KevinKernaghan

I agree, that would make a great bumper sticker for any car. With author's permission I might have to find some adhesive-inkjet paper and create one.

I can't believe I forgot about this for so long, and nobody else touched up on it, but the little Nissan tradition of the high rear door handles got started with this kind of Pathfinder! This seems to be a divisive issue though, my girlfriend and numerous others have told me how stupid they thought they were, and several people have tried to fold the front seat forward to get in the back seat because they didn't notice there were 4 doors! I like them because they give off that exact impression: It's a 4-door that LOOKS like a 2-door, and it gives you a good lever spot to get the door open (imagine if it had a conventional door handle...it would have to be practically in the center of the door!) It keeps the sides of the car looking sleek, too. What's weird to me is how they've kept that tradition all the way up to the new Pathfinders and the Armada, where the doors are much larger and short people actually can't reach the high handles!

As much as I like the layout of the console, I have to say that the radio is a little far away. I have to lean forward a little in the seat to reach the volume knob, and lean to the right some to reach any of the other buttons. If one's around, I just ask the passenger to do it. Oil Filter location, of course, also the tiny, tiny rear doors.

Yeah, the fact that Nissan supplied that spark plug tool was really nice. It also comes with a fairly substantial jack as far as cars are concerned. The tire iron is better than ones you can go out and buy at the store! One time I broke a Pontiac Grand Am's tire iron by using it...it was a piece of pipe rounded into a hex head...after a few twists, I had rounded it back into a circle! I went back to my car (then a non-Pathfinder) to get a cross-wrench. Also, the little doors in back to access the amps and taillight fixtures are awesome for holding small tools, jumper cables, spare belts, a spare cap and rotor, etc. I'm sure Nissan didn't intend for that, but it sure works out nice for me! Also in the pre-airbag days gloveboxes were HUGE. I keep a giant Maglite, a Chilton's guide, the owner's manual, and all sorts of other stuff in there. OH and this is a BIG one...(for me)...the parking brake handle is located on the console like God intended. Helps big time with the manual transmission when getting started on hills, unlike clumsy press-to-release foot pedals. WHEN YOU PRESS THE STEERING WHEEL IN THE CENTER, THE HORN GOES OFF. I can't stress the importance of this. As nice as airbags supposedly are, they've caused a great loss of this ability. Little buttons on the side are impossible to find when you're mad and you only have one hand available. Other little things: Easy-access air filter Air vents, typically something to break quickly on a car, are set up in such a way that the entire body pivots up and down, and only inside that body do the vents pivot left and right...Very simple and effective. Factory alarm and keyless entry, that, after 11 years, still works flawlessly. Okay, I'm sure I'll think up more, because it's fun, but for now, again, that is all.

I tried searching for topics that were similar to this one, but couldn't find any. That doesn't mean I'm right though, so if it's a repost, please feel free to remove it. I want to start a thread about certain little things owners enjoy about their WD Pathfinders that came stock from the factory. Nissan has a good reputation for attention to detail, and out of all the cars that I have owned and many that I have driven, an 11-year old Pathfinder has had more nifty little features and details than all of them. For example: 1. The rearview mirror is attached to the roof of the car by a strut instead of to the glass. That is fantastic, for if it were the other way around I surely would have knocked it off four times by now. 2. The little plastic nubbins on the rear seat that hold the belts and buckles in place while you're rearranging. 3. The fact that the back seats recline. How many NEW cars have this ability? 4. Nissan included screw tensioners on all belts. A big help when changing out belts and getting them to proper tension. 5. Having three belts and an engine-driven fan, while less efficient, really improves redundancy. Losing one belt doesn't mean you lose your water pump or power steering. Two of the belts are close enough in size to be interchangeable! (probably not intentional, but still saved me once) 6. A spare tire carrier that is reliable, looks good, and swings the correct way. Okay that's all I can think of for now.

I bought a handy little thing from Wal-mart...It's a rack that goes on the wall to hold an ironing board and cans of starch...It was cheap, and metal (not very good metal), and could be easily cut apart and bent to create a nice little cupholder between the radio surround and the shift boot. I'm not sure if it would be possible on 4wd models though...but I got a classy end result and I didn't have to drill any holes! Someday I'll take a picture

Just curious, how do I know when spark plug wires have gone bad? What is the maximum resistance they should show on an ohmeter? If a replacement is required, how much will they be, will they be fit to OEM standards, and where's a good place to buy them online? my pathy is having some problems with misfiring and this seems like the next step before checking the entire O2 sensor circuit.

