EricCR

Alright, so I replaced the ignition switch last night. Things seem better but the car has been behaving for the past few days, even with the old switch so who knows. I need to do more testing. By the way, this was probably the easiest ignition switch replacement I've ever done. I love cars that are designed with maintenance in mind. You do have to remove a few dash pieces but it's all very straightforward.

That's for the side windows, right? It looks like that site only makes them for R51 Pathys and newer. I've actually been trying to find something like that for a while, but nothing so far. We bought a cheap dinosaur-themed shade for our little girl which has magnets but it's as simple as it gets. Then there's this one man business in the UK: https://www.blinds4cars.com/ . Nigel makes custom-fit shades for a lot of cars and I've only heard great things about his products. I own an E39 and I've been planning for a long while to get a set, but ever since the pandemic hit and we were sent home I haven't been driving it enough to justify it. Sadly there's nothing for the R50s either. Maybe if you contact him he'd be willing to make a set? The problem is that I'm assuming he needs a car to test fit and R50s are probably unicorns in the UK.

If you were going to replace the ICV and hoses anyway, I would just take the intake apart and check for traces of coolant leaking or dripping around that area. From the previous posts it sounds like when this problem manifests, the car doesn't idle, which I interpret as stalling instead of revving up, but if you are concerned you should inspect around the ICV. I just hope the 2003+ throttle-by-wire models are really unaffected because I've never even bothered to check mine.

Sure thing, pal. Actually you just reminded me that I never came back to post an update here. I installed the new TYC regulator+motor and it's been working great ever since, so that makes it 2 years of flawless operation and doesn't seem like it will fail on me any time soon. It's not noisier than the original motor and a bit faster than the other 3 windows. I may have to replace the rear ones at some point since they also feel kinda sluggish. It's a shame I didn't take pictures of the inside of the original motor when I had the chance so you could see what I mean by not being worth refurbishing it. Out of all the aftermarket crap you usually stumble upon, TYC is usually one of the few brands I do trust.

Yeah, don't tell me about it. It has its days. Yesterday I wanted to really test this but the car didn't feel like failing on me. I switched both relays around but if feels to me that did nothing. There was still this almost imperceptible delay when turning the key. Starting in neutral also feels like it's not doing much of a difference. I guess I'll have to wait for one of those instances where it really takes 20 or 30 seconds of nothing to test all combinations. The new ignition switch is on its way. I'm hoping that's it, against all evidence. If not then I guess I'll have to really take a look at the park safety switch or the starter solenoid. Out of curiosity, do these cars had a brake pedal safety switch as well? Mine starts without depressing it, however I do need to step on the brake to move the gear lever.

Yeah, I thought about that too and I see a ton of posts of R50s with starter solenoid issues. I've been trying to listen for the relay clicking but I don't hear it. So either the relay is not getting any current or it's too faint to hear it from the driver's seat. The starter relay is in the big relay/fuse box right next to the engine, right? I'll see if swapping has any effect. Hopefully there's another identical one somewhere in the car or I'll have to wait and order a spare. EDIT: I just swapped the EGI and N-P relays (which in my car are identical) and same thing. It did start immediately in neutral, so I'll take it apart and clean the contacts. It's weird that the issue behaves like the glow plugs in an old diesel engine. The longer the car has been sitting, the more time I have to keep the key in the starting position. Feels like if something is heating up and then works (that can't be the case but it feels like that). Once the engine starts, if I shut it down and start it again, it's perfect, zero delay.

Thanks, I'll try that. I'll also try starting in neutral to see if there's any improvement. In any case, I bought a new OEM ignition switch anyway since they cost $40 and I'm comfortable replacing it myself. Even if that other guy's symptoms are an exact copy of mine, if there's a chance the switch is bad I don't want to go down a rabbit hole chasing other things. Start with the simple stuff, right?

Oh crap, didn't mention it, you're right. It's an auto.

Hi folks, Recently my 2003 SE developed a strange quirk: When you turn the key to start the engine, it won't do anything for a couple of seconds (no crank, no clicking, nothing) and then it will start normally (cranks fast and engine fires right up). The problem is that in rare occasions it will take 10-20 seconds of holding the key until it starts cranking so at some point I'm concerned it will leave me stranded. The issue is more prevalent the longer the car has been sitting. I found a post on another Nissan forum with exactly the same symptoms and the guy said that changing the ignition switch at the dealer didn't fix it, but then he didn't post an actual fix and the thread is 10 years old. The ignition switch was my prime suspect but could it be something else? From the top of my head I can think of the parking safety switch or the key's transponder. Not sure if R50s originally forced you to hold the brake pedal to start the engine but in mine, if it had it, was defeated by a previous owner. Here's that post: If anyone has had the same problem and can confirm that replacing the ignition switch did the trick, that'd be great. Other ideas are welcome. Thanks!

