br2an

Trainman; I think the "more ponies!" was more of a put down than a statement of fact. To help explain my choice (not that a diehard Pathy owner could be bought off so easily), the V-6, 220 hp Highlander loses 20 hp to the Pathfinders 240 but it also sheds an extra 416 lbs (3715 lbs Highlander to 4131 lbs Pathfinders curb weight) This gives a slightly higher hp to weight ratio which is a better indicator of acceleration than hp alone. from: http://consumerguideauto.howstuffworks.com...-car-search.htm Re the fuel consumption, that Pathfinder is rated at 15 mpg (US gal) versus 18 mpg for the Highlander. from: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/ 3 mpg doesn't seem like much but it is 20% further on a gal and there for a 20% reduction in my fuel costs. I may miss the comfort and looks of the Pathfinder but I don't personally know of many people who regret buying a Toyota. Cheers!

Well, I just returned last night and this is my promised update. When I finally saw the vehicle close-up, it wasn't in the shape I was expecting. There was a huge scrape on the front bumper RH side (can't see it in the picture) and another one on the rear (the plastic bumper cover was actually ripped about 3"). Front tires were worn to the thread indicators in the center but lots of thread on the sides so I believe the air pressure was too high. Whatever the cause, needed front tires. Interior was clean and in good shape. The only flaw was the color was worn off of the steering wheel. (cleaning not an option here) Body had no rust on the panels but a lot of surface rust showing underneath. Engine ran smooth but noisy under load (exhaust?) Suspension was 'clunky' and didn't feel any better than my 93. Bottom line, I passed on it. However, (and I know some of you will be disappointed) I did find another vehicle. A 2002 Highlander; 123,000 kilometers (66,000 miles) V-6 ,220hp, AWD. I know it's not a match for the Pathfinder, but it was in immaculate condition. (and the extra gas mileage is a bonus). Private sale, $13,500. I'll definitely miss this site. You guys (and gals) were a great help. Thanks Brian

Wow! I never thought there would be so many replies. Thanks, guys. I just received a few more pics showing the interior and it looks awsome! The only flaw I can spot is the top portion of the steering wheel seems to be discolored. I could be dirty or it could be the leather finish is worn off. Has anyone else seem this on a truck with less than 100,000 miles? My old 93 doesn't look so bad. Re the "problem" areas mentioned in earlier post, I am glad that the auto trannys are now dependable. That is just too much of a bullet to bite when you lose one of them. The other stuff seems to be just minor issues, not overly common. I was really looking for a smaller suv, more fuel efficient, but the used CR-Vs and RAV-4s are really over priced around here. Except for the frame rot, the 93SE was the vehicle I have enjoyed the most since my first car , a 1973 Cuda' 340. (being a teenager at that time probably helped with those memories. haha) I am looking forward to the weekend trip and will let you know how I make out. Brian

I'm about to retire my 93 SE as the frame rot is just getting too out of hand. I'm considering a 2001 SE with 153,000 Km (about 98,000 miles) on it. I haven't actually looked at it yet as it is 800 km away in another city but I will be out there this weekend. Price is $9,600 (neg?) I don't know much about the R50 pathy so i was hoping somebody could take a minute to answer a few questions. (yeh, I know most have been answered before but I am trying to convince myself this is a good buy). SO here goes. Are automatic trannys still a major weaknes (like they were in 90-95 pathys??) Frame rot? or are there any particular rust areas to look for? Any problems with the 3.5L? (I read the sticky above on power valve screws falling out. ouch!) Life span on the timing chain? Ignition coils failing? (read of this on another site but couldn't find anything here) sensors for the cam timing and oxygen sensors failing early (again, another site) Any help in what to look for would be greatly appreciated. Oh, here is a pic of the beast. It certainly takes a good shot. Thanks; Brian

You've been driving around with it stuck already so continue until the parts come in. Only make short runs and not too fast. If it gets too hot the brake fluid can boil causing loss of rear brakes altogether. (Gas mileage will suck too but it probably does already.) Make sure to order the rotor and brake pads along with the caliper. Brian

Yes, this is an OLD thread but I have finally found the problem and fixed it. The problem (engine died at 2K rpm) came back and this time wouldn't go away on it's own! The fix: replaced throttle position sensor. Brian

Note that he is comparing the two tire types at the same tire pressure. A wider tire can be run at a lower pressure (because it has a larger footprint) and thus give the same traction advantge when used on rough surfaces. My 2 cents.

