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Got my first pathfinder


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Hi everybody! I just got my Pathfinder today.

95, xe-v6, 4x4, 5 speed, 4 door, 130,000 miles (broken speedometer and odometer) reliable owner says add 15-20k to that number. Red with grey interior.  Auto windows, locks and mirrors.

 

You can call me JP for short.

 

I used to own an 86.5 hardbody as well as another 86.5 and 87 hardbody for parts and an unfinished/abandoned truck bed trailer project.  Sad to say I had to get rid of them due to a move over 5 years ago.

 

The Pathfinder will be my daily driver but also designed for camping and over landing.  Not necessarily extreme mudding or rock climbing.

 

Truck has some issues that need fixin'.  Starts and drives, has decent tires, drove it 70 miles to a workable location.  If anyone could point me to the right threads to help out this forum noob I would highly appreciate it!  Many problems I've dealt with before but tips always welcome.  I have daily access to a machine shop and have intermediate skills with basic mechanics and fabrication.  Just need to budget as I go.

 

Problems at purchase:

1) valve head oil leak

2) radiator cap leak (came with new radiator in the back)

3) speedometer and odometer don't work (quit working on my old hardbody too)

3.5) tach is jumpy

4) clutch catches very early

5) hood latch release lever super tight and sticks in the open position.

6) air conditioning belt not attached (may not work, don't know yet)

7) rear tire carrier removed ?

? no roof rack ?

9) no spare tire or rim

10) minor rust issues

 

Plans for truck: 

0.1) fix above problems lol

1) new plugs wires and belts

2) better alternator

3) led headlight conversion

4) winch and mount

5) trailer hitch

6) light bar

7) basic tune up and suspension service

? warn manual hubs

9) finally paint

 

 Only had this for less than 12 hours so I'm sure I'll find more out as I dig into it more.

 

Looking forward to being a part of the Pathfinder community, I always wanted one and am excited to get it working better than it has in the last decade or two.  Thanks for having me! Peace.

p_6cb524fe81504869eb2dad3b61221f85.jpg

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:welcome: Looks like you have your work cut out for you, but sounds like you've got a good skillset to take it on. Looks pretty straight apart from the clear coat. Hopefully the rust isn't too bad. No roof rack is a bummer, but you're not missing out on that much. The stock rack is usable for light stuff but the crossbars like to shift around if you try to tighten a strap between them. Some people adapt the first-gen Xterra racks to fit, some make their own. I keep meaning to make a better rack for mine and I keep not getting around to it.

 

Add the timing belt to your list if you don't know when it was done last. I did mine right after I got the truck. While you've got the intake off to do the valve cover gaskets is a great time to do the plugs (you can actually see them all!) and clean out around them. Mine were buried in packrat crap.

 

For the jumpy tach, try snugging up the brass screws connecting the plastic circuit board to the back of the cluster (back side). Might just be a weak connection there. For the speedo/tach, I'd check the computer to see if it's coding for the speed sensor. Should narrow down which end of the system the problem's on if nothing else. Sensor, cluster, wiring in between.

 

I'm running stock headlights on mine, with a relay harness because the factory headlight wiring is dumb. If you want LEDs, do some research first. I haven't looked into it much but it sounds like the beam pattern on some of them isn't great.

 

You can get the factory service manual for '95 free from Nicoclub. Very helpful thing to have around. Takes a little getting used to but lots of useful troubleshooting/diagrams/etc. Tons of good info here as well!

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Thanks for the pointers slartibartfast, that manual will be invaluable. Did some more investigating and I'm going to need to do some frame repair, back passenger side is rotting out but still straight.  I'll clean it up and weld in some new steel, then wire brush the rest and seal it with paint to prevent/slow-down any further rust development.  Is it difficult to find replacement outside window trim pieces?  Or am I stuck to junkyard hunting?

