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

TerryD

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Covington, Va
Still need to order some longer front bump stops for this thing. I completely forgot about needing those in the last couple weeks. Not sure which way to go. The Wheeler's Offroad bumps seem to not be available anymore. Guess I'll look at the Energy Suspension stuff.

Went over to a buddy's house today and we did some measuring for a drawer and cooler slide setup for the back of the X this evening. Figured out what slides I need to order and about how much plywood we'll need to get it built. Now to order the slides. I was looking at some full extension slides that lock in both the closed and open positions which I think could be useful when off-road to keep a drawer open as you need things from it. Not gonna be cheap but it'll be nice.

Moving forward!
 

TerryD

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Covington, Va
IDEA!!!

Instead of locking slides, how about making making holes for dowel pins? Let them lock the drawer open or closed.
I thought about that but I think the locking slides are more what I'm after. Kinda like I've done so far, I'm going with the buy once, cry once theory. It'll simply latch in place without any other input from me and I don't have to worry about designing the latching set-up myself.
 

PhullD

First Fill-Up (of many)
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Ottawa, Ontario
You tap the bash plate with a tap and die kit and they screw right in. I trimmed mine by about 1” or 1.5”, can’t remember
 

TerryD

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Covington, Va
You tap the bash plate with a tap and die kit and they screw right in. I trimmed mine by about 1” or 1.5”, can’t remember
I tried for two days to pull them up from links and google searches and it kept telling me that the website was gone and even wheelers website wouldn't bring them up when searched by part number.

Thanks! I'll be ordering a set soon!
 

TerryD

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Covington, Va
To be fair they are not Nissan specific, they are for Tacos, but they work perfect for us too.

I searched for the FJ and used the part number that another Xterra guy gave me and it still wouldn't pull up.

But it's working now so I'll get that ordered.
 

TerryD

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Covington, Va
@maillet282 sold me a Raingler 1/2 barrier net and Hep's rack net. They arrived today and I put the barrier net in. That will work with the drawer set I'm planning on building this year with access to the storage bin under the rear cargo area floor.

The rack net will be really nice when we're loading out for a big trip too.
 
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TerryD

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Covington, Va
The X randomly puked about a 1/2 cup of coolant onto the driveway the other day. I'm not sure what's up with that. I couldn't find any trace of a leak under it and it's been dry ever since.

I burped the cooling system and it took about a pint or so of coolant to top off the radiator.

It also looks like the transmission output shaft seal is leaking again. It's not bad, just a drop of AFT at the weep hole and the skid isn't even wet so it's not leaking badly yet. Dreading having to pull that t-case again to put in a new seal. That's such a pain with that press fit cross member and 21 bolts holding it to the transmission.

May also have a front wheel bearing going bad. Shook it pretty hard the other day trying to get it to drop some more coolant and the driver's side wheel was popping. Ball joints looked ok and the way the tire moved when it happened leads me to think it's the hub. Gonna get it on stands sometime soon and check it out better.
 

General_Tarfun

Sliders
Location
Atlanta, GA
The X randomly puked about a 1/2 cup of coolant onto the driveway the other day. I'm not sure what's up with that. I couldn't find any trace of a leak under it and it's been dry ever since.

I burped the cooling system and it took about a pint or so of coolant to top off the radiator.

It also looks like the transmission output shaft seal is leaking again. It's not bad, just a drop of AFT at the weep hole and the skid isn't even wet so it's not leaking badly yet. Dreading having to pull that t-case again to put in a new seal. That's such a pain with that press fit cross member and 21 bolts holding it to the transmission.

May also have a front wheel bearing going bad. Shook it pretty hard the other day trying to get it to drop some more coolant and the driver's side wheel was popping. Ball joints looked ok and the way the tire moved when it happened leads me to think it's the hub. Gonna get it on stands sometime soon and check it out better.


That's odd, and the coolant definitely came from the tank?
 

TerryD

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Covington, Va
That's odd, and the coolant definitely came from the tank?

