Proud new QX4 owner

[KJMoney]

Just got my hands on a 2001 QX4 with only 58,000 miles! Really stoked about it. Owned a 1997 and drove it up to about 200,000 miles with only minor problems. This car looks brand new and drives great.

I have a couple of questions. First, how the heck do you post pictures on here? I'm on a cell phone so maybe that's the issue, but I'm having a hard time understanding how to work the Img button.

Second, I'm just wondering what y'all have done with these cars before. Has anyone done any performance mods? Anyone crazy enough to get a turbo in it? Or simple things like cold air intake and exhaust? What about sound system upgrades?

I got this car for way below the price range I was originally looking for in a car, so I want to possibly put some money into the car to make it even better.

[yeldogt]

Get the two recalls done.

With any old car it's wise to check the age of the tires and have the brakes inspected -- this is especially important with the Path's rear drum setups.

Any maintenance records? I bought one a couple years ago with 50k. I had all the fluids changed w/ correct -- new tires -- overhauled the rear brakes. New Nissan belts. Many times with low mile cars very little has been done -- for a few hundred dollars all can be made well.

[atraudes]

Regarding your image question, hit the quote button on my post, and you'll see how I posted this picture.



Basically, upload your picture to something like imgur, copy the URL of the raw image and wrap the URL in the img tags. I imagine it may be challenging on a phone

As far as performance mods, there are options, but the more serious ones require even more serious change because you'll be fabricating everything yourself; there's no kits or similar engines you can borrow from. Check out this thread for a good discussion on some of them. I have a K&N CAI on mine and will look at exhaust options once the current pipes get too worn out. The sad news is that we don't even have performance header options short of bending your own Do some searching around the forum for more performance info; there's been plenty of people who have asked, and a handful have gone for it.

Regarding the stereo, there isn't much to know there except that you'll want to replace the speakers and head unit at the same time. The speakers have some weird impedence so only doing one will give you small sound. There's ways to deal with it but for the time and money you might as well buy something cheap than try to reuse existing components. Again, have a look through some old threads. There's plenty of stereo discussions around.

Let us know what you go for and how it works out!

[KJMoney]

Thanks for the info, yeldogt. Recalls are satisfied. I had the brake pads and calipers replaced. The tires are okay but I'll need new ones after about 10,000 miles. Has anyone ever gone with a bigger sized wheel? What would be the effect of that on the car's performance? I just think a different looking, possibly bigger wheel would look great on this vehicle. Thoughts?

And also thanks ateaudes for all the detailed info. I'm wondering about the K&N CAI. For some reason it says this part is compatible for 2001 Pathfinder but not QX4? Seems off considering they have the exact same engine as far as I know. I've also heard that this part can cause problems if over oiled? I'm not an expert on cars by any means, so any explanation of this would be helpful.

I love driving the QX4, and I think the best part is the low-end torque. I can accelerate through turns and get a nice boost up hills, etc. This also makes off-roading great, although I don't think I'll be doing much of that soon. What I don't love is that there seems to be a slight lag in the time between pushing the accelerator and getting a jolt of acceleration. There also seems to be a bit of a lag when switching between gears, especially 1st and 2nd. Would a cold air intake do anything to improve these aspects of the driving experience?

Bummer that it seems like performance mods on this car is like the Wild West. I'm wondering if anyone has improved the entire airflow of the car, from intake through headers, converters, all the way back through the muffler. That would be sweet. I want to increase performance but I'm not looking to have a monster driving through my streets. I live in a neighborhood with old folks and kids and all that.

Any info is appreciated! I'll start searching more through these forums.

A few pics in case you were interested:

[04pathse]

That thing looks brand new!

[KJMoney]

That thing looks brand new!

I know! It's freakin' awesome. I'm glad you were able to view the photos. On my end, it just has a small icon that says "Image." Looks like adding a ".jpg" to the end of the image URL fixes this problem.

[atraudes]

Oh, the K&N most definitely works in the QX4. The engine bay is identical; the only difference I can think of is that the QX4 has xenon headlights which may have a bigger housing than the incandescents on the Pathfinder. The fit was slightly tight near the filter because of a bundle of wires, but nothing of concern. My guess is they simply haven't verified the fit for themselves.

I did a lot of reading about the oil on the K&N filters. My understanding is the oil would really only be a problem if you absolutely doused the filter in it and even then you could just clean any oil off the MAF sensor. Many people will disagree and some will even have first-hand experience with K&Ns killing their sensor. Personally I'm satisfied that as long as you follow the directions for maintaining it and clean your sensor once a year, you'll be fine. In terms of filtration efficiency, again, I'm satisfied that it's good enough, at minimum.

Here's K&N's official response and low-down on the over-oiling claim. There's also plenty of discussions out there on the topic.
http://www.knfilters.com/news/news.aspx?id=422

As far as the engine lag goes, there shouldn't be any. The only type of lag I might have is if the transmission's not in quite the right gear for what I'm trying to do, but it's pretty snappy in correcting itself. Start with the simple stuff like checking your spark plugs (only use NGK PLFR5A-11), changing the air filter, cleaning the MAF sensor, changing the transmission fluid, and getting a new fuel filter (all of which are a good idea anyway). If you keep having shifting problems between gears 1 & 2 when it's warm, you may need to bring it to a transmission shop to see if there's a bigger problem.

