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Nissan Quest 2004+: Problems & Solutions
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I wish I had read these sort of arguments before I decided to purchase my Nissan. I think I may have seen a few messages on brakes but just brushed them off as not typical experiences or I only saw a few messages so I ignored it. I sort of thought that this forum was to express experiences as well and we had the right to respond to those who disagree? I don't think I was SHOUTING? SHOUTING would have been in CAPITAL LETTERS unless of course, you have the volumn turned up on your computer?
It's hard to shut up when people keep responding, telling me it's "normal".
No life shortening here, sounds like everyone is more irritated at me than me at Nissan? Sometimes I like sturring things up...
I would like to suggest to the forum moderator that he just delete all the messages relating to 04 Quest Brake Pads and maintenance that was from me or in response to me. That way you don't have to scroll past my messages and the forum can go back to a couple messages a day and we can go on as if no problem ever happened. Plus then I won't feel like I need to respond back... Your right, these are too many messages.
... Gary
Of course, an Extended warranty is simply a 'bet' that you will have a problem. I've had times in years past when it paid for itself many times over, and other times when it was a waste. Oh well...
I recommend that Quest owners check the pads themselves. Don't take the dealer's word for it. There is a small window in front of the caliper for checking wear.
I also recommend do-it-yourself installation. It's really quite simple as discussed elsewhere in this forum.
The rear pads new are 8.5mm thick and again should be replaced at 2mm.
You have to check the insides as well. If the caliper slides are not lubricated periodically, one side may wear out faster than the other, ruining the rotor. This is true for any vehicle with disc brakes, not just the Quest. I've only seen that item listed on our truck (Ford Econoline and Chevy Express) maint. schedules, though.
1. Has anyone done it yourself? How easy (or difficult)?
2. Where to buy the filters ( website or store name)?
I remember reading some posts in this forum in the past, saying the dealer would charge quite a bit for this simple service so I thought to do it myself (if I can).
Second, we plan to go on a long trip in July having 3 kids and 4 adults in the van. I thought to buy a cargo container for the rooftop.
3. Which rooftop container did you buy for the van and where?
4. Does the container sit on the crossbar racks, or directly on the van roof and then wedged in by the crossbars?
Any information is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Phuc
My maintenance plan is to simply check the pads whenever I rotate the tires (approx. every 7,500 mi.). If there is significant uneven wear, then check the pins. Right now inner and outer pads are wearing evenly. The outer pad is
readily viewed from the caliper rear. The inner pad is viewed from the window in front of the caliper.
Lucky I guess that I've never had to replace or turn rotors on any car.
Since someone started a topic about the Quest's tires, I've moved recent posts discussing replacement tires over there so that they'll be easily found by folks having the same questions/issues.
Nissan Quest: Tire Issues
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in fail safe(3rd gear.) This was primarily a problem with 2004, but does apply to some 2005's. See if this sounds like what you are describing. To me,aside from the "service engine soon light" and the "traction Control Light", It sounds like what this bulliten describes. Since they fixed mine the lack of power hasn't happened again in over a year. Let us know how it goes.
The rattle turns out to be due to corrosion and was taken care of.
They also machined the rotors which I thought only had minor vibration while braking. I'd rather not have them machined since I don't like them getting thinner unnecessarily.
All work done under warranty.
If you don't feel any significant vibration when braking, I would assume that the rotors are fine.
That's not covered under the warranty or extended warranty, is it? That would seem to be a normal wear and tear item.
The next morning I start up the car, try the A/C and it is working fine. From past experience( Intermitent transmission and radio issue) I have an idea how this service experience is going to go. I can hear it now " If we can't duplicate the problem." Incidentally the two other issues I mentioned were eventually fixed by my dealer, one even though they could not duplicate the problem. Took the van in, they checked it out. Cooling system operating fine, no leaks. What happened was a big question mark. A/C has been working just fine since
Fast forward to a week ago. My family and I were in Las Vegas, visiting relatives. We'd just finished seeing the "Sharks Reef" exhibit and lunch and Manadlay Bay. It was 112 degrees that day. We pile in the car, crank up the A/C and get stuck in some heavy traffic trying to get out. So, I put the van in park and tapped the gas to rev the engine and all of a sudden the cool A/C air turns hot. Rewind back to last August. I was in park and I tapped the gas to rev the engine when the A/C went out. I didn't connect the engine reving last year until I did it this time. So, I shut off the car and turned it back on and I get the A/C working again. It has been working fine.
I haven't tried to duplicate the incident again. Past two days here were 118 and 116 degrees. I ain't messin with the A/C since it is working fine. I have to take the van in for an oil change in 700 miles, so I figured I'd try to duplicate the incident the day I take it in. :confuse:
I have an aquaintance who i s a mechanic at a Nissan Service department. He is a " front end guy " what ever that means. I asked him to take a guess. He said it could be something in the wire harness. He's noticed a lot of them having to be replaced on Nissans. We'll see.
It may not be anythign "wrong" but I think it is worth getting checked out and confirming that all is well esp. since you have 100+ heat. Luckily you don't have the humidity like we do in the Northeast.
Maybe there is something wrong with this sensor.
Not like this should cause the problem but why are you tapping the gas while in park?
