2006 Pathfinder Nismo?

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RH777
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2006 Pathfinder Nismo?

Postby RH777 » Fri Aug 17, 2018 2:25 pm

I’m looking at a 2006 Pathfinder with Nismo badging on the doors tomorrow. It has 126K miles and original owner. I’ve read a lot of bad things about the 2005-2007 pathfinders. The owner said he did the radiator bypass years ago and has all service records. Should I stay away or give it a chance? Are there any major expenses that I will be facing soon or are these not as defective as I’ve read?


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eieio
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Re: 2006 Pathfinder Nismo?

Postby eieio » Fri Aug 17, 2018 4:13 pm

RH777 wrote:I’m looking at a 2006 Pathfinder with Nismo badging on the doors tomorrow. It has 126K miles and original owner. I’ve read a lot of bad things about the 2005-2007 pathfinders. The owner said he did the radiator bypass years ago and has all service records. Should I stay away or give it a chance? Are there any major expenses that I will be facing soon or are these not as defective as I’ve read?
Is that a non US model?
I'm not familiar with a Nismo badged Pathfinder.

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smj999smj
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Postby smj999smj » Fri Aug 17, 2018 4:33 pm

Well, there is no such thing as a 2006 Pathfinder Nismo. Badges can be added on and I have Nismo emblems on the back of my 2006 Pathfinder and 2003 Frontier. If he did the bypass and there was never any cross-contamination issues, that's a great thing! If you want to employ the radiator's trans cooler, then just replace the factory radiator with an aftermarket unit; they aren't that expensive.
The first two years were especially problem-prone, but now at 124,000 miles, hopefully most of those issues have already been addressed and won't be a problem. If you can get a CARFAX report on it, that may provide you with some good info. The second biggest problem as far as expense that occurs is the timing chain issues. It doesn't occur on all of them and when it occurs can vary. Basically, when the upper chain links were stamped out, the tooling that did it wore. The more wear on the tooling created links that had sharp edges that would end up cutting into the plastic timing chain tensioner faces. This created a distinct "whining" noise that if left unrepaired, could eventually lead to the chain jumping and damaging valves. The noise increases and decreases with RPM and sounds a bit like a bad power steering pump whine.
Most of the other issues weren't too bad to fix if they occurred. There were a number of fuel senders that failed, front sway bar mount bushings that collapsed and caused a knocking noise (Nissan has since upgraded those bushings) and occasionally we encounter a heater pipe failure at the plastic connection. Belt squeak issues are corrected with a new serpentine tensioner and an updated belt that is about 10MM shorter to increase belt tension. We've has some bad fan clutches and fan bracket bearings and A/C clutch coils that have gone bad, but they aren't too bad too fix (stick with genuine Nissan on the first two parts). The control arm bolts and toe adjusters sometimes seize in the bushing sleeves. The rear springs are a bit weak, but can be corrected by using other options, like Moog coil springs or by installing Air Lift 1000 air bags. Many like to replace the rear shocks with Bilstein 4600's or another monotube shock. We've had some oil pressure senors fail (causing the oil pressure gauge to read high) and a few low oil pressure incidents caused by gasket failure at the back of the rear timing cover. A lot of these problems affect not just the early models, but through the 2010 model years.
I've been happy with mine. It's comfortable, has plenty of power and gas mileage isn't terrible (I average 17.5 combined MPG). I have the 2006 LE with 180,000 miles and a 2008 with 234,000 miles and they are both still holding up well. If the price and service history are good, I wouldn't be too worried about it.

RH777
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It was sold before I had a chance to look at it.

