PathyDude17
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Posts posted by PathyDude17
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Hey Carson ( @R50_QX4 )! Great Questions.
As a general rule of thumb, I buy as little as is possible from 4x4parts.com . Shipping is a fiasco ($70 to ship two springs to Idaho). So even though 4x4parts.com has most of what you want with struts and springs and shocks, I’d at least shop around before pulling the trigger. You’ll still end up buying the front 2” lift coils from them, but you might be able to save a buck elsewhere.
Be careful installing the front coils. They’re stiff. It’s pretty common to at least take them to a shop to get the strut assembled, though some members such as @RainGoat have had stellar success compressing their OME HD coils with a stoutly designed coil compressor. They may be able to handle the AC’s as well.
So, the “obvious” difference between the common 5100 (33-185552) and the increasingly popular 5125 (33-185569) is collapsed length and extended length. I do happen to have a long-winded Youtube Video (Yup, those are my videos) on the topic, but that’s more info than is necessary. The 5125 is 29.7” extended and about 18 collapsed. The 5100 is about 26/16. 4WP and summit racing supply shock specs if you ever want to compare other models. I actually just happened to get some verification on how that shock affects my articulation. My NRC9449’s (Same height as the 9447) just barely unseat at full flex. You can wiggle the spring by hand but you certainly couldn’t pop it out. The sway bar link looks maxed, and I’m suspecting that the sway bar limits my flex, not the shock. If I removed it (but I’m not going to) I might find myself wishing for slightly shorter shock. But, since the 5125 is a good deal away from the factory spec of 24/14, you’ll want to extend that center (2 lines if you have VDC) brake line- it will likely be taught at full flex, which isn’t acceptable in my opinion. You’ll want to either test or guess as to how much to extend the bumpstop. Mine are extended ~2.5”. My diff breather sometimes pops off and should get extended as well, but I haven’t done it yet. If you do the math, I haven’t gained much by running the 5125 and it’s not a do or die on running that shock. I think it’s a good choice for LR springs, but 5100’s are a great shock too, and the 5100’s won’t require any of those brake line or bumpstop or breather modifications.
LR vs AC. Not sure how they’d stack up. Price aside, I don’t know heights or spring rates of the AC coils so that’s difficult to compare. LR springs lift pretty similar heights, but they’re less than 50% of the price and seem the superior option based on that. Should be $80-90 from lrdirect.com after shipping. Although, I know Canadian shipping can be complicated..... I believe they’ve been having stocking issues recently, I’m sure the R50 community is to blame for that lol.
Locking hubs. Great mod in my opinion, and a near no brainer if you have the floor shift, manual transfer case. Seems that Warn, Rugged Ridge, and Mile Marker’s are the most popular, and few complaints across the brands. I have the mile markers, they were the cheapest and they’ve performed just fine for the last year. There are mostly just 2 things that stress the CV axles- when the joints are forced to operate at sharp angles (suspension droops or wheels are turned), and sudden changes in the torque supplied to them (free spinning tire suddenly lands on dirt and stops spinning). These are true for anytime the axle is forced to spin, but those conditions generally become an even bigger issue when 4WD is engaged and the CV axles are being supplied with torque that they’re transferring to the tires, as opposed to being passively spun in 2WD. Manual hubs will increase the longevity of the boots if not the joints as well.
Lemme know if I missed anything
-Tyler
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Good video, they look like nice tires. I’m sure this video will help inform people who find themselves in similar situations- It’s a common and popular question. I have 32x11.5 LT’s and they’re pretty darn aggressive. I’ll also echo some of the comments above.
I think there’s conflicting information for a lot of reasons. Not everyone owns identical R50’s per se.... There’s at least two different steering racks available to R50’s. Different rim options have different backspacing. Different vehicles have different levels wear on their stock suspension. There are different strut part numbers for each generation, different mudflap setups, and different front end weights when the engines changed. Also, some people would consider it rubbing if you can’t cycle the suspension and steering in all directions.....all that to say there’s plenty of room for discrepancies.
