[R50 Tire Carrier Mod: Let's settle this!]

Thanks for Patrick who started this thread, helped a lot.

 

 

Tore apart my interior to get this to work.

https://imgur.com/bfOLv4f

My pathfinder doesn't have the rubber grommet or pigtail that normally comes with the tire carrier model. I looked at the FSM and could not find the wire to tap into and believe I don't have the wire or it stops somewhere up the line.

Regardless, without the pigtail you can still make the switch work with your gauge.

If you look behind the gauge cluster, the #3 wire on M24 harness is the wire for the tire carrier ajar light.

You will need to get an LED bulb put in there (I just moved my seat belt warning light since I don't care for it) and ran wire all the way under to the back where the tire carrier switch is. Ground in the tail light harness.

Technically you can go to the junkyard and pull a door switch from the driver's side door and use that switch to connect to this light on the gauge. Very simple on/off circuitry.

Could do without the light but the tire carrier is pretty heavy I feel like one mistake to forget to close it and you drive away with it open you can do some damage to your truck and/or property around.

[DIY winch bumper 'builder' brackets]

Damn, a custom bumper is next on my list. Good stuff

[XJ Cherokee bumper mod]

 

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/photobucket-hotlink-fix/kegnjbncdcliihbemealioapbifiaedg?hl=en

 

This extension will let you see everything

 

Son of a bitch, that changes everything. Almost all the pictures on a lot of forums were dead for me

[4wd and Lift question]

Welcome to the r50 crew!

 

Yeah you have to have the transmission in neutral when going into 4 low, but switching in between 4 high and 2 high is pretty easy, just pull the level back and push it forward. If you force it downwards (like towards the floor) it'll grind.

 

If you try switching between 4lo and 4hi in any gear besides neutral the transfer case will grind and not want to come in or out because the transmission is still connecting your power to the driveshafts and whatnot. Since 4lo and 4hi have a different gear ratio in the transfer case, if you try to switch between the 2 without disconnecting the trans so to speak (going into neutral) you'll have two parts going different speeds trying to connect or pull apart which obviously won't be good.

 

AC stands for Automotive Consumers and like Remus said, is sold by 4x4parts. This is a coil spring lift that gives you a 2-3" height gain due to a higher spring rate and longer, thicker coil than factory. OME springs (rocky-road.com) are the same concept, just less expensive and a little less height. AC springs will give you a bit more than 2" of lift, and OME will give you right around 2. These are different than spacers because they not only give you added height, but they also give you a better ride and more articulation. Spacers will give you height, but will not help your performance in any way, in fact it will more than likely lower it.

 

Putting a spacer in the rear (given you also add longer shocks) will give you height but you will gain no extra travel out of your suspension. It will flex the same amount, just a few inches lower relative to the "frame." A longer spring, however, will give you both the height you want and allow your axle to flex more, meaning more wheels on the ground at any given moment, meaning more traction, meaning more mad off road skills! Lol

 

For the front, adding a longer coil into your strut will give you height and a better ride, but won't change your articulation because the strut is still the same size. Therefore, at full droop (strut shocks all the way extended) your control arms will not hang any lower than they would at full droop with stock coils. This is good, because your cv axles were not made to function at any angle over full droop with a stock configuration. A spacer serves the same function in the front as in the rear. Placed in between your strut assembly and your strut tower, spacers will give you increased height by pushing the strut down from it's original mounting point. The problem with this, however, is that your suspension now will still droop the same amount as it did before when flexing, only pushed down 2 more inches. Since your cv axles were not designed to handle the added 2 inches at full droop, they will bind up and you'll end up breaking something.

 

Adding a spacer to the front will give you height, but actually hurt your performance. For this reason, if you ever drive off road I wouldn't recommend any sort of spacer over an inch. If you're gonna lift your rig, go with springs. It's far worth the extra money knowing your performance is improving over stock rather than getting worse, and will save you money fixing axles in the long run. If you just use your rig on the street and just want the extra height for the looks, then spacers are a great and cost effective option!

 

Before you put in your new trailing arms, get rid of those rubber bushings and throw some poly ones in there! Down the road the rubber ones are just gonna wear out again and you'll get death wobble and be forced to replace them. Poly bushings will give you a better ride, and you'll never have to worry about replacing them again! This is gonna be my next mod, as my sway is getting reallyyyy bad.

 

Sorry if that was more information than you asked for lol, I just want to make sure you're well informed (:

 

Let me know if you have any questions!! Good luck!

 

Oh man, thanks that helped clarify quite a few things for me! Including where to buy the parts.

