NissanPerson

Just talked with him and he said after a few phone calls today finally got the place to pay for a used head that will be inspected by an engine repair shop of his choosing (to make sure they aren't putting a bad head on). I suppose the game is that most people would say "oh ok, 1/2 sounds fine" and the dealership would make a nice chunk of change. Still, never should've gone as far as it did. That same day it should've been worked out...leaves a bad taste.

Know someone that took a Pathy in to get a new manifold cause of the usual tick tick ticking. They took it all apart quoted a price the guy said to go for it. Got a call later on that the mechanic had drilled into the head. Now the dealership will pay 1/2 but won't pay for a new head. Why do idiots that screw up always have to find a way out of things? Can't they just say, "hey, yeah, we messed up, we'll take care of it." Don't they realize the $1000 or whatever they have to spend will be well worth it in positive advertising??? "yeah, they messed up my car but took care of everything and got it all fixed. can't get too angry at that." Rather than "yeah, they messed up my car, won't fix it, tried to blame it on me saying I brought it in with a cracked head, and I'll never go back there and I'll be sure to do everything in my power to tell people to stay away from this place." Any thoughts?

Did you try cleaning the injectors? Sometimes it's a simple fix. I know mine used to love it when it got its injectors cleaned. It'd do crazy things like you're describing then stop after an injector cleaning. Otherwise 02, mass airflow, water temp sensor, throttle position, fuel filter, and everything else that's been mentioned. It's just a crap shoot at some point.

Got it!

This one was in mint condition as far as I could tell. Probably needs some new rubber and brakes soon but everything was clean...guy said he has it cleaned by a specialty shop every year (including washing engine)...which kind of worried me cause there's NOTHING leaking :-D Just wondering if there are any known problems with this car more or less.

I was just looking at an '03 with 50K miles on it. They wanted 12 grand. These are a NICE sporty car! I was amazed. Anybody familiar with these cars?

A much more simple thing...how about the ignition switch...what you put the key into on the steering wheel. I've replaced two of the things in my '92 and heard they are known to go bad quite often. The symptoms-turn the key and nothing OR turn the key and the car will start but the starter won't turn off. Just a thought in case it's something that simple it'll save ya time and money. The last time everything worked but the car wouldn't start...radio, lights, and all accessories worked.

I feel your pain. Next year I may have a job where I either rent an apartment closer to it or commute 140 miles/day. With Iran, Nigeria, and all those other countries where people join crazed out militia groups just so they don't starve, I don't see gas prices coming down at all. I wouldn't be surprised to see 3+ (like WAY plus) in the coming years. So, I've been calculating $4/gallon to be safe and I THINK it'd still be cheaper to commute. My girlfriend has a Civic too...so maybe I'll make the payments for her and steal it for the 38mpg on the highway! :-D Anyway, I think the future is for high energy costs from what I see. But, I guess that just means less drinking, eating out (there's a joke there), and fun so I can afford gas for the Pathy. They are great cars though. About 16-20 for me during months where temps are above 45.

I had my oil changed a couple years back during the dead of winter (too cold to do it myself while at college) and they overfilled it. I ALWAYS check things after taking my car to a mechanic. Anyway, they overfilled my oil and when I told them they said they put 5 quarts in like it said in their shop manual (and they showed me where it said "5 quarts"). I informed them it takes about 3.5 quarts at the MOST from my experience. They refunded all my money and gave me a coupon for $5 off my next oil change and apologized as well. It wasn't a Nissan dealer and it DID say it in their manual...oddly enough...so I wasn't too hard on them.

We've had it happen on 4 of our Pathfinders (mine, brother's, mom's and dad's) ...maybe it's the concrete blocks we dangle from our key chains ;-) As to Dagwoodzz question/comment- If you're talking to me about creating a how to on putting in the new ignition switch it ain't that bad. The worst part, in my opinion,...other than getting that damn plastic cover off and back on the steering wheel...is drilling out those locking screw things in the clamp. I bought some screw extractors this time and it worked like a charm. It helps to have sharp drill bits as well. Basically just take the cover off the steering wheel (the upper and lower plastic pieces) and then you'll see what you need to. Drill out the two old bolts and it'll fall off. Find the harnesses that are connected to the wires and pop them out. Then put your new switch back in and reconnect everything. Last summer on my brother's Pathy it took about 30 minutes. On mine this last time it took a bit longer because we're idiots. Dull drill bits don't work. But it's not a huge job or anything. If you have any more detailed questions let me know but once you get the plastic off the wheel it should be pretty self explanatory. P.S. I have manual door locks...SUCKERS!!!!!!

