EvF

Hi, I have a 99 R50 that is leaking in a hard rain. The gasket around the sunroof has a some tears in the back. I have both poured water down the drains and thena gallon of vinegar (why not I thought). The passenger side still makes a Sysiphusian "glug - glug snot-sucking sound." Water does come through the drain but more slowly (and noisily) than on the driver's side front drain. I then used my shop vac to try to blow out what is inside the passenger side front drain. I couldn't get the shop vac to make a tight seal snf blow hard through the front drain. When I used the shop vac on the drive side front drain it didn't have a tight seal but made a nice hum sound all the way down. I will have to look up cowl drains. Some of the water on the sunroof flowed backward and out behind the back tires. Any suggestions appreciated, especially if I don't have to go the expense of a new gasket for the sunroof glass. Ev F Stock 99 Nissan Pathfinder 3.3L

Hello everyone, Belated thanks to the replies. Life intervened.... But now back at fixing my Pathfinder. One thing I forgot to tell all of you. Nissan has a "Value Line" of parts. The dealer originally installed struts from their "Value Line". They clunked, especially on the right side. The Service Manager ended up bringing in OEM parts and placed the two right side struts, Value Line and OEM on the floor, side by side, and they weren't even the same length. So, buyer beware. I found out that I did not have a 100k tune-up and so had the Service dealer do one, spark plugs, new wires, distributor cap, and rotor.this past winter. But since then I have had intermittent rough idling and the car dying on me at slow idles. Here is the history: Dec 15, 2014, At the Nissan dealer, I paid for a 4 cylinder tune-up: New plugs, wires, distributor cap, rotor changed. I also replaced the valve cover gaskets that were leaking oil. Dec 30, 2014 Service engine light came on and car ran rough and died, as I was backing out of a parking space. I had run short errands and this was my third stop of the day. The shop said "No current codes service light turned off, no repair made." Jan 5, 2015 Again I had been running short errands around town. And after the third errand, again, when I started to back out of a parking space the engine ran rough and died. It restarted and ran rough for a bit; I gassed it and it ran so I was able to get to the dealer's place. As I was driving it across town the roughness went away. The dealer shop found: " Multi cylinder misfire vehicle runs rough intermittently, replaced distributor Error code none." Note: they replaced the distributor that had been new on December 15. Jan 15, 2015 Again, the car ran rough. But this time, it was from a cold start in my garage after having been sitting overnight. I was able to restart it, it ran rough and then settled down. I drove it to the dealer's. They found a code that indicated that Cylinder Number 2 misfire. They replaced the OEM new spark plug on cylinder 2 as they found it be faulty replaced spark plug cylinder 2 . Jan 29, 2015 Again, in running errands and, again, on my 3rd stop, the engine ran rough as I was starting it, it was able to catch on and eventually even out. I drove it to the dealer's shop. They found an error code: "P0302 Cylinder 2 misfire unable to replicate. Swap number 2 spark plug wire to cylinder 4." The Service Manager said they didn't know if it was a faulty wire but because they had now had two instances of a cylinder 2 misfire they would swap the new spark plug wires, 2 to 4, and 4 -> 2, to see if was the wire or something else to do with the number 2 cylinder. They kept the Pathfinder for about a week giving me a rental to use while they ran it April 19, 2015 Again, a series of short errands. This time it starts to run rough as I pull into a parking space. I don't remember if it was my 3rd stop of the day ;-) but it was after several. Again I drive it to the dealer's shop. They find: "Service code Cylinder 4 misfire Code number: P0304. Could not replicate the cylinder 4 bad code." This time they kept the Pathy for about a week and drove for errands but could not get the Code to replicate. They had my permission to run the Pathfinder for their errands and did not charge me for 4 wheel drive loaner. Note: they did not replace the spark plug wire on cylinder 4 that had previously been on cylinder 2. Beginning of June, 2015 I drive the Pathfinder pulling a U-Haul out to Arlington, Virginia from Lincoln, Nebraska. Several times the engine starts to run rough on parking but the service light doesn't come on. I press on to Virginia, deliver myt son's used furniture to his new apartment, and park my Pathy as I developed a medical issue (Posterior Vitreal Detachment) and am under an eye surgeon's order's not to look down or lift anything or drive. June 26, 2015. Two days ago, I drive my Pathy for the first time and it runs rough at start and the Service Engine soon light comes on. It runs rough differently now. At stoplights and stop signs, it starts running rough until I put it in neutral and give it some gas. I make it back to the apartment complex where I have been holed up (my separated spouse's apartment) with medical issues. I park it glad that I made it back without it giving up on these incredibly crowded streets. What do I do? I called my Service Dealer back in Lincoln, Nebraska and they recommend that I take it to a nearby Nissan Service Dealer here in Arlington, VA and they will cover any warranty issues as parts are covered for 12,000 miles or 12 months. My husband and son use an independent repair shop, Cherrydale Motors of Arlington, Virginia where he and my son have had good luck on a 1990 Ford Crown Victoria and a 1999 BMW Series 3i. I am so frustrated by this intermittent and now more usual problem. I am also upset to find out that Nissan dealers do not have access to a common database of repair history. This means that the closest dealer, Brown's Arlington Nissan at 3200 Columibia Pike, Arlington, VA will have no history to work with other than what I have. ALSO PROBLEM #2 On the drive out to Virginia both of my front side combination lamps fell out and dangled by their wires. I am disgusted to investigate the problem (now that I can look down) and see that it is a simple case of bad engineering. The lights are held on by one piece of plastic that obviously outgassed and broke in the same place on each side. Do they sell cheap 3rd party front combination lamps? I don't want to buy a 15 year old lamp that has been sitting in a box or on a shelf somewhere similarly outgassing. This is certainly a repair I can do myself. It looks like I need Parts # 26120 (RH) and # 26125 (LH). Since the lamps were often hanging by their wires on the interstate (in between stops to shove them back in) should I also buy new wire harnesses? Many thanks. Help, as always, appreciated. Evelyn

