PathyGig12

Thanks man, I appreciate you taking the time to toss some possibilities out there. Originally I was going to just drop it off at the shop and see what they thought but I realized I would just end up paying for an hour of diagnosis to hear them suggest something I’ve already tried or shrug and vaguely indicate some mounts that MAY need to be replaced. NPORA saves me a lot of repair money, that’s for sure! But then again it also drains my wallet seeing all of the sweet build ideas lol

The diff bushings are still in play with the hubs disengaged because the front shaft still spins due to drag in the clutch plates, so yeah the bushings can still be responsible for the highway vibration. The control arm bushing that had a bit of play is definitely something I’d like to get sorted but it had a LOT less play than the diff bushings so I’ll start there first. The other thing to mention is that my control arms are new as of about a year ago so I doubt they went bad already I also changed my front wheel bearings several months ago when I was trying to figure out the vibration issue, so I know those are brand new and solid Oh yeah and to answer your other question, no I don’t have any shimmy in the steering wheel while driving, either straight or turning

I could be wrong but doesn’t the rear diff not have any bushings? It’s just attached to the axle

Just checked the front diff mounts and the bushings all have significant play. I’m not sure if this is the cause of my clunk but I’m thinking at the very least it’s the cause of my highway vibration. Just sucks that each mount is 100 bucks I also checked for movement in the strut top nut while bouncing the front end and verified the torque is correct. All good there. The steering rack bushings are solid as far as I can tell. No movement when I crank the wheel back and forth. But I did notice a slight play in one of the control arm bushings nearest to the crossmember that the rack is mounted on. I doubt this is causing the clunk though because I couldn’t get any sound out of it while moving it around My first step will be swapping out the diff mounts and then if that doesn’t work I’ll replace the tie rod that has the busted boot. And then lastly I’ll look into removing the struts to check for correct spring seating and make sure the mounts and bearings are not compromised

Some great ideas guys, thanks a ton The diff bushings are something I’d definitely like to take a look at, never checked those before. And poor axle fitment is actually possible as well. I’m using the original snap rings but I recall there being a bit of in and out wiggle room for the CVs inside the hubs so maybe Ill see what I can find today and report back

Wow awesome info, thanks Ill have my girlfriend rock the wheel tomorrow and I’ll take a peek at the rack. Those mounts have never been done as far as I know. Do you know how hard they are to swap?

Thanks for the response. My passenger side TRE has had a busted boot now for months because the shop that did the alignment twisted the boot as well....idiots... Anyway, I keep thinking that could be the cause because it’s super gritty in the ball joint right now, but the thing I can’t figure out is why it would be such a loud clunk. And you’re right, it should creak whenever I turn , not just during weight shifts. Stationary I can crank the wheels left and right with no sounds at all So yeah I think you’re right to suggest strut components. I’m just really not happy to hear that because I hate removing struts and messing with compressors. I’ve been trying to rule everything else out first The steering rack mounts could be possible, my steering is quite vague in the middle and I’ve noticed a questionable centering sometimes but chalked it up to uneven roads. How would I check the mounts? One more thing, locking the hubs doesn’t seem to make a huge difference but I think there IS a slight one. The problem is I can’t tell for sure because the only time I checked was during a snow storm and the locked hubs meant that I was doing everything a lot more slowly so the change was most likely due to the lack of large weight shifts. If I had the time I would remove the front shaft to rule out the CVs (it would also help me source that weird highway vibration I still haven’t found), but I can’t seem to get the bolts loose and I didn’t feel like working at it for hours

Your rig is still one of the dopest R50s on NPORA

I figure this deserves its own thread to reach the most people. I posted a while back in the build thread that I’ve been getting a front end clunk but it’s gotten worse lately and I’m pulling my hair out trying to locate it. It happens when the wheels are turned (even slightly) and there’s a weight shift at the same time. Originally I would only get it while reversing close to full lock, but now it happens even while cornering at speed if there’s any braking or acceleration, especially on uneven roads. I’ve looked around the front of the truck while someone else backed up and tried to induce the clunk but never found a definitive source. Most of the times it wouldn’t happen or it was too soft to pinpoint. Today I removed the entire sway bar and end links to rule out anything in that area, but nothing changed. Im leaning towards either steering components or strut components but not sure where to start. Is it possible that the spring top hats are not catching the coils like they should be, allowing slippage while turning? Or maybe it’s the strut bearings? I used OEM and I know they were installed properly because they worked for well over a year before this problem came up. The only other thing I changed before the the problem happened was the manual hubs. I was running warns then switched to the mile markers. Seems unlikely to cause clunking though

That’s most likely a stuck solenoid on the starter. For a temporary fix you could try tapping it. I was getting that same click-no start issue intermittently before swapping my starter but now it’s gone

Did it with wheels on the ground, but it probably would have been easier with the truck jacked up For me the bolts were easy to reach, just used a four inch long extension for the one facing the front of the truck, and a deep socket for the one facing the rear. The ratchet I used had a pivoting head though. The nuts on the terminals for the solenoid were a bit trickier but I was able to get a wrench on them by reaching around the front and use tiny turns to get them off. The main trouble was getting the copper terminals around all the brackets and mounts and all that, but it’s doable with enough patience. I hated doing the alternator and PS pump WAY more honestly

As for the oil burning/leaking, my VQ is at 286K and it’s been consistently losing between a 1/2 quart and a quart per month. I drive a LOT though. Not a huge deal in my opinion, it lets me keep a nice continual oil change going haha.

