Below is a no start condition guide for the Nissan Xterra. There are a couple very common issues with these vehicles, and I wanted to get a quick guide out there for people who have not delt with it before. This chart will grow with time and contributions from the Xterra community.
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Common Nissan Codes
Below is a list of common Nissan codes and any corresponding Ry The Car Guy videos that attempt to address the issue. This is an active list and will be updated based on codes I address on my vehicles and create videos on.
| Code | Description | Video |
|---|---|---|
| P1111 | Intake Valve Timing Control Solenoid Valve Circuit Bank 1 | Video |
| P1136 | Intake Valve Timing Control Solenoid Valve Circuit Bank 2 | Video |
| P0335 | Crankshaft Position Sensor “A” Circuit Malfunction | Video |
| P0340 | Camshaft Position Sensor “A” Circuit Malfunction | Video |
| P0345 | Camshaft Position Sensor “B” Circuit Malfunction | Video |
| P0448 | Evaporative Emission Control System Vent Control Circuit Close | Video |
| P0462 | Fuel Level Sensor Circuit Low Input | Video |
| P0463 | Fuel Level Sensor Circuit High Input | Video |
New Truck Window Sticker and Tech Specs
Hey guys, this is a companion article to the video recently posted on RTCG 2 about my new (to me) 2020 RAM 2500. I state in the video that I will post a readable version of my window sticker and post so specs. So here they are. Also, if you are somehow here without seeing the video. I have it posted below for you.
Performance
| Horsepower | 370 @ 2800 RPM |
|---|---|
| Torque | 850 @ 1700 rpm |
| Engine | 6-Cyl, Turbo Diesel, 6.7 Liter |
| Drivetrain | 4WD |
| Transmission | 6-Speed Automatic (68Rfe) |
Tech Specs
| Fuel Capacity | 31.0 gallons |
|---|---|
| Front Head Room | 40.9 inches |
| Front Leg Room | 40.9 inches |
| Max Seating Capacity | 5 |
| Minimum Ground Clearance | 13.1 inches |
| Overall Length | 238.8 inches |
| Front Shoulder Room | 65.9 inches |
| Towing Capacity, Maximum | 14410 pounds |
| Wheel Base | 149.0 inches |
| Width with mirrors | 83.5 inches |
| Payload | 3380 pounds |
| Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) | 10000 pounds |
| Bed Length | 6.33 feet |
Nissan Titan Rebuild Cost Breakdown
Hey guys, as promised I wanted to get this cost break down out to you so you can see exactly what I spent rebuilding my VK 56. Here is a quick guide/tips on using the spread sheet.
- Not everything on this list is required – I bought some items I could have lived without and I brough items that you might think is a waste. Conversely, I may have bought items that I consider optional that you might consider required. I used Column H to mark items that I considered optional/required
- I broke it out by phase – Phase 1 was engine removal, phase 2 was the rebuild, and phase 3 was engine reinstall and first start/break in.
- I did not buy all of these items for the rebuild. I already had a lot of it. I used the “new to me” column to determine my cost. You can do the same. You can put a capital X in each row that’s new to you and see an estimated cost to the far right.
- The far right side – Scroll to the right and you will see the cost break down by type of item (Tools, consumables, and parts) as well as a total cost.
Titan Rebuild Torque Specs
This article is a supplemental document to the video listed below.
The below is in two sections first is an alphabetical list of all the torque specs I could find pertaining to the engine install. Second is a list of diagrams for the items that require a particular toque sequence. I recommend using the search function of your browser to quickly find what you are looking for. Reach out if I missed anything.
* All specs are in foot pounds unless otherwise noted.
| Part | Torque (ft-lbs) |
| Air Conditioning Pump (cross pattern) | 45 |
| Alternator to lower bracket | 16 |
| Alternator to upper bracket | 48 |
| Cowl Mounts | 51 |
| Engine Mounting Bracket to Block | 65 |
| Exhaust Manifold | 251 |
| Exhaust Manifold Heat Shields | 51 in-lbs |
| Front Cross Member | 96 |
| Front Drive Shafts (line up paint makers) | 54 |
| Front Final Drive (Differential) | 135 |
| Front Final Drive (Differential) Skid Plate | 73 in-lbs |
| Front Propeller Shaft (Drive Shaft) (line up paint makers) | 44 |
| Hood | 9 |
| Intake Manifolds | 73 in-lbs |
| Power Steering Pump | 48 |
| Radiator Drain Plug | 11 in-lbs |
| Radiator Fan Clutch to Pulley | 78 in-lbs |
| Radiator Fan Pulley Bracket | 33 on the nuts 31 on bolts |
| Radiator Fan Shroud | 37 in-lbs |
| Radiator Top Studs | 37 in-lbs |
| Rear Propeller Shaft (Drive Shaft) | 70 |
| Starter Mounting Bolts | 34 |
| Starter Terminal Nut | 8 |
| Throttle Body (cross pattern) | 74 |
| Torque Converter to Drive Plate | 38 |
| Transmission Cooler Lines to Transmission | 36 |
| Transmission Crossmember to Frame | 74 |
| Transmission Crossmember to Trans Mount | 65 |
| Transmission Shift Control Nut | 11 |
| Transmission to Engine | 83 |
| Wiper Arms | 17 |
| Wiper Motor Mounts | 42 in-lbs |
1 – Do not reuse
Transmission to Engine Bolt Pattern
Exhaust Manifold Bolt Patter
Intake Manifold Bolt Pattern
Custom Subwoofer Box for the Xterra
A long long time ago in a city far far away I made a box for a subwoofer that fit perfectly in my Xterra. I didn’t make a video on it because I was not at the point in my YT career that I was making a video on everything that I do to my Xterra. However, since I made it, I have gotten the occasional “how did you build that box?” comment in videos where you can see it. That led me to make a quick video describing how I did it (which can be found below). In order to make very clear how I accomplished this I also took measurements and drew out all the dimensions on a guide. Below you will see the image I created along with a link where you can download a printable PDF version.
Click here to download the PDF
Replacing The Lower Control Arm. Titan/Armada/Xterra/Etc
This job had a lot of steps but as long you pay stick with it is really just a bolt on job. There is really not much to write up so below you will find the specs for the parts of the vehicle that are touched during this job. This page is broken up into two parts. The Titan/Armada/QX56 first, then below that the Xterra/Frontier specs. Scroll to the very bottom to quickly access the video. Thanks for stopping by!
Titan/Armada/QX56 Specs
Axel
Suspension
HUB
Xterra/Frontier
Upper and lower Control Arms
Nissan Truck/SUV Hub Replacement Torque Specs
To be honest this job was really straight forward. There is really not much to write up so below you will find the specs for the parts of the vechiles that are touched during this job. This page is broken up into two parts. The Titan/Armada/QX56 first, then below that the Xterra/Frontier specs. Scroll to the very bottom to quickly access the video. Thanks for stopping by!
Titan/Armada/QX56 Specs
Brakes
Axel
Suspension
HUB
Xterra/Frontier
Brakes
Suspension
Hub
How to Replace the Clutch in your Nissan Xterra/Frontier/Pathfinder
As I stated in my video I wanted to get this post out as supplemental resource for anyone that is doing this job. It is meant to supplement the video and not replace it. If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to me.
This is just for the clutch portion of the job. If you want to see the post about removing the transmission please click here.
I will assume in this article that you want to replace everything that is reasonably accessible when removing the transmission. This would be the following items:
- Rear main seal
- Pilot bushing
- Flywheel
- Clutch
- Clutch Cover
- Throw-out/Release bearing
Lets start with the big stuff. Replacing the flywheel, clutch, and clutch cover is rather simple. You need to unbolt all the stuff and then bolt it back on. Really, its that easy. The only items to keep in mind are some of the tools you will need to do the job, the timed flywheel, and making damn sure to not get your clutch contaminated with grease/oil. As far as the tools are concerned you will of course need your standard array of automotive tools in addition to a few “specialty” or uncommon tools. First off you should pick up a flywheel turner. This allows you to hold the flywheel in place when taking off or installing bolts. Additionally you will need a TP55. This is a Torx Plus 55. IT IS DIFFERENT FORM A T55 AND YOU SHOULD NOT USE A T55. This will be used to remove and install the flywheel bolts. next are a three jaw puller and bearing presses to replace the release bearing. If you do not plan to use these a lot you rent these from auto parts stores. You can also find all these these tools on amazon using the links below (affiliate links). Lastly you need some sort of tool to install the rear main seal. The Nissan tool is like $120 so I went to the hardware store and got a 3″ PVC adapter and and cleanout drain cap to create my own press, 7 bucks total.
TP55 Bit: https://amzn.to/3u5AgEU
Flywheel Turner/Holder: https://amzn.to/3rCN0RQ
3 Jaw puller: https://amzn.to/31KqPyk
Bearing press: https://amzn.to/39ByymY
When re/installing the flywheel you need to be damn sure you are putting it on correctly. The crank position sensor uses the ring on the rear of the flywheel to see what position the crank is in (stupid, I know). However they do provide you a notch in the front of the flywheel that needs to be aligned with the dowel on the crank. See below.
The manual did not indicate a particular patter in which the bolts should be installed so I just went with a standard star patterns and dabbed the bolts with some Loctite to keep them nice and snug. torque those down to 65ft-lb (88N.m/9kg-m).
The clutch cover/Pressure plate is a different story. This needs to be bolted down in the correct pattern. I also bought new bolts (manual does not say to) for this part of the job since they are on the small side and have lock washers. When you are ready carefully insert the clutch using the clutch alignment tool (should come with your clutch kit). Align the dowels and press it on to hold it there. When you are ready tighten the bolts in two phases and in the following patterns.
Once you have those worked out you need to get the the rest of the vehicle put back together.
For the most part its as simple as bolting everything back up and driving off into the sunset. I will just go through some tips I learned as I went through the process.
Mounting the transmission
Right off the bat I want to say you should really have a second person for this. I tried like hell to get this thing to meet up on my own and I could not do it. Once I had a second person I had the thing slide in place in under 5 minutes. You need to have someone on the back of the jack controlling the height of the rear of the transmission. This allows you to be up front guiding the input shaft through the clutch and tell the person in the rear to go up or down to line it all up. Once you get it to meet up with the engine torque the mount bolts down to 55ft-lb. There are 10 in total.
Refilling the transmission
Once you get the transmission mounted back up you will need to refill it with fluid. You cannot throw any old tranny fluid in there. You need have a specific fluid. Below is what the Manual says you will need:
Genuine Nissan MTF (manual transmission fluid) HQ multi 75w-85 or API GL-4, viscosity of SAE 75w-85 or 75w-90
2WD will take 4 and 1/4 quarts and 4WD will take 4 and 3/8 quarts. Tighten the fill and drain plugs down to 25ft-lb
Exhaust install
Nothing really to say here, just line up the studs on both sides of the exhaust pipes and tighten them to spec. You should replace any gaskets that you remove. Dont forget to plug your O2 sensors back in and install both sides loosely before tightening it all down. Once you get the exhaust put back together make sure that you dont over torque the heat shield bolts. They go down to only 51 in-lbs.
Installing the rear cross member
Just getting this out what a huge pain. When you are reinstalling it make sure you clean the surface of the cross member that slides into the frame mount as well as clean the surface of the mounts themselves. I used a scour pad to take off any flake rust and smooth it over as well as I can. I also used chassis lube to make inserting it a little easier. I put it back into the X one side at a time. I lined up the bolt holes and had a friend hammer it up into place until the hole was aligned. He then slide the bolt in and then I used a combination of a hammer and a floor jack to get the other side in. Torque all bolts/nuts (8 in total) down to 74 ft-lb
INSTALLING THE starter
Nothing special here. Just slap it back in and make sure to not over torque the nut on the post. Don’t want to damage the starter.
As far as the rest is concerned just bolt it back together and have fun! If you want to watch the video for this process you can find it below. Thanks for reading!
How to Remove Your Transmission from Your Nissan Xterra/Frontier/Pathfinder
As I stated in my video I wanted to get this post out as supplemental resource for anyone that is doing this job. This article will be broken out into a couple sections. First the steps, then the details of the job.
Here are the complete steps for removal:
- Drain transmission fluid.
- Disconnect the battery cable from the negative terminal.
- Remove the shift lever assembly.
- Remove front wheel well protectors.
- Remove the crankshaft position sensor.
- Remove the undercovers using power tool.
- Remove the front crossmember using power tool.
- Remove the starter motor.
- Remove the rear drive shaft. (also remove the front shaft if 4WD)
- Remove the left and right front exhaust tubes.
- Remove the clutch operating cylinder from the transmission.
- Support the transmission using a suitable jack.
- Remove the nuts securing the insulator to the crossmember.
- Remove the crossmember using power tool.
- Tilt the transmission slightly to gain clearance between the body and the transmission, then disconnect the air breather hoses.
- Disconnect the following:
Back-up lamp switch connector
Park/neutral position (PNP) switch connector
If you have a 4WD you need to also remove the following:
ATP switch connector
Neutral 4LO switch connector
Wait detection switch connector
Transfer control device connector - Remove the wiring harness from the retainers.
- Remove the transmission to engine bolts using power tool.
- Separate the transmission from the engine and remove it from the vehicle.
Removing and Replacing the Transmission to engine bolts
Below are the locations of all of the transmission to engine bolts that must be removed before removing the transmission. When reinstalling you will want to tighten the bolts down to 55ft-lb (7.7 kg-m / 75Nm)
Removing and replacing the rear cross member
This was a huge pain in the ass. Removing the bolts was easy but this thing was really stuck in there!! See below for the diagram and torque specs for the cross member.