vengeful

You son of a!!!! I called them about it, and they said that someone had just bought it not 10 minutes before I called. Make that 2 TJMs snatched out from under me.... :furious: Looks great though...

I don't consider it to be. Maybe if it was the last of the Split Window Corvettes or something. I think it's just cool that I got the last one. My contact at Nissan is thrilled that it went to an enthusiast and it's being used for the "intended" purpose.

Yes, 99.5 is when they updated the appearance. The VQ didn't come until early in the 2001 model year. I've seen some VERY EARLY MY 2001s (read 09/00-11/00 production date) with the VG33. I have a 10/98 Production 1999 MY Pathfinder. The Facelift came starting with 11/98 Production date Pathfinders. According to my serial number, mine was the very last of the older style R50s to roll off the line before they shut it down to change over the tooling to the new design. :cool2:

Do whatever it takes to get those 38s on there.... Then chop the top off the cargo area like one of those SUTs... Exo Cage And....the most flamboyant paint job ever....bright pink and purple polka dots. That would be freakin awesome!

All Pathfinders made from 1996-2004 are R50s. In 1999, they received a mild facelift to compete with the updated 4Runner. The only differences between a 99.5-2001 and a 96-99 are cosmetic. In 2001, they received the VQ35, as a move to increase power over the 4Runner again.

Nothing wrong with Wreching over beers!

Question: Did you buy one of the off-brand, discount chargers? I've ALWAYS had problems with those. Get the one from the Phone manufacturer.

Actually, come to think of it, the hazard light switch caused me a bunch of grief, too. I forgot to connect it after installing one of my many different CD players in my truck, and I had no dash lights, no turn signals, no brake lights, NOTHING. So...adding to the list of things to check: Light bulbs and sockets. Relays under the hood Dimmer switch Hazard light switch turn signal switch/wiring I hope you have a Digital Multimeter!

Pull the taillight bulbs and see if the dim fillament is burnt out. When I blew a taillight, I had all kinds of crazy stuff going on, my high-mount light would flash with the turn signals and come on with the reverse lights, but not with the brakes...the dash lights didn't illuminate. It's all wired in one circuit. Check all your bulbs and sockets. If there's corrosion in the sockets, or a wire's pulled loose or anything, it could cause all kinds of crazy gremlins.

Pull the taillight bulbs and see if the dim fillament is burnt out. When I blew a taillight, I had all kinds of crazy stuff going on. It's all wired in one circuit.

Your charger is likely defective. Exhange it for a new one. If you have the same problem with the new charger, you've probably got a bad ground somewhere, which could be extremely difficult to trace.

If you're looking for an SUV to haul the kids to soccer practice, pick up groceries and head to the Golf Course, then yes, it's better. If you're looking for something to actually use, and take off-road, then no, it's junk. The Independent rear suspension allows virtually NO articulation, and the most it can really do is fire roads.

But...that's half the fun!

The newer 4Runners are very good trucks. In stock form they're actually pretty darn good off-road. They're not nearly as rugged as the 4Runners/Pathfinders of yesteryear, but that's the way the market is going. Rugged, off-road oriented SUVs are not what the market wants these days. People want the image of a do-all, go-anywhere vehicle with the comfort and amenities of home. As it is, I consider my Pathy luxurious. I mean, how many other 'rough-and-tumble' vehicles have 8-way-adjustable drivers seats, lumbar support, heated power mirrors, etc...

Is it just me, or did I just have a huge Deja Vu moment there? Am I nuts, or did we not have almost this EXACT string of posts last summer about this time?

