johnm

Well, I'm a traitor. Came across a really good deal on a 08 Wrangler X and the dealer offered me $3000 for my Pathfinder (like a $1000 more than I thought I'd get). So now I'm a Jeep owner. Thanks to everyone for your help during my tenure as a Pathy owner. And to the board owners for maintaining this corner of the net, I would have had a much harder time without it.

Well, looks like this is a moot discussion, both sold on Saturday...talk to the guy today by phone.

yep, maybe so.

yes, I know all vehicles have issues. There are some "issues" that I'm simply not prepared to deal with, like a catastrophic failure due to poor engineering design. Especially when the manufacturer essentially denies it's a problem, extended warranty or not. Bad engineering once, is bad engineering repeated. It's the reason I don't buy Ford or GM vehicles.

know what, nevermind...I'm not getting anywhere near the radiator/transmission and timing belts issue in these years and models. In case you don't know what I'm referring to, google, "2007 pathfinder transmission problems"

OK, so I'm still shopping for a new vehicle. One of my local dealers has 2 vehicles on thier lot: 1) 2007 Pathfinder SE 4x4 "Off-Road" package, 79K miles, $14,900 2) 2006 XTerra X 4x4, 95K miles, $11,900 Both have the 4.0L V6 and 5 speed auto tranny. Just is case it matters, I don't do any serious off-roading. My driving is 90% below 55. 50% smooth paved roads, 25% crappy paved country roads, 20% dirt roads, 5% no roads. In the winter that 20% dirt turns into mud, so I need the 4 wheel drive. I can afford either. I won't be modifying them, stock capabilities and features are sufficient for my needs. Any thoughts, concerns, pointers? Is the pathfinder worth the extra $3K? I know this is the pathfinder place, but I figured you guys can give me honest opinions.

70's datsun...not sure of the model

Though it's the more expensive option, I would save up and get the new OEM control arms w/ bushings. That's what I'm doing, after my mechanic wasn't able to source new bushings. Yes, I know I could get poly bushings, but suspension work is beyond my DIY skills and tools.

Well, then, if you have the know-how, tools and time to replace an entire engine, you can do the cam-seals for the $50, or whatever they cost, yourself and you wouldn't have to spend $500 for a new engine, or $1400 for shop labor, would you? But that's completely beside the point, the OP asked what it would cost to have the cam-seals replaced (presumably by a shop).

where are you going to get an engine and get it installed for $500?

LOL, around here for 500, you get scrap metal. Shoot, I've been looking for a car with better mpg for my wife. For $1500 these are the kind of cars I find: 92 Saturn, blown head gasket 99 Civic, transmission blown 88 Accord, no reverse, needs tires, suspension, crash damage repair, and they don't have a title 04 Ford Minivan, bring your own wheels and tires cuz it don't have any, no 2nd gear, no lights, odometer broken Sorry to get off topic.

Put in another what for 500? Auto parts and labor must be really cheap in Canada.

Had a leak in the same place on my 99. It turned out to the be the cam seals (the other choice was the head gasket). It was around $1400 for labor and parts. Basically, it's a timing belt change with the cam seals. My cost was probably a little higher than average, but I have a good mechanic that I trust, which is worth the extra cost to me.

Thanks for the replies. I sent the sales-dude an email on wednesday and got one back on thursday "oh, um, sorry that truck has been sold for weeks." Which begs the question, who maintains your website? I went through the same thing for weeks looking for my pathfinder. Looks like we are going to have a long search. Have I mentioned I hate car shopping?

OK, thanks.

Hi gang, We are thinking of trading in my wife's Titan. We found an 2005 Frontier NISMO for $11000 with 112K miles. My question is does anyone have any advice about Frontiers? Things to look out for? Anyone know if they have a timing belt or chain?

Though I don't dispute that it's theoretically possible, the fact that no one has done it yet, suggests that it is not easy to accomplish.

I think you are under estimating the power requirements somewhat. A benchmark would be what it takes to drive a small centrifugal supercharger.

They make fans that have low power needs but don't make enough pressure to affect performance. They make fans that make pressure but need lots of power (relative to what a car electrical system can produce). The other obstacle is size, all the electric fans that can generate positive pressure that I have seen are too big to fit in a modern engine compartment. For the concept to work, it would have to be a small, low-mid power requirement, and capable of generating 2-4 PSI of pressure. I spent months looking for such a thing and couldn't find one. The closest I came was some of the ducted fans used on the bigger remote control model aircraft. Relative to the power problem, a large capacitor would work, but could only power the fan for short periods. Then you have to think about the airflow restriction from the fan when it's not being driven. Would be a good project for some engineer to work on, though.

I'm always surprised how these hp/gas-mileage contraptions keep showing up. These e-chargers have been around for years, they didn't work then and they don't work now. Still, it's good for a laugh.

The TSB will show you how to construct the harness and how to route it in the engine bay. You can pull it up here. The bolts that go in the head are special ones, you need to order them from the dealer, they are 7.5x1 metric. The bolts on the intake manifold are 6x1 metric. When you are buying parts, make sure to get the right size eye connectors. The wire is just wire, I used 16 gauge. I built the harness with the larger eyelets on one end and left it longer than it needed to be, and cut to length after it was routed. I didn't measure the wires after install. I'd guess it was 30" long?

I'd fix it, unless there is something else wrong with the truck and this is the "last straw" to a trade in decision. As a side note. Blended oils that have a viscosity range may differ from brand to brand and type to type. This is a result of the blend of oil and additives to give a particular viscosity "curve" over the desired temperature range and is usually a proprietary formula. Pick up 2 random bottles of engine oil and you are very likely to see a viscosity difference between them at room temperature. That one is "thicker" doesn't necessarily make it "better".

Other results need not suggest that the 2000 data is in error. It's not unheard of for the one model year to be significantly better in reliability than other model years. Particularly the last model year right before a major change, in this case, the 2001 models got a different engine. Though the 1996-2004 Pathfinders are grouped together, the 2001-2004 model years have differences from the preceding models.

Check out what this guy has to say: http://rivermud.blogspot.com/2011/06/gear-review-cooper-discoverer-at3-tires.html He seems to like them pretty well.

When I bought my 99 SE a couple years ago, it did the same thing into reverse and the 1st to 2nd shift while driving. The tranny fluid was low. Getting to the proper level helped but still had "hard" shifts, though not jolting. A full flush of the tranny made it better still. There are several TSB's issued by Nissan for the R50 transmissions and transaxle regarding hard shifts, shift flare, and noise. They issued one TSB advising to only use a specific type of tranny fluid. Anyway, my advice would be to check the fluid level and if you decide to buy it, get the tranny flushed before you start thinking about U-Joints and other drive train components.