Jump to content

Jotegr's confirmed build thread


Jotegir
 Share

Recommended Posts

Well it looks like my old build thread got nuked as it was made in the "lost period".... so here's a new one! The last one was "maybe" going to be a build thread, so this one's the "confirmed" build thread! I'll begin with a brief review of the old thread and a few updates from the fall to bring us to today. This is my first "project" vehicle and more or less is my entire journey from knowing very little about working on cars to wherever I end up.

 

I picked up my 2003 Pathfinder LE in June 2021 with 242,000k on the odometer. The vehicle was in good shape with some relatively minor rust in the usual spots, but none in the strut towers which is great. I believe I am the third owner and the vehicle has spent the majority of its life in the interior of British Columbia - so limited rust, but not much.  Here she is the day I picked her up:

 

Gdh3WBv.jpg

 

Here's what the Pathfinder replaced, with the Pathfinder lurking in the background the same night I brought it home:

gTv3Nmq.jpg

 

Biggest disadvantage of the pathfinder so far? No dash spot for Lenore on long trips. 

 

BZjhUZZ.jpg

 

She's tried to do this a few times on the Pathfinder's dash but she always falls off. Oh well, safety first kitty!

 

The very first thing I did upon getting it home was address the power valve screws and a few other things. Upon the advice of some of our wise members, I did more or less every gasket above the valve cover gaskets (including those), the rear thermostat, the rear thermostat elbow hose, PCV valve, and of course the power valve screws. I didn't replace every vacuum line and crankcase breather hose as I had trouble finding the breather hoses locally. This was a mistake, as it turns out. The previous owner stated he had just done spark plugs, and they looked quite good.  This is almost as deep as I got:

 

hUpKa6l.jpg

 

Upon starting the car, it sounded terrible and the SES light immediately came on: vacuum leak. I tried a few times to diagnose the issue without pulling the everything I'd just done apart, but to no avail. I ended up re-doing most of my work as the line that had cracked was the one that ran underneath the lower intake plenum: basically back where I'd started! I got that sorted and did a coolant flush. This is the first time it ran properly after my work:

 

9JxwrT6.jpg

 

Admiring it from the garage in the rain:

6ezj64m.jpg

 

After that I insured it for two months to drive it around in its stock form to do a bit of a shakedown to see if anything major would pop up before putting my lift in. It's a great vehicle to get me to the bike park and back! Here it is during that time:

A6zVnee.jpg

V75ZKvn.jpg


After being satisfied with my time with it during the shake down, I committed to lifting the vehicle. I went for OME HD front on KYB struts and LR 9447s out back with OME shocks. Unfortunately the shop I ordered the shocks from sent me the wrong ones, clearly for a 96-99. They returned them at their expense and I got new KYB shocks out back for now. If I get an SFD or similar in the future, I'll revisit the rear shocks and stick something else in there. 

 

I also added a front SFcreations skid plate and missing link to the vehicle, did a reasonable amount of rust removal/repair on the rear quarterpanels, a new exhaust, and probably some other minor things I'm forgetting about now. 

 

I did recently check the RMS as I thought it was starting to leak, but it turned out to be a stupid little crush washer in a plug above it that had just started to leak. The RMS itself looked great with non-factory RTV that looked pretty fresh in the area - so at some point, someone else had to deal with it. 

 

I need to get photos of the Pathfinder with its little lift in AND the decent tires - right now it is on small little winters that don't look particularly good. For now, I have the following things to attend to over this season at a minimum:

 

Replace front right strut + bearing - the non-OEM strut bearing broke within 500km of replacing it, it's taken the strut with it too - right now it clicks as it rotates. I have the stuff and just need to chuck it in when I get a chance.

 

I'd love to repack the rear LSD before the end of the season. Driving the vehicle around this winter has revealed it's quite worn out. 

 

I have a possible front diff issue I'll need to look in to at some point: occasionally, the vehicle will not engage the front right CV when shifted in to AWD/4wd mode. It engages and the light turns on within a few seconds of travel, however, but is unable to do so at a stop if the issue occurs. I've already checked the CV and the diff and transfer case fluids. This might require a deeper dive at some point.

 

The rear bump stops are non-existent. I've ordered a replacement set and I'll have to chuck them in at some point.

 

I'd like to touch up the paint work I did on the rear quarter panels - the fade is far below my standards and worse than I know I'm capable of. I'll probably take the time to do some touch ups elsewhere, but it'll be tough to fade small areas as the paint code paint is MUCH darker than what my vehicle has faded to over the past 19 years. Maybe I'll see if I can get a closer match to the real colour somewhere. 

 

Looking beyond the "I'd like to do it this year" stuff, at some point I'd like to replace all the hoses and vac lines under the hood. Ain't broke, don't fix right now, and I have no reason to go in there at the moment, so I'll leave it for now. 

