brc19761

After searching the net. Looks like it maybe a gear shift cable grommet problem. Hoping that is all. I will start taking it apart tomorrow.

Hi, I used to post on here all the time when I had my 1994 Nissan Pathfinder LE 4x4, but I sold it a few years back. This has always been a wonderful forum with great advice, and I could use some of that advice now. I have a 2008 Nissan Pathfinder SE with 134,000 miles on it. I have owned the Pathfinder for 8 years and never had any problem with it at all. It has been very well maintained. I was driving the Pathfinder yesterday put it in gear and hit the road. The transmission shifts great and I always have always had the fluid and filter changed. I made a stop yesterday (the second one of the day )and when I come out of the store I went to put the Pathfinder in Reverse and it would not do anything. The gear leaver felt loose like a linkage broke (if these models have linkages). I would put it in each gear indicator on the dashboard never moves out of Park. Like I said the gear shifter felt very loose. I messed with it for a while and I ended up having to call a tow truck to get it back home. I am a dyi person. I have not even jacked it up yet or scanned the internet. This is the first place I come to. I don't know if these transmissions have a linkage or if it is all electronically controlled. No lights came on the dash. If you have any ideas, comments, etc please let me know. Thank You, brc

A little update to the cost of replacing the transmission fluid. I have the invoice in front of me. The actual price they quoted us was less than we thought. OEM fluid and filter plus, labor, taxes, came to $237.51. I always write down everything that is done to the Pathfinder such as oil changed, brakes, etc. and the date and miles things were performed in a book with receipts. I do this with all the vehicles I own and my Dad owns.

I apologize for not responding sooner to the above posts. I had cell and text service on my phone for the last 4 days, but no net service where I was at. I ended up going on the trip with my Dad, Mom, and nephew. My Dad decided he probably needed an extra set of hands on this trip and asked me to go. The trip was to Talladega Super Speedway in Alabama. My Dad goes twice a year. The company I used to work for took me and some others back in 2001, I paid for my Dad's ticket and he got to go back then. We stayed on the infield that year and had pit passes and everything. My Dad had never even watched a Nascar race prior to that trip. But after that he became hooked. He has been twice a year every since 20001. Most of the trips he and I took together and we always took tents. He always said he would like to have a camper. Well this time 16 years later after retiring he did. His all time favorite driver is Dale Ernheart Jr. This was Jr.'s last race at Talladega b/c Jr. is retiring this year. We have never stayed on the infield again. You just can't see anything unless you have a camper and then you still couldn't see much of the race. So, about pulling the camper. Well we used the manual mode. We just kept it in 4th which would mean we just took it out of overdrive. That seemed to be the best way to pull. The Pathfinder pulled the camper well even in hill country. My Dad use to get around 22mpg on the interstate. Pulling the camper we got on average 9-12mpg. There is not but around 40,000 campers at Talladega . So, we got some feed back from our camper neighbors. They said that their diesel 2500 trucks and even some with gas burners suffered gas millage problems when pulling their campers. But naturally they had much bigger campers. We do know that we need the sway bar equipment on the trailer. 18 wheelers passing at high rates of speed caused the camper to sway quiet a bit (but we knew all of this before leaving). The camper even swayed a little with no interference. My Dad never drove faster than 60-65 mph. That is as fast as he could go without the camper getting nasty with him. It was a great trip and the Pathfinder did its job. But my Dad is worried about the strain on the motor and transmission on the Pathy. He said later on he will have to invest is a truck. Thanks for all the wonderful info and comments you have provided so far

