herm

i think you're the guniea pig for this one. Similar questions have been asked on 4x4parts.com but no-one really knows the compatability, and no-one has done a seat swap that I'm aware of. mike

I have a Nissan parts list which lists them as 1996-December 1998, so I believe it should fit. Nissan calls that: Bar, Outer Face F2024-0W028 @ 87.14 The last 3 digits change depending on chrome, black, with or w/o flares. What do you need? I have the pile o' bumper parts from my 97 since I replaced it; in my case it would be black w/o flares, but I'm pretty sure my corners were both slightly dented. Be glad to mail it to ya if needed. mike

The R50 is very competitive with any unibody, IFS V6 4wd out there. Mud and snow aren't really a problem, but this is largely dependent on how deep either element is. I've driven out of 24 inch snow fields without problems, but there is a huge difference between light snow on frozen ground vs wet snow on icy/muddy ground. Tires will make a huge difference as well. I rarely go muddin' in the true sense of the sport because I have no desire to be hosing out my interior at this stage - a few more years and another 100,000 miles and my pathy will become more of a beater. The pathy will handle most mud situations you encounter trying to get somewhere on a trail, but a mud hole for the sake of a mud hole is another matter. If you want to 'build it' for better off road capabilities the parts are out there. If you really want to go deep, you'll need at least a rear locker. I don't have one (yet), and there are several trails I can't summit because of wheel spin on loose rock and ledges. But, I doubt any other non-locked 4wd could summit either, I don't blame the Nissan for it. If rock crawling is your thing, the Pathy is not the best choice, although look at this webpage to see what it takes to make the R50 Rubicon Trail capable: http://www.xplorx4.com/ If you honestly want hardcore off-road performance in a stock vehicle, the Jeep Rubicon, Toyota Landcruiser and Range Rover Discoveries are better choices, but they have some disadvantages over the Pathy as well, although at this point we're deep into personal preference. Having experience with all the above vehicles, I think the Pathy is the best choice based on price and highway manners. The big mechanical advantage the above trucks offer in stock form is solid axles, beefier suspension and f/r locking diffs. The downside is largely price; both purchase and longterm maintenence. The reliability of the R50 is hard to beat, the interior fit and finish is very nice, the highway manners are excellent. I need a vehicle I can drive 1000 miles at 80+ mph on pavement, then do 200 miles on dirt roads, hold lots of gear, sleep in, and do some difficult wheeling when I get to my destination. The pathy does that just fine. mike

i bought my OME suspension from them and had good service. It took a while, but they told me it would, as they were out of stock and were waiting for the inventory to come from Australia. I've been totally satisfied with the suspension - very good stuff! www.rocky-road.com/Pathfinder.html

i went back and forth a couple years ago with the never-ending check engine light. It was frustrating, and we never resolved why it was coming on. The dealer would reset it, and it would come on within a week, or sometimes before I made it home (12 miles). This went on for about 3 months, it got to the point where I left the dealer and had a local shop do it - they reset it for half the price, and continued to reset it at no charge. Then one day it stayed off, and that was about 40,000 miles ago. We never understood why.... mike

I think the only reason winch compatible bumpers are hard to find for Pathys is small market share. It isn't a structural concern (uni-body vs frame, etc) I have a TJM on my 97 that can accept a winch - although I haven't bought one yet. Seems there is less options for the newer Pathys, although I'm not sure exactly why the 96-99 bumpers don't fit. mike www.purplelizard.com

before you take out the motor, check if the connection clip simply fell off. they attach inverted under the switch console. mine popped off unexpectedly - i assumed it was a motor problem, but was just the connector. easy fix. m.

I like the idea of a 2 piece design. I was thinking it would be a real PIA to drop the whole thing to do an oil change, I'm assuming the front piece can be dropped easily? mike

sounds like snake oil to me. I'd rather my ECU do what it was designed to, and tell the engine the real air temp. Can't be helpful for the motor in the long run. mike

2 options to consider: 1. make some calls and find a beefier spring compressor to rent. 2. take just the struts and coils to a local shop and have them mounted. Deathwish? Well, if you've ever been in a shop when a spring compressor failed under load, you'll know why some mechanics refuse to trust them, ever. Quick way to lose a hand, or worse. The wall mounted versions are much safer, but not rentable. However, if the struts are toast, you really would make your life easier by replacing them now, or else you'll have to revisit this in the immediate future. If you order struts ( tirerack.com is one option) you could take the struts and coils to a shop and have them mounted, and finish the install yourself. This would be cheaper than having a shop do the whole install. Sounds like you've allready done a full disassembly/reassembly anyway. If you replace the struts you should also do the strut mounts. I used KYB struts/mounts with Old Man Emu coils on my 97 but some owners have reported problems w/ these strut mounts - so you may want to use Nissan? mike

the wobble links are right on. The control arms don't wear out, the bushings do. Problem is, pressing in (and cutting out) replacement bushings has been a nightmare for some owners. For others, it's gone OK. I paid for new upper and lower control arms at the dealer. Expensive, but problem solved in one day. This seems to be the R50s weakest link. Nissan shoulda recalled them (IMHO) but every vehicle has a weak link, no pun intended, so be it. I wish I kept the old links, beacuse I would've liked to tackle the bushing replacement anyway. If you're into that sort of thing ask the dealer to give you the old arms. Some guys on the 4x4parts.com listserve welded on angle iron to reinforce the lower arms as rock sliders and pressed in poly bushings from AC. I don't like poly bushings in Maine's winter climate (they freeze solid) so I went with Nissan rubber bushings in new links - suppossedly Nissan addressed the issue, but I;m not sure--we'll see what happens if they wear out at 140,000 miles. mike

