flashing od light, ses light, starting issues

[nicktheninja27]

Lets start from the beginning. For starters the air intake hose where it connects to the throttle body is broken and cracked, currently taped and clamped for a tight seal. Wife was driving uphill the other day ruck lurched, bogged down and ses light came on with code P0171. When ignition is switched to "on" O/D light flashes approximately 15 times. ses light went off the other day, only to come bac on the next day. As of now, when ignition is turned on she turns over, starts, rpms go to 1000 down to 500 then dies in a span of about 5 seconds. I can keep it from dying by revving it for 15 seconds. but when put into reverse truck lurches really hard and immediately dies.I got it into reverse by revving it to about 750-1000 rpms while shifting into reverse. when warm issue seems to go away. also shifting extremely hard from 1st to 2nd, softer but still hard through the rest if the gears. O/D seems to be working fine.

fuel filter, tps? any ideas??

[Slumpert]

Yea FSM shows lots of possible causes. I would re-check your patch job on the intake and see if any new leaks have occured. Replacing the fuel filter might help. Reallly need to follow the manual from there due to so many systems that can contribute to the code.

[nicktheninja27]

sorry, this may be a stupid question as i'm a noob to the forums. FSM? F service manual?

[nicktheninja27]

also dont have the manual. is it available online anywhere?

[THatfield]

check the FAQ thread for the FSM

[Densetsu]

sorry, this may be a stupid question as i'm a noob to the forums. FSM? F service manual?

Factory Service Manual.

[nicktheninja27]

forgot to mention that she's an automatic, 4x4 with 248,342 miles..

[Towncivilian]

Can you pull engine codes somehow? Auto parts stores will do it for free, but you need to be able to actually drive the vehicle there unfortunately.

Does the SES light blink or is it solid when the engine is started?

O/D OFF blinking indicates an issue with the transmission and a generic code reader may not be able to pull those codes. See the steps on page AT-45 of the factory service manual to pull those codes and list them here.

[nicktheninja27]

she runs just fine if you start her, and manually hold the throttle open a little maybe to run at 2000 rpm for a minute, upon shifting into reverse will shift extremely hard, lurch backwards and stall. upon trying gain, however, she'll go into reverse just fine. and also after she warms up there are no problems starting whatsoever, she just shifts hard while in drive.

[Towncivilian]

How's the level and condition of the transmission fluid?

1. Drive around for 10 minutes in the city after the transmission is at operating temperature.
2. Park on a level surface and apply the parking brake.
3. With P selected, shift through every gear and return to P.
4. Pull the transmission dipstick with the engine idling, wipe it clean, reinsert it completely, and read the level. It must be within the notched area labeled "HOT". Check for fluid contamination after wiping on a paper towel.



The fluid should be red, and not smell burnt.

If you haven't replaced the fuel filter within the past two years, replacing it would be a wise idea regardless.

How many miles are on your Pathfinder?

[nicktheninja27]

about 250k, checking fluid lever now

[nicktheninja27]

fluid level is ok, but its brown and kinda does smell burnt.

[Towncivilian]

Has the fluid ever been serviced before?

Timing belt is due at 105k mile intervals. Was it replaced around 210k?

[nicktheninja27]

i dont think anything has been done to it.

[Towncivilian]

If it's overdue for two timing belts, I feel that there's no point to diagnosing further. If you wish to keep the vehicle, I suggest you get the timing belt service done as soon as possible. Otherwise, the engine is basically a time bomb. A complete transmission fluid exchange would also be a wise idea.

If you don't want to do the timing belt for whatever reason, see page EC-249 of the factory service manual for potential causes of your P0171 code. The potential causes are listed in order from most likely to least likely.

[nicktheninja27]

any idea on a rough estimate on getting it done?

[Slumpert]

Roughly $400-$700 labor. Belt itself is pretty cheap, but you might at well replace the tensioner and waterpump and all the other betls while it is apart. I seen Amazon kits for under $150 that look pretty complete parts wise.

Frequently people also change the camshafts and front engine seal as well as the hidden bypass hose too since you would need to remove the belt again to get to them when they fail.

[nicktheninja27]

ok thanks

[nicktheninja27]

ok i looked at the belts. the timing belt says made in mexico, which leads me to believe it has been changed at least once(?), but shows signs of wear i.e. small cracks along the teeth. however the serpentine belt is nissan branded. should i get them both done at the same time?

also looked for the recall no rust whatsoever at 248k miles so no problems there.

[Slumpert]

While technically possible if the previous owner did not install the belt covers, you most likely are not able to see the timing belt as it is buried under steel covers.

The other belts due have to come off, and might as well replace them if you are unsure of thier age

[nicktheninja27]

had the ses light checked again the other day, dont remember the code, but the scanner said throttle position sensor circuit was bad.
can the TPS cause my hard shifts?
i know its probably the cause for it not starting, and its lack of acceleration, but i dont know about the hard shifting.

[nicktheninja27]

ok. update:
TPS wasn't actually plugged in all the way, the red plug was loose, plugged it on all issues disappeared except the flashing O/D light. She shifts a lot better now, no more starting issues, no more acceleration issues, she runs like a brand new car!, now if we can figure out why the O/D light flashes... lol

[Towncivilian]

Good to hear it was such a simple and cheap (free!) fix.

If you haven't yet, please try running the transmission self-diagnosis I posted a link to above. Hopefully that'll give some insight about your flashing O/D OFF light. You could also try to disconnect the negative battery terminal to reset the TCM, maybe it's still thinking there's a fault due to the unplugged TPS?