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Nissan Pathfinder

8189 messages,  Last post on Nov 27, 2012 at 10:22 AM

You are in the Nissan Pathfinder Forum.

What is this discussion about? Nissan Pathfinder, SUV

Messages Page 670 of 820

#6683 of 8189 Rotor Warping by smokey75

Jun 03, 2003 (5:53 am)

Hey, as anyone who has read this board for a while knows, the Pathfinder's rotors are prone to warping. I have a 2001 & they replaced the rotors at 16,000 miles under warranty because they were already warped. Well, at 32,000 they're warped again, but this time the dealership wouldn't resurface or replace them under warranty. They said they are a consumable & the warranty for that kind of thing is 12,000 miles (despite the fact they replaced them the first time at 16,000). The service manager suggested I call Nissan Corporate, which I did. They basically told me the same thing. They also said the fact that they're warping so fast is characteristic of my driving habits. That's funny, of all the cars I've driven (including other SUVs) I've never had this problem except for one other vehicle, a 1995 Ford Mustang, another vehicle in which rotor warping was common. Corporate said the only thing I could do was file a complaint and he would research to see if there was a known problem with the rotor design. Of course, they called back a day later and told me they couldn't find a problem and again said it was due to my driving. So, if you've ever had your rotors warp really quickly on your PF, call 1-800-NISSAN-1 and file a complaint. Tell them you think there is a design flaw that causes the rotors on the PF to warp. Probably nothing will come of this, but if enough people do this, you never know. For those who have to buy their own rotors and want something better, go to www.brakewarehouse.net They sell a set of cross-drilled & slotted Akuta (Japanese company) rotors for around $200. Also, at www.importrp.com , although Brembo doesn't make a rotor for the PF, they say they can find a Brembo that will fit any vehicle. I'm waiting for them to e-mail me back.

#6684 of 8189 Hood Mask by pathy32000

Jun 03, 2003 (6:12 am)

Hi. Does anyone know of a hood mask that fits a 1998 Nissan Pathfinder? Its hard enough to find these things but it seems to be harder to find a good one that would be compatible. This is what I am talking about - http://www.global-accessories.com/products/cartlink_html/autozone- /hoodmask.phtml - I wanted the same style as this. Thanks!!

#6685 of 8189 Warping Rotors by ilovecars2

Jun 03, 2003 (7:09 am)

Smokey75
 
Just a thought. Do you or your repair shop torque the lug nuts to the Nissan specs?
 
Over torqued lug nuts can warp the rotors. If the lugs are installed with an impact, watch out. A good quality 1/2" impact will put out 600+ ft lbs. This equals 6 times the manufacturers specs. The best way to install lugs is with a torque wrench. And not those cheesy things you buy for 19.95 at your local hardware store.

#6686 of 8189 warping rotors by smokey75

Jun 03, 2003 (7:26 am)

Hey, ILOVECARS2... I do rotate my own tires and I use an impact wrench, but I use the specified torque stick with it that lowers the torque. I don't have the manual in front of me right now so I can't remember the specified torque, but it's the grey torque stick. If you look back through the posts this has been a problem for a lot of people. In my opinion, this is due to poor rotor design. The rotors on the PF are not very large & I don't feel that they have the surface area to adequately dissapate the heat generated by an SUV this heavy. The PF definitely is not the only vehicle with this problem. So, it's not because the lugs are being overtightened, but thanks for the help anyway.

#6687 of 8189 Rotors revisted..... by ilovecars2

Jun 03, 2003 (8:40 am)

Smokey,
 
Just trying to help with a quick solution. Although, I would not recommend using the torque sticks. They are +/- 25% accurate. Their invention came about from impacts over torquing lugs. However they were designed for production work in tire shops, were speed of install equals $. I've had a few "disagreements" with tire shop managers over properly torqing the lugs on my vehicles. Now I'll grant you that torque on lug nuts are not as critical as a fastener on an aircraft, however I'm anal about my cars. A good quality torque wrench is +/- 2% in the top 80% of scale. If you want accuracy, nothing beats a quality torque wrench when installing tires on your car.

#6688 of 8189 Most accurate: by fleetwoodsimca

Jun 03, 2003 (9:17 am)

The most accurate torquing is provided by "bend bar" wrenches, while most everybody these days uses the "ratchet release" type. I use my old Montgomery Ward bend bar torque wrench on my lug nuts, and have no problems with results. It gets a little tiresome having to arrange things so that you can always see the scale on the wrench, though.

#6689 of 8189 Accuracy by world_traveler

Jun 03, 2003 (5:59 pm)

I have to admit that I don't understand why we have to be so accurate when torquing nuts on wheels....
 
What can happen if you don't torque it to the proper level of % ? Warp brake rotors? Wheel shaking? Endless worries?
 
I'm just curious.
 
Thanks

#6690 of 8189 Front Seats by jmw4

Jun 03, 2003 (6:19 pm)

Does anyone else besides myself think the front seats (actual seating area)are too small in width? Unless one sits with their legs literally stuck together, the left driver leg for example is resting on the top contour of the bucket which is very hard and uncomfortable over long distance.

#6691 of 8189 to::world_traveler by fleetwoodsimca

Jun 03, 2003 (7:11 pm)

Your right on all counts, I believe! »:o]

#6692 of 8189 to ............fleetwoodsimca by ilovecars2

Jun 03, 2003 (9:47 pm)

Sorry, but I need to correct some things in your post. The torque wrench you refer to as a "bend bar" is actually a direct read model. It uses a torsion bar to directly measure the force applied. Your "monkey wards" wrench probably has not been calibrated since Gunsmoke was on the air.
 
The other style you refer to as a "ratchet release" is a Click type, the most common wrench in the marketplace. Some ratchet some don't. However, Snap-on has a digital torque wrench that beeps and vibrates when the proper torque is applied. It's very accurate, 1% out of the box, very slick.
 
To prove my point a large tire store chain has actually purchased torque wrenches for all of their mechanics. They can only use their impacts for removal. No more cross threaded nuts, stripped studs, or warped rotors.
 
I've owned everything from Ford, Chevy, Audi, Nissan, Volvo, and GM. They all listed the torque specs in the owners manual. They do this for a reason.
 
Why is all of this important. You're driving down the road in the middle of nowhere and "pow" your Pathfinder has a flat. You pull over and get out your trusty cheap Nissan lug remover. But wait you can't get off one of the lug nuts because some knucklehead at the tire store cross threaded your lug nuts. I actually witness this during my travels. A guy in a Altima who was trying to change his tire at a rest stop couldn't remove the flat. Some Moron at the place he rotated his tires stripped the stud.
 
Remember, the only thing between your butt seating in your heated leather seats and the hard cold road are your tires.

Messages Page 670 of 820

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