When I drive on the freeway and hit uneven paving or bumps the car feels like it's hydroplaning for a few seconds then is fine when surface levels out. What it might be? It's got 168k miles and probably time to get rid of it but would like to sell it and want to fix this problem.
View 9 RepliesI'm currently running with vwr lower sport spring. The ride in the front seems to be okay, but the ride in the back is so horrible I must say. Bumpy and jarring over uneven paving as hell, the ride in the back is so uncomfortable compares to the front. I'm thinking of trying with aftermarket struts and shocks as Koni or Bilstein. Should I bring it to the dealer and have them check the suspension? I'm a bit hesitated since having aftermarket springs installed.
View 22 RepliesI have a 2001 excursion, v10 4x4 just bought it used thinking I scored until I drove it home (mostly noticeable on freeway, which I didn't do while on my test drive) the steering wheel stays straight, but the truck doesn't stay straight in the road lines,the car turns!! Feels real loose , I hear rattles, rattles going over bumps but mostly real slight uncontrolled steering and seems floaty. Is this a common problem? I did a little searching and found some posts about rattles but noble about sloppy steering.
View 8 RepliesI have a 2003 Pathfinder SE with 197K miles. Recently I noticed when I hit a bump in the road my speedometer drops to zero and my abs warning light comes on for a matter of seconds and then the speedometer goes back to the speed I am traveling and the abs warning light goes off. Not sure what is going on. No issues with the braking system but am concerned. I brought it a mechanic who could not find anything wrong.
View 1 RepliesSpring has arrived and the whoop-de-dues are reminding me that the suspension in my 2013 passat tdi is rather soft. it rides great on a smooth highway but i would be curious if there is a way to change the suspension so that it 'floats' less on uneven pavement and in tight turns?
My goals would be:
1. float less on uneven pavement
2. track flatter and smoother in tight turns at speed
3. maintain highway comfort or dam close to it (99% of my driving)
4. remain at stock height (i am not lowering this car up here!)
It may not be possible to achieve all of this but at this point i do not know what is possible or what the pros and cons are of any suggested changes. A quick search of 'tdi suspension' on vwvortex gave me a few hits but mostly for golf and jettas.
The A/C in my 2001 Nissan Pathfinder (~153,000 miles) only works on high as of this afternoon's commute. This seems like a common problem on older cars - what's the typical cause? Googling just gives me all sorts of answers and I would like to have some background before calling our mechanic.
View 6 RepliesI have a 2001 Nissan Pathfinder SE with 160,000 miles. I took my car in for an overheating problem yesterday after I noticed the coolant was leaking out of my car. I needed a simple hose repair to fix the leak problem, but now they want to replace the temperature gauge because they say that it is still running hot due to: "temperature gauge is stuck and not letting the cold water in." He said that he fixed the hose and it is blowing the cool air to the motor, so the only problem could be the temperature gauge.
Within the past year, I replaced the radiator and hoses. He is saying the temperature gauge + labor would amount to around $300. The car is probably worth around $2250 for a dealer trade-in. I am planning on trading-in the Pathfinder towards the purchase of new one once I am able to present it to the dealer in workable condition. What to do?
I have a 2001 Nissan Pathfinder. How do I get to the trouble codes & how do I remove check engine light?
View 2 RepliesI have a 2001 Pathfinder w/ ~190K mile on it. It has been used regularly until this past winter. It has been sitting for about 3.5 months and I'm just now getting it back on the road. The battery has been draining due to non-use but I charge it and the car will start. Today I started it and after running for about 2 minutes the engine quit. When I got in the car I noticed the strong smell of electrical burning but no smoke. I did not notice this outside of the car. Upon trying to restart the car the engine just cranks with no sign of trying to start (as if there's no spark). I suspect something (probably electrical) has failed while it was idling but what it could be.
View 8 RepliesWe have a 1995 Nissan Pathfinder (automatic) that is having trouble starting. We can't find a pattern to when it starts and when it doesn't start so we can't diagnose the problem. When it doesn't start, here's what happens: turning the key, you can hear one soft click. Then nothing. After several or many turns of the key (and the same single click), it finally "catches" and starts. Two weeks ago, the car would not start at all. Even the following day, it wouldn't start. The lights and radio did work. We tried a jump-start and it surprisingly started right up. We immediately replaced the battery, but the problems resumed. The following have been replaced since the problems began: starter, ignition switch, battery, transmission, and the horn for the alarm has been bypassed. Note: with the old battery back in, it does work.
View 5 RepliesOur 1999.5 Nissan Pathinder has about 148,000 miles on it. At the end of 2011, we replaced the struts, shocks, and brake pads. We also added a new in-dash stereo with GPS. At the end of 2011, the mechanic recommended replacing the ignition wires, cap/rotor, and spark plugs, all of which were OEM. The mechanic also recommended replacing the power steering belts and serpentine belts, which were cracking. We did not do these repairs in 2011.
At the beginning of February 2012, I drove the car for several miles and then parked for 30 minutes. When I re-started the car, the engine made a thumping sound and the whole car vibrated. The thumping sound was a dull sound (not a pinging). These symptoms occurred in Park. I drove about 100 feet down the parking lot (using both Reverse and Drive) and the thumping sound and vibration continued. I parked and re-started the car. The symptoms continued for about 1/2 mile driving and then went away.
The problem has occurred 2-3 times more. To my knowledge, the problem has only happened when the car has been driven, left standing for 15-60 minutes, and then restarted. Each time the problem goes away shortly after it begins. The third time the problem happened, the "Service Engine Soon" light went on. We took the car to a different garage. The computer showed two codes (Cylinder 2 Misfire, which had been tripped 3 times), and Engine Vibration.
