Moderator: volvite
Thanks! Is there an aftermarket rad that you recommend?
There are some recommendations from more qualified members than myself in this thread :
pathy-logical wrote: ↑Sun Nov 08, 2020 4:30 pmHi Spatula,
Did you find the problem with your Pathfinder? I leave an OBD scanner plugged in all the time so I can monitor various things as I'm driving. My truck is a 2012 2wd, my trailer is 4400lbs dry. Standard tire size 245/75x16 is about 30.5". My 265/70x16 and your 285/65x16 are both approximately 30.5 inches. I don't think tire diameter is any kind of issue adversely affecting gearing but in the case of your TPM error perhaps air volume is a problem as the tire heats up. You have a big contact patch.
If you don't have a long history with the vehicle it might be advisable to change the trans fluid and the radiator coolant. A trans fluid change only costs about $20 if you use Valvolene MaxLife as was recommended to me here. There's no filter to replace and the pan has a drain plug. There is a screen inside, accessible by dropping the pan. I suppose it could be partially clogged. Another thing would be to check the fluid level before you drain, both cold and hot. Mine at 92k was right on the cold and hot marks. Trans fluid expands when it gets hot maybe someone overfilled it. Not certain if that would cause a problem like yours but it does seem heat related. Maybe it's too low. Many, including myself, have said they can't see fluid on the dipstick, check carefully with a light, it will most likely look clear. But it isn't really. If it is dark and smells burned it's definitly bad. Anyway I think your transmission is going into "failsafe mode" (maybe that's what some refer to as "limp mode") which can lock the transmission in 2nd, 4th or 5th gear depending on what the detected error is. Look for information on the Jatco RE5R05A transmission on the internet, there"s a lot of information about it out there. Two good reads are a PDF on the Infiniti/Nissan RE5R05A Transmission put out by Automatic Transmission Service Group of Cutler Bay, Florida and and 2007_01_12.pdf An overview of the Jatco RE5R05A by Lance Wiggins.
I use Nissan coolant. It's pricey but has worked well for me.
Back to the scanner. I use OBDLink LX connected all the time. I also have Blue Driver so I can compare readings when/if I get an error. Neither of them have a means of checking the trans temp. I've done a lot of looking but haven't found anything that will report it. Newer models will but not my 2012. There is a trans cooler in the radiator and another in series with it mounted in front of the air conditioner condenser on the driver's side. I mounted a Hayden 677 cooler on the passenger side (threaded holes are already there) in series with the drivers side cooler. So the flow is trans to radiator to cooler 1 to cooler 2 to trans. I monitor my coolant temperature and have never seen it go above 205° F in combined highway/city, A/C on, here in SW Florida (90-95° here this past July and August). However, all of my trips thus far have been local so I can't comment on hours long pulls. Also pretty damn flat here. Just bought the trailer in July. I've noticed that my electric radiator fan kicks on at 195.8° in city traffic. Even on the highway at speed the temp monitor shows the fan switching on at 195.8°, temp varies from about 190° to 198.5° without trailer. With the trailer it has gotten as high as 205°.
Some have bypassed the trans cooler in the radiator. May work for them but I prefer not to. The torque converter will only lock up in fourth gear above 40 mph if the trans is up to a predetermined temperature. I think that is about 175° degrees or there abouts. If the ECU knows when the trans is up to temp maybe there is a way to read it. Then again it may just be a go/no go affair. I'm considering putting another Hayden 677 between the trans and the radiator just to see what the results are. The engine/trans heating and cooling one another continuously in a never ending cycle. I'm interested in seeing if it can be fine tuned to suit the application more precisely.
Hope this helps in some way.
That's one thing I forgot to point out and that I agree with. Dragging the load I did this past June there was no time I ever thought to myself "I'm operating unsafely here." Of course this wasn't a high sided boat or trailer acting like a wind sail or a mis-loaded trailer causing the tail to wag the dog but I wasn't dropping down to first and scraping ass to get up any passes either.Lakehead Pathfinder wrote: ↑Sun Nov 29, 2020 8:12 pm...... considering it's "just" a V6 is pretty impressive IMO.