madkiwi

Jim, What is or isn't implied doesn't matter, because the fix I posted is not the fix Nissan came up with. Can you imagine the outcry if Nissan said "To get the correct amount of oil in the transmission you must pull the gearshift lever out and pour it in through the hole"? They came up with their solution, $480 MSRP for the housing and 7.5 hours of shop time to replace it. Figure $1,400. My solution costs $0 (well, 10 cents for a new ziptie). Nissan ignored it as much as possible because to fix all the trucks on the road would have cost them hundreds of millions. Glad you have had no issues so far, maybe you never will. I was going skiing at Tahoe 2x a month back then and was worried about the hill-climbing with oil starvation to the forward part of the transmission. So I would recommend you try to increase the lube in your transmission just for peace of mind. Mark

Folks, I had no idea this thread was still being viewed. I am searching for the original TSB (NTB97-009) but it is not on any of my in-service PCs. I stopped working at the company who's server I used to host the files in 2007, I suppose someone finally deleted it or switched hosts (and that file did not get moved). My "old" Dell is under my desk and not plugged in, but it may have the PDF on it. HOWEVER, I do remember that NTB97-009a superseeds and replaces the -009 bulletin. It contains all the information regarding models affected and the factory remedy. It only applied to R30A manual transmission on WD21 and D21 chassis (1985.5-1995 Pathfinders and Trucks with the VG30 engine and 4wd), Obviously the factory remedy (new transmission housing) is not going to happen for most of us, but filling the transmission through the gearshifter hole with 5.1 liters (5.4 US Quarts) of GL-4 oil is simple. I still stand by the writeup I did 10 years ago- I use Redline MT90, my 1993 Pathfinder 4x4 XE is my winter daily driver and I do not even worry about my transmission. I now have 190.000 miles on the vehicle, and the tranny oil has been replaced once since 2004. I do not care what a Nissan service department says- NEVER use GL-5 oil in our transmission. Do you really think that the service writer who was still in diapers when this transmission was last made really knows what he is talking about? I did a lot of research about this when I did the write-up, newer improved oil standards/additives are not always backwards compatible. Changing the lube through the gear shifter hole takes a couple hours, I actually pulled the drain plug before I started on removing the shifter, so by the time I was ready to refill it was completely drained. I remember that I needed to partially unscrew the filler plug to allow the fluid to drain (vent). When I read that some people say it took a long time for the oil to go in I wonder if they did not pull the shifter out first, because... well you need to. One thing to remember is that when you drain, about 0.2 of a quart will still be in the transmission. So you really only need to refill with a touch over 5 quarts. I figured this out by using the original fill hole to see how much oil went in before it was level there. Although overfilling a little is not going to be an issue. Your friendly admin RedPath88 will update if I find the original TSB.

Well, it certainly kills 300zx injectors- and the fix is a little more expensive than just throwing in some nitrile 0 rings. My question really is- considering both vehicles are from the same period do the injectors suffer from the same design flaw? I call it a flaw, but Nissan's engineers could not have predicted in 1989-90 that the US would start adding corn ethanol to gasoline. Who would do anything as stupid as burning food to propel motor vehicles?

Just was wondering if the 1993 Pathfinders have any issues with ethanol in the gas. I also have a 1993 300zx Twin Turbo, and the 300s from 1994 and earlier have an injector design where the coils are exposed to the fuel, and the ethanol will destroy the injector coils. So it is something I have been thinking about. A set of newer style injectors (plus adapter kit, new rails etc) is over $800. So I only buy ethanol-free Super (which you can still get in most parts of the country, including here in Montana). But that is not an option for Regular. I have been running the Pathfinder since new with regular 87 or 88 AKI, which has had ethanol (at least in winter) for what, 10 years? But for the last 3 years it has been year-round, thanks to that limp-dick George Bush. He signed into law the 2007 Energy Independence Act, which requires so much ethanol to be blended into our gas that by the time it finally is fully implemented (in 2022) all gas will have to be 20% ethanol. That will kill almost every existing car on the road. I have never had any issues with injectors on the Pathfinder, but just wondering if it is something that I should worry about. If there is a history of the injectors being killed by ethanol. Thanks.

