semlin
curmudgeon
trying to help someone buy an old beater as a work vehicle and a pre-1990 pathfinder fits the bill. what do you need to watch for on these? I've heard they are not fun to work on and parts are pricey. any truth to that?
school me on gen 1 pathfinders
- Thread starter semlin
- Start date
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no they are not pricey at all.try to stay in the 2.4 v6 range of motors they seem to be a better motor all the way around.really the same issues with the nissians the heads and rust and a timing job every so often.enjoy they are a blast to drive offroad
never really had to work on mine in 30 thousand miles so i dont have a clue on how hard they are to work on
semlin,
Not that this is going to help, but my buddy had the 3dr Pathfinder (1st gen.), 5spd, lifted, etc... that I got to wheel in, with FZJFillmore, Vitesse_6, and Safado in Utah a couple of years ago.
I was surprised how capable it was. It was able to keep up with them (I almost couldn't
).
Not that this is going to help, but my buddy had the 3dr Pathfinder (1st gen.), 5spd, lifted, etc... that I got to wheel in, with FZJFillmore, Vitesse_6, and Safado in Utah a couple of years ago.
I was surprised how capable it was. It was able to keep up with them (I almost couldn't
).
Company I worked for in Puerto Rico had a couple of them. Both V6s, one was an 87 with a 5 spd and the 2nd was an 88 with a auto and either 30 or 31" tires. The 88 seemed to have more power than the 87, not sure why... maybe different gearing?
The 87 had about 60k mi on it when the company was sold. Had to replace the clutch slave cylinder and the catalytic converter at about 55k. The 88 model had about 45k on it, I think. No problems with it that I recall. I don't have any experience with working on them as all the repairs were done at a dealership in San Juan.
The 87 had about 60k mi on it when the company was sold. Had to replace the clutch slave cylinder and the catalytic converter at about 55k. The 88 model had about 45k on it, I think. No problems with it that I recall. I don't have any experience with working on them as all the repairs were done at a dealership in San Juan.
the v6 is a better balenced motor.and really the regular 4 cy. i cant complain .
Why not a 1st gen 4-Runner instead? I've never owned a Pathfinder, had friends that have and they seemed ok, but I not nearly as reliable as my 4-Runner at the time and I had double the miles on mine. Plus, you get the removable top with the runner for AFTER "work"
As I'm sure you know, the 22RE is dead reliable, they just seem to keep ticking along no matter what they are asked to do. What the hell does a 1-ton mini look like though? Is it a dual out back or something? I can promise you that with an auto, it's going to be a major dog, not a bad thing if it's going to be heavily loaded down with hauling duties.
Under $2500 is tough, so I think the Pathfinder fits the bill, it's still going to be more reliable then most, and although I have heard great things about Troopers, I have heard equally as scary stories as well.
Under $2500 is tough, so I think the Pathfinder fits the bill, it's still going to be more reliable then most, and although I have heard great things about Troopers, I have heard equally as scary stories as well.
semlin
curmudgeon
- Thread starter
- #10
one ton mini is the same truck but with heavier rear axle, drive shafts and bigger brakes. gets a 5000 lb rated towing capacity with a 22re and an auto tranny!
tough call i know. my brother had an 89 trooper and it was ok reliability wise but apt to act up. person i'm buying for is my future brother in law who has just got a job in a remote community which requires some crap hauling. he has a disability with one hand so no choice on the auto.
tough call i know. my brother had an 89 trooper and it was ok reliability wise but apt to act up. person i'm buying for is my future brother in law who has just got a job in a remote community which requires some crap hauling. he has a disability with one hand so no choice on the auto.
