Nissan - Frontier :: 2003 - Struggling On The Highway - Turn Off Overdrive?
Apr 3, 2011
A little background on my truck: Its a 2003 Nissan Frontier SE Crew Cab with a 3.3L V6 2wd, RWD AUTO. 78,000 miles. (yeah, I live in CO, so having this truck here doesn't really make sense when described through text, but with tire chains, and 200lbs in the bed it does better than most 4x4's if you know how to drive rwd! )
Anyways, I drove up to Aspen, CO and back from Colorado Springs (~575 miles roundtrip) for my rugby game and man did my truck have a hard time getting up the mountain passes. The speed limit in some places was 75 mph but I struggled to make it to 65 with the pedal floored-i think the grades were about 7% so not that much really for CO. I also noticed that my truck had trouble shifting into the right gear in my opinion.
I would be in 5th, and it felt like it would shift down to third and rev really high rather than shifting into 4th? My shifter knob has a button to turn off Overdrive, but i just didnt remember to turn it off and try driving like that, but would turning off OD make it up these mountain passes? If i can find some way to drive my truck up to Aspen without all the hastle (and embarassment) of not being able to go the speed limit, I would be so happy-that way I wouldn't have to drive our passat up there.
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Two years ago a purchased a 2011 Nissan Frontier mid-sized pick-up, V-6, A/T, 4WD, long-bed (6’), crew cab four door. I drove it for a little over a year and it was all good, then I put an 800 lb. pop-up cab-over camper on it. When folded down, the top of the camper is about one foot above the top of the truck cab, with about a four inch space between the bottom of the cab-over and the top of the cab, and with the cab-over extending over the back two-thirds of the cab, so the whole thing creates quite a bit of wind resistance.
After installing the camper, I noticed a front-to-back jerking motion when driving the truck at highway speeds, sort of like when topping a steep hill and beginning to descend, some vehicles will lurch front-to-back until the drive train synchs up. It was cyclic – jerk 7 or 8 times, smooth out, then do it again. It wasn’t bad enough to cause vehicle control issues. I took it to the dealer and the initial diagnosis was that the automatic trans. was going in and out of lock-up. Then I drove the service manager around in it with his laptop scope plugged in to the engine, and he said he couldn’t see anything wrong with the drive train. He suggested running the rear tires at maximum pressure of 44 lbs., which I tried but which didn’t work.
I then had airbags installed to beef up the rear suspension, but that didn’t work. Finally I built a fairing/wind deflector and installed it on top of the cab, sloping at a 45 degree angle from the trailing edge of the windshield to the leading edge of the top of the camper. That didn’t work either, which surprised me because I had first experimented with the concept by duct-taping a sheet of cardboard in the same position as the fairing would ultimately be installed, and that seemed to work. The same jerking sensation can be felt when overdrive is engaged and when it is locked out, and it also occurs at slower speeds when decelerating. Is there anything I can do to smooth out the ride?
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Every day I make a u-turn around the median in order to get to our driveway...which means I turn the steering wheel all the way to the left. As I turn the wheel and drive, there is a clannnngKK sound on the driver's side from somewhere near the front. I wondered if there is something getting hung up/caught "under there" but have no real working knowledge (obviously) of my truck's anatomy. It only makes this noise when I make this u turn. I've not heard it any other time.
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Our mechanic is stumped. The Frontier runs hot when idling. The clutch fan and thermostat have been replaced. The radiator has been flushed. When you are driving or you turn off the A/C, the temp goes down. The next suggestion is to replace the radiator, but I'm already hundreds into this so I hate to do anything else unless I'm pretty sure it is going to fix it.
We do know that the catalytic converter needs replacing. Could this have anything to do with it?
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I have some serious vibration at about 40 to 50 MPH only when the accelerator is depressed. As soon as I let off the gas it stops. I have had the tires rotated and balanced and the U joints checked. My Mechanic says he can't figure it out and to drive it until it breaks.
