Nissan Pathfinder Maintenance and Repair

norcalextream · April 2005

My 05 LE has failed to start 6 times now over a 3 month period. I get power to all electronics. Nothing from engine or starter, quiet. After anywhere from 3-5 minutes of trying to start it will all of a sudden start. The challenge is that this is not constant and nothing is registered that can be found by the dealership in the codes. I even brought them in video to prove this was occurring after the last time (yesterday). They guess it is either a relay (which they have ordered a replacement) or one of the mother boards (the main or transmission). I am not super technical but that was what they told me. Has anyone else experienced the same thing? This is my first Nissan....so much for reliability :lemon:

theburds · April 2005

And this definitely isn't the intake manifold problem everyone has been writing about? If your car was produced after 1/7 it is not the intake manifold.

malzie · May 2005

I just had a mechanic replace the seals and belts on my '94 Pathfinder yesterday. She's always been chipper, even when she's cold. After he did the work yesterday, she's sluggish as heck, especially in 1st and 2nd gear. I looked at her engine while she was running, and one of the belts has a little leeway, but I don't think it's was causing her to be sluggish suddenly. Any idea's?

iamknarf · May 2005

When cruising between 60-70 mph my 2001 LE (70,000 miles) on a slight uphill grade (not enuf to kick-down the transmission) the engine seems to missfire or skip. Sometimes more severe than others but a very discernable momentary loss of power. No skip once the engine/tranny kicks down and acceleration is smooth. Been to 2 dealers..no codes on EMC..dealers both say nothing wrong. one dealer's service mech got in the car with me so i could demonstrate the skip. he felt it, used a portable anaylzer and still could not diagnose. Dealer wants to change the engine air flow meter at a cost of over $500.00!! this without any guarantee that the problem will be solved. Mechanic said dump some Dextron fuel injector cleaner and use high octance gas..Did this 400 miles ago and problem is still there..Any one have similar problem? Seems like it's a fuel delivery problem but again nothing on engine analyzer date..Stumped...

pathstar1 · May 2005

Spark plugs? If they are still the originals they should be worn out.

lbinh · May 2005

Spark plugs are Maintainence scheduled to be replaced at 105,000 miles. It doesn't mean that they do not need to be replaced though. I would check and replace the fuel filter and air filter. Fuel Filter is located just in front of the spare tire above the rear differential.

keeferb · May 2005

I have noticed a noise on mine also. Seems to be at around 15 mph. I always thought it was 'normal' until I read your post. I'm not sure if I'd consider it a 'twang'...I'm not quite sure how to describe it. I only seem notice it after I start it up and accelerate. If I'm driving and come to a stop, then accelerate I don't notice it. My first oil change isn't for a couple months yet, so please post any information you hear on this. Thanks.

timtay3 · May 2005

I bought a '94 Pathfinder LE at an auction yesterday. Got it cheap, assumed there would likely be some problems. Discovered shortly after that all I have is low gear (auto trans), and reverse. It will not upshift to 2nd gear or above. The tranny fluid level is good, doesn't appear to be burnt. no unusual tranny noise when driving. I checked the linkage, there is a small rod that goes forward from the shift mechanism that has a broken plastic connector. I'm not sure what this is or if it could be part of the problem. I talked to a trans shop, they though it may be a problem with the vehicle speed sensor, even though the speedo seems to work fine. Nissan dealer said something about a "rotation sensor?". Haynes and Chilton are pretty vague about trouble shooting any auto trans problems. Wondered if any one out there had run into or heard about this and had any suggestions before I commit to the big $ at a tranny shop.

Thanks for any help

Timtay

dexall · May 2005

If the "Twang" you hear is coming from the front left side just before upshift from 1st to 2nd after start up, it almost sounds like the VDC kicking in as an automatic diagnostic process. I have driven my pathy in snow in multiple modes, living in New England. When a wheel slips the VDC kicks an and applies the brakes to the slipping wheel, you hear the same sound (granted for a more extended period of time until the vehicle regains grip on the slipping wheel).

