My primary car has become my project car

My 2005 Nissan Xterra has recently begun losing its mind and couldn't pass inspection to save my life. So far, I've already replaced all 6 plugs, a cylinder coil, the passenger side camshaft position sensor, the crankshaft position sensor, and the shifter cable bushing. It still needs more work-new catalytic converters, the A/C needs to be fixed, general maintenance like air filters & such, and it needs a little body work (peeling paint & rust spots). My mom is suprised I haven't broken down & lost my E36 M3 with all this going wrong in the past 2 months, but I'm looking at it like practice for my first real project car. I gotta start somewhere, right?

(Just realized cuss words are edited. Sorry, I swear like a sailor on leave, I'll try to curb it here.)

Everyone starts somewhere. With any old car, you have to ask yourself if you're prepared to commit and do the work to keep it going. At some point you'll have replaced most things and it should be reliable for a long time, but there will always be new things cropping up. Usually I make sure the engine and drivetrain is solid, and let the little things like window switches and interior stuff pile up before addressing them.

Good luck! Side note - do you know anything about canoeing?

Mezzanine wrote:

Good luck! Side note - do you know anything about canoeing?

I know absolutely nothing about canoeing, but I'm willing to learn! 

In reply to Mezzanine :

I think she's legit. She did an intro thread in off topic a bit ago. 

In reply to deannathegeek :

Canoe is our term for spam and build thread are worthless workout pictures of the build imho.

I'll be watching this, I've been eyeing a Xterra as an possible overlanding vehicle. I used to have a '96 Pathfinder so I'm familiar with the 3.3L in the early Xterras, but I'd prefer the later ones without a timing belt.

How do you like your Xterra, is it a 4WD?

Sweet, glad to know you aren't here to sell something!

Those early Xterras are neat - I love some asymmetric styling in a car.

With everything you've done, what is the car doing?  Filters shouldn't kill the engine, but pull them out and see.

What does it currently need to pass inspection? A.C. isn't usually a terrible fix if you can find someone to walk you through it. I assume you have a code reader? What's it say?

You may want to get on to an Xterra forum too.  I'm on a Nissan Frontier forum. I don't really participate on it, but it's a wealth of information for maintenance and improvements. 

Like Mazdeuce said, buy or borrow a code reader and see what trouble codes are coming up. It will help you diagnose what's causing the poor emissions situation a lot better than just throwing parts at it. There may also be a thread or a few on the Xterra forum which discuss the same problems you're having with a silly simple repair. 

If it's a 4.0 with an automatic transmission, you'll definitely want to be mindful of the cross contamination between the radiator and transmission cooler. It can kill the transmission. I believe 2005-2010 Xterras, Frontiers and Pathfinders had this situation. Not each and every one, but it's a known problem.

Sounds like - you got the worst of it already.

Universal cats can be welded in by a muffler shop.

Air filter, oil change are easy to do...rust spots and peeling won't disable the truck.

Question is - how much are you attached to this truck and what is your jump off point?

Great truck but at some price point there are tons of other options...

---what is the mileage on the truck

---what does it need for inspection?

pleiades wrote:

I'll be watching this, I've been eyeing a Xterra as an possible overlanding vehicle. I used to have a '96 Pathfinder so I'm familiar with the 3.3L in the early Xterras, but I'd prefer the later ones without a timing belt.

 

How do you like your Xterra, is it a 4WD?

Actually, when I got this car a few years back, I'd been planning on getting a Cube. That changed when my baby boy (10 at the time) asked if he could pick out our new car. Because he was low man on the totem pole and never really got a say in anything, I said sure. It surprised me how much he researched and how many questions he asked-did a really great job, and the Xterra was the result and I haven't regretted it. All the crap happening now is most likely the result of 185,000 miles, of which I put on 100,000 of those. I get almost 400 miles to the 20 gallon tank, and it's a smooth ride when it's running right. Not to mention it's surprisingly roomy with lots of cargo space. My 16 year old has requested I keep it in good shape (and stop smoking in it) so he can have it when he graduates. I've always loved Nissans, and this car is no exception.

mazdeuce - Seth wrote:

What does it currently need to pass inspection? A.C. isn't usually a terrible fix if you can find someone to walk you through it. I assume you have a code reader? What's it say?

