Xander386

I understand what you're saying but realistically those purchases had no affect on this now. Some events happened in mine and my families lives that i would rather not have to explain on a car forum. But, thanks for your courtesy... And I understand that its probably cooked. Which is why I was listing my options for replacement transmissions. And yes, I did in fact check my fluid level properly. I did a full fluid flush and filter replacement. And put back in the proper amount of fluid. And as I explained, it did no good for reverse after a while. For about 5 days it drove perfectly, then the reverse issue came back out of the blue.

So for context, about a month and a half ago I started towing trailers with small-medium loads on my 270k mile RWD 2002 QX4. And ever since I started towing more things have gone down hill. It started with it not shifting out at highway speeds. So I did a transmission fluid flush and it fixed that issue (the fluid was healthy and there were no metal shavings or "glitter" in the fluid). Then a few days later I hop in my car to go somewhere. Thinking my transmission was fine, as it was the day before (shifting perfect feeling healthy, driving smoothly). And it wouldn't engage reverse. It took some time, but I did get it to engage the gear, but I had to actually let the engine warm up for about 5 minutes with some light revving before it would do anything but act like neutral. Which after some research led me to believe it could be whats called a Line Pressure Solenoid (LPS). But after calling some transmission shops ive also gotten the opinion that it could be a "Reverse clutch drum" or something similarly named. I have a few options that I'm considering. But, because these things never happen at a great time. I'm tight on money and really cant afford a whole new transmission and installation costs. Not to mention how I need this car being able to tow, in order to continue making money. I really just want some opinions out of this. And if you or someone you know has had to deal with this issue I'd love some insight. Solution 1 - pull a part transmission. On their site it says transmissions from pull a part locations average an $85 price tag. Very very manageable. Seeming like my best option at the moment assuming i can win a coin toss and get a working healthy one. Solution 2 - I go on rockauto and purchase a shift solenoid. There are two listed, so it has me confused on which . As they are both listed as shift solenoids on rockauto. (Solenoid one, and solenoid two). They are $150 each. And finally buy a pressure control solenoid ($200) (which i guess would be the LPS i saw someone refer to in another "i lost reverse on my pathfinder" thread. As well as a 'shift improvement/reprogramming kit' ($350 from the right distributor) which would increase tow capacity and such. The only problem with this is that I would have to do this myself, or pay lots in labor at a shop. Avoiding shops this would cost around $700 all in including some tools i lack. Not to mention how ive never dug inside a transmission before. Solution 3 - (this is if all else fails) eat the damage and buy a new/re manufactured transmission from a local distributor or shop and have it installed. This would end up around $2,000-$4,000 if my estimates are right. Again, this is my last resort. And solution 4 - This is combining options one and two. Junk yard transmission WITH the shift improvement kit. $85 (transmission) + the $350 (kit). $435 inparts. And then possibly labor fees if i decide to not risk messing up my transmission with my own shoddy work. IDEALLY i could get option 4 for relatively cheap because that improvement kit would be a life saver for towing. The last place I want to be in is this situation again in the future. But yeah every gear is fine. They all shift and engage amazingly.... except reverse. It just acts like neutral until the engine is warm. Then it will engage pretty reliably but no sooner. This only started in the last 2 or so weeks for the most part. Any and all insight is appreciated! Thanks in advance.

I opted for the Bilstein 5165 25-187748 extended travel shocks and LR 9448/9449 coils. Works GREAT for my rear setup. The bilsteins have 13 inches of total travel. And even with your SFD its still going to provide more travel to max from ride height, than stock shocks ever would have. Don't think the shop i had install them had to fit new bushings however i did order them and provided them to the shop in case they did need them. It has been a while though. Its a really good fit and the ride quality is amazing. I did weeks of research and these were the best Bilstein shocks and possibly the best shocks in general that will fit on the pathfinder without tons of extra modifications.

edit: replied in wrong topic. switched tabs without looking. sorry

I'm confused, if they are no longer available then why are they available to buy on multiple sites? 4wheelparts.com, ruggedrocksoffroad.com, as well as desertrat.com.

