Nissan Pathfinder Maintenance and Repair

jambazi · March 2001

The dealer mechanic replaced my rear oil seal in less than half an hour, which solved the problem. We couldn't figure out why the thing was leaking to begin with, as the seal looked fine. He said it's the first PF he's seen with such a leak, although the Xterras have been having problems with it.

As a side note, he topped off my transfer case (I have 4WD) fluid with Dexron III/Mercon ATF fluid, which the service manual says is okay to use. But it was definitely a different color than the fluid already in there, which is most likely Nissan Matic D (the service manual says that automatic transmission fluid is put in the transfer case at the factory, so I'm assuming they used their own product).

Does anyone know if this mixing of transmission fluids is harmful? The dealer of course claims it's not, but I was considering replacing my transfer case oil with a whole new batch just to be sure.

--Howie

scottc3 · March 2001

Just a comment.. after reading a few leaks here and there, I thought I'd post our new PF, within a day, the engine warning light came on. Yes, we all know, it's the gas cap.. but it was tight, so I brought back to the dealer for a check. There was a hose on the Evap Control System that did not have a hose-clamp on it, and it came off. Code P0445 - Eval leak. Fixed in 5 min. I suppose my point, new cars are new cars.. leaks, are part of this.. should not happen, but they do. And once fixed, you will have a reliable car for years and years.. I hope I do.

Scott

jeckles · April 2001

All transmission fluids must be compatible (up). The only differences are the additives, which are for shift characteristics. In theory a Dexron III is a Dexron III, regardless of brand. Adding Chrysler AT4, or something else my have slightly different characteristics. but you would have to add a lot of fluid (say about 6 quarts) to really change shifting.

If you experience shifting problems, change the fluid. Otherwise don't worry about it...

jeckles · April 2001

My new 2001 LE has a vibration which is more RPM dependent than speed dependent. I don't think it is tires for this reason. Maybe a driveshaft or harmonic balancer?

I could get lucky: it might be just wheel balancing, but I wanted to see if any other new owners have similar vibration. Here is detail:

On smooth road, with slight incline, in 4th gear of Auto (overdrive engaged). Vibration Starts around 1200 RPM, peaks at about 1400 RPM, and smooths out around 2000 RPM. Speeds vary from about 35 to 50 mph.

Yesterday on the interstate I could feel it, just barely, at 70 mph. Don't know if it was the same vibration or not.

Made appointment with Dealer for Tuesday.

pathfinder14 · April 2001

Hi, everyone. I have an oil leak. The tech said the real main seal might be defective. I have a 2001 pathfinder le 4x4 awd. I am very sad but reading the post I understand that this is not uncommon. Can any one tell me why they call it the rear main seal when the leak is in the front where the "bell housing like" structure is. The service tech said the manufacturer lube it to much but it could be defective seal. Hopefully the tech can fix it. Can anyone tell me anything about this leak problem.

nismofreak · April 2001

Does the car vibrate at idle at all? And is it getting progressively worst? I am wondering if it is a broken mount (engine/tranny/diff).

jeckles · April 2001

Motor Mounts sounds like a good idea.

It doesn't seem to vibrate at idle, but it does vibrate during acceleration. It does seem to be getting worse...

Thanks for the feedback.

I plan to crawl under the truck this weekend and look for any bent parts. I'll let you know if I find anything, but I don't know if I'll be able to check the liquid filled motor mounts visually.

jeckles · April 2001

Took PF to dealer today.

Their answer was essentially "they all do that"
Service Mgr said report it to Nissan.
Mechanic felt the vibration (so I'm not crazy), but said it is a result of the larger bore and stroke of the new 3.5. I don't beleive him and still think there is a problem. I will demanded to test drive a new one later this week and compare. They were unable to comply today because the sales staff was not there yet.

Does anyone else have an engine vibration around 35 to 45 mph (~1500 rpm) that shakes whole vehicle? I can feel the vibration in the seat, steering wheel, and pedals. Feels like it is coming from rear of vehicle.

pat01 · April 2001

I've been having an intermittent problem with my auto headlights (three times over 2 months). I park in an underground garage (so the lights are always "on" when leaving home), and when out in broad daylight (bright sunlight), they remain on (never turning off until the engine is off).