P0420 and P0430-catalytic converters banks 1 & 2. I got this cleaner stuff you add to the gas that said guaranteed to pass inspection or double your money back (couldn't hurt). Otherwise I got a quote from a local shop for $1200 to replace both cats, with a lifetime warranty on parts and a guarantee on labor. He said he might cut some of that off if I wanna come in and fix his computers (I've been in IT for 17 years), so that might knock it down a bit. Honestly, cats scare me a bit. 

Agent98 wrote:

Sounds like - you got the worst of it already.

Universal cats can be welded in by a muffler shop.

Air filter, oil change are easy to do...rust spots and peeling won't disable the truck.

Question is - how much are you attached to this truck and what is your jump off point?

Great truck but at some price point there are tons of other options...

---what is the mileage on the truck

---what does it need for inspection?

I'm sitting at 185,000-ish miles right now. My kids & I are all pretty attached to it, and my son wants me to get it cherry so he can have it when he graduates in 2020. I'm sure the worst of it is over, but besides the regular maintenance stuff and body work, I think I need an alignment at the moment, maybe break pads & such (my squeakers are going off every time I go in reverse). I think she'll be fine with a little TLC, time, and well-placed funds.

Stampie wrote:

In reply to Mezzanine :

I think she's legit. She did an intro thread in off topic a bit ago. 

In reply to deannathegeek :

Canoe is our term for spam and build thread are worthless workout pictures of the build imho.

Do not get me started on my opinions on legitimacy, I'm a die-hard fangirl with more opinions than a conservative at an LGBTQ+ rally. Level of interest does not translate into legitimacy, and I'll stop there. But I do promise not to spam, troll, or otherwise be a pain, and pics will come as I get stuff done. In the meantime, enjoy a pic of the shifter cable bushing I just replaced. 

deannathegeek said:

Stampie wrote:

In reply to Mezzanine :

I think she's legit. She did an intro thread in off topic a bit ago. 

In reply to deannathegeek :

Canoe is our term for spam and build thread are worthless workout pictures of the build imho.

Do not get me started on my opinions on legitimacy, I'm a die-hard fangirl with more opinions than a conservative at an LGBTQ+ rally. Level of interest does not translate into legitimacy, and I'll stop there. But I do promise not to spam, troll, or otherwise be a pain, and pics will come as I get stuff done. In the meantime, enjoy a pic of the shifter cable bushing I just replaced. 

No offense intended! The fact that you've posted more than once already means you're legit. Nice work on the shifter bushing. Since the vehicle is part of your family, you'll do well to keep working away at it. Don't let the cats scare you off - try the snake oil in a bottle, get your emissions test done. If it fails, then you can go after the expensive cat replacement. What do you do in IT? I'm an IT PM.

I assume you're in an emissions county in Texas? There are some less upright methods that you can use to convince the truck that the cats are ok. The big reason I suggest that is not so you cheat the system (I'm a firm believer in working emissions equipment) but fixing the cats is about the last thing I'd do to a truck that I already know is fairly tip top. What you don't want to do is spend $1k on cats for a truck that still has $3k in issues. If it were me, I'd figure out how to convince the cats that they're fine, pass inspection, and spend the next 12 months getting the truck tip top. A well running well maintained xTerra is a good place to drop $1k on cats.

I have a bunch of friends that I visit in your neck of the woods though I can't get over there until the end of August or so. When I come I need to bring my AC stuff to sort a friends car that I drove into a tire wall. If you still need AC help I can bring over the gauges and a vacuum pump and help you troubleshoot it. That means suffering through the rest of the summer with no AC though that would suck. You should at least get a cheap lowside gauge that will take individual cans of refrigerant and see if the system can make it through the summer with a recharge. Don't put in the cans with stopleak.

Keep asking us questions. This place is full of good people. 

