Soccerstudd5 Posted September 28, 2007 Share Posted September 28, 2007 Hey guys, I have a 94 4x4 5 speed and at the beginning of the year my pathy was acting like is wanted to die when idling (clutch in). I changed the air and oil filters, and got the injectors cleaned in June, IIRC, and it stopped. And just this week, it started again. It pumps black smoke out the exhaust and acts like it wants to die. Also, it's jerky in first gear as if I was accelerating hard and then releasing the gas pedal, but it's fine in 2-5. I don't understand and everytime I take it somewhere, it doesn't act up so it can't be diagnosed. I'm in college and don't really have time (or the money) to tinker around with every little thing. Any ideas? I'm at a loss! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94extreme Posted September 28, 2007 Share Posted September 28, 2007 check the codes... look in the garage for the procedure how to do that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k9sar Posted September 28, 2007 Share Posted September 28, 2007 if no codes, check your MAF connector (wiggle it while someone tries to keep it running) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unccpathfinder Posted September 30, 2007 Share Posted September 30, 2007 don't really have time (or the money) to tinker around with every little thing. Any ideas? I'm at a loss! its going to be a hellofa lot cheaper for you to figure it out then pay someone else to...and a lot of places if they find the problems then some places wont release the vehicle until its repaired (i think thats a law in some states) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soccerstudd5 Posted September 30, 2007 Author Share Posted September 30, 2007 Well I read the codes and got Heated O2 Sensor and Knock Sensor. Do I just need to replace these and would could these be causing my problems? I've never really heard of a problem with a knock sensor and didn't know that an O2 sensor would really mess anything up that bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedPath88 Posted October 1, 2007 Share Posted October 1, 2007 Yes, black smoke (aka to rich of an air/fuel mixture... to much fuel) can be caused by a bad O2 Sensor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94extreme Posted October 1, 2007 Share Posted October 1, 2007 yup 2.. do the O2 and see if that fixed it all.. bad knock sensor would make it run like crap also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k9sar Posted October 1, 2007 Share Posted October 1, 2007 knock sensor indication is probably secondary to the O2 sensor problem. Bad O2 causes bad mixture causes knocking causes pickup by knock sensor. Resetting the codes should make it run better unless it's a hard failure of the O2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soccerstudd5 Posted October 2, 2007 Author Share Posted October 2, 2007 Does it make sense that it comes and goes? Sometimes it will run fine for a long time (month or more) and then all the sudden it qill start acting up again. It makes sense that the mixture is off because I can smell gas when I turn off the engine sometimes but nothing is leaking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94extreme Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 check the codes man.. that will make sense and we'll go from there.. it could be many things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k9sar Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 since the wire from the connector on the MAF goes up instead of out the side, mine was being wiggled by making contact with the underside of the hood. Intermittent but I found out by pounding on the hood one day and it cleared up. Wondering what the hell I did, I opened it and looked for what could be affected by hitting the hood. There she was. I grabbed the wire and it gagged and choked. I have since rebuilt the connector with the wires coming out horizontally and no more problems. As far as the gas smell, take a look at the small hose that connects the two fuel rails. That is notorious for leakage over time. Have someone start it as you look. If it's leaking, you'll see wet on the hose while the fuel pressure is up and the engine is cold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soccerstudd5 Posted October 22, 2007 Author Share Posted October 22, 2007 Well I replaced the O2 sensor with a "new to me" that a got from someone here and it worked in there pathy, and it didn't help. It's still running horribly. I didn't get it as tight as I would've liked because the bolt from the y-pipe connecting the the pipe going into the straight pipe to the cat was pointing the wrong way and was put on backwards and was in the way. Is it being not tight enough to make it not work properly? Or is there something I have to reset with the computer? Any suggestions or is that just not the quick fix I was hoping for? Should I just give up on the old thing? TIA for the help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedPath88 Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 I suppose that if it's not tight then air could escape or come through there, thus throwing the reading off.. When changing the O2, it is not a bad idea to reset the computer by unplugging the battery for 10 or 20mins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soccerstudd5 Posted October 22, 2007 Author Share Posted October 22, 2007 Ok, I'll try that tomorrow, I didn't have time today since as soon as it was changed I had somewhere to be. Thanks for the help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soccerstudd5 Posted October 24, 2007 Author Share Posted October 24, 2007 I'm starting to get really frustrated with my pathy! Now it won't start, it will crank and crank and won't start. It has had a new battery and starter this summer and I pulled the ECU fuse for about