Has anyone else experienced that their headlights do not turn off in the daylight?

li_sailor · April 2001

Since auto headlights are standard on all 2001 PFs, I can only think of 2 reasons (other than malfunction) for them staying on...not having the setting on 'auto' or something blocking the sensor (this would make it always 'nighttime'). Check the sensor on your dash (right side, there are 2, I forget what the other one is for) to make sure nothing is blocking it.

Tom

sanandton · April 2001

Had the same problem on my 01 PF when it was newer. It hasn't shown up in many months now. Never did decide why. It just went away.

ubrsf · April 2001

As i was coming back from a trip this weekend my 96 PF seemed to jerk or sputter a bit when i was coming down hill and i would let off the gas, or when traffic would come to a stop and i'd press on the brake, as soon as i would let off
the brake to move slowly, it would sputter. Could this be that the idling needs adjustment?. any suggestions? it only does it now and
then.

duper · April 2001

It could be the throttle body that needs cleaning. My old Prelude behaved the same way until I had it cleaned. Nissan is advertising a throttle body service for $85.

dny42 · April 2001

Last week on my way back from San Antonio, I was following two cars doing 110 miles per hour and all of a sudden I felt this jerk, which scared me and almost a sound like the car stopped running. Has anyone else incurred this problem?

phil47 · April 2001

...I'm guessing you probably hit the rev limiter or the speed limiter on the engine. They're there to prevent folks from over-revving their engines or driving too quickly for the light truck tires that are typically spec'd for SUVs (so they don't come apart like a cheap Firestone).

meca2 · April 2001

dny42: Do the state police have your e-mail address???

pathfinder2001 · April 2001

Hello, I have a new 2001 Pathfinder SE, with approx 2,000 miles. I notice a distinct engine pinging between 2-3K rpms, only while driving. I've tried lower octane fuel 87 instead of 91, and the problem persists (I live in Colorado.) Has anyone had this experience? What did you do to fix it? Any other suggestions? Thanks.

phil47 · April 2001

I believe it will make it worse. If this is happening all the time w/o you significantly loading the engine (heavy load carried uphill on hot day, etc.) then I would say you should have it checked out immediately by your dealer. Pinging is very harmful to the engine over time. The thin air at high altitude in Colorado can lead to pinging if the engine mgmt computer is not compensating for it, but that would mean something is wrong with the EMC, sensors, etc.

ubrsf · April 2001

pathfinder2001 · April 2001

I forgot to mention that the dealer suggested I change octane. They couldn't find anything wrong with the vehicle when I brought it in for the 1500 mile checkup. If this persists, do I have a legitimate gripe for LEMON?

phil47 · April 2001

...to reduce pinging? This is contrary to what I've been told. Anyone else heard one way or the other?

nismofreak · April 2001

In response to Phil's post, I have never heard of lowering the octane number to reduce pinging. That just doesn't make any sense.

With what is going on, I would suggest that the dealer check the timing of the ignition. I know that we have direct-ignition but something is screwing with the timing to have the truck detonate so prematurely (As someone said: Check the ECU).

The only other problem that you could be having is that your gas is so dirty that it is causing detonation or extreme rapid build up of carbon (the second might just too out there for a motor with only 1500 miles on it).

Good luck and please let us know that the dealer says.

pathstar · April 2001

Always go to a higher octane if you have pinging! Try a tank of the 10% enthanol premium (Sonoco in the US?). I use it exclusively now (Mohawk in Canada) - great stuff and the vehicle smells like an alcohol burner ;-). Yes, the owners manual says not to use gasahol, but they're worried about methyl hydrate which is not good without extensive modifications to the fuel system. Ethyl alcohol is pretty much harmless and you get a bonus as it cleans out any water in the system. It also keeps the engine much cleaner (higher octane fuels often add tolulene to get higher octane ratings, but the tolulene usually carbons up the engine.

dny42 · April 2001

In response to Meca2, I was following some other speed demons on my way back from Houston and they left me in the dirt when I was doing 110. And as far as I know, the state police DO NOT have my em-ail address. Since I've never driven that fast before, I didn't even know there was a rev limited on cars. Thanks for the info phil47.

