98SE

I changed the fluid a little while ago and added lucas trans fix but it didn't help the problem at all. It did however make the shifting a little smoother.

I've driven it as far as 87 miles when it was 36 degrees and the tranny never locked up.

Ok so here it goes. I have an 88 SE-V6 4x4 with the 4 speed auto. For the past 2 months, the transmission seems to have trouble locking up in 4th. It shifts between 1st and 2nd very smoothly, third can be slow but I hear that is common on these transmissions. Shifting into 4th is also very smooth. But when I am on the freeway going 70 mph, it doesn't seem to lock up, it spins about 3100 rpm, if I give it gas so I can speed up it revs anywhere between 3000 and 4000 rpm but doesn't gain any speed. If I give it even more gas, it then will immediately downshift to 3rd and accelerate just fine. Keep in mind there is no hesitation when it downshifts. I'm having touble trying to figure out what the problem is since it only does this half the time. The other half of the time it does lock up and it will spin about 2650 rpms at 70 mph. It only has this problem when in 4th gear and it applies to any speed. Typically I've noticed that it doesn't lock up when the temp is below 50 outside or if there is even the slightest amount of wind. It it is above 50 degrees, it usually locks up. Do the torque converters in these lock up? I'm not sure if my torque converter is failing or my 4th gear is slipping. Also, I still have reverse and it works just fine. I know some of you are gonna ask if I have bypassed the cooler yet, and the answer is no I haven't done that yet. I did flush the fluid recently to see if that would help this problem (and it didn't) but I did not drop the pan and change the filter. I'll probably wait till next month or so before I add the cooler and change the filter since I hardly drive this thing. When I changed the fluid, the stock cooler was still flowing plenty but I know it is still crap and I need to bypass it since I do get heat coming from the center console. So down to the point, should I try changing the filter? Or is my tranny just going out? If so I need to sell this thing before it does.

FIXED! I got a new sensor from Napa for $104. Runs better than ever. It has always run out of steam at higher rpm's but now it runs great. The old sensor had a heavily corroded sensor so that was probably the culprit. BTW, my sensor is in the distributor, the newer vg33's have a another sensor located underneath the vehicle in addition to the one in the dizzy. Thanks for the help.

I played with the connector for a bit, it even looks brand new on the inside. Next step? lol Maybe my wiring harness is shot? I don't have a multimeter.

Update! Okay so I took off the timing belt cover and the belt is in the correct position. Meanwhile I had the battery disconnected and this erased the codes. I put everything back together and started her up. Barely started and runs horribly, shaking pretty bad. Then I turned the engine off and checked the codes again. Got code 55-No Malfunction. So I disconnected the wiring going to the crank angle sensor on the distributor. Tried to start it, and nothing just as expected. Next I reconnected it and now it still doesn't start! Not even a hickup. However I am now throwing code 11-Crank Angle Sensor. Should I just replace this? The cheapest one I could find was from Napa for $104. On another note, code 13 is gone. (coolant temp sensor). Any help is much appreciated.

Hmmmm...........No, I didn't disconnect the battery before I did the t-belt. As for the dizzy, I only took the cap off to see when the rotor was at spark plug number 1. I am pretty sure the belt didn't slip a tooth, after all it will run dead smooth one minute then have a slight misfire the next. And when it is running smooth, it is smoother and quieter than before I did the t-belt. It has enough coolant and does not overheat. The level in the resorvoir is exaclty at max. Should I disconnect the battery for a half hour or so to erase the codes? Where is the coolant sensor and CPS located, maybe I bumped a connection loose, I would like to be able to check.

I changed my timing belt last weekend (1988 SE-V-6 auto 4wd), all went well and the truck was running fine. I checked the ecu codes a week ago just for the heck of it and it came up with 55-no malfunction. Yesterday I drove to wal-mart 4 miles and it away and it wouldn't start when I came out. It would crank over and I could smell gas. I knew it wasn't getting a spark. Like an idiot, I left my cell phone at home in my motorcycle jacket so I had to walk the 4 miles home lol. Grabbed the car and picked up a new distributor cap at Checkers (it needed replaced anyways.) I put it on the truck, cranked it over a few more times and it finally sputtered to life. It misfired all the way home, so I checked the codes. It came up with two. 13-crankshaft position sensor, and 11-engine coolant temperature sensor. The truck still starts but not easily and it misfires, but only half the time. Soooooooo.........Is the crankshaft sensor built into the distributor? I've seen it sold separately. And where is the coolant temperature sensor? Should I replace it? The temperature gauge works just fine. Any help would be appreciated. The pathy will be my main mode of transportation for the next 6 weeks. It couldn't have broken at a worse time.

Williams? That place is long gone. I'm at Luke AFB now and it is still alive and kicking.

Have fun driving out here from Spokane.

How much time and money? lol. Just ask my wife. Let's see, it took me all day because of how old and dirty the paint was. I usually spend 3/4 of a day on our new car. As for how much, I spent nearly $600 in supplies this last year but that is just me. You could do your truck in a day or two and only spend about 200-300 dollars. I know that sounds like a lot but in the end you have your own supplies and tools. If you were to pay someone to detail your truck (including the interior) it would cost anywhere between 150-300 dollars. This stuff gets expensive fast. There is even a $6000 wax made by zymol. If anybody has anymore questions I would be happy to answer.

After the cleanup. Hood cleaned up.

Oxidized hood. More oxidized hood.

