2003 Pathfinder Codes

A forum for the legendary Nissan Pathfinder and Infiniti QX4.
jessika840
Posts: 7
Joined: Sun Jun 22, 2014 5:04 pm
Car: 2003 Nissan Pathfinder SUV 3.5L 6cyl 4x4

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My car has not been running right for the last month. At first it was just once in a while, now this week it has been happening daily. It loses power and does not want to shift right, at first it was just when going up hills, now its within the first couple minutes of driving it. My brother hooked it up to one of the portable code readers today and this is what he got:

P0420 Generic
Catalyst System
Efficiency Below
Threshold (bank 1)

P0430 Generic
Catalyst System
Efficiency Below
Threshold (bank 2)

P1491
Vacuum Cut Valve
Bypass Valve

P0011
Intake Camshaft
Position Timing
Over Advanced (Bank1)

Can anyone please tell me what these mean? Im guessing the Camshaft one is bad :cry:

2003 Pathfinder LE 3.5L 6cyl 4x4


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atraudes
Posts: 1106
Joined: Thu Jan 10, 2013 7:46 pm
Car: 2001.5 Infiniti QX4 4WD
Location: Sammamish, WA

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I did some perusing online and in the forums, and here's what I've gathered:

I'd focus on P0011 first. It's probably causing at least P0420 and P430.

P1491 may be a pretty simple fix:

post6435320.html

When was the last time you did an oil change? Check the level again to make sure it's as it should be. It sounds like the system uses the oil pressure to dictate cam advance/retard. If the oil pressure is low, so will throw off the cam, causing a rich/lean condition. If that's the case, I could definitely see P0420 and P0430 being thrown as a result.

Read through this post and specifically check out the link that asnorton44 posted there:

post5954258.html

This post caught my eye, specifically:

http://x.nissanhelp.com/forums/pathfind ... #post59630

Post back with your findings and good luck!

jessika840
Posts: 7
Joined: Sun Jun 22, 2014 5:04 pm
Car: 2003 Nissan Pathfinder SUV 3.5L 6cyl 4x4

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My last oil change was 2500 miles ago. I checked the oil today and its right in the middle between high and low, its a little dark, but not to bad. When the problem first started my dad put sea foam (?? something like that) in the engine and the gas tank. He said I should change the oil after that, I just haven't gotten around to it. I failed to mention in January I was having the same problem. The mechanic said the oxygen sensor was the problem and replaced that. Also at that time they replaced the fuel pump, fuel filter and did an engine flush. It ran great until last month. I noticed at first every time I would get gas it would lose power the first couple times I ran it, then the problem stopped. I don't know if that was just a coincidence? I took the list of codes into the garage and made an appointment for the 27th. Sadly there is no Nissan dealer in my area so it takes a while for them to get parts in. Im just hoping this doesn't cost me an arm and leg. Thanks for the links! I read through them, but I don't know much about car repair so I will have someone else check them out too and tell me what they think.

jessika840
Posts: 7
Joined: Sun Jun 22, 2014 5:04 pm
Car: 2003 Nissan Pathfinder SUV 3.5L 6cyl 4x4

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I took it into the garage and this is what was written under the diagnostic section on my invoice.
*Performed Signature test on Bank 1 cam sensor- signal was not good. Watching on scanner it was not moving. Recommends new sensor & the front timing cover is broken
*Codes- P420 Catalyst Efficiency is low Bank 1, P0430 Catalyst Efficiency is low Bank 2, P1491 VC cut/valve bypass valve fault, P0011 B1 A-Cam Position Timing System Performance. Cleared Codes- P0011 came back. Found bank 1 cam sensor had been replaced. When sensor was replaced it had been put in crooked and the front cover had been cracked and the bolt broken off in the hole.
Recommended customer replace sensor and front cover.

I chose to only replace the sensor due to the cost of labor in replacing the front cover and the fact that I had this vehicle in this same garage 6 months ago for the same problem. At that time an oxygen sensor was replaced and it worked fine until now. I paid for the repair work and spoke with the mechanic, he said everything seemed to be running fine, but if the problem happened again to take it to a dealer because they basically don't know how to fix it. I left my vehicle there until later that night when I had someone to drop me off to pick it up. Immediately the problem started again. They did remove the broken bolt from the front cover, but is that what is actually causing this problem? Their lack of confidence is concerning me. Unfortunately the closest Nissan dealer is pretty far away.

