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HELP! Pathfinder died in the middle of the road...


Ruiner
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Hey guys,

I'm new to working on pathfinders, but not cars, and have encountered the first problem with my Pathy. It's a 1991 XE 4WD.

 

 

I was driving yesterday when the truck shut off... I had full power, but the motor had stopped. I pulled off the highway and popped the hood to check all the belts to make sure the timing belt hadn't come off, or anything else catastrophic happened. I unplugged the battery for a few seconds, and then tried to start it. It fired back up perfectly fine. I figured it must have been as spoof. One of those times an older used vehicle just screws up and it wouldn't happen again.

 

 

Unfortunately I was wrong. I was on my way to class today when it happened again. The engine shut off and I had full power, the CD player was still playing, but the truck would not start. I pushed it off into the closest gas station, but could really use some help troubleshooting. I waited a few minutes and it fired up just barely running and then died.

 

 

 

I'm in sorta of a pinch because school is over in 2 weeks, and I need the truck everyday for class.

 

 

Any help would be appreciated...

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Fuel pump? or possibly a relay related with it... I know when my relay went it was off and on... I would suggest searching those terms for more info.

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That's what I was aiming at...

 

Can anyone point me to the fuel pump relay? I will search on here, but in class at purdue right now and laptop is about to die.. I will have to get a ride home first and come back to work on it. Is the fuel pump hard to do if it does prove to be it?

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My relay was under the hood, we have a box of relays up there. But the R50's may be different than yours.

 

I know there is a panel under the cargo area, on the floor, that allows you access to your fuel sending unit and all... (in the WD21's)

 

Next time you start the truck, turn off your radio and all, then just turn the key to accessory, and listen for a quiet buzz from the back, that would be your fuel pump.

 

Again, try a search for these terms, as I know there is more info on these boards than in my head on this subject!!

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The other thing to check, being WD21, is the fuel sending unit which is on top of the gas tank. You can access it via a panel in the cargo area, under the carpet. I've had the wiring go 3 times in total, twice on my old truck, and once on my current one. The design of the wiring hookups is absolutely ridiculous, and leaves the wires susceptible to corrosion.

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I've confirmed the fuel pump is not kicking on. I am going to tow it back home and check the wiring first and then pull the pump if the wiring is ok and order a new one.

 

Thanks for the help guys.

 

 

Any suggestions on where to get a fuel pump? Autozone wanted 189 bucks. A friends shop said they could do 119.

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$119 is a good price. I paid nearly $300CDN a couple of years back for an aftermarket unit.

 

I'm willing to bet 90% that it's the wiring, not the pump itself. Even my original pump was okay, but not knowing what I was getting into, I changed it anyways.

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I pulled the cover off the assembly to find a ground barely attached, and when I touched one of the power wires, it broke off...

 

 

Thankfully it was just the wiring was all corroded. I'm extremely happy about this as it was free to repair. Craig came through with soldering it and a ground piece I needed and the truck is back up and running....

 

 

Amazing what rust and corrosion can do.

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