Okay, I am replacing the front axles on a 4wd 95 pathfinder, and it's not going well. This isn't my car, but I'm a reasonably competent mechanic, being familiar with cars I'd say were more complicated (Saabs, VWs...)
First off, the car won't go into 4H or any of the 4wd positions , so I couldn't use THAT method to lock the axles from turning. I don't know why it won't go into any of the 4wd positions that are forward of "N", but it won't.. It still goes into 4L just fine (whatever position is one backward from N). Yes, I have the auto trans set to "N" as well.
I don't know if I have manual hubs or automatic hubs, but I figured that manual ones would be the kind that you turn to lock- These ones were held on by like 6 allen head bolts..
So, removing the cover (to get to the snap ring), and out comes a spring and some random unidentifiable bits that I have a strong feeling weren't supposed to come out in several parts. I put them all together back in a way that SEEMS logical, and voila! the hubs are now locked with the brake disk, so I'm able to have someone in the car hold the brake down, so I at least was able to get the 5 axle to tranny bolts out.
I skipped the tie rod end for the moment, since I'm without the proper fork- shaped tool to remove it, and proceed to the upper ball joint mount. So all four of the bolts snap right off, and yet the ball joint is rusted solid to the upper A arm. Having snapped off the four bolts- should this thing just seperate with no effort- I even wedged something between the frame and the upper A arm- in order to have the weight of the whole hub/rotor/brake assembly seperate things, but still stuck solid.
Just a note about my handle "rustbucket"- This car is my girlfriend's.. I'm not a pathfinder person, not even an SUV person. This car is pretty rusty, butruns and drives ok, and only needs to last us another year or so. I gotta say, the Japanese are second to only the Italians when it comes to lack of rustproofing. Just painting all the suspension parts black is not good enough protection against salt up in the northeast US. I know I'm in for more frozen bolts, bloody knuckles and sheared off bolts. I expect this sort of thing with 30 year old cars, but something that's 13- seems too young to be so rusty.
Right now I'm waiting overnight for everything to soak in penetrating oil, but not sure how I'm going to get the upper ball joint un-glued from the A-arm.. If I cant, - is there a workaround? Like maybe removing the other end of the upper A arm from the car? Either way I'm going to have to drill and re-tap the upper ball joint holes and get some new bolts in there. No, I don't feel like replacing a new upper ball joint, since it's not all that worn out. Heh- maybe the only way to seperate it from the A-arm is to drive on it for a while. (like that's safe!).
To be honest, we just need to have this thing pass inspection, which it won't with torn axle boots. If it were up to me, I'd just remove the worn front axles and leave them out, and never use the 4wd again (which since I can't get the shift lever into 4H, maybe that doesn't work) I know you guys are all Pathfinder enthusiasts, but would the car work fine in 2wd with no front axles? - or if the worn ones were left in, would they only get used (or only turn) when the car is in 4wd mode?
And are those auto hubs supposed to fall apart when you remove the cover? When I take the hub cover off the other side, I'm going to take better note at how the guts go together, and maybe that will solve things. Like I said, I don't care too much if the 4wd works or not. I doubt this thing is going to make it to next winter to even need 4wd again.
-Rusty