I had a pair of Gabriel struts snap in half as i was driving (unlucky right?), so rather than do a factory substitute/replacement again, I'm opting to do like I did for my rear shocks+coils, and upgrade them to whatever the best thing that fits the car is so i don't have to worry about it again (I opted for the Bilstein 5165 25-187748 extended travel shocks and LR 9448/9449 coils). After reading up a bunch on this forum I've found that the Old Man Emu/ARB N145S and N146S struts should work. I'm just confused on how it mounts, does it use the original strut assembly or replace it? If I bought just the struts, and coils, could I take it to a shop and have it installed without buying anything else? And as far as the coils I think I've found what will work but I'm not totally sure (link here). I have a 2 inch spacer lift currently installed on the front that i got from SFCreation.com, and I'd like to keep that lift as I have a 4 inch lift in the rear from the LR coils and I don't want to be drooping too far down in the front. I'm unsure if the spacer lift can be used with the ARB/OME struts and coils though. Does anyone have any knowledge on any of this? Or photos on how the N145S/N146S struts mount onto the car? Any and all help is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

So i bought the Bilstein 5165 25-187748's and had them installed. And they are such an upgrade over my previous shocks. I also just installed a 2.5" lift on the front via spacers from SFCreation. So i currently have a 4" lift in the rear and a 2.5" lift in the front. A slight rake but when I'm pulling my trailer it levels it out. I have a larger roof rack on the way (64Lx39Wx6H). And i actually found a swing out tire carrier in a junk yard on a 1996 pathfinder so that will be installed soon as well. EDIT: There is no tire rub with the way that i installed the reservoirs. At least that i know of, or have experienced so far.

Probably how the user @Jax99did on his - directly to the main shaft of the shock. The below images are not mine but Jax99's, from this post.

After reading experiences from other users I'm pretty sure tire rubbing only exists when the wheel is fully tucked on a given side, which can easily be prevented by using bump stops. And currently I'm fully willing and committed to using the 5165's over the 5100's. I've read enough user testimony to feel confident in that decision. I know it costs over 2x and I'm willing to pocket that. However I'm just confused on which parts will work and why some won't. That's all I was asking in my original post.

I've been researching what shocks to get for my 4" lifted QX4 and I've settled on the 5165 but I'm not sure what bushings i need to fit into it. I read in some posts that it is a necessary step. And its understandable of course since the bushings are unsupported sizes for the r50. Is there a part number anyone could provide me for 5/8 bushings that fit the 5165 25-261400's? I saw that Jax99 ran that model. Also are there any inconveniences or tradeoffs anyone experiences from running the 5165s with the external reservoir? Things like whether or not the tube rubs the tire. My front end is spacer lifted 2.5" and my rear has LR 9448/9449 coils providing 4" of lift. I had looked at the 5165 25-187748 because it has a 17.93" compressed length which is very close to some 5125's (33-185569) I've seen some people running that have a 17.91" compressed length (with 11.8" travel). However the 25-187748 5165 has 17.93" compressed length AND 13.1" of travel. Which is quite an upgrade. Not to mention both of these shocks use 5/8 bushings for both top and bottom. Is there something I'm missing on why people aren't using the 25-187748 5165's? I saw one or two posts about people using the 25-261400's. Those come stock with 12mm eyes. To me at least it doesn't quite add up on why people would buy shocks that have incorrectly sized bushings that they have to switch, over just getting a model that has 5/8 eyes to start that, (to my knowledge) work on the r50 out of the box. But there may be something I'm not aware of. The way I see it, the 33-185569's seem objectively better due to the higher travel. And the fact that it has the same mounting length as other shocks I've seen r50 owners run means i know that the length is supported. And the 5/8 fitting seems perfect as I wouldn't have to switch the eye out. This is the parts+size chart I used - https://www.shockwarehouse.com/pages/bilstein-b8-series-measurements Sorry if this is a big information dump and a lot to ask but any info helps. I appreciate anything. Thanks in advance