No clue where it came from. There's nothing wet under the X at all. Only a few drops on the frame rail beside the passenger side catalytic converter that I was only barely able to identify as coolant. All the hoses I can see are dry, the drain from the heater box was dry, the inner fender wells are dry. I don't have the foggiest idea where it came from....
 

General_Tarfun

Sliders
Location
Atlanta, GA
No clue where it came from. There's nothing wet under the X at all. Only a few drops on the frame rail beside the passenger side catalytic converter that I was only barely able to identify as coolant. All the hoses I can see are dry, the drain from the heater box was dry, the inner fender wells are dry. I don't have the foggiest idea where it came from....

That location seems weird too, almost like it leaked from further back towards the firewall maybe. The coolant line at the bottom of the tank runs under the fuse/relay boxes to the heater core, it's a PIA to get to but I wonder if there's something going on down there. If your tank is original like mine it could have a small crack, I've been meaning to replace mine because I know that plastic can't last forever with the constant heat cycles. Other than that the heater core inlet/outlets could be suspect but those normally just break off completely vs slow leak.
 

TerryD

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Covington, Va
That location seems weird too, almost like it leaked from further back towards the firewall maybe. The coolant line at the bottom of the tank runs under the fuse/relay boxes to the heater core, it's a PIA to get to but I wonder if there's something going on down there. If your tank is original like mine it could have a small crack, I've been meaning to replace mine because I know that plastic can't last forever with the constant heat cycles. Other than that the heater core inlet/outlets could be suspect but those normally just break off completely vs slow leak.
I traced all of those and couldn't even find a damp spot. I'm at a loss.
 

General_Tarfun

Sliders
Location
Atlanta, GA
I traced all of those and couldn't even find a damp spot. I'm at a loss.

It must have been through the overflow port then, I wonder if the pressure spring in the cap that triggers the overflow release is maybe getting weak.

Is the cap an OEM one? I remember some people having problems with aftermarket caps either not releasing or releasing too early. If you want to control the overflow spray a bit to keep it off the exhaust you can run a hose from the tank down through the fender area to the ground, it's weird the fender has the cutout and the tank has the nipple but Nissan didn't run a hose on it.
 

TerryD

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Covington, Va
It must have been through the overflow port then, I wonder if the pressure spring in the cap that triggers the overflow release is maybe getting weak.

Is the cap an OEM one? I remember some people having problems with aftermarket caps either not releasing or releasing too early. If you want to control the overflow spray a bit to keep it off the exhaust you can run a hose from the tank down through the fender area to the ground, it's weird the fender has the cutout and the tank has the nipple but Nissan didn't run a hose on it.
Might just do that. The cap isn't that old and is an OE Nissan piece.
 

Brunnie

Bumpers Installed
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Colorado Springs
If you want to control the overflow spray a bit to keep it off the exhaust you can run a hose from the tank down through the fender area to the ground, it's weird the fender has the cutout and the tank has the nipple but Nissan didn't run a hose on it.

Some of the pre '11 Xterras did have that hose, I've seen them in the PNP's.
 

TerryD

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Covington, Va
Replaced the thermostat today. It's not a horrible job. Had to pull the engine cover and air intake tube to get to the thermostat. Hopefully that will help with warmup times on these cold mornings.
 

TerryD

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Covington, Va
Finally found the small antifreeze leak that's been dripping but not leaving a good track.

20200126_131749.jpg

Turns out one of the clamps from my fix of the heater pipe behind the block needed snugged up. Hopefully that's that for a while!

May have a lineup on a rear bumper that's gonna eat up a lot of my axle money but we'll see how that pans out.
 

TerryD

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Covington, Va
You tap the bash plate with a tap and die kit and they screw right in. I trimmed mine by about 1” or 1.5”, can’t remember

So you didn't put these on the LCA in the stock spot? I'm OE width and looking at just replacing the stock pads with slightly taller bumps or maybe just spacing them since I shouldn't need more than a 1/4 - 3/8" increase in height over stock.
 