Well, there have already been reported problems with the Xterra and Frontiers breaking differentials. The Front diffs are particularly problematic, because Nissan decided to go with an ALUMINUM cased DANA differential in them (to save weight, according to my contact) instead of sticking with the renowned, proven, and BULLETPROOF, Nissan diffs. In the rear end, I've heard reports of sheared teeth on the R&P when fitted with 33" or larger tires - again, due to the switch to a more well-know, but weaker axle, the D44 (a cost saving, and marketing ploy, according to my contact with Nissan Trucks). The Dana44 is widely regarded as an "extremely-tough, off-road proven" axle in the industry, and by saying that the new Xterra is now equipped with the D44, they can market it more aggressively and more successfully to traditionally American truck/SUV buyers. However, the "little-know" H233b that was forgone in favor of the D44, has a 2/3" larger diameter Ring Gear. It is a solid tube construction. It utilizes a 3rd member for added rigidity instead of a flimsy differential cover that can easily be torn off or broken. Anyone who knows anything about Axles knows that the H233b spanks the crap out of a D44, and puts a Ford 9" to shame (in factory trim). It's bigger brother, the H260b, will blow a D60 or a 14 bolt out of the water with no remorse! My contact at Nissan Trucks was ADAMENTLY against using the Dana axles over the proven Nissan axles. He also said in 20 years of using the H-series axles, he's only heard of 5 in North America that have broken during regular use, that were not attributed to a manufacturing defect (and he said he could count the total of those on both hands). Now, how many D44s have broken in the last 20 years. Hell, how many of the NISSAN DANA 44s have broken since 2005?! If I were to buy an Xterra, I would get rid of the Dana crap and swap in some H-series Nissan axles.

Drivetrain and capability wise, the new Xterra is almost like a combination of the newer R50s and the older Xterra. The R50s were kind of a wierd red-headed-step-child that never really went anywhere, and were kind of a transitional vehicle in an Upscaling trend of the Pathfinder. Nissan has taken the Pathfinder more upmarket, and is marketing it more towards the upscale, higher-income types who want a luxurious SUV to drive to the golf course with good road manners. The R50 was probably the best vehicle for that combination of both on-road performance, and moderate Off-road ability. The new 05+ Pathfinder has completed the shift upmarket by Nissan with the Pathfinder. The Xterra has taken over the role of the All-Terrain Adventure vehicle in Nissan's Lineup. I think if you're looking for something that you'll be taking off-road, the 05+ Xterra with the Off-Road package (and thus adding 32" All-Terrain tires, and a rear locker) is the way to go.

This is also somewhat wrong. All the new trucks from Nissan are based on the same platform, Pathfinder, Xterra, Frontier, Titan and Armada are all based on the same F-Platform. The Frontier, Pathfinder and Xterra share almost identical frames, with various reinforcements in different locations due to the differing suspension/body designs. The New Pathfinder shares nothing but the Nameplate with the old Pathfinder, and the New Xterra shares nothing but the nameplate with the old Xterra. They are COMPLETELY new models, and are simply running off the heritage of the (W)D21 series.

Not Quite! The Hardbody was the D21. The W in WD21 designates Wagon for the SUV/Pathfinder model. The D20 was the 720.

Well for one, they're designed for a completely different chassis vehicle. Sure, they might bolt to the block, but you won't be able to route them to the exhaust. Not to mention that our exhaust system has 4 cats and the older ones only have 2, so the older headers are considerably longer than the newer ones.

Isn't that a little redundant? Aren't ALL vehicles imported?

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Originally posted by Dean (Xplorx4) Go pick up your new part at your local auto parts store first. Sometimes they're special-order and take a few days to ship. You don't want to have you truck disassembled and find out nobody has the part in stock. You'll need to remove the tire, then remove the snap-ring on the outer hub: Then, unbolt the 6 bolts holding the CV axle to the differential: Finally, support the hub/knuckle with a floor jack, and unbolt the 2 bolts holding the strut to the knuckle: Remove the clips/brackets holding the brake line and ABS wire to the strut, so they don't pull off when you lower the hub. Now, lower the entire front hub/brake/knuckle assembly away from the strut and try to wrangle the CV axle out from the REAR of the wheel well. It helps to turn the steering wheel so that the REAR of the wheel well has more space. In other words, if you're working on the driver's side CV, turn the wheel RIGHT. To provide more clearance to maneuver the CV axle out, you may also need to disconnect the endlinks of the sway bar (on both sides of truck). Swap out the CV axles, go return the old/bad one to the auto parts store and get your core charge back.

Yeah, well, unless the leather seats, and all that luxury crap appeals to you, you sure did!

Control arm bushings are the bushings that dampen the mounting of the control arm to the subframe. The strut bearings are at the top of the strut and allow the strut assembly to rotate when the vehicle is turned.