Found my coolant leak

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KEVSTER
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Postby KEVSTER » Sun Apr 25, 2010 5:26 pm

If the Dealers are seeing alot of this problem, than why is there not a recall to correct the problem befor more Pathfinders are affected.


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eieio
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Postby eieio » Sun Apr 25, 2010 5:43 pm

Recall campaigns are generally implemented for safety-related problems.
If the dealers were seeing a lot of this problem, they would more likely issue a service bulletin, but maybe then only if the failures were occuring on a large number of units still in the warranty period.

WheatBread
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Location: Little Rock, Ar

Postby WheatBread » Wed Apr 28, 2010 1:18 pm

pics anyone? I read on other forums that it was different pipe metals along with the coolant that cuased some chemical reaction that rotted them out, anyone else heard this? if its just some rubber "protection" I'd like to cut it out and find a fix ASAP before I have this problem

robfromma
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Location: Cambridge, MA

Possibly the same problem?

Postby robfromma » Fri Jul 16, 2010 8:56 am

I have a 2006 Pathfinder. The A/C started blowing warm air a while back, and I just found coolant puddled on the ground. It's basically directly below where the passenger seat is located.

There are 4 pipes running front to back, but they are mostly blocked by a metal plate - that's where I see the coolant dripping from and a bunch of rust and corrosion. I'm assuming the actual leak is in one (or more) of those pipes somewhere behind the plate.

I looked forward towards the engine and don't see any dripping, so it doesn't seem like a case where the leak is somewhere else and it's running along a pipe for a while before falling to the ground.

I took a couple photos...

Image
Image

I'm in Massachusetts, so definitely a lot of road salt & sand up here. Seems like a lot of people have this problem, but not much luck w/ Nissan fixing it. Should I try to find a local mechanic who might be able to weld a new pipe section rather than doing the full separation of body/frame and full replacement?

Thanks,
Rob

WheatBread
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Postby WheatBread » Fri Jul 16, 2010 10:41 am

anyone have a pic of the rubber that is supposed to be removed? where in the hell is it?????? I took a quick peek and didn't see any rubber anywhere

markscalise
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Postby markscalise » Sat Oct 02, 2010 5:37 am

I'm in Massachusetts too, and recently discovered that I have this problem. Forgive my lack of automotive acumen, but is it possible just to clean this crap off and wrap the tubes in duct tape or something?

2005 Pathfinder SE

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Last edited by markscalise on Tue Oct 19, 2010 8:19 am, edited 1 time in total.

Taavi
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Postby Taavi » Sun Oct 03, 2010 1:01 am

It is metal that has rusts and that's why you can not avoid it. It is just matter of time when it happens. For those, who have salt on roads it just happens sooner. (me included). It's the clamps where the rust appears first. You can not remove those becouse the tubes have to stay close to body. Otherwise you will damage the tubes when offroading.

If it happens to engine coolant tubes then it is easier becouse there isn't high pressures. So, you can replace the rusted tubes with rubber or plastic ones. It is not very convenient to do but can be done without separating the body. (I have done it on my Kia Carnival [Sedona] (1999) and then I used "Henco PEX/AL/PEX 16x2" tubes.)

The AC line has high pressure and thats why its more complicated to replace with alternative tubes. I had leakage on AC tube in July. Then it was quite a lucky one becouse it was able to weld. Next time when it happens I think I'll make rear AC as dead end if it is not able to weld.

Btw, my AC leakage was under the same clamp which is on Rob second pic.

markscalise
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Postby markscalise » Tue Oct 19, 2010 7:59 am

UPDATE 10/19/10: Had my local mechanic cut out the corroded sections of pipe and replace with rubber tubing. When they got under there, it turned out that the pipes were also leaking in another location farther up the line from the problematic rubber piece. They ended up replacing about 3 feet on each line. My out-the-door cost was around $100. So far so good, but I will update this thread if anything changes.

Image

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JAHBLESSINGS
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Postby JAHBLESSINGS » Tue Oct 19, 2010 11:49 am

just monitor your coolant levels and you shold be aok.

Cliff_Jumper
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Postby Cliff_Jumper » Tue May 03, 2011 5:00 am

markscalise wrote:UPDATE 10/19/10: Had my local mechanic cut out the corroded sections of pipe and replace with rubber tubing. When they got under there, it turned out that the pipes were also leaking in another location farther up the line from the problematic rubber piece. They ended up replacing about 3 feet on each line. My out-the-door cost was around $100. So far so good, but I will update this thread if anything changes.

Image
I just looked underneath and notice the same problem on my POS. Those lines are close to the exhaust. Did your mechanic used proper tubes to fix the problem? Thanks.

JohnKata
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Postby JohnKata » Mon Sep 05, 2011 7:24 pm

Has anyone had this fixed at their dealer using the tool mentioned in the TSB? I'm now facing this exact issue with the high-pressure R134a lines.

At first, the dealership wanted to lift the body and replace the lines completely, quoted at $1075 for labor and parts. Then I found the TSB that they weren't aware of -- they have the tool and are willing to try this, but they don't have a specific repair to charge me for and just want to bill me at the per-hour labor rates.

redwing
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Postby redwing » Tue Sep 06, 2011 3:29 am


basemodel
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Postby basemodel » Wed Sep 07, 2011 3:22 pm

is this on all models, or just those with rear a/c? because i don't have rear a/c, and just wonder if i need to panic or not.

JohnKata
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Postby JohnKata » Wed Sep 07, 2011 3:31 pm

I would imagine it's only for models with rear climate control, since that's the only reason the coolant and refrigerant would be going back there

basemodel
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Postby basemodel » Thu Sep 08, 2011 6:09 pm

JohnKata wrote:I would imagine it's only for models with rear climate control, since that's the only reason the coolant and refrigerant would be going back there
that's what i assumed, but i think i'll panic anyway, just to be on the safe side.


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