Hey guys,

So I just picked up my 05 SE last week. She's all stock at the moment and I don't plan on doing anything crazy as this vehicle will be used pretty much purely for commuting and towing my bikes to the track... but what are the "must do" things that I should be looking into that will make driving this thing that much more enjoyable?


I'd consider doing a mild lift, but I really don't want to sacrifice ride or mpg's. If there's an inexpensive way to get a couple of inches of altitude with minimal downsides, I'm all ears.


What's out there for programmers or chips? I'd love some more mid-range power with a smoother power curve and those usually give a couple extra MPG's as well. Suggestions? One friend of mine suggested a "Hypertech". http://www.autoanything.com/performance ... 07355.aspx

Any better alternatives? Bully Dog worth the extra money? http://www.autoanything.com/performance ... 2A0A0.aspx


And are there any tires on the market that look aggressive but, as with the lift, don't take away from ride comfort or mpg's?


Any other recommendations?

transmission cooler by-pass

Yeah... planned on doing that yesterday, but I had a little too much fun Friday night

But that's a good point. The bypass or an after market radiator are definitely on the list.

clean and coat your rear a/c and coolant lines

Tech wrote:clean and coat your rear a/c and coolant lines

Should I look into replacing my muffler bearings, too or are you being serious?

N/K, vehicles with rear air/heat have had issues. If you don't have rear climate control, don't worry about it. (Mufffler bearings, LOL!)

Interesting. Haven't heard anything about the rear air yet. Did a little searching & couldn't find a thread. Mind pointing me in the right direction?

oreogaborio wrote:Interesting. Haven't heard anything about the rear air yet. Did a little searching & couldn't find a thread. Mind pointing me in the right direction?

here are a couple:
http://www.thenissanpath.com/viewtopic. ... ear++lines
http://www.thenissanpath.com/viewtopic. ... ear++lines

As for an aggressive tire i would go with the duratracs, there are a lot of posts about the duratracs you just have to search for them. I also love my general grabber AT2 there very aggressive and perform very well on road and off and are cheaper than the duratracs if you are trying to save some money.

You teach me to do the Spies-like elbow drag, and i'll tell you!!

Seriously, search for rear a/c lines or something similar. basically, right rear corner of truck, the lines have a spot prone to failure due to abbrasion/chemical reaction. If it's coolant, you can repair, if it's a/c - it's body off to replace the lines (the is a repait kit, but no ones doing that).

BTW - any chance you have a hook-up for GiPro ATRE/gear indicator?

Tech wrote:You teach me to do the Spies-like elbow drag, and i'll tell you!!

You've come to the right man. I taught him everything he knows.

Okay, maybe not, but I DO teach people how to ride on the track If you ever find yourself near NH or NJ on two wheels, hit me up! www.tonystrackdays.com

Tech wrote:Seriously, search for rear a/c lines or something similar. basically, right rear corner of truck, the lines have a spot prone to failure due to abbrasion/chemical reaction. If it's coolant, you can repair, if it's a/c - it's body off to replace the lines (the is a repait kit, but no ones doing that).

Many thanks. I'll have to crawl under there and take a look.

Tech wrote:BTW - any chance you have a hook-up for GiPro ATRE/gear indicator?

Maybe I do, maybe I don't I'll look into it and get back to ya.

bwareheim wrote:As for an aggressive tire i would go with the duratracs, there are a lot of posts about the duratracs you just have to search for them. I also love my general grabber AT2 there very aggressive and perform very well on road and off and are cheaper than the duratracs if you are trying to save some money.

Thanks. Right now my tires are in very good shape, but down the line I'd eventually like to get something that looks more aggressive but not something that's gonna wear out quick, be noisy or kill my mpg's.

Depending on your mileage I would look at changing spark plugs, clean throttle body, check all fluids etc.. nothing sucks worse than putting money into aftermarket stuff and the vehicle not running.

Best bang for buck on mine has been the Airlift bags on the rear. Less than $100..easily levels the rig and seriously improves body motion, handling, and squat when hauling. I keep it around 18psi empty and 25psi when towing. Also added Bilstein shocks.

