The Nissan Path

I just took in my 05 Pathfinder to the local dealership to have them replace the catalytic converter that went bad. Thankfully it was covered under warranty. I guess I would have been hit with $2500. I'm at 71k miles.

They also told me that my engine was making a whining noise and said it was the timing chain and guide going bad. They wanted $1600 to fix it as it was not covered under warranty. I declined the repair until I could get more info here.

Doing some reading here at the forums I see it is a coming problem and I have some questions.

- I'm a shade tree mechanic. Can I fix this myself? I have time. Special tools needed?

- The dealership wanted $1600. Is that fair? what should it cost?

- Was this covered under warranty ever? when did my warranty run out to cover this? 50k?

- Should I fix this immediately or is it a big deal? Can it cause bigger damage if it goes unfixed? Personally I don't even hear the whine yet.

- Do you think I get Nissan Assist to help?

Any other advice on the issue?

mrfatboy wrote:
- I'm a shade tree mechanic. Can I fix this myself? I have time. Special tools needed?

It would be tough, but at least one person here has done it themselves. Of course they're already a Nissan master technician. So maybe...

- The dealership wanted $1600. Is that fair? what should it cost?

That's the running cost from Nissan dealerships, and what was quoted on my receipt when done under warranty. The lowest I've heard is $800 from a non-Nissan shop here in San Diego for a friend's XTerra.

- Was this covered under warranty ever? when did my warranty run out to cover this? 50k?

Yep. I know they extended the warranty for the radiator, but I don't recall if they extended it for the tensioners.

- Should I fix this immediately or is it a big deal? Can it cause bigger damage if it goes unfixed? Personally I don't even hear the whine yet.

When it gets really bad...you'll hear it. If you listen to other Pathfinders, XTerras or Frontiers drive by and wonder why they sound like a vacuum cleaner, this is why. Don't know that it's caused any engine damage for anyone yet, but IIRC the noise comes when the polyurethane wear surface is gone and the chain is riding on metal. This is typically a Bad Thing (tm).

Eventually you'll have to fix it.

- Do you think I get Nissan Assist to help?

Keep pinging on Nissan regardless as this is a well known issue!

Any other advice on the issue?

When my dealership did it they had to do-over a few times as Nissan threw several different part numbers at them in the middle. Expect to be without the vehicle 1-3 weeks at worst.

I'm in San Diego also Where did you friend take his Xterra? I figured that it is a known issue because the dealership rep had examples of the worn out parts in her desk. How convenient!

I'm going to call Nissan Assist tomorrow. I never had a new car with so many problems.

Do PF have (2012) timing chains or timing belts?

The chain would have been covered under the 5 year/60000 mile powertrain warranty unless there was an extended warranty. Yes, this is a known issue and there is a TSB on the repair and countermeasure parts. There was never a warranty extension offered from Nissan. You can try to get Nissan to "Goodwill warranty" it, but don't hold your breath! Squeaky wheel get the grease, though, so you can try. It's a big job for a DIY'er, but it could be done. You will need the ring gear to loosen and torque the cam gear bolts. If you should do it yourself, I would recommend you get the primary chain, as well, in addition to the parts on the TSB. I would pass on the Three Bond sealant and just get RTV sealant from your local auto parts store.

*All Pathfinders after 2000 MY have a timing chain setup.

I bought my PF 3 yr ago with 67K miles. Since they had the oil changed before purchase, I drove it for a while before I noted some weird noise under the hood, even at idle. Anyway I put MotorKote (10 oz for the PF) in the oil. Never heard it since & I have 90K on it now. While some may scoff, I am a believer as some of my posts attest to with my yard equip. Understand it is now at AutoZone, Wal-Mart, and most truck stops.

Does this mean it will never ever give me a problem? Probably not.

I've heard of some people switching to synthetic and getting rid of the whining noise on some Pathfinders. I dunno, but for me if the whining is already occurring, the damage has already started in that the upper chain is cutting into the plastic tensioner "feet." I guess to each his own, but I would be scheduling it for repair in the not so far off future. In my case, I bought me 06 with the repair already having been done; it had 86k. miles on it. Around 92k., I was driving home and heard a loud, clattering noise. When I got it apart, I found a bolt for the primary chain tensioner had broken at the block, cause the guide to fall back and rest against the cover and the primary chain was slapping against the guides. My only conclusion is that the bolt was overtightened when it was put back together. I ended up installing a new primary tensioner and bolts, an upper guide, and all of the parts on the TSB for the upper chain problem. I figured I had it apart, I minds well do it all and be done with it, making sure I torqued all of the bolts to spec! Threw a new radiator and thermostat while I was there so I wouldn't have to deal with any cooler tube issues (hopefully).

My wife's Jetta has a bad chain tensioner (very common problem for VWs as well) and a full synthetic oil change quiets the rattling for a few thousand miles. It doesn't lessen the likelihood of jumping a sprocket and wrecking the valves but the chain noise does get quieter.

I did the job myself. It's a beast to get the front timing cover off. You will need a special ring gear stopper. You can order the tool from Suzuki parts (the Suzuki Equator has same engine as Pathfiner), it's cheaper than others.

https://suzukipitstopplus.com/Products/ ... ished.aspx

nikko7mge wrote:I did the job myself. It's a beast to get the front timing cover off. You will need a special ring gear stopper. You can order the tool from Suzuki parts (the Suzuki Equator has same engine as Pathfiner), it's cheaper than others.

https://suzukipitstopplus.com/Products/ ... ished.aspx

That's interesting.

Looks like our interior (Fronty/Xterra/Pathy) but with a Suzuki emblem.

mrfatboy wrote:I'm in San Diego also Where did you friend take his Xterra?

I'll see if I can find out! We suspected the shop may never have done one before and so underestimated it, but weren't sure.