Maintenance at 92k? Spark Plugs? What else?

[paradigm]

I have 92k miles on my 2010 4.0L LE 4WD.

What should I be looking at doing to help fuel economy and keep up with reliability?

I am thinking:
- spark plugs; is there a preferred model to go with?
- transmission fluid
- differential fluid?
- PCV valve?
- clean throttle body?
- change coolant?

Anything else?

[smj999smj]

Your spark plugs aren't due until 105,000 miles, so you can actually leave them alone for awhile. When you do, it's best to stick with the OE plug manufacturer: NGK. Your original plug is an NGK # 93759, which is their Laser Iridium plug. They are expensive, so an alternative is NGK # 6240, their Laser Platinum series, which was the factory plug used in 05-06. They are both 105,000 mile plugs, but the 6240 is about $7/plug cheaper and you will not notice any difference in performance.

2010 was a switch-over year for Nissan in their coolant. You may have either Nissan Green long-life coolant or Nissan Blue extended-life coolant. Nissan Green is actually Pentosin Pentafrost A2 anti-freeze and needs to be mixed 50/50 with distilled water. It's recommended replacement interval is at 90,000 miles and every 60,000 miles, thereafter. Nissan Blue is actually Pentosin Pentafrost A3 coolant and comes only as a pre-mix, meaning no water is needed to be added to what's in the bottle. It's recommended replacement interval is 105,000 miles, but it's actually good up to 135,000 miles. Typical coolant drain and refill requires two gallons of coolant.

Nissan PCV valves rarely fail, unless the vehicle was badly maintained and the engine is sludged. If it makes you feel better, you can replace it, but I usually leave it alone unless I suspect a problem. It's at the back of the passenger side valve cover and is a bit of a pain to replace. If you are going to pull the upper plenum for any reason, you might consider replacing it then because it is a little bit easier with it out of the way.

Air filter should be inspected every 30,000 miles. Depending on your driving environment, it may be fine. I usually replace mine every 45,000 miles. The cabin air filters behind the glove box are recommended to be replaced at 15,000 mile intervals, but I usually replace mine at 30,000 miles. Again, it all depends on the driving environment; driving in dusty conditions may require more frequent replacement.

The fuel filter is part of the fuel pump module and does not get service.

Nissan instructs to inspect ATF and transfer case fluid every 15,000 miles, but doesn't give replacement intervals. Same goes for diff fluids. People's recommendations here will vary and...again...driving environment plays in part. My Pathfinders drive on mostly paved roads and highways. Others may due a lot of heavy towing or drive off-road in dusty or muddy conditions that may would require more frequent servicing. So, the following is what I do for my Pathfinders, a 2006 LE and a 2008 SE, both with 4WD:

Every 60,000 miles:

Replace front and rear diff oil, using Mobil One 75W90 synthetic gear oil.

Drain and fill automatic transmission and transfer case, refill with Valvoline Maxlife Full-synthetic ATF. Replace crush washers on all drain and fill plugs.

Empty the brake master cylinder using my vacuum brake bleeder and refill with new DOT3 brake fluid. Then I bleed the brake system until I see clean fluid coming out of each line.

FYI, I also replace my serpentine drive belt and tensioner every 90,000 miles. As far as oil and filter, I replace at 7500 mile intervals, using Walmart's SuperTech Full-synthetic 5W30 oil and a genuine Nissan oil filter. If I don't have a Nissan filter available, then I'll use a Purolator Pure One filter. I'll also replace the crush washer on the drain plug. Once a year, I'll replace the three wiper blades. I rotate tires every 15,000 miles, although Nissan recommends every 7500.

Right now I have 180,000 miles on my LE and 235,000 miles on my 08 and both are still running strong. Oil reports from Blackstone Labs also show everything is looking good and the SuperTech Full-synthetic is doing a great job!

[paradigm]

Very informative post; thank you.

How much fluid is needed for the front diff, rear diff, transfer case / transmission for a drain and fill?

