Have 95 Nissan pathfinder with knocking noise from right side of car. Was told it was the lifters. Also have exhaust leak on same side of car. Was wondering how big of a job would these 2 problems be at a mechanics shop and a rough estimate on price? Thank you

I just purchased a 95 Pathfinder about a month ago from a gentleman that thought he had blown the motor due to the knocking sound that was coming from the right side of the motor. Turns out that it was either some really bad gas or some carbon build up. After purchasing I took it out on the interstate and gave it a good run, thinking it'll either blow or go and the knocking stopped all together! I talked to a Nissan mechanic and he advised me that the V6 does not have lifters as it is an overhead cam engine and that the knock sensor ( which BTW is on the right side) will not cause the knocking sound. What you need to be able to distinguish is the sound of the knock. I know that may not make much sense but it the knock is light and fluctuates with the engine RPM's and does not get worse or sound louder, then it is either the exhaust leak that you know of, or possibly some carbon build up or bad gas. If the sound is hard and gets louder with the engine RPM's then you may be looing at an internal engine malfunction such as a rod or main bearing issue. The V6 engine used in that model is one of the best and most durable engines that Nissan produced, so the likely hood of it being a bearing issue is slim to none if the vehicle has been maintained and regular oil changes were a part of that maintenance. I would recommend getting some Seafoam (which you can find at just about any autoparts store for under 10.00 bucks and putting half in the engine and the other half in the tank and just let it run *( If the knocking sound is not a hard knock) It will not hurt the engine and is compatible with all engine oils including synthetic. I would drive it as well. Now, back to the exhaust leak, if the leak is not that bad and the gasket has not deteriorated then it should get quieter as the engine warms up, but if the gasket is gone or deteriorated then the sound or knocking will pretty much remain the same. I have priced the replacement of the exhaust manifold(s) and it runs about 300.00 per side, the right side being the harder of the two. My Pathfinder has 232,000 and like I said, it worked for me. I hope that it will work for you as well and I hope that this information was useful to you. I just purchased a 95 Pathfinder about a month ago from a gentleman that thought he had blown the motor due to the knocking sound that was coming from the right side of the motor. Turns out that it was either some really bad gas or some carbon build up. After purchasing I took it out on the interstate and gave it a good run, thinking it'll either blow or go and the knocking stopped all together! I talked to a Nissan mechanic and he advised me that the V6 does not have lifters as it is an overhead cam engine and that the knock sensor ( which BTW is on the right side) will not cause the knocking sound. What you need to be able to distinguish is the sound of the knock. I know that may not make much sense but it the knock is light and fluctuates with the engine RPM's and does not get worse or sound louder, then it is either the exhaust leak that you know of, or possibly some carbon build up or bad gas. If the sound is hard and gets louder with the engine RPM's then you may be looing at an internal engine malfunction such as a rod or main bearing issue. The V6 engine used in that model is one of the best and most durable engines that Nissan produced, so the likely hood of it being a bearing issue is slim to none if the vehicle has been maintained and regular oil changes were a part of that maintenance. I would recommend getting some Seafoam (which you can find at just about any autoparts store for under 10.00 bucks and putting half in the engine and the other half in the tank and just let it run *( If the knocking sound is not a hard knock) It will not hurt the engine and is compatible with all engine oils including synthetic. I would drive it as well. Now, back to the exhaust leak, if the leak is not that bad and the gasket has not deteriorated then it should get quieter as the engine warms up, but if the gasket is gone or deteriorated then the sound or knocking will pretty much remain the same. I have priced the replacement of the exhaust manifold(s) and it runs about 300.00 per side, the right side being the harder of the two. My Pathfinder has 232,000 and like I said, it worked for me. I hope that it will work for you as well and I hope that this information was useful to you.