96 d21 navara good or bad

[mk swb learner]

i am thinking of swaping my mk for a 96 navara d21 i want to know are they any good off road and wat are the bad points to look for b4 i swap

cheers mike

[Yom]

bad off road.

but good, reliable and more comfortable than the MK.

[Vsicks Pathy]

Bad because of the steering issues these models have. Spend a few $$ on it and you'll surprise a few people though.

[Wrench_Pilot_86]

i have a 98 D22 3.2lt
a set of 31in BF muddies and a little suspension tweak and i made it around most of landcruiser park last year, BTW camp road is not so fun with 7ft of air under the front tyres

[harvey]

with the exception of rear leafs as opposed to coils, I think the front suspension on these is the same as the WD21 Pathfinder [what I have], save for the length of the torsion bars.

http://npora.ipbhost.com/

The above link is for the Nissan Pathfinder Offroad Association who might be more enthusiastic about D/WD 21 Nissan models.

As for the steering arm problems, I believe a simple strengthening bracket will solve this... it seems to on the above form anyway

I hope this helps
Harv.

[Vsicks Pathy]

As for the steering arm problems, I believe a simple strengthening bracket will solve this... it seems to on the above form anyway

I hope this helps
Harv.

Not even a full Calmini, SLR, AC or any other US based after market manufacturer can permanently resolve the steering issues 'our models' have and it will cost well over a couple of K to kit out from scratch. It is by far cheaper to put in a live axle if you want to 4x4 often. Other than that, lift the body and not the suspension to get larger tyres on, that way you can at least keep the steering geometry stock and it will last longer.

Also take note that the only thing that will fit (from any of the above mentioned company's) RHD are the upper wishbones (The US calls them "A" arms) nothing else will fit.

[harvey]

Vsicks Pathy,

your reply interests me... I'm new to the WD21 Pathy. In fact so new that even though i've owned it for a year, i'm yet to drive it... my car being in Oz whilst I'm in the UK... but that'll soon change as it's due to land in Blighty on Nov 15. I digress...

...I thought I understood the problem with the steering was a week idler arm and looking at photos if I understand correctly I can envisage why - with the upper part of the idler arm only being attached by 3 bolts. As a result, I thought the bracket which Calmini and the like sell for around $40 USD would resolve that issue almost completely for general offroad touring and the occasional mud plug ascertions... not from comps though.

Am I right in my assumptions then or is/are there other problems with the steering that make it the weak link in an otherwise good package?

Thanks
Harv.

[Offroad-Events]

The main problem is the outer tie rods attached directly to the center link causing the CL to wear out rapidly and shift up and down thus causing the tires to toe in and out.
The Calmini steering system adresses this problem with a complete redesigned pitman arm, idler arm and center link which is seperated from the outer tie rods. They are now attached to the idler arm / pitman arm. On top the Calmini system uses 1/2 Chevy TRE's.
Last I talked to them they stated to have the first RHD kits ready to ship by now.
I ran the kit in my D21 Terrano V6 for quite some time pushing the heck out of it without any failure to the steering.

[Vsicks Pathy]

The main problem is the outer tie rods attached directly to the center link causing the CL to wear out rapidly and shift up and down thus causing the tires to toe in and out.
The Calmini steering system adresses this problem with a complete redesigned pitman arm, idler arm and center link which is seperated from the outer tie rods. They are now attached to the idler arm / pitman arm. On top the Calmini system uses 1/2 Chevy TRE's.
Last I talked to them they stated to have the first RHD kits ready to ship by now.
I ran the kit in my D21 Terrano V6 for quite some time pushing the heck out of it without any failure to the steering.

http://www.purenissan.com/wd21_steering.htm

$630 US (925.248 AUD) + shipping?

http://www.purenissan.com/wd21_3_kit.htm
I especially like this part of the spiel.... "maximum articulation". Lift the front suspension 3 inches and you will have zero downward travel.

$950 US (1,352.95 AUD) + shipping?

I have shipped stuff from the states before and it isn't cheap.

Around 2.5K will get you a live axle (drive in drive out) and it will never break.

I couldn't find the RHD gear on their site but I am happy that they think the market is large enough for them to start manufacturing for our side of the pond.

[Vsicks Pathy]

Vsicks Pathy,

your reply interests me... I'm new to the WD21 Pathy. In fact so new that even though i've owned it for a year, i'm yet to drive it... my car being in Oz whilst I'm in the UK... but that'll soon change as it's due to land in Blighty on Nov 15. I digress...

...I thought I understood the problem with the steering was a week idler arm and looking at photos if I understand correctly I can envisage why - with the upper part of the idler arm only being attached by 3 bolts. As a result, I thought the bracket which Calmini and the like sell for around $40 USD would resolve that issue almost completely for general offroad touring and the occasional mud plug ascertions... not from comps though.

Am I right in my assumptions then or is/are there other problems with the steering that make it the weak link in an otherwise good package?

Thanks
Harv.

If only it were that simple H. For touring a bracket will be useless given that touring doesn't really involve too much "hard stuff". Besides that, I haven't seen one for a RHD to date other than some home made jobs. The real issue with the steering starts when you change the geometry of the steering components. To go off road, I mean really go off road, you need decent sized tyres. The cheapest way (NOT!) to get larger tyres under a WD21 is to crank up the torsion bars and throw in some larger rear springs. That mistake might only set you back around $50 initially. Cranking the torsion bars up takes the TRE from horizontal and puts the TRE at an angle to the drag link. They no longer just want to pull or push left and right, they now want to push up and down as well. Your front wheels now sit on and angle and put added strain on your ball joints too. The TRE will work away pushing up and down on your drag link and it then loosens up. As it moves up and down with the TRE the front wheels then begin to turn in and out independent of the steering wheel. Scrubbing out your tryes and putting more strain on the TRE and now the idler arm. It can actually get hairy driving at highway speeds. Been there and didn't much like it.

Be very cautious with what you read at npora. They have a different concept to us as to what 4wding actually is. The guys that do actually go off road at "npora" are very few and far between and they still have issues with after market products failing. Most of them now have what the yanks call a "sas" anyway. At the end of the day, the WD21 steering system is still a weak link, it doesn't matter how much money you throw at it.
Treat it nice and it should last a while.
Here is a link to guys that know their stuff when it comes to Pathfinders of our ilk. http://www.4x4parts.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php