The mechanic recommended doing the service that we had put off in 2011 (ignition wires, cap/rotor, spark plugs, power steering belts, and serpentine belts). The theory was that a misfiring cylinder may have caused the engine vibration. So, we had this service done. The next morning after picking up the car, and again after a short drive, a 30-minute delay, and restarting the engine, the problem happened again. So, it seems that the service did not fix it.
This is a '96 Nissan Pathfinder with a manual transmission.
On a few occasions, sporadically, over the span of a couple months, my pathfinder wouldn't start on the first turn of the key... but it would on the second or third turn. When I say "wouldn't start," I mean I'd get a single click and that's it... it wasn't trying to turn over and failing. It wasn't cranking at all. The stereo and lights worked fine though.
Then, on two occasions about a week from each other, it failed to start (as above) right after a short drive but started again without issue a couple hours later. On these two occasions, I tried turning the lights on and starting and did not see the lights dim, which would seem to indicate no juice was getting to the start motor at all I guess?
Now, it seems to have just stopped starting altogether. The battery voltage seems fine. A little high even at 15V+ when measured with a multimeter.
Do these symptoms give any strong indications of what the problem might be? If I have a chance of fixing it myself, I'd like to do so. Otherwise, I'd like to have a good idea of what the problem is before having it towed somewhere.
My 1997 cavalier convertible left side front bounces like crazy on bumps and uneven pavement. Installed new strut, and a new tire and balanced. Still does same thing. Rides great on smooth road. All suspension bushings look good and there is no play anywhere.
View 4 RepliesMy car recently got a code for the camshaft sensor after my car died in the middle of street and the engine light turned on. I had gotten it replaced. In fact, I had both (left and right) camshaft sensors replaced and we changed out the crankshaft sensor as well. Then, a new problem comes up.
My car does not accelerate as strongly as it used to. In first gear (car is automatic), my car seems to struggle to get in 2nd gear. Imagine the feeling of your car when you keep it in 1st gear (in a stick-shift) and you KNOW that's the point of having to shift into 2nd, but you keep driving anyway. Then, once it does shift gears, my car jolts forward with a big drop in RPM. Imagine the feeling of finally shifting your manual transmission into 2nd gear and feeling that "relief" in the engine as it doesn't seem to struggle anymore. What's worse is that at higher speeds/gear my Pathfinder won't go beyond 4000 RPM. I'm driving at around 65 mph and the car is at 2500 RPM. When it hits 4000 RPM, the RPM just ticks before it and my car stutters back and forth as if I'm playing a beat with my car by hitting the breaks.
An example scenario, I'm driving on the highway and there's a slower car in front of me. I just want to pass the person and be on my way but as I press on the gas, my RPMs don't really increase as it normally would when applying more gas to go faster. Once I do finally get to 4000 RPM, my car starts to stutter or rock back and forth as if hitting an invisible wall. Are there tons of reasons that this could happen?
On the other hand, I tested my car, in park, to see if my engine would rev pass 4000 RPM, and it does. So, the problem presents itself only when I'm driving.
I have a Nissan Pathfinder 2001 and it only works on settings 1 - 3 . When put on high the compressor turns off and no cool air . Even when turn on , the air is not cool enough. It's pretty hot in Arizona but it should cool off nice but it doesn't . Took it for a check up and it needs just a bit of refrigerant and probably the AC control might need to be replaced. But they weren't sure about it.
View 1 RepliesHow to stop my Pathfinder from randomly spouting it's alarm? Happens about once a day, I think it only happens when the car is locked but not quite sure.
View 2 Repliesis there a way to check fuel injector to make sure they are working.
View 3 RepliesMy Nissan Pathfinder (1994) makes a "clunk" sound when I go around tight corners, usually only one "clunk" per turn.
The sound occurs on tight turns at low speed (e.g. on a round-a-bout: [URL] ....) as the weight of the car shifts and leans away from the turn.
The sound seems to come from the front end, near the driver's side wheel.
My mechanic couldn't work out what was wrong. He removed, greased and reassembled the upper driver's side ball joint and then gave up.
I have a 1998 Pathfinder with around 160,000 miles on it. This week it has had some issues with stalling when I am idling. The first time it happened, I was at a stoplight and it cut out 3 times and I was able to start it back up and drive the rest of the way home (40 miles) with no problem. The next time it started stalling out I was at a stoplight and was able to put it in neutral and rev the engine and it stayed on. I have a 45 mile commute to and from work every day, and I don't want this to happen when I am on the highway going 65mph.
View 4 RepliesI have a 2002 Nissan Pathfinder and the Car Key FOB did a strange thing last week. Car is locked, keys are INSIDE the house and [TaTa] on its own, the FOB started to "beep" like when you click it to lock the car, made that kind of sound. Funny thing and wonder if this could be a coincidence, down the street, 8th of a mile away [or less] a house was being built. Could someone have had [maybe] an alarm system or two-way Nextel phone or SOMETHING [???] that could set it off? What can be done about it BESIDES enclosing the FOB in aluminum foil? We did that. Strangely, the beeping has stopped, which gives me the idea that it MAY have been what I suggested in the first place . . . something "signaling" it from wherever to go off!
View 6 Replies2000 Nissan Pathfinder, 150k miles, automaticWhen I accelerate between 2nd and 3rd (from what it feels) the whole car shakes. No matter what speed I'm already at.I recently had both CV axles replaced. Transmission fluid doesn't have any flaky stuff or anything, it's pink though. The check engine light is always on, but it starts to blink when it starts to shake between 2-3 gear.
It's been doing this for about two weeks, nothing has changed, average 15 miles a day. No weird smells from the engine, leaking radiator fluid super slowly (was told to just keep filling it)To start the car I have to press the gas slightly.That's everything I know is wrong with it. I just want the shaking to stop. Does it sound like I need new transmission fluid or something?