just bought a Xterra! Baseline/maintenance questions...

[bruzer1123]

Hello folks,

I have been on this forum for awhile (in the Toyota section) but my wife & just purchased a 2003 Xterra, so I now find myself in new territory! The rig is light green, a 5 speed with just under 86,000 miles. The only "mod" that has been done is the engine now has synthetic oil.

I had a couple of questions about the rig that I was hoping some more knowledgeable folks would be able to answer.

1) Unfortunately I didn't get any maintenance records with the rig. What would be a good baseline set of maintenance items to go through? I was thinking of the following:
-oil & oil filter change
-replace air filter
-replace cabin air filter
-replace PCV
-change trannsmission oil to synthetic
-change transfer case oil to synthetic
-change differential oil to synthetic (front & rear)

2) Any recommendations on where to purchase OE parts for a reasonable price?

3) Recommendations on synthetic oil products?

4) Are FSM available on-line? If so, where?

There are a few other items I would like to take care of as well. The headlights and fog lights have a slight haze. Does this require replacing the plastic lense or is there a product that can get rid of the haze?

The rear window sprayer doesn't shoot anything out...thoughts?

Future mods are Marathon Seat covers, and vent-visors (any thoughts on brands...I hear weathertech is pretty nice). On the wish list is Shrockworks....

I will get some photos up soon.

Thanks and looking forward to hanging out with you guys & gals!

Jeremy

[Frankspinz]

There's a bunch of online Xterra Forums with answers to questions you don't even know you have !! Congratulations on you new toy. The Xterra is a great platform for touring, off-roading & expeditions ...

Have fun with it !

[AlabamaWill]

nissanpartsdirect.com is a good place for OE parts

[Casper]

Congrates on the purchase, I hope you love the X as much as we do.

To answer some of your questions:
Synthetic oil, everyone has their preferance, I myself like Amsoil, and have never had a problem with it.
If it an S/C model I would look into the knock sensor, they have a tendancy to go bad, and on the S/C's it makes a differance.
Last, at 86K you are getting close to needing to replace the timing belt. Nissan recomends 110K replacement.

Have fun with it, and if you have the time and what to meet up with a bunch of other Nissan nuts check out goneMOAB

Cheers,
and welcome to the Nissan crowd.

Josh
&
Porthos

[trae]

Checkout http://clubxterra.org bunch of good people there too.

FSM for your X is available here: http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/xterra/2003_Xterra/

[fishy_frontier]

Congrats on the new rig

Sounds like you have the majority of the maintenance covered in that list. Maybe check the brake pad wear and the rotors for grooves as well.

For OE parts I prefer: courtesyparts.com
They have good prices and good customer service. It's technically a Nissan dealer located here in TX so you know all parts will be genuine.

As far as synthetic oil goes I'd stick with Mobil 1 or Amsoil.

The headlight and fog light haze can be rid of by using 1200 grit sandpaper and 3M rubbing compound or Turtle Wax rubbing compound. Basically you want to sand the entire fog light/headlight lens until it's scratched up and the haze appears to be gone. Then you apply the rubbing compound using a cotton cloth or round applicator pad. The rubbing compound will remove the scratches from the sandpaper but it takes A LOT of elbow grease to get a perfect shine. You will want to rub the compound in firmly and with a circular motion for best results. Use a damp cotton rag to clean a spot while doing it to check for progress on how polished it's getting. I'd also recommend using blue painters tape around the headlights to avoid scratching paint or getting compound on anything other than the headlight. It's kinda a pain but it will save you money and beats having to buy new headlights or lenses.

Hope this helps!

[alexrex20]

another +1 for www.courtesyparts.com, but www.rockauto.com is also good, just be sure you know which brands to stay away from.

if the Xterra ran its entire life on dino oil thus far, i would just stick with it. i especially wouldn't switch to synthetic on a high-mileage engine. my Pathfinder has the same engine (VG33E) and i run straight-grade 30 dino oil in it, and don't change it but every 5000mi or more. it's at 185kmi now and still running strong. i don't see the point of using synthetic on this kind of motor, nor do i buy into the "change your oil every 3000mi" hype.

in fact, i don't use any synthetic oils anywhere in my Nissan. i just use the cheap stuff. but hey, it's your truck and your money. for ATF you want to use a DexronIII/Mercon type, which is the same as Nissan Matic-D. that same ATF will also be used in the transfer case and power steering.

when you change your diff fluids and transfer case fluid, first make sure you can remove the fill plug before draining the fluid. again, first make sure you can remove the fill plug before draining the fluid. the fill plugs are notoriously difficult to undo, and easy to strip. on the transfer case, i suggest getting a cheap hand pump because it's literally impossible to simply pour the new fluid into the case.

for the headlight haze, you can buy a product called Meguiar's PlastX. it's $8/bottle at Wal-Mart, AutoZone, etc. just apply it like wax and it will clear up your headlights almost instantly.

the rear window sprayer could be suffering from a clogged line, broken line, clogged sprayer, or maybe even a blown fuse. backtrace the water line starting at the reservoir. verify the pump is good. if it's good, check the line. if the line is good, check the sprayer, and so on.

check out www.clubxterra.org for a great resource on your truck. there are also some other great Nissan forums like www.nissantrailriders.com and www.roninwheelers.com.

[alexrex20]

also, a good tuneup for your truck consists of:

spark plugs (use OEM NGK Iridium)
distributor cap & rotor
fuel filter
air filter
oil change
6 quarts ATF for transmission fluid change + filter (capacity is almost 10qts, but you can only drain about 5qts unless you want to drop the tcase, trans and then pour the rest out of the torque converter)
3 quarts ATF for transfer case fluid change
5 quarts total gear oil for both diff fluid changes

and like Casper mentioned, you're coming up on the service interval for the timing belt. now would be a good time to replace the water pump, thermostat, and coolant bypass hose. those cooling parts are tucked away under the timing cover, so if you already have the front cover off, you may as well change them out. if you attempt the timing belt yourself, give yourself a day to complete it.

[steelcityslicker]

Light green? Sounds like the "Canteen green" colour. Very cool and quite rare up here in Canada.

Congrats on the purchase and welcome to your new addiction.....

[bruzer1123]

Thansk for the warm welcome and advice. I have found some of the websites mentioned already (clubxterra, courtesyparts, etc), but the other ones will be added to the list.

It is not the s/c motor...I guess it has the regular V6 that puts out 180 (or is it 170?) HP. Much more than my 22re! So hopefully no worries about the knock sensor. I had seem that the timing belt needs to be changed @ 105k. That might take a year or so to get there, but it might make sense to get some of the parts and research how to do it.


ALWill-will check it out thanks!
casper-thanks for the info, no S/c motor for me. I will have to check out the Moab link.
trae-thanks for the link to the FSM...and welcome to ExPo!
Fishy-I will have to try your technique for the headlight haze.
Alexrex20-would you consider 86k miles high miles? I have heard that once you go synthetic you can't go back to "regular"-Any truth to this. I am not necessarily sold on going to synthetic, but I figured it might help lubricate better and squeek another mpg out.
Steel-I am not sure of the color code but I will post a pic soon. When I first saw the photo, I thought it was an awesome color. Initially I was hoping to find a silver one, but this color is sweet!

Thanks a bunch guys!