sigtauenus

'98 Pathfinder, 4x4, 3.3 Automatic. Been working on trying to get to the #6 for over an hour now. Been using a universal, extensions, a mirror and light. Can see the plug in the mirror, just can get the extension to the right angle to get the socket on there. Any tricks? What sucks is I've done this already, but its been about 5 or 6 years. Heck, I can't even give up on it and just leave it, 'cause I can't get the plug wire back on either.

Thank you very much for the info!! I'm traveling out of town right now, but will be in touch when I'm getting ready to tear into this thing.

Oh yeah, knock sensor is cheaper from the Nissan linked above than it is from Autozone!

I don't think so, what's the discount?

Sweet! Thanks for the link. $57 aint bad.

Anybody have a part number for the 98 EVAP cannister, and/or know the dealer price on that?

Ah, thanks. Yes, I do have a 98, sorry for forgetting that. 98 4x4 V6.

According to the tester, P0325 is Knock sensor or circuit fault. P1444 is EVAP canister purge volume control valve or circuit fault According to the book, I need to pull the intake off (V-6) to get to the knock sensor, and it lists at Autozone for $125. Crap. The EVAP canister appears to be not available from Autozone, so I'm hoping its still available at the dealer should I need it. I'm also hoping, from reading the troubleshooting on this, that it may just be some deteriorated vacuum lines. What is everybody's experience with either of these codes?

If you are towing, then absolutely 30,000 is good for a tranny service. If not, you can go quite a bit longer. I do oil every 3-5,000 and lately have been using the Valvoline 75,000+ oil (forget what its called), which I believe is a synthetic blend. Tranny gets serviced every 60,000 or so. I too flush the brake fluid when it looks dark in the reservoir. People sometimes look at me like I'm crazy when I say I do that, but if you've ever seen the nasty fluid that comes out when you do that, there's no doubt it is extending the life of the brake system by flushing it. I've heard of Honda Civics going 500,000 miles on the original clutch, let alone the engine or trans, so I was just wondering if anybody had a Pathfinder up in the 3-4-500,000 mile range.

I'm talking original engine, original transmission, regular maintenance like belts, struts, brakes, etc ok. I'm at 165,000 on my 98. I'm contemplating sinking some money into it to fix it up, and the deciding factor will really come down to how much more longevity I can realistically get out of this thing before having to spend some big dollars on expensive overhauls. Who has the most miles on their Pathfinder?

I live off London Bridge near Oceana Gate 2. Also, I've been thinking about the fuel low light. That should actually be an LED, and those are supposed to last a pretty long time. The fuel guage works fine. Is it possible that the gauge and the light are working off 2 different senders and the sender for the light is bad? I'm thinking about tearing open the instrument cluster to see what I can find as far as bulb or LED.

Well, its coming up on a year, and I still have my '98, still haven't fixed any of those issues I have. Add to it, the sterio and at least one speaker is dying. The sterio is losing lighting functions on the control buttons and the main display. Of all the issues it has though, I think the rear wiper is most annoying, although that could be because its been rainy/foggy here in Virginia Beach for over a week now. I've been thinking a lot about this, and the fact is, there is no financially justifyable reason to get rid of it. I bought 1 new car so far in my life and sold it 3 years later. I sold it for $10,000 less than I bought it for and drove it 19,000 miles. If I buy another used Pathfinder, I have no idea how the previous owner took care of it or that I will get the same life out of it I'm getting now. I figure book on this thing is maybe $4000-4500. Even if I went all out and spent 5 grand on this thing fixing it up, I'd still be ahead over buying a new one if I can get another 100-150,000 miles out of it. So, I'll be looking for these in the local yards, and see what I can find.

What do you guys do with a torn seat? I went to some local salvage yards, and they told me they don't have any 98 pathfinders in the yard, too new still to buy (10 years old...). I haven't tried the dealership yet to see about getting a new upholstery set for it, because I'm assuming it will be way freakin expensive. My wife sewed it up for me, but where it ripped is so thin that it didn't hold and ripped again. I really don't care for the cheap seat covers sold at the chain auto parts places either. I wouldn't mind paying for it to be recovered if the price is reasonable, say $150-200 or so including the material. Any suggestions?

Thanks for the info on the source. Anybody see a reason to change out an o2 sensor before the CEL comes on to tell you to?

Did any of you with new O2 sensors see an increase in gas mileage? I am at 165,000 miles on my '98, and everything is still running strong. I did all belts, plugs and wires at 100,000 miles and was considering doing everything again here as I approach 180,000. I read on another forum (not Nissan) that you can get a 1-2 mpg by changing out the O2 sensor after 75,000 miles (even if the CEL isn't on). Just wondering if anybody with a Pathfinder saw similar results. Also, what is the source for the $25 Bosch universal sensors? Cheapest I found was $75 at Autozone.

