Solution to unexplainable defects in my 99.5 Pathfinder

You've been a long-time poster on this ng, haven't you? I don't seem to recall any of the specific problems you were having.

With 170hp on the 99.5, I have no doubt you were unhappy with the SUV. I test drove the 2000 with the same 3 (or 3.2?) liter engine and said, no way, not enough power. I waited for the 2001. With 240hp it is very nice in the power department.

A woman who is a good friend of mine has a 2 year old trailblazer. It's a beautiful SUV with all kinds of power and only 38K out the door [/sarcasm]. I'll send her your way so that she can bitch at you about how many times her

2 year old SUV has been at the dealer. I'm tired of hearing it, and she hates my standard reply - "it's a Chevy, what the hell did you expect!".

Hope you bought the extended warranty. It's saved her ass many times already.

Why do you think I don't own a Pathpuppie, I think they are over priced and over rated.

We (my wife and I) own an 02 Trailblazer, we have owned it for over a year now, and I have to say it puts the Pathpuppie to shame in more ways that one.

1. The ride quality is superior to a PF
2. Turning radius is much tighter
3. The engine absolutely Purrrrr's like a kitten, you can't even tell it's running.
4. Dual zone A/C controls, the only Nissan's that have it are the Murano and the new Quest.

to name a few

We had a few minor issues with the TB but GM has been a joy to deal with.

The final straw was a bad module in the distributor that was part of the anti-theft system. It shuts the fuel off if you use a key that doesn't have a chip in it. Well it went bad and stranded me many miles from home. And the module could not be replaced, the entire distrubutor had to be changed. This cost $600.00. Add $100 for the tow.

Now I remember.

Ok, Let me tell you about my 2000 Silverado 1500 pick up truck, I have owned it since new.I purchased it on mothers day 3 years ago.

Closing in on 40,000 miles, about an even mix of highway and city driving.

The check engine light came on 1 time @ 3000 miles, had a stuck egr valve, covered under warranty.

Absolutely NO other problems with the truck, not ONE . And I'm a technician so my standards are a bit high.

I'll buy another GM product in a heartbeat

GM isn't horrible....especially their V6.....and especially their trucks. I'd find it hard to believe that a Trailblazer will hold up like a Pathfinder in the long run though. I'm sure the Trailblazer rides better, it's bigger. But for someone like myself that buys a vehicle and wants to drive the hell out of it, the Pathfinder is the way to go. I've got 244,000 miles on my '93 and you can't hear the engine run at idle it's so smooth. All power accessories work and the air blows cold as ice. Plus I get 18 mpg to boot. The only modification done to my truck is a pop-charger. My experience has been that none of the American manufacturers can build a vehicle that will hold up like that yet. I know they're getting better, and your 2000 Silverado may do as well as my 1993 Pathfinder, but I'd still bet money that as far as reliability and durability are concerned, a

2000 Pathfinder will perform better than any comparable domestic model. Plus, my truck still just looks good! ;)

I have to put the miles on my Pathfinder because I don't want to put them on my '91 Z TT. Only 51,000 miles and it purrs like a tiger.

Anyway, I get the gist of what you're saying. GM has really started making better vehicles the last few years. If someone was only going to drive their vehicle for 100,000 miles or so, it probably wouldn't matter much.

Dustin

You're lucky. I had a 99 Silverado 1500. At 18K, the intermediate steering shaft went out. Fixed under warranty, no problem yet.

At 38K, the gas pedal started to stick. It was the throttle body. GM had a technical service bulletin out on this. The opening was too small for the butterfly valve. GM said "do not clean this part; replace". Since it was out of warranty, the dealer wanted $400 to replace the throttle body, despite the technical service bulletin. I chose to clean it. It worked o.k., but I had to clean it about every

10K thereafter.

At 40K, the intermediate steering shaft went out again. It was out of warranty, $250.

At 60K, you guessed it the intermediate steering shaft went out again. The dealer said "Too bad, that'll be $250."

At 80K, yup, there goes the intermediate steering shaft again. I drove it for another 10K and traded the piece of junk in.

The above problems are on top of the other squeaks, rattles and cheap feel of the truck.

Most of my miles were on the highway. I almost never went off-road. There's no excuse for a steering part to go out every 20K. I got no support from GM after the warranty.

I decided to go back to an SUV after the pickup. Thanks to GM, I decided to buy an import. I bought an '02 PF. It has 40K on it with about 20K of that towing a 3,000# boat behind it. I've had one rear shock absorber replaced under warranty. No other problems.

My family is larger now and I'd like something bigger. I can't wait to get a look at the Armada.

Best of luck with your Silverado. Your experience isn't universal.

Every family member of mine that owns a GM product loves their GM vehicle.

[Reply to NissTech]

My 03 came with the premium suspension and front and rear sway bars + plus tuned gas shocks and springs. The 4.2 Vortech is smooth as silk and the exhaust is quiet. There is no vibration whatsoever from the drive train or exhaust. Not so with the Pathfinder.

[Reply to NissTech]

I couldn't agree more with all ove the above. I was really impressed with the turning radius. And the silk smooth drivetrain is un frigging believeable. Like the damn thing had an electric motor. Tell me NT, have you figured out where the spark plugs are? I can see all six coils on top. Maybe the coils sit right on top the plugs? Maybe the motor is a hemi if the plugs go straight doen through the head?

I noticed a little bit of vibration at 60 MPH. I took it back, the deal put all 4 wheels on the Hunter 9700 Road Force Variation balancer. The found that the RR BF Goodrich 16X245X70 OWL was at 29 and out of the OEM range and replaced it. Also there was another wheel that GM didn't do such a good job balancing. What a difference that made. I'm overjoyed with satisfaction with my new 03 TB. Just turned the ODO over with 500 miles :).

I just couldn't evert trust it again. I realize that something similar could happen to -any- vehicle. But this is the first time a vehicle that had that low milage and was taken that well care of let me down.

To tell you the truth , I have not really looked for the spark plugs.

I think you will love your new TB as much as we do.

BTW , I switched over to Amsoil 10w30 synthetic after a 3000 mile break in period, I have noticed that the engine coolant temp and dropped a bit and the mileage has increased a few MPG.

Lets compare notes/observations or your TB in a couple months.

take care Niss.

Enjoying the Ride... but not in a Pathpuppie !!!

Ok the 4.2 L6 has 10:1 compression, electronic throttle control, variable valve timing, coil-on-plug ignition, 24 valves, double OHC, variable valve timing. One would assume that premium fuel would be needed for a 10:1 compression ration but 87 is recommended by GM. Both the block and head are cast aluminum, the head cast using a special "lost foam" process. All six plugs are 100,000 mile double platinum tipped. This engine is much more sophisticated than the PathPuppy's 3.5L. And the inline six is inherently smooth in respect to balance. Not so for any V6, that's the hardest engine to balance. Hey NT, did you notice that you only have to bump the starter? The ECM finishes the job and disengages the starter when the engine fires. And although I haven't tried it (and probably wont), I think this means that you cannot engage the starter when the engine is running.

I already do. All I want to do is drive it. :)

How do you feel about Valvoline sythetic?

Okey dokey

HAHAH!