ANOTHER guy purchasing used Pathfinder. Trans ?

Discussion topics related to the radiator and transmission failures in all Nissan trucks, education of the public on this issue, and attempts to force Nissan to start a recall.

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problematique
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ANOTHER guy purchasing used Pathfinder. Trans ?

Postby problematique » Thu Jan 23, 2014 1:07 am

Hey guys, I've been reading around and I want to make sure I'm clear. I just purchased a 2007 Path with 106,000 miles on it. I live in AZ where its pretty much hot most of the time and the rest of the time it's the devil's den.
So it looks like the course of action is to replace the radiator and all is well. Should I get a transmission flush to be on the safe side? How can I check the old radiator to confirm it wasn't leaking? Finally, can someone direct me to a good quality aftermarket radiator? I want to pick the correct brand without paying Nissan a bag of money.
I can't believe Nissan won't just give these out for free!
Thanks.


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unmeloy
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Postby unmeloy » Thu Jan 23, 2014 3:54 am

last time i tried to argue about the radiator replacement i got pissed so wont go there, but IMO i dont know of a replacement radiator that is immmune to the same issues that ours have. that being said on my pathy, my tranny cooler had not failed so i did the bypass. but if you pull your transmission dip stick and look at the fluid it should look like red clear cough medicine. it if looks milky like a strawberry milk shake then the transmission has been exposed to some radiator fluid. there is a thread on here how one person flushed and rebuilt their tranny but i cannot find where it is.

problematique
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Postby problematique » Thu Jan 23, 2014 8:56 am

Thanks for the info. From what I've seen there have been no reports of a replaced radiators failing in the same fashion. My only concern is deciding what brand is top quality.
I've seen reports of the "bypass" working , but I'd rather not bypass a component when I can just replace a faulty part for the correct part.

problematique
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Postby problematique » Thu Jan 23, 2014 9:10 am

Ok, wait. I did some more reading. So basically if I don't install a aftermarket cooler (or bypass), a new radiator could potentially still break and leak into the transmission....

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eieio
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Postby eieio » Thu Jan 23, 2014 9:35 am

problematique wrote:Ok, wait. I did some more reading. So basically if I don't install a aftermarket cooler (or bypass), a new radiator could potentially still break and leak into the transmission....
any radiator with an internal transmission cooler has the "potential" to fail in this manner
the key word is "potential", which is not necessarily the same as "likelihood"
several posters here have installed aftermarket radiators that they seem happy with
no way (at this point) to know if the long-term reliability of these aftermarket replacements is better or worse than OEM radiators
the only way to 100% avoid the issue is to by-pass whatever radiator you have (or choose to get as a replacement)
many of us are by-passing, and only running the existing external transmission cooler, which seems to be sufficient for most trucks under most circumstances

problematique
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Postby problematique » Thu Jan 23, 2014 11:59 am

eieio wrote: any radiator with an internal transmission cooler has the "potential" to fail in this manner
the key word is "potential", which is not necessarily the same as "likelihood"
several posters here have installed aftermarket radiators that they seem happy with
no way (at this point) to know if the long-term reliability of these aftermarket replacements is better or worse than OEM radiators
the only way to 100% avoid the issue is to by-pass whatever radiator you have (or choose to get as a replacement)
many of us are by-passing, and only running the existing external transmission cooler, which seems to be sufficient for most trucks under most circumstances
oK, I see. Well then I may just do the bypass. My concern is the heat here in Arizona. Won't this cause a problem since I'm removing a cooling component? I will not be doing any towing.

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unmeloy
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Postby unmeloy » Thu Jan 23, 2014 1:05 pm

some people have bypassed the internal cooler and added a secondary aftermarket cooler this is also an option easy to do

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eieio
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Postby eieio » Thu Jan 23, 2014 1:49 pm

problematique wrote: oK, I see. Well then I may just do the bypass. My concern is the heat here in Arizona. Won't this cause a problem since I'm removing a cooling component? I will not be doing any towing.
the internal cooler may be more valuable for trucks in cold climates as it will allow the trans fluid to attain proper operating temperatures sooner than without it
most do fine with the by-pass and no additional cooler, especially if not towing
you can also add a trans temp guage to be able to verify your trans temp, and modify accordingly if needed
i don't care for aftermarket stuff, so I'm sticking with the simple by-pass on both of my trucks

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disallow
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Postby disallow » Thu Jan 23, 2014 2:12 pm

eieio wrote:the internal cooler may be more valuable for trucks in cold climates as it will allow the trans fluid to attain proper operating temperatures sooner than without it
most do fine with the by-pass and no additional cooler, especially if not towing
you can also add a trans temp guage to be able to verify your trans temp, and modify accordingly if needed
I can speak to this. Regarding the cold temperatures, I have noticed that the first few shifts are a little rougher than before I did the bypass, when the transmission is cold. After about 1-2 minutes, the shifts resume the normal butter smooth shifts I am used to. I don't think this is a big deal, and my truck has 230000kms on it, 130000kms have been bypassed.

I also tow a large travel trailer in summer with my pathfinder, and have never had an issue with tranny overheating. I have not installed any additional external coolers, just have the factory Air/Oil cooler.

You can also get the Bully Dog tuner, which monitors the transmission temperature parameter, which negates the need to install a gauge and run all sorts of wires, install a sender, and find power for it.

Hope that helps.

t

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smj999smj
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Postby smj999smj » Fri Jan 24, 2014 11:00 am

My $92 rad from Parts Express on Ebay is still going strong @ 2 years....knock on wood! Last time I checked, they were going for $74 incl. shipping. Some prefer to go with Spectra Premium rads out of Canada, but some of their rads are made in China, just like mine.

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iheartmypathy
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Postby iheartmypathy » Fri Jan 24, 2014 12:28 pm

I replaced my radiator when they found a bit of tranny fluid in it... then months later it was discovered that even though we had replaced it I still needed a whole new tranny. thank goodness for that class action lawsuit; i was out of warranty and it cost just about $5K, i was able to get back a little over $2600.


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