 

Other minor problems are headlight mounting ring missing on passenger side, some farmyard repairs that don't bother me too bad.  But I'll also need to replace the boots up front, and check brakes while I'm at it.  They seem fine from what I'm able to tell without pulling them apart.  Passenger mirror a little loose, easy stuff. 

 

Saving up for a collection of parts like timing belt and other engine tune-up gear to hit it all at once while I have stuff apart. May take a month to gather everything and begin the work, but I will post the progress and I'm sure find more questions as I go. Thanks again. Peace.

 

 

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Bummer about the frame, that's common on these unfortunately. My '95 was pretty rotten back there too. I didn't have the skill to repair it at the time so I ended up parting it out. It was rotten over the axle on both sides. I don't know how Nissan managed to make the highest part of the frame rust the worst. Mine was also rusted out in the bottom of the frame back towards the bumper, especially over the exhaust pipe.

 

Some trim parts are available aftermarket. Others may be harder to track down. Nissanpartsdeal.com might give you a part number you can search elsewhere (or you might get lucky and find that they still have what you're after, though I'd be surprised). I've been told that the trim around the rear windows is something a glass shop would likely have on hand.

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I'm curious about the pathy's history, I don't live in the rust belt and they use sand on the roads here.  My hardbody had zero rust, one of the parts trucks was almost nothing but rust though lol.  Do the pathy's optionally come with limited slip differentials? I don't know if mine has one for sure. Haven't had a chance to drive it much yet.  

 

Thanks for the link to the window seals!  You guys rock!

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I found a vin lookup tool once and ran the vin from my '95. Fleet or rental in New York, then registered in Idaho, before coming to Washington. Surprising it wasn't more rotten than it was, really.

 

And yes, a clutch-type limited slip was optional on these. Check the back of your rear axle, there should be an orange sticker on the pumpkin that says "use LSD oil only" if it's got it.

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Still saving for parts, I'm not driving it yet.  I'm currently detailing my car for sale.  Then I'll tackle the pathy head on.  Oil leak then frame repair first. I'm guessing by the end of May I will be working on her.

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418157984_Untitled1.thumb.jpg.9fbad1c2e0f84f7dbf854f9bb4b3ac81.jpgCouldn't resist! Way too nice out I had to go wheelin'.  Avoided mud due to rust issues.  

 

Did some work on it today.  (2 speaker/stereo questions below)

 

1) Used silicone lubricant on all door locks, latches, and hinges.  As well as hood latch and release, gas tank cover release, window tracks, seat adjustment rails.

2) Cleaned it out, packed full of rat nesting $#!+.  Particularly under the shifter boot.

3) Used degreaser on interior parts using toothbrushes and larger brushes.  Vacuumed it out, still dog hair in carpet. 

4) Bought replacement mirror material for driver door, screwed up and shouldn't have put the 3rd adhesive strip across center, made it like a fun-house mirror.  Oops.

5) Bought WIX air filter (need truck to last, K&N doesn't filter well enough for that). The airbox was full of nesting material, I mean FULL!  

6) Installed CB antenna, ran it through door channel and along the inside between the windshield and dash to the radio.

7) Bought some head gasket sealer juice that I will use when I know I won't be using the Pathy for a day. Not positive there's an issue there but I don't think it will hurt, I smell coolant burning while driving yet there's no visible leak that I've spotted yet.

8? Had a sandwich.

9) Temporary fix: spray painted over rust on rear bumper.  As well as on the rear wiper arm that's peeling.

10) Bought seat cover for driver side (dirty job I have).

11) Outer door handle failed and heard a clunk.  Proceeded to take off door panel to find every clip torn out of panel ?.  And to top that off, he cut the door open to get to the mechanism easily, which sucks but made my job a little easier.  Rod is missing between Outer handle and plastic sleeve.  "Farmer Joe" took an old wire and twisted it to fit in there. Rod clips are broke so not sure I want to mess with finding the parts for them.  Nissan doesn't carry them anymore.  I just modified his work and bent the (heavy) wire to work tighter and not fall out again.

