dkpath96

Hey max, what were the backspacings on the 15x8 tires? I'm assuming the 15x7's were stock wheels...

XPLORx4, I see your pics, and really like the rig! Did you have 31's on when you took the pics? I have no fender flares like you and I do worry about having the tires stick out past the wheel wells, for fear of throwing stones onto the paint, legal issues, etc. and I was curious how far yours extend with 31's and 15" rims w/ 4" b.s. ...

I also feel a less 'restricted' ride from the front axle - much better coasting; it's great to be able to coast for a few tenths of a mile down hills with a standard! I put in the 'custom' air intake that some others have done here (removed the big air box under the splash guard in the wheel well) at the same time I did the hubs. I gained about 2 mpg from these mods, no doubt. It was well worth it. The only down side is maintenance, but all that requires is a tear-down, clean-out, and re-grease every so often, which reminds me, mine are due... And the fact that you have to get out and lock them in and out but that's no biggie.

Thanks for the warning, 98silverpathy. I am considering having the tow hitch sandblasted to get all the rust off, but still don't know what to do next. Could powdercoat it, but not sure that's worth it, either.

What kind of backspacing does the stock 15x6.5 rim have? 4.5"?

And the new one...

www.partstrain.com, $42.95 for the black primed front bumper, 96-99 I think. I got the end caps there too. And they sell chrome ones. Yeah, actually, it is easy to touch up. Right after I painted the end caps my cat knocked one on the floor and put a mark on it. I just took a q-tip and some more spray paint and it touched up rather nicely. I've attached a picture of the old bumper...

Has anyone tried the rhino liner that comes in a spray can? My friend told me about it but I haven't seen nor heard anything about it. I want to sandblast my rusty tow hitch and spray that stuff on it... My front bumper was black and it rusted bad. I ended up buying a replacement for cheap and painted it. It looks nice now - well worth the drying times. But I do worry about stone chips - it was just auto touch-up spray paint.

Camber kits aren't necessary with the OME coils. Lots of guys run the KYB's and the RX9000X's. I found strut mounts at a number of online parts dealers including tire rack - just shop around and be sure to get the right part #'s.

Haven't lost one yet... they are definitely compressed to the bumper/hood. I use those nifty ratchet ropes - the rope is pretty soft but I don't take any chances.

I just put on a new bumper and know how you feel about preserving its looks... I used 5" sections of foam pipe insulation over the bumper and 4" sections of one of those pool noodles to protect the hood. I also put 1' sections of the noodles on the canoe edges to protect the roof. You can see these in the picture I attached. Works like a charm, the ropes can be thread right through the holes or just cut it open lengthwise to get the rope in. My concern is the weight on my roof rack... it's aftermarket and says it can hold 75 lbs max per bar = 150 lbs total. The canoe weighs 80 lbs but the forces imparted on it by tying it down surely surpass the weight limit... but knock on wood, no problems so far...

Acetone? That's a pretty strong solvent... hopefully 3 oz. is not enough to do any internal damage in the long run. You've got me curious about trying it now. Been thinking about alternative combustible fuels or additives for those of us who can't run anything more than E85 ethanol, and organic solvents always came to mind. Problem is, they are more expensive than gas anyways so it isn't worth it unless it's an additive. I read somewhere here that nissan doesn't recommend using fuel injector cleaners or any other additives due to the fact that they might degrade internal parts, but I can't imagine this to be true. Of course, I've never had any gas mileage/performance improvements after using that kind of stuff anyways...

Is this the sequence you were referring to? I found it on the Nissan-Infiniti forum. My airbag light just started flashing yesterday so that's why I am trying to research a quick, inexpensive fix. quote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Before we start, look at the ignition cylinder (where you put in the key), there are numbers and names for all the positions. Like (3) says ON, and as you see, there isn't a number between the LOC and ACC position. Lets call this the (1) postion. Ok, open the door and you'll see a little black switch on the inside part of the car, it's where the door connects when you close it. Everytime you close the door, it pushes this switch down and when you open the door, the switch causes the inside door lights to illuminate. When the switch is pushed down, the door lights cease to illuminate. Found it? Ok, here we go: -While the car is off, open the door, and turn the key to the (3) position and press the door side switch at LEAST 5 times within 7 seconds (persnally, I just kept pushing the switch as many times as I could during 7 seconds) -After doing that, wait one second -Now move the key to the (1) position (between LOCK & Accesory) -Close the door, move the key back to the LOCK position and then start the engine If you timed it correctly, then the light should remain off If it's still on, might want to try it again. If it still doesn't work, then it's definately a problem with the airbag module. What I did was gently touch the wires under the passanger seat. One of the wires was for the airbag sensor. I guess when the wire was touched out of place, it triggered the light, so I just fiddled with it, then I tried the reset trick and it worked for me. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here's the web site I found this at, it has lots of good info! http://www.nissan-infiniti-forum.com/cgi-b...opic/48/56.html UPDATE: I just performed the steps above successfully. The airbag light is no longer blinking! Here's the key - the five presses have to be done right when you turn the key to "3" or "on". If you wait until the airbag light begins to blink, you will not successfully enter the diagnostic and it won't reset properly. Just keep trying, it took me 4 or 5 attempts.

