Hello, everyone! I am new to this forum, but I have a '97 Pathfinder. It needs new brakes all around, including brake lines, and maybe a master cylinder replacement. I was just curious about whether or not they made rear rotors for this generation. It would be wonderful not to have to service the drums. they're a nightmare! Thanks for viewing!

I've seen a few threads pop up over the years from people looking for a big brake upgrade and/or rear disc swap, and the general consensus has always been no. No one makes anything like that for us, and there aren't any donor cars we can swap from (as far as anyone's aware). The Pathfinder/QX4's stable mates all used drum brakes as well, so it'd require custom fabrication at minimum to swap in something that did have discs.

If you do end up hearing about anything like that, though, let us know. It'd be big news for a lot of people here!

damn, that's a letdown. I will mos definitely be keeping my eyes and ears open for that, though, and will definitely let everyone know! I guess i'll just try my best to service the drums myself lol. I'm an aspiring mechanic, so it should be a fun challenge! Thanks for the reply, friend!

You got it!

Drums aren't too bad once you get the feel for how they work and how they go together, fortunately. Just do yourself a favor and snap some pictures of it assembled before you start pulling them apart. You will refer to them I never got the hang of adjusting them, though, so I just leave that up to a shop.

The other good news is that unless someone was driving with the handbrake pulled, they probably won't be worn down enough to need to be replaced, so they probably just need to be lubed and adjusted. Lubing is easy, you just pull the shoe toward you and put some grease on the 2 or 3 points that they contact the rear plate. Though while you have the drum off, you might as well scuff up the inside of the drum to remove any glaze.

Post back if you have any problems!

I'm a little older than most of you guys on here, so I've serviced drum brakes for a long time.
They are dead easy, and I'd rather work on those than seized calipers or shot rotors and pads.
Drum shoes also last a lot longer than disc pads and rotors.
I have yet to replace the drums or shoes on my 2002 Pathfinder. I just clean them up, adjust them, and they're good to go.
One piece of advice: if you intend to pull the shoes off, buy the proper tool for removing and installing the springs.
Screwdrivers and long nose pliers are a recipe for disaster, and lost fingers.

I agree with Buzz that they're less of a pain than seized calipers.

The drums on my 2002 Pathfinder were the first I ever tackled. The first one took me about four hours. The second took only about one hour. In all fairness, however, the first was caked with mud and brake fluid due to a bad cylinder, and required a lot of cleaning.

They're really not that bad at all. Some scumbag customer at the auto parts store scoffed at me when I told the clerk (not the customer) that I would be attempting to overhaul my drums. How are you ever supposed to learn anything if you don't take the plunge?

I had a tub drain dumbbell wrench handy, and it was perfect for removing and installing the springs. I used needle nose pliers and channel locks for the springs. The Haynes manual has a good drawing and outline that explains adjustment.

The job wasn't exactly easy, but like others said, once you get the hang of it, it's not a big deal.

Buzzman wrote:I'm a little older than most of you guys on here, so I've serviced drum brakes for a long time.
They are dead easy, and I'd rather work on those than seized calipers or shot rotors and pads.
Drum shoes also last a lot longer than disc pads and rotors.
I have yet to replace the drums or shoes on my 2002 Pathfinder. I just clean them up, adjust them, and they're good to go.
One piece of advice: if you intend to pull the shoes off, buy the proper tool for removing and installing the springs.
Screwdrivers and long nose pliers are a recipe for disaster, and lost fingers.

+1. Drums are super easy with longer life.

Disc swap is doable, parts are little tougher to find: http://nissannut.com/projects/H233b_disc_brakes/. Not something I'd bother with.

***UPDATE***


Instead of worrying about the brakes themselves, me and a friend of mine actually replaced the part of the brake line that had been leaking previously. Afterwards, we bled them as you should, and to our shock the brake pedal was still soft and going all the way to the floor. We made sure that there were no other leaks from the lines, and there were none. What could the issue possibly be? We had in mind that it was either the booster or master cylinder.

How long did you try bleeding them for? What wheel did you start with? Do you have the proportioning valve?

I've done this twice in the past month, three times in the past nine for various projects (installing extended brake lines, two LSD swaps). There's a lull between "some bubbles" and "more bubbles", so you just have to keep going a little longer. It doesn't hurt to flush out some of the extra fluid, just keep an eye on the reservoir.

