QuasarDecimari

This is all I could find in the FSM on the oil routing for the VG33E. ​Obviously some of these can't really be accessed from the outside, but I would definitely try and hit the underside of the engine with some degreaser, and see if you can watch for the leak to form. Most of the channels for oil pathways are internal for the engine, and there shouldn't be anywhere aside from the engine seals that you'd be able to see the leak. I'd check around the crankshaft seal, oil filter mount and seal, valve cover seals, and timing seals. Again, if you can clean those areas first, you'll save yourself some trouble because oil's going to just collect where it can be absorbed (aka. dirt).

I wish I was a bit more familiar with the 3.3 L, but is there any seepage seeming to be coming from behind the Harmonic Balancer (Crank pulley)? I know on my 3.5 L, I had oil dripping down on my steering rack and it looked like it was coming from the oil filter, but it was actually coming from behind the front crankshaft seal.

It was a dumb mistake. When doing the SFD, a friend helped lift the diff up enough to get a jack under it, then we lifted it up until we could get the bolts to hold it on. The first bolt of course went in weird at an angle, and the others went in right. Went to use the impact and a torque stick (75 ft/lb) to restrict it, but ended up cross threading the hell out of it. We couldn’t get it to back out, and as we were trying, the head snapped off the bolt. I’m going to have to drill it out and make new threads for a slightly larger bolt. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I busted one of the 8 bolts that holds the diff to the carriers, so it’ll be nice to do this anyways. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This is super awesome, might have to throw some money at you myself if you're still selling this when I get my winch. You mentioned earlier in the post about having a hidden snorkel? I have been trying for a long time to come up with a design for one and I just can't seem to figure out something effective and hidden. I'm not a huge fan of the snorkel look on the pathfinder, and of course that's just preference, but a hidden one would be super cool. Any idea what you might do for that?

This sounds awesome. I kind of wish I held out a bit longer before putting in an order for the replacement bushings, but I'm excited to see the outcome regardless. What did you use to press the bushings out? Were they difficult? I won't have a press available when I do mine, so I'm just curious what you used. I have a control arm bushing installation/removal kit that should do the trick fine, but if you popped yours out easily, that'd be good to know.

I never found anything. Seems like they’re not an easy size to find. Maybe something you could fab up and weld, but for sale, I can’t find anything. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Haha driving around in 2WD and drifting all over the place. Fun to do when expected, but if I’m trying to turn left on a busy road and I’m sitting on a patch of ice, it doesn’t go anywhere. I miss functioning 4WD Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ah gotcha. Well, I guess I might order the ones off Amazon and try and get that done before the spring snows hit Colorado. Thanks for checking anyways! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Another possibility is the headlight switch itself. You could always tap into some wiring and figure out if there’s power being sent from that switch when turned on. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I wouldn’t QUITE rule out the chance that they burned out, even at the same time, but it’s still unlikely as you said. Of course, first check your fuses. That’ll be easiest. If the fuses are good, have a look at the bulbs. They’re wired separate from each other, not in series, so you can check just one bulb for the time being. If the bulbs are fine, listen for the relay click. I believe the headlight relay will be in the engine bay. Take the fuse cover off, and start trying to switch them on and off. If you can’t hear a click, it might be the relay. If your high-beam relay is the same as your low-beam, try switching the relays to see if it functions. If there’s still nothing, you might have to break out the multimeter and some wiring diagrams. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Me either, I always thought it just bolted to the subframe. Guess it makes sense, since something has to balance the harmonics of the cvs and driveshaft Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I got lucky! Thankfully the GoPro has high frame rate options to really track things like that down. I always tie a string to the GoPro just to be safe in case it comes off of wherever it's mounted. The Control Arm mount areas on the subframe had just enough of a flat edge that I could clip the camera onto it and get a great view of the diff. The little guy's saved me in more situations than I know.

If I can just pop the bushings out and replace them, I don't mind saving a few dollars instead of getting the whole mounts. The mounts are fine, just need new bushings is all. But the ply alternatives would be awesome, let us know what you find! Probably a good thing going here anyways, because I'm sure having better bushings would make things just that more secure on tougher trails.

