Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

Nissan Pathfinder

1…94959799100…158

Comments

  • indyracingindyracing Member Posts: 1
    The driver seat on my 2001 Pathfinder starting squeaking recently. At the last warranty service I mentioned it to the technician. Their response was that the springs were squeaking and there is nothing they can do. The only way to remove the squeak would be to replace the entire seat but this is not covered under the warranty.

    Has anyone else had this problem and how did you have it rectified?
  • sullivsulliv Member Posts: 1
    I drive an '01 LE that currently has ~ 50K miles on it(I do a lot of driving for work). At about 45K miles I started noticing the smell of raw fuel just after turning the engine off, coming in through the vents. Just recently there is a slight engine stumble on start-up, that goes away in a few seconds. I suspect a loose injector, but did not get far in looking for it, before it became obvious that it's no simple task to get to the injectors and fuel rail!
    In lieu of shelling out $275 for the shop manual, has anyone else heard of or dealt with this problem with the 3.5l engine. If so, how difficult was it to access the fuel injection system.
  • lspangler1lspangler1 Member Posts: 68
    Does anybody have a diagram or photo of all the lube points under the pathfinder. I want to grease everything myself and make sure I don't miss anything.
  • pathstarpathstar Member Posts: 201
    Ha Ha. Oh, that's not very helpfull is it? On the 2001 there is one. Right at the back of the transmission, you can lube the forward rear driveshaft "U" joint. There aren't even plugs to remove to install grease nipples. I searched for some time.
  • luke12luke12 Member Posts: 1
    Has anyone seen or heard about the re-design of the PF for 2004. I was at a dealer in chicago that told me about it and showed me a proto-type photo of the concept.

    Scott
  • awdonaldawdonald Member Posts: 1
    I have just bought a '97 se with 48000km and it doesn't have an owners manual or a "privacy" cover for the back. I am in Vancouver BC and whould appreciate help with finding these. If someone could "lend" a manual I could copy it.
    I'll need tires soon and am leaning toward Toyo open country A/T...without trying to open a dreaded tire thread perhaps someone could give me advice at awdonald@shaw.ca.
    Thanks,
  • drmpdrmp Member Posts: 187
    You can buy it at Helm's online. I think it's less than 50 bucks. My Honda owner's manual is supplied by Helm, I even bought a shop manual so I can do the maintenance myself.
  • cretecrete Member Posts: 105
    You can go to http://www.tirerack.com


    Do a search for your make, model, year and then select the tire brands you are interested in. They will come back with results for different brands that fit your Path. They also have reivews from buyers as well as news and other info.

  • cretecrete Member Posts: 105
    I have my beautiful brand new '02 path LE in Sahara Beige and the one thing I don't care for too much on the body is the Black colored door handles. For me, it just seems to break up the nice flowing lines of the body style. As the body ages and after so many washes and waxes I've noticed with older Path's, the handles start to fade or build up residue from waxes and such. I would love to change them out for matching color handles like the ones I've seen on the Infiniti QX 4 body. Has anyone ever tried looking into this?

    I would think the hardware is the same as on the QX4, so I'd only need to try and match the color shade.

    One other bugaboo, why didn't they extend the simulated wood trim for the passenger side air vent grill. I know it blends in well with the dash, but it would've added more highlight to the overall interior look and feel.
  • baddestbob1baddestbob1 Member Posts: 96
    As a naturally careless person I always leave wax residue on the black trim, very noticeable especially if textured, i.e. door handles. Meguiar's makes a product "Gold Class Trim Detailer" that absolutely covers up and makes all the black trim look like it had just come out of the paint shop.
  • brian60brian60 Member Posts: 76
    Turtle Wax's Black Chrome does a great job on black trim as well - makes your PF look like it was just driven off the dealer's lot. I personally like the black trim on my silver PF, but it is a pain come wax time ...
  • cretecrete Member Posts: 105
    On some colors the black trim does look really great (silver, black, etc). But for me with the Beige color the black really pops out at you, I would like a more subtle look. Meanwhile I'll check out that Meguiar's product - thanks, and hope someone has other ideas about products or changing out the handles.
  • drbigzdrbigz Member Posts: 21
    I bought a demo 2001 Pathfinder LE pearl white and the paint on it is already rusting in a couple of small places! Is this covered by warranty? If I don't have something done about it, it'll eat away all my paint. Please help.
  • normp1normp1 Member Posts: 25
    Hi I just purchased a 2002 Pathfinder a couple of days ago and have a few questions that hopefully someone can answer.
    1/ Air conditioning system doesn't seem to be as cold as my old "freon system" in my last vehicle. Is this because of the new environmental coolant now being used ?

