Nissan Pathfinder Questions & Answers (page 4 of 5)

Hi adfc,
It is GEN4 5.1. I think there might be an update that Nisan has.

I have bought one only 4 mnths ago and it is great. So comfortable and the fuel economy is good for a SUV

If it is the original stereo it plays Bluetooth fine but perhaps if it's pre-2011 I'm not sure. Ours is 2012. Turning and parking is no problem it drives like a smaller car would.

You are entirely correct. On the base (ST) model there is no Bluetooth audio streaming option. There is however a USB port, in to which you can plug a USB Bluetooth audio dongle to have this functionality.

I bought one off eBay and it works a treat. Here's an example: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/USB-Wireless-Car-Bluetooth-Music-Stereo-Audio-Dongle-Adapter-Receiver-for-iPhone-/131342233699?hash=item1e949b7063

Thankyou, very helpful answers!

Hi Ken, I run Hankook S/T.
They are good in the mud and grip over rocky terrain, no road noise and I get around 80,000 to 90,000 Km.I rate them much the same as Coopers but much cheaper.

Go Cooper tyres, they cost a bomb to buy, can only get them through tyre power, but they promise 80,000klms with wheel alignments and rotate and balance through the life of the tyres. well worth it I say. or the Bridgestone Duelers 697's

Not me, but probably best just to call a Nissan Dealer and ask.

Hello John, This does not sound good. I have never had a problem selecting Auto 4x4 or permanently engaged 4x4. The higher modes engage/disengage on the move (in a straight line) and low range when stationary. You might in due course post a note on the solution. Best of luck. John

Hi, When you select 4wd on the car you need to select 2wd on the knob & then put the car in reverse & go backwards for a couple of metres & then put in drive & go forward this should release the 4wd lock-up, I have an 2006 model & that's what i do works everytime.
Regards Fred.

Thanks Fred, it ended up being that we had to put the gear in Neutral for it to change back.

That's 1500 kms a year - not much, why? If you want a capable mid-sized 4WD and don't plan to use it as day to day/commuter transport, this should be a good solution, depending on price. I would want to know if it is an Australian compliance vehicle (or a grey import) - I think they are different vehicles. Make sure everything works, there are no oil leaks (including shock absorbers) and the tyres are good and you should have a cheap, capable 4WD that will give many years and kms of service. Let us know how you go.

I would check the history of the vehicle. Unfortunately they begin to fail at around 30,000kms. Unless the previous owners included all repairs in the book, I am pretty sure there is no way to know if the clutch or anything else has been replaced

At 290,000km the engine should have had 3 timing chain changes; the main "big item" service cost that you are going to meet (every 100,000km approx). The engine is a 4-cylinder Peugeot diesel, renowned for its longevity, reliability and fuel efficiency. An ST-L/Ti will have the automatic - only the ST was available with a manual gearbox and this had massive failures with the clutch.

Buy a vehicle with all the extras. Check to see if it has a suspension upgrade (preferably OME, springs and shocks, front and rear). It's easy to spot - the Parhy won't be sagging at the rear. Also look for performance upgrades. Steinbauer or DP chips in combination with a 3" mandrel-bent exhaust. This will save you about $3,500.00. A set of Light Force HID spots up front mounted on a Nissan nudge/bull bar will enhance your night driving experience. A second-hand vehicle with all these extras can be bought at hardly any extra cost over a similar vehicle without them.

Hi, I think that 18l/100kms is excessive unless you are in 4WD all the time, or driving in heavy traffic with lots of stopping and starting - even so your fuel consumption is high. In normal highway use I get 13l/100kms and it's about the same around town in Canberra - off road 4WD increases consumption markedly. I keep the tyres at 35-36 psi on roads. Was the air filter changed in the recent service? It should have been, but if not and it's dirty fuel consumption will increase. How many kms do you get from a full tank? Regards John H

Hi John, filters were changed at service, I do mostly country driving eg sitting on 90-100 into town for work. I only get about 450km per tank. My husband drove it to Sydney a couple of days ago and only averaged 17.5km/100l. Also he said he felt headaches and fluey in the car so now I'm thinking an exhaust leak eg CO in the car :(

Hi, Sorry I missed this post. There is something dramatically wrong with your Pathfinder, you should get the same economy I do. It's probably fixed by now and it would be interesting to know what was wrong. Regards John

If it is a diesel, it could be similar to a problem I had with mine. It would stall after startup and take a bit to restart it. Gave impression it was a drain back issue, but the problem was a faulty suction control valve. Part of the common rail pump.

Hello Nelly. I don't think this is a good modification for this model Pathfinder. The space behind the back seats is usefully high and wide, but not very deep. Only tiny people would fit and they need special seats and mountings - I can't see how that would get DMV or whatever agency approval. Access to a third row of seats wouldn't be pretty either. The next model Pathfinder can have three rows of seats, or you might think about a Ford Territory. Regards John

Hi jennifer. There's no reason your Pathfinder can't use E10, but if you have a choice avoid it. It's not a nice fuel and you need more of it to do equivalent work as it has less energy than ULP. I find that my fuel consumption increases by around 10% running on E10. To make it worthwhile using E10 in lieu of ULP it should be 12-15% less per litre - I've never seen that and seldom seen it more than 4 cents/L cheaper (around 3%). It's interesting that Woolworths announced that ULP would be phased out around 2010, but it still sells ULP at my local. Shell did phase ULP out, but it''s back - good thing too. Regards John

I had a similar problem with an aftermarket fuel filter that kept draining back overnight. The aftermarket filter looked like it came out of the same factory as the genuine. It was supplied without the electronic bit on the bottom and much cheaper to buy. Had to hand prime to fix the problem each time. There were no signs of leaks or air leaks. I put on a genuine Nissan filter and fixed the problem straight away. See if hand priming makes it start easier after it stops. Good luck with it. I'm into my 3rd R51 and love them, just shattered that I won't be able to buy another.

Gday boydee, that sounds like it might be the answer ! The last two mornings I have primed the filter and have had no problems, unsure if the filter is an original or not ?
The fuel does seem to be draining back to the tank overnight, is there no non return valve or anything that could stop the fuel from draining back ?

Mine had exactly the same problem. I had a non return valve installed to no avail. Problem was found to be a Suction control valve. I think it is part of the Common rail pump

Sorry absolutely no idea.
You perhaps try downloading a workshop manual from a website. The older model ones are easier to get an mostly free.

As far as i know - the ARB bullbar is more solid, whereas the Nissan one i believe they call an enviro bar (?)
Personally, i would go the ARB or TJM

Tjm bullbars are good im getting one for my 2014 pathfinder with a winch

Go see a mechanic if you think it is stuffed,this is not a trchnical blog,just a basic review site!

Hi, There was no diesel available in 2003 when we bought our Pathfinder, had there been I would have chosen it. The Pathfinder uses 13l/100km of ULP in normal on-road/highway driving and upto 18l/100km of hard 4x4 work (low range, difficult terrain). I've little experience of caravanning, but friends tell me that their fuel consumption can double with a medium sized van and is quite sensitive to wind direction (2-3l/100km more or less driving against or ahead of the wind). All that aside, what the Pathfinder does best is soft or hard 4x4 and easy highway at moderate speeds (cruise control at 100k/h - comfortable and car-like, quiet and delivers 500+kms per tank). If you just want a tow vehicle, I'd choose something like a Ford Territory. If you want to tow and go onto beaches and up fire trails and the like, the Pathfinder is a good choice, but will suck down liquids like a sailor on shore leave, as will any other 4x4 that weighs 2+ tons and uses ULP. Hope this helps. John

I occasionally tow a large, single axle box trailer which the Pathfinder has no trouble with - I wouldn't tow a caravan as I think the impact in fuel consumption with be a fright. Otherwise, fuel consumption doesn't seem to vary much at around 13/100kms around town and with three people and a lot of camping gear and big roof rack on the highway. Full time 4x4 and low range chew through fuel, maybe 50% increase, but that's in really heavy going. If you are thinking of buying one of these vehicles, I didn't mention in my review, but the head lights are weak and you definitely need auxiliary lamps. Otherwise, this is an excellent and capable mid-size 4x4.

Hi,

It might be the anti-rollback or hill descent staying on for a second longer than it needs to. All it does is put your breaks on automatically to stop the car rolling before you start to take off. Take it to Nissan and they will let you know for sure or find the problem

Mine has the same issue - i asked and it is the hill descent feature. Occassionally it operates to prevent you from rolling back if you were in a 4wd situation, but activates during normal driving.