The starter is a bit of a tough swap but not nearly as bad as it looks. I’m very glad I didn’t end up taking it to a shop. No other parts needed removal, just had to work it out with a series of twists and turns then pull it toward the rear of the truck and down through the space next to the control arm. Im tempted to do a quick write up and include some pics in a new thread because this is one repair that very few seem to have attempted and most are confused on what it takes. Then again, it’s pretty hard to explain the motions involved without an actual video of it being done, and I sure as hell am not taking it off again lol

Yeah I’d say the only real downside to the 3.5 is how tight the engine bay is. My dad has a WD with the 3.0 and it’s hilariously spacious in there compared to my 3.5. Even toyota 3.4s from the same generation are far more compact and simplistic, making a 3rd gen runner much easier to wrench on than the VQ. That said, the VQ has gobs of power and I think that makes up for any downsides. I’m easily turning 32” tires with factory gearing and hundreds of pounds of cargo.

Haha fair enough. Most of my driving on snow is done in AUTO but I’ll throw it in 2WD for kicks every now and then

The rear end swing is my favorite feature lmao. Gotta love snow days and empty streets

Yup, recovery straps and shackles are a good start but I’d also look into getting a HiLift jack so that you can recover when solo. Some people say they’re useless for our trucks because we have no frame or sturdy stock bumpers to lift from, but the real reason I got one is for the manual winching capability. I do most of my wheeling solo on the way to campsites or hiking spots so it’s something I know I’ll appreciate having at some point. Between that and a nice set of traction boards, you would have to try REAL hard to get stuck. A little bit of brainpower can usually keep you out of these extra special situations.

“Serious” and “hobby” are somewhat contradictory terms as far as I’m concerned. People take off-roading to be an overly serious endeavor when really we all just do it because of the enjoyment we can get out of it. Some people enjoy more intense technical challenges so they prefer to build something that will climb rock ledges all day, and others just want to be able to go down rough fire roads to get to the nice camp sites they couldn’t reach in their sedans. “Seriousness” has never come into my mind when thinking about adding something to let me have more fun on dirt. The only serious part is making sure things work as planned so you don’t get yourself stuck or hurt needlessly Have you ever been to a theme park and thought “I’m so damn serious about having fun on these roller coasters and games!” ? Kinda defeats the point Consider that there are people who lift their Subaru’s. Do I laugh a little because it looks a tad bit ridiculous? Sure, but honestly I respect them more than the dumbasses with the lifted JKs and no desire to leave the mall parking lot. I have never felt “limited” by the R50, even in its stock form. If you look through this place long enough you’ll find amazing pictures of these trucks doing things you’d never believe. Add on a few upgrades and a modest lift and they can be taken almost anywhere in the right hands. I don’t believe that anyone can call someone “less serious” about a hobby just because their idea of what constitutes fun is less extreme. A rock crawling enthusiast is no more “serious” about off roading than someone who enjoys hill climbs, playing in the mud, or running high mountain passes for the views.

I find the phrase “serious off-roading” to not only be comical, but also nonsensical Think about it for a second. What percent of these “serious” off-roaders are going off road because they have an absolute need to do so? I suppose someone who does not own a home and lives in the wilds of Alaska or the outback might be considered a “serious” off-roader, but beyond that? The off-roading scene is a hobby for 95% of those involved, regardless of how “seriously” they take themselves. Sure, we all build our rigs for the off chance that one day we’re in genuine need and have to keep rolling no matter what. But most of the time what we’re really doing is adding stuff to help us get out of situations we put ourselves in purposefully for the fun of it. As for the Pro4x thing, I think it’s cool and all but I’d rather have my pathy. When I see another lifted 5th gen runner or xterra or wrangler, I never pay more than a seconds worth of attention because guess how many there are that look not just similar, but absolutely identical? Meanwhile I’ve seen MAYBE a couple of well taken care of pathfinders that are built tastefully for off-roading. The people doing stuff like us are having much more fun than the bro with his leased 5th gen who just slapped on a standard 4” lift, rear ladder, roof tent and blacked out the badges so he could feel cool when he takes his girlfriend and medium sized dog to the local trailhead on the weekend. Oh yeah and don’t forget the overlanding hashtags he can then add to his Instagram posts

Agreed. As much as the starter is a pain to negotiate, I’d rather do it three times than do the alternator once I think if I had to recommend one tool to anyone considering changing theirs, it would be a long locking vascular clamp with a bent nose to get the bracket to the back of the alternator. If I had those it would have been much easier. But honestly the rest of the job sucks as well because you have to take off the fan, shroud, belts, idler pulley, and PS pump(just to get to the wiring even if you aren’t changing it also). Anyway, on to the next phase. I’m hoping to order a set of hitachi injectors soon and get started on the rest of the engine work I’ve been planning since the summer. I already have the plugs, knock sensor, valve cover gaskets, pcv valve, spark plug tube seals, and upstream O2 sensors sitting in my garage. Ive just been waiting to get the injectors before taking the intake apart. Debating also doing the thermostats but that’s another ugly job so might hold off. A few weeks back I changed the IAC valve so that’s one less thing to do. Idles great after the relearn procedure, and you could see on the old one that the corrosion was all around the motor so I’m glad I swapped it out when I did. Who knows how much longer I had before it went

