WxChaser

Well, I've since checked the MAF wires... they all seem fine. Disconnected the harness while running and it caused the truck to die. So I know the MAF is working properly. "cleaned" the EGR by spraying a bunch of carb cleaner into it (assumed this was a way to do it, may put it in the parts cleaner bin at work). Adjusted the distributor to set the idle higher, which did take away the rough idle issue. However, if I slowly let the clutch out, and then apply the gas, the motor has a hard time getting going. At a certain point it picks up and goes, but there is still a power loss. Could it be an Idle Air Control Valve? A coolant temp sensor? Something else I'm missing? Also, as an FYI, when the truck ran fine awhile back, whenever I kicked the AC on, it dropped RPMs slightly for a second then kicked it up about 50RPMs higher than normal idle. Now, when the AC is cut on, the idle goes to a really rough idle, and there is more power loss when driving. I will try and check the codes sometime Friday. I think the Pathfinder is a bit pissed at me for going to buy a Ford Ranger a couple weeks ago.

Got it warmed up and pulled the connector, and the idle didn't change. My thought process then tells me that it is the O2 sensor malfunctioning. Might go check to see if I can pull the codes on it to see if anything is stored.

Awesome! Will check it tomorrow!

For starters, this is a 93 pathfinder with a 5 speed trans. 160k on the clock. Just started out of nowhere this week, idling low (500-450 rpm) after it warmed up. Go to drive and slowly letting the clutch out nearly kills it. Give it gas at the same time and there's no power. It takes a while to finally catch and go. Top end power (3000 RPM) does not have same feel. Struggles to get to 65 on interstate and climb minor hills. To get it going I have to rev to 1800-2000 RPM and let the clutch out. But overall lack of power across the board. New fuel filter, air filter is fine and I cleaned the butterfly and air intake out real well. Timing should be fine. Could it be the EGR? Or is there something else in the mix? Or it's probably the fact that I went to test drive a ford ranger the other day, and the pathy is feeling a bit pissed at me.

Thanks all, I think I'm going to order another T-belt kit (the one that's on there has only 20-30k on it, but seeings how it's getting to almost its half lifespan, I might as well change it to avoid this problem again. Luckily I work in our fleet maintenance shop, so I'll tear into it after work this week. I'm not sure why I forgot to set it to TDC while I was there, and get everything lined up. But I'll be sure to tear back into it and redo the timing stuff. I don't believe I'll have a problem with it starting back up again once that's done. But I'll use our compression check tool at work to see that everything verifies. What's the standard range for compression on the VG30E?

So I took on the fun challenge of changing the water pump. Before I actually got into it, I was led to believe you only had to go to the upper timing cover. Turns out the whole process is the same as doing the timing belt. Whoever designed the pump for the VG30E should be fired. Anyways, I reassembled this evening in the shop after work. Everything was put together nicely. Added coolant and was ready to start. Then she started to turn over, but it sounded ugly, and she never started. Tried again, and again, and again, no go. When I did the T-belt a couple years ago, I remember having to set the engine to TDC. Even though I didn't adjust anything, did I still need to turn it to TDC? I can't confirm this, as I wasn't fully watching, but when I took the T-belt off, I think the driver side cam sprocket sprung back into a different position. If it did, I'm sure that's why I'm having this problem. I really don't want to tear back into the system, but if I have to to get it running, I will. Any suggestions?

Changed out the water pump after it had been leaking for a few weeks. For some reason, I've read (on here I think) and also in the Chilton manual that to remove the pump, you don't have to go any further than removing the top timing cover. Busted that. Had to go all the way to timing belt removal to get the pump off. PITA but it's done. Thermostat changed again (T-belt was done with a tstat change in April 2011. Pump wasn't changed then because the belt actually slipped and I had no idea if she'd start again). New pump and stat. 90A alternator mod coming up, then E-Fan conversion from Maxima soon. Looks like a rear main oil seal is needing to be done.

Can anyone list what all I'd need to pull from the Maxima to do the conversion? I'm not certain of all the components needed (other than the fan itself). All your help is greatly appreciated.

Has anyone done the e-fan conversion? I know there's kits online to buy, but I thought someone had mentioned a taurus fan would work? Help would be great, just need to know what all I need to convert. Thanks.

So the whine is continuing, but everything on the vehicle seems to be okay. I think I'm going to order a new water pump just because, and I'll order a new idler pulley too as I think that's actually the source.

Yes I understood you Kingman, process of elimination.

Well apparently it seems the noise doesn't occur often (or at all) in the morning. Temps are down near freezing if that makes a difference. It isn't as bad now in the afternoon since I added coolant. So I'm wondering if it is just the water pump starting to go out? I'll check belts one by one to see if there's a problem there this weekend. If I'm off work at a reasonable time today I'll play around with it to see if I can find the exact source of the sound. Again, the sound only seems to occur when the truck is at 2250 RPM or sometimes when shifting (when RPMs fall due to pushing clutch in and letting off the gas)

Definitely does not sound like a belt squeal. Sounds more like a low pitched whine or low whistle. Definitely coming from the front of the engine bay. Belts are okay (alt belt is a little squeaky but I have 3 replacement belts already on the way!) Finding the exact location of the coolant leak will probably come when I take the belts off. When I had the skid plate off I could see the coolant coming out of the lower timing cover off the crankshaft. Very slow leak but it does leak nonetheless. I may just go ahead and shop a water pump tomorrow, I've got discounts from O'Reilly and NAPA as well as RockAuto. They seem pretty cheap, and I neglected replacing it when I did my Timing Belt because I wasn't sure if the Pathfinder would restart (T belt slipped and it wouldn't allow the engine to start up).