Also because my 2010 uses the laser iridium, aren't those safe to run until 120k vs the laser platinum which is good up until 105k ? Or should I replace at 105k regardless?

What are your thoughts on cleaning the throttle body and MAF? I was going to unplug the battery whiles cleaning the throttle body, however I figure by moving the butterfly plate, that it will throw a throttle body error code regardless (I remember having this issue with my 03 G35 coupe, and it was a PITA to figure out the re-set procedure, the infiniti dealer wanted me to replace the entire throttle body!!)

Your spark plugs aren't due until 105,000 miles, so you can actually leave them alone for awhile. When you do, it's best to stick with the OE plug manufacturer: NGK. Your original plug is an NGK # 93759, which is their Laser Iridium plug. They are expensive, so an alternative is NGK # 6240, their Laser Platinum series, which was the factory plug used in 05-06. They are both 105,000 mile plugs, but the 6240 is about $7/plug cheaper and you will not notice any difference in performance.

2010 was a switch-over year for Nissan in their coolant. You may have either Nissan Green long-life coolant or Nissan Blue extended-life coolant. Nissan Green is actually Pentosin Pentafrost A2 anti-freeze and needs to be mixed 50/50 with distilled water. It's recommended replacement interval is at 90,000 miles and every 60,000 miles, thereafter. Nissan Blue is actually Pentosin Pentafrost A3 coolant and comes only as a pre-mix, meaning no water is needed to be added to what's in the bottle. It's recommended replacement interval is 105,000 miles, but it's actually good up to 135,000 miles. Typical coolant drain and refill requires two gallons of coolant.

Nissan PCV valves rarely fail, unless the vehicle was badly maintained and the engine is sludged. If it makes you feel better, you can replace it, but I usually leave it alone unless I suspect a problem. It's at the back of the passenger side valve cover and is a bit of a pain to replace. If you are going to pull the upper plenum for any reason, you might consider replacing it then because it is a little bit easier with it out of the way.

Air filter should be inspected every 30,000 miles. Depending on your driving environment, it may be fine. I usually replace mine every 45,000 miles. The cabin air filters behind the glove box are recommended to be replaced at 15,000 mile intervals, but I usually replace mine at 30,000 miles. Again, it all depends on the driving environment; driving in dusty conditions may require more frequent replacement.

The fuel filter is part of the fuel pump module and does not get service.

Nissan instructs to inspect ATF and transfer case fluid every 15,000 miles, but doesn't give replacement intervals. Same goes for diff fluids. People's recommendations here will vary and...again...driving environment plays in part. My Pathfinders drive on mostly paved roads and highways. Others may due a lot of heavy towing or drive off-road in dusty or muddy conditions that may would require more frequent servicing. So, the following is what I do for my Pathfinders, a 2006 LE and a 2008 SE, both with 4WD:

Every 60,000 miles:

Replace front and rear diff oil, using Mobil One 75W90 synthetic gear oil.

Drain and fill automatic transmission and transfer case, refill with Valvoline Maxlife Full-synthetic ATF. Replace crush washers on all drain and fill plugs.

Empty the brake master cylinder using my vacuum brake bleeder and refill with new DOT3 brake fluid. Then I bleed the brake system until I see clean fluid coming out of each line.

FYI, I also replace my serpentine drive belt and tensioner every 90,000 miles. As far as oil and filter, I replace at 7500 mile intervals, using Walmart's SuperTech Full-synthetic 5W30 oil and a genuine Nissan oil filter. If I don't have a Nissan filter available, then I'll use a Purolator Pure One filter. I'll also replace the crush washer on the drain plug. Once a year, I'll replace the three wiper blades. I rotate tires every 15,000 miles, although Nissan recommends every 7500.

Right now I have 180,000 miles on my LE and 235,000 miles on my 08 and both are still running strong. Oil reports from Blackstone Labs also show everything is looking good and the SuperTech Full-synthetic is doing a great job!

