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Nissan Quest/Mercury Villager problems

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Comments

  • kymikekymike Member Posts: 115
    Do a search on #3. I have posted on this before. Basically, the sensor in your cleaner reservoir needs to be replaced. Most of us have not wanted to spend the money to replace, so we have just unplugged it. You need to remove the inner fender liner to get to the sensor (at least on the Villager model).
  • jzitojzito Member Posts: 1
    if you are referring to noises in the front end,i had the same problem ,and i replaced the lower ball joints.Very easy job. No more noises!
  • icueicue Member Posts: 1
    Within 3 engine hours it died in traffic. Fuel pressure is ok. spark ok and MAF sensor was replaced? Any ideas?
  • sitanositano Member Posts: 5
    Is it difficult to convert the middle bench seat to Quads? I'd probably try & find some used Quad seat at a junk yard or ??? Are the Quad seat year specific? i.e. only 2000's fit 2000, or can I use a 98 etc.

    Also will the bench seat safety belt still work???

    Any help would be appreciated.
    Thanx Steve
  • charles15charles15 Member Posts: 57
    Have had this problem for several years on my 99 GXE with 90K miles. I seem to refill my expansion tank several times during the winter. Never seems to need additional coolant during the summer. Dealer could not find a leak. Anyone had/solved this problem.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    I've seen that on my '99 GXE too; I'm thinking I have a bad hose somewhere and I vaguely remember reading somewhere that one of the (smaller?) hoses can leak some. I've had a whiff of coolant under the hood now and then too and then it'll go away for weeks or months.

    Steve, Host
  • charles15charles15 Member Posts: 57
    Thanks Steve. I have heard about a leak into the throttle body (not sure how that occurs) and a more ominous problem with seals inside the engine. The strange thing is it only happens in the winter so I have to guess it has something to do with the heater. I smell coolant occasionally also. Good thing is this is the only real problem other than a failed alternator and door lock that I have had in 90K. Did you ever get your timing belt changed? If so what can I expect to pay?
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Right, around the throttle body, that's what I've heard too. I had head gaskets issues on another van so the coolant smell bugs me.

    Nope, haven't changed the timing belt or the plugs for that matter. I'm slow. :-)

    Actually I may just ignore the belt until it breaks.

    Steve, Host
  • teasleteasle Member Posts: 2
    Have a '97 Villager with 61K and a 1-2 shift problem when cold. Hangs in 1st during the winter season no matter what the rpm (outside temp <60). Once warm everything is fine. Have changed the fluid and filter (clear red w/ little clutch material). Even tried Lucas trans honey. Any suggestions?
  • sitanositano Member Posts: 5
    I have a 2000 Mercury Villager which has a middle bench seat. Is it possible to convert the middle bench seat to Quad buckets? does it require new hardware? Do the bench seat safety belts work or do they have to be changed also? If you have done this any step by step information would be greatly appreciated.

    Also are the bucket seats model or year specific. Would Nissan Quest Bucket seats work?

    Thanx Steve
  • charles15charles15 Member Posts: 57
    I am still not absolutely sure that this is not an interference engine that would result in a catastrophic failure if the belt brakes. Gates used to say it was not but now it looks like it is. I know it is the old Pathfinder engine that was interference and I understand that Ford insisted that it be non interference. Wish I knew for sure but I will change it not later than 105K.

    My other car is a VW Passat and ugly things happen when that timing belt breaks so I intend to change it as soon as the 60K power train warranty is up even though it calls for 105k change interval.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    I thought Gates always said it's an interference engine. I guess this debate will keep going for years until someone's belt actually breaks on the road.

    Steve, Host
  • teasleteasle Member Posts: 2
    My '97 Villager had a rubber hose bake off the EGR valve, giving me a low EGR flow trouble code. Use a trouble light and a handheld mirror to see behind the upper manifold. My vehicle still ran fine. To fix (maybe?) the rear blower problem, remove the slide switch from the front console then open it up and check where the relay lugs protrude through the pc board. If the big lugs have hairline cracks surrounding them then simply resolder them. Sounds harder than it is. Good luck!
  • carzzzcarzzz Member Posts: 282
    97' Villager with 62k, also has the 1-2 shift problem when cold and problem goes away when it's warmed up. It just revs 300rmp over what i normally do. IMO, I dont think it will do any harm to the car, however I think something has to do with the torque converter. When the tranny/engine is not fully warm-up, the torque converter does not lock-up, @ 65mph with slightly 2500rpm; when warmed up @ 65mph with 2300rpm.
    Solution: warm up the car before you drive... :shades:

    Sometime I found it hard to crank the van. The rmp drop to 500 right after the crank, then i must press the gas pedal in order to keep it going. If i dont press the gas pedal, I have to crank it again with pressing the gas pedal, any idea how to solve this?
  • toomanyfumestoomanyfumes Member Posts: 1,019
    My 2001 Villager had the same problem where I had to press the accelerator to start it and keep it running. My mechanic replaced the fuel pressure regulator ( I think it was about $225-$250) and that solved the problem. It improved my mileage also. Other than that it's been a great car.
    2012 Mustang Premium, 2013 Lincoln MKX Elite, 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander.
  • fduboisfdubois Member Posts: 9
    Well, now that winter is here the wife is once again bugging me to fix the heater problem in her 95 villager. No heat until engine RPM is above 2500 for a prolonged period. When coming to a stop with great heat, vents start blowing colder air. Same problem in rear heater. Water pump and thermostat are new in past year. I back flushed the front heater core and no change - I suspect that cores are say 50% clogged and that higher engine rpm pushes coolant past clogs and allows for heat - lower rpms don't get enough circulation. Van has over 150K miles and bulletproof nissan 3 liter still strong. Anyone have same experience with heat??? Going to try changing front core and see what happens.... thanks, frank">
  • jmw74jmw74 Member Posts: 1
    Hello,
    I am having a problem with my throttle body senser I know that is what it is because I had a test ran on it and the reason why my check engine light is on is because of something to do with the throttle body senser. The problem Im having is when driving it loses power. Secondly, when at a complete stop and i apply gas to it when going from 1st gear to 2nd it shifts hard almost like im getting hit from behind. Now, when you look under the hood the sensor that is hooked up to the throttle body just hangs there and im not sure where it goes its just dangling however when you life up the sensor you hear it idle higher. Is there anyone that could help please..thanks in advance.
  • sentquestsentquest Member Posts: 1
    Check the Throttle Body. I recently had a small leak, loosing coolant, dealer finally found the problem to be the throttle body.

    Can be expensive.... I was lucky when I purchased the car, I bouth the extended warranty
  • cobbcobb Member Posts: 2
    HELLO
    I HAVE A 1997 OLDS SILHOUETTE.BOTH OF MY FRONT POWER SEATS QUIT
    WORKING AT THE SAME TIME. FUSES -CIRCUIT BRAKERS GOOD.
    EVEN HAVE POWER TO THE SWITCHES. BUT SEATS DO NOTHING, LIKE THEY ARE GETTING NO POWER??ALSO THE POWER DOOR JUST MAKES A CLICKING SOUND IN THE REAR, NO MOVEMENT?
    ANYONE KNOW WHAT I CAN CHECK FOR???
    THANKS
  • ebussebuss Member Posts: 12
    The throttle senser is screwed to the back of the throttle by two screws, one in the top, and the other in the middle of the rear of the body. It is a little hard to see and put back. If you need a diagram, I can scan my manual, and e-mail it to you. Earl :sick:
  • fduboisfdubois Member Posts: 9
    Turns out lower radiator hose was collapsed and not enough circulation at low rpms to push coolant through heater cores. Now I have a new front core which I need to sell. Anyone interested. fd
  • heykingheyking Member Posts: 1
    Our '97 Villager EATS brakes. We have to replace them yearly and every time it is $400. New pads, rotars, the whole deal. Any one else with this problem?
  • motonationmotonation Member Posts: 34
    Charles: our '97Q has the same problem, except I can see a very small leak on the right side of the radiator where the core meets the end tank at the bottom. Another thing I have seen is that if you look at the end tanks themselves, they have what appear to be hex-headed (allen wrench) plugs in them. My upper right one leaks periodically. Both of these leaks are only noticeable in the cold weather.

    I checked with Nissan and they couldn't tell me anything about those plugs. I'm about to install a new radiator and solve both problems at once.
  • 97villager97villager Member Posts: 1
    Hi. I've got a '97 and haven't had this problem. It appears you have the issue with the fronts, yes? I would look at the way you drive, especially if your miles are mostly in town. I try to be very gentle with acceleration and with braking--for both gas mileage and brake mileage. Just a thought. I've got 104K on my '97 and have replaced the front pads twice. The rears are the originals. Hope this helps.
  • motonationmotonation Member Posts: 34
    Greetings all! 2nd post here. Not much time to read this whole forum, but I thought I'd add my 2 wooden nickels to the discussion!

    The coolant leak at the throttle body is at the cold/high idle valve portion of the throttle body. If you look on the forward side of the throttle body just below the intake boot hose clamp, you will see a small coolant line going into a brass housing bolted to the throttle body itself. This brass housing and the actuator sticking out of it is what gives you your cold/high idle and subsequent idle down when the engine is warmed up.

    As the engine/coolant warms up, this actuator extends and allows the throttle butterfly to "come down" off the cam plate connected to the brass actuator and the engine idles normally.

    When the engine cools down, the actuator retracts and the throttle butterfly rides back up higher onto the cam, opening the butterfly slightly, and causing your desired higher idle when cold.

