Hi from Tullamarine

[AndyM]

Hello everyone,
I have a 2012 Pathfinder Ti 550 V9X, not a Navvy but DNA very close Purchased in 2017 with 108K on the clock and has now done 202K. Was spewing oil out of the intercooler when I got it and replaced it with an alloy unit. Oil and filter changed every 7k to keep the internals running smooth, occasional EGR code 0488 comes up two or three times a year and I can normally clear it. Other than this, it has been a solid rig. Started to notice a couple of months back that when going up a hill, I needed to put the foot down a bit further, thought it was just me being a bit light footed but on the weekend just gone, it has lost power to the point it is dangerous to pull out into traffic. I can lightly squeeze the pedal and can crawl along to get up to speed. Plant the foot and nothing happens. Read a lot of posts on the forum and it sounded like the EGR was at fault, no black trail of smoke however. So I removed most of the bolt on bits to get to the EGR, and with the EGR corrugated tube removed found that I have the blanking plate fitted with an 8mm hole which was almost fully blocked. So cleaned this up and is looking ok. Tested the EGR by removing the wired connector and applying 12V to pins 6 and 2 of the EGR. Heard the solenoid but no movement of the valve. Reversed the polarity and again no movement, so it is jammed closed I suspect without taking it out to check. This is as far as I've got and not sure where to go next, maybe vacuum pump or turbo actuator.
Any help greatly appreciated to get my second love of my life back on the road again.
Thanks,
Andy

 

[Old.Tony]

Welcome to the forum.

Sounds like a limp mode induced by something. That could be:

EGR fault. Some models had flow sensors (yours probably did, hence the hole in the blanking plate). The fault could be in the flow, it could be in the valve opening/closing. There should be an error code in the ECU if it's inhibiting the engine's operation if it's EGR related (usually an EGR fault also lights the Check Engine Light).

Turbocharger fault. Several possibilities here, from control (vacuum leak, boost solenoid or actuator circuit bad) to a failed turbo. Monitoring the boost levels would provide some answers here, but you could pop the hose that goes from the turbo to the intercooler and check the inside of the hose for metallic particles. I just wipe my finger on the inside then look at my finger on a really bright light to see if it glitters. This would indicate a bearing wear issue in the turbo.

On the YD25s, the Suction Control Valve (it's part of the fuel pump) is problematic and causes a false limp mode, often triggered by hard acceleration. The V9X engine has a different fuel pump, but may still have an SCV. Sometimes, a tank of fuel containing a bottle of injector cleaner can reduce the symptoms, or fix them altogether - but it might still be worth considering replacing the SCV at some point even if the injector cleaner fixes it, because once they're dirty, there may be minute damage that will cause the problem to resurface sooner than later.

I think trying to get any codes from the ECU would be a good start. Any mechanic's workshop would be able to pull the codes without trouble, but you could do it yourself with either a pedal dance and counting flashes (tedious!) or putting a bluetooth OBD-II adapter on the OBD port and using an Android app like Torque to query the ECU directly.

 

[AndyM]

Hi Old.Tony,
I’ve been following a lot of your responses spread across the forum, you must have a lot of time and an understanding other half.
Thanks for your tips, I do have a OBD-ll reader and it is coming up with code 0488 and 1525. Maybe I have read the info incorrectly on the forum, I thought if the EGR valve is jammed closed, the cheap fix was to install the blanking plate. My EGR valve doesn’t move as I put 12v on pins 6 & 2, no movement of the valve, and reverse polarity still no movement.
Should the EGR still be working correctly with the blanking plate?
Cheers
Andy
Car Scanner ELM OBD2
DTC report
Selected brand: Nissan

============1==============
P0488
Raw code: 0488
ECU: Engine control unit
Status: Confirmed
OBDII: Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system, throttle position control - range/performance problem

============2==============
P0488
Raw code: 0488
ECU: Engine control unit
Status: Validated and stored in non volatile memory, Validated fault present at time of request
OBDII: Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system, throttle position control - range/performance problem

============3==============
P1525
Raw code: 1525
ECU: Engine control unit
Status: Validated and stored in non volatile memory, Validated fault present at time of request
OBDII: Air Bypass Valve System
Nissan: Air Bypass Valve System

 

[Old.Tony]

The information for P0488 is correct, and it's usually the EGR valve that gets replaced when this happens. I'm not sure if cleaning it would fix the problem, but that's what I'd try first.

However, the Nissan workshop manual for the V9X shows me that P1525 is for the ASCD (cruise control) system. This error only means that the cruise control is not available because of the other error present, and fixing the other error will remove this one.

P1525 ASCD SYSTEM
DTC Logic INFOID:0000000006466625
DTC DETECTION LOGIC
NOTE:
DTC P1525 is displayed with another DTC.
Perform the trouble diagnosis for the corresponding DTC.
Diagnosis Procedure INFOID:0000000006466626
DTC P1525 is displayed with another DTC.
Perform the trouble diagnosis for the corresponding DTC. Refer to EC-1288, "DTC Index".

 

[AndyM]

The information for P0488 is correct, and it's usually the EGR valve that gets replaced when this happens. I'm not sure if cleaning it would fix the problem, but that's what I'd try first.

