dmag23

The short tube you are asking about is used on a throttle body pathfinder (87-89). Not sure if it would be used on the 90-95. It is the heated air pick up tube. It is secured to one of the driver side header tubes in a vertical orientation using a hose clamp to secure the tube to the header. Foil duct runs from the underside of the air cleaner to the pick up tube so you get heated air into the engine during warmup on a cold day. Mine came welded onto the header. Your arrangement just allows the pick up tube to be put wherever allows for the best placement.

Posted the response below to this forum in July, 2010. Have not had the starter "click" problem repeat itself since I made the adjustment prior to July, 2010. Not saying my problem solution is a fix for everyone, but it's an easy procedure to try before modifying the starting circuit with bypass relays and such. I've been fighting the starter/click problem for a long time now. Over time, I replaced the inhibitor relay, battery, battery cables, starter, traced all the wires to check for bad connections. The last item I replaced was the ignition switch. Not the key/tumbler mechanism, just the electrical side of the switch. It went from the typical "click" issue to nothing. No click, no start, no nothing. All the other electricals were working as normal. So I removed the new ignition switch and checked with a multi-meter. It was working properly. Turns out the alignment of the switch into the key/tumbler mechanism was not right. The switch has a register mark that fits into a groove in the key tumbler mechanism. The switch is then secured in place with a single screw. I left the screw a little loose when I reinstalled the switch, allowing me to rotate the switch ever so slightly. That "ever so slightly" is what made the difference between getting nothing when I turned the key to start, and getting a click when I turned the key, and finally having the starter turn over likes it is supposed to. So the problem I had all along was................even though the key was rotated into the start position, the ignition switch contacts weren't fully engaged because it wasn't aligned properly. I modified (via drill bit) the ignition switch and key/tumbler mechanism to allow me to rotate/re-position the ignition switch so that when the ignition key was fully rotated into the start position, I got good engagement of the ignition switch contacts. I haven't had a problem since. Try it yourself. Pull off the upper and lower steering column covers, exposing the electrical side of the ignition switch. Find the securing screw at the bottom of the ignition switch. Loosen it or take it out completely. With the key rotated into the start position, rotate the electrical side of the ignition switch as it sits in the key/tumbler mechanism. It would go from starting, to clicking, to nothing, with very little rotation of the electrical switch. When I say very little rotation, I mean 1 or 2 degrees of rotation (if not fractions of a degree). For kicks, I did the same thing using my old ignition switch. Same results. It wasn't the switch (or any other component for that matter) causing the "click" issue, just the switch alignment. I used the drill bit to open up the hole in the ignition switch that the securing screw goes through. This allowed me to get enough extra rotation with the ignition electrical switch (before I locked it down with the securing screw) to allow good engagement of the switch contacts when the key was turned to the start position.

As I recall I did not have to deal with the front body mounts when re-installing the new radiator support. My wiring harness ran along the top edge of the radiator support from passenger side to driver side. It had clips that held the wire harness to the radiator support. I just unfastened the clips and re-secured after the new support was in place. Wasn't a problem with the wiring. I have found that aftermarket parts are not very well protected from rust. I cleaned my new rad support and spray painted it front and back with truck bed liner. Costs a little more than spray can undercoating but it drys to a hard finish and seems to hold up a little better over time. I also sprayed the mating surfaces on the Pathfinder that the new support bolted to before I attached the rad support to the body . After I finished, I sprayed the exposed galvanized bolts on both sides of the rad support for a little extra protection. I replaced the rad support because of a minor front end impact. Glad I did now, since the original was rusted anyway. Because of the wreck though, the A/C condensor and radiator were part of the replaacement also. And to answer your question, yes, they had to be removed to do the radiator support replacement anyway.

I replaced mine last year. I purchased the spot weld drill bit but found it was difficult to only cut through the rad support panel without sometimes going through the other panel as well. Ended up just drilling all the way through on all the spot welds. Instead of spot welding the new rad support back in place, I used galvenized nuts and bolts ( as many as there were spot welds before) since I don't have a spot welder and also didn't want to have to fight future rust from the weld burns. It's tight and stout. No problems since. You do need to get your alignment right before you bolt it up (or spot weld).

Check the ignition switch in your steering column. I battled that problem for years. Turned out to be the alignment of the switch in the steering column. There is a single set screw that holds the ignition switch in the steering column. The alignment of the switch in the steering column has to be just right or you'll get the "click" problem. Remove the set screw that holds your switch in place and you will be able to rotate the switch a few degrees in either direction. Insert you key while holding the switch. Turn the key to the start position and rotate the switch in both directions. In my case, it went from "click" "click" every time to start start every time. Now there is no adjustment with the set screw that holds your switch in place. When the set screw was tight, the alignment was right at that "click"/start threshold. I drilled out the set screw hole in the switch, which gave me just enough adjustment in the alignment to get past the "click"/start threshold. That was over a year ago. The problem has never repeated itself since then.

