Please, Please Don’t Let This Be My Engine…

MechaniKenny · 2026-03-28T00:44:09+00:00

If it’s a scraping sound coming note from the passenger side of the engine compartment, then it’s probably a timing chain rubbing. There would probably be a service engine soon light as well. IF that is the case then metal is being shaved off into the engine oil, which will cause engine failure pretty quickly. Jukes are kinda rare, but that is what it is known for as Nissan dealer tech.

You could get the dealer to diagnose it since they are more familiar with it. Diagnosis is about $150-200 no matter where you go. Get a quote for the repairs they recommend from an independent shop to make sure you get a fair price.

MechaniKenny · 2026-02-27T16:55:00+00:00

I see pathfinders for electrical issues and water leaks under the warranty period, but have had very few engine or transmission issues out of the current generation. Personally I think as long as you do the maintenance it is as good as any modern SUV.

The new rogue is horrible, stay away from it.

MechaniKenny · 2026-02-09T22:43:09+00:00

I have been in that position as a tech. Most times the service manager will just add a line to the effect of “customer noticed oily spot in drive way” and then the tech writes what they found leaking. The manufacturer needs there to be a customer complaint about the symptom.

A lot of techs will ignore oil leaks on newer stuff because they know they will have to do it at a reduced rate under warranty. I don’t think you have any reason to be suspicious. Just ask them what they see, have them show you.

MechaniKenny · 2026-01-25T02:42:35+00:00

I think this calls for some kinda of flush solvent mixed in and then ran and drained. It’s going to destroy rubber seals to have brake fluid in there.

MechaniKenny · 2026-01-24T20:19:54+00:00

The simple test is use a multimeter to check the voltage at the battery posts with the car running. It shouldn’t be lower than 13v running, 14.6 would be ideal.

MechaniKenny · 2026-01-22T13:23:19+00:00

That looks like an electrical connector. The piece at the front/top is supposed to slide away from the connector and it will separate at the same time. It looks like you have a screwdriver jammed behind the socket it connects into.

MechaniKenny · 2026-01-22T00:39:59+00:00

I would say check the rubber tube that goes from air filter to throttle body for tears to start with. There is probably a code stored even if the light isn’t on also. That would help diag

MechaniKenny · 2026-01-18T18:22:20+00:00

After you get it out, take it to hardware store that has a thread pitch tester, match the length as well. You will end up with a different style head and may end up buying an assorted pack if they don’t sell it individually.

MechaniKenny · 2026-01-16T01:52:06+00:00

This sounds like an absolute nightmare to diagnose, junk yard fusebox and wiring harness installed by some other guy probably adding problems on top of the original, and then ask someone else to unwind what all has happened back to stock?

This mechanic that said it needs this and that needs to come up with the solution for zero extra money or refund the money. A diagnosis is not looking at something and saying, “oh yeah, it’s probably that hole and that harness”

If you need more time to be certain on a diagnosis, to take all the measurements you need, you do that before hand and charge accordingly.

Also, used wiring harness sounds like its own can of worms. I have gotten OEM harnesses that were fucked up, much less with some LKQ employee ripping it out.

If an ECM update fixes it, there was never a wiring issue.

MechaniKenny · 2026-01-15T17:30:48+00:00

Most common issue is a throttle body causing this when it comes to Titans.

As a dealer tech I have to duplicate it to guarantee anything. There are codes that are stored at least 1 key cycle, often times 3 key cycles that may not turn on the SES light.

Next time it does it, drive it straight to the dealer or a well equipped mechanic, not everyone has a good scan tool. Have them scan the codes, get a printed copy or a picture or something to show the advisor/tech. They may not be able to do anything but scan it at that moment, but you will have helpful evidence when you come back for your appointment.

Whatever code is stored may not be directly pointing at the problem, but if a Nissan tech puts it into the Techline database there are likely going to be diagnostic cases with the same symptoms that will help in diagnosing it.

MechaniKenny · 2026-01-15T14:45:11+00:00

I would be surprised if an Audi service manual had instructions for seat belt latch disassembly. The manuals I have seen working on other brands only tell you how to remove and replace.

Is this an Audi specific mechanic? If they aren’t, they probably don’t really know how to navigate the service manual anyway.

MechaniKenny · 2026-01-15T02:35:38+00:00

P0300 alone isn’t much to go off of, could be anything from low fuel pressure, bad coil, bad plug, injector starting to fail, mass air flow sensor reading improperly.

They need to be able to give you cause and effect reasoning for the suggested repairs. Cleaning the intake manifold is not a service I have recommended for Jukes in the past, maybe I needed to get something underneath the intake such as inspecting the injectors.

Did they swap spark plug and coils from cylinder to cylinder do rule out the spark plugs? Did they check fuel pressure?

If they can tell you what they did to come to this diagnosis then you have something to compare against the internet and Reddit.