I also have thought of this 1st-to-2nd "twang" or clicking sound as normal until reading this thread. I will inquire at my next checkup (not for quite some time) and am anxious to see if anyone comes up with a diagnosis prior to my checkup.

keeferb · May 2005

That's where it sounds like it's coming from - the front left side. It seems like if there was actually a problem that it would make that sound at every 1-2 shift. But like I said, the noise I hear only happens once after startup which would lead me to believe it's something like dexall was referring to. We'll wait and see if anyone finds out anything different.

zama1983 · May 2005

I have the same problem with my 2005 XE Pathy. I bought it on February 12, 2005 and suddenly on April 12, 2005 problems started. Right now the unit is at the dealership. They are trying to figure out what is wrong with the unit. First, the said that there were problems with the car keys. They reset the microchip to no avail. They contact the manufacturer to let them know the situation. Nothing knew from Nissan.
If they can't fix the problem by May 12, 2005, they have to susbstitute the unit with a new one. Those are the terms estableshed by the local "lemon law". This time, I will try to get a unit builded after 01/11/2005. I have heard so many horror stories about units build before this date. Keep me posted.
PD: ASAP, get info. about the "lemon law" in your state!!!!

rs4 · May 2005

I have experienced similar noises coming from the rear driver side door. I brought this up at my first service, I was told it could be the seat belts rattling. Later I Locked all the seat belts still experienced the same rubbing sound coming from that door. I'm going to it checked soon

rs4 · May 2005

I'm having problems with the setup. There is an option for Automatic car locking, even if the option never is chosen the car still locks up. Also for the other options such as horn during lock or unlock , blink lights during lock and unlock does not seem to be working.

Any one else has experiences these issues

alexk · May 2005

I have a Nissan Pathfinder 2002 and the SES light came up. I took it to the dealership and they first changed a vaccum emission sensor that took the
SES light to off for a day and then came back up again. Then they changed
the ECM that kept the light off for 1.5 days and now it is back on. I got tired
and got an actron scanner to read the code and it reported OBDII P1130 code
saying "Oxygen Sensor Fuel Trim at Limit *codes* A U" Now what should I do??
Is this dangerous? Help..................

theburds · May 2005

Vehicles of other manufacturers with the equivalent of VDC don't appear to make this sound. I can't believe that Nissan, with the latest technology at their disposal, would design a vehicle such that this noise is normal. I am taking mine in on Wednesday for a couple of other minor issues and I'll bring up the "twang". I'll post the outcome.

pathstar1 · May 2005

The Mazda RX-8 makes a "clunk" from time to time while "calibrating" the stability system. Usually only once per run.

theburds · May 2005

I took my '05 in for a couple of things earlier this week and mentioned the 1st to 2nd twang. The technician did not know what it was and tried another vehicle on the lot. Same thing. He said it must be normal. I then went back to owner's manual and sure enough, on page 5-28, it describes the ABS self test which may produce a "clunk". Sorry to have caused undue concern to anyone. After a couple of growing pains, I am back to loving my Pathy!

keeferb · May 2005

Thanks for the update!

05pathfinderse · May 2005

Just got my 2005 Pathfinder SE back from its' 3000 mile service. Dealer did a great job and truck was done in one day as promised. Here are the issues that were addressed (in addition to a routine oil change): 1) The intake manifold was replaced due to the rattling noise with acceleration (more like fluttering) that was reported in the nissan TSB. The car was checked, noise was confirmed and part was replaced. Nice smooth, quiet acceleration now. As a side note, my truck was built in 01/05. 2) A rattling noise emanating from the dash at idle was traced to an A/C line in contact with the dash/firewall. Problem solved - nice quiet idle now. 3) Creaking drivers side window when about 1/2-1/4 of the way down. Traced to ?insulation? in contact with window. Still an occasional creak, but much, much better. Overall I have been very happy with the truck and it rides even better now that the day we picked it up. One minor issue we still have is that the brakes still squeak loudly when they are wet or when you put the truck in reverse. Will wait and see if this improves.

pathstar1 · May 2005

The manual may be correct, but in my experience ABS alone doesn't do that. You have to also have DSC or TCS (dynamic stability control, or traction control system). Those systems require calibration, hence the noise when they "test" the braking force input sensitivity. My 2001 LE has ABS, but not TCS, and doesn't make the noise. Note that when the "auto" 4WD mode is selected it does "lurch" when the engine is shut off or after about 10 sec. of idling in park. This is the auto 4WD front drive clutch disengaging.

What DSC or TCS does is a little scary. When the computer senses an "unsafe condition" (you are going too fast around a corner, for example, and start to slide - so little that you actually don't notice yet), it applies individual wheel brakes to correct the situation. This is what it has to calibrate - how much brake force does it take to skid a wheel.

