Topic: 1994 Pathfinder?

[johngenx]

Just got one of those "call the car dude" calls from a friend looking at buying a 1994 Pathfinder for an occasional use 4x4.  It's a manual trans model with reasonable mileage (210K) and he says it seems to drive well.  The catch is that it's on a corner used car lot and he's a little hinky about buying from them, but the price seems fair (asking $3900, but they came down to $2750 pretty much right away).

Any major caveats with that truck?

[B2]

I had a '91 Pathfinder, which is the exact same SUV except for some minor body updates and an interior update for '94.  Otherwise the same mechanicals.

The price is decent depending on the overall condition.  Mine had no body rust (yes that's right, no body rust) and the undercarraige was pristine for it's age).  I bought it with 240k and sold it with 275k.  I had it one year.  Only reason for selling is because I wanted a new car.  I would've kept the Pathy if it wasn't for insurance.

Needless to say, the truck was very reliable.  I drove everywhere: city, highway, logging roads, through the bush.  The 4x4 system in these trucks is amazing.

Things to check:

-Exhaust manifold studs.  They will snap if they haven't already.  Check for exhaust leaks around the manifolds.  Pretty easy to do.  I replaced the exhaust manifold studs on the passenger side only.  This can be costly if you can't do it yourself.
-Timing belt.  I think the replacment interval is 100k.  Will need to be changed if the history of the vehicle is unknown.  This can be costly if you can't do it yourself.  I did mine with some help.  Overall, it was pretty easy.
-Transmission fluid.  It's a manual so that's good.  Stay away from automatics.  The tranny fluid in these 5-speeds needs to be overfilled because of a tranny case design error.  This issue might've been rectified on the particular vehicle in question, but it's unlikely.  Get some Redline MT90 tranny fluid.  Pretty easy to change.
-The 3 L V6 is bulletproof.  Obviously check for oil leaks.
-Front suspension and steering linkage can be expensive and troublesome to align.  If there's unusual wear on a tire or the vehicle wanders it might require suspension component.  That can be very expensive.  Lift the front of the vehicle and check for side-to-side play in the wheels.  That might give you an idea how much wear is on the front suspension.

What model is it? XE, SE, LE?  They're besically all the same mechanically.  Only some models have an LSD.  With this truck all you'll need is a good set of tires and it'll take you anywhere.

If there's no service records, I'd offer no more than $2000 and expect to spend $1000 (maybe more, depending on condition) in typical repairs.

[Squishy]

Based on customer interest TSBs, look out for the following:

- (04-017) Excessive valve lifter noise on startup
* It'll probably be there anyways with a 14-year-old truck, but there were updated valve lifter parts to address this issue if it was excessive

- (99-022C) Missing seat belt latch button
* The button that keeps the seat belt latch from falling all the way to the floor liked to pop off; it's the plastic bit that's right in the center of the belt

- (98-026A) Surging or stumbling after a cold soak (below zero temperatures)
* Specific to manual transmission vehicles, involves replacing the ECM

- (00-017) Crackling from speakers when charging a cell phone
* If this condition is present, no fix is available

- (98-115) Rusted floor panel near the gas pedal
* Fix involves replacing the affected sheet metal and installing a different front exhaust tube

- (97-009A) Manual transmission whine under forward acceleration
* Due to lack of lubrication to main and counter drive gears.  Fix involves replacing the gears and installing an updated transmission case.

- (PI96-003) Weak FM reception
* Easy fix by pressing a series of buttons on the radio to specify windshield or mast antenna reception

- (95087) VG30E engine may experience a coolant leak due to threaded blind plugs
* TSB was probably meant to reduce the number of cylinder head gasket replacements - the real fix involved removing all the belts and belt covers and checking the blind plug; if a leak is detected, apply Teflon tape and re-torque.

- (95043A) Rattling noise from blower motor
* Debris could enter through the old intake duct, which had ten vertical slats to keep debris out (looked like a house heater register cover).  The updated duct has three more horizontal slats so that the holes are little squares instead of large rectangles.

- (95084) A/C shuts off in high-temperature stop-and-go driving
* High pressure in the A/C lines under such conditions could cause the dual pressure switch to turn off the compressor.  An updated switch is available.  Only applies to VINs up to JN8HD17Y*SW06252O.

- (95069) No start at high elevation and low temperature
* Updated water temperature sensor addresses the problem

- (95021) MIL on - DTC45 (injector leak)
* I guess this code was a red herring for many techs - a bunch of steps are listed for "proper" diagnosis of the real problem which is too lengthy to post here.  Of course you wouldn't buy a car with the MIL on .

- (94120) Shifter boot may fall down due to engine vibration
* Pretty crafty fix involved cutting apart a rubber radiator mount and using zip ties to keep the boot from falling.

