Pauly's 2002 Xterra (S/C, M/T, 4x4, Solar Yellow)

[Pauly]

My First "Official" Xterra

Now, it's got a bit of a lift and some other refresh.

INTRO...

Year: 2002
Trim: SE SC
Engine: VG33ER
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Differential Ratio: 4.636:1
Color: EW3 - Solar Yellow
Purchase Price: $2000 (too high? Probably...)
Purchase Miles: 224,000 (too high? Nah)

"I'd drive it to the coast tomorrow" - Guy I bought it from.

... Well, he probably would NOT have have made it. Timing belt was so loose it was about to fall off. But I did make it home. Drove from Byers, CO to south Denver, some 60-ish miles

This is my 1st official Xterra, although I've worked on many 1st and 2nd gens and have owned 1st gen Frontiers
Babe the Blue Ox - 2000 S/C, CC, V6, MT, 4x4
Grey Truck (sold) - 2003 XE, KC, V6, MT, 4x4

This will be less of a "build" and more of a cleanup/maintenance project, although I'll probably do a small lift, diff drop, basic goodies.

Interior:

• JVC Bluetooth Radio
• Sagging Headliner

Exterior:

• Stock stuff

Drivetrain:

• 5-speed manual
• Auto-locking hubs
• Stock diff gears (4.636:1)
• Stock transfer case gears (2:1)

Suspension & Tires:

• Stock torsion bars
• AC (4x4parts) upper control arms
• SPC cam bolts
• 1-leaf add-a-leaf in the rear
• Duralast shocks
• 265/70R16 Hankook Dynapro AT1 (Basically brand new).
• 4x4parts.com HD tie rod adjusters
• Front differential drop bushings

Performance:
• Supercharger
• K&N Drop-in filter
• All intake baffles removed ("PeRfOrMaNcE")

WORKING LIST OF ISSUES in no particular order... it's a big list and will likely grow, but it's manageable and all stuff I've done before.

