Hi from PA and in need of help

Catrampant

Test Drive
Location
18509
Hoping this site might help me save my beloved 2007 Xterra- My husband bought it new for us but it sat for 3 years after he died in 2015. I got it on the road again in 2019 inspected, etc without too much trouble but now since 2020, the deterioration of random parts is rearing it's ugly head. It only has about 65,000 miles on it and it's such a wonderful beast, having NEVER let us down in the years we had it together. But last fall brakes went completely (as in to the floor)(replaced) and blower motor and resistor thing(?) were replaced and turned out to have a large squirrel's nest within, which i had been chauffeuring around for a year (during which i also had no heat or defrost of course)...then the whole power steering thing had to be replaced by dealer for $1200. I was praying there would be no more problems this year but i went to get a slow leak in rear tire patched, thinking it could be patched. No. The Tire chain i went to said all 4 tires are dry-rotted and need to be replaced even though the tread is great and the Nissan Dealership last fall said nothing about them. I had not told the Tire Shop the car sat so maybe it is true they are rotted but Ive been watching YouTube since 4 am and biting my nails and my tires just dont seem to have appearance of dry rot (or very little). I see a few very small cracks on mine and read differing opinions on whether early rot can be cured with some form of tire conditioner. The Tire Chain guy says No, no such thing, can only replace all. I cant afford 4 tires, even 2 is a stretch so if you all know the lowdown, and/or have ever successfully repaired BF Goodrich with very small areas of tiny cracks, i dont have anyone else to ask (besides another Tire Store Chain) and trust your experiences! Also, same shop, while they had it up on lift, said my fuel pump is leaking above fuel tank and hadnt i smelled gas? No, I'm fairly brain-dead since losing my husband. He was everything to me. They said to drop tank and replace fuel pump is $500+ ($250 for labor, $250 for pump). It's due for inspection this month so i dont know what else will be found but i WANT TO KEEP MY XTERRA. I was looking around this site and others 2 weeks ago when i got the bad news about the repairs, and i swear i saw an NHTSA bulletin or something like it saying my year of Xterra has gas tank and float recalled because the tanks warped and caused inaccurate reading from float...which could lead to running out of gas while driving in traffic without warning. I cannot find this notice ANYWHERE AGAIN! Am i crazy? How could i have imagined such a strange bulletin when i had no idea such a thing would occur?-But i cant find it at NHTSA site or anywhere. My brilliant idea was that maybe if they had to replace the tank at dealership, i could have them also replace fuel pump while it's droppped and it would be cheaper? I know i should get it all fixed for safety but i am still driving it like it is because i have no choice. If anyone can tell me anything about anything (LOL), i would truly appreciate it! Can i buy some stuff at AutoZone that says it repairs rot? Is there really a recall of 2007 Xterra fuel tanks? Can i just get 2 tires or is this a cardinal sin? Should i look for a less reputable place to inspect my car or is it really dangerous to drive with possible fuel leak and possible rotting tires? I dont have the money to buy another car either and with the winter snow in these hills here, i really needed the 4 wheel drive and safety of my X last year. AND if i have to do tires, i will be searching this forum for best ones but would also love to hear. CarTalk guys say Michelin is best. What do Xterra owners say and is Tirerack.com an ok place to try? Sorry to bombard with all this on first post- i am just running out of time before inspection and i cant handle it all. Thank you so much!
 

TerryD

Total Tease
Supporting Member
Location
Covington, Va
First, welcome! I love my 2007 Xterra as well. 213k miles on the beast. I'm very sorry to hear of your husband's passing as well.

Now, your tires. There are levels of dry-rot but ANY visable rot, regardless of extent, is grounds for inspection failure in most states. There's no way most shops would let it slide because that could make them liable if a tire blew and someone came back saying "you said it was OK". Search around for used tire shops. The tires might not match in brand but you should be able to save yourself some money with them.

I'm not sure about a NTS bulletin on the tank. I've never heard of it? My fuel sender was replaced before I bought mine but it was well outside Nissan's liability time frame and had actually failed.

