vengeful

ARB Air Locker - $870 ARB Air Compressor - $300 Total: $1170 + supplies Installation Time - 16 hours Frontier LSD Diff - $200 Total: $200 + supplies Installation Time - 7 hours I'll let Mike chime in on the rest of his justification, but driving it before and after. The thing is 10x better. Going around tight curves at moderate acceleration, the inside wheel skips on the pavement like with a locker. The VQ35 doesn't produce enough power to spin the inside tire in 2nd gear going making a turn. It's REALLY tight.

The Worlds Tightest R50 Limited Slip Including H233b Gear Setup Information Well, a couple of cut fingers, busted knuckles and some very unusual scrapes later, it's done. It's official. The limited slip in Laxman's 2001 R50 Pathfinder is the tightest LSD in any Pathfinder out there. With an estimated breakaway rating of over 250ft-lbs(*1), it's more spool than LSD. Background Information: First off, a little bit of background information. The R50 Nissan Pathfinder (henceforth referred to as R50) LSD is rated at only 64-80ft-lbs of breakaway force, with an average rating around 76ft-lbs. Mike's 2001 R50, with the VQ35DE and a 5-speed manual transmission is equipped with an HG43, 4.363:1 Ring & Pinion ratio, 33-spline H233b rear axle. The Donor 2002 Frontier Desert Runner (henceforth referred to as DR) was equipped with a VG33E, 5-speed manual transmission, and equipped with an HG46, 4.636:1 Ring & Pinion Ratio 33-spine, H233b rear axle. After some thorough research through Nissan Factory Service Manuals, and Nissan's factory parts system, FAST, it was determined that the internals of the differentials, save for the clutch packs and the side gears, were identical. The difference in the side gears is not in the mesh, but rather in the clutch pack side. The R50 Side gear had a hexagonal clutch mounting area, whereas the DR side gear was a 12-point, mirroring the "teeth" on the friction discs. This photo shows the R50 differential with the case removed, showing the hexagonal side gear. The clutch pack was removed for this photo. It was also determined that the side gears were interchangeable between differentials, as long as the side gears used were the same on each side. The added "teeth" on the side gear help to grab the "teeth" on the friction plates, and limit slippage of the friction discs. This photo shows the DR differential with the case removed. You can see inside of the clutch pack the 12-point side gear "flanges." Required Tools: Lug Wrench Ft-lb torque wrench capable of 150ft-lbs. in-lb torque wrench Dial Indicator on Magnetic base Assorted metric Wrenches and Sockets, 14mm, 17mm impact sockets Floor jack Jack Stands Drum Brake Spring Tool - big helper! Screw drivers Pry bar Small (1/4") paint brush Parts & Supplies Needed: Donor differential or 3rd member. Ultra-Black RTV Sealant Permatex Prussian Blue Gear Marking Compound Gear Oil for your Differential Brake Fluid Thread Locker (in case) Note: This is not an overly difficult job, but there are several safety critical systems involved. See bold, italicized text below for caution. Preliminary Steps and Disassembly: The first thing to do is raise the truck and secure the body on jack-stands. I like to position my jack-stands just before the rear LCA mounts on the frame. Also, support the axle with jack-stands, slightly lower than the body, so it, too, is secured. Remove the wheels. Before you can work on the differential, you've got to remove it from the vehicle. So your first step is going to be draining the oil from the rear diff. Be sure you remove the fill plug first, otherwise, if you can't get it off, and you've already drained the diff, you're kind of out of luck. I HIGHLY recommend having a service manual handy. We consulted both the Nissan Factory Service manual for both the Frontier and the Pathfinder, as well as the Hayne's manuals. In fact, I would not recommend performing this work if you're not 100% confident in your mechanical abilities, and have a service manual handy. This involves completely disassembling the rear brakes, removing the driveshaft, removing the axles, and removing the differential third member. There is quite a lot of safety critical stuff that you will be dealing with in the course of this work, so please, use good judgment. If you're not 100% confident that you are capable of doing this, have someone help you. Once you've got the vehicle securely on jack-stands, you can proceed to disassemble the rear brake drums. You will need to have both drums disassembled completely, so it may help to take photographs of them so you can consult them when you go to reassemble the drums several hours later, as it may not be fresh in your memory. Once you've got the drums apart, all