Issue	Fix
Crash damage and repairs...	Car has been in a front end collision at some point. It has been repaired but has issues... Seems like it was professionally repaired. Some work is good, some is not as good. Was replaced: 1. Full radiator core support cross member, incl. condenser and radiator 2. Hood (bad/cheap paint job - faded, peeling) 3. Front fenders (bad/cheap paint job - faded, peeling) Needs work: 1. Blinker and marker light harnesses both broken (FIXED) 2. Driver Running board bent (REPLACE) 3. Right bumper bracket nuts broke off in frame - can't remove (FIXED) 4. Right bumper end has been cut to access broken nuts ^^ (will weld in patch) (DONE) 5. Driver door alignment messed up (FIXED) 6. Driver door latch mangled? (FIXED) 7. Driver rocker panel dented in (IGNORED) 8. AC Line from condenser to air box (dash) is crimped. 9. Many harness pigtails in the front are taped back together with no solder or even crimps. I'll solder, heat shrink, and re-loom them. (DONE)
Power steering leaks EVERYWEHRE	PS pump dripping fluid - rebuild (DONE) PS pressure hose cracked and leaking at crimp - replace (DONE) PS reservoir hoses leaking (return & suction) - replace (DONE) PS return line leaking at box (rubber section) - replace (DONE)
Belt Drive & Timing Belt	1. Timing belt was loose & unknown age - replace with AISIN kit (DONE) 2. Serpentine belts starting to dry rot/crack - replace (DONE) 3. All idler bearings were NOISY - replace all bearings (DONE) 4. PS pump is NOISY - new bearing (DONE) 5. Alternator is NOISY - new bearings (DONE)
Coolant problems	1. Radiator drain plug leaking - Replace plug (DONE) 2. Radiator hoses swelling - replace (DONE) 3. Heater core hoses. (DONE) 4. Water pump leaking (DAYCO unit) - replace (DONE)
Misc. Engine Tasks	1. Valve cover gaskets leaking - replace (DONE) 2. Oil pan leak reseal - (DONE) 3. Camshaft seals "while I'm in here" (DONE 2x - 1st one leaked) 4. Crankshaft seal "while I'm in here" (DONE) 5. Spark Plug age unknown; I'll use a "colder" plug (DONE) 6. Engine oil is full, but BLACK; oil & filter change (DONE) 7. A/C pressure hose leaking at crimp - replace (DONE) 8. Preemptive distributor bearing - replace (DONE)
Exhaust	1. Exhaust flange studs broken on each side - remove studs and welded nuts, replace with SS nut/bolt combo (DONE) 2. Crossover/flex pipe broken - replace (I have spares) (DONE) 3. Passenger manifold cracked (DONE) 4. Muffler split down seam - replace (DONE)
Suspension & Steering	1. Aftermarket Idler (weak) - get junkyard OE with Poly Bushings (DONE) 2. All original shocks - replace (DONE) 3. Rear add-a-leaf (DONE) 4. Front torsion bar crank (DONE) 5. Upper control arm swap (DONE) 6. Sway bar bushings (DONE) dry/cracked - replace (DONE) 7. Grassroots4x4 center link and HD tie rod adjusters (DONE)
Brakes, Wheels, & Hubs	1. Repack front wheel bearings (DONE) 2. Inspect pads/rotors & shoes/drums - replace if necessary (DONE) 3. Wheel center caps missing - eBay knockoffs incoming (DONE) 4. Install larger master cylinder (03-04 Xterra) - (DONE)
Interior	1. FILTHY - remove seats, deep clean (DONE) 2. Headliner sagging (not sure what to do, if anything, besides push pins) 3. Trans shift knob missing? - I have OE spares (DONE) 4. Map light broken - (FIXED) 5. Cabin air filters (DONE) 6. Blower motor resistor bad (only fan speed 4 works) (DONE) 7. Rear windows are messed up; only roll down part way. Motors? 8. Wiper Motor seems to be failing - replace with junkyard unit (DONE)
Body	1. Rear bumper rusty - (REPLACED) 2. Broken Left Tail light (DONE) 3. Broken Left rear bumper corner (REPLACED) 4. Find color match hood and fenders if possible 5. 1x roof rack crossbar broken - (REPLACED) 6. Install gas lift hood struts - my favorite mod (DONE) 7. Install under-hood lighting - my 2nd favorite mod
Transmission, X-case & Diffs	1. Transmission shift boot ripped & leaking - replace w/ 240SX boot (DONE) 2. Transmission fluid change - GL4 3. Differential fluid change - 80W-90 4. Transfer case fluid change - Nissan Matic-D 5. Front Diff Drop bushings for CV longevity (DONE)

I am in full tear-down mode. Parts flying everywhere, many parts on order. UPS guy is gonna love me.

Some random photos so far. I'll get more detailed eventually.



This was the kind of "crash repairs" I found... ??? I'll fix it.


Cheers.

 

[Pauly]

Today...
1. Distributor rebuilt.
2. Power steering pump rebuilt.
3. Camshaft seals.
4. Crankshaft front main seal.
5. That pesky L-shaped coolant bypass hose right above the thermostat.
6. Timing belt/water pump reinstalled, timing covers installed.

All the parts from RockAuto showed up, as well as the first order of bearings. (The rest are coming from European bearing supplier that ships to US with decent rates).

 

[Pauly]

Power Steering Leaks, Engine Accessories, Harness Wrap

Every single piece of the power steering system besides the gearbox itself was leaking.

I pressure washed the PS pump bracket, cleaned the frame rails, and cleaned up the body underneath the reservoir. It was all messy. I removed probably a pound of dirt and grit that was caked all over the frame. This was one of the worse ones I've seen.

Replaced.
1. Reservoir return and suction hoses - both appeared to be OEM and were leaking bad.
2. Pump to Gear pressure line - was cracked and leaking at the crimp fitting.
3. Gear to Reservoir line - there's a short rubber line near the gearbox that was leaking.
4. Power steering pump rebuilt and reinstalled.