I was told by someone, not on the forum, but I can't remember who, that an Xterra rear end had disc brakes and would fit my Qx4. Possibly the entire rear axel swap. I've not had time to do much research on the topic yet, but I also plan to get rid of the drums in the near future, but its not part of my current project. I can't imagine why anyone would want to keep drums around, sure they have a few advantages, but brake power and safety aren't among them. So I plan to ditch them as soon as I can get my information together.

Silverhorn wrote:I was told by someone, not on the forum, but I can't remember who, that an Xterra rear end had disc brakes and would fit my Qx4. Possibly the entire rear axel swap. I've not had time to do much research on the topic yet, but I also plan to get rid of the drums in the near future, but its not part of my current project. I can't imagine why anyone would want to keep drums around, sure they have a few advantages, but brake power and safety aren't among them. So I plan to ditch them as soon as I can get my information together.

No Xterra, Hardbody, or Frontier had disc brakes. If it does, the axle isn't an H233B (H190 and C200 axles from those models didn't have discs either, btw.). Axle swap? Completely different suspensions (leaf-sprung vs. coil-sprung) than an R50/QX4.

As before, you can get older 88-95 WD21 discs parts (if you can find them) and swap them on with some work.
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/nissan/8 ... rsion.html

Drum brakes aren't safe? The same drums brakes found on all generations of 720s, Hardbodies, Pathfinders, Frontiers, Xterras, and Titans? Not for a moment in 15+ years of owning Nissan trucks has the safety of drums crossed my mind until now.

Front brakes do most of the braking anyway.

Triplesix, I've bled brakes in other cars before and can say that these lines are notoriously difficult to bleed. The only method that worked for me was the "down-up" brake pedal method with an attendant, and only by holding the jar of brake fluid ABOVE the bleeder valve. My pedal still feels a little spongier than in other cars, but braking power does not seem to be affected, and the ABS functions normally.

My safety concerns are these:

I go off-roading a lot. I plan to do so even more. Drum brakes collect "stuff" namely, water (rivers) and in my case also oil. Disc brakes have nearly 100% stopping power immediately after becoming wet, drums are almost ineffective when soaked. My rear axle is slowly leaking oil, and the amazing drums are collecting that leak and are "wet". The interesting point here is that wouldn't even be a factor with a rotor. We haven't even mentioned the heat factor. Rotors hold heat, and heat kills brakes. Just the heat factor alone makes them not as efficient, or last as long. Also calipers/rotors are self adjusting and require next to no maintenance while shoes do. Requiring maintenance is a safety issue to me. Few if no one is always up to date or ahead of their maintenance. Also, no one can deny that drums aren't as effective at sheer braking power. And as I add close to 1500 lbs (prob 500 lbs off road equipment, 1000 passengers/luggage) to my vehicle braking ability matters to me.

Car companies put them in because they are cheaper and lighter, not because they are better. You don't have to agree with me, but I plan to get rid of mine asap.

Looked into the Xterra, looks like you are right, same set up as pathy/qx4. Guess it won't be as easy as I had hoped.

One possible avenue worth looking into is the E51 generation of the Nissan Elgrand. It shared our engine and most of the suspension components. I think the rear axle wouldn't be a straight swap, but the splines in the axle might be compatible so maybe you could pull the shafts and use those. I couldn't find anything definitive in my perusing, but you may have more luck!

rgk wrote:Front brakes do most of the braking anyway.

Triplesix, I've bled brakes in other cars before and can say that these lines are notoriously difficult to bleed. The only method that worked for me was the "down-up" brake pedal method with an attendant, and only by holding the jar of brake fluid ABOVE the bleeder valve. My pedal still feels a little spongier than in other cars, but braking power does not seem to be affected, and the ABS functions normally.

There's nothing difficult, different, or magical about bleeding these brakes. If you're ending up with spongier brakes, then there's still air in the system. Not sure what your down-up method is, but if you're opening the bleeder valve when the pedal is firm (after a few pumps to prime it) and being fully depressed and held, and then closing the valve before your helper releases the brake pedal up, then no air gets back into the system, and it doesn't matter if the catch bottle is above or below. My brake pedal is rock solid and responsive, and I'm the guy who last bled the brakes.

