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Planning 4WD conversion, Questions


rodskaeg
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I don't know for certain, but I don't think you'd need a new TCM. The manual transfer case is really simple. I don't even think it'd be necessary for you to hook up the 4x4 indicator wires on the instrument cluster, as the TX10 doesn't have any electrical sensors or anything like that. You may need a longer wiring harness for the VSS, since the VSS on a 4x4 is located on the side of the TX10. I don't know where it is on a 2WD.

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@rodskaeg What year truck is yours?  If you have the 3.3L, the VSS is located on the t-case as XPLORx4 mentioned, but for the 3.5L, it's on the transmission (technically, on the tail housing).

 

Wiring wise, I agree that a TCM wouldn't be needed.  Aside from the engine-dependent VSS, the TX10 just has a Neutral switch and 4wd switch.  Both could be omitted, or you could add an indicator somewhere in the cabin for 4wd if needed (neutral switch is more of a safety signal so you don't leave the case in neutral and the transmission in Park where the truck could still roll; turns on an "ATP" cluster bulb).  You may even want to check if the truck was pre-wired; check under the chassis under the passenger side by the muffler for open harnesses.  Doubt it was, but it's a quick look.

 

Saw your other reply, too.  Seems like you've got the right understanding of what's needed.  My only thought about swapping the transmission output shaft and tail housing is that it'd be far simpler to just grab the whole transmission and t-case combination, as opposed to tearing down two transmissions and everything that entails.  It might cost more, but the right unit might save significantly more time and effort and would include practically everything, including the shifter, linkage, and shifter 'gate' bracket, etc.  You'd need both driveshafts, and the entire front drivetrain.  Crossmember should be the same, but you'd need to confirm for you model year.

 

Lastly, there's interchange between VG- (3.0L/3.3L) and VQ-equipped transfer cases...they all fit to the tail housing, but there are subtle differences that require you to use an R50 linkage AND the R50 t-case arm.  For instance, I have t-case from an 02 Xterra 5MT on my 04 AT.  The front bearing cover has a lip that I grinded off, but the Xterra linkage and arm prevented me from putting the case in 2H.  Not sure if this is VG/VQ related, but something to keep in mind.

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Firstly, thank you guys for replying, your feed back is wholly appreciated.

On 11/7/2022 at 10:57 PM, hawairish said:

 What year truck is yours? 

My truck is a 2001 VQ3.5 SE, 

On 11/7/2022 at 10:57 PM, hawairish said:

engine-dependent VSS

I plan to take a tx10 from the same year R50 as mine, there's several in junkyards in my location so this shouldn't be an issue , I also verified and you are correct the VSS is on the tail shaft housing, there is one video I saw online of someone converting the same transmission from a RWD model for replacing on a 4WD, so I don't think there will be any issues regarding this.

On 11/7/2022 at 10:57 PM, hawairish said:

Neutral switch and 4wd switch

I'm probably just going to swap the whole gauge cluster with one from a 4x4 and figure out the wiring for those from there, my gauges are tired for some reason so I've been meaning to replace it anyway, 

 

On 11/7/2022 at 10:57 PM, hawairish said:

check if the truck was pre-wired

I'll take a look,

 

On 11/7/2022 at 10:57 PM, hawairish said:

thought about swapping the transmission output shaft

I agree with what you are saying here, only thing is that my transmission is really low mileage, I have just about 70k miles on the odometer, so i'd much rather stick with it. I also daily it, so reliability is important and I'm not comfortable swapping it with a junkyard transmission. Plus I'd also like to get a bit of experience working with transmissions and this is my opportunity to do so.

 

On 11/7/2022 at 10:57 PM, hawairish said:

interchange between VG- (3.0L/3.3L) and VQ-equipped transfer cases

Thanks for the tip

 

I'll be making a post sometime in the next 8 months once I get around to working on this project, in the meantime if you guys have any other useful info I'd appreciate it if you'd shoot it my way, 

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On 11/7/2022 at 7:57 PM, hawairish said:

Lastly, there's interchange between VG- (3.0L/3.3L) and VQ-equipped transfer cases...they all fit to the tail housing, but there are subtle differences that require you to use an R50 linkage AND the R50 t-case arm.  For instance, I have t-case from an 02 Xterra 5MT on my 04 AT.  The front bearing cover has a lip that I grinded off, but the Xterra linkage and arm prevented me from putting the case in 2H.  Not sure if this is VG/VQ related, but something to keep in mind.