I also put new bearings in the alternator and reassembled it using my "press" (vise with sockets to press bearings). The small bearing is getting harder to find - ordered 4 last time to future-proof myself for alternator rebuilds, at least for another handful of years.


I put the accessories back on the block and installed the serpentine belts. All the idlers got new bearings as well. Trying 3 different brands to see how they hold up (if I even own this thing long enough to tell). KOYO, NSK, and FKG.



Next I rewrapped the engine harness and cleaned up the PS Fluid-soaked battery cables. The tape and loom are always so brittle on these harnesses after all these years. Quite a mess cleaning the old bits off.




Next I think I'll do valve cover gaskets, plenum gaskets, spark plugs, and relocate the knock sensor.

Cheers

 

[Pauly]

Top End Stuff - Now She's Running Again

The top end of the engine had some issues too... Someone has been in here before and some of the work was spotty (e.g. excessive silicone gooped all in and around valve cover gaskets, crank position sensor harness had been replaced but was crimped and barely holding on, transmission vent bracket had been ripped off the bell housing (?), etc).

GOOD NEWS UP FRONT - She's up and running again now. I had a HECK of a time getting it timed. It was chugging, lugging, dying. I messed with everything for far too long (swapping sparkplug-wires, distributor cap, and then the full distributor) before figuring out that CYL #4 had no spark *(glad it wasn't #6, I guess...).

Timing light doesn't lie. When cranking, I got spark on 1,3,5 & 2,6, but no 4.

I swapped the spark plug itself for one of the old ones and it fired right up. Never rule out new parts as the potential source of the problem! I've never had a dead/bad plug out of the box... first time for everything, right?

Good new continued, I don't seem to have any coolant or PS fluid leaks. After everything I touched, I'm kinda surprised. Maybe I'm not as bad at this as I thought....

Here's a list of everything I did... if you care.

1. Lower plenum gaskets & Spark Plugs - Valley was a MESS. Dirt, debris, etc. Cleaned up. Fixed the transmission/transfer case vent which was ripped off the bell housing bolt? Cam position sensor was hacked and had a new end crimped on, barely holding on. I soldered and heat-shrunk a new connector on.

Spark plugs are 1-step colder than the OE recommended. Since we are at higher altitude with thinner air, I've noticed in my S/C-swapped Frontier that engine pinging happens easier here than when I've driven the truck to Oklahoma. Must be partly the thinner air? Who know, but 1-step colder plugs seemed to help the Frontier, so I did it here too.



2. Valve cover gaskets. Valvetrain actually looks decently clean.


3. PCV valve - was stuck open, so I replaced with a new one from RockAuto - $0.68 well spent.
4. Relocated knock sensor - just because.
5. Heater core hoses - I also bypassed the fast idle/removed the mess of metal pipes under the intake. I hate those. Left an out-and-back line from the back of the engine to the bleeder screw in the intake just to make bleeding easier.


6. Supercharger swap & oil change - The manual trans S/C Xterra & Frontier came with with a slightly larger pulley from the factory compared to the automatic transmission Xterra & Frontier models (about 2.7" vs. 2.6"). The larger pulley means it spins slower, hence less boost. My spare S/C was from an auto-trans Xterra, so I installed it instead to get a slight bump in HPs. It's not a lot but everything helps! I also did an oil change in the supercharger - used ACDelco supercharger oil.


7. Blower motor resistor, cabin air filter - I was waiting for my 2nd parts order, so I did a few interior jobs. The fan was only working on "4" - assumed bad blower motor resistor so replaced that. It works on all 4 fan levels now.

8. Refinished headlights and painted the bezels and grille. Headlights have some internal lens cracking and fading - still look about 70% better I think.


9. A/C Compressor Discharge (high pressure) line - funny enough, it had been replaced before with the exact same aftermarket hose I purchased... Date code on the old one was from 2007. I got mine from RockAuto and it was a "closeout" part - new, old stock. Date code is 2010... hopefully it works! I haven't charged the AC system yet.