TheCrabby1

I Smell Fishy
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Location
Burtonsville, Md
Hey TerryD , as always thanx for the help ! I've been stashing cash for a rear bumper/tire carrier for a little bit and the other day I just decided to crawl under the back end and look around. What I saw was RUST ! The rear end,frame and other stuff didn't look that bad for an 05 , a little rust here and there . But the leaf's , shackle's nothing but a rust bucket. Anyway it got me thinking maybe I shouldn't put that extra weight of a tire carrier bumper back there until I replaced most of the suspension piece's so i'm thinking Nisstec-old man emu and also looking at rough country. I'd also see if I could add an inch in the rear and 2.5 in the front , I like the level look. Just how far could I suspension lift before it turn's into a money pit adding extended this and extended that . If it's a really big difference in $ I'll stay stock height in back and just raise the front. Just wondering what you think, I'm happy staying with 265/75's
 
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TerryD

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Covington, Va
Hey TerryD , as always thanx for the help ! I've been stashing cash for a rear bumper/tire carrier for a little bit and the other day I just decided to crawl under the back end and look around. What I saw was RUST ! The rear end,frame and other stuff didn't look that bad for an 05 , a little rust here and there . But the leaf's , shackle's nothing but a rust bucket. Anyway it got me thinking maybe I shouldn't put that extra weight of a tire carrier bumper back there until I replaced most of the suspension piece's so i'm thinking Nisstec-old man emu and also looking at rough country. I'd also see if I could add an inch in the rear and 2.5 in the front , I like the level look. Just how far could I suspension lift before it turn's into a money pit adding extended this and extended that . If it's a really big difference in $ I'll stay stock height in back and just raise the front. Just wondering what you think, I'm happy staying with 265/75's

If you want to stick with 265s and not have to get carried away, I would recommend going with 5100 shocks all the way around.

Put the fronts on the 2nd notch up for ~1" front lift and then get a helper spring set like the EZ550s and new rear shocks if your leaves are in good shape. That'll be low lift but increased capacity and dampening. Should be a well balanced setup that doesn't adversely affect the vehicle.
 

PhullD

First Fill-Up (of many)
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Ottawa, Ontario
So you didn't put these on the LCA in the stock spot? I'm OE width and looking at just replacing the stock pads with slightly taller bumps or maybe just spacing them since I shouldn't need more than a 1/4 - 3/8" increase in height over stock.

The bash plates on the Xterra don't line up with Titan LCA's. If you mounted the bumpstops there, they would be hitting the bash plate at an angle and I'm guessing would end up wearing/tearing in a strange way, not to mention you would lose some of the progressive dampening of the superbumps. Tapping the bash plate is the best way to hit the bumpstops nice and straight. With stock Xterra LCA's this is a non-issue.
 

TheCrabby1

I Smell Fishy
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Burtonsville, Md
If you want to stick with 265s and not have to get carried away, I would recommend going with 5100 shocks all the way around.

Put the fronts on the 2nd notch up for ~1" front lift and then get a helper spring set like the EZ550s and new rear shocks if your leaves are in good shape. That'll be low lift but increased capacity and dampening. Should be a well balanced setup that doesn't adversely affect the vehicle.
So the bilstien's are a direct fit on the S model , I know they were standard on the pro's/off road model's . Could they be used with a leveling spacer on the top so I wouldn't have to notch it up and lose a little dampening or travel ? The leaf's will be replaced ; they are that rusty and look to be original at 98,000+ mile's. Everything I've ever driven or owned has been kept stock, with the exception of a 69 Buick GS and my first daughter's mom ;)
 

PhullD

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Ottawa, Ontario
So the bilstien's are a direct fit on the S model , I know they were standard on the pro's/off road model's . Could they be used with a leveling spacer on the top so I wouldn't have to notch it up and lose a little dampening or travel ? The leaf's will be replaced ; they are that rusty and look to be original at 98,000+ mile's. Everything I've ever driven or owned has been kept stock, with the exception of a 69 Buick GS and my first daughter's mom ;)