So, today after a long day of work I come outside hoping to go home and relax before I head off to run some errands. BUT, my car had other ideas! Put the key in and it started right up...but then it KEPT trying to start. I quickly turned it off thinking "what in the holy hell is going on???" I turned the key to "Acc" and the radio came on...then I turned it to "On" and the car started...well, 1.5 hours and a $58 tow home (which I thought was cheap) and I started putting in a new ignition switch (I believe that's what it's called). It's a relatively easy job (if you've done it) but when it's 20 degrees out it's not something fun to do. Now she purrs like a kitten again. :-D The ignition switch (thing you put the key in to start the car) seems to wear out pretty quick on these cars. Anybody else agree or disagree with this???

You wouldn't believe the number of pull-through spots at the end of a parking lot! I'm in the same boat as you...I find the D to R to D to R to "you POS thing go into reverse before I $%)#@$*&^ kick your !@#" D to R to D to R...FINALLY!!! Works quite often too.

There are no stupid questions...just stupid people asking the questions! ;-) All in fun, it was JUST A JOKE!!!!!!

No it's in 4wd. I think it was basically the fact that it's an open diff and the front wheel was "wedged" by the snow ridge. Oh well, if the only place I get stuck is IN my driveway I'm not going to complain...at least I would only have to walk 30 feet to keep from freezing! :-D

I am confident the 4wd is working. If I'm at a stop sign and I punch it on ice I have wonderful traction. A couple weeks ago I was out skiing and I drove up an old gravel road trying to get pictures of deer feeding and I was driving through about 1.5 to 2 feet of snow with no problem. BUT, our driveway is hard packed snow (very slick although it is now melting) because we rarely shovel (that's what 4wd is for, right???). There's this normal path I take every day to park...our driveway is L shaped...I go forward up the driveway, turn right a bit until I hit the snow bank, and then reverse in to my parking spot (as I can't make the turn going in forward). There is about 4 inches of packed ice and snow where I have done this day after day. If I drive too far forward I go off of the packed snow and the snow acts as chocks on my two front wheels (about 4 inches). When I put it in reverse these chocks, I'm assuming, stop my front wheels from turning and my back wheel will sit and spin...I just found it funny that such a small ridge of snow and a little ice (and probably my tire choice) cause me to get stuck in something like that. I was used to my old car and I just checked some stuff out and (the 92) it does have an open differential. I'm confident it's nothing more than bad tires for snow and ice and an open differntial I'm just disappointed and embarassed that I have to sit with a shovel and ice chopper in our driveway and dig my 4wd out after 2 inches. I want to cry when neighbors smile and wave as they drive by. I know for a fact my 88 would've been spinning 2 tires (at least partially) and I just found it quite amazing the difference between the two cars...more of an observation on my part. But, it has promoted some great discussion! I'll be looking into a locker when I have $$ to buy one! :-D

Thanks guys! That was all very helpful and reassured what I was thinking. I'm 99% sure the 4wd is working and I also noticed (SC88) that reverse gives me worse traction. I guess my option is to replace the blasted axle on the back. I may have to do that when I get some money. I'll see how it holds up this spring while spring goose hunting...if I get stuck in mud it's a definite yes! I have some BFG AT's on my '92 I believe (came with it when I bought it). My 88 had Michelin All Terrain I think...Michelins grip ice and snow MUCH better than other tires from my experience...that's why I buy 'em! But the tires on the '92 are about 1/2 dead too...not really a snow/ice tread I don't believe...more for mud I think. So, yeah, I agree that's part of the problem too.

Yeah, they're auto locking...my old 88 was all outfitted with manuals and was a real machine...now my priorities in life have turned slightly away from making my Pathfinder the greatest machine on earth...at least for a while...so I'm not entirely ready to outfit this one yet. I'm pretty sure the 4wd is working properly. When I floor it from a stop on slippery conditions it goes fine...but if I were to put a small ice chunk under each tire (except one) the one without the ice chunk would spin and the rest would sit there rather than crush the ice chunk and beg for something more difficult...which is what my 88 used to do. This is where the driveway gets me...packed and uneven snow...I come to a stop to reverse into my spot and there is enough of a ridge of snow to make some tires say "no way" and then only one sits and spins...I have to pull forward to be at the proper angle to get into my spot in reverse and my front tires usually end up in indentations that are like the indentation on wheel ramps you use to change your oil...as soon as those stop my progress my car turns into a 1wd wonder.

