Precise1

Oy, what a bunch of jackals !!! Hey 95Finder. The best oil you can run in your Pathfinder is the one that is changed regularly. I have read many articles about synthetic blends, change intervals, etc; the only thing that has been consistant is change your oil, hotter climes, heavier weight; colder climes, lower weight. Change it regularly, and try to use what is appropriate in your clime. HardwareToad, KY is for what you ever need it for, although I do not recommend the rear end... I keep a tube of (generic) water soluable personal lubricant in my portable tool box. Hoses, fittings, boots... It works for everything ! Bernard

Hey 95Finder. Glad to read your rotor change went relatively smooth; its the learning curve that gets ya the first time... Next time it's 20 minutes a rotor max. The alternator seems to be the fix, but for a week or two, check the battery output... You should have a steady 12+ volts without the motor running; keep the leads on and watch the meter when its started. If it dips below 8-9V generally means its getting weak (if so check fluid levels/terminal conductivity). Not a problem if it holds 12+ volts generally but could be if you are in cold country. A tired battery can kill an alternator faster than anything, not to mention leave you stuck when its not convenient... Bernard

Hey Snell, from what MatterHorn says, he pretty much has you in the bag... From what I have read, no, the 300ZX will not drop in easy. Is it possible ? Yes. I have seen V8's in bugs... Was that possible ? Yes. Was it easy ? No. It's just about how serious you are, what you are willing to spend, and most important, the mechanical/fab skill of you and your friends. I'm interested in the project, and if you persue it, keep us posted. There may be a 300ZX engine mount kit available out of this ! Standing on the shoulders of giants... Bernard

Hey there Rami. While I didn't see any broken bolt pictures, what was the problem with aligning the bolts ? Personally I would have gone for broke and done both at the same time... Could that have something to do with it ? The motor being twisted to one side (jacked up and anchored on the other side) that made the bolts not align easily ? Just kinda curious ya big pimp... Bernard

Yes, you can reuse wheel bearings if in good shape ( no wear on the races, pitting, etc) like mzxtreme says. Skrill is dead on about the brake cleaner; I always have a few cans around, but what is just as helpfull are nitrile (or latex) gloves. I don't bother with normal work as they tear too easy, but when something needs to be clean, they are invaluable... Get them dirty, yank them off and pull on a clean pair. Just keep in mind that there are different 'correct' processes for installing new bearings and old ones... If you need help, holler. The seal may need to be ordered (hopefully not) but the bearings should be fairly cheap; sorry I don't know a price... Bernard

LOL, 88's right about the first step. 2) jack up car and remove tire 3) remove caliper and hang out of the way 4) disassemble/remove the auto locking hubs (bring snap ring pliers) 5) remove bearing locknut and rotor From here it depends if you are changing the wheelbearings or not. Bernard

Hey 95Finder. The specs for the rotors are .945" and .0028" runout for the front, .630" for rear and 10.24"-10.30" if its rear drum; at least thats what chilton says.... I'm assuming you have the idicators, mikes, calipers... I'm not sure what it costs in your area, but it should be less than $30 a piece. Its not worn rotors thats your issue, its warped rotors. The warp spreads/narrows the brake pad gap, hence the pulsing in the petal. Throw an indicator on it and see, I'll bet on it. It is possible that there are some front end problems that could cause vibration on braking, but these would be felt more through the steering wheel. There is a good write up on caliper slide pins (or something like that) around here, I believe its in the garage under improtant topics. While you are there, you may as well grease them. Have fun Bernard

Cool ride 93XE... Looks almost identical to my 95xe other than color, you have a rear deflector, and no tire carrier. You have a better stereo, but that's OK, I have bigger tires I like the milage, but then I'm only 10k above that. Enjoy and care for your baby, and she'll take care of you. Bernard

Hey GAS, I agree with CN... Did this happen over night, or over years ? Time to crawl underneath and start poking, prodding, pushing and adjusting... T-bars are easy but you will probably was to have it aligned afterwards.. Bernard

"Patience is a virtue i've never had.....along with a few others...(my wife will send anyone the list if you request it!)" LMAO kmgar99 !! Good one, thanks for the chuckle Bernard

DustyDevil is very right. If you remove the fan/fan clutch from the waterpump and reinstall it, it will have a different balance. If your waterpump is old, often times it will accelerate the wear on the bushing. I've changed many a waterpump that was aged but still worked just because I was there and didn't want to return 6 months later. Bernard