12) LED cargo light (will eventually change all lights to LED to reduce alternator keep-up, as well as custom color choices, I'm going to run all red , dash and all, except main dome light).

13) Started to work on installing my head unit and inspecting "Farmer Joe's" handy work with the radio...  Joe installed old dial radio w/ no cassette even, had to cut the plastic to fit it in (install kit will cover it though).  And he has one old computer-speaker wired that sits below the center console.  All wires to factory radio were cut but accessable still.  Random wires running to the back cargo area that look like they may have ran a system at one point, maybe.  Two tweeters hooked into loose wiring, not sure if they are the originals for the Pathy's rear.  I'll take a pic tomorrow when it's daylight.  

 

This leads me to a couple questions.  I've searched the forum and understand the factory amp issue when installing a new stereo.  Pathy already has the antenna adapter.  And I could potentially figure out which wires are power from what's already connected.  I'm going to bypass amp (if theres even one left).  How do I access the rear speakers and factory amps?  Do I have to remove the whole headliner or do the speaker covers pop off? (95 xe-v6 4 door).  I tried carefully but don't want to break clips or whatever is holding it there.  Speakers in doors are shot, paper cones are turning to dust so I'll likely replace all the speakers.  No woofer system, just want the factory front and rear position speakers and tweeters. (Should I even run the tweeters if I buy 2 or 3 way speakers?  Won't that require a crossover/amp?). 

 

Lastly I came across a few issues as I worked on the Pathy today.

 

1). Center arm-rest console was"Joe's trash can, not inside, but beneath it, cough drop wrappers and such, shoved in either through the e-brake pocket or through the missing switch cover hole.  The arm rest was super wobbly, the front only has one bracket to attach to, and the back doesn't clip in.  Found this out after spending an hour digging gnarly coins out of the screw holes, packed full of black resin-like grime.  (Not drug related luckily).  But I still can't see the screw heads, it doesn't bother me that much, after I put in my Drop-Stops they sorta wedge it in place.

2) Dimmer switch doesn't dim.

3) Crude patch under rear seat floor.

4) Cruise control may not be working, I can't get it to work.

5) Has fog light button wired in but no fog lights on Pathy.

6) Power door locks confusing, sometimes when I attempt to open the passenger door while unlocked, it locks all the doors as I lift the handle.  Actually got locked out today, but nieghbor has Jimmy bar ?.  

 

More to come!

Edited by JPpathfinder
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My airbox was full of rat's nest too! It was all packed into the MAF sensor and the truck had no power. Got the truck cheap because the PO couldn't figure out what was wrong with it. When I had the fender off, I added a coarse mesh over the air intake to keep them out, because we've got rodents for days where I live.

 

Head gasket sealer is a great way to clog up heater cores and just generally make a mess. Head gaskets are also not a common failure on this engine. More likely you have a leaky hose or water pump to track down.

 

Yeah, the door clips kinda suck. Old brittle plastic slotted into old brittle fiber board. Not too hard to get out intact if you're careful about it, and I've managed to epoxy broken ones back in before, but they're not what I would call robust.

 

The things people do to stereo wiring! Been a while since I dug into my speakers but yeah, I think the grilles for the rear roof speakers just pop out on their own. The audio amps are behind the trim on the passenger's rear of the cargo area. You only have to remove that one trim panel to get to them (grab and pull), though it'll be much easier to remove if you also remove the trim piece running along the back of the cargo area (that the rear hatch striker sticks through). The fasteners in those are a grand old PITA because they're plastic threaded loosely into plastic, and any downward pressure just pushes them back in. I use a small flat screwdriver to unscrew them enough to get a fingernail under the head, then unscrew it the rest of the way while pulling up on it. You can run the stock speakers with no amp, you can use capacitors as a high-pass filter. If you get speakers with the tweeters built in, though, don't bother. The PO of mine had mids with tweeters built in, which is fine on its own, but sounds harsh if you've got the factory tweeters too. Expect a bit of a fight getting new speakers to fit the front doors. The plastic inserts in mine required a little router time to fit the speakers. (The last idiots had half-ass wood-screwed the speakers into generally the right place, but with a little trimming, you can get them fitted properly.)