    Additionally, there has been much discussion about the timing belt on these engines. You don't want it to break. They are indeed "interference" engines. Also, while you are in there for the timing belt change, go ahead and change your cam and crank seals. A small leak on any of these seals can go undetected for quite some time. The problem is when they do leak, the oil goes right onto your timing belt, causing reduced life expectancy. Not good.

    :)
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Hi Motonation. Check out this link on interference engines - I'd be interested to hear more on your take on the issue:

    Steve Cutchen's FAQ

    We're talking about the older Quests btw; not the new ones made in Canton. I don't know anything about their engines after 2003.

    Steve, Host
  • motonationmotonation Member Posts: 34
    Thanks for the link, Steve. I had actually found that page about a year ago, but had forgotten about it. :( Good stuff.

    My take on the interference engine issue is that both the VG & VQ series of engines are interference. Granted, that doesn't necessarily mean there WILL be engine damage when the timing belt breaks, just a good chance (!).

    Back in the 70's/80's, as engines became smaller, the OEM's moved towards timing belts, and away from timing chains - for a number of reasons. Over this 20-odd year use of belts, we are now seeing timing chains become more widespread once again. I believe the major reason for this is consumer driven: people simply don't want to fork out ~ $1k every 60k/90k miles for a new timing belt, and all of the other expensive "while you're in there" stuff. This anxiety (and lack of preventative maintenance in the first place) has led to many folks experiencing broken timing belts and even larger repair bills. This is even more true for those of us running interference engines.

    As I said a few posts above, I don't have much time around here on the Quest/Villager forum, but I am more familiar with the 300ZX VGDE/TT engine and it's idiosyncrasies. This engine is known for ugly aftermath when a timing belt breaks. Not true 100% of the time, but it usually bends valves when the belt breaks, or worse...depending on the RPM when the failure occurred.

    I had the timing belt changed on our '97 Quest at about 90k. It is now due for another one (187k). Technically "early" according to the manual on each count, but I've had the mis-fortune of a broken timing belt on an Acura Integra, and got off lucky - don't think I'll have good luck a 2nd time. It is now no later than the recommended interval for me when it comes to timing belts.

    Keep in mind that that the recommended intervals also have a "time" element to them - even if the OEM doesn't specify one. As an example...a 10 yr old Quest with 20k miles on it...I sure wouldn't wait until it had 105k on the clock before changing the timing belt. A timing belt is a rubber product, subject to environmental effects, etc, all which negatively impact its useful life.

    Oh, I've had a lot of the standard Q/V problems too...exhaust studs, throttle body coolant leak, funky door locks, and an HVAC control panel meltdown last winter. Still chuggin' along though!
  • fhacenafhacena Member Posts: 2
    I also have a small coolant leak under the throttle body of my 97 Mercury villager. What do I need to do?
  • fhacenafhacena Member Posts: 2
    Steve,

    Thanks for the info. I also have a small coolant leak under the throttle body of my 97 Mercury villager. What do I need to do? Mechanic suggested a whole throttle body. Thanks
    Farid
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Maybe Motonation or someone else who's actually done one can step in; I've just seen references to it around the boards now and then.

    Steve, Host
  • motonationmotonation Member Posts: 34
    Sounds like it is leaking from the the little brass fitting/actuator I mentioned above? If so, you shouldn't need to replace the whole throttle body; the actuator can be removed and the o-ring replaced. (I didn't do mine personally, my mechanic did while he was fixing the broken exhaust studs last winter). It was less than one hour of labor and a few bucks for the o-ring(s).
  • gdudekgdudek Member Posts: 1
    I have exact same problem with 96 Quest with 130k mi. Just replaced thermostat and flushed radiator at Midas. Also, I had a new waterpump put in last year as part of regular maintenance. Didn't make any difference. I am leary about replacing heater core due to cost but don't know what else to do. On road trips, it pours out heat. Back heater not working though.
  • timberguytimberguy Member Posts: 7
    I'm headed into the second winter with the problem of intermittent heat in my '98 Quest, with 133K. It cycles on and off; just when it starts getting really chilly, it comes back on. I also have a '94 Quest with 187K miles on it; the "old" one has not had this problem. (There are electronic gremlins recently inhabiting the radio/casette player, however.)
  • jim454jim454 Member Posts: 5
    Went to replace the speed sensor on our 99 Villager and the sensor is seized in the housing . Top of the sensor is now broken off . I have tried everything I can think of . Thinking of making some kind of a puller . I have even tried a screw in the middle and trying to wedge it out . Would appreciate any help. :cry:
  • jim454jim454 Member Posts: 5
    Fixed the van made a puller out of a piece of 1/4" flat bar . it was the only way to go , took out the sender easily. :)
  • salnadsalnad Member Posts: 1
    When I am accelerating the car when driving, it misfires. the engine is works hard to pick up speed and i can hear the misfiring. But when I accelerate from zero (stop), it works fine. I got the tuning done but observed very little improvement. Any suggestions?
  • julie199julie199 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 1997 Nissan Quest with 103,000 miles on it and have been struggling with a problem for 3 years and about $200 later for having dealers use their gas sniffer around it finding no problems. In cold weather when I start the car up and move down the road I start smelling a very strong odor of gasoline in the passenger compartment. The smell is so bad I have to roll the windows down. When the problem happens it is about 30 degrees or less outside. Dealer now thinks I may have an injector sticking but does not know for sure. Any thoughts or suggestions on what it might be?
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Here's a great tip; are you out there to take credit for it Mozey?

