My 2001 Pathfinder (R50 ) mild/budget build
- Thread starter stioc
- Start date
mortonm
Expedition Leader
sounds more like its loaded down with bull$hit :26_7_2:
my 3.3 aint the prettiest girl at the ball, but she can dance :sombrero:
stioc
Expedition Leader
:sombrero:
From what I've seen the 3.3s are bulletproof and just keep going. The mileage on some like Co-opski's Fronty is pretty impressive. I'm at 133k miles and am hoping I can get 200k out of my VQ+transmission. A colleague at work has 2001 LE (I also gave him my take off Open Country tires) with the 3.3L, he doesn't take care of the truck at all- once a year oil changes etc. He's got 180k on it and he bought it brand new.
From what I've seen the 3.3s are bulletproof and just keep going. The mileage on some like Co-opski's Fronty is pretty impressive. I'm at 133k miles and am hoping I can get 200k out of my VQ+transmission. A colleague at work has 2001 LE (I also gave him my take off Open Country tires) with the 3.3L, he doesn't take care of the truck at all- once a year oil changes etc. He's got 180k on it and he bought it brand new.
mortonm
Expedition Leader
yeah no complaints from my end, could use more power and better fuel economy but who couldn't
I am just about to run up 120,000 miles shortly, engine still pulls strong, although I need to replace my exhaust sooner than later. I do oil changes around 4000-5000 miles and just run it. I have a small rear main seal leak but its pretty small, I can see the oil on the cross member but I cant notice it on the dipstick.
stioc
Expedition Leader
120k is pretty low mileage and with proper care will last another 100k easily.
BTW, for all you Nissan owners, check these out: http://www.courtesyparts.com/windshield-sunshades-c-5892.html I recently got one for my Pathy and for $25 I'm very happy with the custom fit and even the quality of the sunshade over the $10 AutoZone-one-size-fits-all special which never fits right and is cumbersome to use.
BTW, for all you Nissan owners, check these out: http://www.courtesyparts.com/windshield-sunshades-c-5892.html I recently got one for my Pathy and for $25 I'm very happy with the custom fit and even the quality of the sunshade over the $10 AutoZone-one-size-fits-all special which never fits right and is cumbersome to use.
Co-opski
Expedition Leader
Don't say that give him 200k easy. You're putting him at 220k and I'm one oil change away from that. I think I'm do for some rear wheel bearings now.. Thanks for the link on the shade, we are going into the darkness quickly but I like putting something up to keep the cabin out of sight at trailheads. We get some smash and grab thiefs around here.
Allof75
Pathfinder
Hahahahaha Truer statements could not be uttered :sombrero: And this is from a VQ guy. It is a nice motor, but I'd still like more power :smiley_drive: And a transmission that actually acts like it'll make even 150k.... I digress.
Stioc, in the looks department, frankly I don't like the BFGs. But I am really happy to hear the improvement in street performance from them. I'm very interested in their off road performance, I may be able to convert if they really are that good.
stioc
Expedition Leader
Drove the truck this weekend running errands etc and I'm loving the on-road feel and handling. I really liked my Duratracs for their off-road grip and cool looks but I had no idea what I was missing in the on-road performance. As for the off-road performance that remains to be seen but honestly I've seen several BFG ATs first hand used off-road that I'm pretty sure they will do just fine.
I ordered a few more things for the truck this weekend: interior (map/dome/cargo) and backup LED lighting and also more parts for the radiator swap (all new hoses, clamps etc). I've been avoiding doing the work (after-all why mess with something that's not broken?) but I do believe the radiator is not working as effectively as it could. With my Moab trip coming up in Oct I want to freshen up the cooling system a bit knowing it did have an issue in Death Valley which mysteriously resolved itself.
I ordered a few more things for the truck this weekend: interior (map/dome/cargo) and backup LED lighting and also more parts for the radiator swap (all new hoses, clamps etc). I've been avoiding doing the work (after-all why mess with something that's not broken?) but I do believe the radiator is not working as effectively as it could. With my Moab trip coming up in Oct I want to freshen up the cooling system a bit knowing it did have an issue in Death Valley which mysteriously resolved itself.