1995 WD21 2WD; 123k After replacing the timing belt, I decided it was time to change the other belts, which were cracking. As long as I had the fan and fan shroud off, why not? Anyway, I went to O'Reilly's (not my favorite, but it's all I've got) and paid 55 bucks for three new belts. These belts don't look the same, though... instead of being flat on the bottom and top, the bottom side is ribbed like the timing belt. Now I have several ideas as to what this is, and am seeking forum input: Is this a new feature designed to lengthen belt life and reduce noise? Is this a new feature designed to make the belt break earlier and more totally, promoting failure of other parts, thereby bringing customers back to O'Reilly's in some kind of "planned obsolescence" conspiracy? Is the guy behind the computer at O'Reilly's a chimpanzee wearing a human mask, using a twig to hunt for insects inside the keyboard? They appear to be the correct size and everything...I've just never seen any like this before in any belt replacement. But since I don't do them that often, I'm just assuming this is designed to allow the belt to flex around tighter-radius curves with less fatigue. Anyway, I'd be glad to hear if anyone else has made this swap without trouble. I guess I'm just leery of replacing anything on my truck that doesn't look like the part that used to go in its place. kevin

Post operation update! I'm going to add my personal account of this operation for everyone's assistance...I filled my 1995 2WD tranny with MT-90 that I bought online from Jeg's at an insane 8 bucks a quart. The Chilton's guide stated that I needed 5.1 pints, so I drained the old stuff (and found a LOT of metal shavings on the drain plug magnet...ouch) and put in 7 pints of the stuff, which is a little below the 1.5L recommended addition, but it has completely silenced the whining. The truck also seems to shift slightly easier and there is a bit more "feel" to the gear changes. That or I'm just making it up to make me feel better. A few things to expect: On the 2WD, getting the carpet out of the way and getting the shifter boot off was a real PITA. This is only a problem if it's never been taken off before, all my carpet was still fitting quite tightly before the operation. Oh, and the upper shifter boot is actually riveted to the metal boot holder...wish I had known that before I bent the hell out of the flimsy metal piece and had to sort of bend it back to its original shape. I also bought a pair of snap-ring pliers that saved me a half-hour of needlenosed frustration. I also got frustrated during the reinstall. I had to tear up several large chunks of carpet pad and cut a few noticeable slits in the carpet to get it to fit. Lining up holes between the shifter boot, the dust boot, and the flimsy metal boot holder was quite difficult, so be prepared to make up your own solutions to that (I used pieces of cut-up coat hangers as placeholders to keep all the holes lined up.) Also, it takes FOREVER for fluid to train into the transmission when pouring in the top. It went for me at a rate of about a liter per hour, which is why I stopped short of the recommended addition. Do it during the commercials when a football game is on or something. The MT-90 is pretty thick stuff. Haven't noticed anything else, but I hope the whining doesn't come back and I just bought my transmission at least another couple of years of the good life. In the meantime, I'll be trying to go easy on it. Hope some of this helped! Kevin

Wow. This stuff takes HOURS to sink into the transmission from the top. I pulled everything off the right away and amazingly tear off the carpet too bad. This is at least giving me time to check all my diagnostics stuff.... o2 sensor doesn't register at all, like i figured..that's getting replaced for xmas MAF sensor has a trouble code...I think i damaged it when i tried to clean it. Anyway, I'll start bottle two out of four (MT-90) here in 10 minutes or so....this is agonizing........grrrrrrr it would help if i weren't changing it at my girlfriend's house and her roommates weren't giving me nasty looks for taking up a garage spot.

I have a 2WD and am experiencing the same whine. Should I follow the same steps and add 1.5L to the current level? Well, I already bought the MT-90 so I am anyway...hmm...hopefully this measure will keep me out of a rebuild for a while.

1995 XE 2WD, 120K To quote the Tech section: "The mechanical assembly connecting the lock cylinder itself to the inner door lock and armatures are mated by the use of small plastic parts that wear out and then break over time. Disassembling the door panel, then replacing the lock parts is the appropriate fix for this problem." Does anybody have a description of these parts and a source? How much do they cost? Can they be replaced easily? Do I ask too many questions? My driver's side door lock is busted...the power locks still work, if i open the passenger door. However, the linkage from the lock cylinder to the locking mechanism is busted...Any tips? The locks have been acting really squirrely since I bought the car, but they never unlocked the car on their own, so I let them be....until now. This was in a previous post, but I worded it incorrectly so I didn't get much of a response. It won't hurt my feelings if anyone deletes it...labeled: "Uh-oh." Thanks, Kevin Kernaghan

Well, I guess I should rewrite the topic heading...the lock cylinder itself is definitely not seized, and still rotates. When the key is turned to either side it doesn't come up against something hard, rather something soft, as if there's a broken plastic part in there. It definitely FEELS like something in the door is broken.

