BowTied

12k miles? that is pretty low! or did you mean 120k?

Was that with a snatch block that you saw it pulling a lot of amperage, or just a straight pull?

Wow! That is great to get those things without having to get the premium model. My Jimmy being the middle model offered does not have those. Now, had I got the SLT, then the climate control, leather etc. would have come with. Still baffles me though that the LE R50 I have didn't come with a button to pop the rear glass and my Jimmy did. Didn't know that the Automode started in '98, cool. The Jimmy Auto mode started in '99, but I think was optional on the base model.

Very interesting - can you elaborate?

This is my one year review of owning a pathfinder (first pathy here). Previous to this, I have owned exclusively GM vehicles. Despite my wife inheriting a 95 Sentra a few years ago, when it came to buy a 4 door vehicle (family in the works), I wasn't thinking pathy at all, but here is the story. I had (still have) a '99 Jimmy 4x4. It was the primary vehicle for our household. A great truck in many aspects, but had some issues. It had been reasonably good to me considering the mileage, but there were a number of things that broke that in my mind should not have (seat handles, HVAC door, and a long list of other parts wearing out early) and this started me considering an import, primarily a Toyota 4 Runner. Based on the max mileage I would buy in a used vehicle, the 4 Runners were on average $5k over budget. So I started looking around at Envoys and didn't feel great about those. Eventually I settled on the pathy since it got slightly better fuel economy and power vs a 4 Runner for a lot less dough. I decided on a 2002 or new due to the grille design, as the 01s had a couple of small issues the 02's didn't (I forget, I think something about the tailgate). I also decided on the LE - with a family the easier to clean leather seats were desirable as well as a few other goodies. The following is rough comparison of the new to me pathy against my Jimmy. This is not a very good or scientific comparison, but might help others who would shop for R50 if they were previously a GM owner. The qualifiers: The Jimmy is an SLS model, and the pathy the LE model - a comparatively higher model. The pathy had 110k kms on it when I got it, the Jimmy more than double that. Since then, we have logged ~11k additional kms on the pathy and slightly more on the Jimmy. Where the Pathy wins -The R50 is WAY quieter ride than the Jimmy for a couple reasons. #1 the R50 is a uni-body construction. #2 the design fit and install of the Jimmy interior is terrible, lots of squeaks and rattles. Same goes for ride quality. -Exterior styling - This gen R50 was released in 2000, where as the Jimmy was barely changed other than headlights from it's introduction in 95 through to it's demise in 2005. That said, I do like it's styling, just older. -General fit and finish and design: When working under the hood, other than some tight spaces it just became obvious there was more forethought into some assembly items, like the upper intake plenum having the outer 4 fasteners as studs for easy alignment. The Jimmy often has stacked brackets, fasteners that are longer than necessary. The Pathy also made good use of little storage spaces, has a 12V power outlet in the console and the rear hatch area. -The VQ engine had been on the Ward's top 10 engines list for several years. A real plus (but see below about the power valve screws). - 2 vs. 1 trip odometers.. - Power - the pathy has more horse and I think more torque. However, it feels like these are in a higher RPM range than Jimmy's peak numbers and is likely due to the Jimmy have more displacement (4.3L vs. 3.5L). -Throttle response - a bit better than the Jimmy. -factory gearing - the Jimmy axles are 3.42 vs. the 4.36s in the pathy which I think is a benefit for crawling. -rear 60/40 seats recline backward - the Jimmy 50/50 seats do not (this could be available on the 4 door jimmy?) - E-brake - I like the hand lever better than the foot pedal, personally preference. - Overdrive control - I like the push button control vs. the gear shift lever for this. - front seatbelts - the shoulder belt is height adjustable in the pathy Where the