oil leak 2001 qx4

[purenergy]

Does anyone know what the pump mounted to the engine above the alterator does. It has 2 lines going to it and it is made of aluminum. It has a ribbed body and now a very slight oil leak

[timmack]

if you have a 3.5L its the power steering pump.

[purenergy]

Hi is the powersteering pump driven directly off the engine, and I quess if it is. the gear is lubricated by the engine oil?

[timmack]

yep the pump is driven off of one of those rubber belts that wrap around the pulleys in front of the motor. any gears in that pump, i would think, would be lubricated by power steering fluid.

[purenergy]

Ok This pump is not driven off a belt. It seems to be attached to the engine block I am guessing it is a pump because it has 2 lines coming off it and they head towards the back of the engine. I cannot follow them because the engine is to tight to see them. they are rubber lines. the item in question is round and has an open thread (female) near the bottom. It looks like it might be driven right off the lower end of the engine

[timmack]

what size is your motor? 3.0? 3.3? 3.5?

[purenergy]

3.5 i went to infiniti today they were not very helpful . but the one guy said it could be the oil cooler. does this sound possible????

[timmack]

weird, i have the 3.5 and dont have anything like that on mine. only thing i have above the alternator with hoses in it is the power steering pump. i dont think the r50's are oil-cooler equipped, thought i might be wrong. even if there was one, it wouldnt be there. most likely in front of the radiator. can you post a pic of it? sucks that the dealership cant(or wont) tell ya what it is.

[purenergy]

hey thanks. I have to drop the skid plate again to take a picture and it is so tight the picture might not turn out. I figure i will have to bite the bullet and take it back to the dealer tomorrow. I will let you know what they say. thanks for your help jp

[timmack]

no problem, best of luck. feel free to post your findings.

[SnowSurfLax]

hey thanks. I have to drop the skid plate again to take a picture and it is so tight the picture might not turn out. I figure i will have to bite the bullet and take it back to the dealer tomorrow. I will let you know what they say. thanks for your help jp

Y'know, if you posted a pic, I'm sure there are about 100 different ppl on Nico who could tell you what it is...

[Buzzman]

I'm thinking aftermarket oil cooler. Is that possible?

[purenergy]

I have talked to some people and they say it is the oil cooler mounted on the side of the engine. I haven't been to the dealer yet, but it sounds like this is a quick fix. just a couple of o rings

[timmack]

hmm, didnt know there was one on the car, let alone in that spot. thats not to say that its not there though.

[purenergy]

hi again you said car. the qx4 is a truck the sister to the pathfinder

[02pathy]

first of all what colour is the oil? there is a cooler, but its for the power steering and is located just behind the front bumper a pcs of brass tubing about 3/8 to 1/2'' thick. you say the lines are going to the back of the engine u sure it's not coolont or ac line

[purenergy]

it is motor oil color and smell. the lines are 90 d towards the back of the engine and the 90 s are part of the housing. the then go to rubber lines and i cannot follow the lines visually because things are too tight in the engine compartment

[malletthead]

I think the part you are describing is the oil pump. I too have recently discovered an oil leak in my pathfinder, and it seems to be iin that area. The gasket connecting the oil pump to the block does not appear to be leaking, nor do the oil lines coming out of the pump.The oil pan gasket does not appear to be leaking either. Does anyone know if it is possible for the oil pump to have a leak of its own? The dealership told me to check the valve cover gaskets as well...

[timmack]

hi again you said car. the qx4 is a truck the sister to the pathfinder

hi again. yes i know this. just using the word "car" as a general term.

[sergio007]

HI I WENT TO THE DEALER A MONTH AGO FOR THE RECALL ACTUALLY I RECEIVE A LETTER ABOUT THAT AND SCHEDULE THE APPOINTMENT PLUS AN OIL CHANGE AS USUAL THEY INSPECT THE CAR FOR OTHER PROBLEMS THE SERVICE TECH CAME BACK AN HOUR AFTER DESCRIBING A SMALL OIL LEAK AT MY OIL COOLER I ASKED HIM HOW MUCH IT WILL COST TO REPAIR IT HE SHOWED ME THE PAPER WORK BRACE YOURSELF $625 AFTER TAX I END UP CHANGING THE OIL AND GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE. IF THE WORK IS DONE BY THE DEALER IT WILL BE COSTLY

[purenergy]

Hello all thanks again for all the help. here is how it played out. It turns out hat the 3.5 is famous for this leak. what I was told is that because of the heat expansion between the block and the cooler eventually the gaskets fail which causes a minor oil leak. It is any easy fix by yourself, or at someone who knows nissans. I took my q to a local shop who specializes in nissan. The total repair cost me under $200. It was about $60 for the gaskets and the rest around 1.5 labour. I am back in love with my Q and really happy it was an easy fix. My mechanic also mentioned that front ball joints can be a problem later in the Q's life. So sergio007 see if you can find a good person with nissan to fix your problem(sometimes not the dealer) it should not be that much unless it is a problem getting to the leak

[purenergy]

Hi sorry I was not sure if there was an misunderstanding

[Chris92SE]

Hello all thanks again for all the help. here is how it played out. It turns out hat the 3.5 is famous for this leak. what I was told is that because of the heat expansion between the block and the cooler eventually the gaskets fail which causes a minor oil leak. It is any easy fix by yourself, or at someone who knows nissans. I took my q to a local shop who specializes in nissan. The total repair cost me under $200. It was about $60 for the gaskets and the rest around 1.5 labour. I am back in love with my Q and really happy it was an easy fix. My mechanic also mentioned that front ball joints can be a problem later in the Q's life. So sergio007 see if you can find a good person with nissan to fix your problem(sometimes not the dealer) it should not be that much unless it is a problem getting to the leak

Sorry to bring up an old thread. I searched and found this thread.

It looks like my 01 Q has this same leak. I am fairly mechanical, but I am really busy right now and I was going to start calling dealerships and possibly shops to see if I can get this fixed.

Anyone else pay a shop to fix this leak? I was trying to figure out about what seems like a fair price. thanks

[Adnan]

i tought this problem existed only in the timing belt VQ enginesi looked around for that problem since i heard a lot of these engineswere replaced under warranty and was told the timing chain units werent affected..weird

[purenergy]

I had talked to my mechanic who has years in infiniti, he knew right away what it was and how to fix it. Just a seal in the oil pump that looks like the ring on a oil filter. Its been fixed for a while now and no more leak. I wonder if the cold climate here in canada has something to do with it j.p.

[Chris92SE]

We have a pretty cold climate here, too. Well, it's pretty cold in the winter and hot in the summer.

I am taking it to a Nissan specialty mechanic, who quoted me about 1/5 what the dealership quoted me over the phone.

I could probably handle it myself, but I am getting lazy in my old age.

[dkl]

Just noticed our 2001 pathy is leaking oil (it could be leaking for awhile just didn't notice it).

Looks like oil is dripping from the right arm next to the coil. Is this the oil pump everyone is talking about?

few posts said it is an easy fix, any tips on how to do it?Since it is a small leak, is it a must fix item as long I check the oil level?

I wonder if it'll pass Va State inspection which is due 1/2009.



Thanks a lot!