The screws holding the back of the console in should be under a rubber pad in the back, down a couple of hollow spears extending down to meet the plastic clip-in screw points in the floor. Mine were stripped. The consoles aren't great to begin with, and mine was also crusted with schmoo (cigarette residue mixed with armorall). I pitched it and made my own.

 

My dimmer was shot too, ended up picking up a replacement that wasn't worn out and chock full of schmoo. I ran it bypassed for a while because bright dash lights were better than no dash lights, which was what I had. I don't think I kept the dimmer from my '95 but I'll check my bin.

 

Rear seat floor is a common rust spot. My '95 rotted there, too. We got lucky and found a solid one at the wreckers to cut a patch panel from.

 

Cruise control could be a few things. The service manual has a troubleshooting section for that. Also make sure you're using it right. IIRC you have to turn the system on with a switch on the dash, then set it with buttons on the wheel on the round-dash trucks. The contacts between the wheel and the column can also act up, I had to clean mine a couple of times to keep the horn working.

 

Fog light wiring's probably tucked behind the bumper. If you can't find it, look for a Bosch relay screwed to the firewall near the wiper motor, and follow the wires forward. One should go to the battery (with an inline fuse holder), the other should go to the fog light harness.

 

And finally, yeah, the power locks in these are glitchy. I've learned not to shut the doors while it's running unless I'm in it or the window is down. Some people have resolved their door lock issues by resoldering the contacts in the door lock timer (doors locking/unlocking when you go over bumps). My '95 put up a hell of a fight sometimes, pushing back against the key, locking the doors when you pull the handle. It mostly acted up when it was cold out and I couldn't be arsed to chase it, then calmed down when it warmed up again, so I never got around to tracking it down, but I suspect it's an issue with the contacts in the door lock actuators or the switch that tells the lock timer when you lock the doors with the key.

Edited by Slartibartfast
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Awesome and well detailed reply! 

I live in a very cold place, hope it's not going to be Uber problematic during winter.. never did get a pic of the wiring in the back but I did get my head-unit in for now, all speaker channels running to the cheapo computer speaker.  Will upgrade later.  And since the door is already chopped it won't be a big deal if I have to trim for speakers, I can do way better work than he did.

 

Had a guy check over motor today, he doesn't think there is a coolant leak.  So I won't use that stuff, I'll take it back tomorrow.  My neighbor was a car dealer and diagnostics professional and personally owned two pathys so he's been a big help.  

 

My console screws are stripped out too. I'll leave it till it breaks.

 

Also fixed the speedometer for 25$... Said screw it and bought a GPS speedometer lol.  Worth it to avoid the time and headache of troubleshooting those, did that on my 86.5 hardbody and don't want to do it again, I cleaned the contacts and tightened the screws and it still doesn't work so meh!

 

Brake cleaned the motor to see specifically where the oil leak is from and how bad it is.  Will keep a close eye on it till I can decide what needs to be done or if it's a really slow leak.

 

Think my dimmer may have been bypassed since the dash still lights up on full.

 

I will check for the wiring for the fog lights and check the contacts for the cruise control tomorrow, thanks for the pointers.

 

Peace!

Edited by JPpathfinder
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  • 2 weeks later...

More basic work done.  More work to do.

 

1) Had some loose wires in the engine compartment so I bought some loom and got it away from any hot engine parts.  

