Questions before purchasing a Pathfinder

[Peediz]

Hi Everyone,

I'm in the market for a 2002 - 2004 Pathfinder. I've been doing a lot of searching and figured I'd come here with some questions before I decide on one. The one I keep going back to is a 2004 LE Platinum edition. I'm basically looking for a comfortable, reliable and capable truck that won't let me down. It will be my daily driver and will see the snow of NY winters and mild off roading including beach driving and trails in the woods. Here's what I'm wondering about:

1. Do these trucks have any common problems that I should be aware of (electrical gremlins, heater/AC problems, engine or trans faults, etc;)?

2. Is there anything that I should look for/make sure of when I take it for a test drive?

3. Is the automatic 4WD better than/as strong as the manual shift 4WD?

Please feel free to add anything you think I need to know. Any info you could give me would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

[Peediz]

Whoa guys, slow down! Your replies are overwhel . . . oh wait, never mind. That never happened.

[Towncivilian]

I'm sorry, I had intended to reply to this thread but it got buried. I will provide a thorough reply in a couple hours.

Welcome to NICO, and again I offer my apologies for the delay.

[Towncivilian]

Be sure any Pathfinder you look at has been inspected for the strut housing corrosion recall. There is a lengthy thread on the subject pinned at the top of this sub forum. This is the most critical thing to check especially since you're in a salt state.

Otherwise, there isn't anything particularly common other than the possibility of one or more power valve screws working themselves loose due to lack of thread locker applied at the factory, and potentially causing major engine damage. Generally, this manifests itself with excessive oil consumption, power loss, and possibly a check engine light for catalytic converter(s) below efficiency threshold. This is a rather rare issue though, so I would not worry about it unless the symptoms mentioned are present.

Be sure to check the level and condition of all fluids accessible from under the hood, just as you would with any other vehicle. Pay particular attention to the automatic transmission fluid - if it's any color besides red and smells excessively burnt (a little is OK), I'd walk away.

If possible, inspect the underside of the vehicle for significant rust. It would be beneficial if you could find a Pathfinder or QX4 that has had regular undercoating to ward off rust.

Make sure the "service engine soon" bulb works by turning the ignition to "ON". If possible, bring a code reader or Android smartphone with the Torque app & a Bluetooth OBDII reader to check for stored codes, in case the seller had just reset the computer trying to sell their car without the SES light on when there's an issue.

If I recall correctly, the automatic transfer case is stronger than the manual, but I will try to verify this for you tomorrow morning.

Again, welcome to NICO and sorry for the delay in response. I hope you won't write off our forum due to a lack of replies - this sub forum can be slow sometimes. If I think of anything else, I'll be sure to reply.

Good luck with your purchase, no matter what you end up buying!

[yngw13]

RUST!
check closely the wheel wells...+exhaust rust (I failed to do so -so I ended up having to get a muffler +labor)
under those wheel fender flares...under them...they conceal corrosion
asides from that buy a cheap OBD scanner you can hook up to the car when you test drive it...might be able to pull some codes that might have recently been cleared...


Also...drive it on humps and check for any weird clunks noise...trailing arms might be blown...or sumthing...

[Peediz]

Thanks guys! I did read the strut housing recall thread so I'll be sure to look for that. I also have a cheap scanner that I'll be bringing along with me to check for codes. Thanks for the tips.

I'll be sure to keep you updated when I make my purchase. The search begins.