Hey Slick, ditto on 94 Pathy ! If your BF's brother does the learning curve with yours, and fabs up some more, I'll buy (if its well done). Get his A$$ in gear, and tell him there is money to be made in this ! I'd do it myself, but I dont have welding experience... How pathetic is that, a machinist who cant weld ? I'm planning on fixing that soon, but thats another story... Bernard

Hey strudeau. First, read this.... http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=1754 I was doing clutch work and had to remove the starter; it was all oil crapped so I wanted to clean it. BigMike's write up is dead on. Make sure to remove the oil sender electrical connection directly above the starter (orange boot), it is part of the same wiring cover. Dont bother fussing with wiring connections to the starter until its removed; its unnecessary and easier that way. Mike probably says all this, but it has been over a week since I read his write up, and am too lazy to re-read it so I will risk repeating things. The starter comes out to the front of the car, over the cross member. You will have to remove 1 10mm bolt that holds a electrical wiring clip (to the starter). You will see it from the front... Do your self a favor and jack up that side of the car; not a mile, and it may not be necessary, but it allows you easy access for reinstallment. On that note, remove the wheel on that side, and the rear part of the splash guard mainly for visibility; you will be doing this job on your back. The starter comes out with some jiggling (dont force it, if it binds you just have the wrong orientation), and goes in with more diffficulty... Try to remember the jigs and twists you did to get it out, and reverse the manuvers for installation. Be patient, and gentle when installing, try twisting it, etc. Somethings I swear by are safety glasses and a flashlight. The glasses allow you to look up and bugger things around without having crap fall in your eyes (makes you impatient and potentally bad news) and the flashlight is obvious... It really does work this way, just be patient and loving Oh, you probably have to remove the front skid plate (mine was already off). Good luck, and holler if not ! Bernard

Yep kmgar99, except thats why we need to tell him where to put the jack in the first place, and insist on him having supervision; so he can learn. I'm having fun with my torsion bars !! I indexed them when I did my clutch last week. Now I drive it, park it, come back to it, eyeball it, measure it, shimmy under it with my 19MM's, crank a bit, grin, and drive off. The front is still barely lower than the rear and climbing, but what a difference in feel !! It now is like I'm driving a truck with firm suspension rather than a soggy station wagon with a bad attitude... Of course when I get it level and even, replace tie rod ends, etc I'll have an allignment done. I highly recommend doing this to any older 'stock' Pathy. It will be a pain at first, but if you clean and lube everything it becomes simple; I could completely remove and install the T-bars in about 1/2 an hour now... Bernard

Yeah Toad, unfortunately, I know how it works... Remember the good old days when a good shop/mechanic would order the parts at cost or with their discount and pass the savings on to you; just charging for labor ? To me, nothing has changed, I pay them for the labor.... THATS IT !! Why the he!! should they mark up parts for a profit ? What did they do to 'earn' it ? Was it the ordering/receiving that justifies added cost ? Well, ok then, I'll supply the parts and save them the effort. Any shop that wont install parts that I give them just lost the job, and has me bad mouthing them for 6 months... (pant, pant) WOW, I feel better now.... Bernard

Welcome GAS !! These are good guys here, and they know their stuff !!! Between all of the regulars, they've done about everything there can be done with a Pathfinder so don't be shy about asking questions !! Bernard

Hey all, just for kicks, I thought I'd mention jacking up the passenger side to 'overfill' or correctly fill the tranny case as per this TSB. While I haven't done it (I just did my clutch and poured 5 quarts (4.73 liters) down the shifter tube), I filled my other cases and noted that the transfer case accepted 3 pints instead of 2.4, the rear diff took 3 quarts and room for a bit more(all I had) instead of 2.95 qts at maybe 5-8degrees rear up tilt. I think you know what I'm saying. TIP your pathy, and pour it in... in the case of the tranny, at least 5+ quarts... Bernard

