Greetings Gentlemen and Ladies,
I am picking up a 2003 4x4 Pathfinder today for the "Little Woman", we have been looking for a while and have found one with 23,000 miles.
Could somebody give me the quick lowdown on any issues with this particular year model that I should be aware of?
Many Thanks!
New to the Forums, Picking up my 2003 Pathfinder today!
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llPANCHOll
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Sun Jan 17, 2010 5:43 am
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Buzzman
- Posts: 2079
- Joined: Fri Feb 02, 2007 2:35 pm
- Car: 2016 Lexus RX 350
2023 Kia Stinger Elite V6 AWD.
Re: New to the Forums, Picking up my 2003 Pathfinder today! (llPANCHOll)
23,000 miles? That's a good find. Congratulations. You'll love it.Welcome to our forum too. Lots of good people here that can help you if you have problems or questions.As for your Pathy, I don't think there are any issues that you need to worry about. These things are solid vehicles from bumper to bumper.I've had mine for 6 years and can honestly say I've never had a problem. Just keep up with the regular maintenance items, and you'll be fine.One more thing: Post some pics.
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Pwnin O'Brien
- Posts: 1612
- Joined: Wed Jun 24, 2009 1:10 pm
Re: New to the Forums, Picking up my 2003 Pathfinder today! (llPANCHOll)
Congrats on your purchase! I'm sure you'll love it and I hope you post pictures up. Here's a short list of things to look for on your 2003 Pathfinder...
-- Valve cover gasket: The valve cover gaskets are somewhat prone to failure. I have 68,000 miles on my '03 and I have started to notice a small pool of dried oil next to my driver side valve cover and spark plug coils. It's nothing too major and probably doesn't even warrant replacement in my situation.
-- Exhaust Rust: The factory exhaust will definitely rust in two places. The first is the two resonators which are almost directly under the driver and passenger seats. The seams on the side of the resonators will rust and the seams will start to split open and leak exhaust gas. There is a technical bulletin for this issue which basically fills the seams with exhaust paste and then they clamp metal sleeves to the seams to hold the paste in. The other part of the exhaust to rust is the flange directly over the rear axle. The flange that connects the main muffler and the post muffler will rust apart and make the exhaust significantly louder.
-- Burning Oil: This issue is not extremely common but has plagued many Pathfinders. Basically the passenger side valve cover can collect oil at the PCV valve and then the oil will get sucked through the PCV valve into the engine. This is most noticeable at a cold startup, sometimes there may be a short puff of white smoke. It is recommended that you check your oil level in-between oil changes to ensure proper levels. There isn't really a repair for this issue so most Pathfinder owners with the issue have just come to live with it.
Since I have owned my Pathfinder (I've owned it since 32,000 miles) I have not had to do any repairs besides the exhaust. Any other work done on the vehicle was for regular maintenance or for personal preference. If the vehicle was well-maintained then I'm sure you won't have to worry about any of the above issues.
-- Valve cover gasket: The valve cover gaskets are somewhat prone to failure. I have 68,000 miles on my '03 and I have started to notice a small pool of dried oil next to my driver side valve cover and spark plug coils. It's nothing too major and probably doesn't even warrant replacement in my situation.
-- Exhaust Rust: The factory exhaust will definitely rust in two places. The first is the two resonators which are almost directly under the driver and passenger seats. The seams on the side of the resonators will rust and the seams will start to split open and leak exhaust gas. There is a technical bulletin for this issue which basically fills the seams with exhaust paste and then they clamp metal sleeves to the seams to hold the paste in. The other part of the exhaust to rust is the flange directly over the rear axle. The flange that connects the main muffler and the post muffler will rust apart and make the exhaust significantly louder.
-- Burning Oil: This issue is not extremely common but has plagued many Pathfinders. Basically the passenger side valve cover can collect oil at the PCV valve and then the oil will get sucked through the PCV valve into the engine. This is most noticeable at a cold startup, sometimes there may be a short puff of white smoke. It is recommended that you check your oil level in-between oil changes to ensure proper levels. There isn't really a repair for this issue so most Pathfinder owners with the issue have just come to live with it.
Since I have owned my Pathfinder (I've owned it since 32,000 miles) I have not had to do any repairs besides the exhaust. Any other work done on the vehicle was for regular maintenance or for personal preference. If the vehicle was well-maintained then I'm sure you won't have to worry about any of the above issues.
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ianh
- Posts: 112
- Joined: Sun Dec 03, 2006 3:24 pm
- Car: 2018 Nissan Pathfinder SL Midnight Edition
2003 Nissan Pathfinder
1997 Nissan 200SX SE-R
Re: New to the Forums, Picking up my 2003 Pathfinder today! (Pwnin O'Brien)
I have had my 2003 since it was 15 months old and 25,000 miles.I am now at 85K approx.As for replacement parts, Just replaced the front brake pads and rotors. That's It !!!! Original rotors pulsed when hot, ok when cold, so replaced them.Rest was routine maintenance, front wheel bearing grease and seals being the biggest so far.Spark plugs and butterfly screws coming up soon !!