PathFound

I decided to change the spark plugs on my '91 Pathfinder. I read about the difficulties with plug #6, but with the Nissan provided tools it looked okay. Seemed like it needed to be done and plugs should be easy to change, right? I started on the right side cylinder head, and got the front plug out okay. The middle plug (on the right side) was pretty tight, but with some penetrating oil it came out okay. The rear plug (on the right side) was the same. After vacuming out the dirt and spraying it with some oil, I slowly worked it back and forth a few times, then it snapped! That was bad. Very bad. I pulled up the upper portion of the plug and inspected. Turns out the metal casing that houses the porcelain part of the plug was rusted right through - just past where the socket fits over. There was maybe a few millimetres of metal that was still connected, which was the metal that snapped. So the threaded part of the plug, along with the electrode end was stuck in the head. I thought I was doomed. My dad, who has over 30 years mechanical experience was helping me though, so he promptly recommended a Bolt Extractor, also known as an Easy-Out. Being News Year's Day, everything was closed, save the Wal-mart, which did not have the Extractor. I drove to Whistler in a bad snow storm (with my other car) and borrowed an extractor from a garage where my sister works. Not knowing if the extractor was going to work, we jammed it in, turned while the extractor grabbed and the remaining spark plug came out. I breathed a sigh of relief. I got a new plug in and it was late so I closed it up and started the engine. Everything was fine, except for a couple mis-fires in its initial idle. I still need to change the 3 plugs on the left side cylinder head, which are the more difficult ones. The good news is that the 3 I removed looked fine. There was no carbon build up or cracks. They were just normally worn. The real culprit was the rusted plug casing. I blame this partly on the design because the plugs sit deep down in holes and if water sits in there it WILL rust the spark plugs. Word of warning: for those who hose down your engines, make sure you blow out the top of the engine with some compressed air or suck it up with a wet-vac. Or run the engine long enough to ENSURE the water is evaporated. I really hope I don't have worse issues with the other 3 plugs. For the record I installed NGK G-Power Platinum spark plugs.

I have the electronic shocks that can be set to soft or hard. I almost always drive with soft mode especially over bumpy roads. I drive fast on dirt roads that are generally smooth, not full of potholes or washboarded. I was simply pointing out the different advantages of Independent Rear Suspension and Solid Rear Axles. In my case, and perhaps most peoples, rear independent suspension on this kind of truck would be better because most of the time people do not heavily off-road with them.

By IRS I guess you mean Independent Rear Suspension? For hardcore off-roading it's not as good, but I bet it keeps the truck more stable in dirt roads at high speed. When I drive my '91 pretty fast (80-90 km/h) on dirt roads the rear end tends to 'hop'. Pretty scary actually.

I found this article about off-roading the new Pathfinder. I hope this hasn't been posted before. The Pathfinder used is the UK version with a turbo diesel 4 cylinder engine. I really wish Nissan would sell the Pathfinder with this engine in Canada. http://www.carenthusiast.com/roadtests.htm...article&id=1634

All good advice here. Another question: when the water pump is changed, does the coolant have to be drained, flushed, and re-filled? I'm getting the waterpump/timing belt done soon.

There's some strange stuff going on with my temperature gauge. 1. When the engine is warmed, the gauge reads at about the 1/3 mark. It's always been like this and the engine runs fine. However, I assumed it SHOULD read right in the middle - like most gauges do. But because there's no temperature number markings I guess it works fine. Generally, it takes a while before the gauge moves to its operating temperature reading. For example, once the truck engine is completely warmed, then shut off for a few minutes, then re-started, it takes another few minutes for the gauge to go back to the normal operating temp, which is the 1/3 mark. Anyone else experince this? All the other cars I've had do not do this. Do Pathfinders supposed to have slow moving gauges? Where does the temp gauge read on your Pathfinder? 2. When descending a hill in 4HI or 4LO, I usually use 2nd or 3rd gear as 'engine braking' to help control the speed of the vehicle and use the brakes less so they don't heat up or warp. However, when descending, my engine temperature gauge drops to the cool spot. It doesn't go completely to the bottom. It reads about 1/10. It doesn't drop immediately; it takes a few minutes of descending for the temp gauge to go down. I have experienced this on a cold day and hot summer days. The engine still operates fine. I'm wondering if it's the gauge or my engine? Also, I should mention that my truck has a small coolant leak which I believe is coming from the water pump. After driving the truck far enough I usually need to top up the coolant reservior. Thanks.

2 months and about 4000 km on the truck. Timing belt hasn't failed yet. I lose sleep at night thinking it might

I don't have the steel rims, I have the aluminum rims which I like because they don't rust. A lot of the steel/chrome rims on these Pathy's I see are rusted around the edges. See the pics of my truck here: http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=10670 My sister lives in Whistler so I'm up there visiting every other weekend. Great place, but very expensive. Overall, I kinda like Squamish better - unless I was rich then I'd maybe live in Whistler.

