2005 Pathfinder LE - Noisy Blower Motor & XM Satellite Antenna Problems
Hi all,
I've got a 2005 Pathfinder LE and have two problems - one I've had since I've had the vehicle (almost two years) and the other is new. I'm hoping you guys can help because the dealers I've dealt with have not been that helpful. Unfortunately, I live a day's drive from the nearest dealer (northern Canada) and servicing is a challenge as a result, so your help in identifying the problem would be great.
1) Since I bought the Pathfinder, the blower motor has been very noisy (located in the passenger side front footwell). It worked fine for the first month, but ever since, I have always noticed that it clicks very loudly. This was initially identified as a failed motor, as the clicking would get extremely loud when it got cold (i.e. -10 or lower Celsius). The motor was replaced in December, but the clicking still has not resolved. It clicks constantly, but the temperature pitch remains the same. At two bars of fan power, you hear a very steady 'click-click-click" at probably 120 cycles per second. The clicking is always there, and never goes away completely, though with the old motor, it would go away in warm temperatures to the point you couldn't hear it anymore. I've heard this problem in a number of vehicles I've rented while travelling (Nissan Quest, Toyota Sienna, to name the two) lately, and it's EXTREMELY annoying. The dealer says it's normal operation, but I don't believe it - it wasn't like this when I took delivery, and I've never owned a car that has had this problem. Is this still the motor (it's been replaced twice now) or is it the mounting? If I squeeze the housing, the motor seems to get a bit quieter, but I'm convinced something isn't dampening the motor vibrations. Advice is appreciated!
2) At Christmas, I had a US dealer install the factory XM kit in my Canadian Pathfinder. It worked great for a month but the signal now cuts out on a regular basis. The kit has the through-the-glass antenna, and I've observed that when the weather is cold, the kit works just great. When it warms up (say from about -8 C to about 0 C) the signal starts to cut out. If I point the antenna facing south, I can get a signal and things are fine, but as soon as I move, the signal cuts out again and I get NO SIGNAL on the stereo. I have the Bose stereo, but not the nav system, so I don't have a signal meter to gauge signal strength. My suspicion is that the seal on the external antenna has failed, water has got into the antenna housing, and shorts the antenna out when the water is liquid. When it gets cold, the water freezes, and the antenna works OK. Does this sound reasonable? I won't be able to get it checked until I next go south to Vancouver in three months and take it back to the Bellingham dealer for replacement, so I'm trying to troubleshoot as much as possible on my own so the parts can be there for me when I go down.
On a related note, my windshield has a large crack in it and will need to be replaced in the spring. What do I need to do to re-install the antenna after the windshield is replaced? Do I need a new antenna kit or can I use the old one? It seems to me that the internal kit could be reused by applying some sort of glass adhesive, but that the external one would need to be completely replaced. Should I get the windshield replaced first and then get the antenna fixed/reinstalled? Any advice from those who have experienced these problems, or have any advice on how to get them remedied, would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks very much in advance!
|
Linear Mode
