95 Pathfinder - Few questions that I have not found answers to?
Ok few questions for this 95 Pathfinder that I just bought at an auction.
1) The alternator/water pump belt has stretched twice now in one day, would this have anything to do with the fact that the clutch fan is frozen up and so is a constant drag, or should I take the alternator down to Advance Auto and have them test it to see if it is freezing up and thus causing the stretch, because the squealing is driving me nuts.
2) How difficult would it be for someone of moderate to high level of mechanical inclination to change a dash harness, because there seem to be no end of under dash electrical problems, including but not limited to... heater control does not light, nor will it pour out anything but hot air and only does defrost no matter how I play with it; looks like previous owner hotwired some of the steering column features (blinkers) to an open fuse box relay, which seems to need me to play with the hook-up cuz sometimes the blinkers won't work. Interior lights stay on even though all of the doors are shut, unless lights are in the OFF setting, and tachometer is no where even close to being correct, which isn't a big deal since I've driven stick for 8 years I know when to shift, but would be nice to have a working one.
3) The transmission is great, 5 speed, but for one problem, upshifting into 2nd gear in any way but slowly and gingerly produces a grind, and it is impossible to downshift into second until you are at about the speed you would upshift there, so would that be a gearbox (shift control) problem, or a transmission problem?
I will probably have more questions in the days to come as I find all the little hidden gems in this beauty, but these are a start if I could get a few answers please, and thanks to all who answer in advance.
I love this Pathfinder so far, but gotta get these problems fixed.
it sounds like for your first question, that maybe you have a cheap belt on it. typically when an accessory tries to "lock up" it wont stretch the belt, but rather smoke it off. the dash harness is not a difficult job, just time consuming. don't be surprised that a new harness will not fix all of your problems though. as far as the shifting grind, sounds like the synchros for 2nd gear are worn and that is all you would need.
Well, i changed the belt and put a top of the line belt on, and it stretched again. Both the accessories on the belt seem to turn fine without any wobble or rough spots, so perhaps if i replace the frozen clutch fan for an electric fan it will stop stretching belts? I'm not sure and could use some wisdom in this area.
Even if the fan clutch was locked, it shouldn't cause the belt to stretch. A new belt sometimes will need to be re-adjusted after 100 miles or so, but not always. I recommend genuine Nissan belts as the tend to fit much better than aftermaket belts. Check manually for play in the water pump and alternator shafts, as well as for any binding or roughness. If those check out, inspect the mounting of the alternator. My thinking is that the alternator is slipping and creating the slack on the belts. Make sure the threaded holes aren't stripped and all of the bolts are properly tightened. As a final check, after adjusting the belt and tightening all of the bolts, use a long prybar or similar tool to see if you can get the alternator to move at all.
As far as the fan clutch, if it's locked up, I would simply replace it with a new one and scrap the electric fan idea.
If the dash harness, which is essentially the main harness, is like that of the Hardbodies, it's a bit of a pain. The main harness not only goes across the dash area, but also under the driver's fender and through the hole in the right side of the firewall and includes the relay boxes. If you are considering a new harness, they generally take anyway from 3 months to a year to get from the dealer. Most of the ones for older models have to be made before they ship them out top you. they also tend to run in the $600-$800 range. If you use a used harness, you have to make sure you get the correct one (engine trans emissions certification etc.) and you may encounter problems with that harness, if you can't test it first.
The other thing is, do you really need a main harness? Will it fix your problems? Obviously, there is some electrical issue with the lighting switch that needs to be "de-rigged" and properly diagnosed. For all we know it may just need a new light switch? The tachometer, heater and interior lights may and probably have nothing to do with the main harness. It could be as simply as needing a new tach, door switch and control head for the heater. I would look at each problem seperately and attempt to fix it rather than take a guess, replace the entire main harness and then find out I still have the some problems.
The "gearbox" and trans are one in the same. You could have a synchro issue, worn fork, bad bearing(s)....The trans needs to be removed, torn down and inspected to see all that's wrong. A replacement trans is another option.
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