    mozeydozey, "Forums Discussion Finder: Get Directions Here" #5231, 23 Nov 2005 5:38 pm

    Steve, Host
  • jim454jim454 Member Posts: 5
    Have you tried flushing the cooling system out ? Also replace the thermostat.
  • jim454jim454 Member Posts: 5
    Maybe your front brake calipers are dragging ? If you jack the front end up are the front tires hard to turn? If they are replace the calipers . :)
  • wrgraywrgray Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2000 Quest and recently the front blower switch only works on level 4, tested the switch but that was not the problem. Any know what causes this?
  • dhoffdhoff Member Posts: 282
    wrgray-

    I've had the same thing happen on our Quest twice now. It's an easy repair, it's the blower motor resistor. It's located under the dash on the passenger side, secured by a couple of hex head screws. The part is about $20 US I think, takes just a few minutes to replace if you are into that kind of thing.

    Dave
  • dshiremandshireman Member Posts: 1
    Probably not the switch. Most likely is the resistor for the blower motor. If you look under the passenger dash the blower is to the far right and the resistor is a small box with wires plugged into it just to the left. The resistor is a dealer only item. For a 2000 model it cost about $34 at the Ford dealer. Remove 2 screws, unplug wires, put in new one tighten 2 screws and plug wires back in. Took about 10 minutes working in the dark and works great.
  • coastalislandcoastalisland Member Posts: 1
    I have a 1995 Mercury Villager with 126,000 and have had similar issue with the strong gas smell when the vehicle is first operated in cold temps. I will not yet commit to a full fix, but for the last week we have had no gas smell. I added a second clamp to the connection of the rubber fuel lines where it connects to the metal lines on the end of the fuel rails. I also had been plagued with an intermittent check engine light since June of this year, which finally became an always on issue about a month ago. Code said egr solenoid/circuit fault, then about 2 weeks ago added code knock sensor defective. After changing vacuum lines with no change and egr solenoid checking good per tests, I felt that the amount of vacuum at the source/port on the bottom of the throttle body may be a bit weak. I cleaned the port and interior of the throttle body with carb. cleaner, cleared the codes once again, only this time they have not yet returned. I hope this helps you and others out there which may have been battling similar problems.
  • cam6cam6 Member Posts: 1
    If the you get the smell from the front vents, you can check the rubber fuel lines that connect to the fuel rails,the rails themselves and the injectors (maybe a seals). There are two lines, one on the driver side from the fuel tank to the fuel rail, the one on the other side connects the front and rear fuel rails. These areas can leak ever so slightly and allow vapors to build up in the engine compartment causing the smell. Turn the car on and look for drops of gas at the connections across the rails and around the injectors.
  • jim454jim454 Member Posts: 5
    I have a 99 Villager . The tach no longer works . I checked the wires going to the dist. they looked fine. Thats about as far as I've gone . I talked to the dealer and they say it's probably the tach itself . Has anybody tackled one of these ?I would appreciate any help.
  • mesropianmesropian Member Posts: 1
    I Have 1995 villager,the ET switch do not work how do i fix the problume?
  • vurtmanvurtman Member Posts: 2
    did you ever figure this out? i have the same problem with my 99 villager with 120k miles. it is very annoying!
  • vurtmanvurtman Member Posts: 2
    did you figure this out?
  • dkremerdkremer Member Posts: 1
    I had to replace all the rubber fuel line in the engine compartment to get rid of the fuel smell/leak. I believe there are 3 sections past the fuel filter. One on each side of the engine (passenger side is a real pain) and the rubber line going from the filter to the fuel rail. I recommend just replacing all of those. I originally replaced just the hose clamps. That worked for a year but then the hoses started to get cracked and would slowly leak under pressure when it got cold. The colder it got, the worse it was becasue rubber expands as it gets cold. Be sure to use High Pressure fuel line or else it will blow a hole. Also, if you are having this problem with the rubber fuel line, look at replacing the rubber cooling hoses as well. Rubber does not last forever. My cooling hoses went first. Replace both of those as well. I done one and had to do the second within four months. Dusty
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