Silverhorn wrote:My safety concerns are these:

I go off-roading a lot. I plan to do so even more. Drum brakes collect "stuff" namely, water (rivers) and in my case also oil. Disc brakes have nearly 100% stopping power immediately after becoming wet, drums are almost ineffective when soaked. My rear axle is slowly leaking oil, and the amazing drums are collecting that leak and are "wet". The interesting point here is that wouldn't even be a factor with a rotor. We haven't even mentioned the heat factor. Rotors hold heat, and heat kills brakes. Just the heat factor alone makes them not as efficient, or last as long. Also calipers/rotors are self adjusting and require next to no maintenance while shoes do. Requiring maintenance is a safety issue to me. Few if no one is always up to date or ahead of their maintenance. Also, no one can deny that drums aren't as effective at sheer braking power. And as I add close to 1500 lbs (prob 500 lbs off road equipment, 1000 passengers/luggage) to my vehicle braking ability matters to me.

Car companies put them in because they are cheaper and lighter, not because they are better. You don't have to agree with me, but I plan to get rid of mine asap.

Looked into the Xterra, looks like you are right, same set up as pathy/qx4. Guess it won't be as easy as I had hoped.

Your safety concerns are self-introduced and based on hearsay, not experience.

First off, drums don't hold water. Water may pool temporarily because you've drowned them, but they drain very quickly. It is not a sealed; there's a gap around the entire perimeter of the drum that water is viscous enough to drain from. The backing plate has a lip to keep debris out. If you have debris inside (like mud), it's because you were in muddy water. If you're needing immediate braking response through axle-high water, you're going way too fast than is safe, logical, or intelligent. Are you slamming on your brakes in a lake or something? And the friction between shoe and drum is no different than pad and rotor, both susceptible to moisture. They are generally composed of the same material, both generate heat, and both will quickly steam off any remnant moisture under braking (unless you're braking in a lake).

Second, a leak is a leak. Fix it. It's irrelevant to conversation, because gear oil has no business with brakes for any reason. Brake fluid is no exception...if it leaks onto brake parts, it's exactly where it shouldn't be. Clean it. Besides, your unmaintained leak and hypothetical rotors would have oil leaking on the back of the rotor to be burned off by the pads, so having rotors doesn't make it moot.

Rotors hold heat: yup, agreed (I think you meant drums, yet both are true). Fortunately, rotors do dissipate heat faster than drums because of their open-air nature. Regardless of the braking system, heat is a killer. However, new shoes will far outlast new pads on the same vehicle, so what does that tell you about the relevance of heat on our vehicles?

If you've ever done any maintenance on drums—and I suspect you haven't—then you'd know that shoes and drums are self-adjusting, too. There's a turnbuckle with a uni-directional gear that, as the shoes push apart when the wheel cylinder's pistons expand under braking, engages a lever to turn the gear and increase tension when enough play permits. This minimizes the gap between shoe and drum when the brakes are not applied. This same turnbuckle gear must be turned in the opposite direction to draw the shoes closer together, especially when installing new shoes (otherwise the drum likely won't go on). Additionally, the shoes effectively float and expand into the drum, which generally leads to more consistent wear and better contact. Conversely, the dampening boots and pistons on calipers tend to require regular greasing maintenance to ensure the pads both wear evenly (inner vs outer pad) and uniformly (flat wear vs angled wear). And if you're luck, the bolts that hold the caliper to the backing plate don't seize on you, shear off, and require extraction...and at least one of them must be removed to change pads every time (the other usually requires at least loosening to swing the caliper up without damaging the boot, which is keyed to the caliper assembly). Nothing is prone to seizing on drum brakes...it's just a bunch of springs holding things together.

No one needs to deny that drums aren't as effective as discs. Calipers are better because of the manner in which they work (compression vs extension on drums) and in responsiveness because the pads don't tend to drift away from the rotors (shoes are drawn away by springs). They are definitely economical (on my Frontier, I changed my front brakes twice before needing to change any shoes), and that's probably why most semi-trucks and heavy-duty vehicles still use them. Drums and shoes probably weigh no more or less than pads and rotors; if anything, I'd think them to be heavier.

If you're loading 1500 pounds of passengers and cargo, you're exceeding your vehicle load capacity by over a quarter-ton. What you really need is a third axle (discs or drums), or skimming your owner's manual and reducing your load so you don't put everyone's life at risk from an uncontrollable vehicle outdone by simple mass and inertia.