the hydraulic lines disconnected and the parking brake cable detached, you can remove the 4 bolts (17mm) that secure the axle into the axle tube. The service manuals recommend using a slide-hammer to pull the axles, but we were able to do so with some light taps from a 1.5lb sledge hammer. Place a drain pan underneath each axle-end, as you'll be losing brake fluid the whole time. You will want to inspect your axle oil seals. Replace if necessary. Our 96,000 mile R50's were fine, so we left them alone. Clean up the grease on the end of the axle-tube and install new grease at the hub. This picture shows the disassembled axle ends. You can see the hydraulic line for the brakes seeping brake fluid all over the place, and the parking brake cable secured off to the side. You're also going to need to disconnect the driveshaft from the pinion side of the 3rd member. It is 4 17mm bolts with nuts that secure it, so you'll need a 17mm socket, and wrench. Have a helper put the vehicle in and out of gear to allow the shaft to rotate as needed. Once you've got the driveshaft disconnected from the 3rd member, you can start removing the 3rd member. The nuts securing the 3rd member to the axle housing are 14mm. Be careful removing these as sometimes the nut will be lightly seized and will want to take the stud with it. If this occurs, during reassembly, apply some threadlocking compound to the stud. Take note of the orientation of the 3rd member as you're removing it from the axle. Pull the 3rd member out from under the vehicle. This is DEFINITELY a two person job. It's about 90lbs, and not exactly in a convenient place. It helps to have a creeper handy to roll the 3rd out from underneath. This picture shows the axle housing with the third member removed. Take note of the orientation as you're removing the 3rd member from the axle. Follow the steps on This Page to disassemble your Differential housing. This photo shows some assorted differential parts. Be sure you keep track of what goes where and which diff housing each piece is from. The Modification: Since the part numbers for the friction plates, and friction discs, along with all other internal parts of the differential that are contained in both differentials are the same between the DR and the R50(*2), we decided that instead of simply swapping ring gears and dropping the DR LSD into the R50, we would scavenge some of the friction material from the R50 clutch packs, and insert them into the DR differential. This photo shows the factory R50 clutch pack arrangement. The pieces with the tabs are the Friction Plates; the ones without are the friction discs. The reason the R50 LSD is so weak, it that it is comprised of nearly all friction plates. There are only two friction discs in the entire differential. The friction plates do not create ample friction between each other, only between a disc and a plate. So, we decided to take the two friction discs and either two or three of the friction plates from the R50 differential, and add them to the DR differential. This photo shows the factory DR LSD clutch pack configuration. Again, the units with the tabs are the friction plates, and the units without are the discs. The big fat disc in the middle is simply a shim plate that aids in friction between the F-plates. We measured the thickness of this plate and measured the thickness of our replacement arrangement from the R50 differential. It was determined that two friction plates and two friction discs would be the ideal thickness to replace this shim plate. The new configuration is slightly taller, overall, than the factory configuration, but Nissan includes two spring shim plates that will compress when the differential case is reassembled. For maximum performance, it is highly recommended that for each friction disc, you have at least one friction plate on each side, i.e. f-plate, f-disc, f-plate, f-disc, f-plate, etc. This photo shows the modified clutch pack configuration. Note the alternating friction plate, friction disc pattern. You are free to adjust this pattern any way you see fit, but make sure that the pattern is the same on each side of the differential - starting from the inside-out. The Ring Gear side must mirror the non-Ring gear side. Re-Assembly & H233b Gear Setup: Now that you've gotten your clutch pack configuration figured out, and you've got your clutch packs on the side gears and loaded into the differential case, it's time to put everything back together. Assemble the differential case. Since we were swapping ring gears, we installed the ring gear at this point. You may not be swapping ring gears if you're reusing your factory housing. We switched housings because the DR one had better bearings, and it was easier to