westslope

OSR, The dude posted his problem all over the forum. Hence the SPAM. Fine by me. Netiquette does not apply. Please continue.

01mggt: Some free advice. Don't SPAM the fora.

If one is carefully cleaning the MAF sensor wire with alcohol, there is no need to let it dry over night as the alcohol should volatize almost immediately. 01mggt, I'm reading your difficulties with interest because you are doing many standard maintenance jobs that older pathfinder owners may wish to eventually perform. Procedural question: Shouldn't a person in 01mggt's position perform maintenance one step at a time and then immediately test run the vehicle? Example from a world I pretend to know better: If I'm writing complex mathematical equations (WinEdt/LaTex), I always right a couple of lines, and then preview the output to make sure there are no coding errors. If I write too many lines of code and I make a mistake such as a silly typo, then it becomes very complicated to figure out where the mistake is. The software reports errors but it is not 100% precise. Better to write a few lines of code, preview, write more lines of code, preview, etc.

orca4wd, Only the heat shields placed above the manifolds were removed. The oil pressure sensor sits below the manifold, close enough to the oil filter, that, if a person isn't careful, oil can leak on to the oil ps during oil filter removal. The heat shields on the exhaust pipes were left in place. (BTW, in passing, I asked the mechanic to check the oil ps. He did and concluded that it was dry, i.e., not leaking fresh oil.)

The right (passenger) side exhaust manifolds were leaking. I had them fixed at White Rock Muffler (White Rock, BC). So far I'm very happy with the work; on the way, I learned a few things. The vehicle is a '93 XE 5-spd. At the beginning of the decade, both exhaust manifolds were "done". In late 2007, a mechanic tighted the bolts for me. This week, the passenger-side manifold was removed, planed and then replaced with new gaskets and new studs and nuts with two washers each. Studs on the driver-side were tightened. The mechanic removes sheered studs by arc-welding on another stud that has a hexagonal head. He showed me how one of the studs on the driver-side was much larger than the others and cautioned that if the driver-side manifold failed, that repairs could lead to engine block troubles. What I fear is that mechanic who "did" the exhaust manifolds roughly 7 years ago broke off a stud and simply left it in there, hence the unusual length of the visible stud. The mechanic showed me studs that he claimed were the originals. So much for replacing all the studs a few years ago..... This mechanic advised that I leave the heat shields off to improve air circulation over the exhaust manifolds. Elsewhere, I understand the jury is still out on that modification. Currently, the heat shields are off both right and left manifolds. The engine seems to be slightly quieter and seems to accelerate more smoothly out of low speeds. Fuel economy should improve. Presumably there is less carbon monoxide getting into the cab but I suppose that is not a significant risk, otherwise we would have heard of somebody suing Nissan for CO poisoning by now. My advice. If you are going to hire a professional to have the exhaust manifolds 'done', shop hard, be prepared to pay more if in doubt. Worst comes to worst, go to a dealership and pay C$100+/hr. Do not be pound wise and penny foolish like I was a few years back. Dealerships have much more experience with exhaust manifolds than small shops with high turnover rates..... BTW, there is a disconnected ground strap connected to one of the right-side manifold heat-shield bolt holes. Does anybody have any idea of the original purpose of this ground strap?

Did you wash the engine? Any damp mud stuck in the wrong area could be shorting something.

PROBLEM SOLVED. This should be the final update. As it turned out the ignition immobilizer transponder on my wife's key chain had failed. (Why? Nobody knows.) It was replaced and reprogrammed by a technician last Thursday--free of charge--and now everything works as smooth as butter. The problem I experienced in diagnosing the problem is that I had payed insufficient attention to the blinking red light. Once the vehicle is started by a functional transponder (or by keying in the code), the immobilizer takes about a minute to reset. During that time, a transponder is not necessary to restart the vehicle. During this process, I noticed that the oil pressure sensor/switch might be leaking onto the starter. Will look into that. Thanks for the suggestions. Happy motoring. -westslope

Been reading and looking. Have checked the ground strap. Found this post summarizing the experience k9sar's father had. Here. Also found Precise1's entertaining post here. ==================================================== Dumb questions time. 1) What is the best way of getting at the solenoid and starter to check connections, etc.? I see it just below the oil filter and what I believe is the oil switch. Should I remove what I believe are the heat shields on the exhaust manifold? I can hardly my hand down there. I read that removing and replacing the starter is easier if the vehicle is 'lifted'. Mine ain't. 2) Is there a diagram that explicitly shows the relays? I don't see one in my Haynes manual or elsewhere. (The 1994 manual doesn't appear to have one.) I observe that the solenoid/starter complex is heavily soiled with oil and read that the oil pressure sensor can leak oil on to the starter, something that could, perhaps should be replaced next time I do an oil change.