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atraudes
Posts: 1106
Joined: Thu Jan 10, 2013 7:46 pm
Car: 2001.5 Infiniti QX4 4WD
Location: Sammamish, WA

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I did some searching on the P0011 code in these forums, and found many reports of the issue, with few solid conclusions. Here's the list of potential candidates:

1. Bad camshaft sensor - The sensor that's in there now is new, so that shouldn't be the problem. Were they able to get it installed properly/straight?
2. Bad crankshaft sensor - The camshaft position sensor and the crankshaft position sensor sometimes need to be replaced as a pair to properly address the code, despite the crankshaft position sensor not throwing a code.
3. Bad Variable Valve Timing (VVT) solenoid - If this thing isn't operating properly, it can cause the sensor to give bad readings, resulting in the code.
4. Low oil pressure - Can be caused by all sorts of things (the cracked front timing cover, buildup, flow obstructions, bad gaskets, etc). Like I mentioned before, the oil pressure affects how the sensor operates as well, resulting in the code.

None of these possibilities are pretty, though they could be eliminated with some legwork. The first three possibilities can be eliminated by following the steps to troubleshoot the parts as outlined by the FSM. I'm not sure how to verify the 4th yourself; I imagine that's something a shop would have to do unless you install an oil pressure gauge.

I would recommend trying to verify the sensors and solenoid yourself if you're up to the task, as it should be some straightforward work with a multimeter. If you're interested in doing this, I can hunt down the areas of the FSM to reference.

If everything checks out there, I'd bring it to a dealership or Nissan specialist.

By the way, what type of oil does it have? 5w-30, 10w-30, synthetic, etc.

jessika840
Posts: 7
Joined: Sun Jun 22, 2014 5:04 pm
Car: 2003 Nissan Pathfinder SUV 3.5L 6cyl 4x4

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I'm going to attempt to post before and after photos of the cracked timing cover. When they first told me what the problem was they were all for charging me $1200 just in labor to replace the cover. I told them I would like to just change the sensor first to see if that would work. Now that they have replaced the sensor and it didn't work they don't want to fix it, they want me to go to a dealer. It makes me wonder if they know that's not the problem and they have no clue what is wrong. I contacted a dealer this morning, told them what was going on and also asked if they could look into any recalls to see if they were repaired yet. They asked for the VIN number and said they would do some research and call me back. I haven't heard anything yet.
The type of oil is Napa HD SAE 5W30

[img][IMG]http://i1295.photobucket.com/albums/b63 ... 656ffe.jpg[/img][/img]

[img][IMG]http://i1295.photobucket.com/albums/b63 ... 76c852.jpg[/img][/img]

jessika840
Posts: 7
Joined: Sun Jun 22, 2014 5:04 pm
Car: 2003 Nissan Pathfinder SUV 3.5L 6cyl 4x4

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Image

Image

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Chuck Tribolet
Posts: 1490
Joined: Mon Nov 24, 2008 3:15 pm
Car: '01 Nissan Pathfinder
'87 Chevy Corvette
'01 Toyota Camry daily driver
'98 Boston Whaler Montauk
Location: Morgan Hill, CA and Marina, CA
Contact:

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Edit: Never mind, the codes for cam advance changed at some point. For 2001, they were P1xxx codes, and are now generic it looks like.

BTW, two things to test the cam advance problem are to run 10W40 or 20W50 oil. The thicker oil raises the oil pressure. And don't accelerate hard between 1500 and 2500 RPM (difficult on an automatic). The two things keep the codes away most of the time on my '01 stick shift PF.

Chuck

jessika840
Posts: 7
Joined: Sun Jun 22, 2014 5:04 pm
Car: 2003 Nissan Pathfinder SUV 3.5L 6cyl 4x4

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Here is an update on where I'm at now. I took it to a different mechanic. They took off the oil pressure solenoid and cleaned it up. It ran a little better so they ordered a new one and replaced it. The pathfinder was running a little better, but still eventually went into limp mode. They couldnt find anything else wrong so they called Nissan looking for suggestions. Nissan says the problem must be something with the cam. Because my Pathfinder has 90k miles on it they were not able to find a used motor with that low mileage. We decided it would be best to tear down my motor. Inside they found sludge, cleaned that out as best they could and also replaced the cam sprocket. It ran great, for 200 miles, but again its going into limp mode. Now since the start of this problem I'm out $2000 in parts and labor and no closer to finding a solution. The worst part is I just bought this a year ago and I'm not even close to having it paid off so I cant get rid of it. Help please?!?!

4xq
Posts: 375
Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2012 9:42 pm

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Since its not expensive and its easy to do, I would change your oil to Valvoline MAXLIFE 20-50 HIGH MILEAGE. Make sure you get the high mileage version- it has some slick stuff in it for older engines. ONLY 20 50. It is a high quality oil.

A little hard to find, you can order a 5qt bottle off of Amazon for $30 if necessary and get free shipping if you add something to get the order over $35 (oil filter). Try a Pure One oil filter.

The viscosity of this oil is thicker, so it should help maintain a higher oil pressure. You made it 200 miles, so it sounds like you are at the margin where a little extra help with your oil pressure may get you over the hump.


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