spentplsr711 Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 Hey everyone. Ok so I have owned an 01 and it was great. I now have a 93 pathfinder and this thing is great but the frame rot is killing me. So iam looking at a 97 5spd vs 01 5spd. The big difference will be gas because I know when I owned my old 01 it liked to be temperament when I used regular gas. Other then that what are your guys thoughts. The 01 is only $100 bucks more so price is not an issue. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 The 97 will run on regular gas just fine. You could also fix the 93's frame rust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spentplsr711 Posted December 22, 2011 Author Share Posted December 22, 2011 The 93 is bad. The floors are in bad shape too. It has 272000 miles on it too. It runs great unless going up hill or over a bridge. I don't want to put that much time into it. I am planning on selling it or junking it when I get the next. I have two llittle kids so need something safe for them to be in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Towncivilian Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 The difference between premium and regular octane gas only amounts to a few dollars per fill-up. The VQ will run on regular gas, but I strongly prefer premium as it seems sluggish on regular. Read here for more information about octane. The 2001.0 model year Pathfinders were plagued with spark plug coil pack issues. If you can, try to find a 2001 model year that has a manufacturing date of 08/00 or newer as that will be a 2001.5 revision which has revised coil packs. Do be aware of the recent strut tower housing recall for R50s as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowTied Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 FWIW we run our 02 exclusively on 89 octane with no issues for 4 years now. If you like the power of 3.5 get the '01. If you want a simpler engine get the other one. If they are the same price I presume the 01 has higher miles? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Towncivilian Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 (edited) The power valve screws potentially falling out with the VQ engine is also a reason for concern, but from what I've read it is not a widespread issue at all and is easy to prevent yourself by applying threadlocker. Just something to think about if there is excessive oil consumption or other strange problems. BowTied, the owner's manual states that the engine is designed to run on 91 octane. My mother probably ran 87 for the 9 years she owned it and there haven't been any issues either (and I ran 87 for a while too), but now I run 93 octane always to maximize performance. I suppose you're right in that the determining factor is primarily the engine output, and maybe the styling of pre and post facelift R50s. I think they both average around the same gas mileage, no? I squeeze about 270-290 miles before filling up (I fill up when the gas light illuminates) during the "winter" months since I don't run A/C; summer I would get 240-260 miles due to constant A/C use. Edited December 23, 2011 by Towncivilian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowTied Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 The power valve screws potentially falling out with the VQ engine is also a reason for concern, but from what I've read it is not a widespread issue at all and is easy to prevent yourself by applying threadlocker. Yes, this is true. See my write up here on how to do this. BowTied, the owner's manual states that the engine is designed to run on 91 octane. My mother probably ran 87 for the 9 years she owned it and there haven't been any issues either (and I ran 87 for a while too), but now I run 93 octane always to maximize performance. Yes. Comapring notes with a buddy who has an '01 I think he said his manual says that 91 is required whereas mine says recommended. I am not aware of any engine differences, though perhaps there is in the ECM programming. When using less than 91 the computer retards the timing a little bit and there is a loss in performance by doing so. I have not had the time and patience to do a proper study to see if there is difference in fuel economy. I am sure there would be some, but is the increase in fuel economy running premium worth the surcharge for the premium? I have my doubts, especially in Canada. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Towncivilian Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 Someone did a study of regular vs. premium here: http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=29847&st=0&p=565860 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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