To start with, i am a new 2001 se manual blk owner and have always owned bmws etc. i ended up having to settle 4 a 4x4 (family etc) and after ltd research found the se manual 2 b the truck with the best specs-waited n found one in seemingly good shape and secured it. now, i have not experienced trucks b4 and am not sure if the 'feel' is right or wrong.the point is that when i am accelerating i am usually holding the shift knob awaiting the shift to second etc and what i found was that i could feel a lot of vibration as the revs climbed and a slight hiccup from about 3500rpm to about 4k and then continued vibration to cutoff of approx 6500(like it plateaus for half a second which im assuming is the vvt kicking in?) -the thing is i am used to smooth revving to redline (in my 99 318ti for example) so the question is that i dont know if this is normal in a body on frame or if indeed there is a problem tha needs to be addressed????
the remedies to my thinking and also from the research i conducted on this here forum is as follows:
1 get new engine n transmission mounts - $$ anyone? w/labour
2 me coils r gone or going and the plugs need replacin (which i am scared to do- not to upset the coils into getn fried) $$w/labour
3 diff problems! the original owner had to fix a leak they found to have contaminated the rear right drum- solution-they 'fixed the problem which i assume required gasket replacement and thus taking it apart and hopefully putting new oil in there and simply cleaned the drum- dont know how to confirm this myself so any advice other than check to see at the rr for any oil, as i have done that and continue to check daily, would be greatly appreciated- also i have noticed taking corners and accelarating that theres hop (not only 'hop' as per non independent rr susp i assume) but also a lil grinding for a quik sec - and this when taking the corner harder (i push to see limits in a safe manner) anyone on spot on symptom of rr diff failure/imminent failure of man 4x4 se ???!!!???
otherwise, assuming a lil ruffness is ok, the car is a fkin thirsty blast to drive and accelerate-it has low mid and top end to boot (although top end could use a lil more which i am sure the g35 man w 298hp solves, i am also wondering if its possible to 'upgrade' via head xchange etc to either the 280hp from the g35 or even the 298hp 2003-2006 ???? i wouldnt care about losing a lil low end
plans for this se include 2" lowering from 4x4parts, rr ltd slip diff, shox(i wonder if bilstein makes f/r or anyone has adjustable ones f/r??!!!???with the 2" drop, how is ride handling and comfort level?? is there a way to retain stock or better(ie plush ride vs bouncy/hard) and still drop 2"??? anyone dropped their se and what were the day2day results????
ps saw today an se with dual exhaust(on either side) and the sound was incredible(absolutely robbbed by the auto shift sequence - woulda sounded nicer in a fkin manual with a well versed driver) pulled beside the guy n apparently he had it customized at hot rod scott thruway muffler (north of queensway on kipling in toronto) think i will pay the man a visit this wk
thanks for ur patience and any help would be appreciated
engine transmission vibration
Re: engine transmission vibration (vq35)
Wow. That's quite a bit of detail you gave there.
The transmission's are fairly solid and so are motor and transmission mounts. The rear diff uses upper and lower trailing arms(TA) with coils and the TA=bushings do have a habit of getting worn out fairly early. They are afterall, only made of rubber. The more likely culprit could be these bushings or there's a U-joint in the rear drive shaft starting to go.
Most newer Pathfinders utilize a hub configuration on the front wheels that keeps the whole front drivetrain turning all the time. This means everthing turns....from the front wheels all the way through the front driveshaft into the transfer case. You turn a dial on your dash at almost any speed and you have instant 4x4 mode.
My Xterra has a similar drive train to your Pathfinder with one significant difference. I have manual hubs on my front wheels which means I have to stop, get out, turn the dials on the hubs and then I can engage into 4x4 mode. When my hub are engaged and I drive in 2wd mode I get vibrations at the same RPM's you described. My transfer case is engaged by a lever not a switch so the lever does vibrate under these conditions. I have excessive play in my front drive shaft and I know it does transmit vibrations through my truck.
How to assess your Pathfinder: Inspect the front and rear differential fluid levels. ( Check to see if your rear differential is LSD as most 2000 and newer Pathfinders were LSD equipped. There is a specific oil that should be used in Nissan diffs and their techs actually strongly recommend a Penzoil LSD Gear Oil. I have used Penzoil Gear oil on all 3 of my Nissan trucks and swear by it. ( By the way the LSD in your Pathfinder will grab and make it feel like the back end wants to do weird things.) My xterra does the same thing.
The front and rear drive shafts should be inspected for excessive play in any slip joints and/or the universal joints.
Last item to check is the CV axles. Look for torn boots and listen for clicking sounds when you make tight turns. (keep it in 2WD when you do this)
Also check the rear differential trailing arm bushings for wear. Failing that it could be something more serious but its best to elmininate the easy stuff first.