Jimmy wins -Headroom - at 6'1" the pathy is low headroom. I have the power seat all the way down and back, and tilted some - I wish it would go a bit more. I don't wear hats often, but won't in the pathy. If I was 6'3", I'd likely not be comfortable in a R50. Jimmy has ample room. This also goes for the tail gate - it will take the top off of your skull on level ground when open. The Jimmy (rear glass has more clearance and has drop tailgate (nice for lumber etc. that is longer than the bed). -Gauges - Why a top of the line pathy doesn't have more gauges is beyond me, the Jimmy gauges are perfect for what I like. -Tilt steering wheel - the pathy doesn't have a tilt wheel, it has a tilt column with this stupid lever under the column. Horrible waste of time, thankfully wife is tall or that would be a huge pita adjusting it all the time. The Jimmy has a tilt wheel with a lever on the side of the column that is easy to use daily and has a much larger range of motion. Makes getting in and out easier too. -Under hood light- the LE model as the top of the line pathy should have this IMO. It should also have hood struts, but I can let that ride, the Jimmy doesn't either. -Rear glass - unless I don't know the trick, I have to use the keys to open the rear glass and in doing so lock all the doors. The jimmy I just push the lock button to pop the glass. -Map lights - this might be picky, but the map lights in the pathy shine in the drivers face too much, even the passenger side. The Jimmy map lights in the RV mirror shine only downward which is much nicer. - Factory front tow hooks - the Pathy tow hooks look gimpy compared to the beefy hooks of the Jimmy, and you are not even supposed to use the driver side one on the pathy (wtf?) -rear seats fold flat - while both trucks have this feature, the Jimmy's headrests automatically flip back whereas the pathy's headrests must be manually removed and stored somewhere. - oil changes - on the pathy I have to remove a bunch of screws to remove the lower plastic cover. There is also this cover on the Jimmy, but has a single fastener, trap door access. -cup holders - the Jimmy has better location, are slightly deeper, and have rubber inserts in them that hold drinks better. -sun visors - The Jimmy has the extenders for covering the full side windows. Where they are very comparable: - Towing - both are rated to 5k lbs. I found the jimmy hits its torque a bit sooner in the RPM band, so for slow towing and maneuvering, I liked it just a little bit better. When I tow a heavier load, I do not use OD to save wear on the trans – at highway speeds this means the pathy is revving much higher (~3k at 55). It can likely take the higher revs better than a Jimmy would so I am not too worried about it either way. - 4x4 - both have electronically controlled transfer cases with an auto selection. The pathy has a rotating selector switch down low on the dash; the Jimmy has push buttons up higher. Both seem equally capable in snowy roads. - Sound system - both have factory CD/tape deck system and the sound is comparable. They pathy wins with have a 6 disk changer, but I hear they break often (ours still working, fingers crossed). - The spare tire underneath the pathy is a pita to access when you need it compared to the tire carrier on the Jimmy - but it is never in the way on a day to day basis. - Both have automatic headlights. I dislike that the pathy's lights stay on after the ignition is off, but I can turn them off manually where as the Jimmy's auto feature cannot be disabled (without mods). I think the reliability will be better in the pathy. Overall it is, and it would be hands down if not for the power valve screw issue. The Jimmy may have a lot of stuff break, but catastrophic engine failure is not something they are known for or that I take lightly. I am just lucky to have found out about this issue early. I discovered it after I bought the truck (figured Wards top 10 was a safe bet) and had I discovered this earlier, I might not have bought a pathy. Knowing what I know now, the effort to deal with it was not that much for me and I now wouldn't let that stop me. Overall we are very happy with our pathy, it serves our purposes well. Hope you found something there worthwhile.