 

Auto/manual, not VG/VQ. Transfer cases used with manual transmissions came with the lip. I'm not sure why. There's also an early and a late variant, which I did some digging into a while back, because it was a rabbit hole and I have a weakness for those. 

But, yeah, grabbing the transfer from a 4x4 R50 of the same or similar year is exactly what I would do.


Make sure your new front diff matches your rear. Looks like the 2WD trucks had the 4.3 ratio. If you're planning to run larger tires, this would be a great time to consider a 4.6 swap.


Good luck with the conversion! Let us know how it goes.

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@rodskaeg If you've got an AT with that low of miles, I can understand keeping it.  Hopefully it's as simple as changing the output shaft and tail housing.

You probably wouldn't even need a new gauge cluster.  I'd expect that the cluster still has provisions for the 4WD light, though you might just need a bulb and some donor pins to add to your harness (if not pre-wired).  You should get familiar with the Factory Service Manuals if you haven't already (https://www.nicoclub.com/nissan-service-manuals).  The Electrical System will have the diagrams and pinouts for the "meters and gauges".

 

@Slartibartfast I did mean to term it with the VG/VQ interchange, but specifically to confirm that you can put a t-case from an AT or MT VG truck into a VQ truck (well, specifically a 01-04 R50 Pathfinders).  But in that sense, it also confirms the MT-->AT compatibility if you grind the lip down.  I presume the lip exists on MTs to cup some gear oil for seal lubrication, and I presume gear oil is present because the MT trucks require a liquid gasket on the mating surface.  No liquid gasket needed on AT trucks because it's double-sealed; one seal on the transmission side, another on the t-case side (both end up on the main gear).  This is setup is why the lip doesn't exist on the AT case, and why it needs to be ground down if using an MT case on an AT truck...it'll contact the transmission seal.

 

On a related note, I highly recommend crawler gears!  That's why this MT Xterra case came into the picture; I installed 4:1 (3.97:1) gears into it, along with a tapped output shaft for running a slip-yoke eliminator.  I'm more familiar with this front cover than I'd like to be because I eventually needed to mill <1mm off the backside to address a binding issue, but a shakedown trip to Moab confirmed how awesome they are.

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@hawairish

I got a quick question, do you know if it's possible to swap out rear axles from a WD21 1994/95 pathfinder? From what I understand I could either swap axles shafts and 3rd member, or just take the whole axle? Am I saying that right or am I missing something, I'm looking to get the LSD from a WD21 to replace the Open diff. Although I'd much rather just swap the axle shafts and 3rd member than swapping the entire axle if that's possible.

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1 hour ago, rodskaeg said:

@hawairish

I got a quick question, do you know if it's possible to swap out rear axles from a WD21 1994/95 pathfinder? From what I understand I could either swap axles shafts and 3rd member, or just take the whole axle? Am I saying that right or am I missing something, I'm looking to get the LSD from a WD21 to replace the Open diff. Although I'd much rather just swap the axle shafts and 3rd member than swapping the entire axle if that's possible.

 

Wouldn't be viable.  The WD21 axle is 4" narrower than yours, so if the goal was to get an older LSD because of the higher break-away torques (presuming the LSD wasn't worn), you'd have to do a 31-spline axle shaft swap, which I've documented here on the forum somewhere.  Not worth it.

 

Otherwise, easiest route is an LSD from a 00-04 D22 Frontier, 00-04 WD22 Xterra, or any R50 since they'll all match your axle shafts.  The numbers aren't great, but if you can acquire pieces, they can be built up and I've documented that around here too.  This would also be a good time to go to 4.63 gears if you've 4.36 and plan to put larger tires on later on.

Edited by hawairish
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I agree that if you're doing the 4wd conversion with a TX10, you'll definitely want to install t-case crawler gears and a 4.63 final drive ratio. I have had 4x4parts' 3.7:1 crawler gears in my Pathfinder since 2006, and I cannot imagine having to go back to the stock 2.02:1. It transformed the way I drive in 4LO and significantly reduced my frustration with the lack of torque going over obstacles, especially at high altitudes.

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