Quite honestly, I can't find them anywhere in-store near me, but I found them on Amazon for $20 a bushing. I searched all over online, can't find polyurethane at all, which would have been awesome. Here's the link to the amazon ones, but if anyone can find better ones, please let me know! https://www.amazon.com/547300W002-Bushing-Differential-Nissan-Febest/dp/B00DMA7WJM

Well, I got the GoPro under the vehicle, and guess what I found? This may be the problem! https://www.facebook.com/cortland.haefele/posts/420976951658625 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I am planning on placing my GoPro on the transmission crossmember to watch the differential at high FPS. My hopes are to slow down the video playback on my PC and see if I can see the differential moving. I'll likely try that before work tomorrow.

I pulled the hubs and cleaned the grease out, and cleaned them good. No metal shavings, and no damage to splines in the hubs. Still locking and disengaging great! I decided to put the GoPro on my bumper to watch my suspension and CVs, just to check their angles and see if there's anything noticeable. Thankfully, no. I did have some small suspicion with the Driver's side CV, which was just replaced a couple months ago. I decided to warranty it and swap it just to be safe. While the subtle clunk of the CV is gone, probably just defective from the factory, the problem still exists. With the SFD, The CVs will rotate still under full flex, but of course I have to be very slow if they're maxed out. At the angles during normal driving, including 4WD, they don't exceed operating angles that they're designed to operate under. Thankfully, the gears are all good. Everything rotates smooth, whether its by rotating the driveshaft, or the wheels. I describe the rest of that in the reply to Hawarish, just to not sound like a broken record. ​Would have been nice if it were the hubs or something! Thankfully, I was smart and stored the old drive flanges away in case I needed them later, so I threw them back on instead of the manual hubs, and the problem still exists. But, like all things, that's troubleshooting. At least it's getting narrowed down, slowly but surely!

I did change, and flush the TCase fluid, using ATF as specified by the manufacturer recommendations. I'm a tech and parts retailer, so thankfully that's a simple thing for me. ​Motor mounts and transmission mounts were replaced when the SFD was done, for security, since it's oh-so-fun to get those off. Torqued to spec according to FSM. ​I do have the missing link, which was installed recently, no change before and after it was installed other than the other benefits of having it. ​I just removed every subframe bolt one by one and properly installed some washers on both sides of the blocks, as the bolts were going without washers. Torqued to spec as according to Fastenal.com. No change from before, or after, other than having eliminated creaking in the subframe when turning. The differential bushings are actually my next thing to check. A NORAC (Nissan Offroad Association of Colorado) member on Facebook messaged me with the solution to a similar problem, and gave me the links to the parts to order. Funny enough, when I was double checking the driveshaft U-Joints, I was putting the driveshaft back on and tightening the bolts, and as I was tightening it, the differential could move up and down quite easily. Essentially, it rotated toward the front of the vehicle. My thoughts are, that if there is that much play in those bushings, it's possible that under load, the rotation of the CVs on both sides, along with the driveshaft rotation, causes harmonics between those bushings. Then, the differential flops back and forth rapidly. Thankfully, differential gears are spotless, and everything's turning great. When hubs are unlocked, and the vehicle is in 4Hi, I can drive around easily at any speeds, and I tested up to 45mph, with no vibrations. This is also nice to know since that means the driveshaft and CVs are rotating at their angles naturally, and not binding or having any balance issues. I didn't think about the switch, but then again, when it's in 4WD, I do know because of the vibrations and inability to go any faster than 25mph without fear of damage. I have found, however, that it disengages when the lever is in 2WD when I take tight turns, either right or left. It just doesn't like to switch when I'm driving straight. ​As always, Everyone's advice and expertise is so greatly appreciated! I never feel like I'm tackling these problems alone.

Definitely shouldn't be making that noise. Pump bearings are probably failing. If you have the 3.5L, have fun changing that pump. I picked up some of these rims by Unique for $65 each. They look great, they're strong as need be, and wide enough for my 285/75/16s. If you're throwing on bigger tires, I recommend a small wheel spacer, like .5"-1" because wider tires like mine will usually rub against the struts otherwise. Here's the link to the wheels if you want to check them out. They don't come with the hubcap, just so you know. https://www.discounttire.com/buy-wheels/unique-297/p/52180

Other than the custom steering link that can be ordered from Woodwards steering, not really. You'll have to rotate the steering rack itself to position the steering link from the gearbox correctly, or else it will bind. Getting the rack to stay in place while tightening it back down can be a bit of a challenge, as it will want to rotate back to its original position due to the hard pressure lines being where they are. While you're at it, though, it doesn't hurt to get ahold of the bushings that hold the steering rack and replace them while you're in there. It'll be more secure that way. I'm working on a guide, step by step, for how to put together the SFD, but it's going to take some time to put together. I'll send you a private link to the instructions I have created in a file in the meantime, until I make the guide.