I forgot to mention, I lowered my tire pressure to 18 psi. Probably helped. eglaisi_91pathy: I started digging at about 10:30 and got it out around 12:30. I parked the truck on the side of the road as you saw, then drove my car back home. I later got a ride back to pick up the truck. On my way back to the truck I think I saw you splashing through a puddle right by the side of the highway. You drive a gold Pathfinder? It was definately a Pathfinder I saw. When I saw the black plastic thing I thought something had come off my truck. But I checked everything and never recalled seeing a plastic piece like the one there. I think it was already there and belonged to something else. It wasn't part of my Pathfinder. There doesn't seem to be any damage to my truck. When I got back on the highway and started driving at 100 km/h the front-end shook voilently. After hosing down the undercarriage, the shaking has gone away. I think there was too much mud in the inner rim and was causing the wheels to feel majorly unbalanced. Has anyone experienced this before after driving through mud? Anyway, I hosed down the truck pretty good with high pressure soapy hot water. I think there's still a little mud in some frame/suspension components. I'll get it out later. Overall, getting out wasn't too bad. Just a lot of shoveling. I'm lucky the rain stopped for a while. eglaisi_91pathy: You've got a stock Pathy like mine. We should go wheelin' sometime. I was planning to head up past Whistler soon and maybe tackle some snow. Let me know if you're interested. I know a couple okay spots and some trails (abandoned forest service roads).

Update: After spending 2 hours digging wet, heavy mud and making a clear path to back up, I got the truck out! I got lucky because it was barely raining while I worked. A lot of the mud had dried up. I pretty much had to dig around and under the truck. Damn tree roots were a problem. Once the mud was clear, I put some boards behind the rear wheels, started her up and reversed out in 4 Lo. Once I got moving I didn't stop. Just blasted through in reverse. Sorry guys, no pictures. My camera got waterlogged and I think it's useless now. I gotta get some rest! Thanks for all who replied. I've learned my lesson to be more careful when it's wet, and test the ground before driving into it. Sometimes the ground is not what it seems. Otherwise, maybe next year I'll get some beefier tires and a winch.

This sounds good then. And thanks for the help. I really hope the rain slows down tomorrow. But I'm gonna bring some good rain gear and boots to tackle the mud.

Okay, it's a no go for the winch. You're nylon slings might work. I checked the Rona website and the store in Squamish opens at 10:00 am. I've never been in the store, so I just assume they sell wood planks. I'll head into the store for 10:00 am then. You have my cell phone number. If you want to meet at the Rona, that's cool. Call me or look for my car. I drive a red Mazda3 GX sedan. Does your friend have his own truck or will he be riding with you? Just incase you miss me at the Rona, I'll give you directions how to get where my truck is stuck. It's easy to find: Go down Squamish Valley Road. It's the one up past Brackendale. If you're traveling north on highway 99, Squamish Valley Road is a left turn at the Alice Lake Provincial Park instersection. Traveling aling Squamish Valley road, when you get to the Y-junction (just over the bridge that crosses the Squamish river) stay left on Squamish Valley Road. You'll pass a bunch of houses. Keep going for about 15 km. You'll pass the entrance for the Squamish Valley Campground. There's a clear sign marking the campground so you'll know when you pass it. Less than a kilometre past the campground the highway bends right. On the left side there's a big clearing where you see power line towers. I'm gonna park my Mazda3 on the shoulder of the highway. Follow the power lines in along the muddy road. If it's not foggy, you can see my truck from the highway. Thanks for helping me out. Much appreciated.

Hey, thanks man. You can come out tomorrow and assess the situation, check the road in to make sure it's not getting too muddy. Last I checked it wasn't raining, and if doesn't pour overnight, a little bit of the mud might dry up. I'm still gonna go to Rona tomorrow and get some boards for traction. How do you wanna hook up? I sent you my phone number. I have a car, so I can drive out to the site. Also: do you have the proper gear to install your winch? I can help you install it. I have no idea how long it takes to install something like that. Thanks again.

eglaisi_91pathy: If you're willing to help pull me out, I've e-mailed you my cell phone number. But don't worry if you can't come. I might be able to get this out myself. I just hope the rain stops.

There's a lot of cut logs of decent size laying around the area. I tried using some, but it didn't quite work. Tomorrow, I plan to go to Rona, buy some 2x6's, then jack up the truck under each wheel and place the wood so the entire truck will sit on wood planks. Technically, I should be able to back it out on the wood planks - I hope. As mentioned before there's only about 40 ft of mud. Beyond the mud is still a muddy road, but it should be stable enough to drive on without getting stuck.

I'm stuck just off Squamish Valley road. It's just past the Squamish Valley campground. There's a big clearing where there's some huge powerlines. Would you be willing to attempt pulling me out? You said your winch is not mounted. ****** thing is, I have no rope or wires. I can buy some though. Let me know if you can help a fellow Pathfinder owner unstuck his truck. If you can't, that's cool. No worries. My email address is btolin@telus.net Thanks.

Yeah, that's my dog - a black lab. See my avatar for a clearer photo.

I was able to extract some pictures I took with my cell phone via instant messaging. They're low resolution, but gives you an idea of where I'm stuck.

