Hello, proud new owner here!

[rgk]

Hello! I am a proud owner of a "new" 2002 silver Nissan Pathfinder. I purchased it for $1,800 plus $150 delivery charge. Here is a pic. Below is a breakdown of my find:

The good:
Engine and transmission seem good
4x4
Good idle
Hitch
New tires
SE trim
Hardly any rust (I live in the saltbelt)
Engine and bay clean

The bad:
Low fluid and spongy brakes
MAF issue (P0102 and P1102 codes)
Fluid leak around power steering pump or hoses, but it could be a small oil leak, not sure.
dirty inside and out
tear in driver's seat
center console broken
trim around radio cracked and broken
something rattling around in the back, probably trim

I am pretty mechanically inclined, and will be able to fix all the "bad." I think I got a sweet deal! I bought it from a towing company/impound lot owner who said he was selling it for his girlfriend. The car was her son's, who won't be needing it anymore because of a DUI. A bit of a shady story, I know, but the title was clean. I have been looking for a 4x4 SUV to tow a trailer to the mountains this spring and was willing to take the gamble.

I downloaded the shop manual this morning, and my fiancee bought me an early Christmas present: a Haynes manual.

So, lay it on me Nico club: what should I check, and what maintenance should I perform? Links to tutorials are welcome! Thanks!

P.S. My fiancee got a kick out of this site: her name is Nico!

[Buzzman]

Your first and probably most important priority (given you live in a salt belt) is checking on the strut tower rust recall situation.
The link is above in the stickies, but here it is anyway:

97-04-pathfinder-qx4-strut-housing-corr ... 34872.html

You need to contact your local dealer to determine if it has been done, and to get it inspected (again, if necessary).
Nothing else matters if your truck is deemed a write-off.

Sorry to start your experience off in such a negative manner, but it's important.
Keep us informed.

[rgk]

I took a look at the strut tower and didn't see any rust at the welds. I'll be contacting the dealer once my paperwork is squared away.

In other news, I removed the airbox, MAF, and hose to find mud caked on everything. Was the PO driving this thing through the mud without a filter?! I cleaned the MAF, cleared the codes, and went through the re-learn procedure. The car drove a bit better, but still exhibiting the same symptoms and illuminating the 'service engine soon' light. I'm currently looking for a new MAF.

EDIT: I just unplugged the MAF and cleared the codes. The car started up fine without a problem.

I'm getting a funny sound from the steering/suspension when I hit a bump or turn the wheel, but not every time. I'll try flushing the power steering fluid and inspecting the suspension.

[Buzzman]

If you're getting a clunking sounds from the front end when going over bumps, then it's a 99% chance that it's the stabilizer links.
They cost less than $100.00 for the pair, and are a DIY replacement.
It's another common wear item on these trucks.
I'm on my 4th set on my 2002 Pathy (290,000 kms.)

[rgk]

I crawled under the car for about twenty minutes today looking for the rear brake load distribution spring (my 02 doesn't have one), and had a chance to inspect the suspension. Everything looks pretty good, and none of the bushings are worn. There is a considerable amount of dried mud between some of the boots and frame, so maybe this is what's causing the noise. I will double-check the stabilizer links, thank you. I've replaced these on my old lady's Volvo 240, they're not much of a problem.

I bled the brakes and they feel pretty good now, much better than before. The (parking) brake light is still on from when I drained the fluid to remove the bleeder screws and put teflon tape on them. Should I assume this light will eventually turn off on its own?

[atraudes]

I had the brake light stick on after bleeding the brakes too. I tried a combination of pulling the parking brake up and down, driving and putting it in park, and it went away after a few minutes of fiddling. No idea what fixed it exactly, though.

[rgk]

I think it's just time. I let the car sit a while, then when I went out to it a few hours later and started it up, the brake light was no longer on.

I took a few hours scrubbing and vacuuming the carpet. The PO was a real POS. Ugh, I can still smell his nasty cologne.