Keep sharing!
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1st test, Lokka Talk:
Here's an obstacle that has stumped me twice before by either getting hung up on my sliders or rocker panels. You pick either the rock on the left side or the right side to pivot/bottom out on, and proceed from there.
I have a sneaking suspicsion that the obstacle has been rearranged since last summer, but I also got stuck on it in March, and its less likely the rocks have been changed since then.
The first time I got hung up in June 2019- I'm a tire rotation away from obliterating my driver rocker panel:
The vehicle ends up coming up and over the rocks with the front tires lifting and dropping at seperate times. On open diffs, this obstacle generally wasn't possible for me. We managed to get @micahfelker through without damage, but I couldn't replicate the feat. Adding sliders just meant I got stuck sooner w/o any risk for body damage.
With the lokka however, it's a different obstacle. I crawled over this (unspotted) in one slow but succinct motion, pivoting on the passenger slider throughout most of the motion. Sure, if I had the stones I could probably throttle and bump my way up it, but I'd take the lokka over that any day. My sliders are more useful now too-they don't just protect, but they actually now can slide over rocks in certain situations. There are still plenty of ways to get this thing stuck, bottomed out, and immobilized, but I think the lokka will prove to be a worthy upgrade.
Steering: It's affected by adding a lokka, don't get me wrong on that. I found that it depended pretty predictably on the terrain and to what extent you had the drivetrain engaged.
Obvioulsy, with hubs unlocked you can't feel it.
2WD w/ hubs locked has practically zero change in steering on most surfaces, including pavement and hard packed dirt. Little to no self centering.
4WD High/Lo: Noticeable self centering/resistance in steering. In a ~2hr test run with it, the self centering didn't really let up or lighten much while in 4WD. It's 100% driveable, but its also 100% different than an open diff. The more torque you supply the lokka with (and the less traction/grip a certain surface has), the stronger the steering will get. So, in between obstacles I coasted through turns and supplied throttle on straightaways, and that made it totally driveable. Or if you're in 4HI, popping it in to 2HI works as well. I also wouldn't try to drive super fast in 4WD.
The steering got the worst when I decided to try a U-turn on a trail only slightly wider than my vehicle while still in 4LO. It was fairly sandy, and I could immediately tell that my turning radius was diminished under those circumstances. The steering wheel was pretty heavy at full lock, and in the sand (with all the torque available in that gear), the vehicle plows forward through sand as it turns. It turned a ~2.5 point turn into a solid 3-4 point turn. So, if you were in a dire situation I could see how the lokka might put someone at a disadvantage. I was just goofing off and could've put it in 2HI if I was trying to turn as quickly as possible.
A little long-winded, but I wanted to give a thorough idea of how it's gone so far and what changes I've noticed. I'll revise any of the above statements as I get used to the lokka, these are just my first impressions. For me personally, I'd call the first test a success. I couldn't necessarily "feel" the LSD, maybe I'll have to test it out in 2WD. 4.6's are good, and the low end torque is nice for all things dirt and rock.
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8 minutes ago, PathyGig12 said:
Woohoo, thanks for the video man
I still have very little understanding of what you’re doing because I don’t know much differential internals, so I’ll still need a helper when the time comes, but I’ll be glad to have your tutorial on hand for reference
Glad that it’ll be of use to you! I think it’s great for seeing the process and how all the parts line up. I can’t overemphasize the need for the proper tools and an FSM as well.
About a year and a half ago, I had never so much as opened a tool set or done any kind of car maintenance. The lokka is surprisingly easy to setup for DIY mechanics (assuming your diff already has acceptable shims).
@Radwaste has a worthy install thread on this forum as well. Thorough reading of that document, as well as watching a Pajero/Shogun install on youtube was great preparation. I did enough research that by the time I was tearing stuff apart, I had to force myself to read all the instructions thoroughly and double check my work.
