Xterrarising

XterraRising · Jun 11, 2020

Hello, name’s James, and here’s my Xterra. It’s nothing fancy for now. My wife and I picked it up last September.

Here’s the specs on it:

Make: Nissan
Year: 2015
Model: Xterra
Trim: Pro-4X
Color: Anodized Orange Metallic (EAF)
Code Name: Xterra Rising

General_Tarfun · Jun 11, 2020

Looks to be in pristine shape!

A 2015 with the plastic engine cover? I thought they stopped putting those on around 2010.

XterraRising · Jun 11, 2020

General_Tarfun said:
A 2015 with the plastic engine cover? I thought they stopped putting those on around 2010.

It wasn’t an option for 2015. So I bought the hardware and the cover and made it an option.

General_Tarfun · Jun 11, 2020

XterraRising said:
It wasn’t an option for 2015. So I bought the hardware and the cover and made it an option.

I would have done the same, without it there you can clearly tell somethings missing.

XterraRising · Jun 11, 2020

General_Tarfun said:
I would have done the same, without it there you can clearly tell somethings missing.

That’s why I decided to do it. With the front bracket in place, it looks unfinished. And I like looking at that more than the stuff that’s underneath.

westslope · Jun 12, 2020

XterraRising said:
It wasn’t an option for 2015. So I bought the hardware and the [engine] cover and made it an option.

Interesting. Why did Nissan discontinue the plastic engine cover and why are you folks choosing to add them?

P.S. Love the colour and the general looks of your X man! Even the license plate is hot.

General_Tarfun · Jun 12, 2020

westslope said:
Interesting. Why did Nissan discontinue the plastic engine cover and why are you folks choosing to add them?

Sometime around 08/09 they stopped putting them on at the factory. I've heard a variety of explanations but I think the most likely is cost cutting. My 06 S package came with a ton of features that were later reserved for only the offroad/pro4x/se packages for example. On the later years I think they even got rid of the low washer fluid light entirely.

XterraRising · Jun 12, 2020

westslope said:
Interesting. Why did Nissan discontinue the plastic engine cover and why are you folks choosing to add them?

P.S. Love the colour and the general looks of your X man! Even the license plate is hot.

I think plummeting sales had something to do with it. Nissan was trying to save a few bucks here and there so they could keep the price low enough to sell in a market that was quickly becoming saturated with crossovers.

As for why I put it on, it’s a preference thing. I like the way it looks with it better than without it. I’m very particular about keeping it as clean as I can. Even after a day of playing out in the desert, I wash and detail it within a day or two. Thank you for the compliment. She’s a slow work in progress, and I’m doing mods that are meaningful to me and how I use it.

XterraRising · Jun 12, 2020

Comparison pic. I thought the lighting on the X was pretty dismal after I bought. Guess I should do test drives at night, LOL! Anyway, I didn’t want to dump upwards of a grand into HID or other headlight upgrades. So a Buddy of mine introduced me to LED headlights made by Cougar Motor. I won’t say that LED is the best upgrade. It certainly isn’t. It’s way better than factory. I was worried about blinding other people because the beam scatters a bit. But a friend was in another car oncoming and said that they didn’t blind her at all. So I left them. I was going to put in fog lights, but decided against it after reading about LED headlights not melting snow in winter. And the OEM fog lights get pretty warm. I need to do some headlight restoration on my car. So I may buff some of the scratches out of my Xterra lights when I do that.

westslope · Jun 12, 2020

XterraRising said:
....I need to do some headlight restoration on my car. So I may buff some of the scratches out of my Xterra lights when I do that......

I used a Meguiar headlight restoration kit on the X earlier this year. The results were quite satisfactory though the original condition of the headlamps was not that bad.

Instead of using the provided headlight finish, I painted the headlights with a long varnish. Specifically, I used mineral spirits diluted Spar Urethane with a little bit of Boiled Linseed Oil added. Still early days but seems to work well.

Why?

The headlight finish provided by Maguire is supposed to last one year.
A fellow over on theNewX.org site who claimed to have done headlight professionally recommended varnishing the headlamps.
Spar urethane exhibits some of the best outdoor results of varnishes tested by a serious canoer in Maine. I own an original canvas-covered, cedar-ribbed Prospector manufactured by the Chestnut Canoe company and currently live in one of the sunniest, hottest areas in Canada.
Miniwax Spar Urethane has Tung oil in it. Adding BLO 'lengthens' the varnish and makes it more resistant to chipping and shattering.