13 mpg here. 1987 tbi, 5spd, 4.3 stock gears. New engine, trans, diff's, etc. Ground up rebuild. New everything. Running Thorley headers and 265/75/16 BFG's. 13 after taking into account the larger tire size. Great ride, just doesn't get the mpg's.

I've been fighting the starter/click problem for a long time now. Over time, I replaced the inhibitor relay, battery, battery cables, starter, traced all the wires to check for bad connections. The last item I replaced was the ignition switch. Not the key/tumbler mechanism, just the electrical side of the switch. It went from the typical "click" issue to nothing. No click, no start, no nothing. All the other electricals were working as normal. So I removed the new ignition switch and checked with a multi-meter. It was working properly. Turns out the alignment of the switch into the key/tumbler mechanism was not right. The switch has a register mark that fits into a groove in the key tumbler mechanism. The switch is then secured in place with a single screw. I left the screw a little loose when I reinstalled the switch, allowing me to rotate the switch ever so slightly. That "ever so slightly" is what made the difference between getting nothing when I turned the key to start, and getting a click when I turned the key, and finally having the starter turn over likes it is supposed to. So the problem I had all along was................even though the key was rotated into the start position, the ignition switch contacts weren't fully engaged because it wasn't aligned properly. I modified (via drill bit) the ignition switch and key/tumbler mechanism to allow me to rotate/re-position the ignition switch so that when the ignition key was fully rotated into the start position, I got good engagement of the ignition switch contacts. I haven't had a problem since. Try it yourself. Pull off the upper and lower steering column covers, exposing the electrical side of the ignition switch. Find the securing screw at the bottom of the ignition switch. Loosen it or take it out completely. With the key rotated into the start position, rotate the electrical side of the ignition switch as it sits in the key/tumbler mechanism. I would go from starting to clicking to nothing with very little rotation of the electrical switch. When I say very little rotation, I mean 1 or 2 degrees of rotation (if not fractions of a degree). For kicks, I did the same thing with my old ignition switch. Same results. It wasn't the switch (or any other component for that matter) causing the "click" issue, just the switch alignment.

There's another bolt (or two maybe) at the top of the housing. You also have to go under the hood and unscrew the high side and low side refrigerant lines at the firewall. I'm assuming you don't have any refrigerant in the system. Otherwise it will need to be recovered. There is a small plate that bolts to the firewall that secures the two refrigerant lines. Remove the plate and the rubber bushing. Once you've done that and gotten the top bolt out of the housing, the whole evaporator/expansion valve housing can be wiggled out from between the ductwork.

Does anyone know if the third member from a '95 Path (11-bolt) will fit into the axle housing from an '87 Path (9-bolt) or are the holes in the diff arranged completely differently? I've got an '87 axle housing; found a '95 diff. Need to know if they are compatible.

Don't blame you for that decision.

I can get a pallet and secure the trans/transfer case unit to it. Two people can lift it up and place in the freight truck. That shouldn't be a problem. The freight companies usually specify a business address for pickup. That I can do as well. Let me know what you find out and what information you need from me and we can go from there.

I have a working 5-spd with transfer case for a VG30 from an '87 Pathfinder. Miles are unknown but likely between 50K-100K based on what the previous owner told me. It was a little stiff shifting from 1st to 2nd only when cold but otherwise everything else was fine. It has been sitting in my garage for the last year and a half taking up space. It is yours for the taking if you want it. Simply arrange shipping and you can have it. I'm located south of Houston, Texas (zip code 77539). I also have a working vg30 engine from the same vehicle that you can have as well. Items are free. The only down side is shipping costs. I need the garage space. If anyone else is interested, chime in. I'll be on travel from 10/31 through 11/2. Let me know if you're interested. I'd rather someone make use of them than end up taking them to the dump.

Well I appreciate the offer but I suspect that the cost just to ship from Washington would pay for much of the repairs needed on my unit.

MWS - As for now, I do have the Air injection and EGR plugged. That's only because I couldn't get the pipes out of the original manifolds. I'll have to fab some new pipes. As for the -2 units. I struggled with that one before ordering. In the end, I decided to go with the -1 (long tube) set thinking that it would be a better match for the Throttle Body setup. As it is now, and looking at UNCC pic's, I wish I would have gone with the -2's. UNCC - I didn't lay the original manifolds up against the header assembly to compare paths. I knew they would be different. Actually that's good. A larger bend radius on the Thorley tubes (as compared to the stock manifolds) helps the flow rate. The down side is interference issues like I have. The crossover pipe matches up perfectly, along with the header/crossover flanges. And it mates up to the original exhaust perfectly. Everything bolted in with no problems. It just sits too close to the steering shaft. I contacted Thorley and they are looking in to it. I sent them a bunch of photos to review. I'm waiting to hear back from them.

Found some pic's of an R50. Looks like it's not going to work. I'll go back to trying to find a yard unit and rebuilding from there. Thanks for all the input.