I just ordered a pc based tool (I guess you'ld call it a tool) from Palmer Performance. It is really just an adapter that goes inline between the laptop and the ecu. About half the price goes toward the software to run it. It seems to have a lot of features above that of simple code reader. The main one is realtime reading and graphing of various sensors. I now have two obd2 vehicles (03 Accord and 01 Integra) and I want some way of reading codes and performing diagnostics if troubles occur. It will work with CAN but won't do abs or airbags. I'll let everyone know how it works after I receive it and try it out a little. Thanks Brian

I am looking at purchasing a scan tool (not for my pathy, she's too old) Anyway, does anyone here have one that connects to their laptop? If so, how do you like it? Is it easy to use? and especially how is the software support? Thanks in advance Brian

12 years of marriage and you still haven't discovered It's easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission I came home with a 7 ton backhoe once and mine never left. "Honey, I thought you loved surprises." Good luck.

I welded mine (silver soldered it actually) a few years back by running the exhaust from a car through it. I hooked the hose from a vacuum cleaner over the end of the wife's Camry and placed it into the tank. The idea is that the exhaust doesn't contain enough oxygen to support combustion. I'm still here so it worked. No flare-ups or explosions. The weld lasted but it started leaking at the seam and that is impossible to seal from the outside. I ended up buying a new tank last winter from Canadian Tire for around $250 (?? memory is now rusty) Brian

Slick I never saw a puller with the two outside feet before. I was just trying to picture how the puller "pushed" against the crank. Makes sense to me now. I'll keep it in mind if I ever need to replace my block. Thanks Brian

Speedy; Glad you got it out. What type of puller did you use? Can you find a picture of one? Thanks Brian

Or somebody forgot to drain the old oil from it. Saw that happen once. Can't believe you went back the first time and they didn't check the level. Obviously they don't check before the vehicle leaves the shop.

Speedy; A trick I learned from my old mechanics instructor for removing pilot bushings was to find a shaft or even a wooden dowel that would fit tightly into the bushing. Fill the inside of the bushing with hard grease and then pound the dowel into the bushing. The grease will push the bushing out. I'm not sure if this will work for the pilot bearing because I don't know exactly what it looks like (can the grease get out past the bearing cage) but you might consider it. Brian

If your back wheels are spinning and your front wheels aren't, then you do not have your four wheel drive operating! At least one front wheel should be spinning. Check your hubs first, linkage and transfer case after. It's not in the rear end, that is working. The front end is not doing it's job. Brian

Try one of your your local jobbers like NAPA. I bought a new pair of fenders for $100 a piece from a local auto parts store (not a chain or anything, just a local guy). He had bumpers at good prices and even a door handle for $10. I don't know about door skins and such mainly bc I wasn't looking for them. All prices Canadian (+ taxes of course). Nice to use new parts if the price is right. Brian

Sounds interesting. I have followed Project Pathfinder for quite some time now and find his results very informative. One of the things that I noticed was that he seemed to get his best engine performance gains when he installed the headers/camshafts combination. At the same time he also mentions a big gain in gas mileage. If you look again after the switch to the 3.3L block (and the mods made there were not minor) he gained again in power but went backwards in gas mileage. Oh, and having the heads ported/polished and shaved to increase compression would have added some hp besides the increase in displacement. If you can get the 3.3 for the same price, go for it and you should see some gain. But if the difference in price is substancial, I would probably try to add the cams/headers to a 3.0 and then you will know what the gains will be. Re if the heads will fit or not, try asking morepower2 on his thread on the other forum (hope this doesn't get me banished here). I think he did use the 3.3L heads as he mentions getting the heads that "came out of a wrecked Xterra with only a few hundred miles on it" checked and it came out fine. But later on it seems like he used the older ones. Wouldn't hurt to ask. Good luck and keep us posted. Brian

Rod Bearing?

O.K. Most people are pointing at the mass air flow sensor. I will follow 88pathoffroad's suggestion and remove it for a cleaning and once-over. I had been meaning to do that before just to see if it would improve gas mileage. I will also remove the connections to the TPS and clean it again (properly). When I checked the connectors previously none of them were corroded or dirty (on the inside) so I just sprayed with WD-40 and plugged back in. Just a couple of notes. It has been working great for the last week now and it may continue like that for the next 4-6-8 months. It seems if I park it for a week or so the problem will return when I start it up and may persist for a day or a week. As long as I use it every day it seems to run great. My last refill I got just under 300 miles out of a tank and that was with temps below freezing, a bit of 4-wheeling through snow and mostly in-town driving. I don't believe a cracked coil or weak spark would allow those numbers. Regarding failsafe mode, does the light always come on? And does it just keep rpm from going over 3000 or does it force the engine to drop right back to idle before reactivating the spark? Finally, I don't have a buddy with another pathfinder in that year (90-95) to quote: "Swap MAF's with". I wish I did but I may soon start looking for a parts car. The problem is so intermittent that even after a year of working good I still wouldn't be positve it was fixed. I'm out of town this weekend so I will update next week as to how the MAS cleaning turns out. Thanks for all the suggestions. Brian