Proof of the fix working (it's been about 3 times already it goes to Empty, wanted to make sure the fix was consistent). In 2 years of owning the car, I never saw the low fuel idiot light until now: I also got around to installing a set of cluster rings:

Was the speedo working after you reassembled everything back together and suddenly stopped working? Or is this the first time you actually drive the car? I hope it's something easy like readjusting the needle but you may have gone a bit overboard with the soldering iron. Take a look at the base of the needle, the round center part. It may be touching the "graphics" faceplate if it wasn't reattached properly. There are a couple of small metal tabs that prevent that graphics layer to bend outwards (they are right under the needle centers) and if that's loose it may be exerting friction on the needle. If you pressed on the needle too hard it may have gone too far down, also making contact. I doubt you broke the servo actuating the needle unless you were really rough on it. My bet is that something is interfering with it, but try to find it quickly because if you keep driving the car the servo may fail as it's trying to move the needle.

The only way to get those special cluster bulbs would be via part numbers and a Nissan dealer, but don't bother, I switched all of them around and it's basically the same thing. They are not special at all. And yeah, I feel you. I just filled up and the needle went a couple mm above where I would've wanted to see it. It has since gone down but I need to adjust it a bit after filling up again. For now I'm gonna wait until it's below the 1/4 mark to see how it behaves.

Glad you fixed it. Not sure if you did it before finding my post or after, but in any case I hope it was useful. Yeah, if the problem is the fuel sending unit then you'll run into issues with the o-ring, rusty bolts, spilling gas in the carpets (no matter if you released fuel pressure, there will be at least a slight mess). If the problem is the cluster, you'll run into needle calibration issues and there's a big risk you mess up the electronics. It's indeed a win/loss. The service manual recommends replacing the fuel sending unit o-ring every time you unbolt it. IMO that's a bit overkill but after ~20 years it may be a good idea to get a new one anyway. Mine did begin leaking just so slightly and only when the tank was full. I vacuumed, cleaned and reseated the o-ring and no more leaks, but I ordered a couple off eBay, genuine Nissan (https://www.ebay.com/itm/274508079289). $22 seemed alright to me. There is a Doorman set with the 6 bolts that hold the pump/FSU in place too. As for the cluster bulbs, I tried pulling one out too, it wouldn't budge so I left it alone. Don't know if you noticed but there are 2 different type of bulbs: black and brown holders. The black ones are smoked (I'm guessing to make them dimmer) and light up the gauges. The others are clear and go behind the turn signals and other indicators.

Side note: While I had the cluster disassembled I thought of adding some metal rings to the gauges. I did it to my BMW E39 a long while ago and ended up looking great so why not do the same with the R50? Here's an example (this is a Maxima): I took measurements and contacted a guy on eBay and since it's the first time he will fabricate rings for an R50, he's going to send me the first set to test. If they work then he will create a listing for them. Just in case anyone is interested. I will definitely create a new post with pictures once I install them and a link to the eBay listing. These will only work on 2001+ R50s (VQ35), not <2000 and not QX4s. Those have different clusters.

It's fixed. It's not so complicated but there's one big pain in the ass: You have to remove all 4 gauge needles which means you'll need to calibrate them later. Step 1: Remove the instrument cluster. This is the easy part. Follow this video: Disassemble the cluster. There are no screws, just plastic tabs everywhere. Start by taking the clear plastic cover out first, then the black plastic frame. It's all pretty straightforward. You'll end up with this: Now you need to take the needles off. I strongly recommend the 2 spoon method. Google how to do it. Don't worry about marking their position or anything, no matter how careful you are, you will have to calibrate them so don't waste time, just take them out. Once the needles are out, you can pry off the cluster graphics and put that aside. Turn the cluster around (facing the back side - be careful not to place the exposed front on a hard surface!) and bend the 2 white tabs holding the circuit board in place. Pull it straight out, towards you. Be careful with the odometer's LCD as it's connected with long, thin leads which could bend or break. In mine it stayed in place but if I had to do it again I'd remove the LCD first. With the circuit board exposed, you'll need to follow pins 17 and 23 and find any resistor along the way. These 4 were suspicious (labeled 161 and 181). No matter how closely I looked, I couldn't see cracked solder but I added some more while also reheating the existing solder. I also inspected all other resistors and retouched a couple more, knowing how ****** they are in Nissans and how hard they are to find. Once you finish with your soldering/inspection, it's just a matter of reassembling everything back together and testing. As for calibrating the needles, it's better to do it with the cluster plugged in and the key in ignition (waaay easier if engine is cold). Turn on the ignition and lightly push in the speedo, tach and temp needles making sure they are touching their resting posts. Turn off and on the ignition a few times to make sure they don't move from there (when they receive power, they will come alive and try to jump to their zero position). Don't install the fuel needle just yet. Here comes the headache: To calibrate the fuel needle you'll need an ohmmeter to calculate the fuel in the tank (unless your tank is full or completely empty, if so just place the needle accordingly). Disconnect the large plug (4 contacts) from the fuel sending unit and read resistance from terminals 2 and 3 (diagonal to each other). A full tank is ~5 Ohms, empty is ~83. Considering the resistance changes linear (more on this later), every 1/4 mark would be in ~19.5 Ohm increments. Example, if you have 3/4 tank, resistance should read about 24.5 Ohms (5 + 19.5) Alas, according to the service manual, 1/2 tank should be ~33 Ohms, which means the reading is in fact not linear (otherwise 1/2 would be (5 + 19.5 + 19.5 = 44 Ohms). I assume this is to account for the tank shape (narrower at the top). Taking that into account, it's better to consider the calculations separately, one for full to 1/2 and another for 1/2 to empty. If so, 3/4 tank would be 19 Ohms (5 + 14), 1/2 tank 33 Ohms (5 + 14 + 14) and from then on 1/4 tank 58 Ohms (33 + 25) and finally empty 83 Ohms (33 + 25 + 25). This is a good time to test if you actually fixed the issue. Either disconnect the fuel sending unit plug and feed it 80+ Ohms (pins 2 and 3) or unscrew the whole fuel sending unit with the wires still connected and pull it out slightly, just enough to allow the float to drop to its lowest level. The latter is easier but super risky given that you have your fuel tank exposed and the car in ignition. Do this at your own risk. If the issue is still not fixed, then rinse and repeat, check, reheat, resolder resistors. If that still has no effect, then your problem is elsewhere. Hope all this helps someone at some point. Surprised nobody had attempted to fix it if it's that common.