    2/ Need to install a class 111 hitch to pull my boat. The dealers price is the same for a Nissan tubular hitch as is the another shop who installs Hidden tubular hitches. Which would be my best bet ?

    3/ It appears that my pathfinder does not have an automatic transmission cooler already installed. Do I need an after market kit to tow a 3000 lb boat a half a dozen times in the summer?

    4/ My boat ( 3 years old) is on a custom factory built trailer (by the boat manufacturer) and due it's weight under 3000 lbs (boat and trailer) does not have factory installed brakes. This was not a problem when towed by my 1990 f150 but do I need to change this setup when using my new pathfinder ?

    5/ Do you recommend having some kind of rust proofing applied over what the vehicle comes with ? I'm pretty meticulous with washing etc.. Many thanks !
  • evaddaveevaddave Member Posts: 156
    Hi all,
    I'm considering selling my '00 Solara and getting a Pathfinder. I'm sure there are plenty of just-off-lease Pathfinders out there that are pretty good deals, but I'm curious about the 3.5L engine in the '01s and '02s. Is it a big difference over the older 3.3L engine? Is the engine alone worth buying the PF new or nearly new?

    I'm leaning towards an SE 5-speed, although I haven't taken any test drives yet. Is there a way I can tell from the VIN if the transmission is an automatic or manual?

    Have there been any major problems with Pathfinders built since the '98 or '99 model years? I tried scanning this discussion, but going through nearly 5000 posts takes some time. :)

    Thanks in advance,
    Dave
  • woodyr1woodyr1 Member Posts: 142
    Hi Norm:

    I will answer only question 1. I installed, myself, a Hidden Hitch Class III hitch. When I purchased it, it was somewhat less money than the Nissan version, where I was told that Hidden Hitch actually manufactured the hitches for Nissan. I am unsure if that rumour was true, but the source was a Nissan dealer.

    I bought mine in Kelowna, at a canopy shop at the north end of the city (Canopy West, I believe). I paid about $200 for it.

    You may read some posts about others have trouble with the hitch hitting part of the exhaust system - not so with the Hidden Hitch I installed.

    I have a 1200 pound travel trailer, and have not added any additional transmission cooler.

    Hope this helps.
  • dieselonedieselone Member Posts: 5,729
    Normp1,

    I have an 01 LE. I had a Class III Hidden Hitch installed to tow my boat which weighs about 3200lbs on the trailer, which has surge brakes. I haven't added an external trans cooler. I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to add one, but the Pathfinder is rated for 5,000lbs as is and I have read that an external cooler is not necessary. I currently have 15k miles on my Pathfinder and have logged at least 3,000 towing miles and haven't had a problem.

    As far as brakes are concerned they are never a bad idea, but you'll probably be OK. The brakes on the pathfinder seem to be pretty strong.
  • canibuscanibus Member Posts: 1
    I'm thinking about purchasing the Nissan Pathfinder SE. I read that it uses premium gas in some places(Car and Driver magazine) and that it uses regular unleaded gas in other places(edmund.com). Which is it?
  • bigorange30bigorange30 Member Posts: 1,091
    Use premium gas. My QX4 manual says to use premium and it is a mechanical twin as I have been convinced here.
  • yrideyride Member Posts: 21
    Just put a Hidden Hitch on my Canadian '01 SE last week. Installation was easy and only took an hour (in the dark). Got it (#70609) thru http://www.accessconnect.com/ for $145 delivered to my door. Smooth transaction. Hitch looks great and I think it has a better appearance than the Nissan OEM. No problems with muffler interference or noise. It does add 35lbs to your truck.

