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Nissan Pathfinder Owners Care & Maintenance
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at ~10k now, will eventually be full syn.
I am not really looking to get messy here. Just wondering whether or not there is a "real" way of draining all the fluid out of the tranny. And it now seems that there isn't so I guess I will go the route of mixing in synth and dino and hope to approach full synth after a few drains.
-nismo
Turtle Wax makes a product called Black Chrome (~$3 at the local Kragen's) that is a rub-on liquid compound for restoring luster to black trim. I originally used it because I got wax on the trim and it had left a white residue. It worked so well that I began using it on other pieces, such as the step on the rear bumper and the mudflaps, to restore that new car appearance. Hope this helps.
Owner Notification Date: 9/11/2001
Number of Units Potentially Affected: 31,000
Component Description: STRUCTURE:HATCHBACK HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS
NHTSA Campaign Number: 01V282000
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Description of Recall Campaign:
Vehicle Description: Passenger vehicles. 2001 model year Nissan Pathfinder
vehicles manufactured from December 20, 2000, through June 8, 2001, and 2001
model year Infiniti QX4 vehicles manufacturer from January 8 to June 8, 2001.
Some of the brackets used to attach the two gas struts to the rear door (hatch)
may not have been made to specification. At high ambient temperature, the
increase in gas pressure in the strut(s) may cause one or both brackets to bend,
resulting in the struts detaching from the bracket(s) when opening or closing
the rear door.
If both struts detach from the brackets, the door will rapidly fall down and
possibly strike someone, possibly causing serious injury.
Dealers will replace the brackets for the struts free of charge.
Owner notification is expected to begin during September 2001. Owners who
take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and
do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact Nissan at
1-800-647-7261. Hawaiian residents should call 1-808-836-0888. Also contact
the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Auto Safety Hotline at
1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).
"Hmmm, that doesn't look right." After the oil change, I investigated the source of the grease and found that the inner CV boot was torn- quite significantly.
Fortunately, the tear appeared to be recent, as the grease splats seemed fresh and dust-free. The next business day I took the truck in to be repaired, and was quoted only $20 for parts and $120 for labor. They mentioned that if I had not noticed the problem, it's likely the axle would have needed to be replaced (at a cost of $300 parts/$140 labor).
It definitely pays to be familiar with the underside of your truck, and inspect it often.
TIA.-AW
That's what I thought too but I checked the front diff fluid level and it is OK. I don't know what to think, to me it's gear oil and the tech keep telling me that is grease from the CV boot?. I am going to wait to see if someone else is having the same problem here.
Thanks for your reply!.-AW
If the oil has a strong odor, however, it's likely diff oil. It's wise to have it fixed. Let us know what it was.
It's leaking from the CV axle where it bolts onto the diff housing (passenger's side). The mechanic told me that although it looks like gear oil (green/strong odor), it's actually grease from the CV boot and in order to fix it they will have to remove the CV boot and seal something in there using some kind of silicone adhesive? I know nothing about front differentials nor CV boots but this doesn't sound right to me.
After Pathstar's reply, I removed the filler plug to make sure the oil level was OK, let it drain until no oil was coming out (it was about a measuring cup overfilled) I drove it abt 50 miles and the leak is 60% gone! Do you guys think a measuring cup overfill can cause a leak??
Thanks so much for taking the time to help me!
Regards, AW
Honestly, I don't know how the innards of the diff housing are arranged in order to cause overfilling to leak out the side, nor if the mechanic's diagnosis about the CV boots was accurate. It sounds like you may have fixed the problem, but if it persists, I would still take it to the dealer under warranty. I know it's an inconvenience, but in the long run, it's worth it take care of it before the warranty expires.
>>Oil residue from inner CV Joint seaping past retainer plate on inner CV Joint. R&I inner CV Joint and sealed retainer plates on both front CV axles<< So, the leaking was not gear oil but CV boot grease. I did not notice any leaks today so it seems that the problem has been corrected. Thanks for the input guys! -AW
Click here to see an image of the axle housing where the CV joint bolts up.
Click here to see an image of the CV joint plate
It all makes sense to me now after seeing your photos. If you ever think about moving to Colorado, let me know...I want to be your neighbor Thanks again for your time! BTW, your LE looks awesome! -AW
KarenS
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Owner's Clubs
Bought Havoline auto tran fluid, Mercon Dexron III, Mobil lSAE 75W-90, GL 5 Synthetic gear lube for transfer case, Valvoline Synthetic Blend 80W-90 gear oil, GL 5 for front and rear differentials. Rear is Limited slip. Valvoline label says recommended for regular and limited slip. Does this mix xound OK? Thanks for comments. Bob
extension to remove and replace the plugs. Should be easy to spot the plugs on the drivers side of the case.
Very important!! Transfercase uses auto trans fluid!!
Polished and waxed with Meguiar's Showcar Glaze and Yellow wax # 23. Found a new (for me) product, Meguiar's Gold Class Trim Detailer ,that worked Super on black trim. It obliterated wax residue and left everything looking like new. Great stuff.
Unfortunately, there are no Nissan dealers near me. My insurance company has suggested taking my car to the body shop of a Honda dealer near my house. Does anyone know if it matters whether I take my car to a Nissan dealer, or is it just important to take it to a reputable shop?