Hey guys, e I was on my way home this evening when I heard a rather loud low whistle/whine/squeal? from the engine bay. It seemed to occur first when running around 3000 RPM, but it quit doing so once I was off the interstate. Now it seems to do it every so often right around 2250 RPM. I added a 1/3 of a gallon of 50/50 antifreeze to the radiator and to the reserve tank. Took it out after letting it sit for about an hour and it whined just after startup when I started moving. It went away after I got rolling and it repeated again after I left the store. I'll see what it does tomorrow but I'm curious as to what it could be. I'm certain it's going to be the water pump but I want to see what you guys thought. Here's some details that may or may not be pertinent: 93 Pathfinder SE (5 speed) Minor antifreeze leak dripping from the water pump area (I also think I might have put the T-Stat in upside down where the bleeder hole is on the bottom so this could be the source of the leak). Let me know what you guys think. I would like to order a new pump soon if needed because I'm off work next week. I've got new belts on the way. ALSO if anyone has done the E-Fan conversion, shoot me a message. I'd like to know how you did it. I'm looking for a junkyard solution/cheap solution to get the job done.

So I re-soldered the circuit board (such a pain!). Popped it back in and the door locks work! Thanks for your help all (sorry for sorta hijacking the thread, BTW). Let me ask while we're on somewhat of the same subject: I bought a 4-button remote from ebay (its not the factory OEM one) and have tried programming it. Before the locks were fixed, the programming device would "recognize" the remote when I pressed a button during the programming sequence, however the locks would not work. Now that I have repaired the door lock timer, I attempted to program the remote again, and once again, to no avail. Is there something wrong with the remote, or is there another common problem I'm missing? Thanks again for your help, all.

Excellent, I'll attempt to resolder the board this weekend. Picked up one in a boneyard thinking I'd save myself the hassle, but ended up being the wrong one (wondering how a 91 Pathfinder's DLT could be different from a 93). So I suppose I will attempt my best soldering job. Thanks for the advice!

I recently replaced my caliper on the driver side rear wheel. My dad and I made sure it was installed properly, and bled the brakes to get any air out of the system, however, my brake light remains on on the instrument panel. Braking power is sufficient, and the pedal isn't soft. Brake fluid is not at Max, but is between Min and Max. The light was on like this just a day before the caliper was replaced, and it did turn off before we did the repair. ABS light is not on. Any ideas/solutions?

I have had issues with my doors not being able to be locked/unlocked unless manually done. Whenever I've hit the lock button on the driver door panel, I hear the click or pop in the back (I determined it to be that grey box, now known as the door lock timer). I suppose that popping it out and redoing some of the soldering points would probably fix mine? Let me know which spots to really look for... I'd like to regain the usage of my locks again!

Awesome, well I will go ahead and replace the caliper and pads, then do the CL/Idler arm stuff as well. Might repack the bearings if it's still acting funny. I doubt it's the alignment because it pulls so bad. Thanks for the help thus far!

Over the past month or so, I've constantly had to hold my steering wheel to the right to keep the truck driving straight at any speed. I took it in for inspection to find out that they failed me for my steering mechanism... which they pointed to the front wheel bearings needing to be re-packed. Prior to that visit I was told by my mechanic to replace the idler arm bolt (I think...). He had me look at it, and told me to beat the sh** out of it with a hammer for the bolt to drop out, but not to hit where the zerk bolts are. I'm thinking I might just replace the whole idler arm, if that's what it is. If anyone's unsure as to what I'm talking about, I can try to post a picture to better explain. Also noticed the driver side rear caliper is dragging the pad on the rotor. Rotor looks fine but the pad is definitely burned out. Going to get a new caliper soon and replace that along with the pads. What I'm basically asking is, is the wheel bearing one of my issues leading to my steering problem, or could it just be the idler arm issue coupled with the caliper dragging?

Following this topic, but I'm also in the market for new shocks. Still have the factory ones onboard and one of them is leaking. Any other suggestions for rough road driving with some off road usage would be good. I'd prefer to be able to pick them up cheaply online or get them from O'Reilly auto parts (I get a discount there).

Thanks all. I figured the VIN could tell the story. Yeah I knew that new paint wouldn't match with 20 year old paint correctly so I'm leaning towards having a shop do a color match to see what would work best. Are there any major name shops that could color match to the paint and mix it in a can?

Hey all, Because I figured it'd be cheaper, I think I'm going to go ahead and paint my door and fender. The previous owner got the door and fender taken off by a tree and he replaced it with another door, and had it spray painted, the completely wrong color. It looks awful, and I'm tired of looking at it. I thought about replacing the door and fender with a matching color one, but it seems that it could be cheaper to paint it myself (with help). What's the best way to make sure I get the correct paint? I heard a friend mention the VIN #... any truth to this? And then where could I order it from, possibly? For reference, I've got the deep dark green paint on my 93 pathfinder. I think it's the forest green color IIRC.

Nah, I meant where the floods on the bumper should be (instead you have your BG supports there). My floods are one single piece with the turn signals. Push comes to shove, I'll just fab up some plates for the bumper mounts. Not extremely worried about it, but I'm just curious as to why it wasn't already set up for BG mounting? If anything I'll pop the bumper off, measure everything up, drill two mounting holes (one for each side) and have the plates fitted up and bolt it all together. Birthday is coming up and I'm already about to order some Hella 500FF's to mount to the BG once it's all set up.

I see a major difference with that bumper from mine. The flood light holes appear to be off-line of the turning signals, where as on mine the turn signal and flood light are all "one piece". The "horns" on each side have no holes in them for mounting. My old man suggested rigging up some angle iron to make it work (which would be like the plates that Kyle mentioned). I've got the thing sitting at home so when I get some free time in a couple weekends I'll play around with it. Plus I'll have access to my summer jobs' manufacturing stuff.. so I'll have all the fabrication equipment at my disposal!