The MAF and throttle position sensor I haven't looked at other than to remove the connectors and spray with WD-40. I can see them as possibilities. The rest of the suggestions like fuel pressure, coil, clogged cat don't seem to fit the symptoms. This thing will work great for months at a time. When it goes bad, it doesn't experience a break down in spark but a total loss of power. And it is so rpm specific it is scary. If I am driving downhill and go over 2000 rpm it feels like somebody turned off the key. I can press the gas to the floor or leave it alone no change. If I leave it in gear it will slow down (due to engine braking) until it reaches idles speed (this can take a couple minutes or more) and then kick back to life as if nothing happened. There is no backfire from a build up of fuel which makes me think the fuel is being shut off somehow. Whenever it starts acting up I usually ignore the tach gauge and try to drive normally. When the engine hits 2g and starts to die I press in the clutch and shift to a higher gear. As long as I let the rpms drop to idle between shifts somebody sitting in the passenger seat would hardly notice a problem. I think it might be the ecu shutting off the signal to the injectors and not letting it fire up until idle speed is reaches. But I don't know why. It stopped acting up a couple of days ago and I might not see this again for months to come. Makes the troubleshooting a real pain. Brian

Goto http://www.bulldogsecurity.com/ and select the wiring diagrams pulldown. Strip out a small section and seperate the wire strand in two with your fingers. Seperate the wire you are tying in as well and weave the two ends in opposte directions from the center out. (Easy to do, hard to describe; search for wire joining techniques) Take your time, follow the instructions. I did mine (a 93) and it worked fine. Good luck. Brian

I've checked over the wiring as well as removing and cleaning all connections to sensors. I replaced the ground from the frame to the engine block a couple of years ago(old one was looking ratty). When I press on the gas pedal (in gear or driving) the engine accelerates up to 2000 rpm (sometimes the cutoff point is at 2200 or even 2400 rpm) then its like it shuts off, no stumble/roughness nothing! It shuts off and dies down until it hits around idle speed (800 - 1000 rpm) and presto! comes back to life. If I hold my foot on the gas the continually (say while in neutral) it just revs up to 2g back to 1g over and over. Up to 2000rpm it pulls fine in every gear. And it never cuts out completely. Lately, if it is acting up I can shut the truck off for half an hour and it might work great. Shut it off for another half hour and it might come back. This problem has been with me pretty well since I bought the truck 3 years ago. I have gone for up to 6-8 months without it happening and then one morning bang, it's back. It normally only lasts for a couple of days but has been hanging on for over a week this time. Suggestions? Brian

Hi. This is a problem that I posted here a few years ago without luck and thought I might try again. As stated, a 1993 SE with manual 5 spd. This is an ocassional problem that comes and goes for no apparent reason. It usually pops up if I don't drive the pathy for a few days (like when we came back after Christmas) but it has happened just by shutting off to get gas and restarting. The problem is simply that it won't rev past 2000 rpm. It feels like somebody turnes off the key but I really think the fuel injectors stop pumping any fuel. If I keep my foot on the gas pedal, it just stays dead and continues to drop rpm until it reaches idle, then perks back to life. If I depress the clutch right away it drops to idle speed and I can upshift and continue on (until it reaches 2000 rpm and same again) Codes are 55 and runs great in every other way. This happens about 4 times a year and lasts for 1 to 3 days then disappears. Unplugging battery to reset ecu sometimes works but it is so intermitant that it may not be helping. If you have ever heard of something like this happening in a Nissan (and what the fix was) post a here PLEASE. Thanks Brian (sorry for long post but not knowing even where to look is driving me nuts )

Have patches welded in and it should pass inspection. You can spray it with something to stop the rust from returning and it will last for a good number of years. If the metal under the fender flares is almost completely rotted away (like mine was) you can try pricing new front fenders at a local auto parts store. I bought a pair of brand new aftermarkets for $100 CAN each. ($85 US) The bumpers were also reasonable compared to origional (Nissan) prices. E-bay is another good source for parts. Brian