[Pulsating RPMS!- updated with pics!]

Does the fluctuation in the RPM's start when you're around oh, say 2200-2400 rpm?

[Power loss and SES light.]

I greatly doubt a defective swirl valve solenoid will cause the issues you're having... hopefully others will chime in...

It's the only code coming up. Also, that solenoid controls the swirl valve specifically between 2400 and 2800 rpm's. That's exactly when the tach starts jumping and I start losing power.

[Power loss and SES light.]

most probably MAF... they all (01-04) eventually fail... the symptoms are pretty much it... search for the maxima maf hack that will save you a couple of hundreds...

 

S.

 

It's not the MAF, it's the swirl valve control solonoid. P1130. fffffffffffff.....

[Power loss and SES light.]

Having some problems with the 03' 3.5 R50, and wondering if anyone else has had similar issues.

First, the vehicle will stall when the engine is warm. This has been happening for 6-7 months, and was worse before I cleaned the MAF.

I haven't had any problems since last year/ earlier this year but last night I watched the tachometer jump up and down after I hit the gas. There was a corrosponding power loss, but no stall or light. Today, I tried revving the engine when it was cold, while driving, same thing happened, now with the Service Engine Soon light on solid. The Pathy does this when cold or warm, up or down hill, I'll be getting the codes later today. Any thoughts?

[Stalling every startup and low idle.]

Hello. I was wandering what the resolution was. I have a 2003 Pathy with a K&N air intake system (or fuel injection kit as they call it now). I bought my pathy used and it always has a low idle (between 600-700), but I recently had a car alarm installation which triggered a chain of events that included me having to replace the ECM, APP (Accelerator Pedal Position sensor) - nifty little sensor attached to the gas pedal. Now it shuts off as soon as I start it. To keep it running I have to give it a little gas as soon as I start it. I have replaced also replaced the MAF. The dealer reprogrammed the new ECM and got stuck on the idle learning. The system just will not idle high enough. I have a code reader so after I drove it home, the new code that came up is P0506 (the kicker ---the check engine light is not on).

 

I am wondering if the PVC valve is bad, but it's hard to get to. I have also read that the throttle body could be bad (the 2003 pathfinders have a sensor driven throttle body --no cable connection from the gas pedal to the throttle body like in older cars).

 

So, if you have any new information. That would get great.

 

Thanks!

[/qoute]

problem is still not resolved. A month and a half ago I ran a reader to see what the problem was, I ended up throwing a bunch of codes. including P0506 and the ever wonderful MAF sensor and of course the powervalve control unit.

 

I'm going to do an entire tune up and rip all that crap out and clean everything that I can't replace.

[Stalling every startup and low idle.]

to confirm or not if it is the maf.... unplug it... see if the problem changes or stays the same....

When the engine is cool, the truck starts ok, when the engine is warm, it starts, then dies. When I unlplug the MAF with a cool engine, it idles rough(er) than with the MAF plugged in, when I unplug the MAF with a warm engine it dies, and when I unplugged the MAF it triggered the SES light.

[Stalling every startup and low idle.]

how are your connections form the battery? cleaned them before putting back together?

yes they're clean. I have a feeling it's going to be a bad MAF. I'm going to try other stuff first, new plugs, fuel filter, cleaning throttle body, etc, before I go drop cash on a new MAF though. Anybody have any other suggestions?

[Stalling every startup and low idle.]

So I installed a new steel bumper and as per procedure, disconnected the battery and front driver and passenger airbags prior to installation. Everything went fine, the new bumper is on, and all connections and parts were properly installed.

 

Upon start up the pathy is now idling between 500 and 700 rpm, stalling with every start. I had a service engine soon light, so I reset the ECU (because I had the same issues immdiately after installing a K&N intake) and did the relearning procedures. However, they're not working this time. last time after I reset everything the pathy went back to normal. Now it won't, but it also hasn't lit the SES light again.

 

I also had a problem with the moonroof, but a quick read through the owners manual helped me out there.

[Extended Length Rear Shocks ?]

For those of us who just plan on doing the 2" or so suspension lift and not messing with a SFD, are there any good options to avoid topping out, other than straps?

[Electric Cooling Fan Conversion]

A factory alternator should have no problem pushing an electric fan. If the alternator was already on it's last legs then it probably would have gone away regardless. Headlights draw just as much, or even more, amperage as fans do.

I'm going to be adding stuff anyway, so it would be prudent for me to make the switch.

[Electric Cooling Fan Conversion]

I should probably share my experience with electric fans. I have previously installed 2 different electric fan models in my Pathfinder, for all the reasons mentioned above, and ultimately I swapped the stock fan back in.

 

First attempt: Flex-a-lite #210 puller

This fan does not cover the entire radiator, leaving approximately 20% of the surface area without forced cooling. Result: overheating at high engine loads at low speeds (i.e. climbing uphill in 4LO), especially in summer (ambient temp > 85°)

 

Second attempt: Flex-a-lite #295 27" dual electric fan unit.

