The Nissan Path

Hey guys and gals, it’s been awhile since I’ve been around but I still have my Pathfinder and lately it’s been getting on my nerves.

I’ve owned my Pathfinder since 2011. Every time I turned the key, it starts RIGHT AWAY. No idle issues, ran perfectly with 16-19mpg depending on driving conditions. A few months ago I hopped in and bumped the key and it turned over but didn’t crank. I turned it back off and then held the key for about 5 seconds and it cranked but all the lights on my dash came on and went back off except the “SERVICE ENGINE SOON†and “VDC†lights. Since then, it takes a few seconds before it starts and while driving, it seems as though there’s a surge when coming to a stop. I haven’t driven out a full tank in awhile so I’m unsure of fuel mileage.

Anyone have any ideas?[/b]

Cam shaft position sensor is one possibility.
Have you checked for codes yet?

king_wrecks wrote:Hey guys and gals, it’s been awhile since I’ve been around but I still have my Pathfinder and lately it’s been getting on my nerves.

I’ve owned my Pathfinder since 2011. Every time I turned the key, it starts RIGHT AWAY. No idle issues, ran perfectly with 16-19mpg depending on driving conditions. A few months ago I hopped in and bumped the key and it turned over but didn’t crank. I turned it back off and then held the key for about 5 seconds and it cranked but all the lights on my dash came on and went back off except the “SERVICE ENGINE SOON†and “VDC†lights. Since then, it takes a few seconds before it starts and while driving, it seems as though there’s a surge when coming to a stop. I haven’t driven out a full tank in awhile so I’m unsure of fuel mileage.

Anyone have any ideas?[/b]

does it re-start easily after a short drive?
it's probably battery/cable connection related, as the symptoms are just
that, especially when the weather turns cold.
how old is the battery?
are the cable clamps clean/tight?
frequently, the negative cable is loose on the post of the battery even though the nut is tight. try pivoting the clamp on the post, see if it's loose.

...or, crank position sensor. Get the codes checked.

The battery isn’t very old but I haven’t checked/cleaned the posts. In the original post I failed to mention the issue started with a nearly empty tank when the weather was at or below freezing. As for repetition, it pretty much does it every time I start it. Also, I had recently burped the coolant system and was almost a gallon low.

As for crank position sensor, how invasive is that repair? Basic hand tools and a Haynes Manual?

Someone with a Murano told me I should check the fuel dampener. Anyone have any experience changing one of those?

Might sound daft but have you tried a new fuel filter ?
Just read about the fuel getting low when it was cold,
maybe, just maybe the pump dragged a load of crap from
the bottom of your tank which now lives in the filter blocking some fuel flow?

I’m a stickler for changing mine at least every 5000 or less if I think it’s getting sluggish. My old shogun used to throw codes up and a mechanic nearly put a new fuel pump in, but some one more on the hammer swapped the filter and told me to rag her home to clear the pipes.
It worked and I swapped the filter more than needed to keep the crap at bay, engine bay lol

I didn’t check the fuel filter but i think that’s be a good inexpensive place to start. I think I’ll also check the rubber seal on my gas cap. My mom had a check engine light because she didn’t put it on correctly. If I do both those and still have the same issues I might just take it to my mechanic so he can run his machine on it.

Graham W wrote:Might sound daft but have you tried a new fuel filter ?
Just read about the fuel getting low when it was cold,
maybe, just maybe the pump dragged a load of crap from
the bottom of your tank which now lives in the filter blocking some fuel flow?

I’m a stickler for changing mine at least every 5000 or less if I think it’s getting sluggish. My old shogun used to throw codes up and a mechanic nearly put a new fuel pump in, but some one more on the hammer swapped the filter and told me to rag her home to clear the pipes.
It worked and I swapped the filter more than needed to keep the crap at bay, engine bay lol

R51's in the USA don't have a serviceable fuel filter; it's part of the fuel pump module inside the gas tank.

king_wrecks wrote:The battery isn’t very old but I haven’t checked/cleaned the posts. In the original post I failed to mention the issue started with a nearly empty tank when the weather was at or below freezing. As for repetition, it pretty much does it every time I start it. Also, I had recently burped the coolant system and was almost a gallon low.

As for crank position sensor, how invasive is that repair? Basic hand tools and a Haynes Manual?

Someone with a Murano told me I should check the fuel dampener. Anyone have any experience changing one of those?

Crank position sensor isn't too bad to replace. You have to remove the right-front wheel and the plastic wheel well liner (you may want to get some new, 10MM push clips because the old ones have a tendency to break when you take them off). Once the liner is out of the way you can see the crank position sensor. It's held in with a single, 10MM head bolt. They are also a lot cheaper than the crank position sensor. I think a genuine Nissan part is around $35 if I'm not mistaken. Get the code read!!