In my cleaning I discovered why there was a nail sticking out of the shifter console: the shifter does not engage out of park. I suppose it's either a relay or solenoid, I'll be tackling that one shortly.

Another pleasant surprise: the entire dome light assembly is gone, only a piece of plywood in its place (!) attached to the roof with drywall screws (!!). The back door doesn't always open, the fog lights are precariously wired and don't work, the rear carpet was rotten before I tore it out, the nav buttons are missing, the bezel trim is broken. I'm going to replace the nasty nav with an automatic climate control system, but I'm not sure how to fill the void from the nav. Can I place the radio directly beneath it and have a storage compartment where the radio currently resides (below the nav)?

#1 on my agenda is figuring out why the MAF does not provide a voltage reading to the ECU. I have the shop manual downloaded and will be probing around tomorrow.

My best guess is that the PO replaced the MAF and that this didn't fix it. He then got fed up with the car and offed it. The MAF IS dirty, but even after a cleaning my Actron was reading zero. Probably a bad ground, relay, or ECU malfunction. Let the fun begin.

[atraudes]

I actually laughed out loud when I read that. Well, it's good to have a project!

Regarding the navigation, mine originally came with factory navigation that I swapped out to the alternate climate controls. Check this thread if you want to go that route:

update-removed-navigation-and-rewired-a ... 83201.html

If you're not up for the rewiring challenge, I have my old navigation unit for sale that's only missing the Off button for the climate controls. Let me know if you're interested!

[rgk]

I have read that thread and would like to install the alternate climate controls. However, I'd like to scrap the nav altogether, and although I have a nice Sony CD player in the dash, it and the alt. climate controls will probably be too small to fill the void created by the lack of navigation. Thoughts?

I checked continuity between the MAF and the ECU today. Ground and voltage continuity is good, which just leaves a bad MAF. I already ordered a new Maxima MAF from Courtesy Parts.

A little bit of good news in all of this: The car is cleaning up nicely and I got the back door to work properly after spraying some lubricant into the lock/handle mechanism. I realized why the shifter doesn't work: the entire center rear brake light assembly is gone. Have I mentioned that the spare wheel/tire is also gone?

I got the title transferred and registered the vehicle today. I took the ride for a spin to the car wash and found more bad news: the car sways, which probably means bad rear linkages (control arm bushings). The thing is, the bushings don't look too bad, nor does the sway bar.

My right power steering boot is also torn, and some component above it is leaking oil. Could it be an oil pump? It's just above the oil filter and has two hoses going into it.

[atraudes]

There were two bezel styles made. One was used for vehicles with navigation, where the hazard and rear defrost are at the top left, the navigation is at the top, and the stereo is at the bottom. The other style has the hazard button at the top left and the climate controls at the top, with a double-din area below that. If you're switching climate controls, you'll probably want to buy the other style bezel:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/01-02-03-INFINI ... 1069459415

Now, you can keep the bezel you have now and try to use climate controls from a different year, but I don't think it'll work properly since some of the voltages used for signalling are slightly different.

Either way you'll end up with that void, which I filled with a wood cutout that I adhered to the back of the bezel. Check out my first post on the conversion thread to see a picture of what it looks like and a link to a cutout you can use.

In regards to the control arms: you can verify they're bad by grabbing a lower arm and twisting it. If it twists at all, they're shot and need to be replaced. You shouldn't feel any give at all. I did a write-up on the rear control arms when you tackle that one:

replacing-rear-control-arms-guide-t587665.html

That torn boot on your steering rack is probably why you're hearing that suspension noise, especially if everything's as mud-covered as it sounds Contaminants can kill the steering rack, so you may end up needing to replace or repair the whole rack.

Could you snap some pictures of what's leaking oil? It's motor oil?

[Buzzman]

I checked continuity between the MAF and the ECU today. Ground and voltage continuity is good, which just leaves a bad MAF. I already ordered a new Maxima MAF from Courtesy Parts.