The Bilstein 4600 were stock on the Offroad/P4x models, not the 5100's. Anyway the 5100's with the correct sleeving will bolt on no problem. Lastly, a spacer or going up a notch on the 5100 front shocks has the same effect, you are sacrificing droop for lift. A stock Xterra has 5.6" of travel (2.8" droop, 2.8" compression), if you lift 1" you take away from the droop. The ratio is not exactly 1:1 but fairly close. The 5100's set you at about 5.8" of travel. Aftermarket control arms like the SPC's will give you approx. 7" to 7.8" of travel but cost $500. Titan swapping yields about 10" of travel. A titan swapped rig can run 3" of lift and still have decent droop. You can read more on travel numbers/lift here.
 

TerryD

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Covington, Va
The Bilstein 4600 were stock on the Offroad/P4x models, not the 5100's. Anyway the 5100's with the correct sleeving will bolt on no problem. Lastly, a spacer or going up a notch on the 5100 front shocks has the same effect, you are sacrificing droop for lift. A stock Xterra has 5.6" of travel (2.8" droop, 2.8" compression), if you lift 1" you take away from the droop. The ratio is not exactly 1:1 but fairly close. The 5100's set you at about 5.8" of travel. Aftermarket control arms like the SPC's will give you approx. 7" to 7.8" of travel but cost $500. Titan swapping yields about 10" of travel. A titan swapped rig can run 3" of lift and still have decent droop. You can read more on travel numbers/lift here.

Not that I mind the discussion in here but I did start a thread for him here. I should have mentioned you in it too, my bad.
 

TerryD

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Covington, Va
Thinking out loud:

@IssacHunter and I were comparing his T-swap Rads and my Extended Rads and the there's only a 1" difference in overall length between them. That's got me stewing on a low lift T-swap for my X a little. If I use bump stops to limit my up travel I could run 2" lift spacers on my current Rads for the time being to gain the down travel and not bottom out the shocks on compression.

I'm wanting to run stock steel spare wheels and 285's but have more wheel travel. I kinda wish I had lower lift Alcans so I could drop the X about .5" all the way around anyways.

Just pipe dreaming though. Other fish to fry ATM...
 

PhullD

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Ottawa, Ontario
Thinking out loud:

@IssacHunter and I were comparing his T-swap Rads and my Extended Rads and the there's only a 1" difference in overall length between them. That's got me stewing on a low lift T-swap for my X a little. If I use bump stops to limit my up travel I could run 2" lift spacers on my current Rads for the time being to gain the down travel and not bottom out the shocks on compression.

I'm wanting to run stock steel spare wheels and 285's but have more wheel travel. I kinda wish I had lower lift Alcans so I could drop the X about .5" all the way around anyways.

Just pipe dreaming though. Other fish to fry ATM...

There is more than just the overall length that is different. Look at the gap where the spring meets the top hat. On non-Titan swap length there is a gap there while the Titan length ones have no gap. I found this out when I went to change the studs on mine. People told me you can just pop them out and swap them for longer ones. Turns out on Titan ones you have to disassemble the entire coil-over to do this. That being said a few people have run the extended travels with a spacer until they got proper length shocks/coilovers. Alternatively you can sell the extended travel coilovers and do the Tundra shock/FJ coil spring thing and have a bit of change left over. The real cost of the Titan swap is the control arms and extended cv's or the M205.

Why do you want to lower it? The articulation of the rear axle is where the offroad prowess comes from, the more it is lifted, the more it can articulate.
 

TerryD

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There is more than just the overall length that is different. Look at the gap where the spring meets the top hat. On non-Titan swap length there is a gap there while the Titan length ones have no gap. I found this out when I went to change the studs on mine. People told me you can just pop them out and swap them for longer ones. Turns out on Titan ones you have to disassemble the entire coil-over to do this. That being said a few people have run the extended travels with a spacer until they got proper length shocks/coilovers. Alternatively you can sell the extended travel coilovers and do the Tundra shock/FJ coil spring thing and have a bit of change left over. The real cost of the Titan swap is the control arms and extended cv's or the M205.

