big_johnson

Thanks for the responses. I'm considering just taking it to a dealer at this point, seems like they have the highest chance of getting it right...

Hi all, Haven't posted in a while but need some help! Long story short (kind of): Had my water pump and timing belt replaced around 100k, no problems. Water pump decides to start leaking around 133k, so it needs to be replaced again unfortunately. The shop felt that it would be good to do the timing belt again while they were in there, so I said OK (only a bit more in parts at that point). I get the car back, and now have a noticeable lack of power at lower rpm's, lower mpg, and an odd intermittent knocking noise from the engine. Took the car back to the shop and they had to re-tension the belt, apparently they had set it below spec. So the noise is gone, but I still have no power and lower mpg. I took the car back to the shop again with this complaint, and they couldn't find anything wrong. So I'm frustrated at this point. I know something is wrong, but I'm not sure what it could be. I was thinking the timing is off, but you would hope they checked for that when I brought it back the second time. It feels like going back to that shop is pointless now, unfortunately. I also have a Scangauge which backs up my perceived lack of power: It has a feature called "load", which indicates how much power you are using out of how much you have available at any rpm. Previously, my load would go to 100% at any rpm if I stepped on it. Now, it only gets to 89% at lower rpm, and barely reaches 100% at redline. Basically, the lower the rpm, the greater the power loss. Mpg is also down from 19.5 to barely 17, with the same exact driving. Any insight or advice would be very helpful! I just want my car back the way it was, it's frustrating to drive as is. Thanks!

This is what my last 2 CEL's have been. Fortunately, I have a Scangauge to read my codes!

Hi all, I finally got around to getting some super sliders from Rocky Road. I'm about to install them, but had a quick question. Are they supposed to use any of the factory mounting holes? I thought they were, but from a quick fit check, it looks like every bolt will have to be drilled. Also, I'm not sure the hex bolts will work out due to the location of the mounts. I'm a bit concerned, since they also sent me the install guide for a 2005 Pathfinder. Hopefully they didn't send the wrong year? Or, if anyone has a super slider pic of them mounted under the car it would be very useful. Thanks!

Hi all, I haven't been on here for a while, but was going through my videos and found a few that might be entertaining for my fellow R50 dudes. I figured this was specific enough to post in here Anyways, here are 2 videos from Red Cone Pass in Colorado about 3 years ago. Guy with the camera = my dad, goofy looking dude behind the wheel = me. Here's a hill climb vid: A picture showing the hill from a distance: And a rocky section in the middle: Picture looking up on the rocky section: Now just some more pictures: Another hill climb: The final descent (one way only): Scenery: Hope you liked them!

Lots of you on here have aftermarket rims, and I've been thinking of upgrading. My question is: how many are paying attention to lug centric vs hub centric setups? I've heard bad things about moving to lug centric (as stock is hub centric). However, some places make custon adapter rings to convert LC to HC. Do these work well? Any insight? Thanks, -Chris

Tmorgan- Thanks for the offer. I should update my profile though, as I live in Crested Butte now! I'll definitely keep the springs in mind, but go ahead and get rid of them if someone else wants to buy.

Nope. Just the OME regular fronts. I thought about swapping to HD springs, but figured the ride would be a bit harsh with no aftermarket bumper up front.

I could be wrong... but I'm almost positive the WJ grand cherokees were SFA. I thought they changed to IFS with the WK(?)

Haha, I'm Chris as well. Actually, I have OME springs at the moment, so I couldn't tell you what the factory measurement was. I'm just not a fan of the extreme tail high look I've got right now, and going the spacer route is a bit of a hassle. Dean, thanks for the post. That is actually very helpful, as those are the exact tires I have

Can someone grab me a quick hub to fender measurement for the front? Or ground to fender if you have 31's. Trying to see if mismatching some springs will work. Thanks, -Chris