The big question is to determine if the clutch is sticking, or is the pedal sticking. If the pressure plate gets worn that could feel like sticking, but usually its the opposite - slipping. It sounds like you've been over the pedal area, and there isn't much adjustment there. Not sure where to tell you to look. The only clutch I've had hang up on release was a CentreForce with a broken retainer ring, but the Nissan clutch doesn't have any extra counterweights. mike

I'd suspect the brakes are fine and the suspension is worn out just enuf to not be able to handle the increase loads of heavy braking. Front struts may be going, maybe one side is softer than other, and as mentioned before look at the upper and lower control links. It's not uncommon to have to replace the 4 links and struts around 70,000 miles. Check to see if the bumpstops are in the rear coils - they attach inverted within the coils - when they break off that is a sign the coils are soft. But the control links and struts play a big role in what you feel at the 4 corners of the vehicle. Look for leaks in the struts, and wear or cracks in the rubber bushings of the control links. mike

what type of clutch is it - the original or aftermarket?

this is where i got my TJM for a 97 http://www.4x4connection.com/ mike

the butterfly valve on my 97s throttle body gets sticky, especially after oiling the KN filter. But that sticking feeling isn't really a surging feeling...? But since you mentioned nasty crap in the T-body, maybe it could use more cleaning. mike

Mine have been off for years with no complaints. They start to rattle loose and it's not worth replacing. The line the dealer said about fire and higher ground clearance, well that's sorta correct. As far making the exhaust last longer, I'm not so sure I buy that one. I think the shields are only there because a law requires it. I suspect Nissan has to put the heat shields on to offer some protection against possible brush fire on hot pipes, but even with the ground clearance you are always at risk driving thru tall, dry grass, with or without heat shields. Just something to be aware of. I'm not sure if you'd notice an increase in cabin heat if you live in a southern climate, but also with the SE you have better insulation under the carpet. And it wouldn't generate so much heat a little AC couldn't overcome. But that doesn't resolve the clicking sound in reverse. Maybe a CV binding up? If it only happens in full lock in reverse, i wouldn't be too concerned, just keep an eye on it if it becomes more common. m.

Learned something about the pathy alarm system today..... after work the truck wouldn't start. Key is dead...Hmmm, pop hood, check battery terminals, check fuses.... grab a co-worker to get a jump. As soon as I hook up the jumper cables the alarm is triggerred, horns blaring, lights flashing.... still I try to carry on with the jump but no-go. I unplug the horns (all 3) and try again, still dead - won't take a jump. Obviously I have no idea how to properly disable the alarm....and of course the owners manual is not in the glovebox today. This confuses me, I've never had an alarm system triggered by a jump......luckily my mechanic is a few blocks from my office, he tells me the alarm system overides the ignition, since it assumes the jumper cables is actually someone jacking the truck. Once i do the "unlock drivers door with the key" to disable the alarm it accepts a jump. It didn't occur to me to do that, since I had "unlocked drivers door with the key" in the first place to get in it. I'm still a little vague as to where I set myself up to trigger the alarm. Now I need to figure out why it died in the first place. I may have accidentaly hit the switch to the Hellas on my way out, but that would be a first... we'll run the snap-on computer on it today. m.

None of those additions would drastically change the situation you were in - the only mechanical advantage the Dodge may have had would be a locking rear diff, sometimes part of an 'off-road' package, but not always. The Pathy 4wd system is as capable as any other 4wd system, with the exception of one with lockers. (and not getting into an IFS debate) Bridgestone ATs are not bad tires at all, assuming they weren't bald, but no tire does well on ice. Maybe the Dodge succesfully pulled the other truck out because the bigger wheelbase put it on an area without ice? Or the combination of meatier tires, overall wieght and more horsepower? Don't blame yourself or the Pathy 4wd system if a Dodge 2500 yanked out a Durango when you couldn't - Durango's are good sized SUVs and he was stuck in a snowdrift, which adds drag wieght exponentially... it's hard to beat a full size PUs weight and horsepower for towing (or yanking). Kinda sucks to have to drive 'em daily tho. m.

Manual hubs are not "neccesary". But they are stronger than stock hubs, and if you've ever had an automatic hub fail you start to distrust them (mine failed on a pass trail near the Continental Divide in Summit County, CO - in a 87 4Runner - which forced an immediate retreat and made my return a bit difficult in 2wd) The pathy hub is a good design, and I would trust them for the first 5 years or so, but if you rely on the truck off road the warn hubs are one less thing to worry about. I replaced mine w/ Warn as soon as it was out of warranty. As for your 6 inch lift....depending on what that does to your CV angle the Warn's will reduce wear and tear in 2wd. As for the arguments about it being inconvenient to stop, get out and lock 'em in, well that is no big deal. I lock them in as soon as the pavement ends. For winter driving, I lock them in November and unlock them in the spring. For summer hwy driving at 80 mph there is really no reason to spin automatic hubs every mile. Don't buy them just to improve mileage. MPG claims seem to be around 1 mpg, if that, I'd like to think mine improved mileage but that is poor in pathys anyway. Anything over 15 is a bonus for me. You can buy the hubs from many vendors, not just AC. So, they certainly can't hurt, but there may be other mods that make more sense depending on where you are with the build. m.