Chriskaw440

ah crap nevermind my last post, I just saw where you had checked the bushings. I need more sleep.......

I would check your control arm bushings. My pathy had the same clonking problem and would feel like it was in the driveline, and once in the winter when I shifted to 4x4 it clonked really loud and hard. When taking off from a start, it would klunk just like you said, about a second after moving....sometimes never. turns out it was all caused by my rear lower control arm bushing being totally blown out, allowing the rear axle to move back and forth, basically slamming the bolt/pin against the control arm itself. Of course the vehicle also felt very loose on the road but I didnt see any symptom like that listed in your post so again, its just a thought to check the linkage that holds the axle to the frame. I thought my differential was wacked, glad it wasn't that!

regarding your "bump and the lights come on" thing, my 1990 does the same thing.....just driving down the road and suddenly the interior lights start coming on and off....as if with every bump or curve in the road. drove me nuts....and figured its probably just a short in one of the switches and rather than pull my hair out trying to find it, I just flip the switch on both dome lights to "OFF" and turn them on only when I need them. I've seen others post the same issue here in the past.....must be a design flaw huh!! I think I will sue Nissan! who'se with me!!!!

Yeah I have no idea who or when the conversion was done, as I have had the pathy since 2001.... The nissan/import place I will most likely take it to is the best in the area, they dont fool around so I have faith in them. I heard the new refrigerant doesnt cool as well as the old stuff did...but oh well...what can you do right!! if its over a $1000.00 to get it all fixed I will probably go a different route....too much jack for a ride this old...but we'll see. thanks again!

I try to avoid the dealerships nowadays.... this is a local nissan specialist shop down the road from me....they are awesome, but last time I was there it was $70.00/hr for labor...probably more now thanks for the info!! I kinda get tired of riding around in my wifes ford van just to stay cool.....no fun can be had with that thing. (the van, not my wife....HA!)

Thanks UNC, I will keep that compressor in mind and see if it is compatible with my '90. My system was converted from the old freon to the legal stuff already.

I attached a gauge and its actually close to being overcharged, and the evaporator sight glass has foam/bubbles blowing around. It had a slow leak two years ago, added freon with leak sealer of course and it ran GREAT for about a year and a half, then slowly started loosing its cool, yet the gauge shows is almost overcharged. I haven't had a chance to do a line temperature test yet...to see whats hot or too cold. Been too busy killing weeds in my front yard! My local nissan shop says they would probably just suck everything out, then recharge it and go from there. I'm hoping its nothing major but I got some cash stashed just incase it gets pricey.

Well Heck I'm gonna put RED BULL in mine then....maybe it will give it some wings like it does me every morning when I start work thanks for the update.

Lets see, if I put GL4 or GL5 in my transfer case...it would be shot. Mine takes ATF also. Red Line is good stuff. I get it for only 9 bucks a quart. Worth it for my tranny with 230,000 plus miles on it. Stickey to get it into first gear sometimes ...but otherwise smooth as a dolphins ass..... well, that is...if a dolphin had an ass.

My 1990 SE's AC is loosing its cool and that kinda sucks here in South Carolina!! It's always run great, and it was converted to the newer Freon by the previous owner (R12 I think....or is that the old one...either way...its the current legal stuff.) It's fully charged and doesn't leak, but the sight glass on the evaporator is all foamy when its running, indicating either air or moisture or both contaminating the system right? Basically, it seems to run just fine and eventhough its fully charged with good freon, it blows only slightly cool air through the vents.....and during the middle of the hot days here in SC, even with the windows tinted dark, it doesn't help much at all. maybe just the evaporator is bad? condenser? I hope not the compressor since it sounds and operates aparantly fine. I know this kind of work is best left to the pros for legal reasons but I don't exactly have a ton of cash to pay for replacing the whole system. anyone with AC knowledge your input would be greatly appreciated. thanks! -Chris

I replaced my rear control arm bushings a few months ago....wasn't too terrible to do (cheaper too than buying whole new arms). The rubber was blown out so I just used a big screwdriver and hammer to whack most all of the rubber bushing out....but the outer metal sleeve still remains as they are pretty much 'frozen' in place (rust or whatever....they were the original equipment) Rather than risk setting my garage on fire by heating them up with a blowtorch and trying to drive them out with hammer and chisel, I just put the arm(s) in my bench vice and used my sawz-all to GENTLY cut through the sleeve....and not into the control arm. Then with a light tap of a screwdriver they fell right out. Getting the NEW bushings (Rock Auto Parts by the way...awesome) was a bit a of work as they dont just slide right in. I dont have a press so I used a drill with a sanding drum on it and honed out the insides of the arm ends to make them just a tad more open, until the new bushings could be tapped into place. After that, my rig now rides like a dream! straight with now wiggle wobble down the road. also replaced the sway bar bushing while I was at it. some had fallen completely off.