Lastly, I think you meant the Xterra is not the same as the Pathy/QX4. Although they are both H233B axles, they are very different axles sharing only internals and braking systems. (Fact: the rear brake line on an Xterra/Frontier is about 6" longer than an R50's and bolts on...I know because I did my homework before installing it on my R50...which also warranted the need to bleed my brakes.)

I don't have to agree with you, and clearly I don't because I've done the work and have done it numerous times on numerous vehicles. I'm not making stuff up. What I disagree with is your understanding of how brakes work, and how discs differ from drums. I don't disagree with you on wanting to do discs; in fact, I fully support that. Remember, I've already provided you not one, but two resources and additional information on how and what to look for. The only "negative" comment I've posted is that I (as in "me", "personally") wouldn't bother with it. I didn't say "don't do it, you'll regret it completely, it's not worth it to you". If I believed that, I wouldn't have posted anything and let you try swapping a unicorn-like disc-based axle from an Xterra and seeing how far you got before needing to break out some magical wand (or welder or grinder).

You've made out disc brakes to be some incredible wondrous thing for some equally incredible reasons. Braking to braking, apples to apples, yes: discs are better than drums. Your reasoning, however, is way off. Discs will be an improvement, just not for the reasons you think they will be.

I've owned several Nissans over the past 18 years (when I started caring about vehicles), a Jeep, and a WRX, and I've worked on many more vehicles. I'm not a mechanic by trade. I've worked on all my vehicles doing basic maintenance (yes, even brakes), suspension lifts, drops, electrical upgrades, and re-gears. Along the way, I've done an RB20DET and AT-MT swap in an S13, and was prepping another S13 for a KA24DET build. I just completed a full off-road overhaul on a buddy's R50, all of which I've already done to my own R50. I have a 17-year old Nissan Frontier, bought new, that I've done just about every ounce of maintenance on, including 4 front brake jobs and 1 rear (drum) brake job over it's 200K+ mile life! I've towed with it, I've hauled with it, and I've flat-out used it. My R50 will see nothing less.

I'm not the a-hole my above post makes me seem, but I don't like misinformation. If you need any information about how to do it, I will gladly help. I have a full H233B R50 axle sitting in my garage, as well as 6 Nissan differentials. If you want a personal tutorial on any components, process, or simply proof of any of my comments above, I will oblige.

Specifically for R50 owners, more so than any other online community I've been a part of, I've strongly encouraged a DIY attitude and supportive community. I'm not trying to bring you down, but I do want you to be educated before diving into anything. It's just how everyone learns. Plus, we don't really have an option...we are the bastards of all the Nissan trucks and SUVs.

HTH, sorry to be the a-hole (and for the really long post).

Hawairish wrote: There's nothing difficult, different, or magical about bleeding these brakes.

It took me a long, long time to finally bleed the first set of brakes I ever worked on. I tried the down-up method, and later a hand pump. Nothing worked, and it wasn't until I read about threading some teflon around the bleeder nipples that I was able to bleed the air out of the system. Magical? No. Different, yes. Specific to that make and model? Probably not. Specific to that vehicle? Yes.

rgk wrote:The only method that worked for me

^See that?

The down-up method, and the hand pump method, and the teflon method did not work for me on this Pathfinder. Rather than rudely state that there is nothing magical or different about these brakes, try to accept that what comes out of the factory is not necessarily the same product a decade later in a different part of the world. Have you ever worked in a shop? A different Taurus comes in every week: although the problems will be similar, the solutions will not necessarily be so.

Again, as in my transfer case fluid post, I speak from experience. I am just stating what worked for me in the past, which doesn't necessarily mean it will work for others, or that it is the simplest way. I am adding to the body of knowledge so that when people read this in the future with a similar problem, they are armed with a possible solution. I am not going to include a disclaimer with every post stating that I am not a professional who claims to have all the answers.

This is an internet forum, and it comes with the territory that every answer will not be right, and not every response will be suitable to your situation. You can nitpick every response that comes down the tube, or you can accept that you're simply having a conversation with friends.

Hawairish wrote:I'm not the a-hole my above post makes me seem, but I don't like misinformation.

If you get so tied up about misinformation, I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news: you're in the wrong place. The rest of us take what we can use and discard the rest. We do this without letting incorrect information bother us, and without being a-holes (yep) to others who use the forum.

My intention wasn't to be rude to you, but if that's how you read into it, so be it. I won't sugar coat this one, unfortunately.

rgk wrote: Have you ever worked in a shop? A different Taurus comes in every week: although the problems will be similar, the solutions will not necessarily be so.