If you clean the throttle body you'll have to go through this re-learn proceedure.


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Just an FYI...you will need to do these procedures if you clean your trottle body!

Link from nicoclub.com: http://forums.nicoclub.com/05-pathfinde ... 44342.html

This problem is perfectly normal after cleaning/replacing the throttle body. Over time as your throttle body collects carbon the air volume which passes through it changes very slightly. This slight change in air volume is registered by the ECU and the ECU will auto-correct itself over time so that the driver notices no difference in idling or throttle response.

When you cleaned the throttle body you increased the air volume which can pass through the throttle body and this confused the ECU into thinking that there is something wrong with the engine, causing the malfunction indicator lamp to illuminate.

There are some steps which you can take to remedy this problem, all of which are free and can be done in your driveway. The following tasks need to be performed in the following order:

1. Reset ECU

2. Accelerator Pedal Released Position Learning

3. Throttle Valve Closed Position Learning

4. Idle Air Volume Learning

-----------------------------------------------------
----- RESET ECU -----
(The easy method below is much easier than this one, I suggest trying that one first)

1. Confirm that accelerator pedal is fully released, turn ignition switch “ON” and wait 3 seconds.

2. Repeat the following steps (2a and 2b) procedures quickly five times within 5 seconds.

2-a. Fully depress the accelerator pedal (HARD).
2-b. Fully release the accelerator pedal.

3. Wait 7 seconds, fully depress the accelerator pedal and keep it for approx. 10 seconds until the CEL starts blinking.

4. Fully release the accelerator pedal (while the CEL is still blinking).

5. Wait about 10 seconds.

6. Fully depress the accelerator pedal and keep it for more than 10 seconds.

7. Fully release the accelerator pedal (The CEL light will continue to blink).

8. Turn ignition switch to “OFF” position and now you can start the car. The CEL light should be gone.

If the CEL light continues to remain ON, repeat the above steps. Timing is EXTREMELY critical to resetting the ECU.

----- EASY METHOD TO RESET ECU -----

1. Ignition "ON", count to 3.

2. Depress/Release pedal 5 times...hard and fast.

3. Count to 10 (not 7!) and fully depress pedal

4. Count to 12 (SES should be blinking), release pedal

5. Count to 10, depress pedal

6. Count to 10, release pedal.

7. Turn off ignition, then start engine. Done!

----- ACCELERATOR PEDAL RELEASED POSITION LEARNING -----

1. Make sure that accelerator pedal is fully released.

2. Turn ignition switch ON and wait at least 2 seconds.

3. Turn ignition switch OFF wait at least 10 seconds.

4. Turn ignition switch ON and wait at least 2 seconds.

5. Turn ignition switch OFF wait at least 10 seconds.

----- THROTTLE VALVE CLOSED POSITION LEARNING -----

1. Make sure that accelerator pedal is fully released.

2. Turn ignition switch ON.

3. Turn ignition switch OFF wait at least 10 seconds.

Make sure that throttle valve moves during above 10 seconds by confirming the operating sound.

----- IDLE AIR VOLUME LEARNING -----
(The following steps are very time critical and any errors in timing may cause the malfunction indicator lamp to illuminate. If this occurs, you need to reset the ECU and complete all of the tasks again)

1. Start engine and warm it up to normal operating temperature.

2. Check that all items listed under the topic PREPARATION (previously mentioned) are in good order.

3. Turn ignition switch OFF and wait at least 10 seconds.

4. Confirm that accelerator pedal is fully released, then turn ignition switch ON and wait 3 seconds.

5. Repeat the following procedure quickly five times within 5 seconds.

5-a. Fully depress the accelerator pedal.
5-b. Fully release the accelerator pedal.

6. Wait 7 seconds, fully depress the accelerator pedal and keep it for approx. 20 seconds until the MIL stops blinking and turned ON.

7. Fully release the accelerator pedal within 3 seconds after the MIL turned ON.

8. Start engine and let it idle.

9. Wait 20 seconds.

12. Rev up the engine two or three times and make sure that idle speed and ignition timing are within the specifications. The vehicle should idle at 625 RPM's.