 

Thanks god i didnt mess up the transmission or anything else, could've been bad.

 

Thanks for the info, gonna have to keep this in mind and think it over then

[4wd and Lift question]

I never used the 4wd system in my pathfinder and decided to briefly test it yesterday. Just out of curiosity and have some questions.

 

1) I went from 2H down to 4H (everything at a standstill, not moving) and then depressed the lever and went into N. Now, I was trying to come up back up 4H and it would grind. And then I tried going down to 4L and it made a slight grinding noise also. Scared the hell out of me.

 

Read the manual in the parking lot and it mentioned moving it quickly and firmly so I did it quick and fast and it went back to 4H.

 

So my question is, why do you have to do it quickly and with force? I would have never thought to do that without the manual.

 

 

2) When I was in N, I couldn't figure out the grinding so I put the pathfinder to P and it made a slight grinding noise also. Turned off the engine. What caused this? Was this harmful?

 

 

I eventually figured out everything and went back up to 2H and drove home, no issues.

 

 

Lift Question

3) I see a lot of 2" AC lift recommendations, but it seems outdated. Is AC a brand? Would this be the same as a 2" spacer kit that you can buy for like $100 where you put the spacer in the springs and get longer rear struts?

 

I have a wobble so I bought the upper and lower rear trailing arms. I figured if I'm going to replace that and undo the rear suspensions, I might as well slip a spacer in there and upgrade the struts. The fronts might be more of a hassle though.

 

Looking at these https://www.ebay.com/itm/For-Nissan-Pathfinder-Terrano-Infiniti-QX4-2-5-2-Lift-Kit-R50-Platform/292292925320?fits=Year%3A2002%7CModel%3APathfinder&hash=item440e041788:g:REkAAOSwcUBYG5Wb&vxp=mtr

 

[Will these wheels fit on my truck?]

http://www.americastire.com/dtcs/searchWheelsByVehicleAndSize.do?bp=&pgWheels=1&sortBy=prca&yr=1997&fqs=true&wd=15&rw=&rcc=Artesia&vid=010170&rc=CAOINT

 

Theyre the gloss black Unique series 42.. 15x8 but it doesnt say anything about backspacing. theres a few of these with different model #s..

 

im looking to put on 31x10.5x15. can someone direct me to one that will fit?

 

also, for anyone looking for wheels, this weekend america's tire has a $100 visa rebate if you buy 4 wheels so im looking to buy 4 of these for less than $200.

[Need ADVICE buying used pathfinder!]

You can either splice in a resistor (I forgot the value for the resistor, I am sure you could google it) that will make the central unit think the knock sensor is OK, but it is not recommended.

You can also do what I did which is to change the location of the sensor with a lot easier access:

 

http://x.nissanhelp.com/forums/pathfinder/7890-3-3l-knock-sensor-relocation.html

 

 

http://www.clubfrontier.org/forums/f46/knock-sensor-relocation-how-41704/

Thanks. So that was back in 2011 or something. The seller took the car to the smog place and it was a fail due to the check engine light and it also failed the "visual PCV". I dont know what that is. But the 2 codes thrown were again P1441 and now P1447. The knock sensor code I dont think was there?

 

The advice was that there's a visual hose that was needing replacing and possibly some valves. I did some reading and it looks like its related to the EVAP and cannister so the purge valves and what not.

 

Anyway I'm waiting to hear back from him once they correct it and it's smoggable.

[Need ADVICE buying used pathfinder!]

I'm looking at a 97 pathfinder. It's a 4x4 automatic with about 150k miles. cosmetically in good condition both in and out and it has been maintained with papers, only 2 owners, both family friends.

 

The timing belt, water pump and other things have been replaced in a timely manner. The one thing that concerns me is that it has a reoccurring check engine light and supposedly comes and goes but once it comes it'll stay. Its been like this during the ownership of the car for about 7 years.

 

The seller is transparent and gave me the invoices from the dealer. They tried to track it down over the life of the vehicle. Unfortunately they didn't write down the code except the most recent repair which was code P1447 and P0325 knock sensor. They "repaired EGR system and lines" and "Set timing HW" for about $150 in labor and it seemed to fix it so the car passed smog after failing the first time. (in CA you fail for CEL)

 

The first time it happened they replaced both rear o2 sensors.

 

Doesn't have any mods seems to be a commuter car for a college student mostly.

 

The price is $2500.

 

What do you guys think? It's in my budget, has records but I dont want to be stranded somewhere this is a daily vehicle and i cannot be stranded. Not to mention the $2500 isn't such a good deal if I have to pay $800 for a knock sensor repair which is what I'm reading on the internet.