faith318 · April 2001

I am so disappointed in my Pathfinder and my dealer. I have a 2000 PF with only 24,000 miles on it. I have had routine dealer service on it (oil changes etc.). Recently I noticed that I was having VERY uneven tire wear and my steering wheel would vibrate severely around 60-65 mph. I took it to my dealer and they told me that with 4x4's that this was common and that I needed new tires and a 4 wheel alignment. New tires at 24,000 miles? Anyway, I purchased new tires and had the alignment performed last week. This weekend I noticed that my car still shimmys at 60-65mph AND now when I hit the brakes my car shakes pretty severely. So, tonight I took it to the dealer and they said they road tested it and the rotors are bad and needed to be grinded??? What is going on here?? I never took it off road. I do strictly local and highway driving. Again, I only have 24k miles on this vehicle. Any suggestions? Should I fight the dealer or call Nissan? Please help!!!

meca2 · April 2001

faith318: It might be a good idea to take your PF to an independent front end garage and get a second opinion. I had an Explorer that shook and pulled to the right. Took it to the dealer 7 times to get it fixed and finaly took it to a good front-end shop and he fixed it in 1 hour. I took the bill to the dealer where I bought the pile from and they paid me for the alignment. Good Luck Steve

smithmd · April 2001

faith318,

I would definitely ask a friend or co-worker to recommend a tire and brake shop that they like and then take your truck there to get a second opinion.

However, it sounds like the dealer is correct in telling you what needs to be done. How they went about doing the other stuff is another story.

The shakes from the brakes a probably due to a warped rotor or two. You don't have to go off-road to warp your rotors. It is simply a matter of your brakes heating the rotors up and then the rotors cooling down. If you drive aggresively or have to brake hard sometimes, that could be a small part of the cause. Another, more likely, cause is that maybe you were driving (using your brakes normally) and drove through some high water or in a sudden heavy down pour of rain. The sudden cooling of the rotors will cause them to warp. I'm just under 30,000 miles and starting to notice a little warping on my rotors. My Honda Accord has had slightly warped rotors since 22,000 miles. The dealer wants to do what is called "turning" the rotors. They will actually grind off part of the surface of the rotor where the brake pads touch the rotor to make it perfectly flat. Your other option would be to replace the rotors. No matter where you go, you will probably need to have this done.

Now for the tires. The tires could have worn unevenly for a number of reasons. Poor alignment is a main cause and is probably at least partly to blame for your tire wear. The other issue is that the Pathfinder just eats tires, regardless of proper alignment. I had to have my tires replaced at about 28,000 miles. I kept them balanced and aligned. As far as the vibration is concerned, I have only found a couple of places that can balance the tires on my Pathfinder. The one thing that all of those places have in common is the balance machine they use: a Hunter GSP 9700. If you go to this website: http://www.gsp9700.com/pub/features/

click on "Locate a GSP 9700" to find a shop in your area that has one of these machines. Even the Nissan place couldn't balance my tires in several tries, so they sent my truck to one of these places because the Nissan Technical Service Bulletin told them to.

Good luck with your truck. You will really enjoy it again when you get this taken care of.

winnyv · April 2001

You must be one of the lucky ones dny42, I believe most Pathfinders have a 105mph limiter.

pathfinder2001 · April 2001

Well, I took pathfinder 2001 back to the dealer to have them witness the noise. Sure enough, Murphy's laws were at work for the first test drive. Finally, when I took the head mechanic out, he heard the noise. At first, he thought it was a rattle. After pulling over and checking the vehicle, it continued to ping when accelerating. Needless to say, they are looking into it and are checking with Nissan. Hopefully, they can identify a root cause, but I have my doubts. If they can't, can I start documenting a case for Lemon?

kmrq · April 2001

I have a 99.5 PF, and I hit 110mph also. I could've pushed it for more, it had no sign of limitation in PF, since the mph only shows 120. But, I believe PF doesnt contain a chip that limits the speed. I'm not really sure, does anyone know??

