R50 Pathfinder FAQ?

[Martinjmpr]

Is there a FAQ or something on R50 Pathys?
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Toying with the idea of getting one as a DD/light ExPo (non-towing) vehicle.
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Just looking for general info, like what engine/transmission combos were available, what kind of 4wd systems did they have, known problems/issues, options to avoid or seek out, etc.
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The thing that intrigues me about the R50 is that they are available with manual transmissions and are reasonably inexpensive on the used market.
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My requirements would be something that is ~1998 or newer (must be OBD-2 compliant), have a manual transmission and be available for under $5k without excessive miles (I would say under 175k, less is better.) A quick scan of CL reveals a lot of R50's that meet these requirements.
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What kind of MPG do these get with the Manual trans? I know they're unibody, does that cause problems as they get older (we don't get a lot of rust here in CO so that's not much of an issue.)
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Thanks in advance! :ylsmoke:

 

[Triplesnake]

You might find some of that info if you dig around on http://www.thenissanpath.com/

 

[XPLORx4]

FYI, 96 was the OBDII switchover year, so all R50's are OBDII-compliant.

The R50 was made from 96 to 04. A cosmetic refresh occurred in 99.5. Otherwise, nearly all parts are interchangeable between 96 and 04.

96-00 R50's came with the VG33E 3.3liter 170hp V6 and either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed auto. Uses 87 octane
01-04 R50's came with the VQ35DE 3.5 liter 240hp V6 and either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed auto. Prefers 91+ octane for best fuel economy and performance.
Manual transmission R50's with your other preferred equipment choices will be harder to find with the VQ35DE, since that combo was not as popular.

Transfer cases for R50's were either the part-time lever-operated TX10A case with a 2.02:1 low range, or the dashboard dial-operated "all-mode" transfer case which has 4 modes: 2WD, AWD, 4H, 4L and a 2.569:1 low range.

Typical MPG will likely be approx 16/19 on a used, unmodified R50 with a MT, no matter the engine size. I have a heavily modded 4WD R50 (3.3L/AT) and I get only 15mpg highway.

Final drive gearing varies between 4.363:1 and 4.636:1, with later models with the VQ35 using only 4.363:1. Due to the front diff R/P gears being reverse-cut, no other gear ratios from other Nissan diffs are available. A gear swap is a desirable modification if running oversized tires.

3.3l engines are prone to get exhaust manifold leaks, but are otherwise very reliable.

3.5l engines are prone to have "power valve screws" loosen and fall into the engine: More info here

R50 is a unibody chassis. Therefore, no body lift is possible. Suspension is front McPherson strut, rear is a 5-link coil-sprung solid axle.

All R50's can exhibit what owners refer to as the "death wobble" which is caused when the bushings on the rear trailing links (esp the lower links) wear out, allowing excessive forward/backward movement of the rear axle. This is more common on 96-99 models.

Unibody stiffness is very good. In rust-prone areas of the country, the front strut towers are known to rot and separate from the chassis. Nissan issued a recall for this problem, which involved reinforcing the strut tower if repairable, or buying back the vehicle if unrepairable. More info here. (My California-native '97 R50 with 188K miles has never had this problem.)

You can also visit nissanpathfinders.net and browse the R50 forum there for more research.

 

[Martinjmpr]

FYI, 96 was the OBDII switchover year, so all R50's are OBDII-compliant.

The R50 was made from 96 to 04. A cosmetic refresh occurred in 99.5. Otherwise, nearly all parts are interchangeable between 96 and 04.

96-00 R50's came with the VG33E 3.3liter 170hp V6 and either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed auto. Uses 87 octane
01-04 R50's came with the VQ35DE 3.5 liter 240hp V6 and either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed auto. Prefers 91+ octane for best fuel economy and performance.
Manual transmission R50's with your other preferred equipment choices will be harder to find with the VQ35DE, since that combo was not as popular.

Transfer cases for R50's were either the part-time lever-operated TX10A case with a 2.02:1 low range, or the dashboard dial-operated "all-mode" transfer case which has 4 modes: 2WD, AWD, 4H, 4L and a 2.569:1 low range.

Typical MPG will likely be approx 16/19 on a used, unmodified R50 with a MT, no matter the engine size. I have a heavily modded 4WD R50 (3.3L/AT) and I get only 15mpg highway.

Final drive gearing varies between 4.363:1 and 4.636:1, with later models with the VQ35 using only 4.363:1. Due to the front diff R/P gears being reverse-cut, no other gear ratios from other Nissan diffs are available. A gear swap is a desirable modification if running oversized tires.

3.3l engines are prone to get exhaust manifold leaks, but are otherwise very reliable.

3.5l engines are prone to have "power valve screws" loosen and fall into the engine: More info here

R50 is a unibody chassis. Therefore, no body lift is possible. Suspension is front McPherson strut, rear is a 5-link coil-sprung solid axle.

All R50's can exhibit what owners refer to as the "death wobble" which is caused when the bushings on the rear trailing links (esp the lower links) wear out, allowing excessive forward/backward movement of the rear axle. This is more common on 96-99 models.

Unibody stiffness is very good. In rust-prone areas of the country, the front strut towers are known to rot and separate from the chassis. Nissan issued a recall for this problem, which involved reinforcing the strut tower if repairable, or buying back the vehicle if unrepairable. More info here. (My California-native '97 R50 with 188K miles has never had this problem.)

You can also visit nissanpathfinders.net and browse the R50 forum there for more research.