Update time: This past week I’ve been going ham. I decided to tackle all the awful jobs all at once because I was getting a low whine from the power steering pump so I went and replaced it with a brand new hitachi unit and swapped the alternator as well while I was in there. Then yesterday I changed the starter because every winter I get a few days where the solenoid sticks and won’t engage for a few tries, so I figured it was prudent to get it changed out ASAP to make sure I didnt get stuck anywhere when it finally stuck permanently. It’s hard to say which job I hated more, but I’ll say this. I want to beat the crap out of whoever designed the alternator mounting system. Theres a small “L” shaped bracket with a nut welded onto the back but the bracket isn’t physically attached to anything, it just rests against the back of the alternator, so to bolt up the new alternator you have to wedge your hand through a mess of wiring harnesses and coolant hoses and around motor mounts and brackets, and finally use the tips of two fingers to hold the nut up to the back of the alternator while your other hand reaches around blind to turn the bolt. Needless to say I was bleeding by the time I managed to get it on and I’m shocked that I didn’t tear anything. As if that wasn’t bad enough, remounting the power steering pump is an exercise in extreme patience because you have to pry the damn thing back into position since the mounts are so tight, and every time you have it almost lined up to bolt through, either the front or the back won’t be perfect and you’ll have to try again but end up overcorrecting and need to go back. And of course it’s all done blind unless you drop your phone in there and take a picture to see, which is what I ended up doing. All in all I ended up logging 14 hours in the garage Fast forward to yesterday and it was time for the starter swap. This job was the one I was dreading the most because of the all the horror stories about how difficult it was, but I have to say it wasn’t nearly as bad as I built it up to be. The only challenging part was reinstalling the new unit because you have to clear the solenoid terminals past a bracket that gives you very little room to move. I didn’t have to remove anything from the truck though, the front diff stayed in place and so did everything else. I even managed to get it past my missing link bar. The key to reinserting the end of the starter into the bell housing (the hardest part) is to have the thin metal gasket in the right orientation so that you can still rotate the starter because if it’s misaligned the part that’s 90 degrees to the rest of it will be hitting on brackets and blocking things Im hoping to never have to do these jobs again, everything about them is just pure suck

When you have a minute, I’d love to hear more about this. Are you suggesting that motion in the Tcase is translating to the front shaft through a fluid friction interaction which keeps the front spinning even when the clutch plates are disengaged? Id just really love to see the inner workings of the Tcase and what happens under different conditions to demystify this whole thing I can say that the last couple times I’ve been off-road I’ve had the hubs locked and the truck in 4Hi and noticed every once in a while I’d get a steady 4WD light on the dash If I was doing a tight turn or reversing awkwardly. It also happened once in 4low. As soon as I restarted the truck, the light was gone. Whether this is a damage related issue or maybe an oil temp issue, I have no idea. But I’ll say this......it never happened before I put the manual hubs on so I can’t rule out the possibility that some kind of damage is being done to the clutch plates

The problem with the electronic system is we don’t even understand how it works exactly. All evidence so far points to the fact that the front drive shaft continues to spin regardless of whether the hubs are locked or not, so I’m not entirely surprised that accidentally activating 4Hi didn’t harm anything. With the shaft still spinning it means the CVs must still be spinning inside the hubs, and that means giving them power would still not “break” anything. Eventually it would probably throw up a light because of the wheel speed sensors though The reason the front shaft still spins is not entirely understood, but I’ve been told it’s because of the clutch plates being partially engaged. So either it’s an issue with the TCase being confused, or maybe just normal operation that the clutch plates never disengage fully. Either way, it makes manual hubs much trickier because there’s no telling what’s really being done to the internals. I’ve had my Warn hubs for the last 15K miles and no real issues except a weird vibration that may or may not be related but sometimes goes away at high speeds and stays gone for the rest of a drive, which seems suspiciously like a TCase thing

Most people would recommend the electronic setup for the AUTO mode that gives you all wheel drive with an open center diff. It’s fantastic for bad weather so that you can still turn without plowing through corners. But the flip side is the truck can get very confused if it’s in any other setup than stock because there’s so many sensors involved in running the TCase. Personally I don’t find that the electronic system is worth it. I’d swap in a manual in a heart beat if it were easy. I don’t trust a system I don’t fully understand and which has so many potential failure points. Same with the transmission, I’d prefer a manual Edit to add: My current plan is to add a rear air locker so that even if my 4WD system stops working on a trail, I’ll be able to use the locker to make the rear more effective and allow me to make it home

Holy crap I think that’s it. Takes me back man! Looks a lot less scary now though, I’m sure you can do it easily