I still have a lot of work to do...
1. Suspension rebuild front/rear (shocks, bushings, ball joints, add-a-leaf, diff-drop)
2. Full exhaust rework (Cracked manifold, leaking studs, replace muffler)
3. Brakes need a once-over, plus I'll do the 2003-2004 master cylinder swap for more braking power.
4. Body work - looking for nicer front fenders & hood, plus some misc. odds/ends like taillight and rear bumper refinish (it's rusty).

Cheers
Matthew 6:26-27

 

[Prime]

ufck dude! That's a lot! Glad to see so much work going into this! I can't wait to SC swap mine.

 

[Pauly]

ufck dude! That's a lot! Glad to see so much work going into this! I can't wait to SC swap mine.

Says the guy who gutted his entire car to dynamat the entire interior... High praise.

 

[Prime]

Hey, I still haven't done the roof yet!

 

[relentless044]

Says the guy who gutted his entire car to dynamat the entire interior... High praise.

don't let the fool you. Prime can drive fairly well for a dude with a mostly stock x

 

[Pauly]

don't let the fool you. Prime can drive fairly well for a dude with a mostly stock x

@Prime I guess we need to wheel together some time!

The little yellow Xterra is alive. Didn't get much done this weekend, but I did finish fixing all the broken pigtails in the front end for the washer bottle, headlights, and maker lights.

I did a short lap around the block and smiled the whole way.
I'm very excited to fix the exhaust... It's in bad shape. Passenger manifold is TOAST. I have a new one with a lifetime warranty to install for now, but also have a spare set of headers... custom exhaust at some point?
Studs are broken on both mid-pipe flanges and the y-pipe has been patched together (leaks badly). Will replace all studs with stainless nut-bolt combos and replace the whole y-pipe section. I have a spare of that too I think.
Goal - get this all reworked this week so I can take it to Greeley next weekend to get parts. Found a yellow one with good fenders, bumpers, etc.

Cheers.

 

[relentless044]

Hey where’s my invite? Just cuz my x isn’t pretty

 

[Pauly]

Say it with me - "I love working on exhaust!"
This is a small pile of stuff I pulled aside. There was much more. Grinder got a workout.


I am almost finished with the full exhaust rebuild. New manifold on passenger side has a few fitment issues that I resolved with a grinder and a carbide burr. It is heavier and thicker in some places. Hopefully it lasts. I pulled all 4 O2 sensors, chased the threads, and put anti seize on them before installing. They're all working for now, but will hoped be easier to replace now if they ever go bad.

New stainless hardware in place of the rusty studs everywhere (4 flanges like this, total). I always do it this way - it saves me so much hassle whenever I have to do exhaust work in the future.


I'll use the old tailpipe section and put a new muffler in - I have a Thrush muffler sitting on the shelf that I'll use. Hopefully it sounds nice. I'll build that tomorrow hopefully.

I also fixed the nuts that were supposed to be welded into the frame horns (welds had broke during the crash or crash repair, seems like). I drilled an 18mm hole for an M10 nut, then countersunk the hole with a 20mm bit for more weld area while keeping the nuts flush. Came out good. Better than new probably.




I still have lots of suspension work to do, but that'll come eventually.

Cheers.

 

[Pauly]

MUFFLER COMPLETE

I did the muffler. Old one was rotted out at the seam. Not my best work, but not my worst. Sound is good. Not loud at all. Just a bit throaty. Nice.


I salvaged and repurposed the original hangers and 2-bolt flanges to hang the muffler section. With a bit of bending, the hanger looks like it's supposed to be there. The 2-bolt flange is way nicer than the factory 2001-2004 pipe clamp setup for the muffler.


The thing seems to be running well - took it for a quick rip around. First time I've REALLY driven it since I brought it home. It sounds so much better now with good exhaust (does not sound like a tractor anymore).

I'm very excited about it.

Cheers.

 

[Pauly]

I patched the ghetto access hole in the frame rail cut by the repair shop. I just cut a piece of metal the same shape and left holes to match.