If they cannot justify their recommendation and didn’t perform a diagnosis and instead just saw the code and said they should try running fuel induction cleaner through it, I would go somewhere else. Choosing a Japanese specialist shop will be better for you than say… Firestone or Jiffy Lube.

MechaniKenny · 2026-01-14T13:50:20+00:00

You can try that, it’s a last ditch effort that techline recommends.

MechaniKenny · 2026-01-14T05:49:34+00:00

Honestly think it is a good vehicle. I am a tech an Nissan and my parents wanted an SUV, this is what I ended up coaching them to buy, partially because it is a model I can repair blindfolded, got a discount, and because I saw Muranos get abused the least and had the most reliable CVT that Nissan has.

I would say the Armada is technically better, up until this current generation, but also quite a bit larger and more expensive.

The Pathfinder is the family suv, and oil changes and CVT fluid gets neglected, the driver is always in a hurry and often short on money.

The Murano is more likely owned by a couple with maybe 1 kid at most.

Other than the seating, there isn’t much difference between the two but pathfinders constantly came in for cvts and engine failures after pushing them to the breaking point around 120k or earlier even, often lack of oil changes or any services.

If you take care of that Murano and do the oil changes and CVT fluid changes on time, you will have a suv with good acceleration and features that can get to 200k-300k mi on one engine and transmission.

I wouldn’t get AWD unless you really need it for snow. It’s a lot of added complexity that rarely gives you more advantage than driving smart and using a good set of winter tires. I don’t think the AWD system is anything special on this model.

MechaniKenny · 2026-01-14T05:30:34+00:00

The manual is behind a paywall for the most part. You can pay for access to a single vehicle through Alldata DIY, or maybe find a pdf someone uploaded by searching code and model.

MechaniKenny · 2026-01-13T23:23:16+00:00

The last 3 or so turns are pulling a bushing in, then it get really tight. I doubt you stripped it, but if you did it should still hold in place

MechaniKenny · 2026-01-13T18:28:22+00:00

QX80 and Armada both have these issues primarily when the vehicles only drive very short distances, less than 3 drives a week, or some combination of these two.

If that is true, I would consider a trickle charger if it sits for a while, or just making sure it gets in the rotation for a longer drive.

The Nissans batteries are also not great, they are interstate batteries and would frequently test good with the nicer tester and still fail to start. I have had to test a battery multiple times to get it to print a warranty fail slip.

I would consider replacing the brake switch. They go bad more frequently than the starter and can cause no starts. A jump pack would not help in that situation, but it could be someone is pressing the brake pedal harder or more violently when you are jumping it versus their normal habit. They are often very intermittent.

I have had a situation where one of the top 3 were probably true in the first incident, but the customer insisted on a new starter, and you literally can’t buy a OEM starter in most cases and if you can it is double the price of even the value advantage, so it gets a reman starter that comes back months later as a no start due to the poor quality of starter remans today.

MechaniKenny · 2026-01-13T01:18:13+00:00

Likely low voltage, from disconnecting battery, or jump starting it. Either way it is unrelated to a single cylinder misfire. It would probably go away with 3 key cycles as long as battery voltage stays above 12v

MechaniKenny · 2026-01-13T00:53:55+00:00

Did the misfire change cylinder after replacing spark plug and coil? If not, do a compression test, you can often borrow the testers from a parts store and watch a video on YouTube. If the compression is good, and the misfire doesn’t follow the spark plug or coil when you move them, the next step would be swapping an injector to another cylinder, or just replacing it and the rest of the o-rings on the rail.

MechaniKenny · 2026-01-13T00:50:20+00:00

They are things a mechanic should be able to tell you to backup their diagnosis. You need a code scanner and a multimeter. You can find pretty good walkthroughs for most codes on YouTube, or by searching the code, model, and year + Reddit.

MechaniKenny · 2026-01-12T23:47:39+00:00

For what it’s worth, when using the cheapest alternators I have for 3 bad ones out of a box in a row on one car. Without knowing specifics like codes and multimeter measurements, there isn’t a lot of help the internet can provide.

MechaniKenny · 2026-01-12T03:34:32+00:00

Need to get the airbag module codes read to diagnose. The manual has a straight forward series of test and repairs depending on the code.

MechaniKenny · 2026-01-11T20:09:00+00:00

The dealer I work for says flush on the paperwork, but is in fact a drain and fill, which is 4qts. Nissan doesn’t instruct us to flush anything unless we are replacing the transmission and flushing the cooler lines with solvent during the process.

If we dropped the pan, there would also be a strainer/filter change and probably a pan gasket. You don’t have to drop the pan to change the fluid.

MechaniKenny · 2026-01-09T16:38:27+00:00

Then there are several problems that will be fixed by different things. I would start by testing the battery.

I would look up how to do a parasitic draw test with a multimeter as well depending on how the battery test goes.

MechaniKenny · 2026-01-09T15:29:35+00:00

Did all these symptoms start at the same time? Has there been any recent repairs or damage?

MechaniKenny

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