HELP!!! I just got the old (Raybestos) shoes off. I take the new Nissan shoes out of the box (part no 44060-28N25) and something looks wacky. There are a total of 4 pieces in the box. 2 look identical and have a DV stamped on them. The other 2 don't look the same as the DV shoes, and have EA stamped on them. The old shoes are 4 pieces that all look identical, the new ones look like 2 pairs. The Nissan factory service manual is little help. Are these correct? If so I presume that one of each is supposed to go on each side, but I cannot tell if one is supposed to be on the front or if it does not make any difference! Please, truck is in pieces, my back is killing me, and I just want to get this job finished. madkiwi

You forgot PB Penetrating Catalyst Far more useful than WD-40 if you have a seized bolt. I could not get my exhaust bolts off from the catalytic converter. I tore the head off one before I stopped, went down to Kragen and purchased some PB. Came home, sprayed it on, waited 5 minutes, then put my longest handled socket wrench on it and heaved. Almost broke my hand on the body, because the bolt came loose almost instantly. I threw away all the WD-40 I had.

I am so sorry, I thought I had my links all sorted out but I had the file names wrong! Links are now fixed. Precise1: Word is that it's only the throwout bearing. Of course they have to pull the tranny and double check that before I can say I dodged a bullet, mostly because of my fear of this oil starvation issue. So I am getting a new clutch and flywheel resurface, plus they will replace the crank seal while they are there. Estimate was $1200, considering the cost of labor in the San Francisco area that's not too bad. I bought my own Red Line MT90 (5 full quarts and a half bottle I had left over from the top-off I did last year) to them, and made sure they know to put all of it in. hardwaretoad: I work for WC&S and run the computers etc. We have more space than we need from our host, so I set up a little part of it to hold stuff like this. Yeah, it's an export company. madkiwi

Everyone who has a 1986.5 to 1995 4wd Truck or 1987-1995 4wd Pathfinder should be aware that the FS5R30A manual transmission up until 1995 does not provide adequate lubrication to the main and counter drive gears. If you are experiencing transmission whine in every gear except for 4th, you have a problem. You should park your truck now and have the transmission rebuilt, the alternative is that the transmission will eventually grenade, and a $500 rebuild quickly becomes a $3000 replacement. The tsb's show a diagram with the "fixed" transmission case, the only difference being that the fill hole was moved up 0.97 inches! That increased the oil capacity by 1.5 liters from 3.6l to 5.1l Here are the TSBs, I'll leave them up until someone sues me. TSB97-009 *Link Broken* TSB97-009A If you have one of the covered transmissions, but you don't have the symptoms, you should still add the extra 1.5 liters of gear oil to your tranny. I decided the simplest way was to go in through the top, through the gear shifter. (Some people have tried parking on a slope so the fill hole is higher, others have tried squeezing in the extra with a bottle then quickly getting the plug in before it drains out. ) How to add gear oil through the shifter hole Pull up the carpet from the passenger side to free the gear shift, and remove the shifter boot. Cut off the zip-tie holding the gearshift dustboot, and pull it up from the shifter assembly. You will then see a snap-ring underneath, remove it (you do have snap-ring pliers, right?) and then remove the gearshift lever. Pour 1.5 liters (1.6 US quarts) of new gear oil into the transmission. Replace shifter, snap-ring, dustboot, shifter boot and carpet. You are done! Note, shifter should be in neutral, and be careful when removing and inserting it as there is a plastic swivel thing on the end. (It only goes back in correctly one way, so if you are not sure it's right, make sure) You need a long replacement zip-tie for the dustboot, I think an 8" works. Final note, do not use any gear oil rated GL-5 in the Nissan manual transmission. It says in our manual to use GL-4, and there is a difference. GL-5 oils have additives that destroy the soft bronze synchros in our transmissions. I use Red Line MT90, and it works very well. madkiwi

Would that data sheet also say how much ATF to put in my 1993's transfer case? TYVM madkiwi

If it is 4wd then it is 3 5/8 US quarts. I don't know what the 2wd is, I assume it is the same, but no guarantees. madkiwi

Precise1, Here is a post I made on 4x4parts.com about the transmission on the 1987-1995 Pathfinders (manual transmission, 4wd). The post includes links to the TSBs. In a nutshell, the input bearings were running dry going uphill, especially when towing. The fix involved moving the fill hole on the case up by 0.97", thereby allowing an extra 1.5 liters of gear oil to be added to the transmission. I'll let you know what an expert says about the noises. madkiwi

Precise1 No noise anytime except when in gear AND coasting. Letting the clutch out stops the noise. No problems or strange shifting. The noise starts maybe 2 seconds or so after depressing the clutch, I only noticed it Saturday because I was coasting to a stop sign that was downhill and about 100 feet away, so there was time for it to start making that grind/squeel noise. Over on the 4x4parts.com forums the responders are leaning towards a bad input bearing. If so that would tick me off no end, I know about the issues with the FS5R30A transmission where the oil level was too low, and added 1.5 qt of oil 18,000 miles ago. Saturday was the first indication anything was amiss. Also ticks me off because I started using the Red Line 60,000 miles ago because I wanted my transmission to last forever. Any idea who would be the best place to take it to? If I go to the dealer I'll probably need to take my own Vaseline. While I have it apart would it be a sensible thing to have the clutch replaced at the same time? darn. madkiwi

Yup, it's GL4. That's why I use it, practically the only one you can readily find in synthetic.