Oh yeah. Good on ya for checking that your headlamps were not blinding on-coming drivers. LED headlight blinding is becoming all too frequent these days.

westslope · Jun 12, 2020

Fog lights. Not sure that heat is that important for snowy conditions, even freezing rain.

But suppose that you are driving through a blinding snow storm. Stronger fog lights may actually hinder not help.

To understand this perspective, put your high beams on in a blinding storm and watch the light reflect off the snow.

XterraRising · Jun 12, 2020

westslope said:
I used a Meguiar headlight restoration kit on the X earlier this year. The results were quite satisfactory though the original condition of the headlamps was not that bad.

Instead of using the provided headlight finish, I painted the headlights with a long varnish. Specifically, I used mineral spirits diluted Spar Urethane with a little bit of Boiled Linseed Oil added. Still early days but seems to work well.

Why?

The headlight finish provided by Maguire is supposed to last one year.

A fellow over on theNewX.org site who claimed to have done headlight professionally recommended varnishing the headlamps.

Spar urethane exhibits some of the best outdoor results of varnishes tested by a serious canoer in Maine. I own an original canvas-covered, cedar-ribbed Prospector manufactured by the Chestnut Canoe company and currently live in one of the sunniest, hottest area in Canada.

Miniwax Spar Urethane has Tung oil in it. Adding BLO 'lengthens' the varnish and makes it more resistant to chipping and shattering.

Oh yeah. Good on ya for checking that your headlamps were not blinding on-coming drivers. LED headlight blinding is being all too frequent these days.

Thanks for that insight. I’ll have to look into that.

XterraRising · Jun 12, 2020

Just finished up a quick upgrade. I didn’t like how low the hood was when supported by the prop rod. So I bought a strut kit off eBay that looks strikingly similar to the Offroad Gorilla kit that seems to be out of stock. But the eBay kit costs less anyway. Part number FBH-NN-D40 for anyone who’s interested. Now the hood rests 5” higher and feels so much more open. And no more hitting my head on the catch for the latching mechanism.

IM1RU · Jun 13, 2020

Welcome from Utah...

The Hood Rod Mod is mandatory IMO... Great looking X..... Needs dirt. That Engine is way too clean.

XterraRising · Jun 13, 2020

Thanks. The engine is clean now. Gets dirt when it needs to. Gets cleaned right after I’m done.

westslope · Jun 13, 2020

XterraRising said:
Thanks. The engine is clean now. Gets dirt when it needs to. Gets cleaned right after I’m done.

Trying to make the rest of us feel bad? -hehe-

Man, if you plan on dying soon or taking up city-driven low riders as a hobby, let me know, I will buy your X. Will gladly pay a premium for it too.

XterraRising · Jun 13, 2020

westslope said:
Trying to make the rest of us feel bad? -hehe-

Man, if you plan on dying soon or taking up city-driven low riders as a hobby, let me know, I will buy your X. Will gladly pay a premium for it too.

He he, well no I’m not intentionally trying to make anyone feel bad.

As for buying it, you’ll have to fight my wife for it. I have a hard time getting her to drive our car anymore. “Put miles on the vehicle that’s paid off,” I say. “You don’t need four wheel drive to take the kids to school,” I say. But she just wrinkles her nose at me and says she will drive whatever she wants.

XterraRising · Jun 19, 2020

Well that didn’t go as planned. I took out the plastic “anchor” points for the cargo net and blasted some self-tapping tech screws in. Well, one of the passenger side screws stripped out. So I spent a few minutes addressing it with a pair of rivnuts and some grade 8 bolts, 10mm head of course. Feels solid as a rock. I might do the driver side sometime, but I have some much needed repairs to make on our car this weekend. So I’ll just add this to the maintenance to do later list.

XterraRising · Jun 21, 2020

Huh, that’s cute. Looks like I may have a blown wheel seal. Or it could be leftover from a previous repair, and the mechanic didn’t bother to power wash it. I never noticed that side looking “wet” before. Either way, the vent on the axle tube was caked with dirt and crap. I did the vent extension mod to it yesterday. Gonna power wash the rear end and observe it over the next few weeks. I took the tire off and didn’t see any oil around while inspecting it. And the diff is full. She’s at about 72K on the odometer.

General_Tarfun · Jun 21, 2020

That doesn't look too good lol. I've been fortunate enough to not lose a seal back there yet so I don't have any first hand experience with it but looks like a blown seal to me. Maybe try cleaning it off and see if the stain reappears?