Allof75
Pathfinder
Where'd you source your interior lights? I'm just about to cut a deal with a guy on Craigslist, but have to sell some Cadillac hubcaps... long story short, I'm in the market too :sombrero:
crismateski
American Adventurist
cool white seems brighter because of glare, it is not more useable light. Look for something in a 4000 kelvin range, and let me know what you are looking a before you buy anything. I do LED for a living, I might have some leftovers that will work. Send me a PM
stioc
Expedition Leader
Thanks Cris! I figured lumens is lumens and the color temp is color temp but perception is reality :coffeedrink:
I prefer a warmer color but since the interior of my truck is dark the yellow glow seemed a bit dim. Unfortunately, I already ordered the bulbs but I'll reach out to you next time!
I prefer a warmer color but since the interior of my truck is dark the yellow glow seemed a bit dim. Unfortunately, I already ordered the bulbs but I'll reach out to you next time!
crismateski
American Adventurist
in general, warm white is around 3200 kelvin (incandescent) and cool white is 5600-6500 depending on company.
stioc
Expedition Leader
This weekend I didn't do anything other than working on the Pathy :Mechanic:
I got the LED lights; map, dome, cargo and backup lights. As Cris said the white light definitely creates more glare than the yellow llights, looks brighter if you look at the bulb directly but doesn't really add more light. From that aspect it was $40 down the drain. However, they're LED lights and the main reason I got them was for their much lower power consumption. The rear facing aux LED light I have creates 10 times more light than the backup bulbs ever could but there are times when the tail gate is up and I need the light directly behind the truck. I can now be more relaxed about leaving the cargo and backup lights while unloading and setting up camp at night.
Next up was trying 1.25" spacers in the rear so the 32" tires don't destroy the flares again, the difference was hardly noticeable visually but based on some initial testing hey will do the trick.
Then it was on to a small project I had floating around in my head for a while...carrying the hi-lift on the front bumper.
Finally, it was time to tackle the cooling system refresh...it was the white elephant in the room. I just didn't feel like messing with it but I could no longer put it off due to our Moab trip coming up. The refresh included a new Koyo radiator, Nissan coolant, OEM cap, all OEM hoses and new spring clips and a new thermostat+housing. Upon inspection I also found the fan blades have a couple of cracks in it which I'll need to address as the blades can explode and fubar the radiator. This was a messy job that took all day. The first time I started up the truck the temp readings shot up to 225F! ouch! but turned out lots of air bubbles despite the bleeding...this is one reason I didn't want to mess with it. After having done this job on just about every car I've owned in the last 15 years I had the same problem, and like the previous times it just took more bleeding to fix it. The temps are now about 8-10 degres cooler than before throughout the range. Not sure if it's because of the old radiator, the cap, the thermostat or the new coolant...but whatever it is I'm happy!
I got the LED lights; map, dome, cargo and backup lights. As Cris said the white light definitely creates more glare than the yellow llights, looks brighter if you look at the bulb directly but doesn't really add more light. From that aspect it was $40 down the drain. However, they're LED lights and the main reason I got them was for their much lower power consumption. The rear facing aux LED light I have creates 10 times more light than the backup bulbs ever could but there are times when the tail gate is up and I need the light directly behind the truck. I can now be more relaxed about leaving the cargo and backup lights while unloading and setting up camp at night.
Next up was trying 1.25" spacers in the rear so the 32" tires don't destroy the flares again, the difference was hardly noticeable visually but based on some initial testing hey will do the trick.
Then it was on to a small project I had floating around in my head for a while...carrying the hi-lift on the front bumper.
Finally, it was time to tackle the cooling system refresh...it was the white elephant in the room. I just didn't feel like messing with it but I could no longer put it off due to our Moab trip coming up. The refresh included a new Koyo radiator, Nissan coolant, OEM cap, all OEM hoses and new spring clips and a new thermostat+housing. Upon inspection I also found the fan blades have a couple of cracks in it which I'll need to address as the blades can explode and fubar the radiator. This was a messy job that took all day. The first time I started up the truck the temp readings shot up to 225F! ouch! but turned out lots of air bubbles despite the bleeding...this is one reason I didn't want to mess with it. After having done this job on just about every car I've owned in the last 15 years I had the same problem, and like the previous times it just took more bleeding to fix it. The temps are now about 8-10 degres cooler than before throughout the range. Not sure if it's because of the old radiator, the cap, the thermostat or the new coolant...but whatever it is I'm happy!
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