Precise, If I read you right, then the noise should be there whenever I have the clutch depressed. However, I only hear the noise while the vehicle is coasting with the clutch depressed, and in gear. If I put the stick into neutral the sound goes away. If I stop moving, the sound goes away. This is driving me nuts. Symptoms don't seem to match what others have said about a throw-out bearing. Today I opened the fill hole for the tranny just to make sure I had plenty of gear oil in there (I did, and I use Red Line MT90). Anyone else ever had this noise? madkiwi

Hi guys, Just today I'm driving along in 2nd coming up to a stop sign, and I push in the clutch, coasting. I hear this weird grinding noise. I put the gearshift into neutral, the sound goes away. I experimented a bit, the sound only occurs with the clutch disengaged, and (so far) I only notice it when it is in 2nd and 3rd gear. It only happens while the vehicle is still rolling. A friend told me it sounds like it is the throwout bearing. Someone here was saying that when the throw out bearing is dying it makes the noise when the clutch is just being engaged/disengaged. Mine happens only when the clutch is fully depressed. My friend thinks I am ok to go for a 500 mile round trip to Reno next weekend, does that seem right? Any better guesses? It's a 93 Pathfinder, I have 110K miles, manual tranny (obviously) and no slipping on the clutch. The tranny and clutch are original. Thanks, Madkiwi

From my mount I am running the coax along the tire carrier's lower rail, and then at the hinge it goes behind the bumper. Then under the vehicle looped around the frame enough to keep it away from stuff to a hole under the rear seat that had a rubber plug. I cut a hole in the plug, threaded the coax, then sealed it with silicone. Then under the carpet to the dash. An 18' wire was the perfect length. Notice in my photo too I have a 10 g. ground wire attached to one bolt- it follows the same route as the coax, but it terminates to the frame. The antenna mount must be well grounded, so if you put the antenna there you will need to ground the tire carrier properly, the hinge bushings make better insulators than conductors. The antenna clears the spare tire by about 3/4", and I have a full size tire. madkiwi

I bought a 4' Firestik II antenna kit that came with a K-64A bracket as per here at Firestik.com I mounted it in front of the spare tire as in this picture: This what the final product looks like: Tech guidelines for CBs require 2/3 of the antenna be above the roofline. Guess how much of the 4' antenna is above my roofline? madkiwi

squam1 DoT labratory testing eliminates and ignores light reflected from the road surface. European testing takes real world conditions into account. As a furriner I can tell you: E-code lights are better in rain and fog (less light reflected back to the driver) better for oncoming drivers (light is blocked from shining above a certain point) better for road illumination, better for seeing people, animals and signs on the side of the road. Note the difference (e-code on the left). Light is more spread out, more on the ground etc. Don't know why I have to keep repeating this. The DOT standards are used in only North America. If our lights are so superior, why does every other country use something else? ***EDITED*** Let's change that to "US lighting was designed by a committee composed of bureaucrats" at a time when regular filament bulbs were the tried and true, and halogen was treated with great suspicion. Don't want to get political- really. madkiwi

Mr Pickles, I'm sorry if I sound like I went off. :furious: I get annoyed quickly if I think people don't listen to (read) what I am saying (writing) and then ask about something I thought I had clearly stated already. The wife gets annoyed back when I do it to her too. One other point I should make- motorcycles sold here use E-code headlights, that's fine with the US DoT. It is only cars that are stuck with an inferior technology. Some articles for your perusal Fourwheeler.com Opinion Audi upgrade page Looked on AC first for the parts I need, nothing doing. Sorry for being obnoxious. madkiwi