I also reassembled the front bumper with new marker lights.

Suspension comes next.
- Diff Drop
- HD tie rods
- Idler Arm Brace
- SPC cam bolts
- UCA rebuild (or swap in spare 4x4parts arms)
- New shocks (Monroe Refresh series - nothing fancy)
- Front sway bar bushings and end links
- Rear sway bar delete (probably)
- Rear add-a-leaf (shooting for 2")
- Torsion bar crank.

I also have a line on basically new ARB bumper that I may or may not pick up. Remember my video game cover from when I was a kid? I know mine is a 2002 and the one on the cover is a 2000 or 2001, but hey, it would be close!


Cheers

 

[relentless044]

I patched the ghetto access hole in the frame rail cut by the repair shop. I just cut a piece of metal the same shape and left holes to match.
View attachment 39076
View attachment 39078
View attachment 39079

I also reassembled the front bumper with new marker lights. View attachment 39075

Suspension comes next.
- Diff Drop
- HD tie rods
- Idler Arm Brace
- SPC cam bolts
- UCA rebuild (or swap in spare 4x4parts arms)
- New shocks (Monroe Refresh series - nothing fancy)
- Front sway bar bushings and end links
- Rear sway bar delete (probably)
- Rear add-a-leaf (shooting for 2")
- Torsion bar crank.

I also have a line on basically new ARB bumper that I may or may not pick up. Remember my video game cover from when I was a kid? I know this isn't a 2000 or 2001, but hey, it would be close!
View attachment 39080

Cheers

I still have and play that game, since they don’t have fords I’m team Nissan all day, course in the early 2000’s ford didn’t build a cool off roader worth mentioning

 

[Pauly]

HOOD STRUTS - My fav. 1st Gen mod.

It is late but I had momentum so I kept working. I did my standard DIY hood strut mod. This raises the hood higher than with the stock prop rod. So that's also a plus.

How-to link here: HOW TO; HOOD STRUTS 1ST GEN

 

[Prime]

Do you already have an IAB? Are you doing anything with the centerlink?

 

[Pauly]

Do you already have an IAB? Are you doing anything with the centerlink?

I have pretty much 2 sets of everything for suspension & steering. SLR control arms, AC control arms, 2 sets of grassroots links with IABs, HD tie rod adjusters, Sway-A-Way torsion bars, Dobinsons torsion bars, and leaf packs. I've been stashing stuff...

Not sure how much trail this rig is gonna see, but I'll install it all for the time being. Better than sitting around collecting dust!

I've already got most of it installed.

- SLR control arms with new ball joints
- SPC cam bolts
- Sway bar bushings & end links
- HD tie rod adjusters
- Front and Rear shocks
- Rear sway bar removed


Still need to do...
- Diff drop
- Grassroots link & IAB
- Rear add a leaf

 

[relentless044]

Go wheeling with us, there’s whiskey and gin

 

[Prime]

Do you know what I'd give for a grassroots centerlink? I emailed them months ago to see if they were still doing a thing. Still haven't heard back.

 

[relentless044]

Do you know what I'd give for a grassroots centerlink? I emailed them months ago to see if they were still doing a thing. Still haven't heard back.

There’s a dude on the fb group that makes them, he charges like $700

 

[Pauly]

Do you know what I'd give for a grassroots centerlink? I emailed them months ago to see if they were still doing a thing. Still haven't heard back.

I think I already have a buyer for my spare but I'll let you know...

There’s a dude on the fb group that makes them, he charges like $700

@Prime, the guy's name is Scotty Wayne Emery. He makes a nice product. He does a double shear on the idler and pitman arms, just like SLR used to do (I have an SLR heavy duty steering kit on my Frontier).

Here's what Scotty builds. It a bit more expensive than the grassroots because he does idler and pitman mods too.

 

[Prime]

I think I already have a buyer for my spare but I'll let you know...

Do that. Thanks.

Scotty Wayne Emery.

Lemme fire up the evil website and see what's up. Thanks!

