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Comments
But I have one for the board (did a bunch of Advanced searches and couldn't find any good hits directly on point - maybe bad search terms). This concerns a "grinding sound from the wheels/brakes" and "harsh vibration in the brake pedal" that results when I slam on the brakes in my '03 LE on snowy paved surfaces. I've been out testing the response of the ABS brakes, slip and slide of the new VDC system, etc. in this recent snow (open paved lots, no traffic). When braking on dry pavement (both normal braking and slamming on brakes), the vehicle brakes as expected with no noise/vibration at all. But since acquiring the vehicle in October, I've noticed it has had this "problem?" in these conditions (snow/cold plus hard slamming of the brakes all the way down). Normal braking in the cold/snow is of course no problem. But this grinding/vibration when I slam on the brakes is very curious. ABS system? The new VDC system? Up until now, since it did it from Day 1, I thought it was maybe normal of ABS/VDC systems in the cold/snow - decided to wait a while before asking the board. But, now it has my attention after today's continued occurrence of the "problem?" Anyone experience similar in their vehicle? Better yet, anyone with an '03 LE [with the VDC switch on, and in AUTO mode] able to verify the same jarring experience? Maybe, it's normal. After all, the vehicle does stop without sliding - it's just unsettling for an emergency stop to have to hold the brakes down so hard through all that pedal pulsating and grinding sound. This is my first vehicle with ABS, so it could be the rookie factor. But I do know from driving other ABS vehicles, in emergency stops, you are SUPPOSED to slam and hold the brakes all the way down (versus pump them like my prior car). Strange. As long as normal, no biggie though . . .
P.S. I am happy to report that the VDC system was really quite impressive. With it off, I would pick up some speed and turn sharply into a typical (and fun) 4-wheel drift that through standard "turning into the skid-type driver's ed" skills I could of course get straight again. But with the VDC system on, it was really quite remarkable how immediately and quickly the system could straighten and control the vehicle's path - no matter what I tried, it would always put me in the control and direction I exactly wanted to go . . . something I knew the usual braking and turning skills could never duplicate in such a short instant of time. I would love to know (but of course would never test this myself) how well the system works at really high 45-55 MPH speeds (in the rain for example) where the chances of over correction, even for the best drivers, are all the more likely.
ABS: I don't think your Pathfinder has any problem. Over snow and ice the ABS and skid control kicks in more often and the grinding and pulsating pedal is normal. It might take a while to get used to it. I had ABS on my 4Runner so I'm used to it but the system is a bit harser on the Pathfinder I think but it is more powerful. I wouldn't worry about it. Instead enjoy the advanced control it gives you !!!
Losing it with VDC: I was able to beat the VDC system. I was driving back from the village late last week and I took an almost 90 degrees turn too fast (35 MPH) and the road was snowy and icy. I tried to slow down before the turn but it was too late so I stopped breaking and tried to take the curve. I ended up sideways in the curve. I turned the wheels and accelerated and was ok. The system kicked in but it could not completely compensate for the wild turn, ice and the vehicule momentum. It did help me fix the problem I'm sure because despite ended up sideways I felt I still had some control over the vehicule. But the VDC system is great despite this event. Over the week there it corrected many time small mistakes and skid due to ice and snow. I simply love VDC.
Bottoming out report: I did not experienced any bottoming out despite the fact the truck was totally packed with lots of heavy luggage (the wife's stuff ;-)), food (my stuff ;-)), etc. The cargo area was packed to the ceiling and I had stuff strapped to the roof rack and two kids sitting in the back. I had a little sag in the back (normal... no complain). To reach the cottage I have to drive on a bumpy winding road where I could have bottomed out easily but did not. I'm looking forward to try that with my boat attached (extra 300 pound (tongue weight)).
So I really enjoyed my first long ride in my Pathfinder. Wind noise and overall noise is ok and can easily be covered with the radio. Seats are comfortable. No complain whatsoever (except for the mind bogling fuel consumption, where does the fuel go ??? Is the windshield washer pump using gas to wash my windshield ????) !!!
In a couple weeks, we road trip south for a day's drive where I plan to fill-up with 93 octane, lock in cruise control at 60 MPH in 2WD, and sit for 300 or so miles. I will do another leg the same but in AUTO as well. On the return trip, I will do it again (in both 2WD and then AUTO) at 70-75 MPH. I will report MPG here, hopefully around the rated 19 MPG HWY. And remember, this will be with the tires at exactly 30 PSI per placard. [A 5-10 PSI increase seems to of course effect things by 0.75 to 1.0 increase in MPG.]
P.S. I think we all desire the vehicle that we pick up off the lot and drive for 5 years without EVER a question about anything, other than oil and gas . . . so far, the only manufacturer where I have had that experience 100% of the time is with the 3 Hondas I've owned over the years. But, this Nissan is pretty darn close as far as "perfect" right out of the box . . .
