kev9180

Here's my other thread i posted over in a different area: http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/topic/39429-i-guess-my-frame-is-bent/ From the pics, the torsion rod does look a little crooked/bent, but it's just an optical illusion. When we had it lifted up today, both the torsion rods were straight as an arrow. In the picture of the driver's side torsion rod, you can see that it's making contact with the mounting bracket for the thrust rod (what someone else said) on that side, which is supposedly due to the bent frame. I'm definitely gonna take it in to the shop they referred me to to see exactly what is up in the next few weeks (they were booked until 19 Jan). So once i get all of that @!*% figured out, i'll post with some more info. Until then... changing my fluids, rust, and the radio! lol

Thanks guys, I'll definitely pay the $95 bucks to get the frame checked and see whats up. Hopefully its not too bad / too expensive.

I can't see any visible frame damage, other than what the tech saw today at the dealership when i went to get the alignment. Just a torsion rod making physical contact on a piece next to it which he said is a result of the frame being bent a bit. I probably should change out all the fluids, i just got some redline MT-90 online so i can do the transmission and overfill it to the 5L according to that TSB that got sent out. That would be awesome! Would really help out with the some of the minor issues I've got so far. Hope its not too big of an issue. I'd be more than happy to compensate you for any shipping charges. CD player is a Pioneer Super Tuner III D model number DEH-P1Y. I'll have to roll around on the pavement this weekend on my days off lol, thanks for the reference. There's so much info out there I'm having a bit of trouble finding all of the correct stuff pertaining to the wd21 pathfinders. I'm also gonna be taking the truck in to the shop that i got referred to for my frame so they can do some tests and see exactly where the frame is bent and how bad it is. 80 in my handle is just a random number, was born in 91 (i'm a youngin haha), but I did go to Flowing Wells HS in Tucson

Good to hear about the easy and inexpensive fixes. My main concerns at the moment are draining my trans and replacing it with the 5L of MT-90, taking care of the rust, and finding out whats up with my frame (different thread, long story short my frame is bent a bit causing my alignment to fskc up). Whoever put the cd player in did a real ****** job on wiring lol. Very bad connections. I actually just finished up taking off all the tape he used and connecting all the wiring with butt connectors and getting em good to go. But like you said, i can pull it out of there no problem, and its constantly shifting. Are there any mounts i can get to keep it in place or anything? Thanks for the advice hawairish. Hope you're loving that Phoenix weather!

Good to hear about the easy and inexpensive fixes. My main concerns at the moment are draining my trans and replacing it with the 5L of MT-90, taking care of the rust, and finding out whats up with my frame (different thread, long story short my frame is bent a bit causing my alignment to fskc up). Whoever put the cd player in did a real ****** job on wiring lol. Very bad connections. I actually just finished up taking off all the tape he used and connecting all the wiring with butt connectors and getting em good to go. But like you said, i can pull it out of there no problem, and its constantly shifting. Are there any mounts i can get to keep it in place or anything? Thanks for the advice hawairish. Hope you're loving that Phoenix weather!

So my alignment is pretty bad. I can let go of the wheel and it'll veer off to the left about 45 degrees. Pretty bad. Today I went to go get an alignment from the Nissan dealership (since i've heard on here some places won't touch older pathfinders), only to find out they couldn't do it. The tech took me out to show me what he was talking about, and he said my frame is bent a little bit. The driver's side torsion rod was making contact with a piece (frame?) right next to it which he said was contributing to the 'alignment' issue. They said there pretty much wasn't a point in following through with the alignment process because of this issue. He referred me to the Ford dealership that does all the frame work and collision work. The guy at the dealership i was talking to said he'd seen a lot worse and it seemed pretty minor, probably a minimum $300 fix. He also said that it might contribute to some accelerated tire wear, and that I will probably have to keep up on tire rotations more often to keep the wear to a minimum, but he said that was about it. Other than that, he said it was an awesome truck and it was in pretty good shape for being from 1990. As far as i know, the vehicle hasn't been in any accidents, and the previous owner said the same. Probably should have done a carfax or something. I did call the ford dealership and they said they need me to come in so they can get it up and get out the lasers and computers and magical equipment (in my words) to figure out the extent of the damage. Said it'd be about $95 to do that so they could tell me what was really up. Here's some pics of both the torsion rods so yall can see what i'm talking about. The drivers side torsion rod is the one making contact with the piece next to it, there's a picture of the passenger side torsion rod as well for reference to see the space between the rod and the piece the other one is making contact with on opposite side. What do you guys think? Follow through with the frame work or just keep driving and having to correct my alignment non-stop? Here's the drivers side rod touching the piece next to it. (Don't mind the stuck grass ) And here's the other side:

