third member swap

[1badqx4]

hello everyone . so my brother in law has a 96 pathfinder 4x4 5 speed with a lsd rear end. how hard and is it possible to swap into my 99.5 qx4 4x4 automatic? he is selling the car due to a bad cat convertor and has told me i can take what i want off of it before he sells. thank you

[hawairish]

Very possible, very easy if the gears are the same. If gears are different, there's a little bit of set-up required. Otherwise, it's completely bolt-on.

[XPLORx4]

Is he parting it out, or do you just want to do a swap? Before proceeding, you'll need to know a few things:

1) what's the gear ratio of your QX4 and on the Pathfinder? Look on the VIN plate on the firewall near the windshield wiper motor, and see if you have HG43 or HG46.

 

 

If the codes don't match, you will need to swap both the front and the rear differentials in order to make sure the ratios are the same. HG46 is 4.636:1. HG43 is 4.363:1. It's better to use HG46 if you are running oversize tires.

 

If the ratios are the same between his and yours, AND his is LSD and you know yours is not, then you can just swap the rear ends.

[1badqx4]

Awesome I will check first thing tomorrow after work.thanks abunch guys.if I do have to swap both fronts and rears how hard is the front?

[hawairish]

Front is a little tougher. You'll have to unbolt the CVs (don't have to remove them, just unbolt them from the axle), unbolt the axle housing from the hangers, then work the axle down. The axle (rather, the housing and the diff) has an awkward balance in all directions and working space is limited. I use a floor jack and a pair of jack stands to ease it down in stages.

 

And to clarify comments above and your options...if you have the HG46 and the donor is HG43 -or- you have HG43 and the donor is HG46 -and- you want to keep the gears you have, then you'll have to put the LSD diff into your 3rd member and re-use your rear gears (front diff can be left alone). Otherwise, what XPLORx4 mentioned is accurate.

[XPLORx4]

To add to what Hawairish said, if you plan to keep your current gear set (ie. leave your front diff installed), and you only want the LSD from the Pathfinder, then you'll need to remove the rear third member from your QX4, remove the third member from the Pathfinder, disassemble both units and unbolt the diff carriers from the ring gears. You'll then need to have the gears set up again. If you don't have the expertise and tools to set up the gears, I recommend taking the third member to Rear End Specialties in Santa Clara. They've done both of my ARB lockers. Quality work.