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95 Pathfinder Interchangeable parts?


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Hi I was given a 95 Pathfinder LE 3.0L V6 4x4. I have been fixing it up because it was in bad shape. I have a few questions so ill just ask... i want my Pathfinder to stand out but still have it where it counts.

1) I cant find any aftermarket headlights, tail lights etc... but i can find aftermarket lights for a 95 nissan pickup... will they match up?

2) are there any good chips to increase mpg and/or horsepower? if so website?

3) I would like to eventually swap motor and trans to make it manual (automatic right now) what would be a good swap to get good gas mileage and have power?

sorry if these questions are dumb... Im new to Pathfinders and dont know much about them...

4) how do i know what motor i have.... is it a VG30E? how can i tell?

Thank you in advance.

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:welcome:

1. The stock "sad eye" lights on the Hardbody pickups are the same as the Pathfinder lights AFAIK. If you convert your front end to the smaller rounded rectangle headlights some HBs used (more options available because it's a size used by many other vehicles), you'll need the buckets and grille to match (I think the corner lights are different too). You can also get clear turn signal lenses and corner lights if that's your bag. I haven't seen aftermarket tail lights for these (and no, the HB ones won't fit) but I have seen guys put slotted covers or spray-tint over them to make them less effective.

 

2. At least one guy I'm aware of has cracked the ECU and figured out how to get a little more power out of it. He's on the NPORA Facebook page.

 

3. VG33 swap with the cams and intake from the 3.0 (swapping the intake means the electrical system just plugs in and the ECU's none the wiser) is common and pretty well documented here. So is auto to manual swapping. If you want to go crazy and have the resources, you can build the hell out of a VG, turbo what's there, or swap in something completely different. V8Path managed to squeeze a Chevy V8 into his.

4. Unless somebody's been into it before, you have the VG30E. VG is the engine family, 3.0 is the displacement (roughly), E means multiport injection.

There's a lot of good info in old threads on here. I usually just google "NPORA ..." with whatever I'm looking for rather than bothering with the forum search feature. Many pictures are dead, unfortunately, but there's apparently a browser extension that'll get you around some of that.

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  • 2 weeks later...

A small block Ford is a better choice for a V8 swap. They're significantly smaller than a SBC and they have a front distributor. If I was going to put a V8 in mine that's the way I'd go. However, I just overhauled the automatic trans in mine and the VG30E that's in it runs perfect. I don't reckon I'll mess with it.

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So here is an update... I ended up buying a 95 pathfinder 4x4 (pretty much) same one as the first but its an XE not an LE. I did notice some differences.

I have a couple new questions as its running perfectly fine as far as motor (guy took excellent care of it) but one day he went to go start it to drive around the block after a few months of sitting because he bought a new truck. well when he went to drive it reverse all of a sudden quit working, like its just a neutral... its automatic btw. sooo i looked it up and some people say low tranny fluid could do it, but then i have someone saying its the actuator, and another saying silanoid... if it is the silanoid how would i know if its bad? or the actuator for that matter? ALL other gears work perfect, No grind, No Jerking, No knocks, No nothin...totally smooth! and dude said that it did not make a noise when reverse just all of a sudden quit... lucky me i do have a whole nother parts pathfinder, but i would like to know what i should tackle first, or if it would just be easier to swap trans cuz my parts one is fine... or if its a silanoid or actuator if i should just buy them brand new? sorry this is so long.

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Reverse is usually the first to go in these. From what I've read, the pump inside the trans starts to wear out, line pressure drops, and reverse needs the most pressure to engage. That's rebuild territory.

 

That said, can't hurt to check trans fluid level and condition (with the truck warmed up). The trans computer also has some limited self-diagnosis. It'll flicker the light in the E-AT switch on the dash when you turn the truck on if it sees a problem.

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Common failure with these. I just overhauled mine. Ended up having to replace the front pump (due to a severely worn stator) and the reverse drum. Those parts are not commercially available anymore either btw...I got lucky and found some good used parts on eBay. All total it ended up costing me $500 to fix the transmission - myself. New converter, good used front pump, good used reverse drum and a full rebuild kit. And FIVE days of my time. I was crippled for 10 days afterwards too. GOOD LUCK.

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