I run 10w-40 high mileage in my 1990 with over 230,000 miles on it and it seems happy. no burning and no leaking. Changed every 3,000 miles. the usual lifter tapping for a few seconds at cold start up but thats typical for these engines at that age so I dont worry about it. Redline synthetic in the gearbox and rear end. Standard lube in the front differential since it is rare that I actually put it in 4x4 mode...until I find a good mud hole around here -Chris

Heck my knock sensor has been bad for years....over 4 years for certain! still runs great so I am not going to mess with it yet. thank you nissan for putting it in such an easy to get to place!! Thats why I am not going to deal with it yet.....because its too expensive to pay a mechanic to do it and I can't have my pathy in my garage torn apart for too long at a time right now. Nissan specialists told me to just leave it be as long as it is still running great. mine is a 1990 se

Just read the entire list of postings here for this topic. Wish I had all that kind of time and money when I was in college to play around with. I got $20.00 a week from home for allowence, worked 20 hrs a week at a drug store for $3.35/hr, painted houses inside and out for extra cash....and car never had more than 1/4 tank of gas in it. When the tranny finally gave out, I had no car for about a year......thank God for bicycles. Bottom line was, school was most important of all....play time would come after graduation. my car was a brown 1975 plymouth valiant 4-door granny car ....sweet huh! later my wife bought a 1990 SE that only needed a few minor things fixed. (this is after I did my time buying and restoring three 1st generation Mazda RX-7's and one was for autocrossing. She didn't want to see me get killed in the pocket rockets.) Not an extreme 4x4 driver here but I tell ya she's never gotten stuck in snow or on ice! 1990 to me was a great year for the Pathys. Keeping mine going for as long as possible!

don't forget that if it's your "daily driver", slapping on some bigger and wider oversize tires will drop your gas mileage down also. Not to mention be noisy as h*ll on the open road. I have A/T tires on my ride a couple sizes larger than stock (265-70-15 I think...not going out in the rain right now to look!) and even with the windows up its hard to even talk on a cell phone with the noise of the vehicle (and suspension is just fine) I cant imagine how noisy big mudders would be, but on a serious off-road rig they would be the ticket of course.

nope shes running just fine on all 6 cylinders. I take into account the weight of the vechicle, age, minor things here and there wrong but can get by on, size of tires...etc...otherwise kept in n good tune and lubes. On the open highway cruising about 75 mph I can go about 325 to 330 miles on a tank of premium ( my knock sensor is shot so i run premium to prevent knocking for now...) I have K&N style cone filter, and most everything else is stock. Thats not too shabby in my opinon for a 4x4 truck thats 17 years old and has 240,000 miles on the original engine and tranny, and fairly aggressive off road tires.....and thats with the AC running in summer time too! thankfully my ac still works as I live in South Carolina, but this summer I think I finally have to break down and replace some AC parts as its fully charged but has air in the system and not very cool anymore. Crud....but I can live without the AC if I have to, I'd rather keep the engine and tranny maintained! and drive my wifes van when we go out

going on 240,000 on my 1990 SE's 5 speed tranny and so far so good. Like the others, sometimes getting into 1st gear is a bit of a push and sometimes stiff, even at full operating temperature but I just blame it on age and normal wear and tear. I don't drive it real hard, and run Redline MT90 in it. Redline 75-90 in the rear end. Unbelievably reliable vehicles. Not sure about the newer ones but I have always seen were the early 1990 years were probably among the best for the Pathfinders. two more cylinders would be nice though for a vehicle this size and being a 4x4, but at least the gas mileage is decent.