 

I'd like to install a transmission cooler and in-line filter. 

 

The stupid rear bumper is drooping a bit - I've reattached all of the fittings, so I don't really know what's happening here. I'd like to take care of that after I do some paint work. Oh, and the front bumper on the right (is there a theme here)  is missing a fitting, so I should probably find one for that too. 

 

Beyond that? Who knows. I have dreams of a "fully built" pathfinder, but I'm not 100% sure this one is it. I wouldn't mind spending the money on a low KM, lower mainland/Vancouver Island example to do the "dream" build. There have been several come up in the past month or so, but I'm not really ready to spend 8-10K CAD on one when I'm really not convinced they'll keep their inflated value over the next 1.5 years. Until then, I'll keep doing maintenance and either cost-effective or somewhat transferrable mods should I move to another vehicle. 

 

 

Edited by Jotegir
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That is one calm cat! Mine hates car rides, though to be fair I haven't tried putting him on the dash.

 

8 hours ago, Jotegir said:

I have a possible front diff issue I'll need to look in to at some point: occasionally, the vehicle will not engage the front right CV when shifted in to AWD/4wd mode. It engages and the light turns on within a few seconds of travel, however, but is unable to do so at a stop if the issue occurs. I've already checked the CV and the diff and transfer case fluids. This might require a deeper dive at some point.


There shouldn't be anything to engage in your front end. If you tested with the front wheels off the ground, you might see one wheel spinning and the other not if one wheel has a dragging brake or something, because the diff applies the same amount of torque to both sides--so if one wheel is dragging and the other isn't, it'll spin the easy one. Same issue when the wheels are on the ground and one is on something slick. If you can spin a front wheel without the CV spinning, either it's got manual hubs that aren't locked in, or there's something very wrong with either the CV or the drive flange, and I wouldn't expect a mechanical failure like that to be intermittent.

4x4 not engaging until you're moving sounds more like a transfer issue to me. I'm guessing by your description that you've got the ATX14A (with the knob on the dash). I haven't had one to bits, but from what I've read there are two pumps inside, one driven mechanically when you're going forwards and one electric to fill in the rest of the time, and they're what makes the wet clutch engage and send power to the front end. If it won't grab until you drive forward, maybe that electric pump (or its wiring, or whatever turns it on) is getting flaky. If you haven't yet, start by changing the fluid, even if it looks okay. The fluid in the manual box in my '95 looked alright, but it quit sticking in 4x after I changed it. If that doesn't work, and there's no obvious damage to the electrical harness, the best I can do is point you to the TF section of the '03 service manual.

 

I feel your pain on buttoning it up and having a vac leak. I didn't know VG30 and VG33 intake gaskets weren't the same when I did mine, and Rockauto sent me the wrong ones. At least it goes quicker the second time!
 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice “re”writeup. Looks like your priorities are all in order. If you’re that deep again, consider replacing the knock sensor - it’s down there in the valley. I can’t quite tell if you have a faded light brown or a faded KY0 bright chrome? Unbelievable that you have a cat that will peacefully ride up there - any car ride has always been a loud yowlfest with any cat I’ve owned.

 

Did you mount the LR9447s? I too have the KYB Excel-G & ARB OME HD up front on my Q. I initially tried the LR9449s but while they rode GREAT, they were just too high. I switched to a very used set of ARB OME MD springs in the rear. That leveled the truck but they’re not quite as robust as the LR springs & occasionally look like they may be a bit droopy in the rear.

 

I’m not sure I 100% follow regarding the ATX14A’s behavior but remember the auto hubs need som forward movement to engage. If I’m ever prepping for snow in the am, I always drive it forward a few feet after engaging either the AWD or 4Hi to be sure the hubs are locked. Obviously you can get around this with manual hubs but only Rugged Ridge hubs will fit through the 6 spoke LE wheel hubs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the tips Slar! I was actually going to @ you and RainGoat in the original post as two of the people I recall giving great advice in the old thread, but the forum really didn't like that feature yesterday for some reason.

 

I should have said, when I "checked" the CV, I put in a totally different one and it still occurs. I'll have to get the wheels spinning with the wheels in the air at some point, I haven't done a full investigation as snow is just on its way out up here. I do have the automatic transfer case! If the dash lights are to be believed (which I'll confirm in the "investigation" step), the front left engages and puts power down but the front right does not, at least for a minute or two until underway. Once the front right engages, it doesn't go away at stops or if you start and stop the vehicle with it engaged.  Sounds like I'll have to do a bit of digging. 

 

I also forgot to mention in my writeup, when I did the initial power valve screws and associated work, I took every old liquid out of the car and put new liquid + filters in to get a good baseline going forward. Maybe I'll check the transfer case fluid anyway to see if there's anything supremely alarming like metal shavings or something. It isn't expensive.