    PS - Drove a friends Jeep Grand Cherokee for about 100 miles this weekend. I (silently) felt sad for him and wished the whole time I was in my rig.
  • wildcorgiswildcorgis Member Posts: 84
    hondga-- I don't think my PF has the LATCH system? I do use the seat anchors and it holds the seat very well. I wonder my Nissan didn't make LATCH standard in the PF? They don't even have shoulder belt for center rear passenger.
    crete--The door handles were one of my pet peeves also. I got the bronzed gray so it would match a little better as did the roof racks and step bars. I don't think you can use QX4 handles. The colors are different for Nissan and Infiniti.
    drbigz-- I would take it in as a soon as possible. I'm certain there is at least a 4-5 yrs corrosion warranty on the car.
    normp1--My wife’s 93 Camry uses the old freon and it gets so cold that I have to turn the heat up a little to make it tolerable. So yep, there is a big difference in the freon now being used. Living in So. CA. , I'm biased but I'm not a big believer in after market rust-proofing. Cars today are being built much more corrosion proof than before. The hitch from Nissan is pretty nice. It has a step so it's easier to clean/load the top of car and it sticks out a little so if anyone rear-ends me, it may take the brunt of the damage.
    evaddave-- I've driven an auto. 02 PF(mine) and an auto.99 QX4 (3.3L) and I think there is a big difference. The 5 sp might equalize that. PRO 3.5L: same gas mileage, obviously more power and smooooth with a nice roarty exhaust.PRO 3.3L no premium gas. I've read all the reviews from carreview.com, carpoint.com and this forum on the PF and haven't noticed any pattern of problems. The PF has gotten great reliability reviews from Consumer Reports and J.D. Powers.
    canibus-- The car manual and the sticker by the gas cap RECOMMENDS premium gas. I'm as cheap as they come and I haven't notice a difference in power or gas mileage (I'm sure this cannot be true?) using regular but I've been using premium. Why you ask? It really doesn't cost that much more and I plan on keeping the car for a long time and I've heard on Click and Clack that on cars that REQUIRE premium running it on regular could damage the catalytic converter by making it run hotter. It's fun every once in a while to stir up and awaken the whole herd of 240 ponies.

    Happy Pathfinding!!!

    Steve
  • crikeycrikey Member Posts: 1,041
    Some later released 2001s and all of 2002 models have the LATCH system. See LATCH on PF

    If you look in the cargo area you should find 3 bolted-down anchors.
  • shark715shark715 Member Posts: 382
    Norm,

    You may be taking a significant risk towing that much weight without trailer brakes. According to the owner's manual for my '01 PF, towing more than 1000 POUNDS requires trailer brakes. I tow a boat and trailer weighing about 4200 lbs., and one time I had a problem with the trailer brakes...I was barely able to stop the PF and trailer on a moderate hill...it was scary!

    I don't have any trans cooler other than what came from the factory, and I regularly tow my boat on some very steep hills as well as well as up to Lake George, NY (about 200 miles) twice. There have been no problems, but manually shift to a lower gear to keep the trans from heating up! You may find that you will want to install an Airlift kit to keep the rear suspension from sagging...see numerous postings here over the last month or so on the topic.
  • wildcorgiswildcorgis Member Posts: 84
    crikey---I looked and didn't find it. I guess I'll look again. I've seen them in other cars and they look like two little trapeeze (my best analogy) sticking out between the seat bottom and back about 12 inches apart. I've noticed something on either outboard rear seat position (where your lower back rests) a cutout with a hard metal plate on the inside. I thought this was it but only found one on each side (4 feet apart). Could someone elaborate? Thank goodness for this forum or I''d never known I had one.