an hour and it didn't change a thing. The pathy won't start.... did I get the wrond O2 sensor? I'm just stabbing in the dark cause I have no idea what's going on. HELP!!! It's my only car at school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soccerstudd5 Posted December 5, 2007 Author Share Posted December 5, 2007 So in case anyone is interested, turns out the problem was quite simple. (Atleast, if it is a final solution.) Turns out the only thing wrong was the throttle positioning sensor, which I replaced back in March-ish and it fixed the problem for a little while, but started acting up again aronud August. I guess the TPS was a bad part. But it's running now and hopefully it will continue to run for me. Thanks for the help all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daftpup Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 We appreciate you following up on that resolution. Some wouldn't have the common courtesy that you do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soccerstudd5 Posted January 24, 2008 Author Share Posted January 24, 2008 Well it appears to be a new year with old problems. My pathy started acting like it did last time again, and currently I have 160 miles on a tank of gas and I doubt if it will make it to 185. I usually get ATLEAST 225 out of it and sometimes up to 260. Clean filter, tuned up, new O2 sensor, TPS, and fuel filter as of end of November. It ran fine all through the holidays and was starting to plan some new mods, but now I'm starting to get sick of this and thinking about getting rid of her. Haven't had a chance to run the codes for this one yet as it's FREEZING COLD outside. Any ideas? Thanks again guys for all the help! Hope someone still checks this, if not, I'll repost somewhere else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostPath Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 Coolant temperature sensor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soccerstudd5 Posted January 24, 2008 Author Share Posted January 24, 2008 Really? Is there anyway to check that or do I just need to replace it to find out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostPath Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 (edited) You can test it with a multimeter and a precise thermometer, but it's only $25-30 from the dealer. It does eventually fail, the thing's old enough, so I'd just go ahead and replace it. While I was looking at it, I would look carefully at the wiring that goes to it. On the Z cars, that wiring is a separate subharness (costs about $10, no idea if the Pathy has the same deal) because the connector there tends to corrode and the harness gets abraded. Make sure the connector's terminals are clean and bright and that there are no breaks in the insulation in the harness. If the connector or the first inch or so is damaged, it's a standard Bosch fuel injection connector and you can splice a new one in - they're available at any auto parts store for about $5. What the coolant temperature sensor (often called the cylinder head temperature sensor by Nissan) does is it tells the computer how warm the engine is. This allows the computer to decide on base fuelling - i.e., how rich or lean to set the base mixture. If it is not sending a signal at all or it's reading like the engine is very cold, the computer will go max rich and never guess that something's wrong. The computer also will not pay attention to the O2 sensor until the CTS tells it that the engine has reached a certain temperature. CTS/CHTS = base mixture setting O2 sensor = mixture adjustment, range limited MAF sensor = mixture adjustment, range limited Edited January 24, 2008 by GhostPath Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kittamaru Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 Hm... could be the same problem I'm facing with my truck, just nowhere near as extreme... how much does a cylinder head temp sensor cost to replace for a 1990 VG30E auto? While I'm at it, I'll prolly do MAF and O2 sensor as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostPath Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 (edited) Hm... could be the same problem I'm facing with my truck, just nowhere near as extreme... how much does a cylinder head temp sensor cost to replace for a 1990 VG30E auto? While I'm at it, I'll prolly do MAF and O2 sensor as well Do you even read the posts you reply to? This is like the third time I've caught you out like this... You can test it with a multimeter and a precise thermometer, but it's only $25-30 from the dealer. http://www.courtesyparts.com/Merchant2/mer...Code=22630-VG30 (Despite what it says, that's the correct one for all the WD21 Pathfinders, IIRC) The part number for the 90 SE-V6 is 22630-01P01, and it cost me $24.66 from my local dealer with my Z Club discount. It takes about 15 minutes with a deep socket to replace it, including draining off about two quarts of coolant. O2 isn't going to cost much, but the MAF is going to be shockingly expensive. Edited January 25, 2008 by GhostPath Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kittamaru Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 Buh? Sorry mate, it's 1 am here (well, 2:42 am now) and it's been a looooong day. Did I just make a really stupid comment / question? Oh... duh... *shakes head* I'm going to bed before I hurt myself XD I'll have to add that to my list of things to replace or fix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soccerstudd5 Posted January 25, 2008 Author Share Posted January 25, 2008 Thanks again for the help all, I won't be able to get to it for atleast a couple weeks with school and all, but I will let you know what I find out about it or if I'm going to have a pathy for sale soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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