Aight, so I took the sending unit out, tested it and of course it's reading perfectly fine. Life just couldn't be so simple. According to the service manual, an empty tank should read around 80-83 Ohms: And this is what I got (took the picture as the multimeter was alternating between .2 and .3, hence the weird decimal). All other values going from empty to full read exactly as expected: So now I know the culprit is somewhere else. Before taking the cluster apart I found this video, which describes very similar issues with other Nissans and since I've had to fix plenty of broken solder around resistors in the Pathy as well as other Nissans in the family, I'm pretty sure this is the fix. It looks like our R50s don't have a separate module to process fuel level signals and it's all handled by the cluster's mainboard (aka "combination meter"). I'd have preferred a separate module so as to not to tinker around the cluster, but oh well. I'll keep you posted.

So it seems like it's common for them to act up. I'll attempt to troubleshoot/fix mine and report back. I'm planning to take it out of the tank this afternoon and check resistance.

Has anyone had this problem with their R50s? I already got stranded after running out of fuel. Luckily I had a gas station just a few yards away. When I turn off the engine the gauge needle drops all the way to the bottom so at least I know the gauge is fine. It must be the fuel sending unit but the one for facelift R50s has apparently been long out of production (25060-2W610). The only one that can be found is 25060-1W610. Are they interchangeable? The older one appears to have one extra sensor. Also, does anyone have the link to the service manual or the resistance values for the sending unit? I want to test it first before finding a new one.

I'm kind of tired of not seeing anything at night and I was planning on retrofitting some Morimoto projectors. While considering it, I was looking at Toyota's 70 Series LC anniversary edition and the relatively minor tweaks they did to the front end (blacking out headlights, grille, old school logo): I think it looks great without going overboard. I put my rusty Photoshop skills to good use and came up with this: The idea would be blacking out the headlight surrounds while retrofitting the projectors and getting a Patrol Y60 grille emblem (I think I oversized it above, should be smaller). There are some similar headlights already on eBay but they are both: A. Crap and B. They paint the turn signal reflector which is dumb. Yay? Nay? Not sure if I like it myself. Looks different alright but not sure if it fits the car.

Good tip! Mine was basically all loose so it made more sense to just get rid of it. But yeah, if the old one is firmly attached to its clips, that's an easier approach.

Mostly an FYI in case someone faces this at some point. This is why properly attaching those clips that come with the sensors is important. Shaft caught the wire and tore it. The sensor is honestly in a pretty bad spot since there's just a narrow area between the shaft and the exhaust for the wire to go through (this is the driver's side): Had a check engine light only coming up during long drives (1+ hours). with these codes: P0159: O2 sensor circuit slow response bank 2 sensor 2 P1167: Heated O2 sensor 2 Bought a new NTK (NGK) sensor and it's all good now. The 4th clip that goes last (top-to-bottom) is a real pain to get to, especially if like in my car, the old clip was stuck in place and didn't want to come off. I had to destroy it to remove it.

I have a mess here at home with contractors running around so the garage is for now sort of a storage room and my Pathy is sitting outside. I have yet to replace the regulator but I'll surely document the process and I'll post pictures of the now gone brushes. Most likely next week I'll tackle this.

Cars & Bids is trying to compete with BAT and the target market and therefore selling prices end up being similar, which is to say, take them with a grain of salt.

I test drove a 2000 4Runner when I was looking for my Pathy and that was my exact impression. Slow, harsh ride, not as well optioned, worse interior plastics.