My previous vehicle (90' 4Runner) also had no problems - except the engine shut down while driving after about 1.5 hours of running when I first picked it up. I shut off the ignition and restarted it and it ran fine. Nothing found at the dealer - was a igition/ignitor code but everything was fine. Was still going strong when I sold it 11 years and 90,000 km later.
My vehicle before that was a Subaru 4WD wagon. It had an out of round rear trailing arm bearing housing, which took out two bearings (warranty service) before I allerted the dealer to the problem. The first failure was in Arizona (it's a Canadian car) but Flagstaff Subaru fixed it asap and handled all the warranty issues. I was very impressed. The dealer back in Canada replaced the arm and bearing when it went again and that vehicle was still fine 7 years and 120,000 km later.
Either I've had good luck, or these Japanese vehicles are well assembled and rairly give problems.
Nissan managers must freak a bit knowing that they will have to update this model and introduce new problems and issue in the process. It is somewhat unfortunate that companies must change stable products.... but hey we would probably all be driving Ford Model T if the automotive world was run this way......
Has anyone else had similar problems or does anyone have any suggestions on how to handle this???
Thanks!
The replacement of the bars (if you're not a do-it-yourselfer) can be quite costly. You have several options:
1) replace the upper and lower control arms with new dealer parts
2) replace only the bushings for the upper and lower arms (lower parts cost, but possibly a higher labor cost to remove old and install new bushings)
3) replace the lower control arms or their bushings only to reduce cost, then do the uppers later. (The weaving problem is mostly a function of the lower control arm bushings).
4) replace the bushings on the lower control arms (and if necessary, the upper control arm bushings) with polyurethane bushings, which will last much longer and provide for a better handling ride. Polyurethane bushings must be pressed in by a shop that has a hydraulic press. Check your local yellow pages under automobile repair and/or machine shops. The bushings are available for purchase at 4x4parts.com. Check this online dealer for OEM parts.
I've been considering swapping out a number of the stock rubber bushings on my 2001 LE to polyurethane ones. My primary consideration is improved onroad handling (w/o a significantly stiffer ride). Other than the control arms referred to above, do you have any other recommended "must swaps" for bushings?
Problem: hearing reports from others upset about poor mileage.
Solution: improve our driving habits? :>
Details: As promised, we road-tripped in our new PF and I kept the gas records. I had all four tires at exactly 30.5 PSI (per the placard) and was using 93 octane gasoline. Winter-time here (for those who think "winter gas" affects things). 1000 miles there and back, relatively flat, from DC to SC. Vehicle loaded with ~ 525 lbs of man, woman, dog, and belongings. Although I originally wanted to compare to AUTO mode to see if any real difference, I ended up driving in 2WD mode the whole time, with VDC on, and overdrive of course on. This was done with Thule load bar racks on vehicle for entire trip, as well as sun roof open on occasion.
Results: Although I wanted to lock-in at 60 MPH the whole way (resistance increases exponentially with speed I am told), I just couldn't do it -- far too slow for roads rated up to 70 MPH. So this leg was spent driving at relatively constant speeds varying between 60 and 75 MPH (no cruise control), although there were some traffic slow downs as well. In addition, this was all done over a drizzly/rainy eight hour drive (which surely created more wind resistance). Finally, this includes 20-30 miles of CTY driving once we hit our destination. I am happy to report that we averaged 19.047 MPG, right at the rated 19 HWY number. Based on this, I am certainly not disappointed in the PF; it met expectations.
On the leg back, results were even better. It was sunny, and I was able to lock-in cruise control right on 70 MPH and sit there for just under 400 miles! This resulted in an average of 20.801 MPG. A great result, in line with some others who have posted around 21 MPG for their long distance driving. Also, great range on a tank of gas.
Although, I am still averaging in the very high 13s for my CTY driving around DC, as you know, I believe this is acceptable and about what I expected based on the 15 CTY rating. I am basically only 1 MPG off that 15 rating, and I believe I know exactly why that is the case: my driving. Although not having the factory racks may slightly contribute, it is basically the fact that I enjoy the quick starts and stops of my jaunts around town. I plan to someday put this to the test (I have tried now FIVE times but can never make it through an entire tank coasting to stops and accelerating "softly" from the lights) and drive like the smooth driver my father is and see if I can not hit the 15 mark (or better) in my daily CTY driving.
Hope this helps. I don't think any one should be discouraged from this particular vehicle (vis-a-vis gas mileage) more than any other SUV. The Nissan 15/19 rating seems to have given pretty fair notice. Have a good one!
The only thing I'd say is that cold, I mean real cold temperature does impact MPG.
We have been through a very cold spell here over the last two weeks (-5F at night and 10F during the day).
I read somewhere that MPG can increase by as much as 30% on very cold days.
So during those cold days, where I would average 80% city and 20% highway I did: 11.76 (US MPG)
So I really think it is the colder temperature here in Canada that explains the difference (11.76 vs upper 13) not much difference in fact... but I'm a long way from 15.
I'll monitor my MPG in april-may to see how much warmer temperature (above freezing) impact MPG. I hope to do 15 in early summer.
