Hey Scotty,
My wife and I bought her a new car last year for $16k, a 2017 Nissian Pathfinder with 110k. So far, it seems like this vehicle is nothing but trouble.
Right after purchasing the vehicle we took it to Nissan for a full service, where they told us that it needed a new transfer case. After taking it to an independent mechanic they told us there was a service bulletin on the vehicle for the transfer case seal and that’s all he would recommend doing, not the 5k replace they wanted. We had occasional check engine lights come on that was diagnosed as the cam shaft sensors getting to extremes of temperatures and causing the issue. They would come on and off on its own so we thought nothing of it.
The vehicle ended up getting towed after it overheated in a parking lot at idle, due to a failed radiator fan.
Since the. We’ve gotten P300 multiple misfire codes, more cam shaft actuator codes (p34AC and p34AD, p0022, p0365) and a high temp code (p0113) which the shop says the cam shaft actuator in bank 1 is stuck at 6%, and recommended replacing it, however, they said they can’t fully evaluate the vehicle because of Nissan’s bright idea to put the timing over directly against the engine mount, they said it would require removal of the engine from the vehicle to check the timing system, at which point they would want to just replace the timing chain, tensioners, pulleys, etc, if they’re going to do the work of pulling it out anyway.
Quotes:
Cam Shaft Actuator R&R (3 hours) part 728.38, total $1,400
Timing Chain Kit and R&R est between 4-5k
Vehicle is worth 8-12k in excellent condition via KBB, 6-10 in fair via KBB.
Is it worth it to replace the actuator and pray that fixes the codes, or should we cut our losses and run?
Current mileage is 128k
If you don't fix the car, you won't be able to sell it for any real money - you will probably lose at least $10K, and you'll have to spend another $10-15K to get something decent to drive. Compared to that, a couple thousand to fix it good enough to sell or drive isn't so bad. If it was me, I'd fix it and sell it, there are cars that are trouble-free after 100K miles, but they are not Nissans. Get a Toyota, Honda or Mazda.
Even though it’s a wing and a prayer that the 1400 repair fixes it, and there’s no guarantee we’re not going to have to drop another 4-5k to actually fix it?
You/your mechanic can get an idea of how much life is left on your engine by doing a wet/dry compression test (tests health of pistons, rings, valve closure) and checking the oil pressure (worn bearings will give low pressure readings). Worst case $6000 spent repairing it (enough for a re manufactured. engine) you would come out of it at least $4000 plus ahead. Not a desirable result, but preferable to digging a deeper financial hole.
The mechanic shop it was at was quoting me 4-5k just for a timing chain replacement because of Nissan’s BRILLIANT design, they put the timing cover against the engine mount so it can’t be removed to check the timing system without removing the engine from the vehicle, and multiple YouTube’s I’ve watched on this supports that assessment.
Ended up getting the car back with the VVT actuator replaced and it solved most of the issues but 2 codes are now being thrown, p34AC and p34AD. Shop said Nissan won’t provide them with the info needed to diagnose the issue so recommended we take the car back to the dealership. we’ve had significant issues with the Nissan dealership here, and not sure it’s worth the trouble of dealing with them, especially if we can’t trust them. They tried to sell us a new transfer case about a year ago, when there was a service bulletin on the seal that was the issue. $5k vs a $520 service.
If you are slightly mechanically inclined, the camshaft position actuator MIGHT*** be DIY friendly. Doing a quick Google, I found this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bE5GR98vkhM
And the part is less than $100:
Since the part is relatively cheap, and DIY labor relatively easy, it might be a good first step to try.
Obviously please do your research, and make sure this is the right part and right problem. I recommend watching several different videos of the same problem for your specific vehicle, not only to see how to do it, but to make sure that it will most likely solve your problem.
So we did the VVT actuator which cleared most of the codes the car was throwing, but 2 have returned since the repair. P34AC and P34AD. Both point to a camshaft issue and there does seem to be something going on with it on live data per the mechanic, but they are unable to diagnoSe further whether it’s a mechanical issue or software issue and are recommending going to the dealership. Only problem is the dealership tried to screw me already, telling me to replace the entire transfer case at 5.2k when there was a service bulletin for the issue we were having with a leak on the seal that was not affecting driving, 500 is much different than 5200. So I’m not really sure what I want to do. Wife might kill me if I start monkeying around with her engine again. Last time I broke a bolt and we were without her car for the last 2 months getting stuff fixed.
I actually already changed out all 4 position sensors. I broke one of the sensor bolts in the bracket and had to have it shipped from Tennessee up to Alaska for the repairs…