Crazy Geologist

So, being a grad student myself, I understand the "unique financial needs" of a college student who seeks outdoor adventure, so I must ask this: how many years of school do you have left? If you have more than 2 years remaining, you may want to look into a different vehicle. I know that it is a pathy, and they do have long service lives, but at 185k miles, things start going wrong. An ideal pathy for a student is one with fewer miles and fewer bells and whistles (ie power windows, doors, etc) because all the extras do is cost more initially, and then break around 185k miles (or earlier). Then you are stuck spending a small fortune making it so that you can roll your drivers side window up when it snows. And that sucks when you are scraping for groceries and laundry quarters (and beer too, hehe). Two mechanical thoughts: One: My rig had the Nissan factory adjustable shocks, and they were beyond toast at 150,000 miles. If that is what is still in your prospective ride, talk them down another $200 for shock replacement. They are blown and you just don't know the difference. Two: Careful with the tranny. Even if the PO was always a gentle driver (very rare, if it is even claimed) and took care of all the prescribed maintenence, after 185,000 miles the tranny may be still short for this earth. If the tranny dies soon after purchase, you have just about doubled the cost of your vehicle. Keep that in mind. I'll be done with school, and out in N. AZ this winter, throwin' down some turns too...

what on earth does rolmao mean? :confused:

Ok here is the scoop- I have a stock height pathy, and I put the 5000's (the long ones, 5116? in anticipation of a lift soon.), on about 5000 miles and 2 wheeling trips ago. I have noticed the "whooshing" sound that 88 has written of, but I have not experienced any bottoming yet. If the Bilsteins are listed only for eye-eye, they they definitely will not work for the front...go take a peek over the top of the front tires at the upper shock mount on your rig, and it will be clear why you must have a stem-type bracket. On a final note, I am very pleased with the 5000s. The ride improvement over my blown stock adjustable shocks was worth the price of the shocks and more.

This computer sucks. I'll post the photos from another machine. -thnkboutit-

87 mudfinder has got it about right...I am 6 weeks from completing my MS and the housing here in Santa Barbara/ Isla Vista is highway robbery... long term, stringent, disagreeable leases and $1000 for a 1 bed apt is pretty typical fare. So what is one to do when you are stuck in SB with no place to call home? Go join the gaggle of surfers and climbers living in V-dub busses on the bluff, wake up next to the ocean each morning, and the enjoy th "pleasures" of a student ghetto. Bonus points cuz there is a shower at my Univ. office. That said, here are some pictures of the "home" in it's early stages, before being strapped to the floor (it bounces a little off road) and before the deck was padded (at this point there was a climbers crashpad instead)

Precise1- if you pull out the pins and remove the seat bottoms, you will gain more than 3-4 inches of clearance...it will be more like 9 inches.

Instead of removing the back seats altogether, I built a padded wooden platform at the same height as the rear speakers that extends above the rear seats to the back of the front seat, so it is . This allows for cargo room underneath (full length drawers under construction), and I (6'1") can stretch out comfortably... it puts you pretty close to the ceiling though.

I don't mean to come across as the official forum vagrant, but how many of you have lived in (or slept in) your Pathfinder?

Clarification- $1500 for installation complete rebuilt manual tranny. sorry

So I just took my rig in for a Tune-Up and the mechanic told me that one of the (many) noises that my pathy makes is due to the transmission going bad (worn throttle bearing???) Has anyone had this done recently, and how much does it typically cost? The guy gave me a rough quote of $1500 to install a rebuilt one.

Since I found myself in the "Rip on Jeeps" post I'll add my 2 cents: My buddy Ronjon has a 99 JGC. It is the model with all the bells and whistles, including computer controlled everything. Well, the computer must've caught some sort of virus, because it is pretty confused...the digital speedometer doesn't know how fast the vehicle is going, the dome lights flicker when they like, the doors lock and unlock on uneven pavement, the info screen says it is 49000 miles to the next service...but at least the seat heaters work (like we need them in So-Cal) hehe. It is like K.I.T.T.'s (knight rider) brain damaged kid brother.

So I was thinking about painting my wheels and caps black, and I figure the wheels will be no problem, but the caps seem like they would lose paint each time you go off road (due to chipping from debris) any one know if they make special paints for plastic?

I agree with pickles...come join us out in Southern California before you make that conversion...it rained something like 3 inches in Santa Barbara last winter...with weather like that you don't need to worry about it leaking. I can only imagine what would happen if you woke up one frosty morning with 18" of fresh, wet snow on top of the thing...or would that be in it??

so do you have to remove the nerf bars to install sliders? Or can you mount both? I like having the step, it helps putting bikes on the roof rack, etc.

That is rad matterhorn...the simple fact that you can jack the vehicle from them adds an enormous range of recovery possiblibites. Is there an easy way to modify the factory bars so that they can handle that kind of load?

Those ARB winch bumpers are cool...but expensive. Grad school is expensive too. It'll just have to wait. and wait. and wait.

Hey you dropped in on my wave! So 88: is that a car or a kayak ??? Hehehe...

I think I have had the same issue for a few months now, but the squeal is so transient that I have yet to try to fix it (my hunch is that it is the hubs: definitely not rmp or brake dependent). Lemme know when you isolate the trouble spot.

Strider- Did you get/install your Calmini UCAs/ shocks/lift springs? How did it all work out?

Sorry for my ambiguity: I was looking at the entire susp. kit, which in the case of the OME, is just new rear springs and 4 shocks (you are supposed to crank the T-bars to get the front up). Calmini's 3"lift kit comes with their own brand shocks, and I have never seen them mentioned in this forum, or reviewed elsewhere. Still looking for any feedback on these products...

Any one had experience with the Old Man Emu Shocks? How about the Calminis? In the next month or so I am going to purchase a Susp. Lift, and it is pretty much down to those. I've heard that you get less problems with the OME, and it costs a few hundred less, but you only get 1.5" of lift...does anyone have experience with either of these kits?

Statikuz- your dent is almost exactly what I got, except on the drivers side... So How exactly do sliders differ from Nerf Bars? are they mounted differently? Or are they just more stiff? They seem like they would be a pretty good investment either way...

My '91 came with the factory nerfbars, and the first time I slid on a rock with them, they were not damaged (except some paint scratches) but they flexed enough for the front end of the bar to dent the body panel under the driver's door. The funny thing is that they were not permanently displaced...the nerf bar is not tweaked at all, just the small body dent. wierd.

Is this likey to be the problem if only one window doesn't work? My front passenger window is stuck down, but the other three operate ok.