WT: did you check your tire pressure to make sure your up at 30 PSI? That can make at least a 1 MPG difference (I think when I was first flying around DC with the dealer set 39 PSI I was getting slightly over 15 in CTY! - of course, I lowered to a better suited PSI). But, Yes, at 11.76 I too would be a little bummed out. Since I think the emission systems are the same between US and Canada, then it has to be something like the gas mixture and the severe cold up there. We have the same vehicle for sake! Let's see what happens this summer.
The 30% decrease is a mixture of many factors according to what I read:
- Gas mixture
- Very cold engine requires much more of gas to operate
- On very cold days engine takes much more time to get warm
- People let their car run idle longer to allow it to get warmer
Also, and this is a key factor in my case, I'm only doing city these days. I said 80%-20% in my other post but maybe it could have been 95-5 on that tank of gas
On this tank I have done more highway (ski trip), bringing the ratio almost to 60-40 (city/highway) and I did 13.83 miles per gallon.
I try to maintain tire pressure at 32PSI. I say try because my tire pressure tester is not very accurate, I plan to buy a digital one soon and I'll know for sure if I'm at 32.
We have the same truck so we should have the same data but I think that the cold up here makes the difference. January has been unusually cold here which helps making the MPG situation even worse.
I went for my first oil change last week and the manager asked me if I was satisfied. I said yes, very satisfied except for MPG. I said to him that the Pathfinder makes my old 4Runner look like a Honda Civic in the area of gas consumption. He laughed and agreed completly but he said it was the price to pay to go from 183HP to 240HP!
hood and drivers side. Dealer
said it must be tree sap, then
they decided it wasn't tree sap
it was "foreign material" so they
sent it to a body shop to be wet
sanded. Windshield makes a noise
every other bump in the road. Dealer
replaced weather stripping this
didn't fix the problem. Engine makes
a pinging or knocking noise when the
engine is cool/cold. 3 different
dealers said either they didn't
hear anything unusual or as the
last dealer said "his mechanic has
the exact same noise on his pathfinder
and theres nothing to worry about."
This of course is B.S. at the exact
same time the engine knocks the
headlights will flicker very slightly.
I have less than 4000 miles on this
vehicle, always use 93 octane.
If you ask me what a lemon is I would
have to say this is it!
Almost forgot, pathfinder decal is
peeling off, again!
Surprise, Surprise!
Thanks
Also, when in 4H, going to park, my truck is starting to "buck" when turning. Any advice would be useful. Dealer isn't being much help.
591 - it is probably an accumulation of snow in the rims causing an out of balance condition. It will go away after it melts or falls off. Not uncommon when going through lots of snow.
Woody
I just wanted to see if anyone else is noticing the following problems with the Bose 6cd changer/tape deck found in the 2002 SE..
1. On two occasions in fairly cold weather (in NC that's in the upper 20s F or so), the volume decided to change itself. The first time it spiked all the way up to 31! Scared the hell outta me. The second time it dropped down a few notches (I saw the display indicate the volume was going down). It was in FM mode at the time, and my fingers were nowhere near the radio or the steering wheel controls.
2. Also a cold weather problem: The CD player skips horribly under about 50 degrees F. It doesn't matter if the CDs were resident in the deck when starting or if I put a new one in. After the cabin ambient temp has stabilized (or 20 minutes or so), the problem slowly clears. I realize that fogging could be the problem here, but I've owned 2 CD players in the past on previous vehicles and -never- had this issue.
3. This isn't really a problem, more of a "have you done this before?".. I'm a ham radio operator and I want to install a mobile VHF transceiver which will draw about 8 amps (lets say 10 amps for good measure). The power taps in the cabin are bad practice because of alternator whine. Has anyone here run an additional line into the vehicle (whether for a similar installation or stereo mod)? Where are the best power take off points (pos an neg)? Any easy paths through the firewall?
Thanks folks..
-Andy
Raleigh Sidewinder
Good information on this Board!
Double clutchin...(well, not anymore)...
-a.
I haven't taken it to the dealer nor complained about it, but I have read that people on maxima.org are having the same issue with their bose cd players. Best bet would be to take it to your dealership, either they will say its normal (which its not) or they will order a new unit (which I believe is a remanufactured unit) and hopefully it will not skip, although some people say it still did for them.
Good luck.
I suppose I could take it to the dealer, but I suspect they're going to have to get some 200lb mechanic to drive around until he "feels it"!! I'm not real hopeful...
I drove my new 03 PF through deep snow and noticed the same front end vibration. I didn't panic as I figured it was caused by snow caked in around the tires/ rims causing the wheels to be unbalanced. Mine stopped by the time I got to work and the snow melted. Did yours stop vibrating?? Mud will cause the same problem.
All others,
Just hit 8500mi on new PF-LE. No problems what so ever. Drove through deep snow, some mud, big city, and over mountain passes. I love it. Averaged 18.5 mpg cross country. I get as much as 19-20 mpg even after driving over mountain pass several times. Best vehicle I have owned so far!!
Good Luck