Any high mileage R51's out there with little problems?

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jose969
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Postby jose969 » Mon Mar 04, 2013 6:45 pm

My wife's just hit around 115,000. We've had a few problems, but nothing too major yet. So far we've had to replace an oil cooler gasket and oil pressure sensor. Those were the biggest things that I can remember. I have done the bypass yet and not sure if I will. I haven't had any issues so far in the department. Knock on wood.

Other small things are the lift gate support shocks for the glass and lift gate themselves. Not too bad.


CPLTECH
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Postby CPLTECH » Wed Mar 06, 2013 9:37 am

jose969 wrote:My wife's just hit around 115,000. We've had a few problems, but nothing too major yet. I have done the bypass yet and not sure if I will. I haven't had any issues so far in the department. Knock on wood.
Too many think the radiator problem will not affect them. I would not gamble a mere $400 for a replacement radiator vs. a trans failure ($4-6K) no longer covered by Nissan at this mileage. I replaced my radiator at 69K to assure it was not going to happen to me. The OEM PF / XTerra radiator of that era are doomed to failure. I have read of too many sad experiences here that say you will most likely lose the bet. And don’t think you will catch it in time before damage. Read the sad experiences. A $400 repair bill is nothing for any vehicle today.

skinny2
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Postby skinny2 » Thu Mar 07, 2013 8:03 am

Agree with CPLTECH. I left mine alone through the warranty but now that i'm on the hook for a big chunk of $$ it was worth the money to have peace of mine. There are some folks that got a little warning....small amounts of mixed fluids....but there are many that had transmission failure within a day.

NVRDONE
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Postby NVRDONE » Sun Mar 10, 2013 6:33 pm

I have an '06 LE with 118k. Just after I bought it with 5100 miles on it ( That's right 5100 miles ) I did the trans cooler bypass. Had the fuel pump / sender unit replaced under warranty even though it was working fine. Then at 87k the cats failed - check engine light came on & no power. Had the dealer replace them at a cost of $2500.00 for all 4. Nissan wouldn't offer any help because it was past the 80k warranty. I guess thats not too expensive for repairs for the mileage.
Other than that, the car has run great. Tows my boat & hauls the grandkids with no problems. I would consider another one - just not the 2013 that is not body on frame.

jose969
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Postby jose969 » Wed Mar 13, 2013 6:32 pm

CPLTECH wrote:
jose969 wrote:My wife's just hit around 115,000. We've had a few problems, but nothing too major yet. I have done the bypass yet and not sure if I will. I haven't had any issues so far in the department. Knock on wood.
Too many think the radiator problem will not affect them. I would not gamble a mere $400 for a replacement radiator vs. a trans failure ($4-6K) no longer covered by Nissan at this mileage. I replaced my radiator at 69K to assure it was not going to happen to me. The OEM PF / XTerra radiator of that era are doomed to failure. I have read of too many sad experiences here that say you will most likely lose the bet. And don’t think you will catch it in time before damage. Read the sad experiences. A $400 repair bill is nothing for any vehicle today.
Well after having the car inspected, I now have to replace the front brakes again. This time rotors also. Not too big a deal. I guess I'll look at the bypass for now and look at getting a replacement radiator in the near future. Any recommendations for rotors and pads?

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smj999smj
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Postby smj999smj » Wed Mar 13, 2013 9:48 pm

There's someone who just installed a set of Raybestos Professional Advanced Technology rotors and pads and seems happy with them. I've used those pads on other models and they work well.

Personally, I like Akebono ACT Ceramic pads which I get from Rockauto.com. Akebono has been an OEM supplier of brake parts to Nissan for decades. I used a set of Wagner rotors with them.

Avoid using cheap brake rotors as they tend to warp in short time. Stick with name brands like Raybestos, Wagner, Brembo, etc.

ZacharyAKlein
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Postby ZacharyAKlein » Fri May 03, 2013 2:24 pm

My 2008 was purchased at 117k, - now over 120k. Fortunately the previous owner was of the fastidious type - he provided full maintenance records and things look to be in good shape. No problems yet (although I've only owned it a few months), but I'm bookmarking this thread. I'm definitely interested in keeping this thing rolling for a good while yet.

CPLTECH
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Postby CPLTECH » Fri May 03, 2013 6:47 pm

Poor radiator construction is not made perfect with good maintenance.

ZacharyAKlein
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Postby ZacharyAKlein » Fri May 03, 2013 7:31 pm

Was that directed at me?

Honestly, I wasn't aware of radiator issues till today when I stumbled on this thread. I'm still catching up (new owner here, if it wasn't obvious). Any good links to read up on this subject?

(I'm hoping a replacement was already done on this PF, but I'll definitely be looking into this)

Scott Spencer
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Postby Scott Spencer » Sat May 04, 2013 7:36 am

ZacharyAKlein wrote:Honestly, I wasn't aware of radiator issues till today when I stumbled on this thread. I'm still catching up (new owner here, if it wasn't obvious). Any good links to read up on this subject?
I wasn't aware of any issues myself. Bought my '08 SE 4x4 in July 2009 (38K miles) and the dealer didn't mention anything. I now have 88K miles and have had no issues. In fact, I just found this forum a month ago and I'm glad I did.

Do I need to do a bypass or change something on my Path?

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Fofiddy
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Postby Fofiddy » Thu May 09, 2013 7:48 pm

Anyone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong (done), but I think the radiator failures were only from 05-06. I had Nissan replace mine at 92k (and reimburse me for my entire out of pocket expenses as I initially paid for a new radiator and 2 dealer performed flushes) but it was not an easy or stress free process.
I've followed the premium maintenance schedule outlined in the owner’s manual all by dealerships which is exactly why and how I got them to do it before they released the "Warranty Extension."

Outside of that:
Front pads and calipers (TSB) replaced and shaved ~ 3 times in 60k
OME Suspension (OEM felt spent by 45k, near 80k on the OME :D )
VIAS rattle (covered by warranty) under 10k and again at 50k
Fuel Pump (thanks Nissan) (70k)
ECM replacement ($90) before recall/TSB was announced ~70k
Secondary timing chain tensioner (covered by extended warranty) 80k
Transmission and Radiator (thanks Nissan) 92k
Left wheel bearing hub ($130, great excuse to get an impact wrench)100k
EBC rotors (slotted fronts standard rears) and pads at 100k
Left upper Cat (did both upper L + R and O2 sensors ~$1500) 100k
Crank positioning sensor ($25, easy fix) 115k


Altogether for a FMY, not a horrible attempt and it certainly hasn't left me with as sour of a taste as Jeep did with a 97 ZJ V8 limited. That being said, Nissan better do something spectacular with the next Xterra/Frontier/Titan because the current lineup, just plain sucks/has no appeal to me. There is no way I'll put myself through Nissan's "Customer Service" again for anything I've seen on their site/lot save the GT-R which is a smidge out of my tax bracket.
Last edited by Fofiddy on Sat May 18, 2013 10:40 am, edited 2 times in total.

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disallow
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Postby disallow » Thu May 09, 2013 9:13 pm

No there have definitely been reports of 07+ (even a 2010) for the rad failure. It's a big deal.

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smj999smj
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Postby smj999smj » Thu May 09, 2013 10:14 pm

There have been radiator failures on 2005 through 2007 models, some 2008 models and at least one 2010 model has been reported at this forum. For more info, go to the "Transmission fail" section of these forums...and those are just Pathfinders. Frontiers and Xterras are also affected. All you gotta do is Google "Nissan radiator failure" and you'll get all kinds of hits.

gjacko77
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Postby gjacko77 » Thu May 16, 2013 3:19 pm

I have an 06 Nissan pathfinder with 101k. The vehicle was purchased 4 years ago as a Nissan Certified Used Car with 34k on the odometer. I purchased it on a whim and drove from Cincinnati to Knoxville in a 93 Ford Explorer that did not have reverse :). Drove the Pathfinder home and noticed the breaks were worn worn. The following day i called corporate Nissan and they immediately rectified the break problem. Nissan had me take it into the dealer and replace all 4 rotors and pads. With all of the horrible radiator/ tranny issues i thought i would share my good experience with Corporate Nissan.

No other, what I consider, major issues. I did the bypass at 90k. Ordered a new non OEM radiator at 91k but have yet to install it. Not looking forward to the install. I am a recent college grad with minimal repair experience. This repair seems like it could be "fun." My father and I have tackled many repairs in the past but i want to tackle this on my own :)

I just replaced the front pads and rotors at 100k. My extended warranty covered two leaky valve covers at 96k at the dealer.

I also just purchased the Airlift 1000 yesterday and look forward to installing them along with new shocks once they arrive.

Crossing my fingers I don't encounter the cat or any fuel sending issues. Overall I love my pathfinder and hope to keep it for another 4-5 years.

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RCAPathfinder
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Postby RCAPathfinder » Sun May 19, 2013 7:02 pm

I have 63K and it have never been back to the dealer since I bought it... Knock on wood....


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