Interesting k9sar. I tested our battery the other day and noticed that I wasn't getting the same voltage readings when I contacted the outside clamp on the positive post. Cleaned up the post and clamp. BTW, it looked fine as I thoroughly cleaned, scraped and emergy-clothed, then covered with vaseline last summer. Now I get full voltage readings from both the post and the clamp.

Update edited I thought that my Autowatch Immobilizer transponder worked and my wife's transponder does not work. WRONG. Back to the drawing board. Further testing suggests that both transponders "work".

I'll second the purchase of a volt-meter. I've been using a simple battery-operated voltmeter that is no bigger than a wallet for about 15 years now primarily for testing the deep cycle marine batteries I use to power an electric motor. Works equally well for getting a quick handle on the state of the battery. Multi-feature-laden trickle chargers are ideal for deep-cycle marine batteries (I run one in the pathfinder) and probably not a bad way to re-charge a regular battery. BTW marine deep-cycle 12v batteries have thicker walls which I presume are less vulnerable to the pounding that off-road travel can occasionally deliver. Handy for running the radio, CD player (on occasion), using the lights, etc. They cost more but they appear to last longer. Plenty of cranking amps for my engine. I retired one after about 6 years of use last summer. Prior to vehicle use, I powered the electric motor for a few seasons. I use Trojan. (The batteries you clowns. ) Pricier. Solid reputation and a great experience so far.

Thanks for the suggestions k9sar and 94Pathyman. Much appreciated. Makes good sense to test the current at the solenoid connection. Current => solenoid and/or starter is the problem. No current => ignition switch, relays or connections are the problem Off to soap and high-pressure hose the underside of the engine.....

I can start without touching the clutch and can turn over the starter when in gear......

KovemaN, Does a Clutch Switch prevent one from starting the vehicle when in gear? Either I don't have one or it is by-passed by an interlock switch. Don't recall the Haynes manual discussing this possibility. Elsewhere I read that jgt apparently replaced his Ignition Switch twice at less than 100K miles.

Decimal typo corrected. I just tried it only partially depressing the clutch. Started up without issue.

EDIT: This should be the final update. As it turned out the ignition immobilizer transponder on my wife's key chain had failed. (Why? Nobody knows.) It was replaced and reprogrammed by a technician last Thursday--free of charge--and now works as smooth as butter. The problem I experienced in diagnosing the problem is that I had payed insufficient attention to the blinking red light. Once the vehicle is started by a functional transponder (or keying in the code), the immobilizer takes about a minute to reset. During that time, a transponder is not necessary to restart the vehicle. During this process, I noticed that the oil pressure sensor/switch might be leaking onto the starter. Will look into that. Thanks for the suggestions. -Erik "The Red" ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The '93 manual-shift pathfinder starts fine when I start it. But my wife is not so lucky. LOL! Less amusing is the fact that I had to bicycle a few klicks north to a shopping centre where she was stranded with the pathie. All the electrically connected components work just fine. The battery measured 12.56 volts this morning. When the engine starts, it starts briskly. A Nissan dealership replaced the Ignition switch a couple of years ago. I undid the steering wheel cover and visually examined the switch. Looks fine to me. When these no-start episodes occur, I can immediately turn on everything (lights, signal lights, fan, radio/CD-player, emergency lights, etc. Otherwise the vehicle works just fine. Idles at 750 to 800 rpms. Accelerates smoothly. I don't hear any clicking so I doubt that the starter or celenoid is the problem I believe the problem is electric. Any suggestions for trouble-shooting or avoiding going through a bunch of expensive parts? The wife is NOT amused. Help me here.

Have you cleaned the air-intake throttle body with kleen-flo Air Intake Kleen (or similar)?

No mechanical and safety check prior to purchase? Canadians are such famous BSers, especially in the used goods markets. For the tire rack, duct tape wrapped around the horizontal bits and thick rubber glued to the rack to the immediate left of the pins will reduce movement and noise.

