i bring this up to try to help avoid mis-understandings in policy
my apologies if i am somehow incorrect, but
once again folks.............check the link for yourselves..........

eieio wrote:

pandarturo88 wrote:And you might want to check on the warranty for that radiator. Number has been extended to 86000 miles.

extension is to 96 months/80,000 miles, whichever occurs first
more info here:
http://www.nissanassist.com/web/Radiato ... hp?menu=21

Have you guys hear of any 09-'10 Pathfinders having this issue or is it just a matter of time as they add more miles?

ajporter03 wrote:This is my first post, I haven't had my Pathfinder too long. But I have an 05, with just over 50,000 miles on it. I have read more than enough about people having problems with coolant mixing with their tranny fluid causing thousands of dollars worth of damage. So I picked up a B&M Trans cooler. Part Number 70268. I installed it in place of the cooler inside the radiator. Now the tranny fluid flows through the B&M cooler, then the stock cooler and back into the transmission. The setup seems to work great. No problems so far.

Just did this on my 05. Mounted it below the stock tranny cooler in front of the radiator. Took all of 30 min or so. I used the same B&M cooler

05pathfinderSE wrote:

ajporter03 wrote:This is my first post, I haven't had my Pathfinder too long. But I have an 05, with just over 50,000 miles on it. I have read more than enough about people having problems with coolant mixing with their tranny fluid causing thousands of dollars worth of damage. So I picked up a B&M Trans cooler. Part Number 70268. I installed it in place of the cooler inside the radiator. Now the tranny fluid flows through the B&M cooler, then the stock cooler and back into the transmission. The setup seems to work great. No problems so far.

Just did this on my 05. Mounted it below the stock tranny cooler in front of the radiator. Took all of 30 min or so. I used the same B&M cooler

Great info all. I have spent over an hour though this thread and on club frontier. Thankfully my 06 which I have had for a few years has not had an issue and I am at 70k miles. Still under extended warranty but I am going to take action first. I have a few questions and I am sorry if I missed the answers in the posts I have read.

1) Doing just a regular bypass, any long term negative effects? I saw some posts from those who did it with no issues after 20k miles but not sure if I missed something.

2) Has anyone been proactive and installed the updated radiator that they do under warranty and does anyone know much is that approximately if you do it outside of the warranty? (Edit 9/1/11 - Appears OEM radiator Part #21460-9CA0E is between $450-$550.00 + 2-4 hours of labor. Curious if anyone installed an non OEM one)

3) I am thinking the B&M Transcooler (#70268) $60-$70 is a small investment to not risk the regular bypass however, if a proactive radiator replacement is only a few hundred then maybe just do that. If not B&M and if the radiator fails later just replace the radiator at that time.

Thank you for any thoughts.

06 Path here, but I have 86000 miles so I am out of warranty.

I found this forum a few months ago googling about something else and read it daily now. Learn a lot of good things,especially the tranny bypass.

I did mine couple of months ago and have not seen any effects. I live in GA so no cold weather yet. Cant speak for the long term.

If I still had the warranty, I would be at the Nissan dealer now getting the new rad...certainly they would install one with the problem fixed. I am no mechanic, but unless you subject your Path to extreme towing, heat, etc..a new rad along with the factory external cooler should be fine.

dawgn86 wrote:06 Path here, but I have 86000 miles so I am out of warranty.

If I still had the warranty, I would be at the Nissan dealer now getting the new rad...certainly they would install one with the problem fixed.

Nissan will only replace the radiator if it fails
did yours fail?

eieio wrote: Nissan will only replace the radiator if it fails
did yours fail?

Mine hasn't yet but I am at 70k miles for me. I think I found the answer to my OEM radiator cost (Part #21460-9CA0E) which appears to be between $450-$550.00. Labor seems to be 2-4 hours based on input at http://www.thenissanpath.com/viewtopic.php?t=5834&.

I see quite a few aftermarket radiators online in the $100-$250 range. Anyone have experience with those?

I think I am going to bypass with a B&M filter which will help prevent transmission issues but won't stop a potential radiator crack later which will then need to be replaced. I did not see any threads when I searched on experience with aftermarket radiators.

lasvegas99 wrote:

eieio wrote: Nissan will only replace the radiator if it fails
did yours fail?

Mine hasn't yet but I am at 70k miles for me. I think I found the answer to my OEM radiator cost (Part #21460-9CA0E) which appears to be between $450-$550.00. Labor seems to be 2-4 hours based on input at http://www.thenissanpath.com/viewtopic.php?t=5834&.

I see quite a few aftermarket radiators online in the $100-$250 range. Anyone have experience with those?

I think I am going to bypass with a B&M filter which will help prevent transmission issues but won't stop a potential radiator crack later which will then need to be replaced. I did not see any threads when I searched on experience with aftermarket radiators.

better price for OEM at www.courtesyparts.com.
Koyo seems to be a highly thought of aftermarket radiator (do a search in this forum).
if your radiator cracks after the bypass, and you have sealed the system between the two nipples on the bottom of the radiator during the by-pass, it won't matter. the coolant will just go into the internal cooler cavity, but can't go anywhere else.

Maybe somebody has already covered this, but wouldn't replacing the radiator with an OEM style do the same thing? If the OEM's fail and cause fluid mixing, wouldn't this be the same case if you replace with an OEM or did they fix the replacement radiators?

volvite wrote:Maybe somebody has already covered this, but wouldn't replacing the radiator with an OEM style do the same thing? If the OEM's fail and cause fluid mixing, wouldn't this be the same case if you replace with an OEM or did they fix the replacement radiators?

volvite, I thought the same thing at first. If you look at http://www.nissanassist.com/web/Radiato ... hp?menu=22 Question 3 reads:

<i>Q3.Has Nissan made changes to the radiator assembly? A. Yes, an updated replacement part has been developed.</i>

However, that doesn't seem like the best option unless your under warranty and don't have to pay. If your >80k miles and concerned then maybe:

eieio wrote: Koyo seems to be a highly thought of aftermarket radiator (do a search in this forum).

eieio, thanks. KOYO Radiator A2807 looks like it is only about $140 and a high performance one at that. Looks like if you can get good deal on install it is good for those with >80k miles that have not had the issue. Your link www.courtesyparts.com is a better price for OEM radiator at about $400 but I cant tell if this is the updated one or not.

I did call Nissan Assist today and they did say that if you are <80k miles and your radiator fails and is covered, they will also replace the tranny if needed. (Just an FYI so to be careful please don't count on it)

eieio wrote:

dawgn86 wrote:06 Path here, but I have 86000 miles so I am out of warranty.

If I still had the warranty, I would be at the Nissan dealer now getting the new rad...certainly they would install one with the problem fixed.

Nissan will only replace the radiator if it fails
did yours fail?

No, I am lucky and mine did not fail. I am checking it weekly to be sure the coolant isnt contaiminated, but I did do the bypass. Nissan may replace the radiator if it fails, but not a $5k transmission.

dawgn86 wrote:No, I am lucky and mine did not fail. I am checking it weekly to be sure the coolant isnt contaiminated, but I did do the bypass. Nissan may replace the radiator if it fails, but not a $5k transmission.

i'm in the same boat with ya...........
by-passed both of mine too, and check periodically for any coolant in the internal cooler to know if the radiator has failed, and if so, they can replace it
but i have so little confidence in dealership service departments that both of my trucks are by-passed (though still under extended radiator warranty) in order to avoid having a dealership do something as invasive as a transmission replacement
i've never had dealer service that didn't result in either a botched job or some kind of damage to my trucks
i just don't trust them..............

eieio wrote:

dawgn86 wrote:No, I am lucky and mine did not fail. I am checking it weekly to be sure the coolant isnt contaiminated, but I did do the bypass. Nissan may replace the radiator if it fails, but not a $5k transmission.

i'm in the same boat with ya...........
by-passed both of mine too, and check periodically for any coolant in the internal cooler to know if the radiator has failed, and if so, they can replace it
but i have so little confidence in dealership service departments that both of my trucks are by-passed (though still under extended radiator warranty) in order to avoid having a dealership do something as invasive as a transmission replacement
i've never had dealer service that didn't result in either a botched job or some kind of damage to my trucks
i just don't trust them..............

feel the same..I figured that at worse, my radiator will fail and either I or the dealer will replace it. I can handle $400 or so and replace it myself if I had to..but a $5k transmission I cant.

So far so good here, b&m works great and plugged radiator has had no issues. If it leaks I'll worry about it then. For those worried about trans temp in the winter, I'm in ND, I'll fill ya in later I'm not worried.

Brought home my 05 Pathy SE Offroad 4x4 last weekend, did the bypass this weekend. Pretty easy....the fluid was a dark red cherry color. No strange odor 95k miles.