caR50 Overland Rebuild

[system-f]

The alternator is a Amptech small case saddle mount with the Stealth regulator. Not cheap by any stretch. The regulator alone is almost $200, but the manufacturer says I can weld directly off the alternator and 2000 engine rpm I am at 125amp. If you order an alternator you need the black adjusters that mount the top of the case to the engine.

The stealth regulator also has adjustable charging voltage which really helped me to set the charging voltage to what the battery manufacturer specifies.

 

[rgallant]

Thanks I am looking at putting a dual battery system in an my alternator is pretty old, so as might well go better.

 

[system-f]

Thanks I am looking at putting a dual battery system in an my alternator is pretty old, so as might well go better.

The Stealth regulator has the ability to charge two independent isolated battery banks, but I just plan on using a marine voltage sensitive relay

The caR50 is back on the road with its "new" transmission and of course I still have an oil leak coming from the rear seal area! Oh well, maybe the oil pan gasket.

I won't be doing anything major for the next couple of weeks because I have to start getting in shape for some upcoming cycling events. The next on the list is regear, new rear axle bearings and possibly a front locker.

 

[Silver dude]

Thanks for your earlier tips on fitting old Pathfinder transmissions. I wound up with a Xterra trans stuffed with the one tooth deeper Pathfinder overdrive gears. Dropped my rpms and improved my MPG'S on the highway. What are you planning to regear to?

 

[system-f]

I have a 4.9 3rd member in the garage and will need to get 4.88's for the front, but probably not before the trip at the end of this month. Another easy and awesome thing about the transmissions: You can take the front case off the later style transmission with the Crank Pos. sensor hole and put it on the older transmission.

Here are some updates to my mess. Closing in on our North Rim G.C. trip at the end of this month.

I have begun testing with my RTT actually on my roof instead of the trailer. Ladder extension will be required. Also, new LED lights.

Blurry shot of the dual battery system. I cleaned up a lot of the wires and had to relocate the cruise control again.

The voltage sensitive relay that connects and disconnects the two batteries can be seen in the background behind the battery. The Alt and starter are hooked to the battery towards the firewall and it is considered the primary. This is the battery the voltage sensitive relay "looks" at to determine when it closes once 13.2 volts is reached. Everything else is hooked to the battery closer to the radiator considered the secondary battery. As long the secondary battery has enough juice to run the ECM and fuel pump the vehicle will start. One little rant about batteries. It is impossible to find a REAL deep cycle (see Trojan Lifeline, etc) battery. The secondary battery was very cheap so I purchased it for testing, but I am considering replacing it before my trip with a REAL deep cycle battery that can handle the occasional 50% discharge without a huge impact on the battery's lifespan. See Trojan 24TMX .

Running water is one of those awesome things to have while in arid climates. I had the space under the rear area so I added a 10gallon water tank.

The overhand is only 2" below the bumper and should be up and out of the way. I still need to do some heat shielding back here and organizing of the water lines. The tank has already been indispensable after mountain biking or washing model airplane fuel off my hands after a day at the model airplane field.

Far from the prettiest fixture, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder and my eyes behold function leading to unspeakable beauty. I still need to get this rotated so the handle isn't pointed down when off. I debated going through the bumper with the pipe, but the bumper is air-tight and didn't want to deal with sealing up the leaks so I welded it to the bottom of the bumper next to a brace. The threads on the valve are standard water hose threads so a hose can be made for washing.

 

[system-f]

I have 261k on the vehicle and everything in the drivetrain has been rebuilt 20k ago except the rear wheel bearings. I have the FSM, but there is little information online about the H233B 33 spline rear wheel bearings. Please note the 31 spline axle has a different wheel bearing setup.

It turns out I have a spare axle that has been in my backyard for several years so I figured I would tear it down and build any tools I need to do the wheel bearings. As a backup my machine shop said they can do these just in case I get stuck. For overlanding, the 33 spline H233b is an amazingly stout axle.

First we have to press the axle out of the bearing housing. To do this I cut my spare axle housing in half and built a tool out of a piece of the axle that hangs in the press.

Now the brake backing plate comes off and we are left with a huge bearing race stuck inside the bearing housing. There is no way to press out the bearing race because it is set up against a lip in the bearing house. What to do now?

We will use heat in the form of welding so that when it cools we hope it will contract and pull the bearing race away from the housing. The big fat welds also give us somthing to beat against with a hammer and chisel. The test is now almost complete. I still have an inner bearing race stuck on the axle shaft, but this should easily come off with some heat. I have one more axle assembly left I may take apart before moving on to "production" and I still have to build two tools to use to press the bearings back in. The tools will probably be fabricated from the old inner and outer races, but made so they are no longer a press fit.