I had to consult some gurus on some/a lot of the technical details, but I hope this video now covers some of the holes that were in my original research.
the key part of the install is that inter cam clearance of .145”-.165”. If yours doesn’t line up to that, you need new shims for the axle gears. Nissan doesn’t sell them anymore, and they’re a pain to even find from no-name parts suppliers. I have some on order from March that haven’t shown up, they’ll be available if they ever show up as I’ll have no use for them. Most people don’t need them, but a minority of people do. Other options would be trying to use other R200a shims from other nissans with hopes that they’re the same size. Custom machine shop work would also be an option. Lokka explains pretty well how to use the shims to get proper adjustment, and which measurements should be prioritized. The big deal is just sourcing those shims should you need them. The uncertainty of the shim situation is what made me opt for a spare diff which eventually led to 4.6 swapping.
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11 minutes ago, RainGoat said:
True, however, I’m not sure I even know of an ATX14A with manual hubs.@mjotrainbrain ‘s QX4
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Install video. Not perfect, but hopefully it gives good insight into the process. Its ultimately only a guide, but I followed Lokka + FSM instructions pretty tightly.-
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29 minutes ago, autofakt said:
Wait didnt your pathfinder already come with 4.6 gear ratio since its an SE? Why exactly did you replace both front and rear diffs? Was the rear not lsd before?
All 03 and 04 R50’s are HG43. 96-02 are unpredictably HG46 and HG43, including QX4’s.
Previous setup was Open/Open HG43, and it was preferable to bench install the lokka in case anything went sideways. The core price on the units were $86/diff, so it was difficult for me to pass up on a 4.6 swap.
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16 minutes ago, PathyGig12 said:
I do have a bit of an issue with the conclusion in that thread. Someone said that you have no more AUTO mode, it’s either locked for 4WD or unlocked for 2WD....
But that’s not really true. When the hubs are locked you should be able to use AUTO mode as well right? Because the front shaft is spinning already and the clutch plates can engage whenever necessary if slippage is detected. Obviously you can’t use this mode when the hubs are unlocked, but locked should be fine because everything acts the same as it was from the factory
I would agree. Hubs locked = factory drive flanges = auto mode is usable -
4 hours ago, onespiritbrain said:
I heard a tale about the front propeller driving the oil pump in the auto tcase. I wonder if the tcase is getting hot and throwing the light.
Edit: I think that actually may not make sense because isn’t there an electric oil pump (secondary?) that kicks on when your moving slow in 4lo?
1 hour ago, PathyGig12 said:You’re right, the primary pump is run by the front shaft movement, but I don’t know how it works inside the Tcase when you’re in 2WD mode. Do you think it still needs fluid circulation even if it’s just making a direct connection to the rear and no transferring going on?
Good point about the secondary pump because it’s supposed to fill in the gaps when you’re in reverse or going slowly. But I don’t know if that’s kicking in when the hubs are unlocked or not. It would make sense that it could kick in if the front shaft WASNT moving at all (it would detect a slow speed and engage the secondary pump), but if it still has some intermittent movement in the front shaft then I’m not sure it would kick in.
Either way, I don’t know if it would be tripping the 4WD light based on heat. I think it has more to do with the confused readings from the wheel speed and slippage detection sensors. I think over a certain speed the system just gives up and admits that it can’t reconcile the rear wheels doing 80 while the front shaft is supposedly not moving at all. If it was a heat problem I’d probably not have made it very far if the case was overheating for the thousands of miles on my recent road trips
as far as I know and can tell, the auto mode t-case is oiled by the rear drive shaft. Here’s the info I’m working off of:
Fleury’s gives context to this discovery in this thread:
The actual origin of the info is provided by Morpheus in this thread (the pic has become broken in the last year or so, it used to show a parts diagram):
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Some updates on a project that’s been a while in the undertaking.
First, big thanks to the behind-the-scenes guys who had done this before and could point me in the right direction.
Donors:
Front: 96 R50 HG46 Front diff. All R50 diffs will work, nothing else will fit.