The pre-'04 Pathfinders are definitely stable SUVs. Too bad Nissan turned them into mall rovers in '05. And now the XTerra gets the worst rollover rating of all this year... What will we do when (if) our beloved pathys finally bite the bullet? What vehicle out there today will ever be comparable to the stock R50 or WD21 Pathfinder??

Driving through what one thinks is an open field and finding a very deep ditch hidden by high grass is also not the best feeling in the world... Didn't roll it on its side, thankfully, but did have to climb up and out the drivers side doors, which was cool! Came out of it without a scratch, which was a relief. I don't ever want to come that close again, either.

Congrats on (hopefully) finding your pathy, olimess! My '96 pathy has one rust bubble on the black window trim, on the driver's side rear door. It has a second rust bubble, one that is visibly growing, under the paint where the license plate attaches. The latter is a serious concern for me; the one on the window has always been there and has never grown. What $$ should I expect for a rust spot repair on the hatch, about 2" x 1" in area, in terms of repair costs? Anyone experienced in this, since Pathys tend not to rust?

http://www.accessconnect.com/warnprehubs.htm $124.90 and free shipping. Part #29091 But you have an '03 pathy, right, which is not listed at the above site. I don't know if this would be the right part # for your '03, though, since they only list it for '90-'99 pathys.

I got my struts here: http://www.partsamerica.com, they are $50.98 each. Right now they offer free shipping on orders over $50, so it's unbeatable. My mechanic charges $35/hour at the local garage. Avoid dealerships. He replaced the struts/mounts and installed 4 OME coil springs; took him 4 hours for a total of $140 labor. Shop around, it is so worth the extra time (and $) to do the research. Good luck!

The mounts themselves are not expensive. I made the mistake of letting my garage order the strut mounts, so they charged me $78 apiece. I got KYB GR2 struts for $60 each online. The garage also replaced the spring cushions and put rubber boots on the struts for an additional $128 surprise on my bill. Add on the cost of labor and yes, the overall bill is in the $600 range... But the up-side is that last night I went off-roading with my cousin. His Cherokee has a 3-4" lift and has 31x10.5 BFG MTs. But I followed him everywhere in my Pathy with the OME springs and 30x9.5 BFG ATs. It performed flawlessly, and we got muddy!

How old are your strut mounts? Mine had 128,000 mi on them when they were replaced. I didn't know they were bad just from driving around, but the mechanic said they were when he got in and tore the strut out. I'd say while you're there, might as well if you have the extra cash (not that expensive).

Finally got the Old Man Emu coils installed. I got the HD coils for up front. New KYB GR-2 struts, too. It rides awesome! The front HD coils are not too stiff. Measuring from the center of axle to the bottom of the wheel well edge, I figure I gained 2 full inches all around.

I'll give it a try, Vengeful, thanks. Only thing is, when I tried to move it the first time, nothing budged and the hose, since it's aluminum I think, was really stiff and didn't want to move. I can't tell if the hose pulled out of the diff. or if the rubber slid up on it when the axle dropped with the lift. That brass fitting, it must be the connector - so I'm hoping, like you said, it is just the rubber sliding up.... *********Just to update y'all, it was just the rubber casing sliding off, it's fixed! And the OME HD front springs are awesome... pics to come soon!

Hey Pezzy, I've included a picture. Yes, it is on the top of the rear differential. How would one go about shoving that thing back in, if it's coming out?? I don't want to snap it off.

So my local shop installed the rear OME springs, but ordered the wrong strut mounts for the front, so he didn't install the front ones... now I sit like a damn dragster, at least for another week. Anyhow, I noticed a metal tube with a black rubber casing around it that comes straight up out of the rear "pumkin-ball". The rubber casing has either pulled away from the pumpkin ball or the metal tube is being pulled out - I can't move either by hand. Anyone know what that is, and is it critical??

Replacing struts typically means replacing strut mounts, too. Shocks and struts replacement won't effect ride height, but will improve ride quality. My local garage also replaced the bump-stops inside the coils, too. If you have $310 laying around, and want a little more ride height (2" max.) get the Old Man Emu (OME) coil springs. I'm getting them put in soon. There are lots of posts about them here. And DEFINITELY order all the parts if your mechanic will let you. I ordered the struts cheap ($60 each, free shipping). I don't know why I didn't order the strut mounts, the shop did that and got the wrong ones, so now I have to wait another 10 days for them to get it right... ugh.