The car sways, which probably means bad rear linkages (control arm bushings). The thing is, the bushings don't look too bad, nor does the sway bar.

a) Not to rain on your parade, but the Maxima MAF may not fit on the 2002 engine.
My understanding it that it only works on the 2001's. (different number of pins from the 01's to the 02's).
Let us know what happens. I could be mistaken.

b) You cannot really tell whether the bushings are worn or not just by looking at them.
There is a lot of load and stress on those bushings when driving.
They may look OK standing still, but they're probably "tired", and in need of replacing.
The bar will look OK too. That's not what wears out.

[rgk]

According to the following link, it will work:

2002-qx4-maf-issues-t577901.html

I also looked up the SKU on ebay (22680-2Y001), and sellers listing the product there say it will work. Example:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/PATHFINDER-MASS ... 19&vxp=mtr

Thanks for the tips on checking the control arms, guys.

I'll post some pics tomorrow of the leaky part. Yes, motor oil.

How difficult is it to put a new boot on? I assume I have to remove the rack, and I assume that's a tough job. The right boot is broken, but the noise seems to be coming from the left.

[rgk]

Atraudes, that center console is looking SWEET! I bet it looks way better with a darker grain. Have you put in the extra gauges yet? That analog clock is nice, too.

[atraudes]

Thanks! I actually used a black brushed aluminum vinyl on all of the wood, and this is how it looks now:



I may swap in a glossy black wood at some point instead, but it looks pretty good for the time being. No gauges yet as I still have a laundry list of other things to do I'm planning on getting some custom gauges made that match the color scheme and look of the cluster.



The analog clock is a QX4 thing. The pathfinders got a digital one, but I think you can buy an analog clock vent piece and just swap it in. If you don't mind the small Infiniti logo.

[rgk]

I think I'm going to like it here

[atraudes]

[rgk]

The control arm bushings are definitely shot. I was able to twist all of them, upper and lower, with my hands. I'm going to get an entire new set of Moog arms from Rockauto.

I spent the day working on replacing wheel bearings in my Mazda today, which I'll be selling (as the Pathfinder is replacing it), so I didn't have time to snap a photo of that oil leak.

[Buzzman]

The control arm bushings are definitely shot.

No surprise there. It seems most guys on here with R50's have experienced that problem.
Glad you're gonna get it fixed. I think you'll be pleased with the results.
Check some of the other threads re: nuts and bolts. You'll want to replace those along with the arms.
Verify the sizing as well. They are not all the same if memory serves me correctly.

I also like the analogue clock thing. The digital one in my Pathy is boring.
I may just go visit some junkyards and see if there are any still around.

[Buzzman]

Thought you guys (atraudes and rgk) might be interested in this, seeing as how you like to do mods to your trucks:

installed-the-missing-link-aka-control- ... 33661.html

I installed one of these a few years ago, and it does make a difference (although maybe not as much as some people claim.)
Hopefully the company that made them still has them.


To atraudes: funny that you covered up your wood grain trim pieces, and I went to a junk yard and took all the wood trim pieces from a Pathfinder LE and installed them in my '02 Chilkoot.
My interior was totally boring black, with no contrast or accent pieces. I really like the faux wood trim.
I also took the overhead console (with the temperature gauge and compass) from the LE, and put it in my truck. Looks much nicer.
Last thing I did (this year) was find a set of leather heated power seats (mine were cloth).
The only other thing I needed was to add the two switches, and bingo, warm buns.

[zach7685]

One thing that may be the cause of the leak, is the oil cooler. Its hard to say without pictures but its possible that thats what it is. Is the power steering fluid low?

Also, does the shift lever click when you put your foot on the brake? the center brake light should have nothing to do with the shift lever operation. I know that my shift lever would get stuck sometimes and I'd have to mess with the solenoid to get it to move.

[atraudes]

Thought you guys (atraudes and rgk) might be interested in this, seeing as how you like to do mods to your trucks:

installed-the-missing-link-aka-control- ... 33661.html

I installed one of these a few years ago, and it does make a difference (although maybe not as much as some people claim.)
Hopefully the company that made them still has them.


