97 Pathy Upgrades & Mods...Opinions & Advice please

[PBmamaRae]

I figured I would just make one thread here so I wasn't always blowing up the forum with my questions! Since I have a lot of work to do on my Pathy I figured it would be a good time to sneak in some extra work on it to get it "pimped" the way I wanted it! LOL I am fairly new at all this so I figured I would ask the pros (you guys) what you thought about different things. I will also add pictures here as the car progresses.

Here are my first few questions:

I came across some information on distributoreless ignition systems....seems pretty cool but I figured that would require a whole engine swap. Any thoughts on if it is even doable for a Pathy?

I am also interested in changing the stance of my Pathy....maybe lifting it a little and make it look a little meaner. Eventually I want it to look like a baby monster truck. LOL Not sure what to do with the suspension. What products should I start with or what I would even need.

Also I read somewhere on here about the plasti dip stuff and found that some people are actually dipping the whole car! Any thoughts on this? I found some really cool colors on the site and they have a special spray kit. However this will be one of the LAST things done. LOL

Any suggestions on how I could enhance the fuel economy as well as the performance? Right now everything is stock and I want it to really put some work into it. I love my Pathy & I am excited to get learning and working!

Thanks for all your help!

[Towncivilian]

I've not read of distributorless ignition retrofits. I'd imagine it'd be quite a challenge. Is there even much to gain from doing such a swap?

Take a look at Suspension Lifts 101 if you haven't yet. It should answer many questions regarding lifting your Pathfinder slightly.

There have been quite a few threads about PlastiDip recently. Some members have done their wheels, badges/emblems, and other stuff, though I don't know why one would want to essentially paint their entire car with it.

Maximizing fuel economy really depends on the driver more so than the vehicle. Try not to be a lead foot. However, some things that may help improve fuel economy slightly are:

• Switch to synthetic driveline fluids; differential(s), transfer case (if equipped), transmission, even power steering
• If you have a 4WD Pathfinder, install manual locking hubs for the front axle to be able to lock the hubs to prevent the front differential from rotating needlessly and adding rotational mass
• Change spark plugs on time or a bit earlier using OEM specified plugs - the recommended interval is 105k miles
• Don't let your air filter get excessively clogged
• Run a fuel system cleaner such as Chevron Techron, Gumout Regane, or Redline SI-1 every other oil change or so. All contain significant quantities of poly ether amine, which is a detergent proven to clean effectively without leaving behind its own deposits. It's best if you don't blow through the entire tank; the cleaner is more effective if it sits a while. Also, replace your fuel filter if you don't know the last time it's been changed. Change it every two years or so.
• Keep tires inflated to the pressure indicated on the door jamb (assuming you're running stock sized tires) or slightly higher, but not so high as to make the ride uncomfortable

I'm probably forgetting something. If I remember anything else, I'll post it.

[PBmamaRae]

My Pathy is the 97 3.3l V6 It has about 184.5k milles on it

I will have to work on being a lead foot! LOL

We just changed the spark plugs...hubby wanted to put some bosh 4+ but then a buddy said HELL NO....that they ran way to hot or something like that. Hubby is used to highly modded poncho's So we put some NKG in I think.

I do need to add power steering fluid to the car....I just now found out WHERE that canister was and it was BONE DRY! Grrr Fluids was part of hubbys job. Needless to say I have taken over all maintenance of my baby!

I rebuilt the distributor back a few months ago but I need a new rotor and cap so I will be doing that today...also want to make sure everything in there is doing ok. Nissan said that it needed a new distributor ring. Not sure which part that is. I am guessing they are talking about the o ring.

I usually dump seafoam into the gas tank every so often & hubby puts it in the oil changes when he does that.

This was the info on the distributorless ignition I was reading:

Instead of one main coil, distributorless ignitions have a coil for each spark plug, located directly on the spark plug itself.
In r­ecent years, you may have heard of cars that need their first tune-up at 100,000 miles. One of the technologies that enables this long maintenance interval is the distributorless ignition.

The coil in this type of system works the same way as the larger, centrally-located coils. The engine control unit controls the transistors that break the ground side of the circuit, which generates the spark. This gives the ECU total control over spark timing.

Systems like these have some substantial advantages. First, there is no distributor, which is an item that eventually wears out. Also, there are no high-voltage spark-plug wires, which also wear out. And finally, they allow for more precise control of the spark timing, which can improve efficiency, emissions and increase the overall power of a car.

It just seems pretty cool! LOL

[Towncivilian]

Yes, NGK plugs are OEM. Hopefully you used the BKR5ES-11 plugs.

Is there a leak in the power steering system? That's the only way it could lose fluid. Don't use any power steering fluid containing stop leak - do it right and replace the leaking component instead. After the leak is found and fixed, use synthetic automatic transmission fluid to lower operating temperatures and have better cold weather performance.

I would be very wary of using a harsh solvent such as Seafoam in your engine oil. If there happens to be a significant quantity of sludge or deposits, a larger chunk could come loose and clog an oil passage. If you keep up with oil changes, you shouldn't have a need to use any Seafoam or any engine oil additive in the first place; your engine should be nice and clean. Seafoam is mostly pale oil, naptha, and isopropyl alcohol. Engine oil blenders spend millions of dollars in research and development of their engine oil. Why would one think that they are outsmarting the blenders by dumping in a bottle of overpriced solvent in a carrier oil?

The VQ35DE engine used in 2001-2004 Pathfinders have coil-on-plug (distributorless) ignition systems. The spark plug change interval is still 105k miles regardless.

I assume this O-ring is the part Nissan was referring to. I see no other "ring" listed on the exploded parts view.

[PBmamaRae]

LOL I am quickly learning that hubby doesnt know as much as he thinks he does about this stuff!

As for the power steering fluid...I dont think we have a leak....but I have had the car for nearly 4 years now and NEVER have put any fluid in that canister! OMG what a nightmare! I will add some today and we will see if there is a leak.

I know that the oil just got changed but we didnt put any seafoam in that. We have to take things apart anyways to replace the valve gaskets. I think that will most likely be our first project because we are leaking oil pretty badly.

Any info on the rear main seal? I think that might be the biggest challenge to replace. I am going to talk to my mechanic buddy on Sunday...he might be persuaded to help! LOL

[Towncivilian]

The rear main seal requires dropping the transmission. I believe my local Nissan dealership quoted around $600 for an RMS on a VG33E Pathfinder; AAMCO was a similar price.

[PBmamaRae]

Yeah they quoted me $681.56

If the transmission has to be dropped....it might be worth the cost to have someone else do it and save the headache! LOL

[Arrow]

I am currently in the process of replacing the clutch on my 4WD 1998 Pathfinder... Let me tell you, removing this transmission is a BEAR... I almost don't see how anyone would do the RMS for less than $700 in labor alone... I am going to replace it while I've got the transmission out since I think that it's leaking anyway. Everywhere that I would trust to work on my Pathfinder quoted me $1000 in labor to replace the clutch, so my thought is that with 4WD anytime the transmission has to come out, it's going to cost you around $1k in labor (depending on your local hourly labor rate).

[PathyProject]

Take a look at my 97 Pathfinder, maybe it will give you some inspiration.