I believe I have reached the end of the road with my pathfinder. I have tried everything and its still not working properly.
Brief history:
bought brand new in 2001, top of the range model with all extras.
Always been serviced by nissan dealer, kept in perfect condition, all oil changes etc. etc.
Then last year I left the car for a week whilst on vacation. My sister moved the car out of the drive way and suddenly all the oil dropped out of the engine.
By this time the car is out of warranty of course and I have an excellent mechanic. He pointed out that many things that should have been changed by the dealer over they years in fact hadn't. Anyway after a week or so of diagnosis he discovered that one of the cylinders and pistons was totally melted, just one piston mind.
I decided that since the car was perfect in all other ways to have the engine rebuilt rather than buy a new equivalent car which would probably have cost around 40K.
After a huge struggle we found new pistons (this engine used a very rare size - one of 3 used for that year). Everything looked good, new o2 sensors were put in and the computer recalibrated.
After a week the check engine light came on and the engine was knocking when driving up hills.
After more diagnosis we discovered the computer was pumping in too much fuel. It was complaingin about the sensors. These were changed once more. Everything else was checked too, vaccuum leaks etc.
Still there was a problem. We bought a new computer, and the problem is still there.
We have replaced almost all the engine components and sensors now!
I really dont want to just junk the car but its still knocking and most likely will end up failing fairly soon.
The knocking occurs at almost precisely 2300 revs. I suspect this is when the variable intake manifold kicks in. It is getting worse and the car is very rough when cold. It often stalls if you try and drive it straight off in the morning.
My mechanic has been through everything with the dealership and they have all given up on it.
Is there anything anyone can think of before I am forced to junk this perfectly good (except for engine) car. I feel sure its something small that we have overlooked somewhere.
We even upgraded the firmware in the computer to see if that helped. Maybe there was just an design fault in the car since it was made. It was one of the very first to be shipped to California at the time and I think the engine was new for the year.
Help! I dont want to buy a new car
Many thanks
Brief history:
bought brand new in 2001, top of the range model with all extras.
Always been serviced by nissan dealer, kept in perfect condition, all oil changes etc. etc.
Then last year I left the car for a week whilst on vacation. My sister moved the car out of the drive way and suddenly all the oil dropped out of the engine.
By this time the car is out of warranty of course and I have an excellent mechanic. He pointed out that many things that should have been changed by the dealer over they years in fact hadn't. Anyway after a week or so of diagnosis he discovered that one of the cylinders and pistons was totally melted, just one piston mind.
I decided that since the car was perfect in all other ways to have the engine rebuilt rather than buy a new equivalent car which would probably have cost around 40K.
After a huge struggle we found new pistons (this engine used a very rare size - one of 3 used for that year). Everything looked good, new o2 sensors were put in and the computer recalibrated.
After a week the check engine light came on and the engine was knocking when driving up hills.
After more diagnosis we discovered the computer was pumping in too much fuel. It was complaingin about the sensors. These were changed once more. Everything else was checked too, vaccuum leaks etc.
Still there was a problem. We bought a new computer, and the problem is still there.
We have replaced almost all the engine components and sensors now!
I really dont want to just junk the car but its still knocking and most likely will end up failing fairly soon.
The knocking occurs at almost precisely 2300 revs. I suspect this is when the variable intake manifold kicks in. It is getting worse and the car is very rough when cold. It often stalls if you try and drive it straight off in the morning.
My mechanic has been through everything with the dealership and they have all given up on it.
Is there anything anyone can think of before I am forced to junk this perfectly good (except for engine) car. I feel sure its something small that we have overlooked somewhere.
We even upgraded the firmware in the computer to see if that helped. Maybe there was just an design fault in the car since it was made. It was one of the very first to be shipped to California at the time and I think the engine was new for the year.
Help! I dont want to buy a new car
Many thanks