 

[Pauly]

STEERING

I swapped the steering for one of my spare Grassroots4x4 links. I already had these assembled so I just knocked the stock pitman arm and idler off. Then put this whole thing in.

I already had modified pitman and idler arms attached to it so the swap was very easy.

The idler has an IAB and bronze bushings from Bandit4x4. I prefer Nolathane polyurethane idler bushings. I will swap eventually.


I did a quick and dirty torsion bar crank (got about 1.5" lift) and eye-ball alignment. Took a lap around the neighborhood again. It drives straight-ish and the suspension feels better-than before.

I got my Christmas lights up, just in time for the snow too!

John 8:12

 

[Pauly]

For the 3 of you reading this...

I have been busy with other things, so the yellow Xterra hasn't had much work recently. I'm working on a different 1st gen for a friend of mine.

Clutch, rear main, oil pan gasket, passenger manifold, and full exhaust refresh (broken studs, leaks, etc). It's coming along. About ready to reassemble. Once this one is done, I'll try to wrap up the work on the yellow Xterra.

 

[Prime]

Man's over here doing work!

 

[Pauly]

I got the white Xterra clutch/seals/exhaust done. It's back on the road and the new clutch is great. Feels like a totally new car, in some ways.

I replaced the shifter boot and cleaned up the top of the transmission a bit on the Yellow Xterra. The boot was ripped and slobbering oil all over the top of the transmission.


This is not a hard job and it's nice to have it done. The boot is OEM Nissan, part number 32862-05U00, used in the R32, S13, 240sx, etc. The Xterra shifter boot is discontinued but this boot is nearly identical. I've used it several times without issue.

I'll do a transmission fluid change soon, just to ensure it's clean going forward.

Cheers

 

[Pauly]

Rear Suspension

The back end of the Xterra seemed kinda soft. I found some seemingly very new Duralast shocks at the junkyard so I snagged those and threw them on.

For leaf springs, it had the 2/1 leaf pack that was common in 2002-2004 Xterras. I had some springs that came off an axle I got a while back, also from a 2002-2004 Xterra. (The whole thing was $100, so the springs were basically free).

I took the middle, OEM, long leaf from this pack.

It was the same length as the lower leaf that was already in my Yellow Xterra, so it would have interfered with the leaf spring clamps that hold the leaf pack together.

I cut the ends off, redrilled the holes for leaf spring pads, painted them, and threw them in. The factory u-bolts were long enough to reuse. No need for new ones.


She's pretty tall. Maybe I should have figured, since that leaf was the same thickness as the ones that were already in there. So it's probably about 50% stiffer.

I'm going to do the front diff drop while I fix the oil pan gasket, match the front lift height, then take it for a spin. Fingers crossed it's not too stiff!

Cheers.

 

[Prime]

Time to PML the front and get bigger tires!

I did the same thing with mine. I really want to 4-link the rear when I SAS the front. But that's a whole new bag of worms. I don't wand to spend a grand on Alcans.

 

[Pauly]

Time to PML the front and get bigger tires!

I did the same thing with mine. I really want to 4-link the rear when I SAS the front. But that's a whole new bag of worms. I don't wand to spend a grand on Alcans.

Yeah, Alcans are pricey, but nice. There were Alcans on "The Grey Truck" when I bought it - they were old and rusty but still ran good. I rebuilt them and cleaned them up.

The tires are brand new, so I'll probably just run them. Still not sure if I'm keeping this car or selling it, so I don't want to pour too much money into it - if I sell it I still want to try to break even or make a small profit.

Front is already done. Had it cranked up a bit but I'll have to go a little higher to match the rear! I have SLR control arms, longer shocks, and HD steering.


This evening I dropped the front diff and did the diff drop bushings. I have done this job on 4 Nissans now. I guess I'm getting better at it. I have my own transmission jack now and that makes it go much easier.



I'm hoping to do the oil pan reseal this weekend and then have the front end totally done. This is the last leak I think...