As a non-mechanic, I recently paid for a tow truck to come out and start my 99.5 Pathy. He hooked it up to the cables and nothing. He then went and jammed the "gearstick" forward that changes gears. He said that when it is in Park and is an older Pathfinder it often does not override the 'neutral safety switch.' He suggested I use the parking gear when before I put it into Park and to know just to jam your gearstick forward if you don't get a start. A $65 lesson.

Dear Everyone, Oh my goodness, you have no idea what all your responses meant to me. A whole whole lot!! I have taken my time, reread the thread from time to time, and then came up with a strategy. I have also read some other threads and watched the Mr. Jim run videos and the video on reclaiming and rebuilding his Pathfinder. You people are amazing. I negotiated with the dealer in town to install the struts and shocks. They came down only about ten percent but... I wanted them to be responsible for any issues of the strut mounting rusting and someday driving and having the struts poke through the sheet metal. So that is done. Expensive but with the rust issue I want them responsible. I also had the dealer put on new tires. They said there was only one type that fit the stock Pathy that they could find. BF Goodrich LongTrail T/A 265/70 R15. They also did a 4 wheel alignment. On the new tires I have several questions. 1) They didn't take the best of the four tires and make that my new spare. They left the spare that was there from years ago when I bought the current set of tires. They said the spare was similar to the best of the tires (on the rear). I thought tires outgassed and you wanted to keep your spare more current with age. Should I have insisted on the more recently purchased tire being made the spare? It had 5/somethings left on the tread. 2) One of the new tires had a flat the very next day within 1/2 mile from my house. I live about 1 1/2 miles from the dealer and I drove the Pathy home on Wednesday night. On Thursday afternoon, I drove to physical therapy and the back left tire was really noisy. I thought maybe the mud flap got caught on it like a poker card clipped to a bicycle or that the new "aggressive" (their words) tires just sounded differently. When I got to physical therapy the back left tire was completely flat. It was crumpled up like an accordion, when you looked at it from the underside of the car. ------The dealer said that they found a piece of rubber in the valve and that they filled up the tire and it was holding air. The Service Manager wanted me to keep the tire even though the side wall had looked like an accordian's bellows. I refused, and the Pathy has been in the shop as they wait on getting a new replacement tire in from Iowa. (I am in Lincoln, Nebraska). Was I right to refuse keeping the damaged flat tire? ------ Would the damaged flat tire make a decent spare? This has been so stressful, I haven't had use of my Pathfinder since last Thursday when it went flat within two miles of the dealershiop. Should I try to negotiate that they compensate me by throwing the "accordion-pleated-flat-tire" on as my spare???? The total bill for the struts, shocks, tires, and alignment was $1,688.47; Struts and shocks $992.07 and tires and alignment $696.40. It was a hard decision to make but thanks to all of your comments, I have decided to invest in my Pathy and keep it. I plan on asking my son's friend if he can do the remainder of the work as I am able to come up with the cash. I am hoping he will teach me a little about maintaining it. I am really glad for all of your help. I understand I overpaid for the struts and shocks. My final question for all of you is general: You all use your Pathfinders for the most grueling uses: offroading. Yet it sounds like you fix your Pathy's with non-Nissan parts. Years ago, my brother, an engineer, talked my general family into purchasing Japanese cars (over American) because their design tolerances were finer. This was a huge deal for my Dad as he had a cousin who was beheaded by the Japanese on the Bataan Death March in WWII. Yet we all bought Japanese for design tolerances. So the question is, do you find that the aftermarket parts these days meet the design tolerances of the Pathfinders? Some of you have 80's vintages back when US auto companies were building junk. Do you need to buy Japanese aftermarket parts or are US and/or China/rest of the world parts equally good??? Thank you so much for your help. I really appreciate it. Ev