Why do you want to lower it? The articulation of the rear axle is where the offroad prowess comes from, the more it is lifted, the more it can articulate.

Mine doesn't have the best rear articulation. I'm using stock shackles with +3" Alcans and my Timbrens limit some up travel as well. There's just not the same travel as say OMEs and extended shackles.

I would like to lower it just a little all the way around to make the 285s fill the wheel wells a little better. Plus I'm right on the limit of what the OE width stuff can do in the front and not self destruct so about a 1" drop all the way around would be fine with me.

I don't really want to go up in tire size either. That's a can of worms I'd just as soon leave the lid on for the time being.

I'm more or less thinking outloud (on pixels?) and throwing ideas around. The thing does great for what I use it for 90% of the time. It really impressed everyone when we went to Colorado and I don't know that a Titan swap is going to gain me enough to make a huge difference in the places it was lacking. Putting that $1k toward lockers would probably have a bigger effect on its performance.

Anyways, thanks for letting me bounce ideas off you and they info. More stuff typ think about!
 

PhullD

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Ottawa, Ontario
Mine doesn't have the best rear articulation. I'm using stock shackles with +3" Alcans and my Timbrens limit some up travel as well. There's just not the same travel as say OMEs and extended shackles.

I would like to lower it just a little all the way around to make the 285s fill the wheel wells a little better. Plus I'm right on the limit of what the OE width stuff can do in the front and not self destruct so about a 1" drop all the way around would be fine with me.

I don't really want to go up in tire size either. That's a can of worms I'd just as soon leave the lid on for the time being.

I'm more or less thinking outloud (on pixels?) and throwing ideas around. The thing does great for what I use it for 90% of the time. It really impressed everyone when we went to Colorado and I don't know that a Titan swap is going to gain me enough to make a huge difference in the places it was lacking. Putting that $1k toward lockers would probably have a bigger effect on its performance.

Anyways, thanks for letting me bounce ideas off you and they info. More stuff typ think about!

I understand about the front, keep the rear the same and rock the rake, personally I have like a 2"+ rake myself, I prefer the better ride than the control arms looking like this / --- \ . It's not like you straddle things anyway with an IFS unless you have portal hubs, you still put your tires on the obstacles and have the rear diff hanging down low. The only real world benefit is approach angle and the aftermarket bumper pretty much makes the Xterra approach angle killer.

I agree about the tires, I have the 315's and I like them and all, but to be honest it was a bit of work cutting the fenders and re-fitting the liners. If I were to go back down to 33's, I'd get the 255/85r16's (tall skinnies). You get a true 33" tires (slightly more even) and you don't have additional drag/weight from the larger tire width. Maybe this is something you can look into on your next set.

As for the rear leaf pack, the shackles don't seem to do much in terms of articulation. The Alcans are more progressive than the OEM pack (many extra leaves) but in the end there are two fixed points it is all bolted to. However, there are Teraflex shackles if you want to google it, they "unfold" when the rear droops, that and/or orbit eye's are the only real way you will pick up more articulation other than lifting the rear.
 

TerryD

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Covington, Va
The little short OE shackles don't help articulation either but I'd never run the revolver shackles. Read a lot of horror stories about them in my Cherokee days. Bur the +500lb capacity of the Alcans doesn't help either.

I've built a solid vehicle for what I normally do with it so I'm pretty pleased. I might try to drop the front a little more sometime and see how it looks though.

I have considered the narrower tires too. I still get like 15mph highway if I keep it below 70 (lose 2mpg between 70 and 72mph. Had a lot of time on my hands driving through Kansas last year) and I think the 3.69s will help that some.
 