Adding pic's isn't as easy as I thought. Let me try again. If it works, I'm adding two pic's of my clearance issue with the steering flange.

You can contact Doug Thorley directly at 800-347-8664. Nick Thompson and Bob Taylor deal with automotive headers. Nick is at extension 217 and Bob is at extension 205. Headers for the '87-'89 year model (V-6) are part #464-1. Headers for the '90-'95 year model are part #464-2. Ceramic coated headers use a "C" in the part number.

I installed a set of Doug Thorley headers on my '87 Pathfinder. This is the long tube set made for the '87-'89 model year. The front most exhaust tube on the driver side header is so close to the steering shaft flex plate that I can't turn the steering wheel without hitting the header tube. The header tube is literally rubbing up against the flex plate on the steering shaft. I've checked the header flange to make sure it is flush up against the engine head. The header flange is flush up against the head from the front exhaust port all the way to the rear exhaust port. The motor mounts are new and I've checked the engine for alignment. It is sitting in the chassis just like it's supposed to. Has anyone else installed Thorleys on an '87-'89 and run in to this same problem? Any suggestions for a fix short of adding a body lift?

Actually, it's an '87 Pathfinder so I don't have ABS. I'm restoring it and need a new rear end. The wheel flange on each axle shaft is bent (wheels wobble when turning) and the third member is shot. I called around to several Nissan dealerships and the shafts and third member units are no longer available. Wasn't surprised by that one. I asked the dealerships to get me the shafts and third to fit a 90-95 application (knowing the bolt pattern on the third is different) and got the same answer; no longer available. An estimate I got from one shop to repair what I have made me think it might be just as cost effective to buy a new rear end assembly. Except the only new axle assemblies available these days are for the 96-2004 Pathfinders. If the control arm brackets and spring mounting plates are in the same location and the overall width of the R50 axle housing is the same or slightly wider than a WD21 housing, then I'm in good shape. An alternative to new prices is to find a low mileage '04 unit from a yard. I've got a 1000 mile round trip to my hunting lease and want to know I'm going to get there and back without any issues. Everything else on the vehicle has been replaced so going in on a new rear end isn't a problem. I appreciate the feedback; this is an excellent website.

Here's an unusual question. Can the complete rear axle assembly from a 2004 Pathfinder be used to replace the rear axle assembly in a 90-95 Pathfinder? In other words, are the axle brackets for the upper/lower control arms, shock mounts, track bar, etc. located in the same position on the axle housing? I believe I heard somewhere that the axle housing used in the R-50 was 2 inches wider than the housing used in the WD-21. That's not a problem as long as all the axle housing brackets line up with the older Pathfinder undercarriage mounting points. Anyone know the answer to this?

I got a quote for $600 to put in a 2" body lift with me providing the kit. I don't think so. If it happens, I'm going to do it myself. I have the kit and the previous comment is correct, the instructions are completely inadequate.

I had the same problem when I replaced all the hoses on my '87 Pathfinder. Left the upper radiator hose disconnected from the radiator and filled the radiator to the brim through the rad cap until coolant came out of the radiator at the upper hose connection. Started and ran motor to let it heat up and waited for the water to flow out of the disconnected upper rad hose to bleed out the air from the system. Never happened. Engine ran and ran, longer than I thought it should before water should have come out of the upper hose. I walked around to check the temp gauge on the dash and noticed that the gauge was pegged all the way over on hot. What I learned was that filling up the radiator didn't get water into the thermostat housing. I raised up the upper radiator hose above the level of the radiator cap and poured antifreeze down into it until the upper hose was full. Basically, that primed the cooling system. That got fluid to the thermostat housing and ultimately down into the water pump. Once I did that, it started pumping coolant and I reconnected the upper hose to the radiator. You might try that same process and see if it works for you.

No, I really don't drive it hard. Stick to the speed limit and take my time on stops. Ok, so it sounds like normal heat buid up. I'll write this one off as a non-issue. Thanks to you both for the feedback.

So here's something else I could use some feedback on. I've noticed that the front hubs get pretty hot after a drive. This Pathfinder I'm overhauling had alot of miles so I've been slowly replacing things here and there. I replaced the front wheel bearings a while back and noticed that after driving for a short while (10 miles or so) that the locking hubs would be very hot to the touch. I took an IR thermometer reading and they typically show 170 degrees after a drive. I thought maybe the stock auto locking hubs might be the problem, and I wanted to switch to manual hubs anyway, so I put on some new Warn manual hubs. Still shows temps up to 170 degrees. The bearings are adjusted correctly; just tight enough to remove the wheel play but not so tight that the wheels don't spin freely. The calipers and brakes are new so I don't believe I'm generating excess heat from sticking brake pads. I know the hubs aren't locked and spinning the axles when in 2wd so that's not a problem. Does it sound like the hubs are running hot or is this a non-issue?