I did start searching the web yesterday mainly to find a video on just what was involved in changing the transmission fluid and filter. Seems like in my experience on different makes and models the procedure for how the filter is changed is a little different. So, I found a youtube video and it showed step by step and bolt by bolt on how to change the fluid and filter. It looked really simple to me. the filter happens to be metal and has a good many bolts holding it in. Some bolts were different lengths and when re-installing the filter you had to make sure the correct length bolts went back in the right place. The transmission was very easy to get to with nothing obstructing it (at least on 2wd models). I then looked online at the factory service manual on what intervals the fluid needed to be changed. Written in red was CAUTION: If you plan on towing with this vehicle the fluid has to be change at 30, 60, 96 thousand miles. I decided I would go ahead and change the fluid and filter b/c I had no idea if it had ever been changed in 108,000 miles. If we always diy or vehicles. Another thing I learned was that there was a design flaw on the 2005-2012 Pathfinders. The transmission cooler is placed in front of the radiator and over time it may allow water (I guess from condensation) or coolant to leak into the transmission and has caused a lot of transmissions to go out or have to be rebuilt. I showed my Dad the video on how to change the fluid and filter and he said to call and see how much it would cost to let our local shop would to change it. I was surprised b/c he never, never, never pays for someone else to do something we are able to do in our own shop. I called and they said it would be $110.00. I assumed my Dad was tired because he has been preparing for this trip since last week and didn't feel like fooling with it. We dropped it off. We got a phone call from the garage (thinking it was ready). They said the Pathfinder only took factory Nissan fluid. Which I did read in my research, but there were other brands that would also work. The shop called back and said it would be over $256.00 to do the job and my Dad agreed to let them do it. I got angry and said that was over twice as much as they said it was going to be. I pleaded with him to go get the Pathfinder and let me do it or just don't fool with changing the fluid. To my surprise he said No. I called the Nissan dealership and they said the fluid was right a $14.00 a quart and I knew it took 4.25 and the parts guy said yes between 4-5 quarts to fill it back up. The filter and gasket was $18.00 at Autozone.

Would changing the transmission fluid be a good idea before my Dad leaves for his trip. The Pathfinder was very well maintained by the previous owner. But my Dad has owned it for four years and has put around 40,000. The Pathfinder had around 69,000 miles on it when he purchased it. Now it has around 108,000 miles. I changed the brakes, oil, and air filter yesterday. I change the oil religiously every 3,000 miles. I try to add lucas oil gas treatment to the tank as often as I can. Would new atf and filter help?

Thanks for the reply Boothill2008. I have a 1997 Nissan D21 reg. cab 4x4 I bought new. When my nephews starting getting older I wanted a way to take them places so I needed 4 doors. I love my Nissan truck. The D21 is the only pickup I have driven since high school ( I have owned 5). So, I started looking for a wD21 the only thing close to the D21 with 4 doors. Took me a while to find one in decent shape. That was about 5 years ago. I found a 1994 4x4 LE with 73,000 original miles it had all the bells and whistles, great shape, and no rust. Since my Mom and Dad got their 2008 Pathfinder I started taking it when I took my nephews places. I started driving a lot of hwy miles where I needed a truck. So, I kept my Nissan D21 and bought a 2004 Ranger 3.0l v6. So, I had to get rid of the 1994 Pathfinder last December because it was to many vehicles to keep up with. I had the 1994 almost five years and sold it with a little over 99,000 miles. Yes the 2008 Pathfinder has 266hp and even comes with a towing package made into the rear bumper. My Dad is worried that when the camper is loaded with water and the Pathfinder is loaded with gear, two adults, and a 10 year old the hills he has to travel up that it may put a strain on the transmission. I don't even know if the manual mode is used for towing. It does not have a tow/haul mode. So, I thought regular automatic would be the right choice. I have never used the manual feature and don't know how to even operate it. About how many pounds can you haul with your 1993 WD21? thanks

Thanks for the reply. It does not have a tow mode.

