Rear axle seal on driver's side started leaking a small amount of gear oil on the brake shoes on one side. Axle seal and brake replacement is necessary. Work will be done by owner.
The transmission started to go out after some heavy off-road use once, but a fluid change, aftermarket transmission coolers and friction modifier additive resolved that problem. An aftermarket transmission cooler is highly recommended, as the stock cooler tends to clog up after a while. This is a leading cause of automatic transmission failures in Nissan Pathfinders.
The driver's side window regulator cable broke while offroading once, it was replaced at home with a regulator from the junkyard for $10. Easy fix.
Right hand cam seal was leaking a bit at 133,000 miles, both cam seals were replaced along with the timing belt, water pump and misc other things.
It has a nicely laid out dash and interior. The exterior looks great even after 15 years. Interior parts still look like new.
Very useful, generally easy to work on, and parts aren't that hard to find. Aftermarket support is lacking, but there are places to look for performance items and offroad accessories such as lift kits and heavier duty suspension components.
The steering system is prone to failing/needing replacement parts with off-road abuse/hard use, this is another known weak point of both Pathfinders and Hardbody pickups. Aftermarket steering systems are slowly becoming available from off-road specialist companies.
The engine is somewhat lacking in power (145 HP for the 1987-1989 3.0 V6 models, 154 HP for 1990-1995 V6 models), but otherwise is considered bulletproof. Regular maintenance and tune-ups will keep this engine running well past 200,000 miles with ease. A mechanic was once heard saying "This engine still looks like new inside" after tearing down a 150,000 mile 3.0 V6.
Remember to change the timing belt every 60,000 miles! A broken timing belt will result in a broken engine. Very expensive to fix if the belt breaks.
Auto transmissions are very expensive to replace or rebuild as well. Fluid changes should be done regularly, as well as adding an aftermarket transmission cooler, because the stock cooler tends to clog up and cause the transmission to overheat. Overheated transmissions don't last long, that's a fact.
I purchased an 1988 Pathfinder in October of 2003. These machines are ANIMALS!!! I purchased my SSAN from a local car auction for a little over $1,400.00 so I know nothing of its previous history or abuses! At the time of purchase my odometer read 30,360! NOT... finding out by a previous owner who liked to keep good records in the car that the odometer was replaced at 213,000. Under the hood I saw my new vehicle had a nissan tune-up and the timing belt was changed at 240,000. I have had few BIG problems with the VG30 3.0L V6. One month after purchase I had to replace the 1988 STOCK alternator, which was no problem, but a fun task. Next I replaced the master and slave cylinders. Next, another alternator, (noting a pattern I toned down the off-roading). I noticed that it had a terrible fan whine, so I got a fan-clutch off a nissan 4-cylinder switched my fan onto it. vuala! I did also change brakes, plugs, wires, fuel filter, and air filter. After I drove my SSAN PATTY around for around 7,500 I noticed a great amount of power loss!!! So after a little trial and error I found that my main bearing was flexing about a quarter 1/4 inch when I would rap on the throttle a little. OH NOOO!!! Exactly! About after 100 miles of NECESSARY driving she died!!! Now I purchased a VG30 3.0L V6 out of a maxima and had fun with the conversion of all accessories and sooo much more.
All in all, when the SSAN runs... does it like a striped ape (on and especially OFF-road).
When the SSAN doesn't run (which it is a Nissan and will encounter problems more than I'd like to admit) it seems to not ever be tooo extremely expensive to fix and parts are very reasonable to find.
In ending I love my SSAN and would drive NOTHING else!!!
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