 

2) Fixed the exhaust, right where the pipe connects to the 'y' just below the driver's seat. There was a 1/4 inch gap between the two and I couldn't pull them tighter.  Previous owner used tinfoil, tow strap and hose clamp... didn't work.  So I used some exhaust putty as well as the FiberFix exhaust bandage kit.  I wish I had a before and after video, it was loud, all engine.  I can hardly tell if the trucks running now since the tacho doesn't always work.  Lol. 

 

3). -Question- Found two connectors hanging down on the passenger side of the transfer case/transmission area (might get pictures later), they are both female plug ends with two pins inside.  I couldn't find where they would go or even what they are for.  The tacho sometimes works so I imagine it's not for that, could it be to the speed sensor maybe?  I'm terrible at identifying electrical system stuff.

 

4) Cleaned and welded a portion of the passenger side frame that was rotting out, there's another spot behind the passenger rear tire that needs attention real soon, maybe tomorrow.  There's some lines running along the inside that I'll have to be real careful with. (Tried uploading picture, gotta find a place to upload to).

 

5) Ordering new brake kits, there's some grinding when almost stopped.  

 

6) Tension rod on passenger side needs replaced.  It's disconnected at the rear near the boot.

 

7) I hate the dipstick on this motor, it's so hard to read that I over-filled it.  I'm having trouble finding a flat one instead of the rectangular box version.  Oil leak seems minimal, still keeping an eye on it.

 

? Also having trouble finding a bolt for the auto-locking hubs. People at my local O'Reilly weren't able to look it up and left me hanging.  Not super competent there.  But neither am I lol.

 

9) Boss is willing to help me build the tire carrier for the back.  I'd like to have mounts for a shovel, Jerry cans and highlift.  Starting to draw it out using the images from the Nicoclub manual. 

 

10) Also bought a tire inflator and battery jumper.  Working on building storage for all camping and fishing gear, and other basic items.  Bought extra bulbs for backup.  Still tracking down spare tire rim.  Walmart has BF Goodrich all-terrain 31s on clearance from the usual $130 down to $80 so I think I'm going to snag 5 while they're still that affordable!  That's $250 saved!

 

That's about all for now, love the resources here and the support.  Peace.

 

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  • 1 month later...

Update!

 

Trimmed rust, cleaned and welded frame solid! I feel much better about that.

 

I found the oil leak, it was the rear main seal.  Tested blue devil rear main seal fix juice stuff and next day I had no leak at all, left it in for a week then drained oil and changed oil and filter. No issues since, I don't want to tackle a rear main seal on these if I can avoid it, so that's good for now.

 

Did minor fixes like battery strap, clips and found a new-old stock door latch rod piece.  

 

Bought new pads and rotors, haven't installed yet.

 

Went hunting through our states largest salvage yard and picked up a roof rack for 40$.  Took it to the shop and stripped it, painted it and installed it, used silicone in the holes to seal it. Looks way better now, loving it.  Also picked up fender flares all the way around (haven't put on yet).  Found some window trim pieces, plastic trim, cargo light cover, bolt for auto hub, and the real treasure I found is Lego wheels. Only had two, I'll use one for my spare until I can find 2 more. Wonder what they would look like powder coated black?.  Although I'd kinda hate to do that to Lego wheels.  There was an se-v6 there with a great interior, may swap seats and door panels next time I'm there.

 

Did not find a rear hatch tire carrier swing though which was the initial reason I went there ?.  

 

❓Question- are there any tire carriers from other vehicles that will fit a wd21? I found a tire carrier for a rodeo that looked close but forgot to bring tape measure to really check.  I'm mostly only concerned with where it mounts to the corner for strength, I believe I could retrofit the latch from one to another, any advice please? 

 

PS. Still trying to find a place to upload photos. Would like to show progress.

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I've seen pictures of black Legos, and on a white truck, they looked pretty good. I think they'd look a little "murdered out bro" on mine (black on black). One thing to look out for when looking for Legos, there are actually two kinds. Most take acorn lugs, but the really early ones took shoulder lugs. I didn't know this until I picked up a shouldered one by mistake. There are also two styles of hubcap (early ones with fake lugnuts and later ones without), but the clips should be the same.