Hi, my Dad bought a brand new small camper trailer weighing approx. 3,000 lbs. The camper has electric brakes and he had the brake controller hooked up on Friday. He is going to use the camper this week. He will be driving about 5 hours. Some of the terrain is pretty hilly. He has a 2008 Pathfinder SE I was wondering when towing the camper in the hilly areas of the trip should he use the automatic or manual feature on his Pathfinder. I have read the owner's manual regarding the manual transmission. It does not give what speeds you should travel to change to the next gear. For example 1st to second (0-20), second to third (20-35), etc, These are just examples I do not know the correct speeds. So, this forum has never failed me before. Should the manual transmission be used for towing especially in hilly terrain and what speed are the mph shift points for each gear? Should you just use the automatic transmission and let it up shift and down shift for you? Thanks

I am looking at a 19 ft travel trailer online. I do not know the trailers's weight I have a 2008 Pathfinder with the v 6. I was wondering if anyone has a travel trailer they tow with their Pathfinder and how well it tows. I know the towing capacity. But would like to hear from owners on how well it handles a travel trailer especially one close to 19 ft Thank You

That is funny b/c the lcd does not light up on my stock radio either. My radio also came with a stock cd player. The cd player is a separate unit, but in the dash it all looks like one head unit. The cd player does not work either. So, with no lcd I have no idea what radio station I am on. I wanted to keep a stock look so that is why I ordered a newer Nissan radio that would fit in the dash, but it stopped working after four years. It will come on and all the functions work, but no sound. Thanks for the reply. I have taken out both of the stock amps before and re-installed them. Does anyone know which amp works the front speakers? Thanks, brc

Thanks for the info and thanks for the replies. Right now I am just satisfied with two speakers and two tweeters. It has been so long trying to get this done just being able to hear the radio works for now. When I can afford it I will get an aftermarket radio. I bought a bug shield, vent visors, new shock struts for the rear door lift gate, and had the front end aligned this month all on my Pathfinder. Have to stick with two speakers for a little longer. Thanks, brc

Hi, I just wanted to update the progress I have made on the radio issue. I ordered two radio harnesses that plug into the back of the radios. One for the stock radio and another for the 1998 Nissan Altima head unit I had in the truck that would come on, but had no sound. I hooked up the 1998 Nissan Altima radio. It would come on, but still no sound. I hooked up the stock radio and it came on with sound only from the rear speakers. I took the door panels off and ran speaker wire for each of the front speakers and tied the wire into the radio harness. The front speakers came on, but it barely put out any sound, but they did come on. I concluded that the amp to the front speakers must have went out, and the 1998 Nissan Altima radio either messed up with me trying to re-install it so many times without a new radio harness. What can I do to make the front speakers louder? The sound is basically coming from the rear speakers and the audio for the front speakers (which I ran speaker wire directly to the new stock radio harness) barely makes any sound at all. Thanks, brc

Thanks for the info. What wire should I use for a ground?

Thanks for the replies. So, where should a ground wire be grounded at? Ground where the radio is being installed. I did not want to go and buy a new radio and still not know how to hook it up

Does anyone know what wires turn on the front and rear amps. The problem I am having is the radio comes on but there is no sound.

Hi, I know this question gets asked a bunch, but min is a little unique. I have a 1994 Nissan Pathfinder LE that came with a factory radio and cd player. The radio and cd player appear as one unit in the dash, but when you take them out they are actually separate units. When I got my pathy the radio worked but the display that shows the radio stations did not work and the cd player did not work. I ordered a one piece head unit from a 1998 Nissan Altima and installed it because it would fit and I wanted to maintain a stock look. Well I installed the new radio about four years ago. I remember it was heck putting it in back then and I had to get some advice from npora. Well the radio started acting up a few months ago. Sometimes all the speakers would work. But most of the time only the back speakers would work and sometimes the front speakers would cut on. Well I thought it was maybe a loose connection. I took the radio out and really didn't see anything wrong. So I took the radio out and that was a BIG mistake. I could not get the radio working again. It would work sometimes, but not for long. I have been working on getting a radio back in for over a MONTH now. I even shorted out my dash lights and had to buy a new dimmer switch. I tried to install the stock radio back in and could only get it to work for a few minutes. Now my set up is different than most Pathfinders. I have a eight speaker system. 4 speakers and 4 tweeters. The wiring colors b/c of the cd player are different. Now I know about the amps in the cargo area. I took them out and hooked the radio up and it still would not come on. All of schematics I have say for example right rear to amp. So, how would you hook up factory radios and not use the amps? I have also thought that maybe one of the amps is bad. I was also wondering if there was a ground wire I needed to attach b/c it does not say any thing about one in the paper work I have. I do not want to have to go buy a aftermarket radio when I already have two radios. I just need some help or advice. Thanks in advance. This forum has been so good to me. This is my wire color chart. FUNCTION PIN WIRE COLOR Accessory 12 Volt GN/WT Constant 12 Volt RD/GN Chassis Ground BODY Power Antenna RD Remote PK Illumination PK/BK Dimmer RD/BU Left Front + To Amp OG/BU Left Front - To Amp WT/BU Right Front + To Amp WT Right Front - To Amp OG Left Rear + To Amp BU/GN Left Rear - To Amp BU/YW Right Rear + To Amp RD Right Rear - To Amp GN

