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Car help?

Vince S.

Vince S.

Resident Former Bassist
Jan 24, 2003
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#1
Last week we took our 98' Nissan Pathfinder to the shop for a leak and a sticky, choppy gas pedal. They replaced the timing/acc belts, and replaced the water pump, cam seals, and upper and lower manifold gaskets, fixed the gas pedal, and cleaned the throttle body and fuel injectors.

Upon bringing it home, the "Check Engine" light came on, so we brought it back in. They told my mother there was a "loose plug" (mechanic wasn't specific) and fixed it.

Ever since we brought it in, we noticed that the throttle has been acting strange. There's a tiny (maybe 1 sec or less) lag when accelerating from standstill, and upon first pressing the gas pedal there is a vibrating/grinding sensation and sound that lasts for about a second. While idling, the RPM needle keeps jumping between 1200-1500 rhythmically. Any idea what is causing this?

Also, the "Check Engine" light came back on today while my mom was out with the car, but the shop is closed until next Tuesday. Is it still okay to drive it?

Thanks
 
#3
Find a Nissan forum and search for check engine codes. Some engines can be diagnosed without a scanner by patterns of the blinking engine light when when the circuit is shorted in a certain place, but I don't really know about Nissans. Thats the way my 86 4runner codes work.

With the work you had done and the symptoms, it could be lots of things, but to me it sounds like you may have a vacuum leak somewhere.

If you can get along without driving it, I would wait until it gets fixed
 
#4
I agree, have a look for fault codes and as said above some engines are diagnosed by the blinking light. Perhaps if the battery was disconnected it has reset the ECU meaning it will need to re-gather info for the first 25 miles ish... this seems kinda weird but i know it happens on my brother's volvo :)
 
#5
Was the light on before they did the work? Was the truck hesitating and making noises before they did the work? If it was mine I'd probably not drive it without knowing what's really wrong with it. There's always a chance you're doing more damage than good by driving it.

On a '98 you'll need a scanner or a code reader to retreive trouble codes. You can get a cheap code reader at most auto parts stores for $40, or some parts stores will read the codes for free. If you opt to go the free route, DO NOT let the parts guy sell you anything. Just have them write down what codes are stored, and take that info to your shop and let them diagnose and fix the problem.
 
#7
Mike N said:
Was the light on before they did the work? Was the truck hesitating and making noises before they did the work? If it was mine I'd probably not drive it without knowing what's really wrong with it. There's always a chance you're doing more damage than good by driving it.

On a '98 you'll need a scanner or a code reader to retreive trouble codes. You can get a cheap code reader at most auto parts stores for $40, or some parts stores will read the codes for free. If you opt to go the free route, DO NOT let the parts guy sell you anything. Just have them write down what codes are stored, and take that info to your shop and let them diagnose and fix the problem.
Click to expand...

No, we brought in it for the leak and sticky pedal. The first time the light came on was immediately after we brought it home the first time. We brought it back in, they did some tweaking, and it was fine for two days before the light came back on. The hesitation and noises didn't start until after they worked on it.
 
#8
Well I think I've figured out at least one of the problems. I looked at the coolant reservoir tank and it was way below the minimum line. There was no puddle or any dripping though. I'm guessing the tech fixed the initial leak but forgot to add more coolant at the shop.
 
#9
Vince S. said:
Well I think I've figured out at least one of the problems. I looked at the coolant reservoir tank and it was way below the minimum line. There was no puddle or any dripping though. I'm guessing the tech fixed the initial leak but forgot to add more coolant at the shop.
Click to expand...
Good catch, but that wouldn't make your engine light come on though.

When the light comes on it is something either with the ignition, fuel or emissions. Like Mike mentioned, get the code from the computer and start there.

From the work already done to your car it could be a couple of things, assuming they forgot something or did something wrong. My guess (nothing more than a guess) is it's either when they changed your timing belt or when they did the manifold gaskets. They already had to fix a "loose plug" and you needed to add more antifreeze. To me, that is signs that the tech was a little off that day. Could be something as simple as a vacuum hose. The skeptic side of me says that "loose plug" is actually a broken plug on a sensor that they tried to repair. Now the volts or ohms are off a tad sending a false signal and kicking on the light. I could be totally off on that though. I'm not a technician.

There is also a chance that the problem is unrelated and just coincidence.

Anyway, listen to Mike. Have it diagnosed and get the codes. It will pin point the problem.
 

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