Service Engine Soon light

[xschug3]

I was driving my newly purchased 2001 LE this morning when this light popped up while driving 65mph on the hwy.
It began flashing on and off.
What does this mean? I seemed to notice the truck run a little rougher as well.

[Towncivilian]

A blinking SES indicates a misfire in one or more cylinders. Avoid driving with this on, as it will eventually damage your catalytic converter.

Get stored codes pulled at any AutoZone, they'll do it for free. Just get the codes, avoid their attempts to sell you stuff, and post them here.

Do you have a solid SES light lit, or none at all now?

[xschug3]

Oh no towncivilian, that doesn't sound good. It's been a steady blinking light since it came on. What would be causing a misfire? I filled it yesterday with premium fuel and I also added a fuel treatment additive to it when I filled the tank.

[asnorton44]

What would be causing a misfire? I filled it yesterday with premium fuel and I also added a fuel treatment additive to it when I filled the tank.

Ignition coils are problematic on the 01s.

[Buzzman]

Possibly a bad plug. How many miles on the plugs? Do you have the service history?
Other possibility is a bad coil. Neither problem is serious. If you're not sure about the plugs, and you have a fair amount of miles on it, I'd suggest replacing them just as a preventative maintenance thing.

[xschug3]

I know the ignition coils were replaced, plugs I'm not certain about. Do you guys recommend I take it to the dealer to have the plugs done or have a cheaper repair shop do it? It seems like quite a job, I'm not sure I want to tackle it myself.

[Towncivilian]

I think you should first get the codes pulled to get some more insight on your problem before trying to do anything.

How many miles are on the car? The spark plugs should be replaced at 105k miles. What's the manufacturing date of your vehicle (find it on the door jamb sticker)? 2001.5 year R50s have redesigned ignition coils which probably solve the earlier 01 model's problems with the coils, but since you got them replaced already they are probably still okay. The stored codes will shed more light on things.

[Chuck Tribolet]

A lot of auto parts stores will pull the codes for free. Post back the numeric codes (something like P1234) back here.

[Chuck Tribolet]

And if the replaced the coils and didn't replace the plugs, that was silly. The hard work for changing plugs is getting the
coils out.

[xschug3]

Thanks guys. I will have them run the codes tomorrow and report them here and go from there. This is frustrating. The clock immediately went out the day after I purchased it and now this. I'm also having very loud squeakage when I start the truck which is coming from the belts. Just one more annoying issue to fix.

[xschug3]

I just got back from the parts store. There were two codes reported: P1320 "Ign Signal Primary" and P0302 "Cyl 2 misfire"

The whole time driving it to the parts store the Service Engine Soon light was on, however it was not flashing like it did yesterday, which I find strange.

Please let me know what you guys think and how I should proceed.
Thanks

[Towncivilian]

I believe the SES light was solid because it had stored codes of a misfire condition.

You should try unplugging coil pack #2's harness. It's on the driverside, frontmost. The coil packs look like this:

[xschug3]

Towncivilian, so just unplug the coil pack and then what? What will that tell me?

[Towncivilian]

Just unplug it and plug it back in, the harness may be loose. Although since you're not currently misfiring, it's probably not the case unless it's an intermittent connection that becomes loose when you go over a bump or something. I did mean to say "plug it back in" but apparently I missed that part - sorry! Hectic morning today.

[xschug3]

Ok I will try that this afternoon. Will I be able to get to it easily or will I need to remove some things like air intake box etc?
Also, do you know what the code P1320 Ign signal primary represents?

[Towncivilian]

I think you should be able to access it pretty easily, might need to remove the plastic engine cover (2 nuts and a bolt, and don't overtighten them when you install it back on cause one of my studs snapped and the other is bent). Those bolts are 10mm.

Well, when I forgot to plug in my cylinder 4 plug, I also had P1320. I assume it just means a bad signal from an ignition coil (i.e. not plugged in, intermittent connection, dead coil).

[Chuck Tribolet]

Flashing SES light means "this is REALLY nasty". Gross overheat, or something that will ruin the cats in short order, or something
like that. Or maybe a better description would be "do NOT wait till the weekend to look into this."

[xschug3]

Chuck, it's no longer flashing but a steady light now. It flashed while I was driving yesterday but once I turned it off and restarted it, it's been steady since.

[Chuck Tribolet]

I know that. I was telling you what the flashing meant.

[ARKQX33V6]

What grade of fuel is recommended as per the book for a 2001 Pathfinder? Using hightest fuel when 87 is recommended will create problems with ignition, mainly the HT 90-94 range will actually slow down combustion. This in turn can create a miss-fire condition. If this is the cause your coil packs, ignition cables, plugs may be all right, but.