 

I'm not aware of another carrier that'll bolt on. You could adapt a similar carrier to fit, but I think by the time you made a set of hinges that fit the contours of the quarter panel, and made your own latch, and dealt with the wheel mount that may or may not have the right lug pattern and offset, and fought whatever clearance issues pop up, you could've either tracked down a stock rack or made a custom bumper with dual swing-outs and hookers and blackjack and either way you'd be happier with the finished product.

 

The exhaust leak at the Y pipe is pretty standard on these. I had a new gasket for mine, but took one look at the condition of the bolts and just welded the flanges together LOL. I'll probably regret that when I have to drop the exhaust, but that's what the Sawzall is for.

As for your connectors, hard to say without a picture, but the transfer does have the speed sensor (in a round-dash truck) and the switch for the 4x4 light on the dash. Check the wire colors against the diagram in the EL section of the service manual. You might also need to check the TF section to see where the plugs should go on the transfer once you've got them ID'd.

Image hosting is more of a PITA than it used to be, unfortunately. You can use something like Imgur or Flickr but they're not built for it. Apparently Tapatalk has a hosting setup, but I haven't tried that one yet because I don't post from my phone.

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I found a couple tire carriers online but they want 400$.  Seems steep for a vehicle that's only worth 2k at best nowadays.  

 

The Lego wheels have the fake lugs on them, they're off of a 95 se. Didn't know there were differences.  I plan on painting the pathy flat tan with black accents down the road, gotta do some Bondo work in places so may as well do the paint I want eventually.  How difficult is it to pull the plastic 'vent' things that are on the outside behind the glass in the back?  Would it be easier to paint them while on or are they simple to take out?  Not sure if I explained that well enough.  Love the quick response man thanks!

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No worries! And yeah, that's too much. Keep looking around. Last I saw there were some in a yard around here, but shipping on something that heavy/bulky probably wouldn't be worth it. Black wheels should look good with the tan.

 

I've taken one of those vents off. It was not worth the hassle or the epoxy it took to put it back together afterwards. Mask the window and pillar and paint them in place.

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Lol, will do.  Tracked down a tire carrier 80 miles out for 70$.  I will arrange for pickup tomorrow.  I'm excited man, got the roof rack and now the tire carrier (hopefully).  Going to see if they will send me a picture of the carrier before I pay over the phone since I'm having someone else pick it up due to my work hours.  I'm sure it's right but I will feel better if I can see it first.  Painting is still a ways off, will likely do some suspension work first, then need to do some body work like Bondo and maybe a new fender and hood, it's not bad but the PO bent the corner a little and the fender is eaten through in a spot with the bottom 3 inches gone. We'll see, probably half a year before I tackle any paintwork.

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  • 2 months later...

Been a while since I've posted, actually got quite a bit done but I'm afraid it may have been all for nothing.  

 

Diagnosed timing belt failure. ?.  Was driving interstate uphill at 75 mph when there was a small clunk and lost all power.  Coasted to a stop and had it towed to small town.  Shop that looked at it not set up to do extensive mechanic work but believes it's the timing belt. 

 

Is there any remote chance that my pistons etc are not destroyed?  I either have to get it towed to another shop to get into it, tow it home and work on it, or find out that there's no chance and junk a project I've put so much time and money into already.  

 

Only reason I didn't put a new one in was because I was informed that the previous owner changed it and the water pump not long before selling.  Now I'm wishing I did.  If I can get it fixed then I'll update with what else has been done to it.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Update. Put new timing belt in as well as new front main seals, water pump, and thermostat. Got her put back together and fired it up. It runs and idles but a little rough. No clanking sounds or ticking, but never the less rough.  Dropped it off at mechanic to give it a compression test and further diagnosis. Will go from there. Feeling lucky but not out of the woods yet.

 

 

 

 

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