- (94094) Antitheft security system will not arm/gives error tone
* Could be caused by a bent or broken hood switch pin

- (94041) Excessive exhaust noise
* Original exhaust manifold studs may break and cause an exhaust leak; updated studs are available.

[johngenx]

Thanks guys.  I forwarded the info on.  As for trim level, I have no idea.  He wasn't very specific other than what I've said.

[B2]

I should note that these Pathfinders had some bad rust problems, particularily on the frame in the rear wheel wells.  A lot of people have re-welded the frames in those spots.  If this truck is rusted badly, it may be worth nothing more than some parts.

These Pathfinders are a dime a dozen in Vancouver, and I have seen plenty that have no rust.  It may be worth looking there.  Search craiglist Vancouver for Pathfinder.  There are dozens for sale.

[Trainman]

Pretty much all has been covered off but I can not emphasis the frame rust issue, it can be down right scary.  Double check the area around the rear suspension.  Should be OK if it was always a western Pathy but those from back east seem to be very prone to this problem.

Also send him here for more info: http://npora.ipbhost.com/, The Nissan Pathfinder Off-Road Association forum, lots of good info there.

[johngenx]

Just got an e-mail:

"Come over later and check out my 'new' 1994 Pathfinder."

So I called him, since my evening is already spoken for.  It's got good service records (local truck since new) including about $2200 worth of work at the Nissan dealer (by previous owner) including timing belt about 6 months ago.  He took a chance and went back with $2K in cash, and they took it.  Heck, for $2K, how much of a risk is it?  (He can afford to walk away from the $2K if he has to)

Pity the previous owner.  Drops $2200 on his truck, and within six months he's got maybe $1K back out of it.  Oh well, bet he got a lot of cheap km's out if along the way...

[Trainman]

Just got an e-mail:

"Come over later and check out my 'new' 1994 Pathfinder."

So I called him, since my evening is already spoken for.  It's got good service records (local truck since new) including about $2200 worth of work at the Nissan dealer (by previous owner) including timing belt about 6 months ago.  He took a chance and went back with $2K in cash, and they took it.  Heck, for $2K, how much of a risk is it?  (He can afford to walk away from the $2K if he has to)

Pity the previous owner.  Drops $2200 on his truck, and within six months he's got maybe $1K back out of it.  Oh well, bet he got a lot of cheap km's out if along the way...

So they dropped almost 50% on the price?  Good for your friend, he should have a good truck for as long as he wants it.

Glad he was able to get the service records.

[johngenx]

So they dropped almost 50% on the price?  Good for your friend, he should have a good truck for as long as he wants it.

Most similar vintage ones he saw advertised were in the $2500-3000 range, meaning they're selling close to $2K.  That dealer was out of whack on the price and must have known it.  Of course, I'm sure they gave him some big song and dance about losing money on it.  (sure...)

[B2]

Last August when I bought my new car I was going to trade in my 91 Pathfinder at the dealership.  After looking over and test driving my Pathfinder the dealership (Mazda) would give me no more than $1000.  I sold it privately for $2600.  In retrospect I could've gotten more.  It was an easy sell and I just wanted to get rid of it.  The truck was in excellent working order though.  The kid who bought it should have no issues.

So the dealership who bought the Pathfinder in question probably paid somewhere around $1000.  You're friend bought it for $2000 so the dealership made ~$1000.  Not bad on an old vehicle that they just want to get rid of.

Also, I'd suggest to change the oil in this Pathfinder no more than 5000 km intervals with regular oil.  Maybe 3000-4000 km if it's driven hard through the forest, off-roading.  The crankcase is small.  I think it takes only 3 or so Litres of oil.

[ricky-bobby]

Hi all,

I owned a 1994 Pathfinder LE that I had bought new for 9 1/2 years.  My experience when I had it was that it was a great truck.  However, when I sold it at 198000Kms, the rear frame arches above the read axle were starting to rust pretty badly.  I would check that first.  I also can vouch for the manifold studs. I had those replaced.  The chrome bumbers were also starting to be pretty rusty.  I would also be looking for the service records that show that the timing belt was replaced every 100Kms.

Good luck.
Rick

[chrischasescars]

It's got good service records (local truck since new) including about $2200 worth of work at the Nissan dealer (by previous owner) including timing belt about 6 months ago.  He took a chance and went back with $2K in cash, and they took it.  Heck, for $2K, how much of a risk is it?  (He can afford to walk away from the $2K if he has to)

Pity the previous owner.  Drops $2200 on his truck, and within six months he's got maybe $1K back out of it.  Oh well, bet he got a lot of cheap km's out if along the way...

Wow. $2,000 is a screaming deal for that truck, if it's in anything resembling decent condition. The Pathy is one of the best of the old-school SUVs, IMO.