Precise1

Without cutting it? I don't think so.... IIRC, the width of the shroud is greater than the clearance of the fan to radiator and you can't tilt/slide it enough to get clear. Close, but not clear... Hopefully I'm wrong, but this is what the brain is saying. You could remove the fan/clutch and that should let it out, but mark/clock it carefully and re-align it as well as possible. I've seen differently balanced fan clutches take out water pumps in short order, they oval out the bushing/seal as they run differently... B

Sorry, I've never worked on a VQ35 but I highly recommend you download the FSM from the pinned thread in the Garage section and go through the trouble shooting section in the EC file, it goes by failure description, not ECU code as well. B

^Yep, this! I have heard of people with sunroofs having this issue as well. Any rain there lately? B

This! I have not replaced a valve cover gasket (other than aircooled VW) in 25 years, they are almost always loose and just need a hand tightening with a Philip screw driver. Making sure your EGR valve is working properly goes a long way as well... Just to get a little history, how long have you had it, how long has it done this and how many miles on it? No this is not normal, but if it doesn't get worse, it is bearable. As long as it isn't leaking... My father had a 1975 Dodge Coronet that burned 1 quart (1/4 gallon) of oil every 1,000 miles (1,600km) from the factory, brand new. It never got worse or better, it just was that way for the 170,000 miles put on it... B

Was your car hot or cold when this happened? Your info says a 1998, so this is a R50 with a VG33 motor? I have to ask as some countries have different model years and engine configurations and that would be a big difference. No harm in changing the fuel filter, it is cheap and easy. Check the fuel pump for function and pressure before just changing it (along with the pressure regulator), but before that, check one sensor, the engine coolant temp sensor. TEMP C Resistance 20 2.1-2.9 ohms 50 .68-1.00 ohms 90 .236-.290 ohms On a friends truck, the wiring to this sensor was compromised (were able to clean/rebuild it) and when it warmed up, it acted like a kill switch. Died immediately, would not start in a perfectly running vehicle. B

You are welcome Ev, this is really the purpose behind the site, and honestly, it is a great community. It makes sense that you had the dealership deal with the struts and inspect them, good move. While the Pathfinder tire size isn't the most common, to say they could only find one type of tire to buy is misleading at best. That said, there is nothing wrong with the tires you had installed. Here is what is available at Discount Tires in Nebraska; we have the Yokohamas AT-S on our 1999.0... http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/searchTiresBySize.do?fl=&sortBy=prca&r=NEOINT&ar=70&fqs=true&rd=15&y=13&x=24&cs=265 While you can check the alignment on all 4 tires, and align the front two to the rear two, this is usually unnecessary and there is nothing to adjust in the rear so '4 wheel alignment' doesn't mean much more than 'front end alignment'. 1) Yes, they should have used the best tire as the spare as rubber ages. It was either out of being lazy or... being lazy. 2) Since the flat was driven on, it is good that you stuck to your guns and had it replaced, there could have been sidewall damage. Because of this, no, I wouldn't use it as a spare. Yes, unfortunately the US auto makers (and many other industries) made real junk for far too long. It was a mix of arrogance, thinking they were the only game in town and corporate cost cutting/hyper profit mentality. While they have gotten better with engineering/manufacturing, I still don't buy a lot of American products and especially cars. Maybe it is just on principle now, but I am a machinist with over 20 years experience and I'm very qualified to judge many manufacturing methods/standards. Don't take my word for it, like a tow truck driver once told me, Thank God for GM, they keep me fed. As for parts, there are different levels of quality. Some things are not worth skimping on, some things are way too expensive at a dealership and some things don't matter if you are putting them on a 25 year old rust bucket that you beat on, especially if you are mechanically inclined. For brief example... When I changed my timing belt, I also changed all the seals up front, and the water pump (which has to be removed to get to the timing belt). Because the change interval for the TB is every 105,000 miles, I bought genuine dealership parts and fully expect not to have to change a single one of those items until the next maintenence interval, literally 99,000 miles from now. The fan clutch (bolts to the end of the water pump) was changed as well, but I bought a quality part from a local parts house. It was a bit cheaper than a Nissan part and is easy to change. The belts and hoses that I changed were all sources from local auto stores because again, I got the best deals and these are all items that are generally easy to deal with. If you have your son's friend work on your vehicle, tell him not to be shy about looking here/asking for information. Also, a member runs an online parts department at a dealership out of Texas and can get whatever you need if it is still made at about the best price available. I get all my factory parts from him, Rob Lacy (Alkorahil is his login here) as he is a great, knowledgable guy. His contact info is in the Classifieds/Services section. As long as rust isn't an issue, I believe your relatively low mileage Pathfinder is worth keeping for a while. There will be maintenance issues that can't be avoided, but it will be far cheaper than a new car payment and it should run well a lot longer. In reality, if anyone here talks about a Pathfinder having a catastrophic failure (other than some of the early transmissions) before 250,000 miles, it is usually due to neglect and/or abuse. B

