01 pathfinder P1320 code and intermittant misfire

[Chuck Tribolet]

dflipmode: what are the symptoms you are seeing?

[dflipmode]

The symptoms that i have are the same as a misfire condition. You can feel it at idle, vehicle shakes at around 50mph at steady speed, shakes as well above the 60mph range. I have the code p1320 and a p0300. It doesnt tell me which specific cylinder. I have tried taking the harness off each cylinder while the vehicle is idling to see if there is any changes to the rpm and possibly figure out which cylinder would stay the same at idle even when disconnected, but no luck. I have changed the air filter before to a K&N and it might be possible that the MAF sensor is dirty. But other than that, I have followed every step according to the service manual as to what to check for and still no luck. The only thing that I have found before when I changed the plugs is that #3 plug is white compared to the others, so that is a possibility that it might be a fuel problem? But other than that, I dont have a clue. I refuse to follow what the damn dealer says and just replace all the coils because it is a waste of my money if that is not the problem and if anybody else have any input, that would be great. thanks

dennis

[moonv]

I'm having the same problem as 'dflipmode' while driving at 50-60mph, and the service engine light flashes while it's happening, and then stops when there's no more hesitation. It also misfires intermittently while idleing once in a while. I would think that if it was a bad coil, the problem would happen both while idleing and driving, as I've had a couple of bad coils on my other car, a Maxima.Any ideas?

[nnorton44]

You can check the resistance for each coil I am just not sure of the right specs for it.

[dflipmode]

there are no actual resistance values with the coils according to the service manual. The only thing the manual says is that if it has resistance other than 0 then it is good. for mine, I have 487ohms resistance on a cold condition and about 190 on a hot condition. And I have talked to all this manufacturers and they all said that there is no actual resistance value that it need to be.

dennis

[tps2000]

I tryed everything and I could not find the culprit on the coils. I went to Ebay and found 6 coils for 250.00 and replaced them all and solved the problem. I tryed afterwards to power up the coils and try to find a problem and was unsuccesful.I took the suckers apart and gave them an autopsy and could not find any problems, good luck.

[jetroy240]

That's why dealers recommend all coils if u have code P1320 & P0300, because they too don't know w/c one is bad if it's intermittent. But if u have P1320 & P0301, they still recommend all coils & will recommend only to replaced coil no. 1 at your own risk. They have to cover their back in case the other coils broke down.

[nnorton44]

there are no actual resistance values with the coils according to the service manual. The only thing the manual says is that if it has resistance other than 0 then it is good. for mine, I have 487ohms resistance on a cold condition and about 190 on a hot condition. And I have talked to all this manufacturers and they all said that there is no actual resistance value that it need to be.

dennis

Thanks for the info!

[dflipmode]

well people, I have fixed my problem. I just found that coil #2 was my problem. The way that I found out is by turning on the car and just started pulling one coil at a time and see if the idle would drop. And it did with all the coils except #2. I verified this about 3-4 times to make sure then I checked the primary resistance and I was not getting anything compared to all the other ones. Bought the part then verified it again, and sure enough that coil number two doesnt have resistance in the primary side I believe but it does have a secondary resistance. The new part does have resistance on both and put it in and runs like a charm now. Paying $75 sure is alot better than paying $1200 from what the dealer suggested. The way I see it, what the dealer is doing is just replacing parts without actually troubleshooting. Anybody can just replace parts but it takes more time and patience to troubleshoot and actually find the problem.

[colinw]

I had the intermittent P1320 and a P305 a little over a year ago. It got worse and worse.I was told to replace all the coils by the parts guy. He said they always do since it wont be long before more will fail.Not wanting to spend the $600 at that time, I just replaced #5. Voila, the car stopped throwing codes.

Now, I'm getting it again. P302 this time. Now I'm trying to decide if I should replace them all.... Probably not since I'm a cheap bastard. #2 will be easier that #5 was... I hope...

One thing I do remember, the 01 Pathfinder has two different sets of coils for that year. It is important to get the correct set. One of the coils is a different shape. I had to give the dealer parts guy my VIN for him to tell which set I needed.

[tbsbiker2]

I had same conditions 3 years ago at 45,000 miles. I would get codes for misfire on 1 and 6...then nothing for weeks...and to add to my story I was told the same thing about the probability of more failing being pretty high as the stock coils weren't so great. I was told (I say that as who knows) that the new parts are improved and so given I was keeping the truck for the long haul I replaced all of em and bit the bullit. Needless to say it's been flawless for now 20,000 miles.

Peter

[t_b0ne3]

Fueler just wondering what NGK plugs you went with? I'm planning on replaceing mine as soon as the weather breaks here!Thanks!

[gmooney]

I do get the first code, the P1320, however I have never seen the second code, P305. Did it come up at the same time or a second reading?

[RLS81]

Hello there, first time poster here. I started getting the misfire in 2001 pathfinder a week ago. I got P0303 and P1320 codes so I switched Coil #3 and Coil #5 and got P0305 so I know it's a bad coil for sure. My question is should I change the cam positioning sensor to get rid of the P1320 code or just replace the bad coil, reset it, and wait to see if it comes back again?

[Chuck Tribolet]

P1320 is ignition-related, not camshaft-advance-related. DO NOT replace the cam position sensor. You have a bad #5 coil, replace it.

Good move swapping coils and seeing the bug move. That's a smoking gun.


Chuck

[RLS81]

So how do I go about getting rid of whats causing P1320? I replaced the bad coil and erased the codes, and on the 2nd time I started the car the SES light came on with P1320 by itself! Is it the new coil causing that?

[RLS81]

Bump

[Chuck Tribolet]

P1320 can be a number of things. The FSM has a 11-page diagnosis process. Get the FSM.

[Empty V]

For anyone looking to buy coils get them from Parts Geek. They're the cheapest and have the Hitachi OEM replacements.

[Mojobaggins]

I'm having the same issue with my 01 QX4. Only the P1320 code. I had all six ignition coils and spark plugs replaced. After clearing the code, on the second start, the P1320 code comes back. So far, my shop has found nothing wrong with the MAF and crank/camshaft sensors. They're currently going thru all of the wiring. Is it possible that the ECU is malfunctioning? And needs to be reprogrammed or replaced?

Note, thru-out all of this, my car starts and runs fine. The only thing noticeable is a high drop in gas mileage.

I originally took it to the dealership and they also wanted to change all 6 ignition coils and plugs for $1300. I decided to buy the parts from rockauto for $320 and had them installed for $170. Now, I'm wondering if I'm going to have to take it back to the dealership.

[Chuck Tribolet]

FSM says:

Possible Cause
I Harness or connectors (The ignition primary circuit is open or
shorted.)
I Power transistor unit built into ignition coil
I Condenser
I Crankshaft position sensor (REF)
I Crankshaft position sensor (REF) circuit

NOT MAF. NOT ECU.

[Mojobaggins]

My shop took the car to another shop with better electrical folks, they believe it's the cheap ignition coils I bought and suggest replacing them all out.

Argh!!!!!!!!!!

If that doesn't work, I'm not sure what to do. I don't want to pay for a whole set of coils and getting them replaced to have SES light go off again and have to take it to the dealership who will want to replace the aftermarket coils for oem ones.

For now, I'm going to have them replace the 1st ignition coil and see what happens.

[Mojobaggins]

Update - local shop swapped out a few coils and still P1320 code.

I took the vehicle to the dealership today. They say the sparkplugs have the wrong gap .040" instead of .044" and that I'm not using oem coils.

They want $1300 to replace everything without assurances that will resolve the code.

Dealership is going to charge me for the oem coils, even if the code comes back on and it's not a coil problem b/c they can't return them. It's the first step in their diagnosis to ensure that it's not the sparkplugs/coils. They say that they've inspected the ECM and wiring and they're fine.

If they do just the sparkplugs, they're still going to charge me $390 for labor and if it's not the sparkplugs, they'll charge me $390 again to install their coils.

Partgeeks carries Hitachi coils which are supposed to be oem for $72/each.

Should I buy the Hitachi coils(oem) and have my local shop install their own sparkplugs and my Hitachi coils? It'll be around $600 instead of $1300.

Cost already:
1st Dealership Diagnosis - $130
Parts and Local Shop to replace coils - $500
2nd Dealership Diagnosis - $130

Now, either $1300 or $600?

[Mojobaggins]

I think I've decided that I'm going to regap the spark plugs myself tomorrow(it's going to be close to 60F). Leave the battery disconnected overnight or go to my local autoshop to reset the codes. If the SES goes off again, I'm just going to trade it in.

Can you not edit posts here? I wanted to update my previous post instead of making this post.

[IanL]

Hey everyone, I am having the same problem with my 01 Pathfinder. It's a P1320 Code. It started happening when I changed my plugs out. I put NGK in, as the old plugs were pretty much toast. After that it started having major ignition problems. I was getting a 0304 code with is number 4 cylinder. I swapped 4 with 6 and started getting a 0306 code. I replaced just that coil and sure enough, still throwing a 1320, but the 0306 went away. So I ordered aftermarket coils off ebay. Swapped them all out today and still getting the 1320. Car seems to run ok....just need to figure out what the problem is. has anyone found anything else that fixed the problem?

[Towncivilian]

What specific brand of coil packs did you order?

This probably won't do anything, but try cleaning your MAF sensor.

[yeldogt]

What plug did you use?

Don't play around with different plugs -- install the original factory plug! Especially the multi electrode type.

[IanL]

I ordered some aftermarket coils I found on an ebay parts seller, am auto parts http://myworld.ebay.com/am-autoparts/?_ ... 4340.l2559.

Everything was right a fit well. The NGK plugs were stock for the car as well, got them at Auto Zone.. It seems to be running ok, just keeps getting that check SES light. Wondering if the ground connections could be an issue, and are they grounded where the bolts go through? Or could it be a dirty injector, or a possible valve issue? I am stumped on this one....

[Towncivilian]

The NGK plugs you used were PLFR5A-11, correct?

Try tightening the ground screws:

[eripley]

So I would like to know what everyone has done with these problems. I have the p1320 code and had all 6 coils replaced but the code still comes back. My machanic says he going to have to rewire the car. Any one please terll me how they fixed their issues.