Help with shocks on my 2000 PATHY LE 4x4

[maxZpak]

My passenger shock on the front is blown.. so time to upgrade.. Should I replace all of my shocks?? or just both of the front shocks and what are the best shocks to go with brand?? and struts as well??Thanks guys!! And i see a lot of ppl are having problems with the K&N drop in filter should i change mine out for oem one??

[KoukiS14]

I'd do both front struts at the same time... I'd advise going for KYB: http://www.4x4parts.com/public...099be

The rear can probably wait, but what you really orta do is to go ahead and lift the beotch a couple inches and replace all four, plus add springs....

[KoukiS14]

I'd avoid oiled filters -- I went with an AEM dry-flow cone.

I guess oiled causes problems with the MAF in a VG, but I NEVER had a problem after 90k miles of use in my 97 240sx with JWT pop charger.

[88pathoffroad]

I've never had a problem with a K&N either. Methinks one other person who posted here may have had something else wrong with their vehicle to begin with or had a singularly weird experience.

[maxZpak]

ya I've had mine in for a lil while now and don't see any problems so far.. so I think i'll stick with it for now.

[pyrophilus]

For my '01 LE,I got KYB GR-2's for front and KYB gas-ajust for rear.

The front GR-2's were great...The Gas a-just were POS...

It was bearly better than the blown factory shocks, and I ended up replacing it with a set of Ranchos. I LOVED the ranchos...

Unfortunately, my car was rear-ended, and now i have a '05, but I did manage to take out my 1 month old ranchos and put the KYB shocks back before the towing company towed it.

With hand/plier spring compressors, the fronts took about six hours for myself to do.

The rears are SOOOO EASY. You will need:1/2" 19mm, 17mm, and 21mm socket sets and TWO ratchet wrenches.a mallet (really!)a racing jack (the ones that look like "racing" jacks from auto stores)jack from your pathfinder.

1. loosen lug nuts on ONE rear wheel (where shocks are being changed)2. Jack up the rear of the car using the racing jack, NOT by the axel as recommended in the manual, but at the rear LIFT SUPPORT (as shown in the owner's manual) as high as you can go (the rear wheel should still be on the ground).3. Place your factory jack under the axel, and jack up the axel to get the tire off the gound.4. remove rear tire.5. LOWER the axel by lowering the factory jack, until you have extended the shock.6. using the combinations of the sockets, remove the nut on top that holds the shock, and the nut/bolt on the lower end. Use the mallet here to losen the nuts.7. You might have to lower/raise the axel to help you pull out the bolt and finally the shock.8. Replace with new shock, put back nuts/bolts and tighten to proper torque (which to me means tighten the hell out of it).9.raise the axel until you can mount the tire. Then mount the tire10. Lower the tire back to the ground, remove factory jack11. lower the racing jack and lower the car back to the ground.

Repeat 1-11 for other side.

First time for the KYB's it took me 1 hour each side.second time for ranchos, it took me 45 min each side.third time, to swap out ranchos for kyb's, I did both sides after I got off the phone with the tow truck driver who said that he'd be at my house to pick up the wreck in 1 hour...

Fronts are tough... If you have never done them, then I would not recommend it. Have done front struts on '92 maxima (three times), '97 civic coupe, '07 pathfinder, '00 I30t, '01 Pathfinder, and it STILL takes me 2-3 hours PER SIDE...

[maxZpak]

can you get a 2" lift with adding new springs to the KYB??? and than I'd have to put springs in the back as well right?

[88pathoffroad]

Um, yes. New lift springs will give you lift.