You might wonder just how much good this type of system can do, but we have seen several cases where big accidents were avoided due to the systems. In one case, a head-on collision was avoided, and in doing so the driver would have normally spun off the road and flipped in the ditch. The DSC allowed him to recover and swerve back into his own lane after he avoided the head-on! Very impressive! He and his wife are very happy with the car (this was in an RX-8). It may have saved their lives! A SUV like ours will benefit even more from this system.

xplorx4 · May 2005

"This is what it has to calibrate - how much brake force does it take to skid a wheel. "

The TCS doesn't try to "skid a wheel" if the truck is oversteering. That would make a bad situation worse! Nor should it be attempting to apply maximum braking force (ABS engaged) to one or more wheels if the oversteer situation is minor. It should only apply as much braking force as necessary to correct the vehicle's direction. I seriously doubt that the calibration attempts to "skid wheels" during its self-test, so I fail to see why you interpret this as "scary". If anything, the self-test likely just runs the ABS pump at a low level to verify that it's operational.

pathstar1 · May 2005

I think you have misunderstood some of what I posted.
Actually the system does apply the brakes, though it isn't to see how much force it takes, it's to ensure it can see the decrease in the pulses from the wheel. It needs to know that if it skids a wheel it will see it so it will NOT skid a wheel in operation - it will have control. When I say "skid" I mean it applies brake force until the antilock pulse rate starts to drop. You or I wouldn't notice the wheel is slipping as it is very subtle at that small "skid rate". The pulses it looks at are generated magnetically from those toothed wheels on the hubs - they were put there originally for the ABS, but the DCS/TCS systems use them as well. These systems can compute vehicle dynamics from the four pulse streams (direction, which, if any, wheels are slipping, etc).

What I interpret as "scary" is the systems' ability to correct situations that even a professional driver couldn't (though a professional wouldn't get into that situation if he/she could help it). It can do this because it has individual control of each wheel brake, something no driver can do - and it can correct in millisecond time intervals, something else no driver can do. We operate with about a 250 mSec. time delay.

The self test causes the running gear to "thump" - it does activate the brakes - usually just for a few milliseconds. So yes, it does try to detect proper braking operation - ie - application of "brake enable" will decrease the pulse rate from the ABS sensors. When we interrupted this pulse rate signal on an RX-8 it got very upset - and put the car in severe "limp mode" - max. speed about 50 MPH, low power, dash system warning lights flashing. Oops! It recovered once we gave it back the signals and reset it.

In case you're wondering, the object was to try to fully disable the DSC system so we could dyno the car properly. We were unable to do so - the car is "too safe", so dyno results can be iffy as the car will eventually go into a "safe mode". The various systems are tied together very tightly, and even when the DSC system is "off" (dash switch can be used to disable it), it still functions at some level. We haven't tried messing with my Pathfinder because I don't care how much HP it has - it has more than enough for my needs ;-) , and mine doesn't have the TCS.

rave1 · May 2005

Please advice... EXPERTS...

I just got back from a 45K service on my 2001 4WD Pathfinder.

Check engine light was on, they replaced the intake timing sensor...$ 84 for the part and $ 99 for 1 hour of labor. Is this charge normal for the part and labor?

Performed a complete transmission Fluid Flush. $ 179/- Was this necessary at 45K.

Transfer case service was done $ 75/- Am not sure what this does and if it was needed.

Replaced front brake pads and resurface rotors for $ 310/- Is this charge to high? And I'm not sure if this was needed.
Add to that they performed rear brake service for $ 50/, what is it that they do when the say brake service.

Replaced "Belt Compr" and "Belt Fan&A" to $ 150/-

And the standard charge of $ 140/ for the 45K service...

They had more planned and refused the following service
Oil Flush and Front and Rear Differential Service.... Do I need to get this done or is the dealer just plain ripping me of carrrying out unneccesary work on my truck.

Any ideas how much this should cost including labor for a 4W pathfinder 2001?

bimmer4me · May 2005

Please adhere to your Nissan owner's manaul only. Do not take the advice of the Nissan Dealers service department, unless it's absolutely necessary...IMO they tend to add unnecessary service items to pad the invoice, increasing their profit and putting your wallet on a diet. In your owners manual, it doesn't advise to have a transmission flush! Again, only perform the necessary service your owner's manual recommends, peroid!

smithrh · May 2005

I am having engine stalling problems when I letup on the gas while driving. Doesn't happen all the time. Anybody have this problem or have a solution. I had a tune up about 3 months ago. Helped some problems but not this one.

lbinh · May 2005

check wire and plug conections. Replace fuel filter and or air filter. Provide more detail. Car specs, conditions, etc...

smithrh · May 2005

I have a 97 Infiniti QX4. The vehicle has 75K miles. The fuel filter, Plug, Air filter were just changed out about 2 months ago. Just took it into another Nissan Dealer and had the 'CAM Sensor' Failure code occur when the vehicle was idling.

