Anyone own a V8 Pathy and have a review?

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palmerwmd
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Anyone own a V8 Pathy and have a review?

Postby palmerwmd » Mon Sep 10, 2018 7:29 pm

Pros/Cons etc?
reliability?

I know they are rare but I hope someone here has one..
Apparently alot of the XTerra guys doing the 5.6L swaps into their rides at no small expense.. and rave about the outcome.


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Jtman
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Postby Jtman » Sun Oct 21, 2018 1:47 pm

I bought mine one year ago, 2008 V8, and it has been my favorite vehicle in a long time. I sold my 2008 Range Rover Sport SC, which was a gorgeous ride, but got sick of it being in the shop every month for nearly 1K a pop.

I looked all over Canada, found one I liked in Calgary, flew one way to pick it up and in a couple of hours and 7K in cash later, I was on the road for twelve hours back to Vancouver. "Bluebell" as I call her had 155K miles (250K Kilometers) and now has about 165K miles. She has had all weather (not all season) tires since I got her and she had no problem in the mountains with 2 ft of snow.

The only cons are the suspension, but I suspect they're the same as on the V6 models, as they're "hoppy" on uneven roads and the exhaust manifolds are known to crack on the VK56. I don't know about the later models but the ones that came out around this time have this issue and they're pricey to replace. Take them off and get headers instead.

The pros are the torque and power. It pulls like a mofo and the engine itself, obviously (at 165K miles) is reliable. I haven't had to do anything to is other than the ABS actuator I mentioned in another thread. I love this truck and the V8.

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Postby palmerwmd » Mon Oct 22, 2018 4:38 pm

Jtman wrote:I bought mine one year ago, 2008 V8, and it has been my favorite vehicle in a long time. I sold my 2008 Range Rover Sport SC, which was a gorgeous ride, but got sick of it being in the shop every month for nearly 1K a pop.

I looked all over Canada, found one I liked in Calgary, flew one way to pick it up and in a couple of hours and 7K in cash later, I was on the road for twelve hours back to Vancouver. "Bluebell" as I call her had 155K miles (250K Kilometers) and now has about 165K miles. She has had all weather (not all season) tires since I got her and she had no problem in the mountains with 2 ft of snow.

The only cons are the suspension, but I suspect they're the same as on the V6 models, as they're "hoppy" on uneven roads and the exhaust manifolds are known to crack on the VK56. I don't know about the later models but the ones that came out around this time have this issue and they're pricey to replace. Take them off and get headers instead.

The pros are the torque and power. It pulls like a mofo and the engine itself, obviously (at 165K miles) is reliable. I haven't had to do anything to is other than the ABS actuator I mentioned in another thread. I love this truck and the V8.
Thanks JT!

What kind of milage are you seeing on the highway on long distance drives?
And are you running the recommended premium, mid range or regular?

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Postby Marshall Foss » Thu Jan 24, 2019 2:21 pm

I just bought a 2008 Pathfinder LE V8 4x4. I love it. I had a 2011 Pathfinder V6 a few years ago. I loved that one too but I love power with the 5.6. It adds a "fun" element to the pathfinder that the V6 didn't have.

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Postby palmerwmd » Thu Jan 24, 2019 3:18 pm

Marshall Foss wrote:I just bought a 2008 Pathfinder LE V8 4x4. I love it. I had a 2011 Pathfinder V6 a few years ago. I loved that one too but I love power with the 5.6. It adds a "fun" element to the pathfinder that the V6 didn't have.
Welcome to "ThePath!!!! :D

So the 08's can still be had in good condition?
Can you please post up some pics especially of the engine bay?

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Postby Marshall Foss » Fri Jan 25, 2019 7:16 am

Image
Last edited by Marshall Foss on Sat Jan 26, 2019 11:54 am, edited 2 times in total.

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Postby palmerwmd » Fri Jan 25, 2019 10:20 am

Foss .. pic didnt make it :D

08SEPATHV8
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Postby 08SEPATHV8 » Mon Oct 28, 2019 3:50 pm

@palmerwmd

wish you could purchase mine brother, id love for you to own it! You seem as big a fan as me!