    Happy Pathfinding!!!

    Steve
  • shark715shark715 Member Posts: 382
    Since I tow a boat with my '01 PF, the owner's manual calls for changing the trans fluid as well as the rear diff fluid. For the trans, the factory service manual mentions that Dexron III is an acceptable substitute for Nissan Matic D. I'm assuming the cost of buying trans fluid and gear lube from the Nissan dealer is ridiculous. I've never seen Dextron III at my auto parts store...only Dexron II. Is Dexron III something unusual? Also, my truck is equipped with an LSD, and the factory service manual says: "Use LSD gear oil API GL-5 and SAE 80W-90 approved for Nissan LSD" Does anyone know of a non Nissan product that meets this spec? Also, has anyone out there changed the trans fluid and diff lube themselves? Anything unusual? Per the factory service manual, the trans fluid change is just your basic drain and re-fill. Does it really take 9 quarts from just opening the trans fluid drain, or are they talking about the total capacity including the torque converter (which would never get drained except if the trans was being re-built) Thanks in advance.
  • crikeycrikey Member Posts: 1,041
    Steve, they may have changed the anchors on the 2002 and actually mounted the anchors on the back of the rear seats (which would be much better, IMO). I must admit that I have not looked at the 2002 PFs in person. In the 2001s, the anchors were in the cargo area floor.

    However, I find that if you have rear-facing child seats, it is easier to "LATCH" onto the base of the front seats, rather than anchoring them to the anchors in the cargo area.

    I have twin infants and they use the Britax Roundabout car seats. The car seats have an extra belt that can wrap around a base column of the front seats and I anchor the car seats there. Pretty snug fit too.
  • wildcorgiswildcorgis Member Posts: 84
    crikey-- I think you are talking about the seat tethers? That's the belt that connects the baby seat to the cargo floor.I think that's the T for tether in LATCH. I thought the other part of the LATCH (LA for lower anchor) or ISO-fit was a clip on the bottom of the baby seat that attaches to the bottom of the PF seat so you don't have to use the car's seatbelt at all. Are you using that? Gets pretty confusing!! Hope we're on the same page : ) ?

    I just called Nissan Corp. to get further clarification and I will be happy to share any info they send my way. It sure beats using the PF seatbelts and now I found out that I should use a clip that holds the lap and shoulder belt together because unlike my Accord the seatbelt does not lock in postion after it has been fully retracted.

    Happy Pathfinding!!!

    Steve
  • btdrinks1btdrinks1 Member Posts: 3
    Just put 50k on my 01 PF. It still runs sweet. My only complaint is when I hit the brakes while on the highway, my steering wheel shakes something awful. I'm thinking it may be the abs system, but I'm taking it in this weekend to be serviced. Anyone have similar problems?
  • ac6000cwac6000cw Member Posts: 18
    The transmission fluid is easy to change. There is a drain plug like on an oil pan. It doesn't drain all 9 quarts though. I got almost 5 when I changed mine. I thought Dexron III was the current standard. I didn't have any trouble finding it. As far as I could tell the only way to refill was through the dip stick tube.

    I asked the same question on this board about the LSD fluid about 2 months ago. I got two answers that said to use Mobil 1 Gear Oil. So that's what I used.

    A warning about changing the rear diff. fluid: The fill plug is REAL hard to get out. I had a couple warnings about that from my earlier post also and they were't kidding. It is tight. I strongly suggest you make sure you can get the fill plug out before you pull the drain plug or you will be in trouble. You will need some kind of leverage to get it off. I don't know why that plug is so tight, I changed the front and rear diff, the transfer case and the transmission and none of the other plugs was any problem.