Zack. · Jun 21, 2020

Mine looked like that for a couple years. I assumed it was just oil that was pushed out from the breather being clogged before I did the extension. Eventually when the inside of the wheel also became coated I figured it was time to do something about it.

XterraRising · Jun 21, 2020

Back when I owned a Cherokee, I had to replace those wheel seals every few years. Wasn’t a big deal on that rig. Doubt it’ll involve much drama on the Xterra. I took it down to the do-it-yourself car wash and power washed the rear end. I’m going to throw a coat of paint back there to keep the surface rust at bay and watch it. As long as I don’t have oil on my wheel or the brakes, and the level in the diff stays full, I’ll leave it alone.

General_Tarfun · Jun 21, 2020

XterraRising said:
Back when I owned a Cherokee, I had to replace those wheel seals every few years. Wasn’t a big deal on that rig. Doubt it’ll involve much drama on the Xterra. I took it down to the do-it-yourself car wash and power washed the rear end. I’m going to throw a coat of paint back there to keep the surface rust at bay and watch it. As long as I don’t have oil on my wheel or the brakes, and the level in the diff stays full, I’ll leave it alone.

My brother blew that seal on his Frontier and I remember him saying he noticed because it got all over the brakes, yours doesn't look that wet so you might be fine.

XterraRising · Jun 21, 2020

General_Tarfun said:
My brother blew that seal on his Frontier and I remember him saying he noticed because it got all over the brakes, yours doesn't look that wet so you might be fine.

Yeah I’ve seen a lot worse. I’ll probably get a new seal and other stuff coming anyway just to have them on the shelf. Sometimes, I get a wild urge to start wrenching, and it’s best for me to have the stuff here so I can just dive in rather than wait. I hate waiting. I’m waiting on inner and outer tie rods for my car lol. And it’s sitting up on jack stands in my garage. Man, I hate that feeling.

XterraRising · Jun 21, 2020

I’m going to install brakes on my trailer later this year. I bought this controller late last year, and never got around to installing it. Got it in today. I love that the adapter wiring was plug and play with the Nissan factory harness.

It’s tucked up out of the way. Can’t really see it unless I need to. And it’s within easy reach.

Here’s the little LEGO brick behind my Xterra.

westslope · Jun 21, 2020

I had a shop install the controller and towing wiring in 2015 prior to a move.

I suspect -- but do not know and have not tested it yet -- that the controller is causing a slight electrical bleed while the vehicle is parked. That is likely not an issue unless you leave the X parked for a long period of time.

I also suspect that the OBD II dongle will slowly bleed the battery if I forget to remove it.

XterraRising · Jun 21, 2020

Well, I’ll hook up my amp clamp and see if there is any parasitic load, but I’d say there was probably in issue with the installation. Couldn’t be sure unless I was to troubleshoot it. But if it was an issue for me, I can just reach down and disconnect the controller from the harness when I’m not using it.

XterraRising · Jun 27, 2020

Best way to measure your trailer axle, and get the mud and cob webs cleaned up at the same time.

And just in time to load it up and make a dump run.

Ugh!

XterraRising · Jul 11, 2020

Been offline a bit. It’s been crazy between work and getting my home repaired after the wildfire we had a couple weekends ago. So haven’t done anything to the Xterra. But today, I’m out on a Saturday making that Xterra project money.

XterraRising · Jul 20, 2020

Got a couple goodies coming for the Ole X, but I’m on vacation this week at my favorite place on earth, Lake Powell. Snapped a few neat pics.

XterraRising · Jul 23, 2020

A few more from our trip.

XterraRising · Jul 23, 2020

On one of our routine trips up to the kybo, I picked up this hitch-hiker. Too close for comfort. Reminds me I need to get some tire plugs and think about an air compressor. The good news is there was no damage, and the TPMS light didn’t come on.

XterraRising · Jul 24, 2020

I wasn’t satisfied with the recovery hook provided by Nissan. And right now, a new bumper just isn’t on the docket; I have far too many other interests that suck my money away from me.

However, a great alternative comes from Habitat Offroad. I purchased the kit that includes the shackles. Installation was really simple, but I made a YouTube video to go over it.

Here is a comparison between the OEM recovery hook and the Habitat Offroad recovery point.

Installed.

Of course my intention isn’t to keep the shackles on all the time. I took them off after the poser pics and put them in the drug smuggling compartment in the cargo area with my recovery strap and other necessities. This is a much better option for my application.

