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Nissan Quest/Mercury Villager problems - READ ONLY

2519 messages,  Last post on Oct 23, 2006 at 2:23 AM

You are in the Nissan Quest Forum.

What is this discussion about? Nissan Quest, Mercury Villager, Van

Messages Page 202 of 253

#2002 of 2519 1996 Nissan Quest by purrkty

Aug 17, 2005 (9:48 pm)

I have a series of strange problems with my 96 Nissan Quest GXE, it has started with the back blower that stopped working, then the fan for the radiator burned up and was bout melted so we replaced the fan and it worked half way, whenever i would be stopped in traffic the fan would be running but the van would start to overheat and when it did this the van just did not want to go. So now the new fan is burning up. What is goin on with this silly vehicle????

#2003 of 2519 Re: PCV Valve [jr714] by outlander1

Aug 18, 2005 (10:45 am)

Replying to: jr714 (Aug 12, 2005 9:09 am)
Thanks for the info and web site. Figures they put it in a spot more difficult to do yourself. Thanks again the the help.

#2005 of 2519 Re: 1996 Nissan Quest [purrkty] by marku1

Aug 20, 2005 (12:11 pm)

Replying to: purrkty (Aug 17, 2005 9:48 pm)
I had a similar problem earlier this year in May. I posted all the details in this forum if you want to read the whole story. The short version is that my 95 was getting hot and running bad. Replaced the thermostat and it worked. The dealer explained that even a slight increase in temp. causes the computer to do several things to prevent major damage. All of these adjustments cause the engine to perform poorly. The confusing aspect for me was the water was flowing, the thermostat was just not opening all the way. Good luck.
Mark

#2006 of 2519 Re: 1996 Nissan Quest [marku1] by superxray

Aug 20, 2005 (1:05 pm)

Replying to: marku1 (Aug 20, 2005 12:11 pm)
Well, my temps never go over the M (norMal) on the gauge, and head temps read in regular ranges. I'll keep an eye on it, but I can't see how that accounts for the enormous gas mileage decrease.

#2007 of 2519 1999 Quest engine power problem and transmission shift problem by daddyizzle

Aug 20, 2005 (5:10 pm)

Well, after a couple of misdiagnosis' I finally figured out what the problem was (with a little help from an auto forum, may have been this one.) First a recap: 1. engine lost power on any kind of hill, as well overheated after a steep one.2.transmission jerked from first to second. 3. An egg smell.
     This is on a 1999 Nissan Quest SE 3.3 V-6
          One diagnosis said it was an egr fault, but egr was fine, so the catalytic convertor needed to be checked. It checked ok. Belts and wires replaced. Dealer then checked egr system and timing belt, as well as catalytic convertor. They concluded that the air control meter was bad. they wantee 500. for the part, and 110. to put it in. I got the part and put it in. Still broke. Then someone said that it may have a clog in front of the catalytic convertor. I took off mid exhaust. It was still quiet with out the muffler, and still guttless. I took off the catalytic convertor(which bolts directly to the exaust manifold). Easy to do, but try to do it when the engine has cooled off. Drove it down the road and it sounded like a harley, but it ran like a bat out of hell. priced a new catalytic convertor and will have to order. I took the old one and tried to blow compressed air through it. It had some flow, but evidentally not enough.
     For now, i fixed it. It has a screen on both ends, and ceramic porcelain on the inside that looks like a fine honeycomb. You can only get to one side because the otherside is purposely welded with a bend. Heres what I did. I beat the holy living hell out of the guts of it. I dug the far screen out with a small stick with a finish nail through it. I then blew it out thoroughly. I put it back on, and it runs like new. (It was well maintained and cared for to begin with.) I'm sure its not street legal at this point, but it runs good, and quiet. I'll put a new one on here in a few days.
     Oh, by the way, the transmission now shifts properly again. It is smooth as it should be. Now we only need to fix the left headlight and the radio display.
     Here is what was wrong: You know how the throttle body builds up with carbon? Well now I find that the catalytic convertor does as well.I'm sure it is by design. Add some rust scale and you won't get anywhere. I even tried blowing it out from the outlet side, and it didn't come out. The engine was having to rev so hard that it would jerk when it finally got around to shifting. I'll also note that the only reason for the catalytic convertor to be here, is so that it can clog easier then if it were further from engine(my opinion)
    So this van has really been good. The dealer made this situation far more unpleasant and expensive then it had to be. I think they knew what the problem was all along, and saw an opportunity to pump alot of money out of me. I don't have that much money, and they knew that, but wanted to screw me anyways. I will not go to that dealer again, and may end up getting rid of the van so I don't have to worry about where to go for dealer parts or repairs. I think they just lost Nissan Motor Corporation and any Nissan dealer, a very loyal customer. I hope it was worth it for them. It was not for me.

