New Member, MP3 mod and others

[rc30fan]

Hi All. Beware, long post ahead.
I joined this forum when I got my QX4 back after several years being (ab)used by other family members. Its a 99 model that I bought for my sister in law when her car exploded. It had 150,000 miles on it and I thought it was in bad shape. I bought it from a friend after a dealer offered him $1,500 for it when he was buying a new car.
My family subjected it to 5 years of neglect, including my teenage niece driving it to school every day for 3 years.
When I got the vehicle back it was burning oil so badly I thought it was on fire when I parked it after a short drive. The stereo didn't work, the cd stacker didnt work, the suspension was shot, the front wheels shimmied something terrible, the steering wheel had a mind of its own, the brakes squealed and it leaked oil everywhere.

I started doing some research and found this forum which has been very helpful so I thought I'd list the repairs and mods I've made thanks to the guides here and a few youTube videos.

Firstly, I had to do something about the steering. While driving straight the wheel could be 30 degrees to left or right. And highway speeds caused a terrible shake in the driver side front wheel.
Sure enough, the steering rack bushings weren't just worn, one was missing and the other was almost completely crumbled away. Autozone online to the rescue.
While I was installing the new bushings I noticed the oil filter was covered in oil. I gave it a twist and it almost came off. The jiffy lube that changed the oil for my niece a few months ago left the filter so loose I'm amazed it stayed in place as long as it did. I took this opportunity to teach my eldest boy how to change oil. The jiffy lube also put the dust shield on using only 2 completely stripped bolts. Now there are 6 correct bolts holding it in place.

Then I noticed the burning oil was caused by the rocker cover leaking oil right onto the exhaust manifold. I ordered new gaskets and when I pulled the driver side cover off I saw that whoever swapped it last tried using the wrong part. It didn't fit so this genius butchered it, with predictable results.

Next I checked and replaced the brake rotors, pads and wheel bearings. Then I did shocks and struts but the rear still bottomed out with a few people in the back seat. New springs were more expensive than air assist springs so I installed the air system. I installed a low pressure regulator so I can dial in the pressure to set rear ride height. Now I feel comfortable towing my bike trailer.

Next up was the stereo. I hate the look of aftermarket stereos but the stock head unit had a broken volume control, no display and the cd stacker was dead.
I found this video https://youtu.be/NWBeFeKQO1E showing how easy it is to open the head unit so I gave it a try. Sure enough, after cleaning with alcohol the display and the volume control worked fine. I did the same with the stacker and now it also works.

I saw the thread on adding aux input via the cd stacker so I gave it a try.
I made a signal probe with an iphone headset and stripped a few wires, then started looking for the audio signal. Sure enough, I found it on the second try. I cut the wires, soldered in a cable and now I can listen to my iphone through the incredible (considering they are almost 20 years old) stock bose speakers. Luckily the volume is perfect, no need for a preamp. I found a bluetooth receiver at autozone so now I don't even have to plug in the phone.
Next I'll add a mod so I can switch from the aux input to the stacker so I can listen to my old cd's when i'm feeling nostalgic.

I replaced the cabin filter while I was working on the stereo. I'm so glad I did - it was gruesome.

There was almost no brake fluid in the reservoir but I waited until swapping the pads and rotors. Sure enough, with them installed there was plenty of fluid. The power steering fluid reservoir dip stick was completely dry. This forum again helped me find the right fluid to use.
A new transmission filter, fuel filter and plugs just arrived so I'll install them and flush the coolant this weekend.

All this took about 2 weeks with everything ordered from autozone online and a few trips to the local autozone store for things like wiper blades. I was about to order a timing belt and water pump combo but I just saw on another youtube video https://youtu.be/WfULyYKOhMk that the VG33E is a non-interference motor. If the belt does let go I can just line up the cams, install a new belt and keep driving.

I have to do 9-10 hours of driving next week but I'm confident the car will perform fine. Considering its age, its amazing that this car is in such good shape. Everything works now - everything. The interior is now in flawless condition. A decent wash was enough to completely change the look of this car. I was going to trade it for a new SUV but I've postponed that now. There's just no need. I'll order a control rod kit next, diff oils and new bellows for the steering rack - one of them looked a little cracked.

All this cost around $500, at least that's the best guess after a few returns and some unscheduled purchases - like the WiFi OBDII plug.
And considering all the research I've done, why can I find no sign of anyone putting VG33ER parts into a QX4 or pathfinder?

Sorry for the long post, if anyone is still reading. I have pictures of the aux input mod and also the cd stacker in operation if anyone is interested.

[AlanAZ]

While I was installing the new bushings I noticed the oil filter was covered in oil. I gave it a twist and it almost came off. The jiffy lube that changed the oil for my niece a few months ago left the filter so loose I'm amazed it stayed in place as long as it did. I took this opportunity to teach my eldest boy how to change oil. The jiffy lube also put the dust shield on using only 2 completely stripped bolts. Now there are 6 correct bolts holding it in place.

Same experience. A friend said her 2002 QX4 engine was making a rattling noise, I checked the oil, there was none on the dipstick, it took 2 qts to fill it up. To mitigate some of the damage it may have caused, I offered to change the filter to a new one with higher filtration (Bosch Premium - a longer one for a Honda Element.) The old filter was barely tight to the housing, and was leaking oil. If it had vibrated loose, and the engine lost it's oil, it would have been lunched for sure (being 2 qts down already.) I suspect that Jiffy Lube not only didn't secure the filter correctly, but also under-filled it with oil. Going to those places, you are playing Russian Roulette with your engine.

[Vg33erswapguy]

Hopefully this is still an active thread, im currently working on swapping a vg33er out of an 03 frontier into my 98 pathy. Ive been doing a bit of research here and there and have come across not a single person who has attempted to do this sway. So far the biggest issue ive come across is wiring and the flexplate. Otherwise this has actually been relatively easy. If you have any questions on that portion give me a respond and we can chalk it up!