Hello all, I've been here a few weeks but I just haven't taken the time to introduce myself. I have posted in other topics simply because I had questions and you guys were very helpful. I just picked up an 88 WD21 about 3 weeks ago. I'm not new to nissan, my first car was a 1985 720 followed by a 2000 Frontier Crew Cab. I found this 88 locally, it has been kept in a garage most of its life and has absolutely no rust since it has been in AZ the whole time. I got it from the 2nd owner (original owner was his father). It's an SE-V6 auto, power everything, sunroof blah blah blah. The interior looks good but the carpet is trashed. I've already fixed the broken speedo, cranked the left torsion bar (it was sagging), replaced a leaking fuel line, replaced the master brake cylinder, and changed the oil. I spent all of last saturday detailing the outside, it is one of my hobbies, I am also a member if autogeek.net and autopia forums. The paint was in good condition considering the age and I was surprised to find a clear coat. I started with a wash then clayed the entire truck (this pretty much trashed my claybar). Then I polished the paint with pinnacle xmt #3 followed by number #1 using a porter cable DA buffer. This got rid of the oxidation, swirl marks and some scratches. There are still a lot of paint chips and few scratches but who cares, this thing is old and it is our 2nd vehicle. I topped it off with Klasse AIO then Klasse sealer glaze to protect it. Here are some before and after pics.

Okay, so I ended up taking out the speedo and taking it apart today. Wow, there are a lot of little parts in this thing, especially with the dual trip meters. I found the culprit. The main plastic gear that runs off the main shaft (the shaft driven by the speedo cable) was slighty warped. With each revolution it would get stuck, skip a gear and make another revolution and so on. This gear is used to run the odometer and trip meters. I had no choice but to remove it. It doesn't really matter to me since the mileage is already off. So now I have a working speedometer again and it works very smoothly, no bouncing around. I will get a donor speedometer to install later, at least now I know how to change the mileage. I'm pretty sure mine is around 181,000. Thanks for your suggestions.

The cable has been lubed, it spins freely. Its the speedometer itself that makes the clicking sound and hangs up. I hooked up my drill to the speedo to check it, the odometer and both trip meters all work. But the clicking creates quite a lot of friction on the cable and causes it to pop off. I don't know if I even want to attempt to take apart the speedo or try to find another one from a wrecked pathy.

Mine does the same exact thing but on both doors. I can't even lock my doors or I won't be able to get back in except through the back hatch.

Okay, so my speedo quit working about 1,000 miles ago. I crawled underneath and checked the speedo cable at the tranny. The gear is fine and the cable spins. The cable also spins at the other end behind the instrument cluster. The plastic piece with the spring in it that inserts into the speedometer keeps coming off the cable because of the friction from the speedo. The speedo works but it makes a clicking sound with each revolution. This clicking is causing a lot of friction and keeps disconnecting the plastic piece from the cable. Any idea what this is and how I can fix it? I really dont want to have to take apart the speedo to look at it.

I just bought an 88 SE-V6 pathfinder. I will put myself in the intro section later when I have more time. Anyways the truck did not come with an owners manual and I plan on changing the oil tomorrow. What weight for the engine and how many quarts? What type of ATF is used in the tranny and how much. I also need fluid specs for the front diff, rear diff and transfer case. However I have not yet figured out if I have a rear LSD. This pathy apparantly has the sport package with adjustable suspension and 31" tires. From what I hear, these came with a rear LSD but I have not yet confirmed my has it. Any responses will be greatly appreciated. Looking forward to many future posts on this forum. Thanks.

After avoiding the 97 pathy with a cracked head, I decided to look for another one. This time I found a 94, its an XE 2wd 5-speed. It has 169, 750 miles. The engine runs great except that it idles at 2,000 rpm. I should be able to adjust the idle screw so that should be an easy fix. The exhaust manifolds don't sound cracked at all, absolutely no ticking. The power windows work only 10% of the time. Not sure what the problem is there. A/C needs recharged and it needs an alignment since it pulls to the left. Now the only major problem I found is that its very hard to shift. It doesn't feel like it is grinding at all but it is just hard to get past the notches while going through the shift pattern. 1st gear is really hard to get into. Is the tranny going bad? Or does it need just need a fluid change? Like I said it isn't grinding at all. The guy was asking 2400 for it and after I brought up these problems, he is very much willing to lower the price. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks. P.S. don't forget to mention common problems on the hardbodys that I should look for.

Okay, this morning I told the dealer to have their mechanics look at it and see why the CEL is on and to figure out what the whining noise is. So I called back and they told me that they already sent it to the salvage yard. Apparantly it has a cracked head. I know the VG33's aren't known for cracking heads so obviously the previous owner let it overheat. It must have been a trade-in. I'm just mad that the dealer listed this thing for sale without even checking it out and ended up wasting my time. Thanks for the advice guys, hopefully I can find another pathy.

Okay, so I'm looking to buy a used 1997 pathy from a local dealer. It is an SE, 5-speed, 4x4. I used to own a 2000 frontier crew cab so I am some what familiar with the VG series. I know they are prone to cracked exhaust manifolds. The pathy I am looking at is no exception, the exhaust sounds horrible but it passes smog so I'm not really concerned. However there are other problems I noticed during the test drive. The CEL is on and it flashes while the vehicle is moving but stays study when stopped. The shocks seem worn out, (the truck bounces back and forth when I come to a stop). The other problem I have with this pathy is while moving it makes a gear whining noise. I can't pinpoint where the noise is coming from. Maybe the transmission? However the noise disappears when I let off the gas and comes back when I give it gas (both cruising and accelerating). I made sure it wasn't in 4wd. The dealer is asking 3500 as is. Should I pass. Are these common problems? Any other problems I should look for? Or this particular pathy a money pit like I'm assuming it is.