot. Dunno anything about the TRWs. Check my website for more info. m.

The only choices are Old Man Emu and ACs 2 inch lift. I prefer the OME since I didn't want a lift (it's illegal in Maine to lift an ABS vehicle) and I must say the OME ride is really sweet. It supports the TJM and all the other body armor just fine. The lift is maybe an inch - not enuf to raise any eyebrows from the state police or at the inspection station. m. PS - still haven't put on the SuperSkid - started today but found a broken bolt in the original skidplate, so I need to extract that. I'm traveling this week so it'll be postponed for a while.

i have Emu coils/shocks on my 97XE with no odd noises. I do not think these coils will affect your drivetrain angles at all, CVs or driveshafts should all be within spec. Certainly knowing you have 'wrong' size shocks installed makes them suspect. But, some things to check: Look closely to see how the coils are seated. Are the plastic coil sleeves in place? These sit between the coils and the base plate they rest on. Even without them, i'd expect a squeak, not a popping sound. You could also doublecheck the control arms, if they were removed to drop the axle - look at all the exhaust hangers, anything that may have been taken off and reinstalled. Every shop does it a bit differently - coil compressors or not. A popping sound has been reported from the strut bearings located at the top of the (front) struts. Maybe these were disturbed by the strut install? But the sound would come from the front, not the rear. m.

how many miles? that sounds like control arm bushings, and you're prolly under warranty. It would take considerably more abuse to actually hurt the suspension - but the bushings may have worn out prematurely. See my website for my experience with them. mike

I have a 97 XE, and this is what I know about BFG ATs: You can run the 30 x 9.5 with no problems. No rubbing, no width issues, on the stock chromed steel rims. Going to 31 x 10.5 will fit, but some rubbing on the plastic fender liner and the unibody will occur towards full lock, and the clearance at the strut towers up front will be very tight, with stock chrome steel wheels. I used AR steel wheels, I think BS is 4.25, and that solved most of the rubbing and gave plenty of strut clearance. Problem is width: to pass inspection in Maine, and save paint, I had to add fender flares. A shot of the pathy is on my website with the 31 x 10.5 and no flares, you can see what it looks like. I'm assuming your buddies XE has no flares? mike

to do an oil change can you drop the front skid by itself? mike

Which Jeep coils did you put on your pathy? I'm not aware of that swap - it would be helpful to get new thread on it in case others want to follow your lead. mike

the easiest way to upgrade your roofrack is to look at Thule or Yakima, and use the Nissan rails to support the rack system. You can increase the weight capacity by using 3 or 4 crossbars instead of the usual 2. I use a yakima with a basketcase and two bike mounts all the time; and add two other bars for my boats. This allows the boats to be supported in the widest spread - the bars are set at the far ends of the factory rails, and only these bars hold the boats. The other rack (basketcase) can be used to hold gear or firewood. things get tight, I can't put 2 bikes and 2 boats on the roof at once. I could do that if I used the superwide crossbars, but they suck on the trail, and I keep the rails a couple inches narrower than the width of the vehicle. We also mount a yakima bike rack off the 2 in reciever hitch which holds 3 bikes, so at max roadtrip capacity I can have 2 or 3 boats up top and 3 bikes off the back. (between my wife and I we have 9 bikes and 3 boats, and we do like to take a lot of toys with us) this wasn't possible until I put on the Old Man Emu suspension. The yakima vs thule decision is pretty much a coke vs pepsi argument, although I have trouble with the round crossbars (yakima) spinning with the boat mounts (hully rollers/cradles). I think the square tube thule has an advantage there. We've just accumulated so much yakima stuff over the years I'm kinda in too deep to quit. mike