Rear: 00-Xterra HG46 LSD- all 00-02’s have factory break way torque of 140-180 ft lbs if equipped with LSD. This is the highest breakaway direct swap OEM LSD setup available to us. I’ve yet to see an HG43 LSD and cannot confirm or deny their existence.
Lokka: it set up just about perfectly on the first try. Symmetrical around the cross shaft, and acceptable inter cam clearance. Upon jack stand test and test drive, everything seems to lock/unlock fine. I have loads of footage to sort through in what I hope will be a thorough and well done install guide. I ordered diff adjusting shims from China, they’ve yet to show and will be available for cheap if they ever show up. They are NLA from Nissan.
Hoisting the respective diffs: it can be done solo, but bring lots of jacks and patience.
Everything you see is direct bolt-on swap. If both diffs are in good working condition, they’ll work just as good in your vehicle as they did in the vehicle they were pulled from. The lokka is designed specifically to be set up by DIY mechanics not unlike myself. An in spec diff will still be in spec after installing the lokka, as long as you put back everything the way you found it.
lots of punch marks, labeled bags, etc required. Special tools will be required such as roll pin punches and feeler gauges as well as an angle-torque gauge (please please please use an FSM while doing this stuff. Find them by googling them and clicking on the nicoclub link)
The 4.6’s seem to pull good, I’ve only logged a short 4 mile jaunt on them so far. Better gas pedal response as you start from a stop and continue to accelerate. It seems like the engine isn’t screaming for power at 3k quite the way it used to.
No Offroad testing yet.-
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41 minutes ago, flyingpathy said:
This sounds like shady business to me. I'm not a fan of it. They should support other industry companies instead of taking a profit off their products.
???
Look at the links below:
Light duty front coils: https://www.4x4parts.com/i-18981450-pathfinder-light-duty-front-coils.html
Heavy duty front coils: https://www.4x4parts.com/i-18981313-pathfinder-heavy-duty-front-coils.html
If you look at the SPU's you can infer they're OME coils. If you look at the weight ratings and lift specs in the description, that also matches with OME coils. There's nothing wrong with reselling OME's products. You can buy OME coils on amazon, carid, and on and on and on. Taking a profit off their products? Thats exactly what keeps companies like amazon, carid, and 4x4parts in business.....
4x4parts buying and reselling OME coils is supporting OME...... I don't think ARB/OME is somehow unaware of what 4x4parts is "up to". 4x4parts certainly isn't gaining anything by failing to mention OME directly....
4x4parts is selling a genuine performance part. Now, those shipping charges, those are something else.
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1 hour ago, DesertKyle said:
Yes
It was my understanding the AC springs were just rebadged OME HD springs, although I can't remember where I read that now.
I got my OME's on eBay for $180 shipped, 4x4parts.com is a ripoff!
AC has an in house brand, and then also sells OME springs, but they don’t call them OME springs- they mask the brand. But the coils referred to as AC coils are different than OME and will lift a bit higher.
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1 hour ago, autofakt said:
I just put rear upper and lower trailing arms yesterday since they were both toast. The rear would jerk when moving from Park to drive or reverse. I also looked into the Procomp rear shocks you mentioned but didnt see that model number on eBay. Also what type of shocks would I need in the front for the setup you recommended? Also any reason for the 9447 springs over the 9448? I tried to skim the whole 13 page thread about it but still not sure.
you can use any OEM equivalent strut up front.That thread takes careful reading in order to get the point. If you scan this link for the for different part numbers - 9446, 9447, 9449, and 9448, you can see the math for yourself. Each of those springs fit, but have different combinations of free standing height and spring rate. 9448’s lift the most out of those part numbers (~4”), and are usually paired with an SFD up front. 9446, 9447, and 9449 (~2-3”) are usually paired with 2”
lifts up front. Link: http://www.red90.ca/rovers/springinfo.html
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It can also be a u joint on the front driveshaft. Check for play on those u joints, I know it’s happened to other people on here.