Postby RH777 » Mon Aug 20, 2018 6:40 pm

smj999smj wrote:Well, there is no such thing as a 2006 Pathfinder Nismo. Badges can be added on and I have Nismo emblems on the back of my 2006 Pathfinder and 2003 Frontier. If he did the bypass and there was never any cross-contamination issues, that's a great thing! If you want to employ the radiator's trans cooler, then just replace the factory radiator with an aftermarket unit; they aren't that expensive.
The first two years were especially problem-prone, but now at 124,000 miles, hopefully most of those issues have already been addressed and won't be a problem. If you can get a CARFAX report on it, that may provide you with some good info. The second biggest problem as far as expense that occurs is the timing chain issues. It doesn't occur on all of them and when it occurs can vary. Basically, when the upper chain links were stamped out, the tooling that did it wore. The more wear on the tooling created links that had sharp edges that would end up cutting into the plastic timing chain tensioner faces. This created a distinct "whining" noise that if left unrepaired, could eventually lead to the chain jumping and damaging valves. The noise increases and decreases with RPM and sounds a bit like a bad power steering pump whine.
Most of the other issues weren't too bad to fix if they occurred. There were a number of fuel senders that failed, front sway bar mount bushings that collapsed and caused a knocking noise (Nissan has since upgraded those bushings) and occasionally we encounter a heater pipe failure at the plastic connection. Belt squeak issues are corrected with a new serpentine tensioner and an updated belt that is about 10MM shorter to increase belt tension. We've has some bad fan clutches and fan bracket bearings and A/C clutch coils that have gone bad, but they aren't too bad too fix (stick with genuine Nissan on the first two parts). The control arm bolts and toe adjusters sometimes seize in the bushing sleeves. The rear springs are a bit weak, but can be corrected by using other options, like Moog coil springs or by installing Air Lift 1000 air bags. Many like to replace the rear shocks with Bilstein 4600's or another monotube shock. We've had some oil pressure senors fail (causing the oil pressure gauge to read high) and a few low oil pressure incidents caused by gasket failure at the back of the rear timing cover. A lot of these problems affect not just the early models, but through the 2010 model years.
I've been happy with mine. It's comfortable, has plenty of power and gas mileage isn't terrible (I average 17.5 combined MPG). I have the 2006 LE with 180,000 miles and a 2008 with 234,000 miles and they are both still holding up well. If the price and service history are good, I wouldn't be too worried about it.
There are a lot of 2005 - 2009 Pathfinders for sale on Facebook Marketplace in the Chicago area. Mostly 2005's. It looks like they get them at auction and try to flip them. Is it risky taking a chance on one of those not knowing if the radiator was changed? If I do buy one, should my first 2 tasks be bypassing the radiator and putting in a trans cooler and having the timing chains replaced or looked at?

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smj999smj
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Postby smj999smj » Mon Aug 20, 2018 11:05 pm

As far as the timing chains, not all of the VQ40DE engines had problems with them; again, it all depends on the amount of wear on the tooling when the links were stamped for the upper chains. There is no way to look at them without removing the entire front timing cover. Unless they are making noise, there is no reason to replace them.

There is potential risk when purchasing any 2005-2010 radiator unless you can verify the history as far as the radiator cooler issue. Checking the fluid would be the first thing you'd want to do, which will require a 10MM socket, extension and ratchet because the dipstick is bolted down from the factory. You don't want to see any signs of white streaks or pink custard on the dipstick. You also don't want to see oil in the coolant reservoir. That said, just because the fluid is clean doesn't guarantee that the cooler didn't fail previously and the trans fluid was flushed afterwards. Ideally, one would want to be able to drive the vehicle on the highway and make sure there is no vibration or shudder at highway speeds; if it does, it could be a sign of a damaged transmission as a result of cross-contamination with engine coolant, but it could also be a sign of one or more bad U-joints in the front and/or rear driveshafts (another common problem). If it has the original radiator, it "may" be a sign that it hasn't failed, yet (not every radiator failed....but there was certainly a large number of them that did). Original, factory radiators will have a Calsonic sticker on the top of the radiator tank with one of the following part numbers: 21460-EA215 or 21460-EA265. If 21460-9CA2E is the number, than it is likely a replacement; early versions of this part number have been reported as failing, as well. Originally installed, factory radiators also have "NISSAN" molded into the top tank. Aftermarket radiators will not have the Calsonic sticker and may or may not have a sticker on the top tank. "NISSAN" will likely not be molded into the top tank, as well. An aftermarket radiator does not necessarily mean that the cross-contamination has occurred in the vehicle's past (although it could) as many people, including myself, replaced the radiator as preventative maintenance. Again, a CARFAX report may be helpful.
As far as what to do if you purchase one and the radiator is original, you could do the bypass method. There is no need to add a trans cooler as the factory installed, auxiliary cooler is sufficient. Personally, I prefer to replace the radiator with an aftermarket, especially since aftermarket radiators are only around $100. I haven't heard of or read of any reports of cooler failures in aftermarket radiators, so far.


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