winnyv · April 2001

I have a 2001 and it shuts down at 105. Also, just because
the speedometer says 120 or 140 or whatever, this does not
mean the vehicle can go this fast.

nismofreak · April 2001

As with the Sentra, the Pathy does indeed have a speed limiter. However, I think the reason why people are seeing different speeds when they hit the speed limit can be as simple as either running different size tyres or just good ol' speedometer error.

brian60 · April 2001

I have a 99.5 PF that's getting a 30k service and a new set of rotors due to warping. This is actually the second time I have had to have the rotors replaced due to warping, which surprised the service guy as well. I tend to drive somewhat aggressively and make many trips to the mountains, but I do not feel like I am abusing my brakes in any way. I intend to contact Nissan about this matter.

nismofreak, i don't think i would worry too much about that surface rust as it is quite normal. most new cars at a dealer have some underbody rust that no one ever sees.

nismofreak · April 2001

I think you might be a good candidate for cryo-treated rotors. I have used those on my track toy with great success. If there is a good speed shop near you, they may have the facilities for it. It basically hardens the rotors and they resist warping.

danog · April 2001

What do you suppose the threaded area is for? Didn't notice any on ours but if it serious I will check it out.

nismofreak · April 2001

Those threaded holes are for the "brush bar" installation. The ones in the back are for the receiver hitch.

jhawkeye · May 2001

One of the most common causes for warped rotors is different torque to the individual wheel lugs. An air wrench can warp a rotor with little effort.

jeckles · May 2001

Well the vibration saga continues... I went to a second Nissan Dealer yesterday and gave them a detailed description of the vibration problem. I also asked them to check the run-out of the drive shaft. (as advised by service manual)

After lunch they called me and said the vibration is normal for pathfinders. The service mgr. supposedly spoke with engineers at Nissan that said nothing could be done. Hence he did nothing. Expecting me to be disappointed, the service mgr. said to call 800-NISSAN1 if I was unhappy. I called and got a friendly denial to help.

I drove another PF on the lot and it only vibrated about half as much. So I asked where they drew the line between normal and abnormal. The Service mgr was unable to answer and got quite angry.

Sorry for the long post, but how many other 2001 PF 4x4 owners have noticed slight vibrations. This vibration is felt from the drive train, but goes away when coasting. Mine happens at ~40 mph.

sanandton · May 2001

Where do you live. I would be willing to meet and do a swap drive. I don't think I have any vibration, but then I don't exactly know what you are describing. I have had my 01 PF over one year now and it is smooth as silk. I live in the upstate of SC in Greenville.

meca2 · May 2001

jeckles: Mine has a slight vibration a 20mph excellerating uphill. I think it's from
the pinion gear in the rear differential. Does your PF stop the vibration when coasting?
Steve

apvitale · May 2001

We purchased a 2001 Pathfinder SE 4x4 automatic in July 2000. Great vehicle, except I don't get how to disengage the 4wd system. In the manual it says to simply put it back into 2H, which you can do while you're driving. Ok, this doesn't always work. Sometimes, it just stays in 4wd.

I called the dealer and they said you need to: 1. stop the truck; 2. put it in reverse; and 3. tap the gas. That works, but is a hassle. I guess that was the way you did it on older Pathfinders, but it's not the way it supposed to work on the 2001.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Andrew

phil47 · May 2001

If you have the new auto 4wd system, then something is wrong. I have used it many, many times between auto4wd and 2Hi. It never gets "stuck". From 4Hi (center diff is locked) to 2Hi it might take a few seconds, but not long and you don't have to stop as long as you weren't driving it on dry pavement for a long time in 4Hi. If you have driven for awhile on dry pavement, it will bind up the drivetrain (even damage it eventually) and so it takes longer to "unwind".

li_sailor · May 2001

Phil - Andrew has an SE...unless it's Canadian, it has part-time 4WD, not auto like you & I have. I'm not sure what the rules are for PT 4WD.