There were no four cylinder pathfinders, only the pickup. 3 liter V6, it's an interference engine, if the timing belt goes, valves go into the pistons. Not a problem as long as regular maintenance and belt replacement are maintained. Otherwise, we never had a problem with my daughter's old 87, ran great, good mileage, plenty o power (relative) ice cold air. Personally, I'd stay away from the auto, hers was a 5 speed. Biggest drawback is the amount of physical space under the hood for working on one. Very, very tight under there as I found out when replacing the clutch slave cylinder. If you buy one, do the timing belt immediately.
semlin
curmudgeon
- Thread starter
- #12
drove the one ton toyota tonight and a kingcab nissan from the same year.
the toyota idles rough and has a cracked windshield half out of its mount sealed with silicone with a lot of rust in behind. also rust in one front mismatched fenders, a dent in the hood and the rad was dry when we got there.
kingcab had 100k less miles, engine purred and the only flaw was a bang in the back when the bodied rolled back from a turn.
both myself and my friend who knows nothing about tucks concurred that the toyota was still by far the nicer truck to drive.
i was shocked at the frame on the nissan. looks like aluminum foil compared to the toyota.
the toyota idles rough and has a cracked windshield half out of its mount sealed with silicone with a lot of rust in behind. also rust in one front mismatched fenders, a dent in the hood and the rad was dry when we got there.
kingcab had 100k less miles, engine purred and the only flaw was a bang in the back when the bodied rolled back from a turn.
both myself and my friend who knows nothing about tucks concurred that the toyota was still by far the nicer truck to drive.
i was shocked at the frame on the nissan. looks like aluminum foil compared to the toyota.
have you thought about the isuzu rodeos or the same vehicle platform by some one else? i have a 91 rodeo 2 wheel drive and they are cheap to repair. parts are readily available and way easy to work on. i was suprised at the size of some of the components and the ease to replace. ive had mine for 3 yrs and only problem is clutch had to be replaced.....220,000 miles on it. motor runs great plenty of power with the v6 and they come in a 4 cyl to. even the 4x4 versions are not to expensive. i also have a 97 exploder and i think the rodeo has damn near the same room inside pass compartment the rear cargo is a bit smaller though.
i love my rodeo and i drive it hard....only 2wd but i take it all over in the gravel pit and rail road beds. check them out you might like them. wife and i are actually looking at buying another one when we get tax return back.
steve
i love my rodeo and i drive it hard....only 2wd but i take it all over in the gravel pit and rail road beds. check them out you might like them. wife and i are actually looking at buying another one when we get tax return back.
steve
i agree the 02 i had was freaking wicked on and off road for a modern setup.the dam rear was flexy for stock,
I had a 92. Sold it with 170k on the clock. Aside from an electrical glitch, it was fairly reliable. Trans filter hard to replace, back 2 spark plugs a real PITA, timing belt not too bad. I'd take an fj60 over it any day of the day.
I'm sorry but I disagree with most of your statements above. I am a loyal Nissan fan, and their products are not "tin foil"! They are high quality cars/trucks, and they are IMHO in line with Toyota!
Zack
1995 Pathfinder 5spd 172,000 miles
1995 SE-V6 King Cab 4x4 5spd 9,000 miles
1996 Maxima 80,000 miles
i owned an 87 king cab 4x4 king cab for 12 years. same-same mechanically as the pathys. bought it at 100k and drove it to 220. it never missed a beat. when i sold it it still had virtually all the original parts it came with. remarkably reliable. the frame was still perfect when i sold it in 2003, after all those canadian winters too. body had minimal rust.
I can second this comment. I drove a 93 King Cab 4x4 for over 12 years, and it never let me down , although I was on 35" , lifted , turbocharged that Z24 OEM engine, did a lot of dumb experiments , but it never let me down.
The 1st gen Pathfinder had a Z24i engne or a 3.0 V6 that was TBI injected, then 1990+ this same engine was MPFI, jumped from 135 hp to 150 Hp. The 4 cyl was a 2.4 lt 8 valver with 110 Hp, not powerful but still reliable and had some low end grunt, low compression so it burned cheap gas. I'd stick with a 1990+ V6 better .... great 4x4.-
Mines a 91 pathfinder, i hope i bought a good truck...