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2003 NISSAN Xterra
Problem started a couple of days ago. While driving the car normally it suddenly stopped. I was able to restart it but it turned off again 60 seconds later. This has gone on with the engine running from 10 minutes to 10 seconds. The battery terminals and all cables are clean. Distributor cap and rotors have been cleaned. Fuel pump replaced last night. I still get the problem. Error codes listed were: P0328 - Pre Detonation (knock sensor) Bank 1 causes could be restricted fuel - over temp engine. Now this error has been coming up for five years and I've replaced the sensor numerous times. P0732 - Gear 2 Incorrect RatioP0102 - Mass Air Flow Low InputP1148 - Closed Loop Control Function, BANK 1P0420 - Catalytic Convertor, BANK 1P0134 - O2 Sensor No Activity, BANK 1
Regarding Fuel Starvation - NOPE, Engine Too Hot (it wasn't), Second Gear Not Within Ratio (never had gear problems), Knock Sensor and most error codes have been related to bank one. Error codes on car computer were erased and engine is still hesitating slightly and stopping. Just checked Mass Airflow Sensor and it looks clean.
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I drive a 2003 Nissan Frontier Crew Cab SE. I purchased the car in Honolulu and had no issues with it there. I moved to Colorado in June of 2010, and since then, I have noticed that my truck shocks me everytime I get out and reach to shut the door. I know that the climate is much drier here, but this isn't just a little zap...it makes my whole hand and up my arm feel fuzzy for a couple minutes. I have something installed on my truck that is like an electric anti corrosion device that is connected to the battery that i think is the culprit. It is connected to the battery and emits a high pitched, very faint tone that you can hear when the truck is off and you stand next to it. Do all Nissan's have this? Or is this just because the truck came from hawai'i? And is this normal?
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I have a '99 Nissan Frontier 4cyl. p'up and the air conditioner kept going off. The truck has three drivebelts, all inline. The first is Crankshaft to the Power steering pump , the second goes from Crankshaft to the water-pump & the alternator and the third one goes to the air-conditioning compressor; the one that keeps coming off my truck & shutting down the A.C. I replaced it three times and the last time it went off within a couple of miles. I know the crankshaft and the A.C. compressor pulley's are out of line and believe that's my problem. A mechanic friend of mine looked at it and said he thought it was something called a belt-leveler that keeps all the belts from slipping off.
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It's a 2000 Frontier V6 4x4 CC with 104k miles. It just randomly dies going down the road. Sometimes it restarts. Sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes I just get a small blip (loss of spark or fuel - unsure which) when going down the road then it's fine again. It seems seems like a loose connection somewhere to me but I have checked and repaired everything I can find.
A little history of problems...
Fall 2014 - Fuel Sending Unit; I had similar problems a little over a year ago and I replaced this at ~90k miles. The stock one was corroded and the fuel pump wasn't getting power. Got the part from Nissan directly. Truck ran great for a year then started having same issues in fall of 2015. I am thinking this couldn't have gone bad again in only a year, but who knows? No engine codes at the time.
December 2015 - Distributor #1; I replaced it with one from Auto Zone. Had the same problems that day. Returned that and replaced with one from Napa Distributor #2 (New - house brand - supposedly made by Altrom - which is supposedly comparable to OEM) This seemed to fix it for a little while. At the same time I did the timing belt, spark plugs, wires, valve cover gaskets, a bunch of suspension work, etc. so I had the harness off. Did I knock something loose? I feel like I have checked it up and down.... doesn't seem that way.
January 2016 Bad Wire?; Same issues. Wiggling the harness into the distributor seemed to have an effect on restarting so I pulled the harness apart from the dist to the main and found a small cut on the casing of one of the ground wires. The wire was not damaged, just casing. Fixed that with a double layer of shrink tube and it ran fine again for a couple weeks. In this same period my catalytic converters also went bad. My exhaust manifolds cracked, next thing I knew I had catalytic converter codes on both sides of the engine. Ran it like this for a few months.
April 2016 Distrbutor #3 Same problem. Randomly dies. Gets progressively worse over a couple day period. I gave up and took it to a shop (Downing St. Garage in Denver, CO) They diagnosed it as a bad distributor so I had it replaced AGAIN (they were nice enough to use the Napa part I bought and get a free warranty part)
June 2016 Distributor #4 Same problem again. Still have not replaced cats - did not want to spend the money when the ignition problem seems un-related. Replaced distributor with another warranty part from NAPA. This time the one that I took off made a crunching sound when you turned it by hand.
August 2016 Finally replaced cats. CEL codes were gone for an afternoon then the truck started sputtering down the road again... CEL P1320 and CEL P0325 BACK AGAIN!
I am at a loss on what to do. I have read that the MAF sensor can get dirty... but this doesn't seem to explain the P1320. Anyway, I ordered some cleaner, a new knock sensor and another distributor (this time Nissan brand but re-manufactured... they no longer sell new ones.)
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When I cut off the engine by mistake (shift slip ie ) the restart comes around but only after about 5 to 15 minutes . The last time this happened the car was at an intersection and this situation is getting dangeous.Why is the restart taking so long ?
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I have read two other threads that indicate a leaky head gasket for Nissan Frontiers overheating...but I'd like an opinion on my problem: I have a 1999, v6 3.3L, 4x4, manual Frontier that I have owned since 2001, always well-maintained, timing belt, water pump and thermostat already replaced a couple of years ago; currently has 129k mi. I rarely drive it (about once or twice a month).
Last time I drove it (I'm in AZ and heat was over 100 degrees) it started right up and was fine until I'd gone about 3 miles on the freeway doing about 65mph. Started to climb in temperature, but not into the red zone. I drove with it hovering just above the midway point (midway meaning perfectly normal temperature on my gauge) for a couple of more miles, when it started to climb just a bit more, I got off the freeway and dropped under 45 mph, the temperature went down to normal. I drove about 40mph back home and haven't driven it since.
I checked my coolant, which was extremely clean and not low, and was not boiling when I checked it soon after the temp went up on the freeway. What is the most likely cause?On a side note, since I do not drive it that often, what is recommended as to the gas that has been sitting in my tank since? How long does the gas stay good for? Further wondering how often it is recommended I drive it, for how long and at what sustained speed to keep my truck up and running?
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I have a 2000 Nissan Frontier that is a 4X4 and has the V6 engine. Mileage is 172,000+. For a few years, I have had problems with the AC no longer cooling after I drive 20 or so miles and stop the truck, go in a store and start back up only to find that the AC will not cool after the stop. This seems to happen more when the weather is hot. Only once has it gone out without stopping the car and it was on I40 driving trough Oklahoma in 100+ degree weather. Once it quits cooling, after driving 20 to 30 minutes, it usually starts to cool again. It sometimes speeds up the process if I roll the windows down.Coolant levels are fine.
So...is there a faulty sensor somewhere? What could it be that is the problem?
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We have a 2003 Nissan frontier pickup (automatic).The AC recently stopped cooling, but the fan works. It was cooling perfectly great when all of a sudden, it stopped. If we turn the AC on, the compressor (I'm guessing) starts to click and continues to click until turned off. (started to grind under hood). It's not a rattle, definitely a click as if it wants to turn on but can't make the electrical connection. It kind of sounds like when a starter has gone bad and it clicks. Except, it does it repetitively until turned off. This doesn't happen if we turn on the fan but leave the AC off. Does it sound like the compressor went out? How can we troubleshoot it?
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I have a 2000 Nissan Frontier that is having issues. I had the distributor replaced and the knock sensor. The day I got it home it started having a weird starting issue. It has always started first crank super easy & strong. Runs GREAT.
When the truck is cool it starts right up but, when I've been driving around for a bit and turn it off, if it's a short stop starts right back up, some hesitation. If I stop for 15-45 mins it doesn't want to start. I can crank it all day and it wont start and gives a little kickback, if I crank too much the engine will smoke a bit, spits and sputters when you turn the key off. The longer it sits before I try to start it the worse it gets... around one hour is the worse. - Finally figured out if I try cranking it over several times, turn off the key and wait literally one to two minutes it starts right up super quick and strong just like when it's cool. So random and weird.
No warning lights & Nothing shows up when hooked up to the computer, fuel pump checked out OK.
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My 2005 Nissan frontier reeks badly.
Has new air filters and new cabin filters. Only seems to smell when driving at 55mph for about 20 minutes, the funk comes from the vents and in all heat/AC and fan modes seems to be less stinky in the winter.
Nothing is dead in the heater box because it does not stink in when driving around town and I have poured gallons of Lysol down the air intake during recic, open vent, etc, Smells like a mix of eggs, oil, and funk.
Dealership says it is not the catalytic converters as they "check out fine" Nissan dealership says it's bad gas, which is unlikely as when I drive away from home and I use other gas, it still smells.so what is it? What is it?
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After having my oil changed at a local place, the oil pressure gauge showed "high." hoping it would go away, i drove for a week. it didn't... took it back to the shop and they said it was a little full which would cause it to show high pressure. That was earlier today. The gauge however has not changed. Still shows high oil pressure. I need to drive 400 miles tomorrow and am not sure if it is safe? Perhaps just a bad sensor??? I need to know if i can hit the road or not.
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I have a 2004 Nissan Frontier with V6 non-supercharged engine, 4x4, with manual transmission, 150k miles. For approximately the last 30k miles, I have had a persistent shuddering in the cab when I apply the brakes slowing from about 15 to 0 MPH. It is accompanied by a low humming noise that decreases in pitch as the truck slows down. It only happens when the brakes are warm; about 70+ degrees outside or after I've been slowing down a lot. It does not seem to correspond to engine temperature, only my perceived temperature of the brakes. There is no pedal feedback, and it does not shudder when I stop using only the parking brake. It does not seem to affect stopping distance.
I first tried to fix it by doing a very thorough front/rear brake job - new pads/shoes, new rotors/drums, and repacked front wheel bearings. That had no effect on the problem. I tried rotating the tires and that had no effect. I then did a complete front end job and replaced all the bushings and balljoints via brand new pre-assembled control arm assemblies. I also replaced the tie rod assemblies, sway bar bushings/end links, and had an alignment done. That had no effect.
Based on the repairs I've done, I would assume that it is having to do with the front brakes, but is not warped rotors or anything in the front suspension.
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I have some rust building on the heat shield of my cats on my 2001 Nissan Frontier.. I had a weld done to keep it from rattling after replacing the OEM muffler. It there anything I can put on it to retard the rusting process on the shield and will that affect my emissions?
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2003 Nissan Frontier with a 4cyl engine, just over 300k.
It vibrates and starts chugging anytime it's under a small load, like going up a hill. Cruises nice and smooth on level ground or going downhill. Feels like a misfire, but idles perfectly and had new plugs/wires installed a few month ago with no problems.
So there's no service engine light, and no codes set, but when I plug my scanner into it the code P0400 appears and disappears randomly on the screen but never sets itself in the computer.
My question is, where is a good starting point? Any components known to go bad in the EGR system? And would a bad/stuck EGR valve cause these symptoms?
There is also a code set for the catalytic converter, it was catalyst efficiency below threshold but I don't remember the exact code. Any way this could be part of the problem, or related in any way?
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I have a 2004 Nissan Frontier pickup that pulls to the left. I've had the alignment done - no change. I had the tires moved from the left to the right side - still no change. Firestone is recommending I all the front ball joins at a cost of $1200. Is that really the problem?
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On a 1997 Nissan pickup 241,000 mile 2.4 liter. What are the signs of a bad manifold gasket. How can i test it.
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