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1 hour ago, Gmar11 said:
Yeah the statement on the website confused me but now I can't seem to find where it used to say I needed wheels with 3.75" backspacing, I actually used your exact suspension setup as a guide to mine aside from choosing the 9447 rear coils.
After having the lift installed I plan to go up to a 285/75/16 with the stock 16 inch wheels if possible. I don't mind going to a 15 inch wheel either, 33s will look more meaty on 15s. My last pathfinder i fit that same tire with just a sc spacer lift so I'm a little confused on which wheels will work.
If you have the same wheels (tri spokes) (I believe there’s 2 different wheels you can get on a 00-01), as this guy, here’s a visual and a thread. he’s fitting the same size of 33’s.:
https://forums.nicoclub.com/fitting-33-s-on-the-2in-r50-ac-lift-t494106.html
if you have the other OEM wheel (pictures below), it looks like Steve ( @fleurys ) is using 1.25” wheelspacers to fit 33’s.
http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/profile/5125-fleurys/
I hope this helps. I couldn’t quickly find backspacing for the OEM wheels, although I can find them for late model wheels pretty easy-
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Backspacing only matters when trying to fit larger tires. Swapping to AC coils will not require any kind of change in backspacing.
I believe you may have gotten confused by the statement on 4x4parts.com website.
As far as figuring out the backspacing on your wheels, find a site that has at least the width and the offset of those wheels. Backspacing = (Rim Width + 1”)/2 + (offset in inches).
If the offset is negative, that means you’re subtracting it from the first calculation.
if you want/need to, you can always check your calculations agains tiresize.com as they have a backspacing calculator. Also a good resource for comparing tire sizes.
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another update
@deltaR50 provided me with a website that carries a generic VQ35DE harness that resembles exactly the maxima one. It can be purchased as an already assembled pigtail, which is awesome: https://www.wiringspecialties.com/vq35-throttle-motor-connector-tps-dbw/
Here’s a video for visual on the maxima harness:
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Finally, I have a full update to this problem:
Short Version: Broken Harness, replaced with harness from 02 Maxima.
Longer Version: No one makes thst 6 pin harness for the TPS on an R50. It doesn’t exist. The closest thing I could find was a build your own harness for an Xtrail that was identical to the eventual maxima harness. I tried the x trail harness, but even after I built it it didn’t work, which ended up being a good thing. I found a TPS harness on an 02 maxima at a junkyard. Again, it looks exactly like the x trail one I used. Not only is the maxima harness an actual fix (I already test drove and successfully performed relearn procedures), it has a better locking mechanism- a simple lever that is released with decent effort, but otherwise stays perfectly locked into place. Glad to finally have her back and running again.
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27 minutes ago, Schwwwwing said:
Hey Everyone,
Happy to be in this forum. I have a 2004 Pathfinder LE with about 115K miles on it. PERFECT CONDITION. Im looking to lift it up about 2 to 3 inches. Can anyone help me with a good suspension kit versus a body lift... I cannot find anything as far as suspension goes. Looking forward to your suggestions.
Body lift or Suspension??
2 minutes ago, Strato_54 said:well theres lots of people on this form that can help you and there is quite a bit of info in here that you will just have to look around for. and these are unibody so no body on frame which means body lift is a no go.. you can do a sub frame drop but that do my knowledge doesn't provide any lift. as for parts there are a few different combinations and options you can go with. i suggest checking out this video it was created by a user here in this forum. in the video it explains the different options there are for lifts and can help you decide what exactly you're looking for. welcome to the forum!
Strato beat me to it haha. Forgive the video quality of that lift kit video... but it's a good reference for people who aren't familiar with lifting these, and I have several other videos that explain the rear options, Land Rover Part Numbers, and other common supporting modifications for lifting these vehicles (missing link, for example). This is the full playlist here
Also a decent reference for finding online parts would be this video
They're not perfect, but I hope they help establish a solid foundation of information. I'm sure we'll be happy to continue to answer any questions you have, but the videos are able to combine audio, video, and visual demonstrations more easily than forum posts.
