98 Pathfinder front 'halfshaft'?

View and post your Nissan/Datsun project(s)
Post Reply
MtnGoat
Posts: 677
Joined: 28 Aug 2010 16:54
Location: Lyle, WA

98 Pathfinder front 'halfshaft'?

Post by MtnGoat »

Hi folks
haven't ever done much on the wifes Pathfinder or 4x4's in general, at least drive train wise. I was doing her front brakes last weekend, when I pulled the left front tire there was grease all over and it's coming from a split boot on the outer univeral joint on the front left drive axle stub or whatever.

The inner boot on the diff looks fine, the outer one is split. I twisted the shaft a bunch and listened, there is a tiny bit of free play inside the diff which I think is normal but the wheel/hub end of things appears to be tight. Other than the split boot.

So what are the options here...does the entire hub have to come apart on these things to change out that shaft, can I just put a new boot on it, what am I looking at in terms of difficulty? It did not appear that the outer end of the shaft had the bolts to a flange approach like the inner end does. It dissappears into that mysterious 4 wheel drive hub from the inside and messing with that assembly is what i'm afeard of.
datzenmike
Supporter
Posts: 6080
Joined: 24 May 2006 12:40
Location: Van. Isle.

Re: 98 Pathfinder front 'halfshaft'?

Post by datzenmike »

To get at the boot to replace you have to unbolt the differential side of the driveshaft, remove the auto or manual free running hub assy, remove brake caliper and hang out of the way, remove tie rod ball joint, remove nuts holding lower ball joint on LCA, remove upper ball joint nuts, remove shock absorber lower bolt. Carefully lift out driveshaft with attached knuckle. Clamp knuckle in vice and using a wood block hammer the driveshaft inward to remove. Mark both halves of the driveshaft for re-assembly, remove boot bands and slide it off. Better clean that joint thoroughly and repack with CV grease. Tape axle splines before sliding new boot on to protect it.

'90 WD-21 Repair Dust Boot Kit Outer #39241 31G25 about $50 at dealer. Includes new C clip, rubber boot and both clamps and the special CV grease.
"Nissan 'shit the bed' when they made these, plain and simple." McShagger510 on flattop SUs
MtnGoat
Posts: 677
Joined: 28 Aug 2010 16:54
Location: Lyle, WA

Re: 98 Pathfinder front 'halfshaft'?

Post by MtnGoat »

Thanks, that's good info. I took it out for a drive and there is some vibration up there so I decided to just replace the entire works. They're not bad, 60 bucks or so. She's got 240k miles on the darned thing so why not just replace it.
User avatar
thisismatt
Supporter
Posts: 3438
Joined: 22 Jul 2006 18:12
Location: Santa Barbara, CA

Re: 98 Pathfinder front 'halfshaft'?

Post by thisismatt »

Just don't get a remanufactured axle if they're anything like the ones for my Honduh. Total garbage. I'm on my 2nd replacement and it needs to be replaced again.
I'm your huckleberry.
datzenmike
Supporter
Posts: 6080
Joined: 24 May 2006 12:40
Location: Van. Isle.

Re: 98 Pathfinder front 'halfshaft'?

Post by datzenmike »

Dealer ones are over $500! .... and you still have to take it apart to swap it, so a kit would be better if the joint isn't damaged from dirt getting in.
"Nissan 'shit the bed' when they made these, plain and simple." McShagger510 on flattop SUs
MtnGoat
Posts: 677
Joined: 28 Aug 2010 16:54
Location: Lyle, WA

Re: 98 Pathfinder front 'halfshaft'?

Post by MtnGoat »

well that car is going soon so I just got the 89 dollar whatever. They had em at rock auto somewhat cheaper for the same one, but these things are heavy and shipping boosted it right back to parity with just picking on up locally. With no sales tax in Oregon, that's not bad.

So, tonight or tomorrow night I'll have a go. Are there any DO NOT DO THIS mistakes I need to avoid? I've done some noodling about on the interweb and heard someone moaning that they'd moved a spider gear or something by accident, and I think they couldn't get the diff side splines back in. Didn't make much sense to me.

So basically from what I gather the hub assy is not that mysterious as long as you don't take it apart, you undo a circlip and a bolt or two and basically work it until the shaft slides out from behind it. I'm also getting that you do not need to remove as much stuff as the shop manual says, you can undo enough to get the hub assy to move away from the shaft and leave it at that, assuming you take care about the brake line or just undo the calipers, no big deal.

any special tools I need. Time estimates? I have a pretty fair set of tools and shop space, I won't be crouching in the parking lot of an apartment building in the rain. I'm figuring I"ll hit everything that looks likely with some penetrating oil the instant I get the wheel off, make sure I have a couple scraps of 2x4 in case I need some buffered pounding to loosen something.
MtnGoat
Posts: 677
Joined: 28 Aug 2010 16:54
Location: Lyle, WA

Re: 98 Pathfinder front 'halfshaft'?

Post by MtnGoat »

Did it last night, took about two hours. I just undid the ball joint from the A arm and unbolted the hub from the strut, after removing the calipers. The hub is extremely heavy. Go figure.

Luckily the axle shaft came right out of the hub and i had no problems putting it all back other than fighting the heavy hub assembly...and that stupid circlip.
Post Reply