However, the Nissan workshop manual for the V9X shows me that P1525 is for the ASCD (cruise control) system. This error only means that the cruise control is not available because of the other error present, and fixing the other error will remove this one.

P1525 ASCD SYSTEM
DTC Logic INFOID:0000000006466625
DTC DETECTION LOGIC
NOTE:
DTC P1525 is displayed with another DTC.
Perform the trouble diagnosis for the corresponding DTC.
Diagnosis Procedure INFOID:0000000006466626
DTC P1525 is displayed with another DTC.
Perform the trouble diagnosis for the corresponding DTC. Refer to EC-1288, "DTC Index".

 

[AndyM]

Thanks Old.Tony, I’ve purchased a new EGR valve and will install this week. I’ll let you know how things go.
Cheers
Andy

 

[AndyM]

Hi Old.Tony,
I finally got around to changing the EGR valve after the first one received in the mail had some damage and thanks to the guys at Auto Parts Supply on the Gold Coast, they replaced it without fuss. Took me about 4 hours all up to remove and install the new one, Took it out for a drive and pushing the pedal down throws you back in the seat, just like before. Put the OBD scanner on and no faults are read, so I’m very happy my problem is solved.
Thanks for your help in diagnosing my problem and pointing me in the right direction.
Cheers
Andy

 

[Sheddie]

Hi Old.Tony,
I finally got around to changing the EGR valve after the first one received in the mail had some damage and thanks to the guys at Auto Parts Supply on the Gold Coast, they replaced it without fuss. Took me about 4 hours all up to remove and install the new one, Took it out for a drive and pushing the pedal down throws you back in the seat, just like before. Put the OBD scanner on and no faults are read, so I’m very happy my problem is solved.
Thanks for your help in diagnosing my problem and pointing me in the right direction.
Cheers
Andy

Hey Andy, did you come up against any major problems replacing the EGR valve? My V9X throws the code every few days and is a little slow off the line now too, with a bit of black make out the back. If you have any advice,I'd appreciate that. Cheers.

 

[AndyM]

Hey Andy, did you come up against any major problems replacing the EGR valve? My V9X throws the code every few days and is a little slow off the line now too, with a bit of black make out the back. If you have any advice,I'd appreciate that. Cheers.

Hi Sheddie,
No didn’t encounter any major problems, just make sure you have a thin ratchet ring spanner to remove the bolts and take plenty of photos as you go along. Place any removed bolts etc in a zip bag and label the bag from where they come from. Test your EGR valve first by applying voltage on it as I did. If you can’t hear the solenoid or see it move, the valve is stuffed.
Cheers,
Andy

 

[Sheddie]

Hi Sheddie,
No didn’t encounter any major problems, just make sure you have a thin ratchet ring spanner to remove the bolts and take plenty of photos as you go along. Place any removed bolts etc in a zip bag and label the bag from where they come from. Test your EGR valve first by applying voltage on it as I did. If you can’t hear the solenoid or see it move, the valve is stuffed.
Cheers,
Andy

Awesome, thank for the advice. I'll give it a go as I've got a spare car for a few days at the moment. Cheers mate. Report to follow if it helps anyone else

 

[Sheddie]

Well, here's the follow up. It turns out that the EGR is covered by the after-market warranty that I took out when purchasing the car, and thank goodness I did. I took it to a Nissan dealer who wanted to charge me fault diagnosis time to get to the problem, with no estimate of time to get a result.... All at $170/Hr. Even if it came down to the EGR (P0488 code) they would charge the fee. So I took it back to the Mazda dealer I bought it from, (who also sold me the warranty, $1800/3 years, up to 200,000kms) and they did the fault finding as part of the warranty process. Anyway, they confirmed the EGR fault, with the unit to be replaced. Here's the kicker....... they insist it's an engine out/in job, minimum 13 hours for that, plus the time to replace the EGR and the cost of the EGR, all up close to $3000. I'm very happy that the whole cost is covered by the warranty, but not very happy that they are taking the engine out to do it. The whole unit is completely leak free, not a drop of fluid can be seen anywhere, so I'm now worried that they end up 'inducing' another issue.
Apart from that, there's a month wait for a gasket to come from Japan...... WTF !!

I've asked them to look at doing it in-situ and pointed them to Youtube to see vids of it being done in 3-4 hours by DIYers..... No joy. Their argument is that if Nissan say that engine out is the quickest way to do it, then that's the way they'll do it. Agggghhhhh.

I'll let you know what happens.

 

[AndyM]

Hi Sheddie,
When I purchased my Pathy private sale, I took it to Essendon Fields Nissan for a service. One of the things they asked me is if I wanted the EGR cleaned. When I asked about how this was done, he said they used to have to remove the engine but had found a way with a modified spanner to do it. I said ok, however the EGR started throwing codes after about 3 months and was abled to be cleared each time for 2 years until it seized up and failed completely. I also searched the web and found 2 videos on guys removing them so went ahead and did my own. The engine does not have to be removed to replace the EGR and is straight forward once the plumbing is removed.
Cheers

 

[Sheddie]

Thanks Andy M, much appreciated.
On a side note, does anyone know if the auto transmission oil is dropped when they take the engine out for this EGR replacement or is it completely separate?
Cheers.