I've driven a few different years of Pathfinders in my life and I am currently driving a '92 XE. Before the '92 I was driving an '88 XE...I loved the '88 but I happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when a guy decided to run a stop sign...anyway, I NEVER had any problems in ice or snow with my '88. That thing could go through ANYTHING, I swear. But, with the '92 I get stuck EVERYWHERE and it's really starting to tick me off. Just the other day I got stuck IN THE DRIVEWAY after getting 2 inches of snow and I was in 4wd...A little ice and the damn thing just spins one wheel and won't move! I'm assuming it has something to do with open differentials or something of the sort but why would Nissan even make 1wd an option on its cars??? I long for my '88 and it's traction and ability to go through anything! I suppose my only option is to upgrade to some type of locking differentials or something (as I've read while searching on this topic here). I think I'm just going to go and think about my '88 and how great she was.

I had a problem similar to this in my '88 last year. It'd stall, idle funny, die, didn't like aceleration AT ALL...I replaced every part I could think of and it still did it. Quit driving the thing for about 3 months and then tried it again one day. No problems since. I have no idea what was wrong with it but I still don't trust it. That would be my best solution. Make it feel lonely for a few months add all kinds of additives to the fuel tank (injector cleaner, Sea Foam, anything else you can think of) start it up and drive the hell out of it for about 20 miles and then see if it still likes you. Of course, I was ready to use the thing for parts as I took it to a mechanic after replacing everything I could think of myself and he didn't have a clue either. He tried water temp sensors and all kinds of stuff. I finally said "I'm sick of paying money for guesses you and I've tried...I'm just gonna quit driving it." It'll work fine after some tough love. TRUST ME!!! Seriously though, some time you just gotta start replacing crap. Good luck and hope you liked my story!

My brother just bought a 94 Pathfinder (that makes 4 of 'em in our family now) and is trying to figure out what is wrong with his. I searched the forum for a couple different things (surging included) and he's checked or replaced most items it says in those posts. I keep telling him I bet it's the O2 sensor but he says he checked it. I think he should put a new one in :-D but what do brothers know??? Anyway, when in N or P it idles fine when the engine is cold. BUT, if you throw it in gear it surges like crazy (I'm assuming the load has something to do with it). Once the engine warms up it's fine. You guys think he should start replacing MAF, TPS, O2, and everything else I found in the search (he did testing on most things with his multimeter...he's an engineer...and checking grounds, connections, etc.) or does anybody have a better guess??? He doesn't like spending money but I told him he just bought the thing so replace everything and at least you know where you're at. THanks!

Just another piece of advice if you don't feel like spending the money. We've got 2 Pathfinders with revers problems as you describe. Sometimes we have reverse, sometimes we don't. Normally, as long as you don't put yourself into a situation where you ABSOLUTELY need reverse (in the path of a semi, train, or stuck in a lot of snow or mud) if you try enough (going from R to D to R to D) it'll go in eventually. After the first Pathfinder lost reverse (125,000) we've put another 75,000 on it and the reverse problem hasn't gotten any worse. The second has an additional 30,000 on it and the reverse problem hasn't gotten worse either. So, there is the option of doing nothing and getting used to where to park and what kind of situations NOT to get yourself in to.

Around here we just had an ice storm over Thanksgiving and the streets are still covered in snow and ice. In this type of climate I somewhat agree with Geeky...but I still don't run in 4wd unless I need to (worse mileage, I don't like that feeling and sound when turning the corners) and the '92 I'm driving I bought for $1000 because some guy's wife (probably a soccer mom) drove the car in 4wd from November-April and it ruined EVERYTHING in the 4WD. I just spent $800 (which isn't bad considering the original price of the car) to have a whole new (used) 4WD put in. So, Geeky, I'd count yourself lucky and don't totally disagree with you. BUT, I like to live on the side of safety and don't like spending money. In my opinion I wouldn't use 4WD more than necessary.

In the summer I get about 18 mixed city and highway in a '92 and in the winter I get between 11 and 15 with the same driving conditions. Highway miles I get about 20-21 in the summer and 19 in the winter. If you want mileage buy a Civic :-D My girlfriend makes fun of me for spending so much on gas (she drives a Civic) until the last snowstorm. THEN I got to make some fun. "Who's car is 3 feet deep in a snow drift??? Who's car just drove through two feet of snow???" Payback is sweet.

Nope, eh, I ain't no Canadian, eh! (sorry couldn't resist) Yeah, I checked for bare wires...didn't seen any with a quick check...I'll check closer this weekend.

I seem to have an electrical short in an '88 Pathfinder. It's drawing 0.03 amps with the clock and dome lamp disconnected. Started pulling fuses and when I pulled the left headligh fuse it dropped to under 0.01 amps. Battery has been draining rather rapidly...just wondering if anybody knows of anything in the line of the left headlight circuit or something that may be draining it. Thanks.