TerryD's 2007 Xterra S "Pepper" *NOW WITH TITAN SWAP!*

TerryD

Total Tease
Supporting Member
Location
Covington, Va
We had a good day out. The trail was a little tougher than last go round but I finally got to use my locker!

Try to get some pics up tomorrow once I scavenge them off the wife's phone.
 

TerryD

Total Tease
Supporting Member
Location
Covington, Va
Got my drawers in today. There's a few more changes I want to make but they're a good start.

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I'm thinking I'm going to mount my ARB compressor on the vertical section behind the seat along with possibly an inverter and battery charger for a saw or impact in the future.

I think I'll put my spare parts under the drawer set. Hopefully they'll be needed rarely enough that it won't matter that they take a bit more trouble to get to.

I need to do some more trim out work and I'm thinking of staining it a dark gray. Also maybe adding some LED lights to inside the drawers for finding things at night.
 

General_Tarfun

Sliders
Location
Atlanta, GA
Nice! I was about to ask if you could get to the underfloor storage when I got to the last pic haha. I've always wanted to do one of these but lately I've been camping too much inside the thing for it to work. I know you mentioned staining it but a grey carpet covering might help soften the blow when you accidentally elbow it the first time.
 

TerryD

Total Tease
Supporting Member
Location
Covington, Va
Nice! I was about to ask if you could get to the underfloor storage when I got to the last pic haha. I've always wanted to do one of these but lately I've been camping too much inside the thing for it to work. I know you mentioned staining it but a grey carpet covering might help soften the blow when you accidentally elbow it the first time.
I don't think carpet is what I want. I'm actually trying to come up with a decent looking rubberized surface so things aren't likely to slide when on top of the drawers.

Did a little organizing this morning. Managed to get my spares in the storage space under the drawers. Everything but my alternator. That will be a good spot for them to help keep the weight down in the drawer and won't be inconvenient since I hopefully won't need access to them very often.

I've already found a couple changes to make to them. I need a couple more finger holes for the wing panels and the storage space lid. I'd also like to close off the ends of the side spaces so things don't migrate around as much. But I'm very pleased with them overall.
 

TheCrabby1

I Smell Fishy
Supporting Member
Location
Burtonsville, Md
I don't think carpet is what I want. I'm actually trying to come up with a decent looking rubberized surface so things aren't likely to slide when on top of the drawers.

Did a little organizing this morning. Managed to get my spares in the storage space under the drawers. Everything but my alternator. That will be a good spot for them to help keep the weight down in the drawer and won't be inconvenient since I hopefully won't need access to them very often.

I've already found a couple changes to make to them. I need a couple more finger holes for the wing panels and the storage space lid. I'd also like to close off the ends of the side spaces so things don't migrate around as much. But I'm very pleased with them overall.
Couple Idea's for ya . They make these rubber mat's that go on your boat dashboard so stuff don't slide around [ West Marine or google ] also what about applying that Flex Seal paste that Phil Swift ? advertise's on T V :cool: Ok , that's my two cent's worth !! That look's great TerryD . Instead of stain how about Battle ship grey paint or grey gloss ? it would be easier to keep clean and wipe down then a stain that leave's the pore's open in the wood for dirt to get trapped in , and as you know kid's can just look at stuff and it get's dirty! :confused:
 

TerryD

Total Tease
Supporting Member
Location
Covington, Va
Couple Idea's for ya . They make these rubber mat's that go on your boat dashboard so stuff don't slide around [ West Marine or google ] also what about applying that Flex Seal paste that Phil Swift ? advertise's on T V :cool: Ok , that's my two cent's worth !! That look's great TerryD . Instead of stain how about Battle ship grey paint or grey gloss ? it would be easier to keep clean and wipe down then a stain that leave's the pore's open in the wood for dirt to get trapped in , and as you know kid's can just look at stuff and it get's dirty! :confused:
I had planned on staining them then putting polyurethane on them to seal them. I just think they'll look really nice with a stain to show off the wood grain. Still have a little work to do to the wings. Gonna look more at that Friday I think.
 

jsexton

Need Bigger Tires
Location
Lewis Center, OH
Got my drawers in today. There's a few more changes I want to make but they're a good start.

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I'm thinking I'm going to mount my ARB compressor on the vertical section behind the seat along with possibly an inverter and battery charger for a saw or impact in the future.

I think I'll put my spare parts under the drawer set. Hopefully they'll be needed rarely enough that it won't matter that they take a bit more trouble to get to.

I need to do some more trim out work and I'm thinking of staining it a dark gray. Also maybe adding some LED lights to inside the drawers for finding things at night.

I don't normally like the drawer systems in the back, but I really like this. Especially the slide out flat surfaces for cooking or anything else. Well done.

Just a heads up, the arb air pumps get very hot when running. Not sure I'd want one in an enclosed space, especially if you plan to put other things in there. They fit really nice under the drivers seat. I mounted mine to a piece of plywood just sitting under there (there are nice lips in the floor to keep it from moving. Been rock solid - doesn't move at all even though the wood isn't fastened down at all. Food for thought.
 