Short of going to the dealership or midas, how do I find that annoying exhaust rattle? 98 Pathfinder, 150,000 miles. Its not continuous, just seems to be when the engine is under load. I've heard of cracked manifolds, busted bolts, loose heat shields, etc. I looked over the exhaust from front to back and can't see anything glaring. Any suggestions? Should I just take it to a pro? I don't mind paying a $60 diagnostic that tells me what the problem is, as that's quickly cheaper than replacing the wrong parts.

I've got a little over 150,000 miles on the 98, and its time to buy the 4th set of tires. As far as I can tell, the spare is the original michelin, and looks it. It has some nasty cracks on the sidewall and tread, so I don't know if it is roadworthy should I need it. Is it worth buying a matching 5th tire for the spare, or do you guys just pick the best of the 4 you're replacing and rotate it to the spare? The spare wheel looks painted silver instead of chrome like the rest of the wheels, unless its just really, really, really dirty chrome, so they'd still have to bust it down and remount the used tire. Sam

Wow, that's awesome!! Yeah, it is very mechanically sound, I have no mechanical issues with it at all and do all my own work. Cosmetically, though, it could use some help. Some of those things such as the upholstery and trim are just annoying, nothing more. I'll stop by the dealer this week and get a price on those switches.

I have about 150,000 miles on my '98. It is well maintained with regular oil changes, tranny service, timing belt, plugs, etc serviced, new shocks and struts, brakes, etc. BUT, I'm starting to notice stuff I can't control going downhill. The driver side upholstery has worn through on the left side, probably from getting in and out, and the fabric is torn and frayed. Its also fraying on the left side around chest-high. The trim face plate around the radio and heat/ a/c controls is cracking apart. The rubber weatherstrip on the front door is tearing, the rubber boots on the rear door ajar switches (for the interior light) is coming apart, and the rubber weatherstrip on the rear windows is pulling away from the door in the corners, ie, looks like it is shrinking. The low fuel light doesn't come on anymore (because my wife drives around with it on so much it burned out- I think I'm the only one in the house who knows how to stop at a gas station). The rear wiper motor needs replaced. And, most annoying of all is that the security alarm doesn't work, actually it works too much, whenever I lock the Pathfinder, I walk 20 feet away and the alarm goes off without anybody touching it. If it is locked and you pull on the door handle (forgetting its locked) and the alarm goes off. One time I even locked the doors, and then unlocked just the driver door, walked away and the alarm went off. Is anybody else having these problems? If so, any suggestions? This vehicle has been really good to me, and I know that all these small items would probably cost less than $1000 to fix combined, but as they continue to pop up its making me think maybe its time to trade-up for a newer model.

I have a 98 Pathy, and left the car trailer unlatched while unloading it... meant for a nasty scrape across the back of the liftgate as the weight shifted, the tongue of the trailer went forward and up... Anyhow, I've been looking around at the local salvage yards, and not too many Pathfinders of any kind to be had. Also looked on ebay and don't see too many there either. Guess we are collectively a good bunch who take care of our cars and don't wreck them often. Any ideas on a good place to get a used liftgate or an aftermarket replacement? I shudder to consider dealer cost if its even available still. TIA, Sam

I am having the same problem with mine, posted the question here a few days ago... http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=11120 Anyhow, mine is a 98 and I am not familiar with where this switch is that you are talking about. Can you describe its location? Is it on the console near the parking brake handle, inside the console, etc? Mine went off ALL night one time while I was out of town. I was lucky I had enough battery left to start it, and even luckier the neighbors didn't shoot me. I like the idea of turning it off as a first option, removing the bull horn as a second option. I am concerned about removing the bull horn in that the headlights will still blink, and if that happens, it is still wearing on the battery. Has anybody successfully identified the source of the problem and fixed it?

98 Pathfinder, AT, 4x4. factory alarm. The alarms keeps going off intermittently without provocation. When it does go off, it doesn't stop. Sometimes it will go for hours, one time when I was out of town it went all night, really made the neighbors pretty mad. What can I do to fix this? We have been leaving a door unlocked as a temporary fix, but then last night the alarm went off even with it unlocked. I've never heard of a faulty alarm like this, any ideas? TIA, Sam

What is the advantage of no sway bar? I ended up stripping out the allen hole and couldn't get the dang nut off the sway bar link on the strut, so I ended up buying new sway bar links too.

Oops, just noticed XPLORx4 said 2-3 hours each, I took 2-3 hours for both. And of that I spent a good hour fighting just one bolt on the driver side, trying to get it out and still save it. Finally decided to sacrifice it and buy a new one... once I did that it came out in about 2 minutes.

That's about right, took me about 2-3 hours to do mine, and I have air tools and all the cool garage toys to help speed it along (except the 4x4 hub tool ) Not sure why it would cost more to do the springs too since they have to be moved over anyhow, ie, shouldn't matter if they reinstall the same spring or a new one. I shouldn't be suprised though.