Yes: the shop of nearly 20-years real-world, hands-on, consistent experience and flawless service from every vehicle I've ever owned (including 3 Nissans) and haven't owned (yet no Tauruses). I'm not a "real" mechanic (are you?), I just play one on the Internet unlike almost everyone else here. I guess I just had other career paths, and my day job only affords this part-time hobby. I don't work on my vehicles to save a buck; I work on them because I can and want to, and it will always be done correctly, to spec, and to my satisfaction.

Would you be satisfied if you took your car to your buddy's Taurus shop that occasionally needs to find some band-aid solution to bleeding brakes, or any repair for that matter? Atop that, one that puts Teflon tape—something primarily used for household plumbing and should NEVER be used on automotive brakes—to seal something that has never (across an entire braking industry) needed a thread sealant before?

rgk wrote: Rather than rudely state that there is nothing magical or different about these brakes, try to accept that what comes out of the factory is not necessarily the same product a decade later in a different part of the world.

Hardly rude, but apparently too sarcastic for some. Are you suggesting that we have a global industry full of auto parts stores, dealership parts counters, and automotive parts recyclers dedicated to providing new and used OEM-quality replacements to ensure that OEM specs and procedures can be adhered to during the service life of vehicles so that those vehicle can be operated in a safe manner? No, I totally do not accept that! (Your suggestion here is about as relevant as the other guy's gear oil leak on brakes, and blaming the brakes for poor performance. And this statement also has sarcasm, which you will probably construe as being rude.)

rgk wrote: The only method that worked for me

Do you think that your Pathfinder is some exception to the rule just because you had difficulties? Did you see any asterisks in the FSM regarding potential issues with, or alternative methods for, bleeding brakes? Do you think automotive engineers want to provide two or more ways to do one thing right, especially a safety item like brakes? Did you even consult the FSM at all?

You've not proven that you're bleeding your brakes correctly. Care to describe this ambiguously-named "down-up" process? I highly doubt that's SAE-approved terminology. Seriously, if you have problems bleeding your brakes, it's probably an indicator of some other problem you're ignoring or failing to diagnose, if not just an incorrect procedure. Your "long time" takes me 10 mins, tops, to do both rear brakes with a small wrench, a plastic water-bottle with tubing that I rigged up for catching fluid, and someone's right foot. (Tying back into the topic, it's no different for rotors than it is for drums.)

And of course the Teflon tape method didn't work for you! Let me guess: the brake fluid dissolved the tape? I'm ignoring for a moment that Teflon tape is used for sealing threads, which has nothing to do with the process of bleeding brakes. Why would you have needed to remove the bleeder valves at all anyway? They require about a 45° turn to go from close to open, and that's it. If it needed removing, they'd have called it a plug...or bolt.

rgk wrote: This is an internet forum, and it comes with the territory that every answer will not be right, and not every response will be suitable to your situation.

Yup, completely understood and expected, though unfortunately more so here at NICO more than any other forum I frequent. It has the potential to be a better source of information, and that's why I hang out.

rgk wrote: You can nitpick every response that comes down the tube, or you can accept that you're simply having a conversation with friends.
...
If you get so tied up about misinformation, I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news: you're in the wrong place. The rest of us take what we can use and discard the rest. We do this without letting incorrect information bother us, and without being a-holes (yep) to others who use the forum.

And when my friends are wrong, I correct them, too. Why would I allow my friends to keep incorrect information in their heads? I don't want my friends (or family) to die from not being able to stop in time due to improperly-bled brakes.

What you're calling "nitpicking" is the process of the dialog (friends, strangers, professionals, other), and your response to me is nothing short of nitpicking, at that. I raised an eyebrow to a blatant statement about the safety of drum brakes as a reason to convert to rotors, someone spun out a bunch of bad justification, and it was throughly refuted. And now you're barking at me for the same reason.

Some people don't like it when others disagree with them (many more don't like being proven wrong), and I explained why I disagreed to each invalid point and provided (hopefully) thought-and-reason-provoking questions. That is exactly the nature of a forum, and you don't have to like that I'm correcting bad information. I don't like having to correct bad information either. Don't trust me? Fine, good luck, and please keep your unsafe vehicles off the road.