This fan covers nearly all of the radiator, so it's efficient. However, its shroud takes some modification to make it fit in the R50. The steering box is very close to the radiator, so the shroud needs to be dremeled out in order to clear it.

 

With this fan installed, I actually had the most problems with my truck:

 

FAILURE 1 (user error):

Location: Niagara Rim OHV area, Sierra Nevada range, central CA.

Weather: over 100°F

Event: water crossing. I forgot to turn off the fan before crossing.

Result: nearly half of the fan blades breaking off the fans. This effectively ended my 4WD playtime, since cooling efficiency was reduced to 50%. I drove home without AC.

Remedy: Replace broken fans.

 

FAILURE 2 (electrical system failure):

Location: a remote 4WD trail in the Feather River canyon, northern CA, 50 miles from the nearest village, and hundreds of miles from an auto parts store.

Weather: 85°F-100°F

Event: Alternator failure. My battery was in a weakened condition from having spent 3 nights camping. I actually needed a jump start to get my truck running. As our group started to depart, another vehicle required a jump start, so I jump started that vehicle. Oops.

Result: the alternator fried, since my battery was still nearly dead. Without a way to provide electric power to my truck, I could no longer operate the electric fan to cool the engine. Unfortunately, we had a 45-minute 2000' steep climb up the canyon to reach the highway.

Remedy: swap in the battery from a friend's truck until I could reach pavement, then swap back to mine. At highway speeds, I turned the fan off to let ram-air cool the engine. I drove over 200 miles on battery power alone, with all accessories off, making it to within 20 miles of my house.

 

FAILURE 3 (another electrical system failure):

Location: Goler Canyon Road, Death Valley NP, 130 miles from the nearest auto parts store, 30+ miles from pavement.

Weather: 75°F

Event: Alternator failure. I limped along for 2 days, getting frequent "recharging sessions" using jumper cables from rigs I was traveling with (or swapping batteries), whenever we had an opportunity to stop to sightsee. When we reached Furnace Creek (our destination), I called Autozone in Pahrump, NV and ordered a new alternator, which would arrive the following day. The next day I got a ride to Pahrump and replaced the alternator.

 

FAILURE 4 (user error):

Location: Saline Valley Road, Death Valley NP, 50+ miles from pavement. Traveling without other vehicles.

Weather: 45°F-70°F

Event: I switched the fan off to try to diagnose a loud suspension rattle, and forgot to switch it back on.

Result: Engine overheated (254°F), top tank of radiator cracked wide open from end to end.

Remedy: Fill water containers (9 gallons worth) from a natural spring, and drive the road as long as possible, watching the water temperature. Every time it reached about 220, I stopped for about 20-30 minutes, filled up the radiator (and engine block), then drove some more, shutting off the engine during descents. I ended up driving about 4-5 miles between stops, and consumed all 9 gallons of water before barely reaching Big Pine, where I called AAA for a tow to Bishop. I left the Pathy in Bishop, rented a car, drove home, pulled the stock fan off a shelf in my garage, bought a new radiator and coolant, returned to Bishop the next day and set everything back to stock.

 

I haven't regretted ditching the electric fan one bit. Your results may vary.

It seems as if doing the alternator upgrade at the same time as the fan switch would eliminate all but user error.

question 1: Were you running other aftermarket electrical accessories (CB, Navigation, stereo, lights, etc) immediately before alty failure?

 

question 2: After you switched to the dual fan set up and went offroading, did you notice any increase in the operating tempature of the engine that can be directly attributed to the conversion of an electric fan vs the stock fan?

[Aftermarket]

Yep. anything that works for the 350Z/G35 and even some parts for the Maxima/Altima will work for the Pathy 3.5. For superchargers and turbos and headers, space and mounting would be the issue.

 

Jose

I was looking at turbos and superchargers online today and got a serious case of sticker shock, I really didn't realize how much they were. I would be willing to spend up to $2000 for a supercharger but I won't drop $5000

[Preformance]

So I got an email back from NIStune. Because our ecu is ODB-II, they said they don't have a board for it. But they are coming out with a new board soon that might work. Damn. But, they also said that if I could re-pin a Z31 ECU to work, that I could go that route. This would mean I would have to switch to a 5 speed for ease of it. Change the MAF to the Z31 unit (might be better, might not), and possibly change the gauge cluster. Then send them my old ecu to get the base map loaded onto the nistune board. Seems like a lot of work to do an ECU tune. But i wanted to do this anyway...If only i could win the lotto...

 

Jose

then you'll have to stand on one leg on pole over a pit full of aligators while reciting the alphabet backwards in Hungarian and calculating pi to zero...

 

Trying to find stuff for the R50 is a pain in the arse! Why must all the hoops be on fire?

[Preformance]

What JET makes isn't a chip. It's a piggy back module that monitors and modifies parameters set out by the ECU based on how the vehicle is being driven.

 

As for Superchips, they don't make a chip for the VG33E.

It looks like the Jet V force performance plus, part # 67028 fits all 6 cylinder Nissans from 96-08, so I guess that includes my 03 pathy. Unless I find something better I might go with this. I didn't see any part availability for the VQ35 from superchips.