I’ve been dealing with this problem for a while now. It has left me temporarily stranded a few times, but the truck does eventually start. A few things I’ve learned: -For me, it only happens in cold weather AND at high altitude. -If the truck does die after the initial start, floor the gas pedal and crank the starter. The engine will start, but it may take a while (>30 seconds). Be careful doing this if you are by yourself, as it can wear down a battery quickly. -If you want to make sure the truck starts the first time, you can floor the gas pedal first and then crank the starter. Let off the gas after it catches. This allows the maximum amount of air into the engine, while the fuel pump is only delivering the “start up” amount of fuel. However, this is fairly hard on the engine in cold weather, as it revs to around 3000 rpm with very cold oil. -The truck ECU ‘learns’ conditions well. I used to have this problem when I would drive up to the mountains from around Denver (approximately a 3000 foot gain). However, I now live in the mountains, and my truck no longer has this issue. It seems like it adapted to the air conditions, and adjusted accordingly. -I’ve heard of a few other tricks, and they all involve tricking the ecu. One is to unplug the MAF sensor to start it, then plug it back in. This is supposed to eliminate the airflow readings going to the computer, so it dumps less fuel in. However, I have tried this once and it made no difference. It will also throw a code that you have to reset. Hope this helps!

the resonator is definitely not necessary, it basically serves to further 'refine' the exhaust sound/resonance (hence the name). You can get away with running a 2.5" pipe exiting the muffler, instead of the stock 2.25. I went with a dual in, single out muffler and had the shop weld it in. 2.5" exhaust will lose a bit of low end torque, but not a noticeable amount for me. the greater mid range power was noticeable though as far as a tip goes, it depends on what kind you are buying. if they are welding it on, get one designed for a 2.25" pipe. if it is one of the cheaper bolt on types, then 2.5" would probably be ok.

02silver - thanks for the welcome back! mountain biking and college diverted me from this site for a while. But now that I live in a 4wd mecca, I feel the need to pay the pathfinder some more attention. thunder - thanks for the local info. as for the intake, I actually have the "ghetto" cold air intake with a tube routed to the front bumper. never had issues before, but I wasn't careful enough this time simon - thanks as well. I do need to change the oil, but was hoping the filter would take care of most of it for now. everyone else - thanks for the replies!

Agreed. That's almost the exact setup I had that led to hydrolock in not too deep water. But it does work well otherwise. maybe fab/buy a plug for the pipe for off roading

Long story short: I moved to crested butte a few weeks ago and went to do some 4-wheel exploring. Find a cool trail (schoffield pass/devils punchbowl for those that know the area) and proceed down to a stream crossing. It doesn't look too deep, so I enter at a higher than ideal rate of speed. Next thing I know, the engine is sputtering and dies right as I reach the other side (around 20 feet total). I know immediately what has happened, so I pop the engine and check the air filter. Soaked. The intake pipe has also managed to pop off the engine block (somehow), and water pours out of it. So, without having any prior experience, I proceed to remove all of the spark plugs with daylight fading quickly (that 6th one is terrible). Cranks the engine, and a bit of water shoots out, but not as much as I would have expected. Re connect everything (still with a slightly wet filter), crank it over and she starts up. Not quite as robust sounding as normal, but running smoothly. So after some normal driving afterward, things seem to be running well. However, my question is: Would it be very obvious if I had slightly bent a piston/blown a seal/broken something else related? My concern is that the engine kept (somewhat) running after it took in some water, and this could have caused some serious damage. However, my only "functionality gauge" is how well the engine is running, and it seems fairly normal. Thanks, Chris

Ha, well this really makes me think he is an idiot. When I asked him why the cold start method helped, he specifically said "it just gets a little fuel into the motor to help it start". Needless to say, this made me a little doubtful that it would help my FLOODING problem...

So I have an update- Went to the dealer and had a bunch of things done: - Adjusted the Idle Air Valve - Flushed Fuel Injectors - Replaced spark plugs - Some other maintenance items Those first two relate to the TSB on the subject. The Nissan tech (who I now beleive is an idiot) said a couple of things: - Use 87 octane as it should help the car start easier (nevermind the fact that it is harder to compress...). Apparently I should be able to notice how much better it starts...more on this in a bit. - Use the cold start method (this entails turning the key to "ON" but not cranking the motor, and slightly tapping the gas pedal before starting) - He said the above mentioned services performed and those techniques should make the problem go away. The results: - After filling up with 87 octane, the car is noticeable HARDER to start. Takes usually a couple of extra cranks to get it going. - My gas mileage has gone to CRAP. I'm talking like <14mpg, down from 16-17. -I went to the mountains yesterday...and the car did the same exact thing! It ended up starting, but almost died initially, and appeared to be flooded again. So NOTHING fixed! - Apparently the next step is to replace the ECU and Idle air valve, to the tune of $1500. Super. :oops:

Got my email

Why is this? It's the rule of thumb that you can go to a lower octane in higher altitudes... I'm not sure why higher octane would help. But I'd have no problem finding 87 or 91 if need be.

DJ- yea, I've been spending my time with the mountain bikes lately. Not neglecting the pathy though, actually installed some OME springs recently! Zonian- Strange about the angles, mine was also driver side low. I had also just filled up with gas..I wonder if there is some kind of leak that occurrs? I'm not sure about the o2 sensors and codes, but they are expensive to replace (if you get the OEM Nissan ones), so I won't look to those first. I may have to take you up on your offer though! I guess it depends on what they do/say when I take it in this week.

turbopath- thanks for the info. I did some more research and found at least 2 other TSB's on this problem... The nissan tech said a couple of things: - run higher octane at high altitudes. Not sure why this would help though. - use the "cold start' method. Apparently this entails turning the car's electrical system on for a few seconds, and lightly hitting the gas pedal, before cranking it over. Again, I'm not sure how this would help? - He suggested the airflow sensors (meaning the o2 sensors I'm assuming) may be bad, but would likely throw a code if they were faulty. - He also recommended a fuel injector cleaning...which goes along with the TSB turbopath posted Any more insight?

trainman- yea, that's essentially what gets it going each time, it just takes quite(!) a bit of cranking. Good to know exactly why it works though, I wasn't aware it affected the computer, just thought it let in more air for a given amount of fuel mechanically. Zonianbrat- good to know someone else has heard of this. I also tried the ether spray, with little effect. I did a half ass cleaning of the MAF sensor the second time my truck gave me problems, but other than that I haven't touched it. Strangely enough, my car has also been at angles when this problem arises. Wonder if there's a connection? Also, is there any specific trick to cleaning the MAF sensor? (The plug that connects right after the airbox, right?) So sounds like o2 sensors may be the culprit? I was thinking along those lines....someone want to refresh my memory on the process for replacing those? I remember reading about these a long time ago, but have forgotten. Also...am I looking for anything specific with the grounding straps? Or just that they're attached? Thanks for the quick and helpful replies...I need to get this fixed!

I've had an increasingly present problem on my 97 pathfinder. At high altitude (9000 ft+) and cold weather, my pathfinder seems to flood itself and then not want to start. This first occurred in the spring...it started, fluttered, then died. I tried it again, and it just cranked over, didn't catch. It took several hours (we had no idea what was wrong), then a combination of cranking it and flooring the gas pedal and letting off for it to finally fire up. The exhaust smelled very rich for a while after it started. The other day at a resort, the same thing happened. It started, fluttered, then died. Then refused to start. We tried several times to start it with a combination of cranking it over and flooring/letting off. Initially, it didn't do anything. Eventually, we got some response. It would start, then die shortly thereafter. We finally just had my friend hold the throttle cable in the engine wide open when it fired up, and didn't let the car idle till we got home. The following morning in the mountains, it almost died upon startup. The exhaust has a very rich smell everytime we start it up, that goes away after a bit. This only happens in the mountains, at higher altitude. It basically feels like when you start up a basic 2 stroke engine that is flooded...just doesn't want to run. Down home (around 6000 ft) it starts up just fine. Mods that may affect the fuel flow include: cold/ram air intake, and performance muffler w/ larger 2.5" exit tubing. Basically, it seems like the pathfinder is flooding itself in thin air, the computer gives a wierd air:fuel ratio or something. Anyone have this or have any ideas? This is really a pain, not knowing if I'll be stranded when I go snowboarding. Thanks, -Chris