NVSteve, your quotation didn't show up correctly, I was quoting unmeloy.
I definitely didn't say that.

Edit. Thanks for fixing.

PokeyPrasch wrote:NVSteve, your quotation didn't show up correctly, I was quoting unmeloy.
I definitely didn't say that.

Sorry about that. Fixed.

Sorry to read this buddy!

I got my 08' a month ago (52k) and after reading and asking over here on this topic I was advised to not do the bypass YET as I am still under warranty. Once I finish the warranty I will do the bypass. I don't tow anything and do around 11k a year of mostly city driving.

PokeyPrasch wrote:

unmeloy wrote:

PokeyPrasch wrote:I'm pretty sure the bypass isn't the "only" fix.

you might want to read up and educate yourself on the matter... ALL PF are subject to coolant/tranny cross contamination... its not a matter of if, it is a matter of when. and yes, it really is the only fix. and by only fix i mean bypassing the trans cooler in the radiator by some way shape or form, i.e traditional bypass or bypassing to a aftermarket cooler and caping off the radiator... either way. it is the "ONLY" true fix

I've read extensively and with some comprehension...
All Pathfinders have the possibility of this type of failure (as with any vehicle that used this rad/trans design), this issue is the high failure rate in the Nissan Radiator. There are lots of Pathfinders still on the road with original radiator and transmission w/o the bypass who are blissfully unaware.


Saying that it's the "ONLY" fix and that your "RADIATOR WILL FAIL" is overgeneralizing and misleading.

There are thousands of cars with this radiator/tranny cooler design on the road today and while this failure does happen to them it is pretty rare, atleast when compared the the number of Nissans.

Also, FYI:

in·fa·mous
[in-fuh-muhs]
adjective
1.
having an extremely bad reputation: an infamous city.
2.
deserving of or causing an evil reputation; shamefully malign; detestable: an infamous deed.

Not a good way to describe a mod you are suggesting.

so what you are saying is that there are vehicles that this definately wont happen to? that is like saying that the motor will last forever and that it is flawless... the problem is with the design. it is flawed. eventually it will happen... might be hundreds of thousands of miles, but will happen due to the design. by saying that the fix is "replacing that radiator" is a moot point... you could get a new radiator (none on the market fix the flaw) and 2 miles later have this happen. it is a KNOWN ISSUE. the only known fix to eliminate the "issue" is the bypass.

NVSteve wrote:

unmeloy wrote: ALL PF are subject to coolant/tranny cross contamination... its not a matter of if, it is a matter of when.

Yes, all Pathfinders etc *could* potentially have this happen, but saying "it is a matter of when" is completely off the mark & pure BS. By saying that, you are definitively stating it will happen to all of them, period. That simply is not true.

Yes, we have had a few owners post their rad/trans issues on this forum, and the situation overall flat out sucks. But you simply can't say it will happen to all of them and present it as a fact.

once again... any vehicle with this radiator, will have the issue. plain and simple. due to the design it will happen sooner or later

The flaw in the failing Nissan radiator coolers is a leak at the seal of the cooler assembly. Just because one has a radiator with an integral cooler, doesn't mean that is will definitely fail at some point, sooner or later. Both engine oil and automatic transmission coolers have been used inside the radiator tanks for decades in many vehicle manufacturers and the majority have been very reliable. I worked for Nissan for 16 years and never saw or heard of a radiator integral cooler causing a cross-contamination in a Nissan until the issues with the 2005-10 trucks had surfaced. In my automotive mechanical experience which dates back to the early '80s, I can only recall one such failure that caused cross-contamination and it was on a GM model. Of course, the potential for such a failure will exist on any radiator with an integral cooler, there are potential failures on any mechanical part of an automobile. That's the nature of the beasts!

unmeloy wrote:
once again... any vehicle with this radiator, will have the issue. plain and simple. due to the design it will happen sooner or later

absurd

unmeloy wrote: so what you are saying is that there are vehicles that this definately wont happen to? that is like saying that the motor will last forever and that it is flawless... the problem is with the design. it is flawed. eventually it will happen... might be hundreds of thousands of miles, but will happen due to the design. by saying that the fix is "replacing that radiator" is a moot point... you could get a new radiator (none on the market fix the flaw) and 2 miles later have this happen. it is a KNOWN ISSUE. the only known fix to eliminate the "issue" is the bypass.

I'm not going to argue with you, have a nice day.

OMG I HEARD THAT DRIVING YOUR CAR WILL EVENTUALLY CAUSE ENGINE FAILURE!! PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF JEEBUS DON'T DRIVE YOUR CAR.

unmeloy wrote: once again... any vehicle with this radiator, will have the issue. plain and simple. due to the design it will happen sooner or later

Yes, and the continents will continue to rearrange themselves, the sun will go supernova & all life on this planet will cease to exist. Sure, every single part on the Pathfinder will fail at some point. That might be 5 days down the road, or 50+ years from now while sitting in a junk yard. I reiterate what you are claiming is simply not true. If you are going to stand behind the pulpit, then present your evidence that 100% of these rads will fail while still in service.

my question is this... why chance it. im done.

Because the integral trans cooler is a far more efficient cooler than an external air-to-air cooler and they do a better job of keeping the ATF at the optimal operating temperature of approximately 175-200 degrees F. The integral cooler design has also, overall, been a fairly reliable system that has a low failure rate, with the exception of the unfortunate run of defective radiators that Calsonic manufactured for the 2005-2010 Nissan Pathfinders/Xterras/Frontiers. I agree that if you have the original radiator in one of these models, it is much better to bypass the radiator cooler than take a chance on it failing, but I opted to replace my radiator with an aftermarket unit. GM has been running both oil coolers and transmission fluid coolers inside their truck radiators for years; how many radiator cooler failures do you hear about them?

smj999smj wrote:GM has been running both oil coolers and transmission fluid coolers inside their truck radiators for years; how many radiator cooler failures do you hear about them?

Excellent point...and there's about a bazillion more GM trucks on the road than Pathfinders. Maybe a couple bazillion.