The images weren't working for me either, but those latest ones do. Nice find! If I had my choice of color, it'd be the white or blue.

[atraudes]

It looks like someone changed the shifter handle. It should be tan, not black, like your seats It doesn't stick out too badly; I just noticed it because my interior's the same color.

[KJMoney]

Well, maybe "lag" is the wrong word to use. It just feels like there could be better response on the acceleration right when I step on the gas and a better transition between gears, especially on the lower end. It feels like the rate of acceleration almost slows as it gets into 2nd/3rd gear. Maybe this is just my own perception, but it was somewhat similar in my old QX4, as well.

I would've never known about the shifter. It looks and works fine for me. The dash has some black on it so it doesn't seem too out of place.

[KJMoney]

Here's a picture I found online of a different 2001 QX4 interior. Shifter handle is the same color, but might be slightly different than mine... I'll have to check that out.

[KJMoney]

By the way, atraudes, you live in Issaquah? I'm in Bellevue. Small world, man.

[atraudes]

lol, I was gonna ask where you were; your driveway shot looked a lot like home Well, if you ever need a hand just shoot me a PM!

How have I not noticed that shifter color before? I did a google image search and could only turn up black shifters. I guess you're in the majority

[fatman023]

By the way, atraudes, you live in Issaquah? I'm in Bellevue. Small world, man.

Good to hear there are other Q owners local in the PNW! I'm in Seattle and recently picked up an '03 with 39,000 original miles on it, and I do love this truck. It's barely broken in. I am interested though in what kind on MPG you guys are getting given our hilly terrain. With my mixed mode driving, I can't get over 13 MPG, which makes me sad. I've changed plugs, air filter, and tires (Michelin Defender LTX). No change.

[KJMoney]

By the way, atraudes, you live in Issaquah? I'm in Bellevue. Small world, man.

Good to hear there are other Q owners local in the PNW! I'm in Seattle and recently picked up an '03 with 39,000 original miles on it, and I do love this truck. It's barely broken in. I am interested though in what kind on MPG you guys are getting given our hilly terrain. With my mixed mode driving, I can't get over 13 MPG, which makes me sad. I've changed plugs, air filter, and tires (Michelin Defender LTX). No change.

Where did you find this QX4? I had been searching everyday and couldn't find one for months. That's crazy you found that locally.

I haven't tracked MPG yet but I may try next time I fill up. Gas mileage is not one of the advantages of this vehicle.

[atraudes]

Wow, 13's no good unless all your driving is downtown during rush hour. I got 19 mpg driving to Spokane even with the car packed full of stuff. With just city driving, I get around 14.5, maybe as low as 13 if there's lots of sitting in traffic. With 70/30 city/hwy, I get 15-16. I did a lot of work getting the little problems ironed out, though, so I'd recommend looking into things like rough idling, hard starts, smoke out the tailpipe, or any other abnormal behavior.

What brand/model of spark plug did you use? If you haven't already, change the fuel filter and PCV valve too. I also had great luck using Seafoam (through the intake, in the oil, and in the gas tank). If everything else checks out you can do things like change your upstream oxygen sensors. They may not be throwing a code, but they do wear out over time and become less effective. Come to think of it, though, that may or may not apply to you considering the mileage is still so low.

[fatman023]

Where did you find this QX4? I had been searching everyday and couldn't find one for months. That's crazy you found that locally.

I haven't tracked MPG yet but I may try next time I fill up. Gas mileage is not one of the advantages of this vehicle.

Well I wasn't looking for 30 mpg, but 15 would be nice

Regardless, I love this thing. I found it at an auto broker in Woodinville last October and it had been recently imported from Vancouver B.C.

I haven't seen this particular variant on the road anywhere around here. It's silver, has chrome roof rails and crossbars, chrome 3-spoke wheels, and a black leather interior (heated rear seats). Odo and speedo are in KM (obviously). as of yesterday she's got 63,500 KM on the clock. I paid more than I should have, but it's basically new. I had to get the strut housing recall checked out at the dealership in Kirkland, but it was totally clean.

I'm hoping to get many years out of this beast.

[atraudes]

Nice, I got mine in Woodinville too. Private seller, though. I've seen the chrome roof rack and wheels before, but only once. It's definitely rare.

[vonscorpio]

By the way, atraudes, you live in Issaquah? I'm in Bellevue. Small world, man.

Congrats on the new ride! Renton checking in here-- small world for sure.
I usually keep a keen eye out for QX4's for sale locally. Good find! I didn't even see that one.

In regards to fuel economy (which we track religiously), my wife usually drives our QX4; back and forth to work, less than 2 miles each way all city. We jump up and down for joy when it gets over 12 mpg per tank. Good news is: premium gas can be found for <$2.109 a gallon!