2002 Nissan Pathfinder revving up and down. NEED HELP

[erickherrera]

I bought a one owner Nissan Pathfinder 2002 three weeks ago. When I test drove it, it drove like a dream but on my FIRST day of college (lucky me right?) I was in the McD drive thru and I started to go and it just stalled on me. I stopped and put it in park and started it again. Next I was on my way to school about 20 minutes away on freeway, I drive about 40 minutes on freeway everyday, anyways I was getting off and my Pathfinder stalled again, I pulled to the curb and started it again, it hasnt done this anymore for a week but it has started to rev weird. First when I start the vehicle it revs high to like 1500 and if i give it some gas it'll start to rev up and down on its own and then stop. If the engine is warm and i put it in park itll rev up and down by itself. This is starting to worry me. People have told me maybe its the TPS but I unhook both cables that go to the sensor to see if it still did it and it didnt do it, it just revved high like 2000. There is also a noise coming from that part from where the TPS connects, sorry I dont know what the parts are called im really not a car guy but when i turn the truck off, wait a couple seconds there is a strange noise small but strange that comes from that part, someone please help, i went to Advance Auto because it had an engine light when i bought it and i wanted to find out what it was and codes are P1140 and P1130 and then a couple days later it started to act up on me. Please anyone help. I went to a local mechanic but he's sort of a d*ck and told me it could be a million things, i feel like he just wants to scam me. Not many local mechanics around my area. I set up an appointment with my local Nissan dealer but theyre charging me 90 bucks to just take a look at it. HELP Please just a college student trying to make it lol. Thank you for reading.
2002 Nissan Pathfinder. 156K miles.

[Qxx4]

Well if u unhooked it and revved higher then it might be that the TPS is shot and giving wrong information u might wanna borrow another TPS from a friend or something that has the same car so u dont end up paying for a new one and the problem is somthing else

[AlanAZ]

Have you Googled your codes, P1140 and P1130,and what typically fixes them? That would give us a lot more information to work with.

[attofarad]

P1130 seems to be a Swirl Control Valve code.

P1140 is the code for the camshaft position sensor on the right side. This sensor has been replaced about every 70k miles on my wife's 2001 QX4 (mostly by me), and I am guessing that you need to replace yours. Mine has never been bad enough to cause symptoms (maybe slightly odd in the shifting -- nothing pronounced), just a dashboard light and code.

For some reason, the description on the part box might be "crankshaft" position sensor for an OEM Nissan part. The FSM calls it the "intake valve timing control position sensor."

A bad camshaft position sensor may also cause P1130 to appear, but I don't think swirl control issues would cause P1140 to appear.

Have you downloaded the factory service manual (FSM)? The description is in the EC (engine control) chapter of the manual.

The first thing the FSM says to do is to loosen and re-tighten the bolts securing the ground wires -- this has never done anything to fix my problems, but takes one minute and is "free."

I would next remove and replace the connector to the sensor, just in case it is making bad contact. You can also swap the left and right sensors, to see whether the code moves from P1140 to P1145. Clean them off while they are out, which might help. Inspect for cracks or other issues.

Here's a good price on a Nissan part: http://www.nissanpartsdeal.com/parts/ni ... 2y52a.html

I "couldn't wait" even though I didn't install it for another 3 months, so I ordered 2 day : https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000C ... UTF8&psc=1


I swapped out one of these on the road 900 miles from home (had had the code, cleaned/swapped and it went away for a while, so had the part with me), and found it easier to pull the battery in order to change the right side sensor. At home, I have more tools and never needed to do that. Be careful not to damage the connectors or wires.

If you only (or still) have the P1130 after doing the above and resetting the codes, you will need to check the swirl control solenoid, check its vacuum hoses for leaks or blockage, etc.

I recommend that you buy or borrow a code reader, but I suppose that you can just keep going to Autozone, if they will read codes and clear them for you. Let us know what you find.

[atraudes]

I agree, the revving problem is probably because of the TPS. Make sure you properly calibrate it per the FSM when you install the new one.

My guess is your IACV is on its way out too since it's stalling and the TPS won't cause that. I'd recommend replacing the IACV as soon as possible as well. The reason it's a bit more urgent is there's a well-documented problem with these vehicles where over time this valve goes bad and its resistance increases, eventually frying the ECU as well. When that happens you have to get the ECU repaired in addition to replacing the valve. It's not throwing the P0505 code for it yet, but when it does the ECU will be toast. Even on the off chance it's not the problem, it will go bad eventually.

I think the noise you're hearing in that area is the EGR valve on top of the intake manifold, btw. I hear mine making some sort of rattling-type noise (dunno how else to explain it) for a second or two after a drive.

For code P1140, try switching the two camshaft sensors. The code indicates that one of them is bad. When you switch them and clear the codes, it will pop up with a different one if the sensor is indeed bad. This diagram shows them underlined in red.



The P1130 code indicates a problem with the Swirl Control Valve Control Solenoid Valve (how's that for a name??)



Disconnect the hoses that go into it and try blowing them out. Crud can build up in them over time which blocks the valve. For good measure, try doing that for all vacuum hoses in the area. Make sure to do one at a time so you don't mix up where they go. Also look for disconnected, cracked, or torn vacuum lines and replace as needed. If all else fails replace the solenoid.

P1130 isn't super urgent; it'll just affect your low RPM performance a bit. P1140 also isn't critical but I believe it will affect timing. I'd say take care of them the next time you have an idle weekend or a few hours to kill. If you want more info on them, have a search on the forum.

Good luck and let us know what you find!