The welds look great, they'll hold up and that's what matters. That's a unique paint/wrap job, never seen that before on an R50. I'm also using those exact same hubs, and they're awesome, they've held up for much more than I anticipated they would, and I was worried about the price being a little too forgiving as well. Grease them a bit, helps them stay in good shape. As far as the 4" lift goes, most anyone will be willing to help you out, but I recently did a 6" lift for my 2001 Pathy. I'll be more than willing to answer any questions you have, and give you any blueprints you'd need. I documented everything, from every bolt I ordered, to the designs of the parts. Since you can weld, you're already helping yourself out on the cost, but I'll tell you this now, it is NOT a cheap job to do a proper SFD and lift for these things. That set aside, don't hesitate to message me for any questions, or just reply here. I'll help where I can! You can also message me on Facebook, and check out my "Project Pathfinder" album in my photos if you want an idea of the process I went thru to build the SFD. https://www.facebook.com/cortland.haefele

It's been a while, so I decided to update this topic with all the information I can give. Unfortunately, the issue is still here. It's a 2001 LE 4wd Pathfinder, 3.5L Automatic with manual-transfer shift (so no dial or actuators, just gears and chains). The problem I'm having at the moment is with my 4WD. When driving on the roads, whether wet, snowy, or dry, I get an extreme amount of vibration that shakes the entire vehicle at around 40+ mph. It does not vibrate the steering wheel, and the suspension doesn't wobble, it just feels like I'm driving on rumble-strips on a highway. There is a slight grind/binding sound coming from the driver's side, and the vehicle will constantly pull to the left a little while this is happening. Shift it into 2WD, and all is smooth as butter. The final issue with that, however, is that once it's in 4WD, it has a hell of a time getting out of it. I usually have to take a really good left-turn to get it to disengage, or put it in reverse and roll back several feet, for it to get back into 2WD. It seems to get stuck as soon as it's in 4WD, even after shoving the lever forward into 2WD. What have I done to try and fix the issue? To begin with, I pulled the front driveshaft and replaced the U-Joints, as most would point at this for the issue. Unfortunately, even with it reinstalled the same way it came off, with brand new joints, the vibration hasn't changed in the slightest. Another thing, I have manual locking hubs. No vibration with them unlocked, but even if they're locked and I'm in 2WD, there is no binding or vibration. This leads me to believe that, because the CV axles can rotate with the locked hubs without any issue in 2WD, even at high speeds of 75-80mph, the axles are not the problem. To help rule out any additional items you might advise I replace, here is a list of everything I have already replaced very recently: Ball joints, struts, springs, strut bearings, tie rod ends, inner/outer wheel bearings, wheel seals, CV axles, front-end bushings, front-driveshaft U-Joints, and all fluids. ANY and ALL help or recommendations is GREATLY appreciated, as I'm totally stuck trying to figure out what's wrong. She still does fantastic on the trails, but that's at low speeds, and usually in 4LO. When the ice hits here, I need 4WD occasionally to get around safely. Thanks everyone!

Update: I pulled off the driveshaft, the upper u-joint was pretty worn (at the TCase), so I swapped both joints and cleaned it up and reinstalled it. Today the snow hit again, and I put it in 4WD, and its much better. 40mph and subtle vibrations, but nothing like the whole cars coming apart. Havent checked it yet on dry roads, but thankfully now I can actually depend on the 4WD without feeling like either the slick roads or my own car is going to kill me.

My apologies, I had made a typo about the SFD. It's just a 4" SFD, but the strut spacers are 6", I accidentally typed 6" twice! For that sort of modification, I can assume you'd have to bend some new pressure lines for the rack, and grind off a few pieces like the funnel-thing that Nissan put on it for the oil filter.