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Thanks for the info! Question about the 4wd systems: Were they linked to the transmission? IOW did the manual transmission get the manual shift T-case and the automatic get the pushbutton? Or did it come with a specific option package?
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I have to admit I like the look of the 2000.5 "facelift" more than the older "small nose" version but that's a pretty minor quibble. I've seen more than a few for sale locally with manual transmissions in the $3000 - $4500 range with ~150k on them.
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I'm presuming the engine has a T-belt that needs to be changed out around 100k?

 

[XPLORx4]

The 3.3l has a timing belt with a 105K change interval. The VQ35DE has a chain.

The transmission and transfer cases are independently configured. You can find MT and AT models with both the all-mode and the part-time transfer cases, but certain combinations are much harder to come by. Most later model R50s will have the electrically activated AWD transfer case.

 

[XPLORx4]

BTW, there's really not a big disadvantage to one t-case or the other. The front wheels are always connected to the front drivetrain, since the R50 doesn't have disengaging hubs (whether auto or manual). If you want to disengage the hubs to reduce rotating mass, you have to install aftermarket parts (such as Warn manual hubs).

Also, the manual lever-operated TX10 transfer case can be modified to accept 3.7 or 3.9 low-range gears for a substantial improvement in low-speed 4WD performance. The all-mode t-case is not upgradeable.

 

[broncobowsher]

The 3.5 was a mid year change. Exhaust straight out the back instead of turning out the side is a quick way to tell.
Also look at the sister version, the QX4. Don't think that has a stick option nor manual transfer case.
Front hubs from a 1st gen Frontier or Xterra (stock or aftermarket) can be adapted. Can't do the auto hubs with all wheel drive (systems integration issue, auto slapping the front into gear at speed is nasty).
Rear axle is H233B, good unit. I think it can be regeared with 1st gen Frontier gears.
Some (very few actually) '96 2WD Pathfinders are equipped with a transfer case but no shifter not front differential.
Most anything else will be simple vehicle aging issues since the newest one is now over a dozen years old.

 

[Martinjmpr]

OK, so let me throw this out there: In terms of overall build quality is there much difference between the R50 and the 1st gen Xterra? The reason I ask is that both are available with MTs and both seem to be at relatively similar price points (in the $3000 - $5000 range) with 150k or so miles on them.

 

[XPLORx4]

IMO, the R50 and Xterra (WD22) have about the same build quality. If anything, the R50 has probably a little better fit and finish. The biggest differentiator between the R50 and WD22 should not be build quality, since they are completely different SUV implementations. You should test drive each one and decide based on how each one feels and what features each one has. The R50 is a semi luxo-ute, while the WD22 is the "rugged" no-frills just-yer-basics 4WD. The R50 drives much better and is more comfortable than the X, but the WD22 has far more aftermarket support than the R50.

 

[iin10ded]

I'm looking for a mid-sized, budget suv and landing on an r50 (at least that's the flavor of the week.. =). Wanted to add a little detail that the QX4 uses a substantially different awd system than the pathfinder. it uses the ATESSA ETS system adapted from the r32 and r33 skyline gtr. Pretty slick. For what will be a very light fire road / ski trip car that's ideal, IMO. Also i believe the infiniti fx 35 and 45 use an atessa based awd system.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATTESA

 

[XPLORx4]

Some later model R50 Pathfinders (from about 01 and up) use the same AWD system as the QX4. Any R50 that does not have the lever-operated TX10 transfer case is using the Atessa system (TX14A transfer case).

The TX10 is a part-time transfer case with a low range of 2.02:1. Here's a link to photos of its guts: click me.

The TX14A is a full-time transfer case with lockable diff and a low range of 2.569:1. It uses planetary gears to reduce the ratio, and is much more complicated than the TX10 part-time case. Here's a link to a diagram of the gearset: click me

 

[Martinjmpr]

So I am still seeing a lot of Pathys for sale in the 150k - 200k mile range. Assming a MT Pathy, are there any things to look for that are likely to be wearing out around this time?
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I understand the 3.5 motor has a timing chain, so there should be no belt needed, a 3.3 would likely be on its 2nd T-belt by this time and ready for the 3rd, right? What about water pump/fuel pump?
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On a 4runner, I'd be looking at ball joints, is this a concern on the Pathfinders? I understand they have a McPherson strut front suspension, is that right?
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Any other red flags or things to watch for?

 

[rgallant]

I can not speak to your area but I have an early 97 manual transmission, 275000 Km. It has no significant issues, other than a transmission replacement -1st gear went. Given I bought it used and there were some metal bits in there when I had all the fluids changed it may have been previous damage. There were some pretty mickey mouses repair done in that area, that my mechanic found when he did my clutch. It took 3 years to fail with significant offroad time so to me at least not really an issue.

The rear trailing arms are your biggest issue, the lowers in particular seem to fail after a couple of years, I replaced the lower bushings with poly and have not had an issue since.

I average 5000-7000K offroad a year on old forest service roads etc, it has been a very serviceable truck and has gotten me to and from every time even with only 4 gears.

Loaded to the gills or empty I get 400 to 440 KM to a tank of gas it rarely varies but I don't do much hwy.

 

[bushnut]

your are right about the Mac strut suspension. it makes it a PITA to modify for aggressive off road. but on road/gravel/ forest road the ride quality is great. It is also fairly easy to service yourself. I just replaced both struts, ball joints and 1 lower control arm. On my front lawn with no power tools. when replacing the struts I would recommend Old Man Emu or Munro. KYB seems to be a fairly popular brand but I have had to replace 3 of them now.

Rust is going to be your biggest enemy. I fight a constant battle with it. however I do live in the great white north were we salt the roads 6 months /year.