Tom

smithmd · May 2001

My '99.5 does the same thing. What the dealer told you to do will work, but shouldn't be necessary. Sometimes it just takes longer than other times for the drivetrain to "un-bind." When the truck is driven on anything other than completely loose or slippery surfaces, there will be some binding in the drivetrain. To get my truck out of 4wd, I will put the stick into 2wd, speed up about 10 mph (not exceeding 50 mph), then coast down 10 or 15 mph, then speed back up and coast back down, until the 4wd light goes out. Sometimes, I have to repeat the process a few times while other times 4wd disengages as soon as I take my foot off of the gas. Also, I've always been able to do this on straight sections of road since turning is generally what causes most of the binding.

apvitale · May 2001

Yes, I have the part-time 4wd. Thanks smithmd for the help.

It's kinda frustrating because I feel uncomfortable using 4wd when it's so hard to disengage. For example, when the side streets are snow covered and I'm in 4wd then I'm getting on the highway and they're clear I need to disengage 4wd. I can't stop and put the truck in reverse.

I'll try the speed up and slow down trick. Thanks.

Although, this seems like something Nissan needs to work on. Not very comforting when you don't feel like you can easily disengage 4wd.

Andrew

smithmd · May 2001

Andrew ,
I know that you and I are not the only ones that have the issue of accelerating from a stop on a snow covered side road onto a cleared highway. I generally leave it in 4wd until I get out onto the highway and then put the stick in 2wd. If you're in a lot of traffic and speeding up and slowing down 10 or 15 mph at a time is not feasible, just do it 3 or 5 mph at a time. This issue is just something that you have to deal with when driving a part-time 4wd system. The short amount of time that you're on clear pavement and in 4wd isn't really going to cause any damage...especially not enough to warrant risking the safety of you, your passengers, and your vehicle.

jeckles · May 2001

Sanandton: I live near Nashville TN. Thanks for the offer. If I ever get down that way, I'll holler.

Meca2: My vibration goes away when I let off the gas or put it in neutral. Changing gears (3 or 4) doesn't seem to change much.

I crawled under the car Saturday and looked at the drive shaft. It looks like a big shaft inside a little shaft, surrounded by rubber. I unbolted the shaft and rotated it 180 degrees in relation to the pinion. Now the vibration is about 60% of before. Interesting... I guess I'll have to check the runnout, since the dealers don't have anyone trained to operate a dial indicator. I'll let you know what I find out.

I still suspect it is a driveshaft run-out problem, but it could be something else in the drive line...

Thanks for all the helpful input.

trenthuang · May 2001

Hi all,

Seems like this is an old question for the folks here. And I have done my homework as far as reading posts on nissan newsgroups regarding the different symptoms of this problem. But I'm still having trouble telling whether or not my 95 manual pathy is one of the victims or victim-to-be.

My truck is an XE with 55K miles. It's not exactly quiet so I cant really tell if there is any "ticking noise". I was wondering if there is any other tricks to find that out without having to take the heat shield off. I'm able to see at least three bolts from the openings of the heat shield. Those bolts are rusty but seem still in one piece. The bolts on the heatshield are too rusty to remove with my limited tools.

I heard that the studs on 94-95 pathies have been replaced by 10mm (used to be 8mm) parts and therefore much stronger. I was wondering if there is anyone out there with these trucks on which the studs are still not broken.

Thanks.
Trent

sls666 · May 2001

Hello all you Pathfinder owners. I'm new to this genre but I'm having a good time & learning a lot reading all of these posts. Great info on problems, accessories, etc,

Jeckles - Re: your posts #59, 90 & 99, I too have the dreaded shimmy which occurs between 30-40mph. I purchased a '01 LE back in late October. The vibration was barely noticeable then, so I thought I had escaped. But the vibration is only getting worse. I've printed out the posts that others have written regarding the shimmy & will take them with me to the dealer.

Other than that, I love the truck. I'll never go back to a car again. I bought it just in time. I was laughing as others were digging their cars out of the 15+ inches of snow we got in here in Chicago this past December. Hopefully, the dealer can fix this minor annoyance & with the exception of the high gas prices, I'll be a happy camper again.

apvitale · May 2001

Matt:

Thanks. I'll give it a shot and see what happens.

I appreciate all your help.

Take care,
Andrew

Nissan Pathfinder Maintenance and Repair

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