XterraRising · Jul 24, 2020

On the driver side, I was concerned that the end of the bolt and nut would rub on the lower radiator hose. So I installed the bolt through the inside. No interference between the bolt head and the radiator hose. I also turned the wheel to the right full lock to check clearance. My tires are OEM sized, and it is nowhere near the end of the bolt.

XterraRising · Jul 24, 2020

Got my locker bypass harness from RM975 the other day. Installed and tested last night. Works like he said it would. No codes.

TerryD · Jul 26, 2020

XterraRising said:
I wasn’t satisfied with the recovery hook provided by Nissan. And right now, a new bumper just isn’t on the docket; I have far too many other interests that suck my money away from me.

However, a great alternative comes from Habitat Offroad. I purchased the kit that includes the shackles. Installation was really simple, but I made a YouTube video to go over it.

View attachment 14972

Here is a comparison between the OEM recovery hook and the Habitat Offroad recovery point.

View attachment 14974

Installed.

View attachment 14973

View attachment 14975

View attachment 14977

View attachment 14978

View attachment 14976

Of course my intention isn’t to keep the shackles on all the time. I took them off after the poser pics and put them in the drug smuggling compartment in the cargo area with my recovery strap and other necessities. This is a much better option for my application.

I really like those recovery points!

XterraRising · Jul 26, 2020

TerryD said:
I really like those recovery points!

They are nice, and really well made. At first I thought they were quite expensive for what they are, but then I took some time to consider just what they are, and what they are intended for. And at the end of the day, they don’t seem too bad when you put it into perspective.

XterraRising · Aug 23, 2020

Been burning my candle at both ends for the last month. Between taking care of insurance issues to get the house fixed after the wildfire, working a buttload of hours, and this incredible heat wave we have been having, I’ve had to put Xterra plans on hold a bit.

However, I got tired of begging, borrowing, and renting trailers to use for all the crap involved with everything I’ve been involved in, so I finally broke down and bought a lil something the Xterra has no problems towing. Spent some time this week getting a few D-rings installed on it so I can finally get the siding for my shed to the house safely. The X looks good with that 5x10 hooked up to it.

I feel like the 5x10 is the perfect size for this rig, at least for me. I originally wanted a 5x8, but I’m glad I got the extra 2’ with this one instead. It tracks almost perfectly with the Xterra, and I’ve even taken it through a drive thru without curbing it.

TerryD · Aug 23, 2020

XterraRising said:
Been burning my candle at both ends for the last month. Between taking care of insurance issues to get the house fixed after the wildfire, working a buttload of hours, and this incredible heat wave we have been having, I’ve had to put Xterra plans on hold a bit.

However, I got tired of begging, borrowing, and renting trailers to use for all the crap involved with everything I’ve been involved in, so I finally broke down and bought a lil something the Xterra has no problems towing. Spent some time this week getting a few D-rings installed on it so I can finally get the siding for my shed to the house safely. The X looks good with that 5x10 hooked up to it.

View attachment 15173

View attachment 15174

I feel like the 5x10 is the perfect size for this rig, at least for me. I originally wanted a 5x8, but I’m glad I got the extra 2’ with this one instead. It tracks almost perfectly with the Xterra, and I’ve even taken it through a drive thru without curbing it.

I think the 5x10-6x12 are the perfect all around trailers. I have an odd ball Dad bought in the 90s that's been one of the best little trailers we've ever had. 5.5x11.... unusual by all accounts but it's everyone's favorite trailer.

I bought it from Dad when we moved and he immediately bought a 6x12 to replace it.

I don't know how people get by without a trailer, I really don't...

XterraRising · Aug 23, 2020

TerryD said:
I don't know how people get by without a trailer, I really don't...

Yeah I don’t know either. Seems I’ve always had a trailer of some kind, or easy access to one. I’ve owned my 4x6 enclosed for years. Before that, I inherited a 5x8 enclosed, but it was a bit much for my old JEEP, so I sold it. But ever since I bought my “LEGO BRICK,” I immediately wanted an open utility trailer. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t trade my little enclosed trailer for anything. I love the little trailer. But sometimes, ya just need the extra floor space.

I will say this, having a trailer makes you about as popular as you are if you have a truck. I had barely got the new trailer home a couple weeks ago, and someone a couple houses down came over and asked to borrow it to take trash to the dump. I didn’t even have it long enough to call my insurance company, and get a policy for it, and already people are like zombies that spotted some live brains.

Xterrarising

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Has been dubbed Arnold

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