Have a 01 PathFinder that is exhibiting strange behavior in winter. After a cold start, as long as I am driving at slow revs, its fine.
When I need to turn from local roads to the main road, I have to accelerate. At which point, the vehicle starts moving with the speed expected for a few seconds and then almost slows to a stop. While its slowing down, the engine is still revving at high speed. Almost like a clutch did not engage (this is an automatic).
Now if I let go of the accelarator and press down again, the car speeds up again with a jerk. I experance this off and on for the first 5 minutes of driving after which it returns to normal.
I tried letting the engine idle in Park for 5 minutes before driving. Same behavior.
Does not happen on warm days. Only when it goes to the 50s or below.
Both the O2 sensor and the Air Mass sensor died on me within a matter of days. They were replaced. Dealer is stating that Air Mass sensor may have something to do with this. But I have had this problem long before the check engine lights came on.
Can a faulty air mass sensor result in high engine RPM but low speed? Sounds more like a transmission problem, right?
If the O/D light is flashing there is definately problems with the tranny.
Guessing .... could be any number of things.... the torque convertor solenoid , the TCM or the trans temp snsor, the throttle position switch , revolution sensor , etc.
Either way you probably will have to take it in somewhere.
Thanks for the response.
I have never noticed the O/D light flash, but that may be because I am concentrating on the car looming up behind me:-)
I did take it to two Nissan shop over the past 1.5 years. The first shop said Throttle body was dirty (but that should only affect my RPM and not speed, right?)
The second shop (where the car is currently being serviced to fix the air mass sensor error) says that the behavior is because the sensor was acting up.
But the problem is High Revs and Low Speed for a few minutes after cold start. That indicates transmission has downshifted or a clutch is disengaging. Unless the Air Mass Sensor triggers the computer to downshift, I don't see why I should see this behavior.
I did see this "consumer guides" advisory which talked about "transmission flare up" on 01 Pathfinders which results in downshifting. Is it worthwhile calling Nissan to see if there is an advisory?
I feel I am getting let down by the nissan service center. And since the car is under Nissan ServicePlus warranty, I have to get it serviced in a Nissan shop.
I have the same car with the same exact problem. I read some old forums this morning that aggred with what you have found but might also be pointing to a plugged Catalytic Converter. Please let me know if the TCM resolves the problem. My extended warranty just ran out. I’ll keep you posted if I find anything concrete.
I have the same car with the same exact problem. I read some old forums this morning that aggred with what you have found but might also be pointing to a plugged Catalytic Converter. Please let me know if the TCM resolves the problem. My extended warranty just ran out. I’ll keep you posted if I find anything concrete.
Just spoke to the dealer. He said the VIN did not match the TSB, but the symptoms did.
So, he has ordered the part and it should be in on Tuesday.
Will let you know if that fixes it.
If the TSB applies to your VIN, the part should be free even without warranty, right?
If the TSB applies to your VIN, the part should be free even without warranty, right?
Unfortunately not, a TSB is not a recall type job or even a warranty repair, it is more like a standardized guide for common problems that occur on a certain vehicle. Its like an FAQ for Nissan techs.
That being said, it also depends on the dealership that you go to, sometimes as a customer relationship thing, they may do a TSB fix for free or for a reduced fee, but they are definitely not obligated to.
Just spoke to the dealer. He said the VIN did not match the TSB, but the symptoms did.
So, he has ordered the part and it should be in on Tuesday.
Will let you know if that fixes it.
If the TSB applies to your VIN, the part should be free even without warranty, right?
I would have to agree with puppetmaster... the TSB is a service bulletin for Nissan dealerships whereby a problem is identified and what course of correction for them to take... this is not a recall.
You mentioned earlier that you have the extended warranty through Nissan ... not knowing what coverage ... we can only guess it's a power train coverage in which case the transmission is part of the power train. You will have to research your warranty to see what is and what isn't covered.
Got the car back from dealer. Even though the VIN did not match the TSB, they inspected the TCM and found an error. This was replaced.
Drove it a couple of mornings and did not see the problem. So, I guess that fixed it. They did not replace the solenoid, though.
My warranty did cover the part and labor. I asked the dealer if it would have been free if there was no warranty and he said that since my VIN did not match, it would not have been free if I did not have warranty. I assume if it did match it would have been at his discretion.
Happy to hear you got your problem fixed. I have had the same problem for almost 2 years. My VIN doesn't (seem to) match but my vehicle was built before April 2000. I am supposed to check the serial number on the TCM. This might be a stupid question but where would I find the TCM? (assume that I haven't lifted the hood of a vehicle in 10 years).
Happy to hear you got your problem fixed. I have had the same problem for almost 2 years. My VIN doesn't (seem to) match but my vehicle was built before April 2000. I am supposed to check the serial number on the TCM. This might be a stupid question but where would I find the TCM? (assume that I haven't lifted the hood of a vehicle in 10 years).
Ok, I think I have located it. As in the diagram, there is a rectangular box in behind the fuse block. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a part number on it and it has thick steel mounting brackets attaching it to the frame. The mounting brackets look to be permanently attached to the module. Before I take this off to check the part number, can someone confirm that I have the right module?
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