It's been pretty cold lately in Lubbock, cold enough at least to mess up my door locks. After spending a whole day at school, I came back to the parking lot Monday evening to find that I was unable to open my driver's side door. I can still get in on the passenger side, but who knows how long that cylinder will last? The door locks work fine once I'm in the car, but the whole gaining-access thing is troubling for right now. Luckily the door panels are coming off soon to install new speakers...Anyone have any idea what's going on here?

I was just interested in the general opinion on these Mobil "High Endurance Oils," one of which is advertised to require an oil change every 15,000 miles. Something about that just doesn't ring right with me... What do you think? Kevin

1995 2WD WD21, 121K My girlfriend is getting me some new speakers for my Pathy this Christmas, however I'm going to install them. All 4 are 5x7s. I just need to know some more detailed information about replacing them. My Pathfinder has the two speakers on the ceiling in the rear: The How-To section states that these have to be pried off...however I just went out there to attempt it and it feels like I'm going to break them! If I pull hard enough, do they break or are they a snap-in part? Are we removing the mesh part of the grille or the mesh and its plastic surround? I figured I should ask about these since apparently not every Pathfinder has these ceiling speakers... My Pathfinder also has the two door speakers in front: Does this require disassembly of the door or can part of the grille be removed without damaging it? I'm not in too big of a mood to take the door panels off, but if anyone has recommendations, I'd be glad to hear them. Or you can redirect me to another post, whatever. Thanks, Kevin

Well, here's a new one: 1995 2WD, 121K: While trying to remove and clean my MAF sensor, I removed one of the two screws holding it on, and completely rounded off another one, which is now stubbornly unable to be removed with any kind of screwdriver and will hopefully succumb to a Dremel tool. Here's the part where you shouldn't laugh: Then I dropped the one fine screw underneath the air filter housing into oblivion. While poking around down there for it, I never saw anything like it either inside the engine bay or on the ground or anywhere, for an hour's worth of searching. Amazingly though, I found an old Craftsman socket wedged between the frame and the wheelwell liner that has been there for an unknown amount of time, and doesn't belong in my collection. It's been there long enough for all the markings to wear off though. Woo! Free socket! Anyway, I was hoping somebody could tell me the size and thread count of their MAF sensor bolts so I can replace them with something a little sturdier, once I get the stubborn one out. Thanks, Kevin

Woo! I totally just rounded off a screw head on that MAF sensor....Those heads are quite fragile. This will be fun to fix. The timing belt, I'm hoping, will get replaced this christmas when my father and I are doing it myself. All it has to do is putt around town for a few more months and then make a 5-hour trip from Lubbock to Dallas and we'll be set. We'll probably get the water pump too, as long as we're around there.

man you weren't kidding about those screws being fragile! I totally just rounded one of mine off quite nicely, even while using a flat head. Ouch. That's going to provide a nice challenge tomorrow...

it has about 125,000 miles. Yeah, the MAF sensor is getting cleaned today or tomorrow

Yeah, I'm pretty sure the fuel filter is probably worthy of replacement. I'm reading up on it my Chilton's guide right now. As for the check engine light, it is not illuminated. I'm also going to go inspect the MAF sensor here in a little bit, I've heard that can give some improvements, but maybe not in idle quality.

I'm pretty sure they don't, but I was just wondering: Does the newest generation of Pathfinder come with a manual transmission option? Also, did they go back to body-on-frame construction? I still haven't had the chance to see one up close. It also really bugs me that there's no more external spare tire carrier. Aerodynamics schmaerodynamics. The tire hanging under the rear bumper is off-center and it really bugs me.

I have a 1995 2WD Pathfinder which has a little trouble maintaining a steady idle. There aren't any major fluctuations, but it's unnerving to watch the tach repeatedly dip up and down at traffic lights in normal temperatures. I don't know if the fuel system has ever had a filter replacement or not, what's the best procedure for that and how much of a PITA will it be?

I was looking for a long-term update on whether or not the method of cleaning an oxygen sensor with a blowtorch (saw it in another post) was successful or if anybody else had tried or pefected upon that method.

I drive a 1995 XE 2WD with 120K miles. and the 5-speed transmission with overdrive (i assume.) Here in Texas with highway speeds of 70+ mph, 3000 RPM is reached in 5th gear at about 63 miles per hour. I'm not sure, but a hunch suggests this is pretty far outside a good revolution range for gas mileage. Are there alternative gear ratios out there that can deliver better gas mileage, or will there not be enough to maintain speed? Has anybody tried this? other notes: headers ticking, need to fix that to improve mileage. i heard something about an '88 MFA sensor, can somebody post a link to that? thanks, Kevin