If it is plug related, pulling spark plugs on Nissan's 3.0, 3.3 and 3.5 liter series engines is all easy until you have to remove spark plug #6. It's a tight little SOB that requires a series of extensions, patience and more patience. #6 is located very close to the firewall and is not the easiest thing to remove. If you do chose to replace the plugs stick with the OE NGK Platinum plugs or look into the Bosch Platinum 2 or 4 prong series plugs.
One thought: A bad plug would cause a miss and that has a different feel from a high RPM vibration.
Suspension Stuff....let me get back to you when I'm not so sleepy.
The transmission's are fairly solid and so are motor and transmission mounts. The rear diff uses upper and lower trailing arms(TA) with coils and the TA=bushings do have a habit of getting worn out fairly early. They are afterall, only made of rubber. The more likely culprit could be these bushings or there's a U-joint in the rear drive shaft starting to go.
Most newer Pathfinders utilize a hub configuration on the front wheels that keeps the whole front drivetrain turning all the time. This means everthing turns....from the front wheels all the way through the front driveshaft into the transfer case. You turn a dial on your dash at almost any speed and you have instant 4x4 mode.
My Xterra has a similar drive train to your Pathfinder with one significant difference. I have manual hubs on my front wheels which means I have to stop, get out, turn the dials on the hubs and then I can engage into 4x4 mode. When my hub are engaged and I drive in 2wd mode I get vibrations at the same RPM's you described. My transfer case is engaged by a lever not a switch so the lever does vibrate under these conditions. I have excessive play in my front drive shaft and I know it does transmit vibrations through my truck.
How to assess your Pathfinder: Inspect the front and rear differential fluid levels. ( Check to see if your rear differential is LSD as most 2000 and newer Pathfinders were LSD equipped. There is a specific oil that should be used in Nissan diffs and their techs actually strongly recommend a Penzoil LSD Gear Oil. I have used Penzoil Gear oil on all 3 of my Nissan trucks and swear by it. ( By the way the LSD in your Pathfinder will grab and make it feel like the back end wants to do weird things.) My xterra does the same thing.
The front and rear drive shafts should be inspected for excessive play in any slip joints and/or the universal joints.
Last item to check is the CV axles. Look for torn boots and listen for clicking sounds when you make tight turns. (keep it in 2WD when you do this)
Also check the rear differential trailing arm bushings for wear. Failing that it could be something more serious but its best to elmininate the easy stuff first.
If it is plug related, pulling spark plugs on Nissan's 3.0, 3.3 and 3.5 liter series engines is all easy until you have to remove spark plug #6. It's a tight little SOB that requires a series of extensions, patience and more patience. #6 is located very close to the firewall and is not the easiest thing to remove. If you do chose to replace the plugs stick with the OE NGK Platinum plugs or look into the Bosch Platinum 2 or 4 prong series plugs.
One thought: A bad plug would cause a miss and that has a different feel from a high RPM vibration.
Suspension Stuff....let me get back to you when I'm not so sleepy.
-
nissandoms47
- Posts: 407
- Joined: Mon Jan 01, 2007 10:22 am
- Car: 2002 Nissan Pathfinder SEV6-Custom 7" lift-33-1250R15 BFG KM2- a bunch of other s*** i cant think of
Re: engine transmission vibration (Big-Bird)
I highly doubt its a trailing arm bushing, they supposedly fixed those on the newer r50s.
Re: engine transmission vibration (nissandoms47)
It still depends on the driving habits of the previous owner. If it was driven hard, the bushings can still develop wear, but you are right it may not be the issue on his 2001 Pathfinder.
Re: engine transmission vibration (Big-Bird)
please excuse the barrage of questions as i am in hurry to get this truck a movin'! tonight was especially motivating as i filled up on 94 oct(w/boost) and took to the hway and man this thing moves n screams in a straight line but turning is not especially 'comforting' thanx 4 the responce as i feel kinda 'new' at this and again anyone with knowledge on suspension improvements (ie lower) with input about experience on a day to day basis would be grtly appreciated as this is my nxt course of action and me wife n newbrn need to drive this daily so its gotta jive with them as well!!?? again thnx for the responce (also i thought that i had an open diff as the trck site offers LSDs for me truck )the xterra was my other choice, nice lookin trck also was wonderin if i could take a supercharged 3.3??!!
so what with all the drama with these trucks - is there a way to ensure accurate and dependable performance outta these 3.5s other than waiting for the SES light 2 come on!!?? are the manuals more dependable than the autos??? and lastly, how much!? at stealership for example!!?? and has anyone changed rr susp arms and front bushings and has this reduced vibration significantly?? thanx
so what with all the drama with these trucks - is there a way to ensure accurate and dependable performance outta these 3.5s other than waiting for the SES light 2 come on!!?? are the manuals more dependable than the autos??? and lastly, how much!? at stealership for example!!?? and has anyone changed rr susp arms and front bushings and has this reduced vibration significantly?? thanx