Pathseeker Posted July 14, 2017 Share Posted July 14, 2017 Several months ago I started having a problem with My 95 pathy that goes like this.. She runs fine as long as its cold outside and you aren't going very far.. 15-20 miles or so. The problem is I live 62 miles away from work, so I can go maybe about 30-40 miles, mostly highway driving then it will stutter and die, give it about 20 minutes and it will start up and be good for another 30-40 miles. It seems to only do this when it's been running for a long time or if it is hot out. On a hot day (and I'm talking like as low as 75 degrees) it does it more often, it's been in the 90s recently and I can't even get it to stay running long enough to back down my driveway. I have replaced the fuel filter and fuel pump, full tune up, checked fuses and fluids. I think it does have an exhaust leak (it's very loud) but I do not know how to verify that. Any ideas on what to try? Also I did try to drown her back in 2011, Drove into water deeper than I thought it was way too fast, sucked it into the engine, then my wife opened the passenger door and flooded the cab so the computer got soaked, Without thinking we tried push starting it, water shot out the tailpipe and it did start but did not run very long, towed it home and it sat at my house for 4 months and dried out but when I finally tried to start her up (jump start) she did with no problems and has run fine until November or December last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted July 14, 2017 Share Posted July 14, 2017 Any codes? The position sensor in the dizzy is known for this failing-when-hot stuff, but I've also heard of oxygen sensors and coolant temp sensors causing similar issues. I'd start by inspecting the wiring for the coolant temp sensor (the two-wire one on the coolant neck the upper rad hose attaches to) for corrosion and checking under the distributor cap for the red dust that apparently indicates that the bushings are going out. If there's no smoking gun, and no code, I'd unplug either the O2 or the coolant temp and try driving it again. (The ECU can fudge the fuel mix if it senses that one of these sensors is absent.) If unplugging one of those sensors resolves the stalling, then it stands to reason that the sensor that's unplugged was causing the problem and should be replaced. If neither makes a difference, then I'd go for the dizzy. And the exhaust leak shouldn't be the problem, I think those came standard on these. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pathseeker Posted July 14, 2017 Author Share Posted July 14, 2017 I'm not sure about codes, now that I can get it started I'll check for them, it wasn't last time I checked. Noob question though... what exactly is a Dizzy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted July 14, 2017 Share Posted July 14, 2017 (edited) I would start with pulling the distributor cap and checking for any brown/red/gold dust under there. If there is, the bearing is failing and causing the camshaft sensor to read wrong. If not it could still be a bad distributor, but check the coolant temp sensor as well. Definitely sounds electrical for sure. Edited July 14, 2017 by adamzan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pathseeker Posted July 14, 2017 Author Share Posted July 14, 2017 So I pulled the codes and I think I'm getting 4 of them; 11, 33, 44, and 55. so looks like the bad is an oxygen sensor and camshaft position sensor if I did it right. I called autozone and they have an upstream O2 sensor but can't get the downstream and said that the vehicle isn't equipped with a camshaft position sensor. I disconnected the O2 sensor and it runs better at idle and even reving a little but still sounds like it stumbles a bit. I would have thought that if I got a code for the camshaft position sensor that it would have one, is that correct or is the auto parts store right and it does not. The distributor cap is new, I replaced that when I did the plugs and wires. I noticed the fusible link connectors are loose on the battery cable connector so I'm going to replace that too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citron Posted July 14, 2017 Share Posted July 14, 2017 What they are talking about with the distributor is not just the cap. They are talking about the bearings on the shaft down below the rotor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubertalldude Posted July 14, 2017 Share Posted July 14, 2017 Distributor sensor could be suspect, but I would think it was the MAF connector based on my very recent experience. BTW pulling the O2 sensor sends the engine computer into open-loop mode which can cover up running issues for a bit, but isn't a fix. I was having your exact issue just a few weeks ago and solved it by adding an additional ground wire to the MAF (mass air flow) sensor near the air filter box. The middle wire of that connector is ground, and you essentially need to add a wire from that to a ground point somewhere in the engine bay. I would try that first, as it's either a $20 fix for the Nissan OEM sub-harness which is pre-wired, or if you can solder and crimp, you can make your own additional ground wire. Also, you can't be getting codes along with Code 55, as Code 55 is "No malfunction" and indicates a lack of stored codes. If you read more about the ECM (engine control module) self diagnostics, you can see how to test if your O2 sensor is dead by monitoring it with the engine running. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubertalldude Posted July 14, 2017 Share Posted July 14, 2017 links for the impatient/unwilling to search MAF ground fix: http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/topic/36667-bad-maf-harness-ground-nissan-official-fix/ ECU diagnostics: http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/topic/21-ecu-self-diagnostics-for-87-95-pathfinder/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted July 15, 2017 Share Posted July 15, 2017 There is only one o2 sensor on the 1995 pathfinder. It is upstream of the cat. There is no downstream sensor. The camshaft sensor is in the distributor. Last I checked it isn't available separately. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted July 17, 2017 Share Posted July 17, 2017 Dizzy = distributor, sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OH6PILOT Posted August 2, 2017 Share Posted August 2, 2017 Had the same problem last winter... ended up to be the sensor on the distributor...after I had replaced almost every other sensor, cap, plug and electrical component... http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/topic/42685-help-stranded-in-ne-with-my-inop-pathy/ If you can grab a dizzy out of a junk pathy, drop it in real quick and test it. ~Sas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubertalldude Posted August 2, 2017 Share Posted August 2, 2017 Had the same problem last winter... ended up to be the sensor on the distributor...after I had replaced almost every other sensor, cap, plug and electrical component... http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/topic/42685-help-stranded-in-ne-with-my-inop-pathy/ If you can grab a dizzy out of a junk pathy, drop it in real quick and test it. ~Sas even though I solved my stalling issue with the MAF ground lead, I am suspecting that the distributor sensor/bearings are going out and causing a sputter in my '92, especially at 250k miles on the clock Did you have any general issues before yours started dying while hot, or was that the first sign of the dizzy going out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OH6PILOT Posted August 4, 2017 Share Posted August 4, 2017 Mine went out without warning...just failed at 75mph on I10 outside of Lincoln, NE. Was less than fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pathseeker Posted August 7, 2017 Author Share Posted August 7, 2017 I also have a 93 that I can take the dizzy out of as a test at least. I'll have to try that this weekend hopefully.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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