Oleschool Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 My 97 was running just fine then today when I started it the CEL came on and the truck was sluggish and jerking on acceleration. I then noticed the od light flashing and the lack of power. I had several codes including bank 1 o2 sensor,knock sensor,emissions systems and a gear 1 and gear 2 out of range.Sorry I did not save the P #s.I cleared the codes last night but now theres still a miss.In neutral when I put it to the floor it struggles to hit 4000 rpm.This was a good running truck with new dist cap,plugs fuel filter,knock sensor,o2 sensor and more.Any ideas what could be causing this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted May 12, 2016 Share Posted May 12, 2016 Interesting it's got all that at once. I suspect the trans computer got confused by the engine running like crap, though I haven't heard of it doing that. I'd focus on getting the motor first. Is it a consistent miss like one cylinder isn't firing at all or does it come and go like a fuel mix problem? If it's one cylinder that's not firing, figure out which cylinder it is and make sure it's getting spark, check the plug, make sure it's not something like the plug wire not seating properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPLORx4 Posted May 13, 2016 Share Posted May 13, 2016 flashing MIL and/or OD light could indicate a misfire, which is backed up by the poor drivability you're experiencing. Start by checking the tightness of the distributor rotor, reseat your plug wires on the cap, and reseat the plug wires on the spark plugs. If that doesn't help, I suspect that your coil is failing. Installation of a new distributor may fix it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oleschool Posted May 13, 2016 Author Share Posted May 13, 2016 Thanks.I'll be taking a look at it tonite.One thing I failed to mention was that the speedo quit working at the same time....not sure if that changes anything but thought I'd mention it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPLORx4 Posted May 13, 2016 Share Posted May 13, 2016 Speedometer not working may indicate a problem with the VSS, which could be related to why the transmission error codes were triggered. Check information in the factory service manual for how to test the VSS. Auto Tranny chapter for 97 R50. Engine Control chapter for 97 R50. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oleschool Posted May 16, 2016 Author Share Posted May 16, 2016 I read the codes and got both a P0300 and a P0500.The 500 is the VSS malfunction, I used the live feature on the reader and drove the truck,the vehicle speed remained at zero.Where is the VSS located? AS for the P0300 - I'm not too sure where to start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPLORx4 Posted May 16, 2016 Share Posted May 16, 2016 The VSS is located on the passenger side of the transfer case of a 4WD Pathfinder. As mentioned earlier, the P0300 misfire code could be due to a bad coil in the distributor. If your plugs and wires are relatively new, try replacing the distributor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oleschool Posted May 17, 2016 Author Share Posted May 17, 2016 Thanks XPLORx4.I'll see how difficult it is to remove the sensor.I'll also check the coil.Luckily I have another 97 for parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oleschool Posted May 22, 2016 Author Share Posted May 22, 2016 Just wanted to follow up on this thread. The P0300 was not the distributor.I swapped in a known good distributor and still the same.I pulled the MAF sensor and sprayed carb clean onto a Q-tip and cleaned both filaments carefully.The truck revs normally now. As for the p0500-I swapped in a new VSS and was able to clear the code. Going to test drive now.Hopefully all good. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fixinto Posted May 24, 2016 Share Posted May 24, 2016 Yep,when the MAF gets dirty it causes all kinds of stuff. probably went into limp mode or something. strange how the vss crapped out at the same time. sounds like you found the just of it. happy to hear it. Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fixinto Posted May 24, 2016 Share Posted May 24, 2016 Yep,when the MAF gets dirty it causes all kinds of stuff. probably went into limp mode or something. strange how the vss crapped out at the same time. sounds like you found the just of it. happy to hear it. Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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