In reply to mazdeuce - Seth :

Thank you sir! And you don't have to do work to stop by, I'm always looking for an excuse to feed people 

In reply to Mezzanine:

Yeah, I got some of that stuff last night & dumped it in. I want to make sure everything else is in working order and get to the cats last, if possible, just because I wanna see how much I can do on my own before getting a shop involved. I'm almost sure it's the AC clutch giving me hell, but also checking the AC resistor just to be sure. Praying it's not the compressor.

I've done everything from sysadmin to network admin, but I'm in a help desk analyst position now. First time in over a decade I've made less than $30/hour, but I missed being boots on the ground & helping people. 

deannathegeek said:

P0420 and P0430-catalytic converters banks 1 & 2. I got this cleaner stuff you add to the gas that said guaranteed to pass inspection or double your money back (couldn't hurt). Otherwise I got a quote from a local shop for $1200 to replace both cats, with a lifetime warranty on parts and a guarantee on labor. He said he might cut some of that off if I wanna come in and fix his computers (I've been in IT for 17 years), so that might knock it down a bit. Honestly, cats scare me a bit. 

I may have missed it, but have you checked the oxygen sensors? If I'm not mistaken that is how the ECM determines converter efficiency. There are probably four sensors, two for each bank. If you don't have a scanner, I'd recommend getting a Bluetooth or wireless scanner and using a laptop, it'll tell you more than just the scanner. You can monitor the oxygen sensor switching and determine which one could be bad. 

I have one from here: https://www.scantool.net. Yes, you can get them cheaper on Amazon because they're all based on ELM chips, but this one comes with actual support and firmware updates. Since you've been in IT awhile (I've been in IT around the same length of time) I'm sure you've got multiple computer laying around that you can use it with. The wireless ones I believe you can use with a phone. 

In reply to pleiades:

I have my own scanner, and a mechanic friend of mine eyeballed the O2 sensors and pronounced them healthy.

DdaGeek....I applaud you for focus  on this vehicle ,not to mention your actual hands on approach.Glad you're here .....keeps stampie in line 

What's pissing me off is the A/C now, and I made a stupid mistake. I discounted the freon levels because I just had it recharged last summer, but didn't notice the vavle cover was missing, and found it completely empty. It still didn't solve the problem, but it made me feel like a moron.

The a/c did not empty because the cover was missing.  The o-rings in the valves may be bad.  I have had good luck with vacuum the system and topping up if not completely empty.  I have been running my BMW that way for 8 years.

X2 what cdowd said....

If the O2 sensors were bad wouldn't they cause a trouble code to be stored or displayed?

...google The Frugal mechanic and what he did on this forum to fix his Boxster AC leak. He sealed the evaporator leak, then put a new dryer on the system and recharged it.... or just have it pumped and recharged might last through the hot season - which in TX is probably 10 months long LOL.

AC compressor on Rock Auto.com is $158. Ac evaporator core is $32 and probably a pain to replace. Dryer is about $11 bucks.

New cats will probably clean up any heap for 150-200 miles or more, new ones for your Pathfinder are $102 each on RA. get some Kroil first, there is no substitute. Looks like the cats bolt up to the exhaust manifolds.

(all cars have a logical "jump off point" , a combo of age/miles/problems/condition/design flaws, I'm not sure I'm the one to judge when that would be for a Pathfinder, just saying....) in this area up north there's a Ford Explorer with 100K for $3500..no doubt there's a few "non-Harvey, never been soaked" SUV's in your area too...

https://lancaster.craigslist.org/cto/d/2005-ford-explorer/6627051932.html

Pulled a P1800 code this weekend on top of everything else, so now I gotta find a VIAS solenoid circuit valve, which we apparently don't sell at AutoZone. 

In other news, this Saturday I'll be spending the day at my mom's house spoiling her-doing her oil change, general maintenance on both her car & her computer, and cooking her a brisket. In exchange, she's letting me tear apart my car in her yard so I can do my own maintenance, figure out the solenoid thing, and investigate my A/C and my brakes.