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Postby palmerwmd » Fri Nov 08, 2019 9:05 am

08SEPATHV8 wrote:@palmerwmd

wish you could purchase mine brother, id love for you to own it! You seem as big a fan as me!
Yes.. well i thought about making it happen..
Money is not an issue as I am an expat working in Hydrocarbons. But then how would I pay you? People are leery now of certified checks because of all the scammers out there..

I could hire an importer... but then i still have to move 2 trucks back to USA.. and i will come back probably within 18 months..
Its a big challenge and hassle.. I remember the hassle to get my current truck over here. Which I am still super happy with, its at 100% cosmetically and mechanically.

Also how would I ship it since i'd have no state to title it into?
Doesnt the title need to be in my name prior to shipment?

I am sure there is a way but it seems like it might consume a lot of time to manage for me.
:oops:

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Postby 08SEPATHV8 » Fri Nov 08, 2019 10:03 am

Do you have a residence here at all? Or family in the US?

I can certainly look into all of this and we can talk further if you’d like. I’ll Pm you.

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Postby palmerwmd » Fri Nov 08, 2019 2:37 pm

No promises but I am willing to talk .. PM sent :)

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Re: Anyone own a V8 Pathy and have a review?

Postby palmerwmd » Sun Jun 14, 2020 10:29 am

Anymore V8 reviews? I'll be back in the US this year...

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Re: Anyone own a V8 Pathy and have a review?

Postby silverarrow27 » Sun Jun 14, 2020 5:35 pm

No, sorry! I'm still waiting on my registration and license plates so I've just been doing maintenance and haven't had a chance to drive it yet.

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Re: Anyone own a V8 Pathy and have a review?

Postby palmerwmd » Fri Jul 10, 2020 5:37 am

I keep eyeing V8s on the net..
They are not many of them..
But IMHO a loaded 4WD LE V8 is functionally superior to many more famous overlanders.

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Re: Anyone own a V8 Pathy and have a review?

Postby silverarrow27 » Fri Jul 10, 2020 9:51 am

My short-term review for the few months I've had it is that it's so far easy to work on. All the basic maintenance like belt, water pump, oil filter/oil change & spark plugs are easy to get to or do. The accessories like power steering, ac, and alternator looks straight forward but can be a bit tight. However, it looks nowhere near as tight as my 2002 Frontier supercharged engine bay. I've yet to look at where the starter is to see if it's easy access or not. Other than the engine, the rest of the car seems to be the same as a V6 model.

Power? Well, that definitely is a huge plus in the Pathy and a top selling/buying point. It has that nearly 400 lb/ft torque that just nails you to the seat. However, I'm not sure if it's because my 188,XXX mile Pathy is just old, but the motor mounts can use some aftermarket poly mounts to prevent the engine from moving too much. The whole front end of the car literally shakes when it cranks at startup and when you gas it in general you can feel the twitch of the engine in the front.

The vehicle is very quiet inside and outside the cabin. You'd never know it had a V8 under the hood if it didn't have the badges telling so.

Suspension wise...I can't give you any help there as mine is all old, worn, rusted, and stock so it's very bouncy and the vehicle squeeks(could be just the suspension or could be body mounts). I've got all new Mevotech control arms, OME rear springs and shocks, with brand new Nissan OEM nuts, bolts, cotter pins, spindle nuts, control arm/knuckle bushing, and camber bolts ready to go in in the rear. Surprisingly, I'm not sure if it's because mine is a 2011, but my rear suspension currently has rear camber bolts in place. Also waiting on a pair of used rear knuckle/hubs from a Texas junkyard that I got on ebay since mine have too much rust and I didn't feel like trying to clean it up. For $115 shipped for both. I'll take it if it saves me from sanding down and painting my old ones. Also I'll install the new control arm/knuckle bushings into the incoming knuckles so I don't have to deal with it later. Suspension should all be ready to be installed once I cut out all the old arms out. I'll order all the suspension in the front when I'm done with the rear.

I don't think you'll regret it if you buy one. Depending on where you'll be coming back stateside...MPGs may not even matter to you. I'm in Southern CA where I'm still paying $3.50 /gallon for Premium 91 octane at the local Chevrons. I haven't tried running 87 or 89 octane yet as I prefer to put in 91 so I don't ever have to worry about it knocking or the ecu pulling timing when I need the power.


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