swap the ring gear than the bearings. Also, you must not mix and match R&P sets, even if they are the same ratio. They come matched from the factory for optimal set-up. Using a different ring gear with your original pinion will result in a poor contact, and premature wear, loud gear whine, or worse. Once you've got the differential housing assembled with the ring gear, it's time to install the assembly into the 3rd member housing. Unfortunately, I was too busy working to take pictures of these steps, but I will try to be as detailed as possible. Insert the diff/ring gear assembly into the 3rd member housing. Remember to always place the bearings on races, so they do not get damaged. If you followed the steps on the page above (link), then your adjusters will already be in the right place. If you've had to remove the ring gear for any reason, you will need to remove the adjusters and set-up the gears again. We did this. The FSM calls for 0.08" of backlash in the ring and pinion. Once you have the differential securely mounted in the 3rd member, you will need to set up your dial indicator, with the pin as perpendicular as possible to the edge of the ring gear tooth. Move the ring gear to the far side of its play and set the indicator to 0. Adjust the ring gear back to the other end of its play and record the number displayed. Next, apply some of the Permatex Prussian Blue to 3-4 teeth of the ring gear, on both the drive and coast sides. Apply some resistance to the gear, 30-40lbs is sufficient. and rotate the pinion through the compound in both directions a few times. The compound will get rubbed off where the gears are making contact. You want your gear contact to be as centered as possible on both the drive and coast sides of the ring gear. Our first try, the backlash was spot on at 0.08", but the mesh pattern was poor. We noticed that the adjusters were allowing some lateral play in the differential, so we took it apart, moved the adjusters around, remeasured the backlash, and checked the pattern again. It was perfect. 0.078" backlash, and a perfectly centered mesh. If you don't have to remove the pinion from the 3rd member, and you're reusing the same ring gear, it makes setting up the gears much much easier. Once you've got the gears set up, and the 3rd member is properly assembled, and everything is torqued to spec, it's time to reinstall the 3rd member into the axle housing. Apply the Ultra-Black RTV Sealant around the mating surface on the axle housing, going around all of the studs. Again, installing the 3rd member is a two person job, as it's heavy and awkward. The studs will generally not let you simply slide the 3rd member directly on, so it may require a couple of light taps on the pinion flange to set it all the way down. Hand tighten the nuts and snug them to the point that the RTV starts to ooze out the side. Let the RTV set up for approximately 1-1.5 hours. This is a good opportunity to change the front diff oil, and grab a bite to eat. Once the RTV is set up, torque down the nuts to spec. Apply some fresh grease to the wheel seals on the axles, then reinstall them. Then fill the diff with fresh 75w90 GL4 LSD Approved gear oil, or 80w90 LSD approved gear oil. We used 75w90 Mobil1 LS synthetic. Reassemble the brakes, and you're almost done! Final Steps: Now that you've got everything back together, there's still one critical step before you can put the wheels back on and go for a test drive. Remember this picture? See all the wet stuff on the end of the axle housing? That's brake fluid. Your wheel cylinders are also empty by now. It is absolutely vital that you properly bleed the brakes, or you will not be able to stop. Once you've bled the brakes, put the wheels back on, and go for a short test drive and listen for any strange noises. Notes and Observations: - This job, while not overly difficult, is time consuming and requires forethought. Be sure you have at least a full day to devote to it. - This is a very dirty operation. I'd suggest gloves, and long clothes, if feasible. - Take your time, don't rush the critical steps, like brake setup and gear setup. Asterisks: *1 - The Factory breakaway rating of the R50 LSD is ~76ft-lbs. The factory rating of the Frontier Desert Runner LSD is 230ft-lbs (vs 210ft-lbs for the standard Frontier). Estimating the with the addition of 2 disks and 2 plates per side to the Frontier differential. *2 - Exception: Side Gears References and Further Reading: XterraGuy LSD Page NPORA How To - Rebuilding your LSD for More Strength FND4PTH.Com - Photo Gallery Nissan Factory Service Manual - 1999.5 Pathfinder Nissan Factory Service Manual - 2002 Frontier Haynes Repair Manual - Nissan Trucks 1996-2004, Pathfinder, Frontier and Xterra