The vehicle engine stalls when I let up on the accelerator while driving. Doesn't happen all the time. Never happens when a mechanic drives it. The engines start right back up again once I shift to Neutral.

lbinh · May 2005

I am not sure about the 3.3L engine. I would try a throttle body cleaning, check the air intake hose for leaks, and clean the mass air flow sensor. Also, change the PCV valve. All relatively inexpensive tasks. Good luck.

leoberman · May 2005

Well, this recently appeared on my '01 LE (49,700). I took it to my local garage and they read the code as P1140.

According to http://www.iequus.com/obd_def.asp P1140 is the following:

"Intake Valve Timing Control Position Sensor (Bank 1)"

However, according to the Haynes manual, P1140 is defined as:

"Variable valve timing position sensor or circuit fault (right bank)"

These sound as if they might be the same thing. Are they?

Also, any suggestions as far as fixing this issue...dealership? Is this something that a home mechanic can address?

Thanks for any help.

bimmer4me · May 2005

Started up my 2001 PF LE with only 21K miles on it today and the dreaded "Service engine soon" light came on, no blinking just a steady light. I took it to Auto Zone and had a reading with their scanner and came up with a code P1145. Searched the code through Nissan Help web site and the code reads: Intake Valve Timing Control Position Sensor, RH Bank 2. The truck appears to be running fine. What can I expect the Nissan dealership to charge me to correct this problem? Any help or suggestions greatly appreciated.

raddy · May 2005

Sorry, I do not have an answer but I am looking for one also for this problem. I am experiencing it in my 97 Pathfinder Ti (in Australia). Constant downshifting whilst cruising the highway over 80km/h, even on a slight decline!!

Cheers

lbinh · May 2005

Nice work. I exchanged mine under warranty. I think your advice will come in handy when it does it again. Question, while the radio is still plugged in and you pry open the slot, can you explain that more? So, you didn't have to tear apart anything? All you did was use a small flathead and inserted it where the cd slot is? Please explain because I am sure there are many out there who have the same problem. Again, nice work and thanks in advance.

dmoniz · May 2005

Hello,

I'm considering purchasing a '95 Pathfinder as my son's first car. It has 142,000 miles and appears to be in good shape from the photo. I'll be checking it out this weekend. What's everyone's opinion of the mileage? The owner has only owned it a year and plans on leaving the country but has put on new tires, and AC motor and new axles. Does this year Path have a timing belt or chain? What else, other than wear and tear, should I look for?

Thanks.

nroberts16 · May 2005

Hi

I'm furious with Nissan. I have a 2001 Nissan Pathfinder SE with only 79000km (50k miles??). Both of my front springs are broken in almost the same spot. The truck is in excellent condition and I don't drive it a lot. How the heck could this happen? One maybe but both?? It's a truck for crying out loud!! What kind of quality parts are these?

Obviously Nissan won't cover this under warranty. It happens so rarely the dealers don't even carry the parts in stock.

Anyone else have this problem?

nroberts16 · May 2005

Hi

For those people experiencing the problems with their power windows during cold weather here is a tip to fix it. First it is not caused by the power window motor failing despite what some dealers will tell you. It is caused by the seals shrinking and grabbing the windows. Apparently they were designed to be tight in order to reduce wind noise. So, the advice that I got (which works) is to use a non-penetrating lubricant - silicone based works. Unfortunatley you have to repeat this process but it does work. I was thinking of trying vaseline or research some thicker lubricants.

Anyhow try it before heading into the shop. Oh also the runners inside the door may need to be cleaned too.

jeidem · May 2005

With my '01 LE, when I idle at a stoplight for about a minute the truck will shake and the rpms will idle down to 500 or zero and kill. I need a belt or two tightened, so I have a loud whine on startup, and the looks I get from people when I do this at a light are classic but embarrassing. Took it to a family mechanic who found no problem in the computer and couldn't figure it out. I would rather not take it to the local Nissan dealer who charged me 55 dollars for a half hour's labor to PROGRAM MY NEW EXTRA KEY a month ago!! (Don't mean to yell but that really chaps my. . . anyway). Has anyone else had or is anyone currently having this problem with the idling?

sparkslarue · May 2005

Hi lonestar,
I thought I was an island with this problem! I too have a 04 pathfinder LE and I have had it into the dealer for this problem 5 times now. They have "replaced" so many things including and I quote, "we shoved some cardboard in the headliner, so that should help." (nice eh?) yet nothing seems to do the trick. And since it is getting warmer here (Mpls, MN USA) you can't hear it but I know come winter...