Cool, I'm glad you got it all worked out. It is pretty straight forward once you have the heads sitting on a Bridgeport... B

Just razzing you Bud, all in fun... Good luck with the motor swap, I hope it all works out nicely. B Can Any Man Expect Racing Otherwise Could Anyone Move Exploding Refuse Only

*snort* In that case it should be a LE: Leaking Everything... So you have two? I think there is a vacinne for this issue... B

What I don't see addressed in any of this, and what I know the oil filter doesn't take care of is all the blow-by contaminants; the micro particulate and the acidic nature of used motor oil, especially in an older motor. Wear protection doesn't matter if the oil is etching everything when it sits. B

Sorry to hear SteeevO, but these things happen, eh? So how many miles were on the old ticker when it gave up the ghost? Are you going with a standard VG33, installing VG30 or Euro cams, or going with a supercharged VG33? Will the Pathy smogged after the swap, or is it a trailer queen now? Good luck Bud, and definitely keep us informed. Your Pathy is one of the nicest around... B

Looks like you've been answered. I'll just chime in to say that I agree, for a small lift there is no point in replacing the upper control arms. When changing the bushings, many people burn out the old ones, there are threads on that as well. A few tips... When you go to adjust the T-bars, measure all 4 corners of the vehicle from level ground to the center of the body crease and write them down; this will be your base point and you will need it. Factory stance is slightly nose down (.5" maybe). It isn't necessary, but I believe it helps with handling a little. Before you adjust the T-bars, oil the threads on the adjuster bolt to reduce the chance of galling and DO NOT jack up the vehicle. If you do the T-bars will need to settle into position again, usually 24 hours and a brief drive. I wouldn't reindex the bars unless you can't what you want out of them in the current position. It is an easy job. B

Yep, that is perfectly acceptable, and yes, I'm in the same boat. I'm going to redo my system to re-incorporate the stock cooler as well... when I have the time. B

I believe there are a bracket or two for said AC line that you can remove to flex it out of the way sufficiently to get the top cover on and off easily. Sorry, I'm not sure what you are hung up on... There is a good write up in the Garage/How To section with pictures that may help. B

Put the strap through your D ring, use a D shackle through the end loop and then around the strap after the D ring. Can't come loose and go flying and the majority of the load is on the D ring. Easy win. I'd say there is a reason that guy has an eye patch... B

180 is what the radiator cooler theoretically cools the ATF to (the temp of the radiator), but that is not necessarily the temperature that the tranny is running at. I consider 200 degrees to be the max to be running at for any extended time, that is plenty warm and any hotter and the ATF breaks down much more rapidly. One key to remember that a tranny is going to run the best/longest at a stable temperature within it's operating zone (thermal expansion and viscosity effects). Every factory mounted additional cooler I have seen (ie, tow package) were in series with the radiator cooler and almost always after it. The main reason to bypass the stock Pathfinder radiator cooler is due to clogging issues, but once that is addressed with a filter there is no harm is using it. I am convinced that the best all around, most stable set up is to run out from the tranny into a temp gauge, into a filter, into the radiator cooler, into an auxiliary cooler, back to the tranny. There are threads here discussing all of this. B

Looks good! Very... ARBy... B

Now that you have posted a heads up, I'm going to lock this thread before people start responding in it, like they always do... Having people ask about parts in two places always makes a mess. Good luck with your sales. B

Agreed, I double checked mine when I messed with them, especially as the lines cross a few times on the way forward and it would be easy for me to make a mistake tracing them. Then I labled the ends of the metal lines in the engine bay... B

50/50 chance, yet I have a hard time remembering it as well. B

LOL, I thought it was the other way around. I do know it is in the FSM, way down in a diagram in the AT PDF... B

Old or glazed belts can slip even when at proper tension, so don't feel bad. But yes, always check the belt first, it is the easiest. One trick is to rub some soap on it, and if the noise temporarily stops or quiets, the belt is the problem... B

Yes, definitely search around on the rim diameter and backspacing, I'm sure that year has 16" rims stock, and it comes down to clearance to see if 15" will work. This has all been discussed and determined... Also look up 'the missing link', it is definitely an improvement. Don't bother, we call them damage amplifiers. They are pretty much a liability unless you need something to tie a tarp off to when camping. B

Sorry, I got my Mile Marker #435 from the local 4wheelparts. List $102, and I caught them with a 10% sale or something, so out the door with tax it was $99+change http://www.4wheelparts.com/Drivetrain-Differentials/Mile-Marker-Supreme-Manual-Hub.aspx?t_c=12&t_s=237&t_pt=6075&t_pn=MIL435 Point really is that they both work and are worth the investment. If you wheel really hard with oversized tires maybe the Warns are a better choice, if not for quality but warranty? The difference in $ means different things to different people, and it isn't like the Mile Markers randomly implode either. B

Howdy! We have a R50 up here in Santa Rosa, but it is not an off roader by any means, being totally stock with the original, sagged suspension. My WD21 isn't ready for the road yet, but even if it was, it doesn't look like it was invited... Have fun and take some pictures, maybe next time. B