I would suggest finding a body shop with a good reputation. Although a Nissan shop is more familiar with Nissan vehicles, most body shop and paint guys learn to work on all types of vehicles. I have had a few cars repaired and I can't tell you how important it is to find someone who will not rush the job and do it right. I have several friends that went to school and paint cars. It is pretty amazing what they can see that I can't. Find several shops and decide which one you feel most comfortable with.
It really doesn't matter what she was doing, even though she was on the phone, she hit you guys from the rear which is automatically her fault in Alabama. Sorry to hear your troubles but I hope this info will help.
Dano
You're right that it should automatically be her fault. Unfortunately, her insurance is claiming that the other driver was too close to me so they are only partially responsible. I'm going to have to cover this on my own insurance, while my insurance company battles it out with the other two companies in arbitration. What a pain.
Dano
Short answer:
Don't waste your money on 89 for an 87 octane engine.
Long answer:
The octane rating is a measurement of how easily a gasoline ignites (i.e. at what temperature/pressure it will combust). The higher the rating, the more resistant the gasoline is to combustion. In high-performance engines (i.e. high compression, variable valve timing, etc.), you "cook" the air-fuel mixture more in order to derive more power, and hence you need high-octane fuel so that it doesn't combust prematurely and cause the engine to "knock" or "ping."
Old, dirty engines will develop carbon deposits in various nooks and crannies on the piston face which will create "hot spots" - areas which are significantly hotter than the rest of the cylinder - and prematurely ignite the air-fuel mixture. Instead of performing costly engine work, many people will simply feed a higher octane gasoline to these engines until the knocking goes away. It is simply a band-aid instead of a real cure.
In normal engines, there is nothing to be gained from a higher octane gas than recommended, since all you are buying is a greater resistance to combustion that you don't need. Oil companies used to add better detergents to premium gas, but all the detergents in all brands and grades of gasoline are so good now that that rationale behind buying premium is moot. Going to a lower than recommended grade of gasoline should not be done. A modern engine probably won't knock because the electronic ignition will retard the timing of the spark, but that will lead to a loss of power, lower fuel economy, and possible long-term damage.
Considering all of the above, my 3.3L engine only drinks 87 and so should yours.
Newer vehicles with computer controls should adapt, but the range they can adapt over may be limited (e.g. beware in Mexico if you need premium and try to run regular because it was all you could get).
1) Does anyone know what caused this? I have owned the vehicle for 6 months (since new), but have never noticed this in the past. I live in Michigan where we have been getting a lot of snow, but I don't that snow (or the road salt) is the culprit. I also don't think any sort of acid rain fallout is responsible either as there are no spots on my hood or roof.
2) Is there a product available that can remove these spots without harming the vehicle's finish? As I mentioned before, I have really only tried Bug & Tar remover so far.
3) Is there a wax or polish available that can treat the painted surface to make it more difficult for the rust spots to adhere (or make it easier to remove them in the future)?
Any comments/suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks again for the help!
Mike
1) My brakes are pulsating like I need the rotors turned... with only 16000 miles on it.
2) I've rotated my tires twice & both times I noticed a lot of tire wear on the outer edges of the fronts. I'm hoping I just need the camber adjusted or they're toe'd in too much. I just hope the dealership doesn't tell me they all do that.
Also, something that surprised me... I was checking the transfer case fluid for the first time (15,000 mile maint.) & when I removed the fill plug fluid ran out until it dropped to that level. Dealership says they overfill them at the factory & it's nothing to worry about. Just let it drain to the fill plug. Thought you might want to know. Thanks...
Dano
Will have the dealer check... but suspect warped rotors from uneven lugnut torque...
I wonder if the rotors are too small for this SUV and are overheating? Ford had a big recall on early taurus, because of rotor problems...
Dave, my PF exhibits the same metallic "crinkling" and it is merely the heat shields shrinking back to their original shape after the heat from the exhaust system has caused them to expand during driving. If you crawl under your vehicle sometime, you can see them for yourself - they look like industrial tin foil if memory serves ...
Dano
1)3750 miles = $29.95 (basically oil and filter change
2) 7500 miles = $160
3) 15,000 miles = $275 ( after 12 months)
4) 30K miles = $ 390
YES, $390 for the 30 K service. Ouch!
You can go to this link for the "how-to-install" instruction
http://www.xterraparts.com/onlinestore/graphics/00000001/InCabinMicroFilter_Instr.gif
....
Dano
Service Rep. was new, but said many factors influence rotor warpage.... blah, blah, blah...
They said rear brakes were taking their share of the load, but I'll bleed them this weekend to be sure.
I was able to get my dealership to replace warped rotors twice under the 36k warranty, at about 12-15k mile intervals. The last time it was performed I asked what would happen if they warped again and the truck was out of warranty - he said "well, I'm sure that Nissan would cover it" or something to that effect. Well, they've warped again at 41k and my new service rep said that they're hands were tied because Nissan would reject the claim outright since the truck is out of warranty - I have to call Nissan myself.
I personally think that the rotors are undersized because friends with similar vehicles and driving habits are not having rotors replaced once a year.
Installed new battery, have entered car with key many times, still immobilized.
If anyone has a shop manual could you look this up for me.