[Aftermarket]

does anyone make turbo chargers or superchargers for the VQ35? I've seen stuff posted about using 350Z parts but google is totally &^%*ing useless, and Im having trouble with the search from my mobile...

[Preformance]

found all but snorkel, suspension and exhaust. how much does suspension cost?? and where can i find a snorkel??

Where did you find a chip at? I didn't think anyone was making chips for the R50's.

[Electric Cooling Fan Conversion]

I should also point out that one benefit that the mechanical fan has over an electric fan is the shroud. The shroud allows the mechanical fan to spread out it's CFM's evenly over the entire radiator. The ideal setup would be to have two fans with a custom shroud, although it's not very economical. As long as you can cover most of the vertical channels in the radiator then you should be fine. I recommend getting the largest possible fans; I think the last time I checked the R50 has 27 5/8" of finned area, which is just small enough to prevent the use of 14" fans, unless you figure out some way to mount them to the radiator safely.

what about mounting a larger radiator?

[Intake?]

not sure of how much power the K&N FIPK makes since those are all relatively new compared to the POP chargers that have been out since the dawn of time.

 

the difference between the two are mainly the MAF adapters. the POP charger MAF adapter is the patented venturi, that's what's drawing most of the air into the engine and increasing power. the other difference is that the K&N FIPK is a full intake (not a cold air, that i've seen some places say, unless it's not showing a CAE along with the part list), with larger diameter tubing, etc, however the problem with the K&N FIPK is that it's made of plastic, IIRC, and it's not the smoothest and best material for a free flowing intake.

On K&N's website, they show dyno sheets that claim 14.46 hp increase for their intakes (edit to add; for the 3.5 liter R50), this info is somewhat dubious because it originates from the manufacturer and not an objective source. If you look at K&N's other offerings, it seems that their metal intakes add less power and that the plastic ones add more, again that's according to their data. The way I understand it is that the plastic piping dissapates heat faster and/or retain less heat therefore providing cooler air than a metal intake. What is CAE?

[Intake?]

Yeah I just saw that they had a specific one for the pathy's vq. Once I get some money this summer this is a definite mod for the pathy!

What's the difference between this and K&N's intake kit? If this provides more horse power than the K&N can it be used instead of the K&N cone but in conjunction with the K&N intake tube and heat shield?

[2003 R50 Performance Exhaust Options]

All you need to know when buying mufflers is the in/out locations and the pipe diameter. Match that to the muffler brand you want and you're set. They don't make specific mufflers for vehicles, they're generic.

I was more worried about the loss of torque/hp due to changing the back pressure.

[2003 R50 Performance Exhaust Options]

its a small v6, anything will sound ricey

i have a flowmaster 60 delta flow and a magnaflow cat and it sounds beefy but almost too loud inside the car

 

the whole custom exhaust thing was a massive headache from my experience though, it took me almost a month to get everything right

haha, that's why I came here first. I would run a straight pipe, but the gub'ment man says I has to have me some cats.

[2003 R50 Performance Exhaust Options]

You would be hard-pressed to find any shop with a mandrel bender, they are far too expensive. You can always buy pre-bent pipe and take it to the shop and they can cut it up and make it work. Unless you buy a pre-made system then you're probably stuck with a crush-bent system. I suggest Magnaflow mufflers, they have a great warranty and are made of stainless steel. If you get stainless pipe then the exhaust system will outlast the car (except for the hangers).

Yeah Im going all stainless, my stock exhaust is pretty rusted up, to the point where the rear resonator broke off when I hit a major pot hole. Anyone have part numbers for the magnaflow and flowmaster? also I need some high flow cats...

[2003 R50 Performance Exhaust Options]

There is an HKS (I believe) system that WAS made for our Pathfinders, but it has been out of production for a long time. Full custom is the only way you will get this done.

full custom, hmmmm. What about piecing together various performance parts from different manufacturers? does anyone make anything for the second gen R50's?

I don't even know where to start for a custom job...

[2003 R50 Performance Exhaust Options]

So after getting the K&N CAI installed and everything (seemingly) working correctly, I'm going to work on the exhaust. My problem is that when I called my mechanic about an exhaust, stainless steel, high flow cats, etc. he told me that no one makes a dedicated system that he could locate.I have an inspection due in a couple of days and am willing to put down some serious coin for a good performance exhaust, I just can't find one and didn't see any suggestions in the R50 forum, what do you guys reccomend?

[Installation Of K&n Intake Causing "service Engine Soon", Halp?]

Just for giggles, you didnt install the Air Flow Meter backwards? Didnt leave anything unplugged(electrical)? Pull the codes and post them up(you can have this done for free at most parts houses).

 

I have installed several of these intakes on 3.5's and never had to do the Idle Air Volume Relearn.

Haha, no, didn't install it backwards, that would take a lot of work as it can only go on in one direction. The only thing that plugs in is the sensor plug. I reset the ECU and did the learning procedures, the SES is off and the truck is idling steady at 750 rpm. However I don't know if I did the idle air learning correctly as I couldn't get the SES to blink during the procedure.