 

[Pauly]

Oil Pan and differential are back in.

Everything in the engine looked pretty good overall. Cylinder walls still have some cross-hatching and there was no major scoring on the walls (at least, where I could see).

I hope to finish it up and get it back on its feet this week.

 

[Pauly]

She's back on her own feet again.

- Oil pan reseal seems to have been successful.
- Rear add-a-leaf is solid (The ride in the back is a bit stiff but it is WAY better than before. It was very squatty when accelerating before, but not now).

This week, I'll level out the front, do an alignment, and then pretty much just drive it.

There are still a lot of minor internal odd-ends to do.
- Headliner sagging
- Window regulators are slow
- Seats need a good deep clean

 

[Pauly]

Ok, I take it that back... The oil pan reseal does NOT seem successful... Gonna do it again.

I've finally had some time work get back to work on this thing for the final push to get all the projects done.

Front end it totally apart.
New lower ball joints already installed.


New rotors and pads installed to the hubs (not pictured)

Swapped to a 1" bore master cylinder from a 2004 Xterra. The one I had was actually a 1" bore already but it has that weird piggy-back chamber. When I did this swap in my Frontier the braking improved so I'm hoping this helps!

New one


Old one


Replaced inner CV boots. They were both leaking. Outers are good so I left them alone.





Next I'll drop the diff and do the oil pan gaskets again...

Cheers

 

[Prime]

shiat. There's no gasket for it is there aside from the front and rear curved sections. Correct?

 

[Pauly]

shiat. There's no gasket for it is there aside from the front and rear curved sections. Correct?

Well well welll... It's not the pan after all.

Was REALLY hard to identify, but the leak was coming from inside the timing cover and just wicking over to the pan so that it looked like the pan was leaking.

Bottom line... Crankshaft has a groove cut in it from the previous or original seal. I had replaced this when I did the timing belt the first time and I kinda wonder if that is what was leaking. I considered installing a speedi-sleeve, and even purchased one and trimmed it to size.

I am kinda hesitant to install in case I mess it up... that creates a much larger mess.


Today, I put a new seal in and was very careful not to fold it or damage it on install. I also installed it very slightly deeper than flush this time. I then put the engine back together enough to run it. Left the timing covers off so I could see if the seal was leaking. Installed radiator, fan, alternator.

I let the Xterra run for over 2 hours and it never dripped a single drop of oil that whole time.
Previously it would drip probably 3-4 tablespoons of oil in that amount of time, leaving a decent puddle.

So... maybe the leak is solved. I'll run it 1 more time tomorrow and if it is still dry, I'm going to send it.

(Other news - took the Frontier out a week ago and went up to Waldorf and then almost made it to Santiago Mine - Impassible snow at ~12,000 feet. We were cutting fresh tracks on several sections of trail up high that had not been run yet this season. Always super fun to be first ones on a trail in the Spring! Had a good day with Babe and the "$1000 Xterra").

 

[Prime]

Wild. Those mains almost NEVER leak.

 

[relentless044]

that bitch is gonna look sick with my shiatbox and primes unicorn in silverton.

Also, the oil pan gasket was one of my least favorite mechanical tasks I've ever done.

 

[Pauly]

Wild. Those mains almost NEVER leak.

I did the front main when I did the timing belt the first time because everything was a mess and I couldn't tell what was leaking. Maybe I just messed it up when I installed the aftermarket seal... Oh well. Seems good for now.

 

[Pauly]

A/C Charge

I have a slightly crimped high pressure A/C hard-line but it's hard to find a replacement at the junkyard. They're usually cut or broken already.

So I decided to pull vacuum on the system to see if it held. It held -25 mmHg for about 5 hours. Good enough for me.

I put two cans of r134a and a splash of PAG oil.

Man it's nice to have air conditioning again.

 

[Pauly]

that bitch is gonna look sick with my shiatbox and primes unicorn in silverton.

Also, the oil pan gasket was one of my least favorite mechanical tasks I've ever done.

Just got back from the San Juans in my Frontier!