I do have to question one thing about Nissan's design of this axle. The wheel bearing is sealed and there are inner and outer seals to keep axle oil out. Why not just remove the inner seal and make a oil drain pathway back to the pumpkin? Now the bearing is no longer running its limited supply of grease and is lubricated + cooled by axle oil. Oh well, the engineers that designed this are far smarter than me, so we will stick with their plan.

 

[Hawairish]

Now the brake backing plate comes off and we are left with a huge bearing race stuck inside the bearing housing. There is no way to press out the bearing race because it is set up against a lip in the bearing house. What to do now?

When the axle shaft is pressed out, you're left with a loose bearing and one bearing still on the shaft with the grease seal. I put the loose bearing on the other side of the race and used it to press the race out of the bearing cap. I did this to 6 axle shafts just the other week without issue. (Yes, six H233B axle shafts, one set each WD21, D22, and R50). The race comes in handy for re-assembly, too, and the bearing again useful on the ABS tone ring.

And the 31-spline bearings are actually very similar to the 33-spline ones. In fact, the only difference is the ID of the bearings. Same height (38mm), same OD (80mm), different ID (40mm vs 42mm), if memory serves. For the 3 sets I have, even all the bearing caps are identical.

 

[system-f]

I stand corrected, I looked up a 95 pathfinder's axle bearing and it is a double tapered design like the later 33 spline model. I think the video I was watching was off a 2wd, maybe an H190? Great idea on using the bearing press against the outer race, in my defense my welder is very close and ready to go and my cheap press is a pain to reconfigure. How do you get the tone ring off without destroying it and without a massive two jaw puller? I assume you work at a shop doing that many bearings, wonder what is killing them. Mine had 260k and were in great condition with heavy use.

 

[Hawairish]

Nope, I don't work at a shop. Just been working on some R50 projects involving 31-spline shafts, mechanical lockers, disc brakes, and the need to pull a bunch of bearings. The costs of having a shop pull one set of bearings exceeded the cost of a HF floor press, so I bought a press. All the parts I listed from those trucks are interchangeable to some degree, so it's very possible to do one or both modifications. But all the bearings were fine, just needed to be removed to swap parts around. And yes, the H190 is a single-cone bearing; H233B is dual-cone.

I didn't have much problem removing the tone rings in general, but I wasn't able to do it without putting small nicks on some of the teeth. Nothing that couldn't be smoothed with a file, or would affect tone readout. I used a bearing splitter, but only closed it up enough to rest on the backside of the tone ring teeth, not to actually split anything. The splitters have holes in them for bolts, so I had a way to secure them to the press apron. I had some other ideas on how to do it without damaging them, but I didn't really have the means to make the right tool. Worst-case scenario I would just buy some new ones, but didn't end up being a problem. NissanNut had some pics of using a hammer and crowbar to tap them off, but I tried that and gave up pretty quickly...they don't just pop off.

 

[system-f]

Heat didn't work very well either, i didn't try too much as I wasn't sure if this would affect the magnetic quality of the tone ring.... In any case, no need for abs on mine so the tone rings are gone. If you are trying to get 31 spline discs on a 33 spline, I believe Chris (ONLYONEDR) on Nissan4wheelers figured it out. If you are trying to get some other kind of disc on the 33 spline...heck yeah!

caR50 is up for sale, tons of parts http://dallas.craigslist.org/******/cto/5895150500.html

 

[Hawairish]

If you are trying to get 31 spline discs on a 33 spline, I believe Chris (ONLYONEDR) on Nissan4wheelers figured it out. If you are trying to get some other kind of disc on the 33 spline...heck yeah!

31-spline swap...check. http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/topic/42436-31-spline-swap-or-how-to-install-a-rear-mechanical-locker-in-the-r50/ Yup, I chatted with Chris a couple times to get some info, but also did some additional research for the fitment of Patrol lockers. Didn't install it on my truck, but did do a full mock-up on my spare axle. Another member has the project in-hand, awaiting install.

WD21 rear disc brake swap...check. http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/topic/42563-how-to-r50-rear-disc-brake-conversion/

On a side note, I believe I'm running your old front ARB now. Paired it with a TJM the other week.

Good luck with the sale...what's the next project?

 

[system-f]

I have a 2017 Taco 6psd Manual TRD offroad on order. Our last adventure to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon showed me what I really need offroad and it is time to pass the caR50 off to someone who wants to use it for more hardcore off-roading and will appreciate the warehouse full of extra parts. I am currently in discussion with a member on this site and I am hoping they purchase it but we will see.

 

[Hawairish]

That'll be awesome!

 

[muddfildvaynes]

See you Sunday to pick it up

 

[Hawairish]

Ooooh....is this Trailfinder V3??