Aonghus

Loving all this info! I see what you mean with the tstat on the cool side. So that must change the "when it's fully open" part of the thought process?

Just so I make sure I didn't lead you astray: The rear rubber oil pan seal attaches to the aluminum RMS housing which can be removed from the block with 4 (I believe) bolts. If your oil pan gasket is leaking elsewhere of course you would want to remove the pan and replace the gasket but there's no need if it's just the curved rubber bit beneath the RMS housing.

Update: We replaced the old fluid in the 92 Pathfinder MT and put HyGard in a couple weeks ago. Drained and refilled using the full hole on a flat surface first. Then drove it up on ramps on the passenger side to tilt it far enough to get a the full 5.1L (5.4qt) in. And that worked! For future reference we needed about 10 inches of lift on the passenger side and it was just right. Similar to my little car, so far I'm impressed with HyGard. Much smoother on cold mornings (a few days in the mid 20s F) and most of the notchy feeling going into 2nd is gone. I've also noticed we can downshift into 1st while still rolling slowly, had to make a complete stop before. Again, it seems really smooth and *feels like it accelerates a little smoother or more freely. Overall a more pleasant driving/shifting experience. With the old fluid (whatever it was), on cool mornings before moving, the idle would increase a fair amount when the clutch pedal was pushed in. That seemed to indicate a fair amount of resistance in the transmission when the clutch was engaged. Now I'm the same conditions the idle barely changes at all, almost imperceptibly. So far so good. We'll see how it does as the weather warms up. Being this fluid is used in massive tractors under heavy loads in the heat of summer I tend to think we'll be ok but it's also an unconventional use. The Toyota is easier to service so I plan to drain the HyGard and take a close look this summer and I'll give another update here.

That's correct. It's a rubber seal that should come with the RMS kit, along with some RTV to seal the edges. We recently went through all this with my son's '92. It was a bugger job than I anticipated and yeah some if those bolts are a royal pain! Easiest thing we found for the top bolts on the bell housing was stacking multiple extensions and reaching them from a couple feet back. A couple of the bolts were easiest to get to through the wheel wells. Side note, and I wish we'd done this, it'll probably be easier to replace the trans oil while it's out so you can more easily tip it to the side to get the proper amount in. Unless you're has the fill plug at the correct height, the 92 does not. Looking forward to an update!

Thanks guys. So if you look at the offerings on the PDF at this link https://gabriel.com/sites/default/files/tempfile_pdf/Gabriel_Load_Carrier_Shocks_Flyer.pdf There are a few options that are very close to the collapsed/extended specs for stock Pathfinder shocks. I would think possible travel could be close to stock. I'm wondering, mostly about the front since the torsion bars are adjustable, if these would have a progressive effect. If they provide a little lift on their own, a guy could back off the torsion bars a little bit to maintain either stock or leveled ride height. And I would think "normal" driving would feel similar but would stiffen up as the torsion bars were more engaged on a larger bump. As for the rear, it seems like the main opportunity might be if a guy was carrying extra weight in tools for instance... Also I'm not knowledgeable enough to know about the different codes for the top and bottom mounts. ?? Well, I'm not sure if/when we'd give these a try but I'm intrigued by the idea anyway. I stumbled across some old model Pro-Comp shocks for the front for extremely cheap for the front of my son's rig so we're gonna try those out for now. This is probably a back-burner issue unless he gets a bug in his bonnet this summer when he's making good money. I'll let you know if we try them out!

To follow through... I put John Deere HyGard (standard, not Low-Vis) in my 2000 Toyota Echo this week and have done a little driving around town so far. Initial impressions: it shifts really nice, the stick moves more freely in neutral, it *seems like the car accelerates a little more "freely." It's been quite warm this week but we're getting another cold snap so I'll get a chance to see how it feels on an actual cold morning. The oil I drained out of the transmission looked decent, it wasn't utterly filthy or runny or milky. I have no idea what fluid it was or when it was last changed to be honest. It was obviously much thicker than the HyGard but I didn't know if it was spec fluid or regular 90 weight or what. It was also low, drained out 56ozs and poured in 72ozs before it dribbled out the hole. I've owned this little car for about 5 years and put over 40K miles on it so I'm pretty familiar with how it feels while driving in various conditions It's all seat-of-the-pants at this point but I'll say I'm pleased with how it feels. My son is gonna try it his Pathfinder and I'll report back again. His is grindy going into 2nd when it's cold so that'll be a good test.

Ok, this may be outside the box, it may be an old idea that's already been ruled out, or it may just be a dumb idea. But I'm intrigued so I gotta ask. What do you think about these shock+spring combos from Gabriel? I've never used them so I'm just an internet jockey going by reviews and creativity at this point. Here's my thoughts: We have an old vehicle. That likely means sagging or weakened springs. It also means diminishing options for replacement or lift components. Most of the reviews for these Gabriel Load Carrier shocks indicate 1.5-2 inches of lift, or at least restored ride height, among with improved handling and stability, etc. Maybe this is an option, relatively cheap if a guy already needs shocks, to gain some lift and support and take some strain off old components. I'm wondering if the torsion don't need to be cranked as far to level a rig, or if these would raise the rear end just a bit, which may be back to stock height. I'm concerned about a harsher ride but I don't know. Any thoughts or experience? https://gabriel.com/LoadCarrier

After a good wash. The paint is pretty bad, I think it's been rattle can touched up a few times. But the body is remarkably straight, one dent in the rear bumper and a simple in the front if the hood. Removed the bent up roof rack and took this picture so we could noodle on a design for a custom roof rack. It's sloped down in the front pretty good, we've since adjusted the rotation bars to sit close to level. Well... An unknown server error limits my upload to 51kb so I'll try to get this and the next pic uploaded another time...

Figured I'd post a couple pics and try to chart what's happening with the Pathfinder. Here's the day we brought it home late last summer. The drivers door was the only functional door at the time. Lots of little things to do and a few big things!

Sorry to hear about your ride, dang. I appreciate the input, I'll look them up.

I was hoping to find some shock recommendations in here. So I guess I'm bumping this thread.

Any updates Frenchy? Looking into shock upgrades in particular for my son's 92 XE. Curious what you've discovered in a quest for a better ride.

Sweet! Thanks! I'll crawl around under there and see if I can find those parts. I don't remember seeing this things when we were putting a new clutch in but I wasn't looking for then either.

Is the clutch damper the little doodad on the firewall with it's own bleeder? I don't *think this rig has ABS, it's an all manual XE with very little in the way of bells or whistles...

Thanks guys, that's super helpful. The window mouldings is something we need for sure. I'll test the injectors before pulling and see I'm able to get the whole injector harness some way or another. I'll double check what year those Pathfinders are for some of that other stuff. Good call on the relays too, there's a bunch of those out there. And I'll ask about taillight assemblies, front corner assemblies too while I'm at it. The vacuum hoses were in great shape when I was out there last so we have a stash of those now, also grabbed the rubber bumpers for the hood and back hatch, didn't charge for any of that. I think I'll get one of the rubber intake boots if it's in good shape. The yard here seems to be pretty reasonable overall. Some things seem more expensive than I think they should be but that's true for about everything these days.