Skip to content
KickTyres
CriticalVery commonEngine

Nissan Pathfinder: YD25 2.5 diesel timing chain wear and failure — the notorious one (R51)

YD25 2.5 diesel timing chain wear and failure — the notorious one (R51) is a very common engine fault on the Nissan Pathfinder on the 2005–2013 cars, and we rate it critical. Putting it right costs $2,500 to $9,000 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. Below is what goes wrong, the symptoms to notice on a test drive, where to look, and what to ask the seller before you hand over any money. It is one of 36 documented faults on the Nissan Pathfinder.

Vehicle
Nissan Pathfinder
Engine
YD25
Years
2005–2013
Fuel
diesel
System
Engine

This page covers the Nissan Pathfinder as a model. Some faults only affect particular engines or build years — enter a plate below to narrow the list to one car.

All Nissan Pathfinder faults36 documented faults on this model

What you are looking at

The front of a dual overhead camshaft engine with the timing cover removed, exposing the timing chain and sprockets.Example of the part — not this vehicle

The front of a twin-cam engine with the timing cover off — chain, sprockets and guides.

Logansenf · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

What goes wrong

The R51 Pathfinder's YD25DDTi 2.5 turbo-diesel is infamous in NZ/AU for timing chain problems. The fuel pump drive chain is a weak single-row design whose plastic guide faces wear through, and failures have been recorded from as low as 70,000 km; if a chain lets go it destroys the engine. Specialists sell upgraded duplex conversion kits and the accepted wisdom is to inspect or replace the chains around every 100,000 km as preventative maintenance. A car with no evidence of chain work is a car with this job pending.

What you would notice

  • Rattle from the front of the engine on cold start that fades as oil pressure builds
  • Rattle when hot at idle
  • Diesel knock that has become louder over time
  • Metal flakes in the oil or on the filler cap

How to check it

Where to look. Timing chains behind the front cover of the engine, radiator end of the bay

Cold-start the engine yourself and listen at the front of the engine for a rattle in the first seconds; also listen when fully hot at idle. Ask specifically for invoices showing a timing chain kit (ideally a duplex conversion) — this is the single most important piece of paperwork on a diesel R51. Budget the full job into your offer if there is no proof.

Parts involved: Timing chain.

What it costs to put right

$2,500 to $9,000 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That is for this job on its own, not for the car.

An estimate, in NZD, for the repair as normally carried out. What a specific car costs depends on which part has failed and what it damaged on the way — treat this as the floor for a negotiation, not a quote.

Ask the seller

  • “Have the timing chains been replaced, and with which kit?”
  • “At what mileage was the chain work done?”
  • “Does it rattle on cold start?”

Now check the Nissan Pathfinder you are actually looking at

Everything above is true of the model, and it is free. What it does not tell you is whether THIS car has been looked after: its odometer history and whether the reading has ever gone backwards, whether there is still money owing on it, whether it has been reported stolen, how many owners it has had and what it is really worth today. That comes from the official records for that plate. Enter the plate for the free details, or get the full history and a market valuation from $13.49.

Not sure what you would be paying for? See what a full KickTyres check includes.

Where this comes from

The failure described above is documented in the sources below. The inspection instructions and the cost estimate are KickTyres’ own interpretation of them.

  • yd25.com.au 'Nissan's YD25 Single Row Timing Chain Failures'
  • navaraforum.com 'D22 D40 R51 Navara Pathfinder YD25 Timing Chain conversion kit'
  • nissan-navara.net 'Timing chain info and how to inspect it'
  • nissanownersclub.com 'Nissan Pathfinder YD25 start up rattle'

Nissan Pathfinder buyer questions

Is yd25 2.5 diesel timing chain wear and failure — the notorious one (r51) serious on a Nissan Pathfinder?

We rate it critical and very common on the Nissan Pathfinder. The R51 Pathfinder's YD25DDTi 2.5 turbo-diesel is infamous in NZ/AU for timing chain problems. The fuel pump drive chain is a weak single-row design whose plastic guide faces wear through, and failures have been recorded from as low as 70,000 km; if a chain lets go it destroys the engine. Specialists sell upgraded duplex conversion kits and the accepted wisdom is to inspect or replace the chains around every 100,000 km as preventative maintenance. A car with no evidence of chain work is a car with this job pending.

How much does it cost to fix on a Nissan Pathfinder?

$2,500 to $9,000 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That figure is for this job on its own. A car showing the symptoms on this page is usually worth either walking away from or negotiating down by at least the repair figure.

Which Nissan Pathfinder years are affected?

Our research records this fault on the 2005–2013 Nissan Pathfinder. Build dates move around, especially on imported cars, so treat the range as the years to look hardest at rather than a guarantee either way. The official records tell you the exact build and first registration date for the car in front of you.

How do I check for it before I buy?

Cold-start the engine yourself and listen at the front of the engine for a rattle in the first seconds; also listen when fully hot at idle. Ask specifically for invoices showing a timing chain kit (ideally a duplex conversion) — this is the single most important piece of paperwork on a diesel R51. Budget the full job into your offer if there is no proof. Look here: Timing chains behind the front cover of the engine, radiator end of the bay