Using a spark plug for 105,000 miles is lunacy, but it sells cars to the public that DO NOT WANT TO DO MAINTENANCE

Regular and routine maintenance is crucial, especially when ethanol crap is now at 10% and the governments of our counties are thinking of increasing it to 15%.

If as the owner of this Pathfinder you think that a spark plug change is difficult, it may be prudent for you to find a reputable honest mechanic.

Buying a used vehicle is a very difficult challenge these days. Most people do not maintain their vehicles very well, they refused to see the value in keeping their cars in good shape. Along comes an unsuspecting buyer and the seller will sell that poorly maintained vehicle to someone else.

If you are that someone else you have a choice, learn to maintain that car or pay someone to do it.

Reality is real, a well maintained vehicle will easily get 20 years of service. A not so well looked after car will get a lot less in service life. The cost of a new 4 x4 at around 35000-45000 dollars plus all the taxes can be avoided by doing maintenance. The routine is much more than what the manufacturer states: usually severe, thus more often. The simple act of timely oil changes alone will add life to a vehicle.

Like the commercial said, "We'll get you now or later" is true. Look after your vehicles, learn, be informed. The ability to work and perform regular maintenance on a car, truck or lawnmower will increase the lifespan of that machine, will reduce the money spent in buying yet another machine and will give you pride and comfort in knowing the work was done and done to the best of your ability.

[Towncivilian]

What grade of fuel is recommended as per the book for a 2001 Pathfinder?

At least 91 octane.

[xschug3]

ARKQX33V6- Thanks for your response. You made some really good points. I'll be tackling the sparkplug change this weekend. I'm not looking forward to it simply because it looks like I'll have alot of stuff to maneuver around or take off to get to the plugs.

MY "Service Engine Soon" light is still on but it's been on steady, no longer flashing. As far as I know I still have an cylinder 2 misfire. It could be that my coil on cylinder 2 has gone bad, but I will try plugs first since they're cheaper and I don't know if they've ever been replaced so I should do them anyway.

Is there any specific tips/tricks I should know that would help make the job easier?
I've done plugs on other vehicles before, just never on a Nissan, nor have I dealt with coils in the past.

Thanks for all the help guys. I'll keep you updated throughout the weekend.

[yeldogt]

You should never drive a car with the CEL blinking. The light blinks when the ECU detects a misfire great enough for unburned fuel to move to the catalytic converter -- the fuel will then burn in the converter ..... overheating it.

I bet you will find you have a coil problem-- but it always good to check all the connections first.

Spark plugs don't normally cause this - unless it suffered some sort of catastrophic failure.


Good luck -- and get the correct plugs

[iamman]

It maybe that the ignition coils are not compatible with your car. I got a trouble code P1320, when I installed a SMP UF282. I replaced it with BWD Automotive E755 coils a the codes went away. I would try a different coil.

[asnorton44]

When I replaced my coils I got them from Partsgeek.com, it lets you select your manufacture date to determine the correct coils. I think for my 01 there were two different coils dependent on your mfg date.

[Chuck Tribolet]

MY "Service Engine Soon" light is still on but it's been on steady, no longer flashing. As far as I know I still have an cylinder 2 misfire. It could be that my coil on cylinder 2 has gone bad, but I will try plugs first since they're cheaper and I don't know if they've ever been replaced so I should do them anyway.

Is there any specific tips/tricks I should know that would help make the job easier?
I've done plugs on other vehicles before, just never on a Nissan, nor have I dealt with coils in the past.

Thanks for all the help guys. I'll keep you updated throughout the weekend.

1. Get the codes read out.

2. Search around here. "How to change the plugs on a 3.5" has come up before. There was a thread a few months ago
with lots of good info.

[ARKQX33V6]

xschug3, there are some basic tips for plug changing that involves the plugs, HT leads, caps and if your V6 is jammed in that hole, the #6 plug should be a bit more time and patience.

I remove the distributor cap and all the plug wires on my car.
I inspect the wires carefully for worn, burned, stiff, oil soaked and test for opens, shorts and /or balance of resistance then clean them.
# 6 comes out, and a new one replaces it right away
The rest come out and each is placed in a rack identifying where it was and then all are examined
Compression test
All are new plus, re-gaped, anti-seize compound and torqued
Distributor is cleaned, cap cleaned in and out
The LED, timing slots are dusted,
A slight oil few drops placed center shaft
Blow the dust out
Re-assembled, run, put timing light to each plug wire to compare

Plugs come out every 3 years now.

[Chuck Tribolet]

xschug3 has a 2001, so no distributor. And #6 is interesting but nowhere near as much so as on a 3.3L.

And a key step, ESP on the 3.0 and 3.3L motors, is to blow the spark plug hole out with compressed air after pulling the wire and before removing the old plug. It collects grit you don't want falling down inside the engine.

[ARKQX33V6]

Very good Chuck, I do it but forget, I need a secretary to keep asking me questions!? Thanks again for the nudge.