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Nissan Pathfinder Maintenance and Repair

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Comments

  • adolfolamelaadolfolamela Member Posts: 5
    thanks for the info, I'll go and check that with the nissan dealer.
  • shark715shark715 Member Posts: 382
    You need to find a new dealer who knows how (and wants to) service your truck. To tell you that you had nothing to worry about unless the light starts flashing is dead wrong. Obviously they did not want to be bothered. You should report that to Nissan and tell the General Manager of the dealer that he/she has lost a customer over their nonsense...they know better. The first time you brought your truck in they should have used a scanner to read the trouble code(s) that would have been stored in your truck's computer (rather than guessing). It takes no more than 5 minutes for them to do that. Sounds like they assumed that the issue was an improperly installed gas cap, as it is very common. BTW, it is possible that your first problem was the gas cap. Part of what they told you was correct...it does take several drive cycles (I beleive it's 3 in a row on your truck) of the computer not detecting a gas cap problem before the computer will shut off the light. It's not typical for a catalytic converter problem to "go away" for a couple of months, and then come back.
  • gsemikegsemike Member Posts: 2,278
    With my 97 Pathfinder, I was having an issue where sometimes the rear end would become unsettled feeling where it would sway back and forth. I did some research and that pointed my in the direction of the rear suspension links, also known as the rear control arms and the trailing links. I had the bushings for the upper and lower arms replaced and what a difference. It's remarkable what a difference they made. I drove it almost 300 miles yesterday and it felt better than ever.

    If anyone is dealing with the death sway, this is the way to go. Nissan only sells the complete arms but I got the bushings from partsgeek.com and the hardware from 4X4parts.com. The latter site deals excluvely with Nissan trucks
  • waynewestwaynewest Member Posts: 3
    Ah! well I solved it, in case anyone reads this and has the same issue... The bulb is actually a bulb and socket that I ordered from courtesyparts.com. part is #24860N SOCKET & BULB. Very easy to replace.

    Just take out the ashtray. Remove the one screw underneath, and lift up the center console. Then you can see the bulb and replace it ... took 30 seconds.
  • shark715shark715 Member Posts: 382
    When the gas tank on my '01 PF is full and the truck is parked outdoors I notice a faint gasoline odor outside the truck. I cannot find any gas leaking out...it seems to be solely fumes. The odor inside the truck is also faint. If I park the truck inside my garage the odor inside the garage is strong (obviously because the fumes cannot disperse as when the truck is parked outdoors). It happens only when the tank is full...after I've used a gallon or two of fuel there is no more odor whatsoever. What could be causing this? It appears I can avoid the problem by never completely filling the tank except when I'm going to immediately use a gallon or two, but is this something that needs to be fixed? I've also noticed a "humming" sound after the truck has been driven, and I assume it's from the evaporative emission control system as the sound will stop immediately if I loosen the gas cap and let the pressure escape. Is that related to the problem? Thanks in advance for your help.
  • dmurr3dmurr3 Member Posts: 11
    Shark, are you aware of the recall regarding the fuel filler tube? I had the same problem that you describe and had the truck repaired via the recall. This site has some details on the recall. http://www.internetautoguide.com/auto-recalls/09-int/2001/nissan/pathfinder/inde- x.html

    Dave
  • pooramishboypooramishboy Member Posts: 4
    I just had my '98 at the dealership the day of your posting for the fuel filler tube recall. I also had the strong smell of gasoline everytime I would fill the tank, but the problem progressed to a slow drip. The recall fixed the problem and didn't cost me a penny.
  • pooramishboypooramishboy Member Posts: 4
    I've owned my truck for a little over a year and I've noticed an uneven stance in the front end. I assumed a worn strut possibly. The truck is fine to drive, but the poor suspension is noticeable. While in the hands of a nissan dealerships service shop, it had been diagnosed as a heavily rotted strut tower. This is obviously not as simple a fix as replacing the struts, and is potentially dangerous. I was advised to look into having it checked out at a body shop. This route could end up costing me more than the truck is worth. I know of the chronic rust and rott problems with many nissan models. I'm wondering if there might be any recall, or info out there related to this? Any help would be appreciated, thanks.
  • shark715shark715 Member Posts: 382
    Thank you dmurr and pooramishboy. I'm making my appointment with the dealer now.
  • yusuf2173yusuf2173 Member Posts: 14
    Hi, I hope that sombody can help me just lost for words. I just baught a 93 pathfinder with 158000 miles on it. the only thing that I saw that was wrong with it was a gas smell coming from the air vents,I cant figure out where it is coming from and why. Also in the areas of the 4wheel drive stick and the arm rest area I am feeling vary warm heat coming from that general area. Also one more thing sorry. If I am parked if I give the car some gas right after the rpm's go back down to about idle a little blackish dirty smoke comes from the tail pipe then goes away. It might have something to do with the gas smell though. somebody told me that it might have to replace the head gasket or just dump some fuel cleaner in the gas to get some of the gunk out of there. I did see a little bit of oil leeking from the valve cover gasket but other wise that's it. Any Ideas?
  • pooramishboypooramishboy Member Posts: 4
    Is the gas odor present at all times or only after refueling, full tank? If your transmission is an automatic check the fluid level just to make sure low fluid isn't causing excessive wear and heat. If you haven't already, you may want to get under the truck and check the under carriage for rott.
  • yusuf2173yusuf2173 Member Posts: 14
    Hi thanks for responding. The gas odor is present as soon as I start the vehicle and seems to smell worse as time goes on it is almost always there even when i am driving around. I have to roll the windows down to ventilate. I think it might be a leak in the exaust manifold because it smells more like exsaust in the engine compartment, but gas inside the cabin of the truck. when I rev the engine I hear a rattle coming from the exsaust area. The guy that I bought the truck from said something about a seal leaking on to the exaust pipe and that is why it smells. But I dont know where the leak is at. there is a little greyish smoke that comes from the tail pipe with a little bit of black liquid that also comes out of it. I looked under the truck there is allot of rust, so much rust, even the rear bumper is almost to the point that it is hollowed out just the top part of the bumper is left. I think that I am going to repair it. I just don't want to stick lots of $$$$ in to it. I think this truck needs tender loving care. no rough driving anyways. The engine seems to be strong though.
  • yusuf2173yusuf2173 Member Posts: 14
    After carefull inspection of my engine compartment I heard what sounded like a air hose leaking. my nose took me right to the gas line behind the distributor hub area. I found out that there was a 3 inch ruber tubing in place of the gas line that was fit between the gas line as if the line that was there has rusted away or something. And guess what it was dripping pretty good. I hope I can get it fixed for cheap I'm guessing the reason why the rubber hose is not holding up is because it is a pressurized line. What do you think, is it possible to repair maybe weld a hose in place of the rubber tubing
  • pooramishboypooramishboy Member Posts: 4
    You shouldn't have to weld in a line, a proper fitted rubber line should do fine as long as you clean everything up and use tight clamps. Leaking fuel is obviously very dangerous so you should take care of that before anything else. The rattling sound when you hit the gas sounds like it could be the shield on the catalytic converter. It rusts out pretty quick, I've had this problem before. If that section of the exhaust looks solid enough to last a while you could probably just pry off the shield and save on replacing it for now, though it does sound like your exhaust may need some work. The exhaust mannifold should get a closer inspection for sure. The engine will outlast just about everything else on these. It's a shame nissan didn't build the body to the same standards as the mechanics. Good luck.
  • spiker3spiker3 Member Posts: 3
    My fuel gauge on my 05 PF is real slow to respond. It read half full, I stopped and filled the tank all the way up, then when I started the vehicle and drove off it read empty the little yellow light on the gauge was on and the DTE on the odometer was flashing and the check engine soon light was on. After driving for a while the gas gauge slowly started to move up off of empty and the low fuel light on the gas gauge went off . The gas gauge has done this the last couple of fill ups. Does anyone know what causes this? PF has 83k miles and 20 gallon tank, 2WD, AT, 4.0L V6. I have the extended warranty. Any help with this problem is greatly appreciated.
  • jdpathfinderjdpathfinder Member Posts: 4
    Could anyone recommend a warranty I could purchase for my 2006 Nissan Pathfinder (under 25k miles). Should I look into the Nissan Security-plus warranty?

    Any others?

    Thank you,
    John
  • gsemikegsemike Member Posts: 2,278
    Hi everyone. I've got a 97 Pathfinder XE with 85k on it. Just recently, I've noticed an issue with the throttle feeling sticky, but only when the car is warmed up. It's nothing too bad. It resists just a little bit when I first depress the pedal to pull away from a light. With a little bit of pressure, it gets off the bottom and then it's just a little jackrabbit start.

    Besides that, it feels completely normal. I've WD-40ed it up but didn't see much of a difference. Has anyone else encountered this?
  • ail84pail84p Member Posts: 2
    easy fix. the butterfly is sticking in the throttle body. just spray some carb cleaner or even brush some gas around inside throttle body and wipe clean.
  • gsemikegsemike Member Posts: 2,278
    Thanks but what does it look like? I WD-40ed the contraption that the throttle cable goes to that pivots back and forth when I press the gas. Is there something else I should be looking for?
  • jeffro8jeffro8 Member Posts: 2
    I have a 1997 PF with just over 100,000. Every now and then the thing overheats but only while running the AC. Once I see the gauge on the rise, I turn off the AC, switch over to heat and run the heat on full blast....the gauge comes down to normal. This doesn't happen consistently. Any thoughts?
  • jeffro8jeffro8 Member Posts: 2
    I've got the very same problem with my 97 PF. WD-40 hasn't helped, so I anxious to hear the fix to this problem.
  • ail84pail84p Member Posts: 2
    remove the ducting from the air cleaner to the throttle body. You will see the butterfly and if you pull the throttle cable you will see that the butterfly will open. Even though it looks clean, use some carb. cleaner spray and a brush and clean and wipe dry. If you don't want the expense of carb. cleaner spray, use gas and a small brush.
  • pathfinder135kpathfinder135k Member Posts: 2
    Hello,
    I’ve been looking for an answer to this problem for over a year. From the various posts across the internet, I see that this is not uncommon, but have never seen an actual answer to resolve the problem….
    The ISSUE, the dash/instrument panel lights will intermittently turn off on one side of the dash or the other, or both (Tach, etc. OR Speed, etc., or both), other lights in the car are unaffected. They will resume functioning in an arbitrary manner, with no repair. Turning lights ON or OFF, turning the car ON or OFF, hitting bumps, temperature, duration of drive time, weather, or towing a trailer seem to be unrelated - having no effect on precipitating or resolving the light failure. Lights may remain OFF for seconds, or minutes, or days at a time (making night-time driving problematic when the speedometer is out.) The instruments themselves work fine, the only problem is the lighting.
    ANYBODY have a clue ???
    Thanks.
  • gsemikegsemike Member Posts: 2,278
    It did the trick. It looked clean but when I sprayed in the cleaner, a lot of black stuff came out and so far, it's fixed the problem. THANKS!
  • dprinedprine Member Posts: 1
    Hello
    I live in Queens NY and my Pathfinder is at about 55K.
    I will be bringing it in for the 60K overhaul.
    Any recomendations on a shop aside from the local Nissan dealer who specializes in Pathfinders.
  • gsemikegsemike Member Posts: 2,278
    I bought my Altima from Koeppel in Jackson Heights. I liked the purchase experience but was underwhelmed by their service department. As a rule of thumb, avoind any place in the outer boroughs
  • shark715shark715 Member Posts: 382
    I live in Jersey so I have no recommendations in your area, but don't ask for a general 60k mile maintenance. Many dealers and others garages will add on needless, high profit work. Look at your owners manual and don't let anyone tell you your truck needs more than what your manual says. Two exceptions to that would be having your cooling system power flushed (not just drained) and having your transmission flushed (not just drained). If I recall correctly at 60k miles all Nissan calls for is an oil change, an air filter replacement, and to have your front driveshaft lubed assuming you have 4WD.
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    Consider writing up a report in Dealer Ratings and Reviews.

    tidester, host
    SUVs and Smart Shopper
  • captfishfindercaptfishfinder Member Posts: 1
    I have read a couple of posts about drain problems. I seem to have the same problem. The passsenger side gets wet, I mean a lot of water There is a foam gasket of some type on the firewall above the passenger foot space that seems to go through to an external part of the ac. That foam is very wet and water seems to drip from it, I am not sure that is the source but it looks to be. I cannot find the drain under the truck and it is very difficult to get to the outside of the firewall where the foam piece is located. I saw in a previous post mention of a drain that may need a screen at the bumper? Did it mean frame? A guy at the oil change place told me it is a common problem and that he has seen it fixed by extending a piece on the outside of the ac where it goes through the firewall so that the water does not get on the foam piece.

    Any help would be greatly appreciated.
  • shark715shark715 Member Posts: 382
    It also might be a clogged sunroof drain. Usually they can be easily flushed with a garden hose.
  • 99accent99accent Member Posts: 237
    Heres my plan ,please let me know if I have any interference problems with this. ASAP . 2003 pathfinder LE WITH REMOTE START.

    chip key stays hidden inside the car say in ashtray .
    Remote stays on key ring to open and close windows or door locks AND START
    Extra flat blank key that works I tried it ,is hidden outside the car incase of loosing the remote
  • 99accent99accent Member Posts: 237
    I opened my rear door with a flat ordinary key that was cut fron the chip key ,but what ever I did I lost my remote start but the doors all lock and unlock with the remote, whats up or did I disarm my remote start ?when I opened the rear door? some one said follow the instructions to set up a new remote and your remote start will come back ,is this true?
  • 92nissan92nissan Member Posts: 2
    I have a 92 Pathfinder SE, 2wd, 3L V6, 5 speed that will not turn the engine over. For about a year now it would just click when I turned the key on, then you could turn the key off and back on and it would start fine. I took it to the local mechanic and he put a new starter and solenoid, but it still will not turn the motor over. The mechanic said he can't fix and he will tow to dealer for $200. Is there a way to test the switch on the clutch? Is there a way to test the ignition switch? Or is there anything else that might be wrong, the mechanic said it would start if you jumped with a wire from the battery. Thanks for any help. :confuse:
  • 99accent99accent Member Posts: 237
    Ill bet its the security system ,because on most aftermarket starters you have to hit the lock button twice on the remote while its locked. then it will start, so it you are tuning the key on off on its basicaly the same thing as the remote.
  • 92nissan92nissan Member Posts: 2
    It does not have a remote, manual locks.
  • ryandmthryandmth Member Posts: 2
    I just put new bulbs in both headlights, and replaced the entire unit on the left side because it shattered, but my right headlight is out, and the fuse blows instantly when the headlights are turned on. My left headlight is great, but the right blew two 15amp fuses and a 20amp fuse instantly when the lights turned on.

    My AC has been working when it wants to for the past few months, but today, it wouldn't turn on. Air will blow out, but the light for the AC will not come on, I'v pushed it repeadably, checked that it is getting power, and the fuses, they are all fine, but the light still will not come on and it will not get cold.
  • ryandmthryandmth Member Posts: 2
    I had a problem with my 95 pathfinder starting, It woudln't turn over for a while, then it would just start. The problem with mine was the shift lock.
  • beachbassbeachbass Member Posts: 1
    1997 Pathfinder. I noticed while driving on the beach that I hear a clicking noise while turning left. This only happens when the 4WD is on. Does that sound like CV Axle? If so does anyone know how difficult a repair it is? If I can't do it myself , is it expensive to get done?
  • 99accent99accent Member Posts: 237
    yes it sounds like a cv axle joint going,it could be a job if anything is frozen or rusted on but putting it back together should be easyer,why not ask around to get some prices through a private place not a dealer or stealer.
  • gsemikegsemike Member Posts: 2,278
    I think that I paid $450 to get both axles replaced on mine
  • nissan_mannissan_man Member Posts: 2
    I have a 95 Nissan Pathfinder SE V6 Auto. I bought it in June and recently decided to re do the brakes (I only had one wheel that was doing any good braking) and the brakes were starting to pulse pretty bad when I slowed down. So I replaced the front rotors and pads and rear pads. I stop on a dime now but the pulsing has gotten worse!

