Beginner’s Guide to 2nd Generation Xterras (2005-2015)

TerryD

Total Tease
Supporting Member
Location
Covington, Va
Welcome to Xterra Nation! Thanks for joining in on the last “enthusiast owned” Xterra forum out there.

This will hopefully be a quick resource for Xterra owners and potential buyers alike. I’m going to try to link some of our more informative threads here so those who are new to the world of Xterras or those just looking to learn more about their Xterra can reference this to quickly answer some of the more frequently asked questions regarding our trucks.

For those looking to purchase their first or next Xterra, here’s a great read on general tips for buying a used vehicle:

What to look for when purchasing a used Xterra

Next lets cover some of the issues that the early 2nd Generation Xterras encountered and some information on identifying potential issues related to them.

If you’re looking at a 2005-2011 Xterra with an AUTOMATIC transmission, you need to be aware of an issue known as “SMOD” or Strawberry Milkshake Of Death. This is a failure of the radiator’s transmission fluid cooler due to an incompatibility between the materials the radiators were made from and the coolant Nissan used resulting in the coolant and automatic transmission fluid (ATF) mixing and wreaking havoc inside the transmission. Here is a thread that covers the factory radiators that were affected and how to identify your radiator:

Radiators, Antirfreeze, and Strawberry Milkshake Of Death (SMOD)

Next on the list is the 2005-2011 Secondary Timing Chain Tensioner Shoes. These were made of an inferior material that wears out prematurely and causes a whining sound that is RPM dependent. There is a Technical Service Bulletin on them and Nissan released a repair procedure for them. The newest of the Xterras are now 6 years old (at the time of me writing this) and most are well over 100k miles. There’s very little chance of getting them replaced through any kind of warranty or recall, but you should be aware that this issue can be devastating to the internals of the engine should they completely fail.

Cam/Timing Chain Tensioner Advice

That covers the BIG issues with the 2nd Generation Xterras but there are a few other smaller issues that should be looked at if you own or are looking to buy a 2005-2015 Xterra.

First is the rear axle breather. This affects all 2nd Generation Xterras regardless of package or driveline. Nissan used a small spring loaded breather directly on the axle. This presents two issues. First it stops up with road grime and can cause it to blow out the axle shaft seals which is not a cheap fix. If you have gear oil on your back brakes or back tires, look at this breather first. There is a good chance it’s stopped up. The other issue is that it’s very low, which on water crossings can allow water to enter your gear oil and ruin your rear differential. Here’s a thread on doing an extension to raise the vent point up higher and eliminate the little spring loaded factory breather.

Rear Axle Breather Extension

There are also some plastic tees in the heater hose attachments on the firewall that deteriorate and get very brittle. Doorman now makes a nice metal version of the larger line and Z1 Offroad makes a very nice machined bleeder tee for the other side. You can also just replace the larger tee with a PEX fitting.

How-To: Replace Plastic Tees in Heater Lines

And finally, here is a link to our How-To guides. These cover many of the issues addressed here in more depth as well as some interesting and fun mods we’ve made to our trucks.

List of How To and DIY

*3/19/2022*

Since it's come up a couple times so far, yes, the passenger side upper shock mount looks like this.
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