[smj999smj]

The Nissan recommended interval for the Laser Iridium plugs is 105,000 miles, but they will last 120,000 miles in most cases.

If you clean the throttle body, you may have to relearn the idle air volume.

For the transmission drain and fill, it is usually about 1-gallon. I buy the 1-gallon jugs of Valvoline Maxlife Full-synthetic ATF at Walmart for about $18 and it works out perfectly. I'll do an initial fill of 3.5 quarts and add as needed after the trans fluid has warmed up.

Transfer case depends on whether you have an LE or not, as the LE has the AUTO mode transfer case, which takes a lot more fluid:

AUTO transfer case: 3-1/8 qt.
Standard transfer case: 2-1/8 qt.
*Both use ATF. I use Valvoline Maxlife Full-synthetic ATF.

Differentials depend on whether you have the V6 or V8:

V6: Front: 1-3/4 pt. Rear: 3 pt.
V8: Front: 3-3/8 pt. Rear: 3-3/4 pt.

BTW: All of this information is on your 2010 Pathfinder Owners Manual and Maintenance Guide. If you don't have them, you can download them from NissanHelp.com:

https://x.nissanhelp.com/forums/maintenance.php

https://x.nissanhelp.com/forums/Knowledgebase/links/47/


*NOTES: If you are going to service the front and rear diffs, I highly recommend you get a fluid transfer pump. You can get them from most auto parts stores or online:

https://www.autozone.com/test-scan-and- ... /94647_0_0

You will need a 10MM hex socket to R&R the diff plugs:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-3-8-i ... /202913545

You will need six of Nissan P/N: 11026-4N200 drain plug washers to do both diffs and the transfer case. The engine oil pan and AT pan drain plugs use 11026-01M02 washers. Torque spec for all is 25 ft/lb.

Do not mix up the drain and fill plugs on the transfer case! The drain plug has a magnet on it that will hit the gear inside of the transfer case if you install it in the fill hole (don't ask me how I know).

[coatseast]

I just PMd you with many of these same questions. I think you have answered them all here!

The Nissan recommended interval for the Laser Iridium plugs is 105,000 miles, but they will last 120,000 miles in most cases.

If you clean the throttle body, you may have to relearn the idle air volume.

For the transmission drain and fill, it is usually about 1-gallon. I buy the 1-gallon jugs of Valvoline Maxlife Full-synthetic ATF at Walmart for about $18 and it works out perfectly. I'll do an initial fill of 3.5 quarts and add as needed after the trans fluid has warmed up.

Transfer case depends on whether you have an LE or not, as the LE has the AUTO mode transfer case, which takes a lot more fluid:

AUTO transfer case: 3-1/8 qt.
Standard transfer case: 2-1/8 qt.
*Both use ATF. I use Valvoline Maxlife Full-synthetic ATF.

Differentials depend on whether you have the V6 or V8:

V6: Front: 1-3/4 pt. Rear: 3 pt.
V8: Front: 3-3/8 pt. Rear: 3-3/4 pt.

BTW: All of this information is on your 2010 Pathfinder Owners Manual and Maintenance Guide. If you don't have them, you can download them from NissanHelp.com:

https://x.nissanhelp.com/forums/maintenance.php

https://x.nissanhelp.com/forums/Knowledgebase/links/47/


*NOTES: If you are going to service the front and rear diffs, I highly recommend you get a fluid transfer pump. You can get them from most auto parts stores or online:

https://www.autozone.com/test-scan-and- ... /94647_0_0

You will need a 10MM hex socket to R&R the diff plugs:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-3-8-i ... /202913545

You will need six of Nissan P/N: 11026-4N200 drain plug washers to do both diffs and the transfer case. The engine oil pan and AT pan drain plugs use 11026-01M02 washers. Torque spec for all is 25 ft/lb.

Do not mix up the drain and fill plugs on the transfer case! The drain plug has a magnet on it that will hit the gear inside of the transfer case if you install it in the fill hole (don't ask me how I know).

[palmerwmd]

SMJ really knocks 'em put of the park!