    For the first few miles the pulsing was gone completely, but it's coming back now.
    Also, it seems to be coming from the front right wheel.

    I did not change the rear rotors, which were very worn. So I'm wondering: Could it be that the new bads with functioning brake pistons have bent the worn rear rotors? Or has the fact that only one wheel was doing most of the breaking bent something somewhere?

    Also, since I re did the brakes at speeds of 55-65 there is a wobble from one of the front wheels, it seems to come and go. Is it possible that these are linked?

    Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
  • xyzedxyzed Member Posts: 4
    I have a 2001 pathfinder w/120000 miles and my digital clock stopped working about 2 months ago. Called several dealers and the price for a new one was about 200. dollars. I searched on the internet and found subaru-clock.com. I removed the clock (which was quite easy) and mailed the clock. I got it back within a week and it has been working like a charm. Total cost $40. :)
  • joefanjoefan Member Posts: 3
    I have a Nissan Consult with a 14 pin connector. On the 1992 pathfinder it has a check connector for the E.C.C.S. checker box located below the instrament pannel. Any adaptors? Can I hard wire it? I know E.C.C.S has onboard diagnositcs but it is much easier to link it to my laptop for diagnostics. Any suggestions?
  • joefanjoefan Member Posts: 3
    If it is turning over but it just wont start it could be your air flow meter. It can sometimes give an intermittant problem that gets worse until it wont start at all. Your pathfinder has onboard diagnositcs on the ECU (under the front passenger seat). You can use that to see if it working. It will check crank angle, air flow and ingnitian signal in the real time diagnostic mode V.

    Another common starting problem for the MT 1992 pathfinders are the interlock relays. If you have full power on the dash, starter is good and battery is good and it just wont turn over sometimes it can be that. As they get older they heat up and sometimes work intermittantly. I just removed mine all together and wired around it. So I can start it without depressing the clutch or the interlock button.
  • ont1964ont1964 Member Posts: 1
    I have an 06 that has just started to do the exact same thing/....blowing a large (embarrassing) white cloud of smoke when starting the engine cold - that being if the truck has sat for at least a couple hours. It does not do it at all after the initial cloud on start up.
    The truck is due to go back as lease maturing shortly and I intended on buying the vehicle out. With this new problem though, I dont want to inherit the cost of a major engine overhaul or a rebuild of the heads. Has anyone else encountered this and actually had the problem diagnosed/ repaired?
  • 99accent99accent Member Posts: 237
    it just might be a head gasket letting some antifreeze into a cylinder try a good stop leak into the radiator ,if it stops smoking then it is the head gasket which may be ok until it gets worse .
  • shark715shark715 Member Posts: 382
    99 accent might be correct about the head gasket, but I would avoid using radiator stop leak as it will often clog your radiator long term. How may miles does your truck have? Have you followed the owners manual without fail for oil and coolant changes? Is your truck still under warranty by any chance? The only inexpensive repair that comes to mind that might be causing the problem could be a clogged PCV valve. You might want to invest paying a hour's worth of labor with a trusted mechanic to diagnose the problem for sure. Her/she can pressure test the cooling system for a blown head gasket and also run an engine compression test. If the problem is one of the head gaskets and the truck is otherwise in good shape and you have correctly maintained it, it may not be silly to invest in a new head gasket...would only be 4 to 5 hours of labor, and you would not be talking about expensive parts. If it is a compression problem your mechanic may be able to advise you if the problem is likely to get worse. If you can live with the embarrassment, it's very possible it may not get worse for many years.
  • steel718steel718 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 07 Pathfinder, 2x4. Recently, I had to swerve to miss a car and ended up hitting the curb with both left side wheels. Now, I know that I need a front end alignment, but I have looked at the rear (quick visual, not down and dirty) and it looks like I might have screwed up something on the left rear. The rear end feels like its slipping when I am going up a hill on a wet road. Is this situation repariable?
  • 99accent99accent Member Posts: 237
    ITS A GOOD THING TO HAVE TESTED THE RADIAT :blush: OR PRESSURE TEST
  • gsemikegsemike Member Posts: 2,278
    Take it to be trusted bodyshop and ask them to check it. Collision should cover it
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