#2008 of 2519 Re: 1999 Quest engine power problem and transmission shift problem [daddyizzle] by superxray

Aug 20, 2005 (7:10 pm)

Replying to: daddyizzle (Aug 20, 2005 5:10 pm)
Thanks for the post. The first clue would have been the rotten egg smell, which is almost always associated with catalytic converter leakage or clogging (from my experience). Secondly, the dealer will always try to screw you, it's just their way. In the future, make sure to get a temp gun and temp the exhaust headers on a regular basis when it is at running temps. You will find they are considerably warmer when the converter becomes clogged. Usually, the problem is worse at higher RPM's, which doesn't coincide with my issue. However, it's nice to see people actually posting! The converter is there for a good reason and are required by the feds to last 100k, or they get replaced free.

#2009 of 2519 aftermarket convertor for 99 Quest by daddyizzle

Aug 20, 2005 (7:50 pm)

I am seriously considering getting an aftermarket catalytic convertor. I get so use to smelling that smell from other vehicles that I either hadn't noticed, or assumed it was someone else's. Heck, a muffler shop and a Nissan dealer said it tested fine. I may even be on the wrong page for this post at this point, don't know. I thought I may just leave the old empty hull where it is and add it somewhere down the line. I don't understand the engineering behind one. It looks like it is designed to slowly filter out the carbon etc. In doing so, It would probably get clogged eventually anyways . I've heard of the ceramics inside of them exploding from condensation. Maybe by putting it right by the engine, it only gets rust flake clogging, I'm not sure. Does anyone know if you can do this? I am not afraid to cut out a piece of pipe, say maybe the mid pipe. I just hate to be the guinea pig. Then again, I had no Idea what would happen if I hallowed out the convertor. I just figured that it couldn't hurt it much more since it didn't run worth a crap the way it was. I wasn't even sure it was bad. All I know is that it runs like a champ now. I just think that they designed the original convertor in such a way that you would almost have to go to a dealer to replace it. I just want a plain jane that does the job and makes the Californians and EPA happy. Hopefully not ruining my new found performance and lasting another 100k.

#2010 of 2519 Re: aftermarket convertor for 99 Quest [daddyizzle] by steine13

Aug 21, 2005 (4:22 am)

Replying to: daddyizzle (Aug 20, 2005 7:50 pm)
" It looks like it is designed to slowly filter out the carbon etc"
 
No, the cat conv is there to convert most of the harmful gases in the exhaust into something harmless. In the process, "nothing" is left behind, at least in theory, so a cc can last a very long time.
 
In reality, soot from the engine can clog it, as you have found out. It also becomes less effective over time, though I believe at 100k it should still be fine, if everything else is OK.
 
BTW, it needs to be very hot to do it's job properly, which is why it is where it is and not farther down the line. Many newer cars have a small cc right in the exhaust manifold, where it warms up and begins cleaning a lot faster.
 
The main components of exhaust one wants to get rid of are CO, NOx (various oxides of nitrogen), SO2 (sulfur oxide, dunno what happens to the sulfur, but there's your smell) and various hydrocarbons -- in large part, unburned fuel. They are sent past a large area of platinum and -- through a process of magic, I suppose -- transformed in to CO2 and water.
 
-Mathias

#2011 of 2519 Re: Quest steering glitch [timberguy] by bzzz

Aug 21, 2005 (11:14 pm)

Replying to: timberguy (Apr 02, 2005 5:29 pm)
Hello,
 
I have the same problem with my '94 Quest! Did you ever get an answer about this problem?
 
DON'T fall for a pricey "gotta replace the rack & pinion"... If the fluid is not leaking that is not the problem.....
 
I had a mechanic tell me that it just needed to have a Power Steering Flush......that usually when something like this happens, trash in the system is usually the problem.
 
I did have that same mechanic do this type of flush (GREAT shade-tree mechanic)..... It did work......for a while. Now, I need to do that flush again (if that is indeed the solution), however, no one knows how to contact him.....
 
Can anyone give me some pointers on how to do this flush myself?
 
Sincerely
BZZZ

Messages Page 202 of 253

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