4th Mar 2003, 13:08

I purchased a 1993 Pathfinder last year and have put around 20K miles on it since. I am very happy with the car's performance, but would recommend to any Pathfinder owners to add an external transmission cooler. The original cooler (part of the main radiators cooling system) is not sufficient and can cause your transmission to prematurely fail. Even if you do little to no towing, you can save yourself $2000 by installing this $50 cooling system. Also, replace your transmission fluid regularly, Pathfinders are known to heat up and burn the fluid rather rapidly.

11th Mar 2003, 02:16

I bought my 93 Pathfinder 4x4 three years ago with 135k miles. Today it has 220k miles. The engine is still running strong. The transmission is finally on its last legs, it started slipping going from 2nd to 3rd. Now its intermittently making a squealing noise kinda like an engine bearing makes with no oil. I figure it to be the rear shaft bearing.

Two years ago I got side swiped on the passengers doors. Pushed the door skin into the internal door supports and bent the rocker panel. Dosen't look good, but it came out better than the Honda that hit me.

The other problem I've had was blowing a radiator hose 2 years ago. The lack of water caused the water pump to go out. The part was $75, not bad. I started to replace it myself. After 3 hours I gave up when I found that the timing belt had to be removed to get at the pump. More than I felt like doing. I put water in it and drove to a local mechanic. He suggested I have all the belts, including the timing belt, replaced while he had them off. Total bill was $450.

Overall a very good and dependable vehicle. The BEST vehicle I've ever owned. And its great fun in the mud. Buried to the rocker panels, put it in 4 low and walked right out, with street tires!

26th Mar 2003, 10:04

I purchased a '95 Pathfinder with manual transmission new - it has 300,000 km. on it and feels as if it's easily got another 300,000 left in it. When I came across a '93 also with manual transmission and just 75,000 km. and in wonderful condition I purchased it. ONE PROBLEM - there's a "clunk" from the rear axle when accelerating from a stop. Feels as if a universal joint is worn OR as if it has a limited slip differential (slipping then catches). Mechanic can't find a cause, but acknowledges it's there. Any suggestions? --- "gschaefer@salpam.com".

22nd May 2003, 02:21

I bought a 93 pathfinder XE V6 for my wife just to see if we would like one, And guess what? We liked it so well that I bought another one,94 XE 4x4 for me and we like it just as well. The 93 is red with black interior and 94 is black with red interior both are very nice rides.

4th Apr 2004, 22:09

I was fortunate to find a 93 Pathfinder Xe with only 43k original miles on it. This one has been garaged and babied its whole life...Gorgeous!!!

The best part about the purchase is that I picked it up from a stranger for $5100.00.

If your looking for an excellent SUV for a very competitive price, search for an early 90's model Pathfinder. These Trucks are known to be reliable and fun to drive.

22nd Jun 2004, 17:22

I purchased a 1993 Pathfinder XE, 114,000 miles, automatic transmission, in April 2004. The primary reason I bought it was that I had purchased a 1992 about 18 months prior that had been a very good machine.

Unfortunately when I bought this one it started slow (cranked several times before firing). I wrongly thought that it was probably plugs or wires.

As soon as we got it home, I took it to a trusted mechanic. I told them to put it on an analyzer and replace the plugs, wires, or whatever was necessary to get it running properly. They changed the fuel filter and the starter ($280). I noticed right away that it still did not start on the first spin of the starter like the '92. I took it back.

That same day they said they had discovered the distributor was bad. They replaced it ($500 +). We got it back and it still didn't run or start any better.

We took it back again after it failed to start at all. They said the ignition coil was bad. They replaced it ($230). They assured me that it was finally fixed.

The day we were to pick it up they called and said that it would barely run. They said that the computer was bad. They said they had talked to Nissan's engineers and determined that the bad coil had had back-fed high voltage to the computer and must have burned it up. They replaced the computer ($450).

My brother-in-law picked up and drove it home. It would not start after he got it home. I picked it up today to haul it on a trailer back to the shop. It would start after a lot of cranking and run rough.

I would like to know if anyone has had similar experiences out of the '93 Pathfinder and if so what the final resolution to the problem is. The way it looks right now is that our shop is changing parts hoping to find a problem they don't really know what it is.

14th Aug 2004, 16:40

I have a 98 Pathfinder (46000 miles) with the same problem!! Intermittent starting problem. Cranks and cranks, but won't start. Sometimes starts after a few tries. Other times won't start for hours. But most days it starts up just fine on the first try. Not necessarily related to engine or enivronment temperature: occurs when both cold and hot. Dealer can't pinpoint the problem, primarily because the problem disappears once I have the car towed to the dealership. They also said it could be the distributor, but recommended that I hold off until they can diagnose the exact problem. I've had the truck towed to the dealer twice, but then when the mechanic tries to start it the next morning it starts up fine. Everytime they run a diagnostics test all the codes come back fine. One time they tightened a loose oxygen sensor and that seemed to alleviate the problem for a few months. Now I'm always a bit worried whenever I go to drive the car because I feel like one day it'll leave me stranded somewhere. Would like to hear how your problem/repairs are going.