Revving your engine to entice Sienna’s into a drag race is not conducive to the mini-van lifestyle
http://www.racksforall.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=558
Though I know the A/C doesn't blow as cold when parked, this was unreasonably hot air. The A/C was defiantly not working. I checked the buttons, turned them off, then turned them back on. The A/C on light was being displayed. User777 I looked in the manual and couldn't find anything that might explain it. If and when I get this figured out I'll let everyone know.
... Gary
First round is on Gary!
I did not have to say a word, our dealer has been with us through every issue! The only headache is a 2 week wait to get no rortors due to "nationwide backlog" (per dealer).
I still wondered why this van didn't fare better in some current comparisons (Someone mentioned it ranked 3rd after the Honda Odyssey and Kia Sedonna (!!!). I believe the major mistake Nissan made when releasing the Quest in late 2003 is they rushed it out on the market too fast. They should have worked out all the kinks, IN PARTICULAR all the quality controls. IMO the Quest interior is not the major factor this van wasn't sold out well. As a matter of fact the more I drive it the more I like it including its center gauges. I think their location give a better vision. Glare, awkward position, hard to read, etc. as deplored by many reviewers. One word for them: WHATEVER!
Phuc
That was Motor Trend. In the test, the Quest had arquably the best overall performance. And the most elegant 2nd row seat solution. But it was optioned out to cost $40,000 MSRP - then faulted for being too expensive. A Quest comparable to the others in the test would have been under $30K street price.
For example, the multi-piece sunrrof is not available in any other van. But the package is over $3,000.
We thought the Quest as BY FAR the best of the mini-vans and our final sale price was better than other manufacturers moderately equipped models.
Not too pleased with Nissan service but love our van.
The dealership, Freehold Nissan, NJ has always worked with us. Good pricing on work, if they make a mistake they own up to it. Once the forgot to balance my new tires (vibrate at 70mph). They fixed and picked up my next service cost., I just had to mention the Service Mgr name. I bought 4 tires more then $100 below what Goodyear wanted, after install!
When we purchased we made sure to checkout the service dept. before we bought the car. A lesson I learned when I had a Ford Probe 17 years ago!
Ben
Take a piece of garden hose, open the hood, and put one end to your ear. Use the other end to try and isolate the location of the noise, if it's underhood.
http://www.nissanhelp.com/Ownership/Bulletins/Nissan/2003/NTB03-085.htm
Also, most A/Cs have a pressure cut-off sensor that disengages the clutch (and, thus, the compressor) when head pressure goes too high. In temps like you're talking, while sitting still, the head pressure could easily get high enough to cause the cut-out.
Finally, this sounds similar to a problem that I had in a '94 Volvo 850. After much diagnosis by an excellent shop (Brentwood Volvo in St. Louis, btw), they found that the electrical cooling fan wasn't working properly. Most cars don't have engine-powered cooling fans any more, but rather electrical cooling fans. On the Volvo, there's one fan with three speeds. Apparently, top speed wasn't working. So, when temps got really high and the control system for the A/C told the fan to kick it up a notch, the fan didn't and kept spinning at medium speed. Eventually the head pressure would get so high that the A/C kicked off.
Note that this was accompanied by higher engine coolant temps as well. So, keep a lookout for things like this.
Then again, it could also be that the system in the Quest wasn't designed to operate parked at ambient temps of close to 120F. Foolish design decision, but possible.
http://www.nissanhelp.com/Ownership/Bulletins/Nissan/2005/NTB05-021.htm
As far as I can tell the noise stays constant and comes from under the hood.
one may be a "service maint required" light or some such meaning bring it in for scheduled service like oil, brake checks, etc.
another is the "check engine" light (CEL). there are stored codes associated with that light comming on. presumably, one of the codes indicated Catalytic Convertor Efficiency Low or some such. Hard to tell.
the former is no big deal. the latter could be a big deal.
i presume you are dealing with the proper indicator.
a bad CAT will force you to hit the accelerator harder to move. it might take a lot more fuel to get you up a hill or incline. will the engine RPMs be higher? I don't know - conceivably.
look at your warranty. chances are any emissions related equipment (and the CAT is or should be) should fall under a longer warranty (for 8 to 10 years or some higher mileage than 61K) than the other warranty. i think this is mandated by the government - but not sure.
it could be your dealer should replace it free of charge.
it seems to me 61K on a convertor is a premature failure. perhaps your vehicle has been running extra rich because of a marginal 02 (oxygen) sensor or something. that fuel goes somewhere. i've heard running rich for extended periods can kill a CAT.
still every part has a curve to it's lifing characteristics. some CAT longevity will get more than the mean life, and some will get less. who knows though what the distribution is.
but like I said, the CAT should last longer. maybe a call to Nissan can confirm what is the coverage period for this part. worth a call.
good luck.
If the service engine soon light is on, there is most likely a code stored in the computer. Go to an auto part store like advance Auto parts, Pep boys, or Auto Zone and they wil read the code for FREE. I believe they will also print it out for you. Post the code on this forum and most likely someone will be able to point you in the right direction.
If the dealership diagnosed the problem, then forget what I said above. Also check your warranty information. I know there is a special warranty for emmissions. It may be 5yr/50k miles or 8yr/80k. It covers the catalytic converter.