    You might want to consider changing the transfer case fluid while you're down there. I was kind of surprised how dirty it looked at 30K on mine. It uses ATF fluid also.
  • smokey75smokey75 Member Posts: 434
    Hey, BTDRINKS1... the steering shaking when you brake sounds like a classic case of warped rotors. You definitely wouldn't be the first PF owner to have this happen. In fact I have 18,000 miles & mine already are & this seems to be fairly consistent w/ other owners. Sounds like it's a poor rotor design - probably too small to dissipate the heat generated from braking a vehicle of this weight. They will be able to turn them to flatten out that warping if it's still within spec, if not, you'll have to replace them.
  • smokey75smokey75 Member Posts: 434
    Hey AC6000CW... about how much fluid did you get out of the transfer case? I'm planning on changing all fluids to Mobil 1 synthetic soon. By the way, you're right about the transmission fill being the dip stick tube - that's what the service manual shows. I had the same problem when I checked the rear differential at 15,000 miles. Very tight - had to use an impact wrench just to get the fill plug off. I'll never forget the look on my face when I took the transfer case fill plug out to check it @ 15,000 miles & fluid gushed out. I just kind of stood there staring at it, then finally decided to put the plug back in & call the dealership. It seems they overfill them at the factory & slap the plug in. They told me just to let it drain to the fill line. Just a little surprise though... had me looking higher on the transfer case for a fill thinking I had pulled the drain...
  • shark715shark715 Member Posts: 382
    Thanks for the tip on the rear diff fill plug. Mobil 1 Synthetic sounds like a great idea for the rear diff especially due to the heat generated from my frequent towing, but don't you need to add a friction modifier due to the LSD? I'm surprised you have not experienced any chatter from the LSD unit.
  • crikeycrikey Member Posts: 1,041
    I think you are talking about the seat tethers? That's the belt that connects the baby seat to the cargo floor.I think that's the T for tether in LATCH. I thought the other part of the LATCH (LA for lower anchor) or ISO-fit was a clip on the bottom of the baby seat that attaches to the bottom of the PF seat so you don't have to use the car's seatbelt at all. Are you using that? Gets pretty confusing!! Hope we're on the same page : ) ?

    Yes, that's right -- the seat tethers. I use those. And I don't think we're on the same page as I still use seatbelts (I followed the instructions in the car seat manual). Although, it seems your description is right on the money:

    LATCH System (Lower Anchors and Tether for CHildren)
    Anchor points are located in the lower outboard seating positions where the seatback and seat cushion meet. They allow the placement of LATCH System child restraint seats in the rear seat. LATCH System seats allow easy and secure attachment without the need for seat belts or locking clips.

    I thought the lower anchors mounted on the floor are where the tethers connect to and that was what comprised the LATCH system. I guess I'm wrong. But, I don't know if I would feel safe about not using any seatbelts at all. I guess I have yet to see an actual LATCH car seat install. If any documentation that Nissan sends you has pretty good illustrations, I'd be interested. Thanks, Steve.
  • robt9robt9 Member Posts: 1
    Just bought a 2002LE, and the back cargo area rattles. Everything looks and feels tight. I do have the cargo mat organizer, but thats rubber. Also there is a fan type noise whine coming from the dash area. Even when turn off the climate control it still does it. Any thoughts??
  • woodyr1woodyr1 Member Posts: 142
    I have had rattles which turned out to be the rear hatch. I applied a silicone lube to the rubber gasket which seems to make it more pliable. If you can locate a road where you notice the rattle - stop, open the hatch and drive a short distance at slow speed to see if it is gone.
  • ac6000cwac6000cw Member Posts: 18
    The transfer case holds 2 3/8 qts according to the manual. That seems about right for what I had to put back in. Mine was overfilled also, I forgot about that.