When I asked the Manager at Midas where this particular mechanic was, I was told he is no longer there.....he's at another location now AS THE NEW MANAGER! I just laughed and said "yeah he's the best man for the job I guess." They also wouldn't put a higher performance muffler on my rig because "it was too much work and not worth it" yet they sell the brand and the model that would fit a pathfinder....just requires a little more welding. Insisted their Midas brand was just as good and like an idiot at the time, I believed it. Looking back now, I should have just gone someplace else but this was in 2001 and I was a newbie Pathfinder owner at the time. Live and learn. I do most of my work on it myself now just by learning and reading and researching online (like here!). The harder stuff goes to a certified Nissan Import specialist shop and they impressed the hell outta me with my alignment and torsion bar adjustments, and honesty to point out other minor things that "would cost this much...but if you know a fair amount about car repairs...you should be able to do these things yourself, if not, just bring it back by and we'll take care of it for you." Someday I'll get around to changing my knock sensor which has been bad for years. Nissan just HAD to put that damn thing under the intake manifold slap dead center on the top of the block.....wish they just put one on each side of the block instead where they would be ACCESSABLE. My only complaint about the engine design

MIDAS = CRAP! Here is a picture showing how one of their "PROS" installed gaskets on my exhause system. Duhhh... yeah I busted them on it too.

if I recall correctly, its just basically like a big stud mount that the shock slides onto and then capped with a nut and washer....and yes hit something hard enough and it could break, although rare. If that mount/plate is broken, may have to just get a new one on or a replacement one from a boneyard. Should just bolt onto the axle with 4 bolts and the 2 big U clamps. the previous owner of my rig did away with the adj. suspension also and just put standard shock on. either due to cost of replacing or it just didnt work anymore. Either way, I'm just going to stick with the standard shocks. It's a truck afterall...will never ride like a Cadillac Might want to check to see if your buddy ruptured a brake line too on that same side of the vehicle since your brakes have gone to squishy land and losing fluid. Maybe tossed a big rock or bottomed out on something to cause undercarriage damage. Wish we'd get some snow here in SC so I could go have some fun in my pathy.

Got it.... and remember to avoid cat farts at all times. They're deadly. -Chris, and his two wienerdogs.

Well as the old saying goes, a good mechanic is hard to find! I would have thought that if the odometer shows over 200,000+ miles, yank the flywheel and machine or replace it no questions when doing a clutch job. That was my argument also, it's only 6 bolts and it's all right there anyway once the tranny is dropped....and only about an extra $80.00 for the work...(as it would be outsourced to a machine shop) but it would have been done RIGHT and that is what's more important to me. Their main interest was time.....get it in and get it out, get the next car on the rack. If things aren't bled right then they will never feel right. Shortcuts don't work with hydraulics.

The local Nissan Dealership here in Columbia SC was too cheap to remove my flywheel and have it resurfaced when I had my clutch replaced on my '90 SE when it had 221,000+ miles on it. They said they have a tool that does the job so it doesnt have to be removed from the vehicle....in other words, just a drill with a metal brush bit on it to polish it somewhat. I raised hell (because the new clutch shuddered like crazy when engaging) , they wouldnt budge, but I got other service done for free...the clutch eventually "softened up a bit" and drives more normally. It's not the first issue I've had with dealership repairs, and since they SHOULD be the experts with NISSANS, I won't go back. Found much better and more honest service elsewhere.

Ignition coil maybe? or do those years have ignition packs? Since the engine rotates but no sputtering or farting or anything like that, My first guess is ignition issue. On the other hand, if the fuel pump is kaput....then it would just rotate also with no sputters as there is nothing for the spark to ignite. Pull a spark plug out and see if its dry or soaked with gas. Either way will tell you if its spark related or fuel. Turning the key to "ON" and listening for the fuel pump to spin up...(dont try to start it..) If no sound from the tank/fuel pump....(and fuse is good)...then most likely fuel pump faulty. -Chris

holy crap...thats a haul every day. I work from home and it definitly saves on the mileage. I think in the 5 years I have had my pathfinder I have only put about 23,000 miles on it My next project is to replace the UPPER control arms on the rear. Already did the lower bushings but I still get an occasional "klunk" from the rear and it is most likely the upper ones have shot bushings also. I just dread reaming out those dang things, I may just order two new arms rather than spend a few hours cutting out the old ones and pressing in the new ones. Then again I may just drink a few RED BULLS and go for it LOL.