 

2 hours ago, RainGoat said:

 I can’t quite tell if you have a faded light brown or a faded KY0 bright chrome?

 

Unbelievable that you have a cat that will peacefully ride up there - any car ride has always been a loud yowlfest with any cat I’ve owned.

 

Did you mount the LR9447s? I too have the KYB Excel-G & ARB OME HD up front on my Q. I initially tried the LR9449s but while they rode GREAT, they were just too high. I switched to a very used set of ARB OME MD springs in the rear. That leveled the truck but they’re not quite as robust as the LR springs & occasionally look like they may be a bit droopy in the rear.

 

I’m not sure I 100% follow regarding the ATX14A’s behavior but remember the auto hubs need som forward movement to engage. If I’m ever prepping for snow in the am, I always drive it forward a few feet after engaging either the AWD or 4Hi to be sure the hubs are locked. Obviously you can get around this with manual hubs but only Mile Markers fit through the 6 spoke LE wheel hubs.

 

Faded "Sunlit Sand Metallic"! I kind of don't love it. I much prefer the faded version to what it allegedly was when new. I really don't like BROWN cars. The vaguely off-chrome it is right now is fine, I have no issue with it. 

 

I have LR9447s mounted, yeah. I think they're quite nice as far as ride quality goes. It's maybe about an inch taller out back? Not as much of an imbalance as some of the others posted here. I think when the tent goes on it'll sit closer to level. I went for the 7's as I figured I wouldn't need the extra spring rate for now. Droopy in the rear sounds like the opposite of everyone else's problem! If the OME MD rear ride quality is nice, maybe a cut down spacer out back to get your second R50 closer to level? As I understand its your "lighter duty" one, right?

 

Thanks for the tip RE the ATX14A.  As I said above, I think a bit more investigation is in order before calling this one. As far as I know, it could just be the dash light that's on the fritz at the moment. I've considered manual hubs, but I really  like the look of the stock 03' and 04' LE wheels and am somewhat cautious of the hubs that fit them. 

Edited by Jotegir
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Taste wise I’m with you on brown but I’ve seen some that ended up looking pretty decent when paired with black.

 

Yeah, the Q is my traveler, solo explorer & will take trailering, hauling & winter duty from the Pathy when I get it back home. I’m not 100% sure the rear is sagging & the ride is absolutely fine, I just REALLY liked the LRs. I’m unlikely to bother changing it anytime soon. Also, while i like a little rake, the Q’s headlight aim doesn’t tolerate it well at all.

 

I’m not the right guy for the powertrain issues. Just sharing my tidbit. There are lots more people on here more knowledgeable about that stuff than me. (Though it is possible I’ve logged the most years & miles on the ATX14A).

 

I LOVE the 6 spoke LE wheels. It turns out they look great on the Q too - I expect that’s where they will stay. My only motivator for manual hubs would be to replace CVs easier. I offroad carefully & I’ve never had a problem with the auto hubs or broken a CV. I definitely won’t change out the LE wheels just to put manual hubs on - especially now that they’ll live on the Q. I’m probably sticking with two sets of Toyota wheels for the Pathy. I think the manual hubs [mention=36148]hawairish[/mention] kindly gave me will fit through their hubs - though I haven’t measured.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mile Marker will not fit the 6 spoke LE wheels, Rugged Ridge will though

Thanks for catching that-I keep getting them mixed up. I’ll edit the original so I don’t lead anyone astray.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ah, now I see what you're saying. I found a couple of threads on that issue and as near as they could work out, it was just the cluster acting up. I had a brief look at the service manual to see if maybe it meant something and didn't find much. Troubleshooting for the 4WD warning lights starts on TF-135, but naturally there's no procedure for your symptoms. EL-139 and 147 show what I assume are the wheel lights wired individually to the unified instrument control whatsit, but it of course doesn't mention why. The lights are also wired to the transfer case computer, but they're spliced together on that end, so it can't control them individually. I see no mention of the 4x4 display for the ABS or the traction control.

 

Mechanically, the truck has no way of engaging one wheel at a time even if it wanted to.

 

TL;DR, yeah, it's probably just the cluster acting up. Unless it's making something else freak out, I'd file it under "old electronics doing weird things," like the clock in my dad's Tundra that displays letters in place of numbers sometimes. Why does it say it's 4:3H? Nobody knows!


Don't worry about auto hubs, I don't think the R50s ever came with them. Nissan got that out of their system with the WD21, and good riddance! They were unpredictable and irritating to live with, even when they were working properly. AFAIK all R50s came with drive flanges (perma-locked). I don't think auto hubs and auto mode would play well together.

 

I think my dad's '03 was KX0/bronze. It was very brown. I'm not a big fan of beige, but, yeah, faded out it's actually not that bad. Until you have to match it, anyway!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...