Mr Pickles. Please note that I (and the DoT) refer to overhead FREEWAY signs. If you have overhead signs on secondary country roads I would say you are in some other country. How often do you see these? How often have you seen them not self-lit? E-code lighting throws a beam up and to the right to illuminate the shoulder and signs on the side of the road (isn't that where you see signs on country roads?). It cuts off light above a certain point in the middle and left. This applies to low beam only, on high beam lighting while concentrated forward, does illuminate upwards as well. DoT testing involves shining a light on a wall and demanding a certain percentage of DIRECT lighting goes up. They do not take into account any reflected lighting from the ground, but the experience in Europe is that the reflected lighting is more than adequate to illuminate reflectorized overhead signage. Listen, I'm not here to rehash the arguments or convince you to change your life. I couldn't care less. If you are happy, great. If you want to understand the differences, try Googling "e-code headlight". I'm here to look for body parts suppliers, and I decided to encourage others to look into the situation. Not my job to make a convert. jdub, The 1990-1992 grille looks the same as the 1990-95 Pathfinder one. The picture you are looking at is the restyled 1993-1997 Hardbody version. madkiwi

Seriously guys, if you are in North America then do some reading about E-code lights (Googling is wonderful, isn't it?) if this mildly interests you. Hella sells a 200mm H4 e-code light that is a direct fit for the old 6054 sealed beam lights that were standard in the 80's and early 90's (200mm is 7.87 inches, guess what size a 6054 sealed beam is?). Best deal I found is at rallylights.com. Well, the 1990-92 Nissan Hardbody pickup used those sealed beams, and the hardware for them bolts straight on to our 1990-95 Pathfinders. So you buy Hardbody headlight mounts and grille (the 93-97 grille also fits, but the earlier one looks like our Pathfinder grille). You can re-use your corner lights, but the finish will be cleaner with Hardbody ones. You could also just buy the headlight mounts and put them in the Pathfinder I suppose, but it would look pretty ghetto. Besides that beveled inside lower corner (which you might have to trim with a Dremel), the stock composite headlights are 9" x 6.5" so there would be a wide gap around the lights. The solution to bad lighting in the US is not about wattage/light output, it is about where the light goes. DOT regs say some light has to go up to illuminate overhead freeway signs. WTF? That's pretty dumb. When's the last time you saw one that didn't have it's own lighting? Anyway that leads to light shining in oncoming drivers' eyes. HID lighting (in the US) is not a significant improvement because the reflectors and direction of the beams are still governed by the same rules. madkiwi

Hi Diesel Boy, I know you are in NZ because if you drive a diesel Pathy you are not in my neck of the woods! (Figured that before I hit your member page) I am a Kiwi, now living in San Francisco, California. Been here for 11 years. It took me a long time to realize how bad my headlights were compared to what I was used to. The US Goobermint has some pretty strange ideas about that. I always thought that looking at the road was especially hard with oncoming traffic, so much light in your eyes. Just wasn't like that back home. So in NZ I am pretty sure you are running E-code lighting from the factory, I think only the US, Canada and Mexico use anything else. And you can see from my first post I have to go through a major operation to mount E-code lights. Now if I could get the parts I need from NZ and get them here I would do it. BUT postage would be prohibitively expensive. madkiwi

Mr Pickles A HID system is very pricey for what you get. I'm budgeting about $250 for my conversion to European spec headlights. I already have upgraded to 10g wiring and relays for my oem lighting, so I may put in 100/90 watt H4 bulbs when I do the conversion. Such a system will put HID to shame. Besides, when you convert to HID you probably are just getting another lousy DoT approved light pattern. Such a waste. Get an E-code system and you get more usable light on the road where you need it and not in oncoming driver's eyes. madkiwi

Statikuz Don't talk to me about Summit. I ordered a set of 5 US Wheel model 94 (black center, chrome rim) steel wheels on April 21st. At the time they said May 16th delivery. On May 20 I phoned them, they said May 29th. On June 3rd I went to their website and punched in my order number, it said they would receive the wheels June 29th. I cancelled the order yesterday. I may never order from them again. madkiwi

Sorry about that. I had been looking at this website wheels-and-rims.com and they list a 15x5" rim. I know the Lego 15x7 wheels are SE only, the steel chrome 15x6 is XE only, and assumed the 15x5 were for the LE. Then I got home and looked at my spec sheet from when I bought my 93, it shows that LE's have 15x6" rims. But I stand by the statement that many tire shops will not mount a 10.5" tire on his rims, industry guidelines (per BF Goodrich) call for a minimum rim of 7" for the 31x10.5 tire. Costco will not do it for me on my XE wheels (turns out to be a blessing, with gas prices where they are I am going to just go with the oem size 235/75r15 again). madkiwi