Since they have done this, I now hear way more engine noise then before, almost like they forgot to put something back or reare assembledmething incorrectly. They refuse to test the windshield though, their answer was if I had glass insurance I so go that route! I feel so insulted how unprofessional!
Also to add insult to injury, to duplicate the noise you have to drive over a bump and in doing this so many times at the dealer, it feels like now the front end is WAY out of alignment.

(

Any way if you have any solution please could you pass this on to me? I am so frustrated.
Thanks for your help.
Cheers Sparkslarue
:confuse:

pathstar1 · May 2005

Also, the seals on the outside bottom of the side windows have a trough in them. I've found "stuff" builds up in there. I just make sure I blast it out when I wash the vehicle. I think if this "stuff" is allowed to build up, it will increase drag on the glass.

zzr12 · May 2005

As mentioned on one of my previous posts, the cracking sound eventually went away to the point I barely heard it this past winter. I feel that the sound is definitely coming from the windshield when cold. The windshield is flexing over bumps which creates the popping sound. If it bothers you I would push the dealership to remove the windshield and re install. It has nothing to do with your insurance, the vehicle is under warranty!! As far as the vehicle being out of alignment, how big was this bump!! I really doubt that the alignment went out because they drove it over a "bump" several times.

Hope you get it sorted.

ramza39 · May 2005

I have a 05 Pathy SE and I have some questions about the parking brake:

1. I have to press the parking brake all the way to the floor to release it, is that normal?

2. In the manual under the Checking the Parking Brake, it said "Press the parking brake from the released position and 3-4 clicks is within the spec......" Can someone please explain more specific on this?

Thanks

welshyboy · May 2005

My 02 Pathfinder transmition will over rev while shifting first thing in the morning after sitting all night, this just happens for the first couple of miles, in was worse in the winter. I had the oil in the tranny changed but it still does it, it will over rev about 600 rpm between shifts. after a couple of miles it shift fine. any idea's.
brian

lbinh · May 2005

Do you mean it flares up just before the next gear? What gear and range does that happen? There might be a TSB for the issue from nissan.

welshyboy · May 2005

from 2 to 3 rd and into 4th. about 3000rpm, instead of a smooth shift the rpm's will jump up to about 3800 the the next gear will engage. just like blowing a shift on a manual tranny..

vb1 · May 2005

If I leave my Path '97 SE for more than a week parked, battery is completely dead.
I have replaced battery and now it just happened with a brand new battery again.
If I try to boost the car, engine gets in some alarm state and does not let me start while annoying the whole neigborhood. I have managed with some sequence od opening/closing doors and putting key in and out to stop the alarm and the car started with a boost.
Some garages are telling me that I have to live with it as it is old car. Can't believe. had an older Isuzu Trooper before and would start after two months sitting on the driveway. Something is draining baterry badly. Has to be a couple amperes a day or more. Of the major accessories I have trailer brake control and alarm that I don't know how to disable.

Anyone had a same experience. Any ideas?

welshyboy · May 2005

sounds like you may have a short, tuff to find

dullflow · May 2005

Hey, does anyone out there have any info on a 88 Nissan Pathfinder tachometer...specs, info, anything. As ridiculous as it sounds I have scoured my chiltons and haynes manuals and found nothing. It quits working at certain times, wont work for a few days, then will suddenly come back to life...very annoying. Or am I searching the wrong technical term? Maybe they call it the super deluxe electronic engine RPM sensor or something like that. Any help on this subject would be greatly appreciated. Thanx

johnny_ringo · May 2005

1) Yes, pushing the brake all the way too the floor to release is normal. The text on the brake confirms that.

2) Nissan is saying once you start to actuate the parking brake you will hear clicks. 3-4 clicks is within spec for the brake to be actuated. Some trucks might be set at 3 and others 4. Going beyond that most likely releases the brake.

lbinh · May 2005

I think there is a TSB out for what they refer to as a transmission flare up. Look up the TSB on www.nissanhelp.com or www.infinitihelp.com. Should be covered up to 60K or 5 years powertrain warranty.

lbinh · May 2005

My SES has returned for the 3rd time in about a year. I will give it a week before I take it to Autozone to pull the DTC codes. Performance is not affected. The two previous SES events I just left alone and put in decent gas. They both went away in about two weeks or one tank full of good gas. I plan to do the same this third time around.

Previous codes:

IVTC sensor
O2 sensor

welshyboy · May 2005

Thanks for the help, this is precisely what is happening.

Nissan Pathfinder Maintenance and Repair

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