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26 minutes ago, Cbiggy said:
Thanks for the info, and your only running these coils for your front lift? Nothing other than these and the KYB's for the front end lift?
Correct. Just the springs, on normal KYB struts. Adding any kind of spacers to the AC coils is not advisable
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11 minutes ago, Cbiggy said:
Do you know the part number for this model spring? I have a bumper and winch on the front and have been running the OME springs for the last few years and was wondering if these would be better for the load.
They're the 2" Lift springs from 4x4parts.com . $180 plus $70 shipping. They are stiffer than the OME coils and lift higher. The 380 number isn't verified by anything as far as I can remember. That being said, the AC coils would likely sag less under the weigh of a front bumper. "better for the load" is subjective, so I'll leave it at that. Having ridden in and been around both, the AC coils definitely handle stiffer and lift higher.
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2 minutes ago, Harbinger said:
Boise Idaho reporting in. Shelter in place order was only issued last week. I'd say about 3/4 of the population here are still considered "essential", just from the traffic alone.
Up to 300ish cases in my county. I'm still at work. Have an engineering internship at a manufacturer of agricultural semi trailers.
So outside of all my classes going to online only, and my gym being closed for nearly a month now, life really isn't much different.How have I never noticed you on this forum yet? Treasure Valley NPORA members are few and far between. I'm out closer to Nampa/Caldwell now, but lived most my life in Boise.
And ya, lots of essential businesses staying open, though colleges and schools all shut down. Golf course that I work at part time is open, and the grocery stores are way too full. We also got hit with an earthquake about 70-100 miles north of Boise/Meridian-6.5. Talk about doomsday haha, it was supposedly felt in 7 States from Montana to Washington.
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On 4/2/2020 at 11:30 AM, PathyDude17 said:
Not to jump the gun on the shocks and shock mount info, but one thing I already do know about the 33 185569's is that they're not suitable for pre facelift shock mounts unless you have alot of lift. I've personally had to reseat @micahfelker's 9448's (yes, NRC9448 springs with no coils cut), back after they drop out at full flex. The pre facelift shock mounts are close enough together that a 30" fully extended shock is just too long, whereas my 9449's stay seated at full flex (I have a 2003).
Consider the above statement as "pending review". I just got in touch with a few other pre-facelift owners, and was informed that his rear sway bar is removed. I think I need more data before I can fully prove or disprove the assertion that the pre-facelift will function noticeably differeantly in terms of shock lengths and keeping coils seated. The shock mounts definitely do change, but its unclear what kind of precise effect this has on shock lengths and unseating coils. Just thought I'd mention that while the thread and info is still fresh.
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PathyDude's R50 Projects (03 SE 4x4)
in 96-2004 R50 Pathfinders
Posted
With shocks, I just price shop. On my 5125’s it was between 4wheelparts and amazon. As long as it’s the right part number you’re good to go. I just search the specific part number and compare prices from there. Summit Racing is a good distributor though.
Almost everyone runs OEM spec struts. Old Man Emu does make an “aftermarket” strut that supposedly rides amazing. All in all, KYB seems to be the most popular option, and that’s what I have. They got replaced when I first did my spacer lift.
Hubs: you only want two, just for the front pair of wheels (perhaps asking about 4 was a typo?). Usually the mile markers run ~$100/pair, and and sold in pairs. Mounting hardware included. The part number is 435. I got mine off of advance auto w/ a 25% off code, pretty good deal. Amazon and your typical 4x4 distributors are all good places to buy.
Haha, the EMT..... it came on the missing link first, and then saw some roof rack ideas and went for it. There are plenty of stouter options to be had, but I’ve enjoyed the EMT rack. Not an electrician, actually studying to be a Civil Engineer.
You bet man! Just spend a little time comparing prices, and I’m sure you’ll sort it out. Googling the part numbers has always served me well. Best of luck!