I thought about airing down the tires. I will definately try it tomorrow. I'm not too worried about vandals and thieves. It's in an area where there wouldn't be too many people. And the truck is barely visible from the highway. Funny thing I forgot to mention: There's a giant back-hoe with tracks (not wheels) a hundred feet from where my truck is stuck. Most likely it belongs to the hydro company. It looks like it was being used to create a road for power line access. If the operator of the back hoe shows up he can easily pull me out. Anyway, I left a note with my phone number on the truck. If I don't get it out tomorrow and the back-hoe operator shows up on Monday he can pull my truck out because I left it in neutral (manual tranny). I hope he's not too pissed if my truck is in the way!

I don't have a come along, but I might have to buy one if necessary. Tomorrow I'm gonna go dig out some of the mud, place some 2x6's under the tires and try to back the truck out. It's only about 40 feet into the real muddy stuff. After I get it out from there, the few hundred feet to the paved road should be no problem. If I can get it up on the boards and back it out a little at a time, it might work. Thanks for the offer RedPath. You are too far away though. At worse, I will get the tow truck to pull it out when the rain clears. I just really hope the bottom of the truck is not damaged. I don't think it should be because it's just sitting in sand, soil, and some mud. The oil and tranny pans should not be touching the mud or water. But the front suspension and CV boots are pretty dirty. The brake discs sitting in water is not good though, as they are gonna rust fast.

Today, while driving down a secondary highway, I decided to go on this pull-out to check on open area under some power lines. I did not intend to drive into anything serious because of all the rain lately. So I drive in a few hundred feet on a muddy, but hard-packed road. No problem. I realize it's a dead end and decide to loop around one of those massive steel structures that hold up power lines. The ground looked okay, but was too soft. I couldn't go forward or back out. Stuck. I tried digging around the tires to jam logs to get some grip but it was useless. All 4 tires spin like they're on ice. I was out of cell phone range, so I walked along the highway to the next phone. It was a campground where the owners live. It started raining really hard. I called a tow truck guy. The guy came with a big 4x4 deisel tow truck. However, as the road into where I'm stuck was getting very muddy and soft, he didn't want to risk getting stuck with his heavy truck, and I agreed. I got a ride back to town with him. So my Pathfinder is sitting in the mud. It's not too deep. Water has been collecting because of the rain. The front tires are the worse. There's water up to the bottom of the front brake discs. The rear tires have mud up to the bottom of the rims. The truck is all stock 1991 Pathfinder. If I had gripper tires I might've got out, but the tires are caked with mud and act like slicks. If the mud mostly dries up I can probably drive out. But it might rain for a while and the ground keeps getting softer. If it get's really cold and the mud freezes, that may be good - maybe. So, it's a long shot, but is there anyone in the Squamish, British Columbia area with a capable 4x4 that's willing to help tow me out? Of course, I will pay you for the help. I wish I had pictures, but my camera got wet from being in the rain. I hope it still works. I will post pictures if my camera works tomorrow.

If there was an obvious screw or nail in the tire I would do that. But I'm afraid that if I bring it somewhere they will search for a leak, take an hour to fix it then charge me $75 for the job.

I was out wheelin' last weekend on some forest service roads. A couple days later (during which time the truck was parked) I noticed the driver's rear tire completely flat. I pumped it up, inspected all around but found no nail or any object jammed into the tire. There's a slow leak because in 2 hours it lost 1 pound of pressure. I can't find where the leak is coming from and can hear NO air coming out. Is there a product I can fill the tire with to seal a leak? I don't want to buy a new tire because they're all in good condition. Thanks.

I just calculated my fuel mileage with my '91 Pathy 5-speed. The mileage is better than I thought, but hopefully I calculated correctly becuase I'm bad at math. Over about 2 weeks I drove 1661 km. This is about 90% highway, but with a couple hundred kilometres off-roading with 4x4 being used. I used 166.638 Litres of regular gasoline. Using a web site's calcualtor, that gives me 10.03 L/100km, which is 23.45 MPG. On the highway, I usualy drive about 90 km/h, sometimes less (it's a really twisty highway). But overall, I try to keep it under 100 km/h. Accelerating from a stop, I shift gears at about 2500 RPM. At speed, I sometimes shift gears at 2000 RMP. So basically, I drive the truck pretty slow - to save fuel. Also, I sometimes shift into neutral while coasting down hill. Additionally, I have no air-conditioning (truck wasn't equipped with it). Off-road, I will push it harder as necessary. Based on the mileage people here are getting, it seems unusual to get 23.45 MPG. My truck is in good condition though, it runs well. The Pathfinder would get better mileage if it has a 6th gear, so at highway speed the RPM's could drop. I guess back in 1991 when my truck was built, fuel was like 35 cents per litre, so it didn't matter as much.

ILoveMyPathy: Yeah I checked the map, Cache Creek is not too far. I've been up there a few times with my car but stuck strictly to the main highways. Are there good off-roading trails in your area? I've been wanting to head up past Lillooet lately. I don't know too much about the area though.