Hawairish - another Tucsonan, awesome! The backside of Mt Lemmon near oracle is amazing. I've got two favorite camping spots up there... one is not too far down the road near the top past the fire station, there's a rope swing on one of the trees that someone installed which is pretty fun. Great view and not too many other spots around. Then there's a spot in Peppersauce Canyon right next to a big rock wall right before the path to Rice Peak. Some great spots, with the added bonus of Peppersauce Cave not to far down the path. I've never done any rust repair or body work before on a car, so I'm hoping to keep it easy. Whatever i can do to keep the 'finder in good enough to condition to last out here for a while and get back to AZ lol. And the guy i bought it off of told me the keys used to be all the same, but the ignition was changed out and he got a different key for that. Previous owner lost the door keys though, so I'm stuck with two different keys (but only have 1 for the ignition). Went to the dealership today to get a key made for the door but got referred to a specialist to make a key lol. Here's some pics: Well, there she is! You can see the rust holes on the fender and other parts that I'm talking about.

Sounds like I've got my first projects ready to go then! I'll get the fluid switched out and then bleed the clutch, and keep you all posted. Might have some other questions along the way Quick question, if I change my oil and put 5w30 in, should i then use the redline mtl90 75w80? Says this about it "satisfies the gear oil viscosity requirements of 75W, 80W, and motor oil viscosities of SAE 30, 10W30, and 5W30' Thanks for the help guys. Like i said, i'm somewhat new to all the maintenance portions but i'll familiarize myself with the Garage section. Cheers

Will be sure to take some more pics and get them posted in the next day or two!

ebayfish - Awesome, thank you! Truck has ~180k miles, not slipping at all. Would it just be a matter of getting down there, draining the fluid and refilling? Simple as that? I tried getting down by the clutch to see if i could spot what was up, could barely see the spring down there, tight fit lol

Hey guys, I'm new here, and very much a beginner when it comes to vehicle maintenance. I like to do what I can, but if it gets to be too much I head to a shop and have them do it. I love to teach myself and do as much as i can though. Loved working on my bikes, and did some maintenance on my old civic on my own, but other than that, not much else. My '90 SE 4x4, 5-speed is an old beater, having some issues but i love it so far. Here's my issues: Clutch pedal doesn't return fully to position after pressing it down, making me have to pull it back up with my foot. If i don't pull it up with my foot all the way, I can shift from gear to neutral so it must not be disengaging the clutch completely or something. When i start it up in the morning after it sitting over night (cold mornings so far), I haven't been able to get it in gear with the clutch pressed in until the vehicle has warmed up a bit. Very difficult. I can get it in gear, but i have to force it and definitely don't wanna do that. There's no grinding gears, and once it's warmed up, I can shift smooth as butter. Someone said look at the gearbox and check for sludge or oil viscosity? Don't know what that really means or how to check that though. And last issue (at the moment) is my trunk window has a hatch assembly towards the roof that holds the window to the vehicle to open it. The one on the passenger side is broken and leaves the window hanging down a bit. Not a big deal, but I'd like to fix it. Any ideas? Looks like i'll just have to buy a complete new part. If so, any recommendations where to get the part online? I've checked out the junkyard here and no pathfinders at all -_- Pic at bottom of the hatch thing! Any help is greatly appreciated! Thank you very much guys.

Gentlemen / Ladies, Hows it going everyone? New member here, just got my pathfinder about a week ago. First pathfinder, first 4x4 vehicle in general. Vehicle before this was a 95 honda civic, so that gives you an idea of my experience with SUV's and Pathfinders, haha. I had a 2000 Kawasaki KLR 250 bike that i would take up Mt. Lemmon in Tucson, AZ to go hiking/camping, and an '86 honda rebel 250 i would ride around town. I sold both of those before i joined the AF and got moved out here to Illinois. Got this 1990 Pathfinder SE 4x4, 5-Spd, 180k miles about a week ago for $1k. It's rust on both fenders clear through, rust near the door frame on the rear fenders, and some rust on the bottom of the doors. Lot of rust, frame looks okay though. Alignment is off, veers to the left, and some other issues. Guy before me installed an aftermarket CD player and the wiring seems a bit faulty (front speakers currently not working, cuts in and out, etc). Cruise control isn't working, windshield washer isn't working, and don't have key for the door locks so i just don't lock it at all lol. I got this Pathfinder because I've always wanted a 4x4 SUV that could get me all the places i couldn't get to in my little Honda Civic, with the added bonus of extra carrying capacity, which was limited on my KLR 250. My ultimate goal is to keep it running and in as good as possible shape, with hopes to get it back to Arizona in 3 years for some desert off-roading / camping / etc. For the time being, it's going to be my daily driver until i can get another KLR once springtime gets here. Currently in Western Illinois and (hopefully) here for another 3 years or so. Never dealt with rust, so I'd like to fix this fender rust and some of the other rust, and get some maintenance done on it. It's got some more issues that I'm gonna go ask about in the forums. So far, I love the pathfinder. Couldn't ask for a better vehicle. I'm gonna take care of her, in hopes that she will take care of me. Great to be here! Cheers! Kevin