Do you think all readers here can "take what we can use and discard the rest" if they can't tell what information is good or bad? Would you want to give someone bad information and have them incur other issues or financial woes, with or without disclaimer, just because it worked for you even though it flies against a conventional process that you might not understand? You've had some good informational posts out there about other topics, but this area simply isn't one of them (and this isn't me being rude, it's me providing constructive criticism to you). Many automotive forums best operate when people who don't know an answer, don't answer...you don't have to answer..and many forums will set this rule up front. I have provided ample proof that I have first-hand knowledge of this topic (well, not so much converting to rotors, but the maintenance of brakes...though technically, I've done a 4-lug to 5-lug disc conversion on an S14 before, now that I think about it).

I was not, and am still not, attacking anyone here. I'm defending myself much like you are, and countering your "possible solutions" with mine...except I've interjected logic into my responses along the way. About your suggestion to running the transmission to check transfer case fluid (although irrelevant to discussion here): transmission and transfer case are two separate fluid systems, the transfer case doesn't know nor care what state the transmission is in, and the FSM does not imply doing any voodoo witchcraft to it (sticking with the magical theme) short of that creepy eyeball in the FSM looking into the fill hole when we all know you can't see eye-level into the hole because of the chassis. If your process worked for you, awesome. Cycling the transfer case gearing isn't bad (and I can only presume that changing the fluid in the first place is because you have intention to use it). But what you described is above and beyond what is necessary, and you are the only source of this procedure (congratulations?), but what you should be doing is questioning and understanding why you felt compelled to do it any differently than instructed in the FSM. You can do absolutely anything else that you feel is right or warranted, but it reads like you are wasting your time and proposing to others that they also consider wasting their time because you did it some unconventional way without explanation.

Seriously, no hard feelings. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong, and I'm totally cool with that. There's nothing like learning a new trick. But please make a better attempt to defend your statements and prove it's a good trick.

I'll admit that I'm not a professional mechanic, and that sometimes I reply with less-than-concrete information. Maybe I should check that.

Good information should be backed by a solid argument, and now I see that my response to you was lacking in both.

I do appreciate you and all the knowledgeable folks here who are willing to set others on course by providing timely, accurate advice.

Hawairish wrote:How long did you try bleeding them for? What wheel did you start with? Do you have the proportioning valve?

I've done this twice in the past month, three times in the past nine for various projects (installing extended brake lines, two LSD swaps). There's a lull between "some bubbles" and "more bubbles", so you just have to keep going a little longer. It doesn't hurt to flush out some of the extra fluid, just keep an eye on the reservoir.

We (me and my friends) started with the right rear, farthest from the master cylinder. It actually turned out that there was a tremendous amount of air still in the system, so we had to bleed the brakes a few times to get it all out. I have half of my brakes now. All I need is a new ABS sensor now.

triplesixunicorn wrote:All I need is a new ABS sensor now.

If you're going to be replacing your ABS sensor, be warned that the old one is probably fused in there something wicked. I had to replace my steering knuckle once and I was hoping to reuse the old sensor, but it might as well have been welded in there. I knew I wasn't going to get it out without destroying it, so I ended up buying a new one. I'm sure it can be removed, but expect a fight. I remembering reading that another member ended up using a drill to get the old pieces out.

triplesixunicorn wrote: We (me and my friends) started with the right rear, farthest from the master cylinder. It actually turned out that there was a tremendous amount of air still in the system, so we had to bleed the brakes a few times to get it all out. I have half of my brakes now. All I need is a new ABS sensor now.

Cool, glad you got that sorted. Yeah, thing about the rear brakes is the "T" hose/line that runs from the chassis to the axle before splitting to each drum...if it drains enough, you gotta get all that air out too.

I agree with atraudes...the ABS sensors apparently can seize. Saw it on my buddy's truck, but only the front ones. Though really, they shouldn't be prone to failure. What leads you to believe that it's a sensor? Sometimes the ABS light will come on if the brake fluid level is too low or if brakes aren't adjusted properly.

If you still suspect a sensor, pretty easy to remove them (1 bolt) assuming they're not seized. Then tend to build up with metal shavings, so wouldn't hurt to wipe that off.

Hawairish wrote:Disc swap is doable, parts are little tougher to find: http://nissannut.com/projects/H233b_disc_brakes/. Not something I'd bother with.

I know this was a touchy subject/thread, but just letting you guys know that 'I bothered with it'.

R50 Rear Disc Conversion:
http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/ ... onversion/