Yes, it will work for the 2001+ diffs. However, it still won't be as tight as a modified Frontier/Xterra/WD21 diff.

Those sleeves act as "Insulators". Basically they help to prevent the coil from shifting around on the mount and reduce NVH. Not really absolutely necessary to have them installed, but it'll be nicer with them. As far as the bump-stops. It's fine to drive without them, but, I'd get that fixed before you take it off-road, as you'll need them then.

Heat, PB and an Extractor?

Isn't half the point of a lawnmower to get it dirty? You could always wax it, then the dirt will just rinse off..haha.

Then go with a "Portable" mount. Warn actually sells a receiver cradle for their winches. Mount the winch to that, and then you can put it on either the front or the rear as needed. Best of both worlds. Though, the receiver mounts aren't really tolerant of side pulls more than 10 degrees or so...

Haha...seems to be a lot of those in this area.

Why not put one at both ends?

Why did the Tomato turn red? Because he saw the Salad dressing. Q. How do you make a Kleenex dance? A. You put a boogie in it. http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=20581

Stevie Wonder - Sir Duke

Holy crap! That had to be scary. Glad to hear you got out ok.

Sick....I love dragons. I would love to have a dragon for a pet. Seriously, who would break into a house with a Beware of Dragon sign?

There are very few Standard differences between the XE and SE. It is a trim designation, nothing else. There are, of course, certain features that are only available on certain trim levels, just as certain options only come with certain packages. For the R50, the SE included standard power windows/locks, mirrors, and an 8-way manually adjustable drivers seat. Each trim level also has a different interior fabric pattern. So the Grey fabric on an XE is going to be patterned differently from the grey fabric in an SE. Really, just about everything else was optional.

x2. JVC or Sony. Stay away from their low-end stuff, though. Go with their middle-of-the-road products or better, and you'll get ample features, and excellent quality.

The Beach Boys - Kokomo

Yeah, Mike Conrad from Bonny Lake, WA. Also known to us as Mr. Pickles.

An OEM fitmet strut has 8" of travel. At OEM ride height, that's 4" up-travel and 4" downtravel. When you lift the truck, you're increasing your available down-travel, but decreasing the available up-travel, which is what causes the struts to top out more easily once lifted. If you were to lift 4" by the method you propose, your struts would be topped out all the time. The only safe way to achieve more than 2-3" of lift, would be a drop kit.

Welcome. There's really nothing in the metro area, as, I'm sure you're well aware, it's all pretty overdeveloped. There's the George Washington National Forest in Virginia that's got several pretty awesome trails, and several places in Maryland once you get a couple hours outside of DC. NORA (http://www.nora4x4.com) is having our annual spring event the weekend of April 25th up at Rausch Creek in Jolliett, PA (about 40 minutes past Harrisburg). Anyone proficient in suspensions should be able to do a good job.

Topping out the struts isn't a big issue. It's more of a minor annoyance. You're not going to cause any premature wear/damage to the struts by topping them out, provided you get quality struts. However, if you overextend the CVs, you're going to bind them up, could break a CV or bind up your front diff.

Found a pic that sort of shows it.

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Exactly. And it contacts the power steering tensioner bracket, which prevents a proper seal from being made with the block.

Because it's not necessary.

Dude...Pezzy beat you by like an hour...