This site has saved me a ton of $$$.

I appreciate the offer, buy I ordered one from rock auto.com this morning. I believe there is something wrong with my old radio. I just messed up re-installing it and now it has cost me $. Thanks for the reply

Thanks you were exactly right. I have a 1997 Nissan hardbody with the exact same das and controls as my 1994 pathfinder. I took the dimmer switch out of my truck and put it in the pathfinder and I had my dash lights. Now I have to figure out how to by pass the dimmer switch or go buy or order a new one. I have always got the best advice from this forum (website) that has saved me money and time. Way to go npora. Thanks, brc

I found the dimmer switch in the fsm. Looking up year 1994 (1995 should be the same). It is on EL pg. 35 at the top right hand side of the pg. It is 331m it has the colors pink/black, pink blue, black, and pink/black.

The tail lights and markers do work. I will look at the fsm and see if I can by-pass the dimmer switch. Don't want to sound to stupid, but how do you by-pass the dimmer switch?

Thanks for the reply and the info. I will check and see if the tail lights and markers come on.

I was working on installing a Nissan factory head unit in my 1994 Nissan pathfinder LE. It is the same radio I've had in my pathy for years. It is a 1998 Nissan Altima radio, but it fits perfectly in the 1994 Nissan pathfinder. The radio got to where only the back speakers would come on. Then out of nowhere the front speakers would start working. Well I got tired of it doing that. Finally one day I got some time to remove the radio and check for loose wires. Well I ended up unwiring the whole radio. I have schematics and wiring diagrams from when I first installed the radio. I could get it to come on, but no sound at all. I have fooled with this radio for weeks. Hooking it up and taking it out dozens of times. Well this evening some wires accidently touched each other. It blew the fuse for the roof lamps. The light that comes on when you open the door. I replaced the fuse and it went back to working. It was getting late so I went to turn my headlights on so the dash lights would come on. The instrument panel will not light up, the a/c lights do not work, and there is a light under where the brake and gas pedal that will not come on either. My question is what makes the dash lights work? I checked every fuse in the fuse box and nothing is blown. My radio never had the illumination hooked up to it so it is not that. The dimmer dial has no effect on the lights at all. Is there any fuses under the hood or relays that could have blown or went out. I just can't drive at night now. I feel bad b/c I created this problem and I would like to fix it. I have searched the net and found a lot of posts on how people have hooked up or removed a radio or head unit and the same thing has happened to there dash lights. Thing is none of the stories I read lead to solving the dash light problem My pathfinder is a 1994 LE. I would sure appreciate some advice or ideas. Thanks, brc

Sorry it has took me so long to reply. I have been out of town and have not had any access to the internet. Thanks for the replies. Is there any way to narrow down which sensor is bad on the truck? Would you need to take it to a tire shop or the dealership. I live in South East portion of the US. In south Mississippi to be exact. No, snow or salt mixture here. It is pretty mild all year, but lately we have experienced a cold snap. Is there any procedure I could do to make the light go off and see if it comes back on. I have an ob2 scanner, but I know it is mainly used for emission problems. I hooked it up anyway and it did not show any codes. Thanks, brc