Sitting is awful for a vehicle and getting them going again can seem daunting.

If your Xterra is an automatic, you have another issue to address ASAP as well to save yourself a $4k transmission. The radiator needs replaced and the coolant replaced. There is a very common issue with pre-2011 Xterras and Frontiers where the radiator fails and contaminates the transmission fluid with coolant through the internal cooler. You could bypass the radiator's cooler as a temporary fix till you can afford to fix it properly but be aware that it IS a TEMPORARY fix.

You can look up Xterra SMOD bypass for info on doing it. It's a fairly easy thing to do. Only a couple clamps and relocating a couple hoses under the front of the vehicle.
 

Zack.

Has been dubbed Arnold
Supporting Member
Location
Livermore, CA
Welcome from CA!

I believe the recall regarding the gauge showing a quarter tank just changed the sending unit for one with a modified arm - so it wouldn’t hit the deformed part of the gas tank, rather than replacing the tank itself.
 

maillet282

If you bleeding, Imma fix you
Moderator
Location
Ontario Canada
Welcome from Ontario Canada.
sincere condolences on the loss of your husband. This is the perfect place to be able to read and learn everything about your Xterra. Dont hesitate to ask there are lits of peoole hete who have owned multiple Xterras and have a wealth of knowledge
 

TheCrabby1

I Smell Fishy
Supporting Member
Location
Burtonsville, Md
Welcome from Md ! Sorry for the loss:(

Koyo radiator A-2807 Is a drop in fit . Put one in my 2005 S ; SO like TerryD said "ASAP" on this one .
 

dsmgvr4xterra

Test Drive
Location
NJ
If there’s cracks in your tires, best to replace them. My son purchased an f150 that sat for 6 years outside in a driveway. Tire tread looked brand new and tires were just replaced before it sat first 6 years. Within the a few months of driving it, he had 2 tires blow out! They looked good and brand new, but upon closer inspection they had many cracks/ rot and replacement of all were required. Good luck. I plan to purchase a 08 Xterra soon from my neighbor and will give a proper intro when ready.
 
Welcome to the forum and my condolences on losing your husband. I’ve had lots of losses and only one family member left so I feel something close to your pain. The foggy grief brain is a legit thing.
As far as your Xterra is concerned it sounds like you have a good little snow buggy there just needs some TLC.
I wouldn’t go to the dealership for anything but to verify if all recalls have been performed. Take a picture of your VIN badge and license plate, walk in to the service department of the dealership and show them, ask for confirmation that all recalls are completed. Should cost zero dollars.
Ask trusted friends if they know a reliable, honest mobile mechanic who will work on payments. Some smaller mechanics will let you pay for parts up front and make payments on the labor and usually much more economical than the dealership! A mobile mechanic may also know the local auto recycler like the back of their hand and be able to find you working tires and non-crucial parts. Parts that need to be new they can find cheaper than normal mortals. Talk to this person tell them your goals and needs for your rig and work together to devise a plan to make old “Gertrude” (if you haven’t named your rig you should choose one right away, maybe a favorite aunt of your husbands?) Our tugs travel our journey with us, get us out of sticky situations are great helpers , they deserve a name imho.
My mobile mechanic comes to my place of wirk, texts me he’s arrived, I walk out to the parking lot hand him my keys and voila, by the time I’m done with my work Carlos is running better than ever.
I wish you good luck on your journey, be sure to network, ask around for a reliable mobile mechanic you never know who you’ll run in to that has a brother, sister or uncle that turns an expert wrench for a living. As always, be cautious and your mileage may vary.
Sitting idle is one of the worst things for a vehicle. Maybe you could start a thread about your journey in refreshing your vehicle after it sat. I’m confident that there will be future newcomers in your same situation that would benefit from your hard earned knowledge and experience. Plus it gives us know it all’s more chances to prove how wise we are…
Respectfully,
Hank from The Great Pacific Northwest.
PS - Don’t measure your grief by anyone else’s ruler. It’s a very customized process that must run its course naturally imho. Be yourself and ufck ‘em if they don’t understand.
 
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