LOL, be nice 88psycopathoffroad !! I don't think you were born with this knowledge, and 'newbie' is a possible indication to skill level. On the other hand, you are absolutely correct about ability or at least supervision. Lextronics, there is a nice flat spot rear of lower control arm where there is a arm dingus. I use this because it is lower and before the frame at its curve inwards. That means you can get better height (not that you need that much, just wheels off the ground) without over extending your stands (you are using jack stands RIGHT ?) and are as wide as possible... I used this place to pull the tranny with NO problems. Try to keep the contact point level (driving the rear wheels on 4x4's will help a lot). I jacked from the front most cross member to keep the front end level. Once you have it on the jack stands, leave the jack under with slight pressure (slight ! not enough to lift, just firm contact). Then get out from underneath and push against the vehicle several times to prove stability, and let it 'settle' if its going to. Now inspect the support contact points to make sure nothing is amis, and that the supports are still firm and squarely seated on the ground. If everything checks out, you are ready to get under. The key here is safety, thats why I take the time to try to describe this. I know a mechanic of 21+years who was pinned under his own car in the garage for almost an hour. The reason he wasn't crushed was that he had the sense to put the front tires he removed under the hubs (a standard, inteligent safety precaution). As it was, he could not move, and had to focus on breathing. Don't let me scare you either. If the car is properly supported, there will be no problems. If someone jokes you about this procedure, kick them in the (Bls) shins, shove them under the car then perform your 'stability' test... The T-bar procedure is not hard, just make sure to loosen the front mount also, then you can have your way with them... Good luck ! Bernard

Check out what Mr. Pickles said; I have not dealt with that before. It seems silly if you supply them with OEM parts still in the wrapper, but then since when do things have to make sense ? Only problem with a 'clutch kit' is thats its usually only a pressure plate, clutch disk and alignment tool (hopefully a throw out bearing also). You have to do the bearing at the same time, and should replace the spring clip also (I even replaced the bearing sleeve). Not to mention you want to make sure the flywheel is resurfaced (within spec which is .02" or .5mm). I'm a machinist, and that is a lot !! I would not want mine running out that much !! When the fly wheel is pulled, the pilot bushing should be checked (mine was fine). Anyway, my point is that if the tranny is out for the clutch, then all of that should be done at once. LOL, if clutch work was cheap or easy, everyone would do it all the time, so to me the peace of mind is worth it. Oops, that sounded wrong, all 'extra' parts incl reconditioned flywheel (with good core charge) is less than $100 US more that of a 'clutch kit'. Good luck ! Bernard

LOL lgranch. I dont know where you are, but I'm in the San Francisco Bay Area where everything costs mint ! But there is also a difference between a '91 and a '95, and a 109k miles is reasonable, if not low for the area. Tell you what, as long as the truck is California smog legal, come sell it to me for $2k-2.5k, and I'll resell it for $3.5-4K. We'll both be happier than pigs in $hit !! Bernard

Hey there ! I'm planning on doing this mod, and after reading this post I thought "wait a minute, do you pull the donor coils from the front or rear of the JGC ?" I had assumed the rear, but discussion about engine weight implies the front. Someone clue me in please... :o Bernard

Hey DSM_guy. O have a 'Magnaflow' muffler on mine, and think its great. It is fairly mellow, but you can definitely hear a growl if you step on it. Stainless is nice also... Not too expensive either, I can dig up the reciept if you like. Bernard

Hey Rami, get those motor mounts fixed yet ? I was working on the truck today, and the MM's are easy ! Put the front end on jackstands (on the frame), remove the front wheels and the little rubber splash gaurds. Presto, there they are, you are looking at the little buggers. Remove the nuts (4 each), put the jack unter the oil pan, lift the motor a little for clearance. Out with the old, in with the new... I took some pictures to shame you into changing them yourself and saving your $ for cool components. Let me know if you want to see them. Bernard

Hey Cubby. I'm doing my clutch right now (literally got the tranny on the floor 1 hour ago) and its a PITA !!! I decided to save some $ and look at the truck; I just bought it and want to check some things, and generally learn about it. So far I learned the I have a large hole burned in the driverside floor board from an old exhaust leak, my wheel bearings are slightly loose (will redo the hubs before it hits the road) and that one of my tranny mount studs is busted off, and there is no good way to fix it There are advantages to the labor, but I understand why you dont want to deal with it. I recommend you buy OEM parts off the internet (about $250) and then have the tranny shop install them. That way you get good parts, and cheaper labor. The best of both worlds. Good luck. Bernard

Cool madkiwi... Sounds like it's not as bad as it could have been. Yeah, I got a quote here in Petaluma for $1100, but being unemployed, I figured I'd save some $ and do some poking around myself. Worked on it today; tomorow I drop the T-bars, crossmembers, and starter, and out comes the tranny. It'll run me about $400 including renting a tranny jack... I'm changing all the fluids, but going with regular oil as a 'flush'. When I put the truck on jack stands, I noticed some play in the front wheel bearings so I guess I'm redoing the hubs next, LOL. Glad I decided to do it myself, but hope I don't find anything else... Bernard