PhullD

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Ottawa, Ontario
The little short OE shackles don't help articulation either but I'd never run the revolver shackles. Read a lot of horror stories about them in my Cherokee days. Bur the +500lb capacity of the Alcans doesn't help either.

I've built a solid vehicle for what I normally do with it so I'm pretty pleased. I might try to drop the front a little more sometime and see how it looks though.

I have considered the narrower tires too. I still get like 15mph highway if I keep it below 70 (lose 2mpg between 70 and 72mph. Had a lot of time on my hands driving through Kansas last year) and I think the 3.69s will help that some.

I restored a lot of the gas mileage using a Bully Dog premium tune. I was getting like 12-13mpg, I'm back up to 17mpg going 105km/h on the highway. We don't pay as much for premium vs regular here (average 14-16cents difference). After cycling both my gas tanks I save about $20 running the tune.
 

TerryD

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Covington, Va
I restored a lot of the gas mileage using a Bully Dog premium tune. I was getting like 12-13mpg, I'm back up to 17mpg going 105km/h on the highway. We don't pay as much for premium vs regular here (average 14-16cents difference). After cycling both my gas tanks I save about $20 running the tune.

A tuner is on the long list too. Not a gotta have it but a like to have it.

Current short list is:
3.69/locker axle
3.69 R180
Swing out tire carrier bumper
Drawer/fridge slide setup

Hope to get all this done this year.
 

TerryD

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Covington, Va
I called a salvage yard yesterday and secured a pair of 3.69 P4X diffs! Probably go pick them up next Friday.

I've got some popping in the rear I need to look into. I feel like it's the spring bushings. I'll check them out tomorrow and see if I need to order a set.

Do you have to get the bushings for Alcans from Alcan?
 

PhullD

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Ottawa, Ontario
I called a salvage yard yesterday and secured a pair of 3.69 P4X diffs! Probably go pick them up next Friday.

I've got some popping in the rear I need to look into. I feel like it's the spring bushings. I'll check them out tomorrow and see if I need to order a set.

Do you have to get the bushings for Alcans from Alcan?

I got my replacement bushings from Alcan (they were torn from a bent shackle). You probably only have to re-grease the bushings though.

I would only use this stuff or a similar product. You'll need some disposable gloves, it's sticky as hell. Mine were popping after Utah and I re-greased them (both eylets, front and rear) and re-installed....silence. It's better to drop the whole leaf spring. I found installing the shackle side first was easier. Oh, also get a bottle jack if you don't have one already, you can use it between the frame and leaf pack to manipulate it the way you need to. Took me about an hour to do both sides. Expect to re-grease every year or two to keep things quiet.
 

TerryD

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Covington, Va
I got my replacement bushings from Alcan (they were torn from a bent shackle). You probably only have to re-grease the bushings though.

I would only use this stuff or a similar product. You'll need some disposable gloves, it's sticky as hell. Mine were popping after Utah and I re-greased them (both eylets, front and rear) and re-installed....silence. It's better to drop the whole leaf spring. I found installing the shackle side first was easier. Oh, also get a bottle jack if you don't have one already, you can use it between the frame and leaf pack to manipulate it the way you need to. Took me about an hour to do both sides. Expect to re-grease every year or two to keep things quiet.

Awesome! Thanks! My Alcans were used and the front bushings didn't look the best so I've been expecting them to give trouble eventually.

I'll grab some of that grease and a set of bushings to go with it. My wife is an OB nurse so there's ALWAYS disposable gloves around the house.

What rear shackle do you run?
 

PhullD

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Ottawa, Ontario
Awesome! Thanks! My Alcans were used and the front bushings didn't look the best so I've been expecting them to give trouble eventually.

I'll grab some of that grease and a set of bushings to go with it. My wife is an OB nurse so there's ALWAYS disposable gloves around the house.

What rear shackle do you run?

PRG, but they were over-torqued and caved in just enough to have the eyelet and shackle touch on occasion. This also pinched and tore up the bushing.
 
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