Thanks gentlemen. The truck runs fine, seems to idle at slightly slower rpms. Will check the fuel efficiency once I go through another tank or two. Have reduced highway speeds by 5 to 15km/hr in early 2008 and have decided to keep driving the slower speeds (typically 95km to just under 100km/hr. Driving slower increases fuel efficiency substantially.

The Michelin LT LTX M&S 4-season tires are quiet, exhibit low rolling resistence, and work just fine for me in a variety of snow, ice, lose dirt, mud, bogs, etc. Have to agree with OldSlowReliable.

Went to the closest Air Care testing facility here in southern British Columbia the other day and failed. (The lower Fraser Valley boxes up bad air on occasion just like Phoenix, AZ or Greater LA.) Went to my new mechanic in South Surrey: CJ's automative repair. They replaced the 02 sensor; was insufficient, and then replaced the catalytic converter with a new Walker unit. The mechanic had some difficulty with rust. Total cost ~C$850. Returned to Air Care and passed with flying colours. The readings are better than they have been in several years. Question: I gather that the O2 sensor is designed to last 60,000 miles or ~100,000km. Ours was switched out at 220,000km. Should a person ideally switch out the 02 sensor at 100,000km as a preventative measure or simply wait until the unit fails?

Thanks for sharing Tungsten. I examined and thoroughly cleaned the fuel sender unit on our '93 pathie last summer. The fuel guage works for the first and last quarter tanks but goes to zero for fuel volumes between the 1st and last quarter tanks. I keep a running log of fuel purchases and kilometers travelled so running out of fuel is not an issue. I decided to do nothing as the ground and sender units appeared to be solidly attached. However, I notice that some of the plastic seals were slightly cracked. Should I cover those plastic shields with some silicone compound as a preventative measure? Another question: I try to thoroughly high pressure hose the pathie everytime I take it off-road. Is aiming the high pressure above the fuel tank running the risk of accelerating corrosion in that area? Or if I am driving the vehicle for a sufficient distance after high-pressure hose washing, will any accumulated water immediately evaporate minimizing the potential for corrosion?

Just cleaned the MAF because I thought the engine was idling a little high, just under 1,000 rpm. Thought I could reduce the idling speed by cleaning the MAF. The alcohol-tipped Q-tip sopped up a little bit of dirt but not much. RPMs did not change noticeably. (They drop if I turn on the air-conditioning or turn up the ventilation fan.) I should check the gap on the plugs.... Great thread 88. Thanks. Bernard's pictures were particularly useful.

I treat the 1993 4WD, 5spd 4-door, 3.0litre V6 pathfinder to Mobil 1 oil. I used to change the oil, filter and lube the nipples myself but lubing the 17-odd grease nipples is tough without a hoist so a couple of years back I started to go to a garage with materials in hand and pay them to do it. The first place I went to--Mr. Lube--overfilled twice. The first time, I emptied some of the oil; the second time, I got the shop to redo at their expense. In both cases the guys working on the floor showed me the dipsticks which were difficult to read in the glare of the fluoroscent lights. Then I went to a Budget, Break and Muffler shop in Burnaby (Dawson street) who had done some work for me in the past. That worked out well. Great, competent, open-minded honest guys. Just recently we moved to White Rock about an hour drive south of Burnaby. At the nearby South Surrey BB&M shop, the guy dumped all 4 litres in the pathie and told me that I probably needed to top it up (!?!!). Twice we looked at the dip-stick and twice, he told me that it was fine though I could see that it was clearly OVERFILLED. Finally, I was impatiently ordered out of the shop and 0.8 litres of oil were removed. The oil now hits the top of the dipstick--as it should. Mr. Lube's book called for 3.8 litres. BB&M's database called for 4 1/4 quarts (US I presume). I called my old BB&M shop in Burnaby and Jeff verified that his on-line database called for 4 1/4 quarts (~4.0 litres). The manual calls for 3.4 litres. The Haynes manual calls for 3.3 litres. 3.2 litres seems to top it up in my experience. I have to wonder how often this occurs, how many times vehicles have been overfilled with engine oil by professional mechanics and have subsequently experienced leakage and other problems as a result.

Howdy, short version: Why do garage databanks call for 4 1/4 quarts or of engine oil when the manual calls for 3 5/8 qarts or 3.4 litres? The Haynes manual calls for 3.3 litres. In the past, when I performed the oil change myself, I have found that 3.2 litres is sufficient to fill the engine oil to the top of the dip-stick. All measures are WITH the oil filter.