Hello everyone, thank you for your replies. I am a 58 year old female with severe arthritis. In my teens and 20s, my Dad and boyfriend insisted I turn wrenches and jack handles but I haven't done it since. I don't think with my arthritis I could wrestle rear shocks out and then in. I think I remember struts as requiring more forceful action. I did do them decades ago as well as spark plugs and timing and routine stuff. But now, my body won't let me. I don't have a manual to this car as when I bought it I had an income that would let me get it fixed at the dealer. I will have to look online to see what is involved in the spark plugs and distributor cap. Two years ago, I paid to have my son's 1996 Toyota Avalon engine rebuilt and then the car was stolen. I think that is affecting how I feel about putting money into this Pathfinder which has always been my car. What has really thrown me is the independent mechanic who had a Nissan Pick-up but got rid of it because of Nissan supposedly not using bolts but screws everywhere . Anyway he had a source that said the exhaust manifolds heat up, curve, and then break the connection and to fix that you have to drop the engine to replace the manifolds. But the print-out he gave me from repairpal.com referred to "Nissan Quest Exhaust Manifold Can Warp and Cause the Studs to Break Off" He said it applied to Pathfinders as well. Add to that the known strut tower rust issues and I am wondering, even though both mechanics say I don't have severe rust issues, is a 99.5 Pathfinder commonly going to go up to 250 to 350K miles? Lincoln Nebraska is pretty small townish and I really doubt I could find another Pathfinder that was regularly serviced like mine was up until Dec 2012 (money going down the drain to keep my young adult son propped up). Probably TMI but if I could at least rule out the exhaust manifold expectation and the hope that since the strut tower rust isn't an issue now, then it might make sense to put that much money into it. I do have a friend of my son who has finished his two year community college auto mechanics training and is now doing their body work program. Would someone that green be able to do most of this? Help appreciated, Ev

Hello, I have loved my Pathfinder since the day I bought it new. Now I am looking at a lot of repairs/ maintenance ~$3500 and was told by an independent mechanic he wouldn't put the money into it since the exhaust manifolds tend to go at around 165,000 miles. Plus, was just reading the threads about the rust issue. I asked both the dealer and the independent mechanic if I should junk it because of rust and both said no. I live in Lincoln, Nebraska and we get salt on the roads here. This is what I have been told I need: 1. Both Valve cover gaskets are leaking approx cost to fix: $385 but the NIssan Service Mgr. said he didn't know what other problems they would find once they were "in there." 2. Replace Spark plugs, wires, fuel filter and PCV valve approx. $300 3. Replace front struts approx.$780 at dealer, $925 at independent mechanic 4. Replace rear shocks $316 at dealer, $330 at independent mechanic 5. Replace four tires $769 from dealer 6. Alignment $70 from dealer $90 from independent mechanic 7. Needs new Distributor cap and rotor only the independent mechanic says this no price yet. 8. Repackaging Front wheel bearings, new pads and turn rotors Only the Nissan Service Mgr says I need this $300 9. Trailing and traction arm bushings are Torn Only the Nissan Service Dealer says I need this $500 10. Sunroof leaks into cabin when it rains haven't gotten an estimate on that. I was hoping I could just clean and Armour-all the gaskets to stop the leak. I have had the CV boots axle shaft assemblies front and rear replaced (144K miles )and the timing belt (83K and 150K) replaced twice. A new radiator was installed a couple of months ago when the car overheated and bled coolant onto the road (158K). At 150K I also had the fan and alternator, fan, and compressor belts changed and flushes on the coolent, transmission, power steering and brake system and service (lube?) on the differential fluid service, transfer case service. At 102K the transfer case cost a lot of money (lost repair ticket on that). Left rear O2 Sensor replaced at 138K. 6-Cyl Tune-up at 91K. Bearing repack at 50K. Other than that it has just been oil changes, batteries, and tires. No accidents. I had the strut housing rust recall looked at in April 2012. "No significant rust - No repairs needed" So, I am looking at over $3500 of repairs and wondering if the truck would be worth it. The independent mechanic is really concerned about the exhaust manifolds going and then is also concerned that Nissan doesn't use bolts on stuff (I don't know where) like Honda and Toyota do. Independent mechanic says that usually leads to needing to drill out rusty screws that can lead to damage of major parts. I love the truck but don't want to throw away $3500 for an upcoming known and expensive issue. Sincerely, Ev