To atraudes: funny that you covered up your wood grain trim pieces, and I went to a junk yard and took all the wood trim pieces from a Pathfinder LE and installed them in my '02 Chilkoot.
My interior was totally boring black, with no contrast or accent pieces. I really like the faux wood trim.
I also took the overhead console (with the temperature gauge and compass) from the LE, and put it in my truck. Looks much nicer.
Last thing I did (this year) was find a set of leather heated power seats (mine were cloth).
The only other thing I needed was to add the two switches, and bingo, warm buns.

It's ironic you mention the Missing Link. I've been on this forum for about 2 years now and just read about it yesterday while I was perusing the Reliability sticky. It's on my list for this summer's projects. miamiheat3332's post should really be added to the how-to section.

I WISH my interior was all black. I'd cover the wood with a silver brushed aluminum and be done with it. The grass is always greener, right? The interior color is the only thing I can't stand about my ride.

[Buzzman]

I WISH my interior was all black. I'd cover the wood with a silver brushed aluminum and be done with it. The grass is always greener, right? The interior color is the only thing I can't stand about my ride.

I wouldn't go back to the monochrome black trim pieces in my truck. They were cheap plastic and looked awful. There was no contrast on the dash at all.
Yes, the faux wood trim is also plastic, but at least it brightens up the interior a bit, and gives it a slightly more upscale look.
Never thought about the brushed aluminum look though. Good idea. I'll have to think about it.
The leather seats I picked up also add a bit of contrast compared to what I had.
They are a mid to dark grey, as opposed to more black. They are a good fit for me.

[rgk]

I would like to announce that the MAF arrived and works perfectly. The car runs great! I am thrilled.

The only difference, from what I can tell, is that this MAF has five pins instead of four and some metal sticking out of the back of the sensor. The broken MAF just has plastic blocking those spots.

My harness allows for five pins - the fifth just doesn't connect with anything, so all is A-OK. The stat reader shows an appropriate g/s reading.

Zach, the shift relay does not click and I assumed it would have to be replaced until I read something that said that the absence of ANY brake light will cause the shifter to lock up.

[asnorton44]

Zach, the shift relay does not click and I assumed it would have to be replaced until I read something that said that the absence of ANY brake light will cause the shifter to lock up.

If you do need the shift lock solenoid I have a couple extra sitting in my closet....I had to replace mine so I pulled a couple extra at the junkyard just in case

[rgk]

If you do need the shift lock solenoid I have a couple extra sitting in my closet....I had to replace mine so I pulled a couple extra at the junkyard just in case

Yes, that's what I'm talking about! The reason I got a Pathfinder instead of a Montero: excellent aftermarket support, and a knowledgeable, friendly community.

Oh, and this:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpAGNqDoboo[/youtube]

[rgk]

Here is a photo of the oily culprit. Note the oil filter at the right frame of the image.

[atraudes]

zach7685 called it. That looks like the oil cooler. Fortunately it's a very common issue and pretty straightforward to fix.

2001-qx4-oil-leak-need-help-identifying ... 79726.html

[rgk]

Yes, I just looked it up in my Haynes manual. Apparently it's either the o-ring(s), gasket, or hose(s).

If my repair is anything like the link you provided, it's one of the o-rings.

This is incredible. Here's to common, easy fixes, reliable machines, and a happy new year.

[rgk]

Here is a photo of my interior roof with the plywood 'fix.' I assume I am supposed to have some sort of dome light here? I can't find one on ebay. Can anyone tell me what this is called?

[atraudes]

Here's some ebay links:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/98-99-PATHFINDE ... 0833985482
http://www.ebay.com/itm/OVERHEAD-REAR-L ... 1431902898
http://www.ebay.com/itm/97-PATHFINDER-D ... 1403234773

and if you're feeling adventurous, here's the flip-down screen that would take that light's place if so equipped:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/I-72-01-02-03-N ... 0570137886

and a picture for reference, for when the eBay links expire: