Nissan - Pathfinder :: 1998 - Shifting Into Higher Gears
Apr 26, 2011
I have an auto transmission 98 nissan pathfinder that I bought brand new way back (in 1998 of course) that seems to have problems shifting into higher gears. When I'm going on a level hwy, I'll get going to 70mph and see the engine rev to 4000 rpm's. It'll stay there for a while (minutes to 10's of minutes). Then the engine will shift to a higher gear and the rpm goes to 2500. Then it shifts back so rpm is 4000. This happens back and forth unpredictably. When it's reving at 4000 rpms I tried letting my foot off the gas and the rpm's drop to less than 1000 like there's no load the transmission. Then I press the gas pedal again and the rpm jumps back to 4000 rpm's. I've had the transmission checked a few times and found nothing. I've changed the transmission fluid, had a major tune up, changed the timing belt, but it still happens. People keep telling me it must be happening on a slight grade but, no, it's on a flat road. There is no 'problem light' that appears either (like a check engine light). I've driven many other cars and they don't do this.
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i wanna put a lift kit on my 87 pathfinder but i was wondering if i would have to change the gears, if so how would i change them?
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I recently had the the entire clutch and pressure plate replaced in my car and ever since there has been a sound like metal rattling in gears 2-4. It happens when I have low revs in those gears (particularly going up hills) and seems to go away when I am at high revs (~3k+). The mechanic I initially used says it's nothing but it sounds awful and is making me very nervous. The "Check Engine Soon" light has gone on as well.
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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.
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(It has 220K miles) This started suddenly the day after a painless 450-mile trip -- It will run fine for a few minutes, then starts jumping like it's running out of gas (but it's not). Then the lurching stops and it runs fine. Repeat . . .etc. New fuel pump 2 years ago; yesterday mechanic changed spark plugs, distributor, crank position sensor . . . but still doing it.
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All instruments on panel are going completely to the right. Sometimes they do not work at all. I was told the cluster under the dash could be bad.
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My 1998 Nissan Pathfinder dies randomly while driving. There is no consistency to when it dies. I will be driving down the road and then all of a sudden the car will not accelerate and it eventually dies. The other issue is it won't start from time to time. It sounds like it wants to go, but it won't. Eventually it will turn over. It has been to many mechanics. The crank shaft sensor has been replaced and the mass air flow sensor. Neither one of these were the problem. They now think it is the distributor possibly. There are no codes saved. It has been sitting at the shop now for 9 weeks.
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My Pathfinder has the license palate in the middle/center of the hatchback door, with one light on the left and one on the right. I cannot figure out how to change the bulbs and my manual is no dice; it shows the process for a different location of the plate on the door, maybe a different version of my year model.
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I'm trying to resolve a nagging brake problem on my 98 Pathfinder. In short, braking power is weaker than it should be, but I do not have sponginess in the brake pedal. I've bled the whole system a few times, and even changed the master cylinder - to no avail.
While performing a few tests lately, I noticed the following behavior: if I drive up a steep hill and start pumping the brake pedal with the left foot while keeping the right foot on the gas (to keep moving uphill), the pedal gets progressively harder to press and braking action diminishes accordingly. If feels a bit like when you switch the engine off with the car still moving (in neutral) and try to brake: as the vacuum in the booster gets expended, the pedal gets harder and braking action diminishes dramatically.
I don't think this is related to the act of going uphill; it's just that this is the only way the engine can develop enough vacuum for the symptom to occur.
This leads me to wonder if I have a vacuum leak somewhere (either in the line or in the booster itself) that only happens at higher vacuum pressures...
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1989 Nissan pathfinder. 6cylinder - VG30i - Manual trans
Engine was misfiring (running okay but putt, putt, putting) so I pulled be plugs to check for signs. Other than wear and wide gap the plugs looked okay, but I installed new plugs as they're cheap and I was already pulling them. I replaced them one at a time so didn't mix up the wiring. I went to restart the engine and now it turns over and starts but then immediately dies. If I really slam on the pedal I can get it to rev up a couple times, but it really wants to completely die right away. It'll start but won't run
- I took the battery lead (neg) off for a few days - maybe that reset something?
- I had a very empty gas tank - so low that I thought it might be out of fuel. I put two gallons in just to make sure. Because I can slam on the gas and get it to revving I'm not sure being out of gas is the issue.
- I removed the distributor cap to check for wear but reinstalled (picture attached).
- I sprayed some Mass airflow sensor cleaner into the throttle body to clean up, the throttle body valve blade was pretty clean.
- I'm doing this test without the air filter in. The old one was so dirty I removed it and didn't bother putting it back on. Going to buy a new one today.
- It cannot pass smog due to this misfire (obviously not detonating fuel so it's polluting)
- The engine was start up readily before I started tinkering. It would seem strange that adding new plugs
- I didn't gap the plugs.
Next steps :
- Look for any wires knocked loose or hoses disconnected.
- Pull the error codes (check engine light is on cuz, it's not running)
- Check Vacuum and diagram and hoses.
- Check ignition system wires.
- Check fuel pressure.
- Check Cylinder Compression.
Ultimately I'm trying to tune it up (and fix misfire) anyway, not just change the plugs, so doing more diagnosis is okay. It's also not my primary car. I haven't worked on cars in a while so I'm a little rusty and also needing to get necessary tools to complete the tasks. But it's fun I hope I can get this car running well again soon.
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I have a BMW 523i SE AUTO (1997) 2494 Petrol. In auto transmission the gears will shift from 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd but won't shift any higher. In steptronic/manual transmission the gears will shift from 1st to 5th without any problems therefore suggesting that the problem isn't the gearbox itself. Only very occasionally does the shift electronics telltale light appear on the dash, yet the problem with the auto transmission is continuous. A local garage specializing in automatics suggested that it was the gearbox inhibitor. I've today had this changed but the problem still exists.
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I've been driving my daughter's Nissan for the past week, trying to figure out what's going on.
Car has about 124K miles. Automatic transmission. Two things happening, neither with total consistency:
(1) Sometimes, primarily from a cold start, car will not shift gears. You'll go past the speed and RPMs where you would have expected the gear to shift, but engine whines on. When you let off the gas, it then shifts. Same from 2nd to 3rd. While in this mode, would not seem to stay in 4th - would briefly shift in (for about a second) , then return to 3rd.
(2) Other item - more frequently, primarily from a warm start, but also from a cold start - car shifts gears at proper time, but there is a distinctive "jolt" as it shifts from 1st to 2nd; not really noticeable in higher gears and the "jolt" can vary in intensity. Almost feels like a broken motor mount, but don't think that's it.
Doesn't happen with scenario (1) described above. Also, while in this mode, I noticed, while highway driving, that if I was at the bottom of a long hill, going 60 and floored it, there would be no power surge. It was not downshifting into 3rd like it should. I would have a long and slow acceleration , with the tachometer holding steady at about 2700 RPMs, not climbing as you would expect.
But, if I was going about 50, then you would get normal hill climb acceleration.My mechanic - whom I've dealt with for a long time and trust - had wanted me to drive it awhile and see what was happening before bringing it in. When describing these symptoms to him, his reaction was "Hmmm - doesn't sound good" but without the quick diagnosis I'm accustomed to from him.
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I have a 98 Express conversion van and when I start the van and pull away the van has trouble shifting between first, second, and third. It acts like it hiccups before it changes gears. I have to manually shift between the first few gears until I get to 55-60 miles an hour, once I get there and slow the van back down it will automatically shift like normal. I will not have any other issues until I turn the van off, as soon is I turn it off something resets and I will have to get it up to 55 again to get whatever it is to click in to get it to shift properly again. I can't figure it out?
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I have 2005 Nissan Altima which I bought when nissan did an overall makeover. It has 102k miles on it. Offlate I am observing that when the car is shifting gears (automatic), I hear kind of some fluid moving through near the front passenger seat. I looked under the seat and the searched the whole car to see if there is a half empty water bottle thats making the sound. I dont see it though. Am I looking at some problem?
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I just bought the car a week ago 90% of the time it shifts great sometimes shifting very rough and going through the gears way too fast....sometimes its jerky on the interstate as if odd kicking in and out today i jump in cold takes off great get 1.5 miles out and starts slipping the further the more it slips if you let it cool it does just fine again until 1 mile or so and repeats...
Took to auto zone and read fault codes...p0440 evap (expected that one due to its age and mileage 186000)...p0742... stuck on(paper says) tcc commanded off by the ecm-tcc slip detected after off command...p1860..pwm solenoid electrical fault(paper says).. The ecm has detected an improper voltage level on the tcc pwm solenoid circuit...
Fluid level correct and not burnt up although slightly dirty... I have added sea foam to the fluid and what the heck does pwm stand for?
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We 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.
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Our 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.
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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.
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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.
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My 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.
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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.
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