Good morning - I've reviewed every post I can find here to see if I can find out why my Pathfinder chokes and dies. I have the 3.3L engine. What happens is the engine starts right up. It idles great for maybe 15 minutes or so. When it gets up to about 150 degrees it starts missing a bit, then gradually gets worse over the next 10 or 15 minutes. It finally misses so badly it stalls. Even giving the engine gas only barely keeps it running once it starts missing really badly. Here is what I've done so far to try to find out what is wrong:
1. Checked fuel pump. Passed test. Went back yesterday and finally got a gauge on it at the fuel inlet line to the fuel rail. Pretty steady 32 PSI the whole time right up until the engine died. I'd already checked the pump inlet strainer and changed the fuel filter, so the pressure test confirmed good fuel flow. Pinching off the return line per Haynes raised pressure to about 40 PSI. I conclude the fuel system is good.
2. Replaced MAF sensor per someone's post in this forum. No difference, plus I'd already cleaned the old one with the correct cleaner.
3. Replaced thermostat to see if the engine would run hotter. Just a shot in the dark. No help.
4. Replaced both rear O2 sensors. No difference.
5. Replaced PCV valve. No difference.
6. Checked distributor cap and rotor. Some wear on contacts but didn't look bad. This was a shot in the dark.
7. Cleaned throttle body. Replaced cracked inlet air elbow. Checked air filter.
I've probably checked just about everything else except the knock sensor. I have a new one but don't want to pull the intake unless I have to. I don't think that is the problem anyway, and only got a new one because there were a few P codes showing up on my scanner when the problem first started. P0325. Also had a couple of codes for O2 sensors, which is why I tried replacing the sensors the codes reported. I erased the codes after I recorded them. I also got all the freeze frame data. Maybe it shows a problem somewhere, but I don't know exactly what to look for. Since I cleared the codes the P0325 has recurred as a stored code. Nothing has triggered the SES light. I've managed to drive around the block a couple of times since the problem started, but no trouble codes or SES light has occurred.
As a result of another post here I ordered a new distributor. Since I seem to have checked and confirmed fuel and air as "good" it makes sense about the only thing left is "fire", or spark. Obviously I fear there is something else somewhere on this engine or engine control system that is the actual problem. I should know the result of the new distributor in a few days when I get the new one in hand.
I hope someone can suggest some more things to check. I need to get this vehicle back on the road ASAP. Many thanks in advance!
2000 Pathfinder 3.3 L - starts, idles, warms up, misses, dies
Re: 2000 Pathfinder 3.3 L - starts, idles, warms up, misses, dies
The troubling aspect is that you're not getting error codes that are helpful in diagnosing the problem. Rear 02 sensor issues are not going to prevent it from running since they are downstream. The knock sensor error is kind of meaningless as it's only a secondary detection of another issue. Anyway- I would consider those components that can fail sometimes without triggering a CEL. In this case that can include the camshaft position sensor. That's built into the distributor and since you already purchased one maybe installing it will cure it.
Re: 2000 Pathfinder 3.3 L - starts, idles, warms up, misses, dies
OK, the new distributor fixed the problem. So far the engine is running better than it has since I've been working on it. I obviously don't know exactly what was wrong with the distributor other than it appeared to temperature-related.
The only other info I can add is the engine started running poorly a few days before it totally went bad. I checked a few things at the time and ended up doing the easiest thing I could think of - adding fuel treatment to the gas tank to see if maybe water in the fuel was causing a problem. Not having a fuel pressure test port is a major PITA on this engine, and I didn't know enough about the fuel system to try pulling off the supply line and checking for water. The lack of a fuel pressure test port was a problem the whole time. I got a gauge set but it didn't have fittings to attach to the fuel supply line. I tried it on the return line, since that had a hose I could use for the hook-up. That was a waste of time - no return pressure was detected. Crawling under the rear end and hooking up the gauge there at the fuel filter was a non-starter. I don't see how Haynes or anyone else could suggest that hook-up unless you either had a willing helper, a very long piece of hose so you could get the gauge out where you could see it, or you skipped the other suggested tests and just went with fuel pressure, read of course while lying under the running vehicle. I finally had enough of the silly fuel pressure test and cut the rubber hose part of the fuel supply line on the engine so I could tee in to the line at that point. That was I should have done to start with, as it worked like a champ. I spliced the rubber hose back together with a piece of tubing and a couple of hose clamps. Eventually maybe I'll replace the supply line assembly.
I had also checked the fuel pump early on in the troubleshooting process. I did the electrical tests with a meter and the pump appeared to be OK. A week or so later I decided to take the pump out and check the strainer bag on the intake. Opening the tank was no problem. Getting the pump out was an incredible PITA. I ended up getting sliced up on the sharp rim of the tank opening. Not just one slice, but multiple slices before I realized I was bleeding all over the place. I could NOT get the hoses to detach from the bottom of the fuel tank cover plate. I could see what had to done to release them, but it just wouldn't work. I finally got mad and yanked the hoses around and the fuel pump popped loose. I didn't realize, and Haynes never mentioned, that there is a latch tab on the pump housing that you are supposed to release. It wouldn't have mattered anyway, as I couldn't get my fingers on the tab anyway with the fuel hoses connected to the tank cover. With the pump assembly loose it was still a PITA to work the assembly out of the tank, but it finally came. The strainer bag looked OK, as did everything else. The tank itself looked almost spotless, and I could see no water. I disconnected the pump hoses while I had the pump out. They were hard to get off even when out in the open where I could see them and work them around. After checking everything I decided to just put everything back together. Another huge PITA. I couldn't get the pump assembly to line up with the pump retainer assembly, and couldn't get my hand into the tank far enough to align things correctly. I also couldn't reach the retainer clip, and this was all done with the fuel hoses disconnected and the float arm and sending unit assembly detached from the pump. Even with my sleeve down to protect my arm I was getting scraped and chafed on the tank edge. I finally made a determined effort and got lucky when the pump clicked into place. Hooking the disconnected fuel lines back up to the bottom of the tank cover was another hassle. I had a hard time getting them to latch into place. Once I got everything reassembled I found the cover seal o-ring was somewhat stretched so it was a little too big to fit properly. Good grief, I was so over this fuel pump thing! I finally got it to stay in place as best I could with some silicone grease. There isn't a good way to check and make sure the o-ring is still in the right place once you put the tank cover on, so I just went for it and screwed the cover down. Seems OK as I don't smell gas inside the cabin.
The rest of putting the fuel pump back together was easy after all the hassle. I have to give Nissan credit for making it possible to access the fuel pump without dropping the gas tank. I have to take credit away because of the absolute hassle it was to actually get the fuel pump out. I don't think I would recommend this job be undertaken by anyone with massive forearms because you'll never get you arm in the tank. A few years or more of experience working on cars and dealing with poorly-designed components apparently meant to be worked on only by your local dealer is almost a necessity as well.
I hope this helps others who might have a problem like this. I realize I got a bit carried away with describing the fuel pump experience I had, but maybe that info will also be helpful to someone.
The only other info I can add is the engine started running poorly a few days before it totally went bad. I checked a few things at the time and ended up doing the easiest thing I could think of - adding fuel treatment to the gas tank to see if maybe water in the fuel was causing a problem. Not having a fuel pressure test port is a major PITA on this engine, and I didn't know enough about the fuel system to try pulling off the supply line and checking for water. The lack of a fuel pressure test port was a problem the whole time. I got a gauge set but it didn't have fittings to attach to the fuel supply line. I tried it on the return line, since that had a hose I could use for the hook-up. That was a waste of time - no return pressure was detected. Crawling under the rear end and hooking up the gauge there at the fuel filter was a non-starter. I don't see how Haynes or anyone else could suggest that hook-up unless you either had a willing helper, a very long piece of hose so you could get the gauge out where you could see it, or you skipped the other suggested tests and just went with fuel pressure, read of course while lying under the running vehicle. I finally had enough of the silly fuel pressure test and cut the rubber hose part of the fuel supply line on the engine so I could tee in to the line at that point. That was I should have done to start with, as it worked like a champ. I spliced the rubber hose back together with a piece of tubing and a couple of hose clamps. Eventually maybe I'll replace the supply line assembly.
I had also checked the fuel pump early on in the troubleshooting process. I did the electrical tests with a meter and the pump appeared to be OK. A week or so later I decided to take the pump out and check the strainer bag on the intake. Opening the tank was no problem. Getting the pump out was an incredible PITA. I ended up getting sliced up on the sharp rim of the tank opening. Not just one slice, but multiple slices before I realized I was bleeding all over the place. I could NOT get the hoses to detach from the bottom of the fuel tank cover plate. I could see what had to done to release them, but it just wouldn't work. I finally got mad and yanked the hoses around and the fuel pump popped loose. I didn't realize, and Haynes never mentioned, that there is a latch tab on the pump housing that you are supposed to release. It wouldn't have mattered anyway, as I couldn't get my fingers on the tab anyway with the fuel hoses connected to the tank cover. With the pump assembly loose it was still a PITA to work the assembly out of the tank, but it finally came. The strainer bag looked OK, as did everything else. The tank itself looked almost spotless, and I could see no water. I disconnected the pump hoses while I had the pump out. They were hard to get off even when out in the open where I could see them and work them around. After checking everything I decided to just put everything back together. Another huge PITA. I couldn't get the pump assembly to line up with the pump retainer assembly, and couldn't get my hand into the tank far enough to align things correctly. I also couldn't reach the retainer clip, and this was all done with the fuel hoses disconnected and the float arm and sending unit assembly detached from the pump. Even with my sleeve down to protect my arm I was getting scraped and chafed on the tank edge. I finally made a determined effort and got lucky when the pump clicked into place. Hooking the disconnected fuel lines back up to the bottom of the tank cover was another hassle. I had a hard time getting them to latch into place. Once I got everything reassembled I found the cover seal o-ring was somewhat stretched so it was a little too big to fit properly. Good grief, I was so over this fuel pump thing! I finally got it to stay in place as best I could with some silicone grease. There isn't a good way to check and make sure the o-ring is still in the right place once you put the tank cover on, so I just went for it and screwed the cover down. Seems OK as I don't smell gas inside the cabin.
The rest of putting the fuel pump back together was easy after all the hassle. I have to give Nissan credit for making it possible to access the fuel pump without dropping the gas tank. I have to take credit away because of the absolute hassle it was to actually get the fuel pump out. I don't think I would recommend this job be undertaken by anyone with massive forearms because you'll never get you arm in the tank. A few years or more of experience working on cars and dealing with poorly-designed components apparently meant to be worked on only by your local dealer is almost a necessity as well.
I hope this helps others who might have a problem like this. I realize I got a bit carried away with describing the fuel pump experience I had, but maybe that info will also be helpful to someone.
Re: 2000 Pathfinder 3.3 L - starts, idles, warms up, misses, dies
Glad you finally nailed down the cause of the trouble. If I may make a suggestion, I've found that it's really helpful to do a search here on many major repair tasks before you start them because very likely someone else has done a nice write up with photos on the procedures and pitfalls of certain repairs. For instance, there's a detailed write up of removing the fuel pump and the writer cautions that the fuel tank opening has multiple sharp edges that can slice up your forearms. He wisely applied masking tape all around the opening to avoid getting cut up while straining to grab the pump assembly.
Re: 2000 Pathfinder 3.3 L - starts, idles, warms up, misses, dies
I never thought of checking for a fuel pump write-up! Never thought of tape either! Thanks for the tips!
I DID search the forum for solutions to my problem. One of the posts here convinced me to try the distributor replacement. A couple of other posts made good suggestions of things to try, which I did.
Parting thought: If you read my entire post about the fuel pump please take it as a tip to check this forum for some tips on removing the fuel pump before you try it yourself!
I DID search the forum for solutions to my problem. One of the posts here convinced me to try the distributor replacement. A couple of other posts made good suggestions of things to try, which I did.
Parting thought: If you read my entire post about the fuel pump please take it as a tip to check this forum for some tips on removing the fuel pump before you try it yourself!
Re: 2000 Pathfinder 3.3 L - starts, idles, warms up, misses, dies
I'm having a similar problem, with very different results.
My engine also started missing a few days before it refused to idle. Once up to temperature it would miss and stutter badly before stalling.
The DTC said knock sensor error so I spliced in one above the intake manifold. This didnt help, same problem.
I just installed a new distributor and plug wires, but now the motor wont crank at all.
I timed cylinder 1 to 16 degrees - at least thats what my OBD monitor said it was while the engine was cranking, because it wont start.
Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance.
My engine also started missing a few days before it refused to idle. Once up to temperature it would miss and stutter badly before stalling.
The DTC said knock sensor error so I spliced in one above the intake manifold. This didnt help, same problem.
I just installed a new distributor and plug wires, but now the motor wont crank at all.
I timed cylinder 1 to 16 degrees - at least thats what my OBD monitor said it was while the engine was cranking, because it wont start.
Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance.
Re: 2000 Pathfinder 3.3 L - starts, idles, warms up, misses, dies
I fixed my issue - new knock sensor didnt help, even though the DTC said the sensor was faulty. I installed a new distributor and wires and the car now runs perfectly.
Re: 2000 Pathfinder 3.3 L - starts, idles, warms up, misses, dies
I had this issue a couple of years ago and believe I posted results here but as a followup. If you remove the distributor cap, remove the rotor and then remove the dust cover you will find the encoder disc, the disc is metal and has slots cut in it. You will find it is covered with metal dust which interferes with the correct reading of the disc. ie timing.
Tried posting a pic but to no avail.
Tried posting a pic but to no avail.
Re: 2000 Pathfinder 3.3 L - starts, idles, warms up, misses, dies
Hey all... Thought I'd throw my 2¢ here - for what it's worth. Have the same exact vehicle... started acting up while driving home on the freeway (2 months ago) - I originally thought it was missing (it wasn't)... After a full tune up - it would hardly run at all, then died.
I had read on this forum somewhere that the OEM Distributor shafts would rust out and die (after 17 years and 220,000 miles for me). Well, yes - It died. After a shiny new Distributor - she's back to life and ready to rock!!
I will say, however, that the wire harness that fed into the Distributor was murder to take out - seemed like it was welded into the original one - and the quick connect portion of it was less than cooperative. Well after working it for some time, it came off and works well now. Be careful - don't bust off the harness or damage the wires. I've seen them on the net for $45 (ouch)...
Code didn't actually come on (P0340) until right before it died... Good Luck!
I had read on this forum somewhere that the OEM Distributor shafts would rust out and die (after 17 years and 220,000 miles for me). Well, yes - It died. After a shiny new Distributor - she's back to life and ready to rock!!
I will say, however, that the wire harness that fed into the Distributor was murder to take out - seemed like it was welded into the original one - and the quick connect portion of it was less than cooperative. Well after working it for some time, it came off and works well now. Be careful - don't bust off the harness or damage the wires. I've seen them on the net for $45 (ouch)...
Code didn't actually come on (P0340) until right before it died... Good Luck!