TerryD

Total Tease
Supporting Member
Location
Covington, Va
I don't normally like the drawer systems in the back, but I really like this. Especially the slide out flat surfaces for cooking or anything else. Well done.

Just a heads up, the arb air pumps get very hot when running. Not sure I'd want one in an enclosed space, especially if you plan to put other things in there. They fit really nice under the drivers seat. I mounted mine to a piece of plywood just sitting under there (there are nice lips in the floor to keep it from moving. Been rock solid - doesn't move at all even though the wood isn't fastened down at all. Food for thought.

Thanks! And good info on that mounting. I intend to keep that space clear (behind the back seat) as I want it for cooling volume for the compressor and possibly an inverter and a Milwaukee battery charger in the future. But I'll give the area under the driver's seat a look as well. Maybe I can mirror my radio mount that's under the passenger side for the compressor easily.
 

TerryD

Total Tease
Supporting Member
Location
Covington, Va
The X has been throwing bank 1 primary cat codes for a while now. If i only got 25k outta that Magnaflow cat I'm gonna be ill. I emailed them about it and they pretty much said they weren't interested in honoring the warranty because they feel it's "a problem with the engine because catalytic converters are lifetime parts of the engine is performing properly."

I only changed mine because I was right at the same mileage @jsexton was at when his wiped out the engine in just a few miles, not because I was actually having issues with them. I feel like I should have either cheaped out with Eastern or gone OE.

I'm not getting rich or lean codes off the upstream O2 and I'm not noticing any other issues to indicate there's something wrong with the engine.

Reading the voltage through a OB2 dongle and Torque, the B1DS sensor is petty erratic compared to the B2DS one. I'm going to look closer and see if I have a leak in the down stream flange on the converter. Maybe I'm getting some air sucked in there causing the readings to swing but I've not noticed any ticking or signs of a leak...
 

Xterrorista

Charcoal Briquette
Supporting Member
Location
Denton, TX
Sucks about the cat. I'm at 216k miles on originals.

I love that drawer system but I need to sleep in the X until I decide that I don't wheel hard enough and dump $$$ on a RTT.
 

meisanerd

Need Bigger Tires
I am so tempted to just yank the cats out of mine and put spacers on the o2 sensors, and hope the code stays away. I've heard mixed reports on the success of this. OEM cats are stupid expensive...
 

jsexton

Need Bigger Tires
Location
Lewis Center, OH
I am so tempted to just yank the cats out of mine and put spacers on the o2 sensors, and hope the code stays away. I've heard mixed reports on the success of this. OEM cats are stupid expensive...

I'm using Doug thorley long tubes to skip the primary cats and no secondary cats. I spaced my rear o2 sensors and rarely throw codes. Pretty much only when i get questionable gas. When running 91/93 octane I don't think I've ever gotten the P0420/P0430. I bet I've thrown these 5 times total since i replaced the engine. Reset and it doesn't come back.

I used these spacers with the smallest insert. You have to order to so they are a little pricey but they work for me.
https://www.jegs.com/i/Vibrant-Performance/231/11621/10002/-1


@TerryD I would pull them and take a look. If you can still see them they probably just aren't "efficient" enough. Small spacer fixes your problem.

After having been through this mess, i really think the cats would not be a problem if we did not have the secondary cats. Give them somewhere to go if/when they eventually break up and not just clog something else. My thoughts are when the secondary clogged is what cost me the engine. I literally could not get up to 10mph on flat ground and only one bank was clogged (drivers side). I also had warning because the air intake did not sound right at all before. Much much louder than normal. Had i known and recognised that, I probably could have saved my engine. Oh well. Life happens.
 

General_Tarfun

Sliders
Location
Atlanta, GA
The X has been throwing bank 1 primary cat codes for a while now. If i only got 25k outta that Magnaflow cat I'm gonna be ill. I emailed them about it and they pretty much said they weren't interested in honoring the warranty because they feel it's "a problem with the engine because catalytic converters are lifetime parts of the engine is performing properly."

I only changed mine because I was right at the same mileage @jsexton was at when his wiped out the engine in just a few miles, not because I was actually having issues with them. I feel like I should have either cheaped out with Eastern or gone OE.

I'm not getting rich or lean codes off the upstream O2 and I'm not noticing any other issues to indicate there's something wrong with the engine.

Reading the voltage through a OB2 dongle and Torque, the B1DS sensor is petty erratic compared to the B2DS one. I'm going to look closer and see if I have a leak in the down stream flange on the converter. Maybe I'm getting some air sucked in there causing the readings to swing but I've not noticed any ticking or signs of a leak...


I'm so tired of hearing that 'cats are a lifetime part' nonsense from aftermarket manufacturers. I mean sure, if the engine ran as great as it did on day 1 for its entire life I can see that being true. In the real world it's a load of crap.

That said, what I did when I started getting those codes was gut the secondaries so if the primaries broke up the chunks could flow backward down the pipe and put spacers on the primary o2 sensors. That was 35k ago and I have no complaints.
 

TerryD

Total Tease
Supporting Member
Location
Covington, Va
So today I set out to change t-case and diff fluids and the engine oil.

First job, easy one, t-case...

NOPE.... Front output bearing is dickered. Lots of metal on the magnet, lots of axial and end play. FAWK. So it got some cheap ass fluid I've had laying around.

Next, rear diff and install my ARB cover..

NOPE AGAIN. Pinion seal leaking. No play in bearings. Luckily I had the parts on hand since I had planned to replace it while the diff was on stands in the shop before the axle swap.

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The park brake cable bracket was interfering with the plugs for the locker, so I marked it off and cut the corner off on the band saw. Fits much nicer now.

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Now, here's an issue I've had. Factory fill is supposedly 4 1/2 pt or 2 1/8 Qt. I got almost two quarts in before it was over the line on the stick. I marked the stick like the paper work said too. I don't remember getting much more than that in it with the OE cover either though. Gonna run it a few days and check again.

Now on to the front diff and engine and the surprises that await within......
 

TerryD

Total Tease
Supporting Member
Location
Covington, Va
I'm gonna go out in a few, pull the inner wheel wells and swap the O2 sensors between sides. Hopefully eliminate a failing primary O2 as the cause of my cat codes.
 

TerryD

Total Tease
Supporting Member
Location
Covington, Va
Just pulled the driveshaft to hopefully get a few more miles out of the t-case and swapped the primary O2 sensors to rule those out for my random Bank 1 Catalyst Efficiency code.

Still considering the DT long tube and spacers for the moment.
 

JeffPro4x

Hot Pipe
Super Moderator
Supporting Member
Location
Glenside, PA
Now, here's an issue I've had. Factory fill is supposedly 4 1/2 pt or 2 1/8 Qt. I got almost two quarts in before it was over the line on the stick. I marked the stick like the paper work said too. I don't remember getting much more than that in it with the OE cover either though. Gonna run it a few days and check again.
I've can't quite get 2 qts in with 4.10s and stock titan cover. You'll be fine.
 

TerryD

Total Tease
Supporting Member
Location
Covington, Va
Found a 2016 t-case with 28k on it for $100. I'm fairly certain it's the same truck my steering rack came from. I'd have to check my records. Called about it but only got voicemail. Gonna just double check myself that the case is indeed messed up after work. With that much metal and having felt the play once, I'm sure it's toast but I have a bad habit of second-guessing myself when it comes to this stuff.
 

General_Tarfun

Sliders
Location
Atlanta, GA
So today I set out to change t-case and diff fluids and the engine oil.

First job, easy one, t-case...

NOPE.... Front output bearing is dickered. Lots of metal on the magnet, lots of axial and end play. FAWK. So it got some cheap ass fluid I've had laying around.

Those days are always fun haha. Are you going to do the replacement or is that more of a shop job?
 

TerryD

Total Tease
Supporting Member
Location
Covington, Va
Those days are always fun haha. Are you going to do the replacement or is that more of a shop job?
Already pulled it once since I've owned it, might as well do it again.

I'm thinking about throwing a seal in it and seeing how long it'll hold. I felt of it again yesterday and didn't notice the amount of slop in it that I thought I did Saturday. I'm gonna recheck again this evening just to be certain and decide from there.
 

General_Tarfun

Sliders
Location
Atlanta, GA
Already pulled it once since I've owned it, might as well do it again.

I'm thinking about throwing a seal in it and seeing how long it'll hold. I felt of it again yesterday and didn't notice the amount of slop in it that I thought I did Saturday. I'm gonna recheck again this evening just to be certain and decide from there.

Probably worth a shot if the seal is a lot quicker to do than a full replacement. How long did it take you last time?
 

TerryD

Total Tease
Supporting Member
Location
Covington, Va
Probably worth a shot if the seal is a lot quicker to do than a full replacement. How long did it take you last time?
Last time was a long time but there was a LOT of work done. I could probably do it in two days if I had a shady place to work. On the pavement, in direct sun on 95°+ days, a while.

I need to get the brakes on my big truck done. That's my plan for next week. Hopefully tear the truck apart Sunday or Monday after work, and try to get it done in the evenings when it cools off. Then we'll make a decision about the t-case...
 

TerryD

Total Tease
Supporting Member
Location
Covington, Va
Did a little more trim out work. Making these little pieces to separate the two side compartments from the big one behind the seat.

All I had to cut them out from was 1/2 ply. I'm thinking I want to make them from 3/4 but I'll need to find some pieces. No reason to buy a full sheet for just those little scraps.

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Also added tie downs to the top to secure my little cooler and other things.

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TerryD

Total Tease
Supporting Member
Location
Covington, Va
Washed up the X today and while the winch line was unspooled anyways, I took the time and washed it. It's hanging under tension at the moment drying.

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This weekend was a reminder that the X doesn't belong on Potts at all. There is NO LINE at all for it on either The Stacks or The Bypass. Both are 100% dragging it across with the winch.

I don't need another project but I thought very heavily on a SAS 720 on 35s most of the weekend....
 
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