2012 Pathy - 4LO feels very weird

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k2sb2003
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2012 Pathy - 4LO feels very weird

Postby k2sb2003 » Wed Jan 08, 2020 4:58 pm

Folks

I have had a chance to really get the Pathy on a few good trails. I do notice that the VDC/ABLS is much more aggressive in 4LO over Auto/HI. The thing I am finding weird is that the Transmission never seems to be in the right gear when doing a hill climb in 4LO and manual intervention is needed.

Anyone else experience this?


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palmerwmd
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Postby palmerwmd » Thu Jan 09, 2020 12:36 pm

I have very little experiences in 4LO.. What I do notice some of the the electronics are locked and as expected the car revs tons for very little speed.
This is intentional of course.
Think of 4LO as your "crawl" setting and all gears will act much lower.

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Chris Steffen
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Postby Chris Steffen » Sat Jan 11, 2020 8:49 am

I have not noticed this in 4LO. However, when I am in LO I mostly use manual mode anyway. I climbed a steep offroad pass the other day (in 4LO and 4HI without using manual mode) and I was very impressed how it selected the correct gear consistently. (diesel)

VDC switches off in low range (indicated by an orange indicator light on the dash). Is yours remaining on? If so there may be a malfunction and this could be causing the hunting. If it does not indicate that it is off try switching it off manually and try low range again.

k2sb2003
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*** UPDATE ***

Postby k2sb2003 » Mon Mar 30, 2020 10:31 pm

Update - So I recognized that when in 4LO, and move the shifter to the manual mode, it shows 4th gear in the display on the dash.

I cannot tell if its in 4th gear or if it's shifting below that?

IF I leave it in the Drive mode, it feels as if the transmission is slipping or the torque converter is not locking up.

Any insight?

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Chris Steffen
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Postby Chris Steffen » Wed Apr 01, 2020 2:11 am

When you move the shifter into manual it is completely manual. You will need to manually change gears. If the car is stationary it automatically selects 1st and will not allow one to shift up until it is moving at a specified speed. The indicator on the dash should show what gear it is in. If you are moving into manual mode and you are stationary and it is indicating that it is in 4th then it sounds like there is a malfunction.

Check yourself or have your transmission fluid checked. If it is slipping the fluid level could be low. That is the first thing to check. If level is OK and you still have the problem then have it checked out by a specialist.

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Re: *** UPDATE ***

Postby Spatula » Mon Oct 26, 2020 10:38 am

k2sb2003 wrote:
Mon Mar 30, 2020 10:31 pm
Update - So I recognized that when in 4LO, and move the shifter to the manual mode, it shows 4th gear in the display on the dash.

I cannot tell if its in 4th gear or if it's shifting below that?
Just wondering if there was any further update to this, as I have the same experience in my 2012 R51: no matter how fast I'm moving, or even completely stopped, when I move the shifter into Manual the display will read "4". Also, it does not obey my shifting as I would like, it seems to only shift when it wants to. Anyone else find that Manual mode can be headstrong?

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palmerwmd
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Re: 2012 Pathy - 4LO feels very weird

Postby palmerwmd » Tue Oct 27, 2020 9:01 am

Are you experiencing lower temps than normal right now?
transmissions with marginal internals sometimes show it first at cold temps.

Does the problem persist when the tranny is fully warmed up?

brickbox
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Re: 2012 Pathy - 4LO feels very weird

Postby brickbox » Wed Oct 28, 2020 4:26 am

I test drove 3 R51s before I purchased the one I have. All 4 of them will automatically display “4” as soon as I switch from D to manual mode irrespective of 2H, 4H, 4Lo.

The being said, if I drive reasonably, I can get it to shift at about the same time I move the lever (I.e. little to no delays). I can get it caught up if I try to shift at very low RPMs and it will wait for sufficient RPMs to build up prior to shifting. I think it’s just an anti stall/transmission protection feature which makes sense imo

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Re: 2012 Pathy - 4LO feels very weird

Postby Spatula » Thu Oct 29, 2020 8:18 am

Ya I figured it out... Well, I read the manual. The Manual mode is not true manual, in my 2012 anyway. Shifting to M will limit the top gear available; you can shift it manually, within the prescribed limits, and it will also shift itself when it feels like it.
PXL_20201029_145616399.jpg
PXL_20201029_150915452.jpg

Berto14
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Re: 2012 Pathy - 4LO feels very weird

Postby Berto14 » Wed Mar 09, 2022 6:33 pm

Hi All,

I have a Nissan Pathfinder R51 2013 2.5l Diesel Auto

In Aug 2021 while on the beach i had my Pathfinder in 4Low and manual mode. The transmission (in manual mode) kept changing up gears at approx 2200-2300 rpm. At the time I figured this was normal and must have been a protection setting (Novice 4wd'er)

In Oct 2021 I did a 2day 4wd course with a professional company in Perth. Using my own vehicle. The first day was in sand and the next in the bush.

The first day was in the sand, I engaged 4wd low and used manual mode. I noticed that the gears would change up automatically at approx 2200-2300 rpm. This would happen while working through soft flat sand and on big inclines.

The second day was in bush terrain.
Again in 4wd low and manual mode when doing climbs under load and in sports mode the Pathfinder would up gear by its self at the revs mentioned above. Although It didn't do it on level ground or downhill, I suspect due to having more traction in this terrain.

I was out with 13 other 4wds and everyone said this is weird behaviour when manual mode is selected.

A few weeks later the Mechanic found fault code P1815 M-MODE Switch registered in the computer error codes - we cleared the fault codes during the scheduled service

On the weekend just past I took the pathfinder back to the sand dunes to test it out

We tested the vehicle is very soft sand and slight incline and manual mode kept shifting upgear manually at approx. 2200rpm

This time recorded on video!
https://www.dropbox.com/s/3d0922dryx6co ... 7.mp4?dl=0

I took it into an local transmission mechanic and they took it for a drive and manual mode works fine in 2WD, he kindly hooked up the device to look for fault codes and no fault codes were present

I'm a bit lost at where to go from here, its quite frustrating to not have 4LO manual mode to climb dunes or work through really soft sand on the beach.

Any advise or suggestions would be greatly appreciated

Thanks
Nick


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