    As for the LSD, the Mobil 1bottle says it prevents chatter in Limited Slips so I am assuming that there is no need to add any friction modifiers. I haven't had any noises from it since the change.
  • shmatbertshmatbert Member Posts: 1
    I bought a new 2002 auto. 4x2 Pathfinder a week ago. This weekend, I noticed that when I have the vehicle in park, and I apply or unapply the brake, there is a clicking noise in the case that houses the shifter. I took the car in on Monday morning, and the mechanic told me that the noise is normal, but an acquaintance who also has a new Pathfinder does not experience the same thing in her vehicle. Do your new Pathfinders out there do this? Please let me know. I would like to know whether I should take it back in. Thanks!
  • phil47phil47 Member Posts: 394
    It's normal. That's the brake shift interlock (or some such name) that prevents you from shifting out of Park before applying the brake. If your friend's doesn't do it, something is wrong with theirs.
  • div2div2 Member Posts: 2,580
    My 1993 SE has @131000 miles on it. I switched to Mobil 1 lubricants when I bought it at 37000 miles. I use gear oil in the diffs and ATF in the transfer case and autobox. FWIW, the only gear oil I know that is approved for Nissan LSDs is Pennzoil GearPlus. That said, my LSD has worked fine on a steady diet of Mobil 1. I change the LSD at 30000 mile intervals while the front diff, transfer case, and autobox get 50000 mile changes. I recently switched to BMW synthetic 5W-30 for the engine as I can get it for under $3/quart. The engine gets oil/filter changes every 7000 miles or so. The current oil consumption rate is 1/2 quart every 7000 miles.
  • crikeycrikey Member Posts: 1,041
    http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/childps/csr2001/csrhtml/LATCH.html
  • wildcorgiswildcorgis Member Posts: 84
    crikey--- Great site!. Pictures sure makes it easier to comprehend. I can't wait to hook up my boy's seat correctly. Thanks Again.

    Steve
  • xplorx4xplorx4 Member Posts: 621
    With all the recent talk about fluid changes, I thought I'd ask what are the fluid capacities of the transmission and t-case? I read the t-case is 2.375 qts. How much should I refill in the transmission, if it's just a simple drain-and-replace? I plan to use Mobil1 synthetics in the tranny and t-case, so it would help to know how many quarts to buy ahead of time. Thanks.
  • crikeycrikey Member Posts: 1,041
    Sad to say that my 2001 PF does not have these lower anchors, I'll keep using the seatbelts. Hope that your install goes well.
  • tlj727tlj727 Member Posts: 2
    I just bought a 2002 Pathfinder. The volume goes up to only 31 is this standard for everyone else or do I have a problem or is there another way to adjust it. Cd's play very low.

    Thanks

    Terry
  • div2div2 Member Posts: 2,580
    Mine only goes to 11.
  • li_sailorli_sailor Member Posts: 1,081
    Keep posting like that and your audience will get more selective ;-)

    Spinal Tap references aside, I have the '01 PF which has no visual reference to volume...kind of annoying, but I can live with it. I guess you'll need an '02 owner to confirm whether 31 is really the max.
  • wildcorgiswildcorgis Member Posts: 84
    My volume only goes to 31 also. But my wife only limits me to 10.

    Happy Pathfinding!!!

    Steve
  • normp1normp1 Member Posts: 25
    I realize that there must be a posting somewhere on this but can't find it. Can anyone tell me their experiences in using none factory cd's ( ie computer burned) I realize what the manual says but I 've been told that there shouldn't be any problem with home made ones. Obviously I don't want to wreck my new player.
    Also anybody purchase Weathertech floor mats ? How do they fit and look ? Thanks!
  • bigorange30bigorange30 Member Posts: 1,091
    with computer burned CD's. I do it all the time. I understand how you cold be concerned that they wouldn't play but how could you possibly think it could tear something up?
  • dieselonedieselone Member Posts: 5,729
    I think I currently have 6 cd's in the player that I've burned myself. No problems. I just wish the cd player had an mp3 decoder built in. Oh well.
Sign In or Register to comment.

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles