Long Term Update 05 Pathy SE

Cliff_Jumper · Postby **Cliff_Jumper** » Mon Jan 31, 2011 6:05 pm

Well, just paid off the Pathy with currently 68K on the ODO and now the D@mn thing just coughed a list of problems. Took her to the stealership to diagnose a whining noise coming from the engine compartment and check the radiator. Stealership called back and gave me a list of problems.

First, "yups your radiator is leaking". I told them, "Great, that should be covered under the extended warranty.
Dealer: "No Sir, the warranty only covers internal leakage not external"
Me: "What, what's the difference? A defective radiator is a defective radiator. No matter if its internal or external!"
Dealer: "Sorry Sir, that's what the warranty state."
Me: "That's BS. I'm calling Nissan Assist"

Second, is to replace the Clutch Fan. They claim that is the noise I hear.
Question for this problem, has anyone tried putting an electric fan instead of replacing the clutch fan?

Third, are the U-Joints on the front drive shafts are in need of replacing as they have a little play on them. How hard to replace the U-Joints?

Fourth, are the brake pads (that one I can fix myself).

Nissan $ucks!

05Pathfinder · Postby **05Pathfinder** » Mon Jan 31, 2011 6:50 pm

Sucks about the rad, maybe try and get them to share the cost but I doubt it will work. Although it shouldnt be to hard to replace. Not sure about the Pathy but I have changed a few rads on previous vehicles and it wasnt to complicated.

Clutch fan, no clue. I had mine replaced after having my car for a few months.

U joints. I had two replaced after buying it. They were so rusty I couldnt replace them myself. It shouldnt be that hard though if they arent completely seized.

serturbo · Postby **serturbo** » Mon Jan 31, 2011 10:24 pm

Normal wear and tear items. You can't expect it to last forever. I'm pretty satisfied with mine, so far. It does have some problems, but I can live with them. There is an evap system leak that my dealership could never fix. I just check and clear the code with my OBDII scanner. A little irritating, but no biggy. I believe my front brake rotors are warped. This is irritating too (considering I only have a little over 16k on it), but it gives me a reason to upgrade when I get tired of the vibrations. LOL.

All in all, I'm happy with it. Besides performance parts, normal oil/filter changes and gas, I haven't put any extra money into it. Gotta think about it this way:

A new SUV will likely cost you 500-600 in monthly payments. Let's say the repairs cost you 1800. You'll be ahead as long as nothing goes wrong within 6 months.

twinblown · Postby **twinblown** » Tue Feb 01, 2011 5:22 am

A leaky radiator is not a normal wear and tear item

it's a F'ing issue Nissan has period!

serturbo · Postby **serturbo** » Tue Feb 01, 2011 9:21 am

twinblown wrote:A leaky radiator is not a normal wear and tear item it's a F'ing issue Nissan has period!

It is when manufacturer's choose to use radiators with plastic end caps. If you don't like it, find a car manufacturer that sources parts that you do like... or replace those parts with something of better quality.

driftedoffroad · Postby **driftedoffroad** » Tue Feb 01, 2011 11:33 am

serturbo wrote:
twinblown wrote:A leaky radiator is not a normal wear and tear item it's a F'ing issue Nissan has period!
It is when manufacturer's choose to use radiators with plastic end tanks. quote]

Dead on. This will happen with most eventually it's not just a Nissan problem. Different materials expand and contract differently. Sucks but not a whole lot to to otherwise unless you put in a racing aluminum rad like one from Jegs lol

Hopefully they will help you cover it though

Chase · Postby **Chase** » Tue Feb 01, 2011 4:08 pm

serturbo wrote:Normal wear and tear items. You can't expect it to last forever..

Aside from the brakes, none of the items that the OP listed should be "normal wear and tear items". Lets be honest the Pathfinder is not a very well-built vehicle but it's great when we're not repairing it.

pawjr74 · Postby **pawjr74** » Tue Feb 01, 2011 4:31 pm

I do love the truck but I was really torn on what to do after this last round of repairs. My warranty is up at 75K and I'm at 73K right now.

I have decided to keep the vehicle for at least another year at this point.
I hope I'm making the right decision.

Here is my service history.

16,037 Clunking noise over bumps - steering gear replaced
16,075 Clunking noise not resolved - lube sprayed on mounts/suspension
22,971 Clunking noise not resolved - lube sprayed on rubber hood stops
23,234 Clunking noise not resolved - found LT/FT body mount bad
41,741 Fuel sending unit failed - fuel sending unit replaced
42,812 IPDM failed and vehicle stalled in traffic - IPDM replaced
49,505 A/C quit working - high pressure hose replace & recharged
54,087 Check Engine Light on - passenger side catalytic converter bad
54,087 Passenger side motor mount found to be bad at same time
64,967 Oil Pressure high - Replaced oil pressure sensor
72,504 Check engine Ligt on - drivers side catalytic converter bad
72,504 Drivers side motor mount found to be bad at same time
72,504 Timing chain tensioners found to be bad at same time
72,504 Recall performed on ECM Relay

serturbo · Postby **serturbo** » Tue Feb 01, 2011 4:38 pm

Maybe my choice of words was a little too lax. I'm just trying to say that parts wearing out is no big surprise to me, and it shouldn't be to everyone else too. Let's face it. Cars aren't built like they used to be. Sheet metal is thinner, so it shouldn't surprise you that cars rust out sooner and dent easier than cars built more than 30 years ago. A lot of automobile components (fan clutches, u joints, radiators, etc.) are manufactured overseas because it costs less, but that sometimes mean that quality is lacking. It shouldn't be a surprise that they will wear out in a 5 year old car with as little as 68k miles.

You may say, "Well, Kia doesn't have problems with radiators and fan clutches." To that I'll respond, "Great. Then why don't you sell your Nissan and buy a friggen Kia!!!" Don't get me wrong. I'm not a Nissan fan boy. I've had Toyotas, a Honda, a Suzuki, a Ford, a Mitsubishi, etc. I've owned them all at one time or another because they each fit my need at the time. Point being, I had a choice. And you do too. If you don't like how your Nissan is being made, make the choice not to own it. All I'm hearing is complain, complain, complain.... whine, whine, whine. Your standing under a waterfall and complaining that your wet. For goodness sake, step out from under the damn waterfall!!!!

driftedoffroad · Postby **driftedoffroad** » Tue Feb 01, 2011 8:56 pm

Chase wrote:
serturbo wrote:Normal wear and tear items. You can't expect it to last forever..
Aside from the brakes, none of the items that the OP listed should be "normal wear and tear items". Lets be honest the Pathfinder is not a very well-built vehicle but it's great when we're not repairing it.

I would consider parts that move "wear and tear" items such as U-joints and even a clutch fan possibly. A radiator not as much but still. It is a good solid vehicle and if you really want to complain about replacing things try owning a domestic truck. "wear and tear" items out the wazu literally

also, well said serturbo

pawjr74 · Postby **pawjr74** » Wed Feb 02, 2011 7:49 am

serturbo wrote:Maybe my choice of words was a little too lax. I'm just trying to say that parts wearing out is no big surprise to me, and it shouldn't be to everyone else too. Let's face it. Cars aren't built like they used to be. Sheet metal is thinner, so it shouldn't surprise you that cars rust out sooner and dent easier than cars built more than 30 years ago. A lot of automobile components (fan clutches, u joints, radiators, etc.) are manufactured overseas because it costs less, but that sometimes mean that quality is lacking. It shouldn't be a surprise that they will wear out in a 5 year old car with as little as 68k miles.

You may say, "Well, Kia doesn't have problems with radiators and fan clutches." To that I'll respond, "Great. Then why don't you sell your Nissan and buy a friggen Kia!!!" Don't get me wrong. I'm not a Nissan fan boy. I've had Toyotas, a Honda, a Suzuki, a Ford, a Mitsubishi, etc. I've owned them all at one time or another because they each fit my need at the time. Point being, I had a choice. And you do too. If you don't like how your Nissan is being made, make the choice not to own it. All I'm hearing is complain, complain, complain.... whine, whine, whine. Your standing under a waterfall and complaining that your wet. For goodness sake, step out from under the damn waterfall!!!!

I understand what you're saying. I like my Pathfinder. It does everything I ask it to do. I still feel that I've had a lot more than normal wear and tear items go bad in my truck. If I didn't have the extended warranty I would be out thousands of dollars.

I don't think it's too much to expect to get 100k miles out of a new car without going through what I've gone through on my truck. You should only have to preform the routine maintance within that time frame. If one thing had gone wrong I could understand that.

When it comes time to replace it I will not go with another Nissan unless I can read some reviews and see that the quality has come up to par.

On a side note, my 1998 Tacoma has 130K miles and has only seen normal maintanace. I'm not saying go get a Toyota but I will deffinately read the reviews on the next vehicle I purchase. When I bought my 2005 it was a new design so there weren't any reviews out on it yet. I was basing my purchase off of the Nissan quality I had known in the past.

serturbo · Postby **serturbo** » Wed Feb 02, 2011 9:52 am

pawjr74 wrote:I understand what you're saying. I like my Pathfinder. It does everything I ask it to do. I still feel that I've had a lot more than normal wear and tear items go bad in my truck. If I didn't have the extended warranty I would be out thousands of dollars.

I don't think it's too much to expect to get 100k miles out of a new car without going through what I've gone through on my truck. You should only have to preform the routine maintance within that time frame. If one thing had gone wrong I could understand that.

When it comes time to replace it I will not go with another Nissan unless I can read some reviews and see that the quality has come up to par.

On a side note, my 1998 Tacoma has 130K miles and has only seen normal maintanace. I'm not saying go get a Toyota but I will deffinately read the reviews on the next vehicle I purchase. When I bought my 2005 it was a new design so there weren't any reviews out on it yet. I was basing my purchase off of the Nissan quality I had known in the past.

Whoa!!! Your truck does have a really bad history of problems. It's a good thing you posted your clunking problem. Mine has that too, but only when turning and encountering a sudden drop. I'll be checking my body mount soon.

I'll ignore everything before 36k miles because those would've been covered under the normal warranty. I believe the fuel sending unit and IPDM are known problems and Nissan would've covered that. The cat at 72k is also normal. I've seen lots go bad by that mileage and it's normal to have to replace those anywhere from 70-90k. All the other stuff are problems I would have a gripe with.

I'm an engineer, so I look at things logically and by the numbers. If a car costs me about as much per month as a monthly payment on a new car, it's definitely time for me to buy a new car. My actual number is actually much lower than a monthly payment. I estimate ownership of a normal car to cost about 120 per month in maintenance. That number doesn't include gas, registration and insurance. I've been car payment free on the Pathy since May 2010 and I've only done oil and filter changes. 8 months from May 2010 to now = $960 minus oil changes. I'm well over $800 ahead at this point.

Chase · Postby **Chase** » Wed Feb 02, 2011 12:54 pm

serturbo wrote:
Whoa!!! Your truck does have a really bad history of problems. It's a good thing you posted your clunking problem. Mine has that too, but only when turning and encountering a sudden drop. I'll be checking my body mount soon.

I'll ignore everything before 36k miles because those would've been covered under the normal warranty. I believe the fuel sending unit and IPDM are known problems and Nissan would've covered that. The cat at 72k is also normal. I've seen lots go bad by that mileage and it's normal to have to replace those anywhere from 70-90k. All the other stuff are problems I would have a gripe with.

I'm an engineer, so I look at things logically and by the numbers. If a car costs me about as much per month as a monthly payment on a new car, it's definitely time for me to buy a new car. My actual number is actually much lower than a monthly payment. I estimate ownership of a normal car to cost about 120 per month in maintenance. That number doesn't include gas, registration and insurance. I've been car payment free on the Pathy since May 2010 and I've only done oil and filter changes. 8 months from May 2010 to now = $960 minus oil changes. I'm well over $800 ahead at this point.

You think replacing a cat at 72k is normal??? I guess that's "normal wear and tear"? I think we have different opinions as to what the word normal means as it applies to car maintenance...I'm not here to bash on Nissan or anyone else, however I won't chalk up all of my repairs to being normal at my given mileage.

Cliff_Jumper · Postby **Cliff_Jumper** » Wed Feb 02, 2011 1:30 pm

serturbo wrote: All I'm hearing is complain, complain, complain.... whine, whine, whine. Your standing under a waterfall and complaining that your wet. For goodness sake, step out from under the damn waterfall!!!!

I'm comparing my POS Pathfinder to other vehicles I've own and by far this is the worst. I have a honda with almost 200K on the ODO and so far that only major maintenance I did is replacing a timing belt. Everything still stock, even the windshield! Then I owned a Jeep Liberty that I traded for this POS. I never had a problem with the Jeep except that it's small, hence I traded her in. (wish I didn't)

Yes! You are right that most vehicles this days are not the same as they used to. I opened this thread to let potential buyers know what they will be expecting when they buy a Pathfinder.

Not complaining, just giving a heads up out there.

Trust me, after all this repairs are done. I'm stepping out of the waterfall.

08Datsun · Postby **08Datsun** » Wed Feb 02, 2011 2:18 pm

Hmm. Not a single issue here, and we beat the snot out of this thing. I did have the fuel sender replaced under recall, even though the original never had a problem. Does that count?

Long Term Update 05 Pathy SE

Long Term Update 05 Pathy SE

Nissan Forums

Infiniti Forums

Datsun Forums

Technical Forums

Classifieds / Marketplace

Nissan Motorsports

General Forums