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What will happen? All the power is diverted to the front that is essentially in neutral? Damage?

A great use for the Auto setting is on-road with variable weather conditions such as drifting snow, patchy ice etc. Not likley a lot of that in Texas Off-roading I would agree, 4Hi or 4Lo, not auto.

Actually this does apply to some older cars. I have a 69 Chevelle with a muncie 4 speed and I can't run the GL5. GL5 I thought was a new blend for very recently built vechiles, I will see what else I can find. EDIT: Here is a post from another board I am on that talks about the issue. http://www.chevelles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=132531

I don't know the 95s - is there an indicator for the 4wd system in the tach? If so, I am wondering if somehow that a loose connection/ground is being "fixed" while in 4Hi.

X2

http://www.nissan.com.au/news_pdfs/pathfinder.pdf:

Ok, I did some quick reading on the jeep system. I was not clear in my previous post, I thought you were talking about the diff in the axles, duh, sorry. The automode system has a electronically controlled hydraulic multi-plate clutch system centre differential. It is lockable (4Hi 4Lo). It works differnetly I believe than the jeep, but can similarily lock. http://www.canadiandriver.com/testdrives/01pathfinder.htm:

The auto mode system engages power to the front differential when wheel slip is detected (in AUTO setting). When in 4Hi or 4Lo settings, there is power full time throught the transfer case to the front axle just like when a manually shifted transfer case is put in 4Hi or 4Lo. As I understand it, locking differentials are not linked into that system but rather determined by the presence of a limited slip differential (or locker etc.) installed at the ring & pinion gears for the axles. I am not familiar witht he Jeep system.

While this is a great idea in one sense, I strongly caution against building this at home unless you are professional welder. Compressed air has an incredible amount of stored potential energy. Should a weld suffer a catastrophic failure while the tube is filled with air pressure, things can come apart like a bomb/grenade and kill people (not exagerating!). Even if it is "only" 20 psi.

If you are learning to weld still, use mild steel. Other types of metal like stainless or whatever can be welded but have extra requirements/more difficult and more exspensive. Bends add a huge amount of strength. Way more efficient and cheaper for a shop to do than welding reinforcements, that is why you won't see welds on the commercial items. IF you don't have access to a brake, or are set on welding stiffeners, use some small lengths of angle iron as the stiffening strips (assuming clearance exists). I am not sure how small they come, but pretty sure half by half by 16th thick is available. This type of thing is often available cheap at a scrap metal dealer, just be prepared to wire wheel the surface rust off before welding. Plan to have your mounting holes be oversized slots - not only is there tolerance from one frame to another, but welding distorts things. Staggered stitch welds can help reduce distortion. Avoid welds that prevent drainage/trap water. Avoid welding to close to the edge of the plate or too close to mounting points, the HAZ (heat affected zone) around the weld can slightly weaken the parent metal. Make sure stuff fits before adding the stiffeners, cuz you ain't gonna bend it after without a good press. Test fit often. I would use a gas MIG for this if I was doing it. Good luck.

I apologize - I understand what a leak down is, I just wasn't sure how you went about it. I thought that the compression test would be a good way to verify your readings as a double check. If air was leaking into cyl 1 from 3, which shouldn't happen if they are not adjacent cylinders; then perhaps the valves were not properly seated is all I was considering and a compression test would give some additional data to help sort it out. Sorry if I wasn't clear.

I am not too familiar with your test procedure. I don't want to rain on your parade, but I doubt that pressuring you were doing with air, even if 100 psi, is likely to do much. Same with hammer tapping - the valves are likely slamming shut with a 100+ lbs of force from the valve springs many times per minute if you see what I mean. If I am right (maybe not?) then I think the imprevement you are seeing is a fluke. I would like to see a cranking presure gauge reading for all cylinders as a double check. If you still find problems, then would be looking at the power valve screws as noted. JMO.

I'll second the driver skill point but I think we need to assume that is in place short of insulting the poster. If you do go with 2wd, cool, get it upgraded to LSD if it doesn't have it one. one wheel drive sucks on the slippery surfaces.

You will never remember the extra coin the 4x4 cost you a little while after you bought it. You will always remember wishing you had 4x4. JMO

Wow! nice work! Are you going to start selling these?

Could be a bad battery or other short that is burning out the diodes in the alternator, I woudl ahve a complete charging system test done.

I have an 02 LE and it is great. I did the power valve screw thing and it was more time consuming than difficult (see my write up). Let me know if you have any specific questions.

I think Pete is right. I understand that OE keys have a chip in them.

This has hit other boards I frequent too. Bastids should be strung up!!!