The Nissan Path

I've determined the rapid five second duration clicking sound seemingly coming from behind the glove box is the mode door actuator. It occurs whenever I turn the key on and whenever I push the air recirc button. Well, the part is about $50 but the labor at Nissan is $432 for a four hour job. I'm assuming it's quite a task because labor is estimated at four hours. This scares me a little because I've heard that pretty much the entire dash has to be removed to get to this thing. Should I try this on my own or is there a shortcut fix out there? Any thoughts/advice/sarcastic comments?

marshalwilson wrote:I've determined the rapid five second duration clicking sound seemingly coming from behind the glove box is the mode door actuator. It occurs whenever I turn the key on and whenever I push the air recirc button. Well, the part is about $50 but the labor at Nissan is $432 for a four hour job. I'm assuming it's quite a task because labor is estimated at four hours. This scares me a little because I've heard that pretty much the entire dash has to be removed to get to this thing. Should I try this on my own or is there a shortcut fix out there? Any thoughts/advice/sarcastic comments?

I don't think it's rocket science, but likely to be time consuming & tedious.
Here is a link to our "on board" Service Manual: http://www.thenissanpath.com/filelib/R5 ... ce/fwd.pdf
Welcome to The Nissan Path

Thanks for the reply. Still on the fence but leaning towards the dealer....man, it's killin' me!

marshalwilson wrote:Thanks for the reply. Still on the fence but leaning towards the dealer....man, it's killin' me!

it will be the pits if your diagnosis isn't right

not related, but there are 4 recall campaigns for the 2006 models
you can check with Nissan to find out if any are still outstanding for your truck
also, are you aware of the "dreaded" radiator/transmission cooler leak that will trash the transmission if it happens?

Good info, thanks....have not heard about the radiator transmission cooler leak. We bought this pathfinder new in '06. Have had several issues over the years but not that.

marshalwilson wrote:Good info, thanks....have not heard about the radiator transmission cooler leak. We bought this pathfinder new in '06. Have had several issues over the years but not that.

OK then, this is something you gotta learn about.
How many miles on your truck?
Here is a link to one of our many threads on the matter: http://www.thenissanpath.com/viewtopic. ... ght=bypass
The search feature at the top of the page will offer up others as well.

Wonderful, more good news!! About 156K on it.

marshalwilson wrote:Wonderful, more good news!! About 156K on it.

you can replace the radiator OR bypass the internal transmission cooler in the radiator to avoid the problem
the by-pass takes about 45 minutes
radiator replacement takes several hours
a new transmission will run well over 5,000 bucks
at your mileage, I'd get it done right away!

Is this a problem Nissan knows about and has taken responsibility for? Any idea what percentage of 2006 pathfinders meet this fate?

marshalwilson wrote:Is this a problem Nissan knows about and has taken responsibility for? Any idea what percentage of 2006 pathfinders meet this fate?

yes they do
there is an extended warranty for it, but at your mileage, i believe it has expired
Nissan used to have the extended warranty policy posted on their website, but I don't see it there anymore
you can contact Nissan for the details
on page 8 of the thread that I linked above, there is a simple diagram to follow to do the by-pass
once you get under the truck, it becomes clear how to do it
no additional parts or materials are necessary

Okay, thanks again for all the help. Now I have two issues! Maybe a trade in is in my near future.

marshalwilson wrote:Okay, thanks again for all the help. Now I have two issues! Maybe a trade in is in my near future.

maybe, but these are great trucks (I have 2 of them, both bought new), and there's nothing else out there quite like them
and let's face it, everything has it's problems at some time or another
there are a lot of loyal Pathfinder owners here
we work together to help keep costs at a minimum & trade experiences
.......hope you stick around

The warranty is 100% coverage up to 80k miles, then prorated after that. I think with your miles it's gone and used up.

I had it happen to mine with 79k miles, and they covered it 100%, didn't pay a dime. That is, except that they don't cover if you want your engine block drained to clear out all the transmission oil in your antifreeze that's still in the engine block. I forgot what I paid for that, wasn't too much considering the job. That was a no brainer.

Good luck!

I think you're probably correct, thanks.