What's new
CK5
Register an account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members.

Any Nissan techs here?

Babaganoosh

Babaganoosh

1 ton status
 Premium
GMOTM Winner
Joined
May 30, 2007
Posts
18,470
Reaction score
12,925
Location
Phoenix Arizona
I'm pretty sure my Brother in Laws 01 exterra is leaking from the rear main seal. It seems like a nightmare doing this having to remove the torsion bar member and exhaust.

From my understanding, the RMS has a cover plate and a piece that seals the oil pan also? it looks like in order to get to that seal the trans has to come out anyway? This exterra doesn't have a inspection plate on the trans so it's really a shot in the dark. You can wipe the bottom of the bell housing start it and see oil forming already, he did a hour round trip the other day and used a quart of oil.

I can't find the "ck5" of these things and having a hard time finding solid information has any one worked on these?
 
Get a Chitons or Haynes book!
Or take it to the car auction.

I don't know anything about the Xterra's but I had an '86.5 Nissan pickup and the 5 speed tranny went out right after I bought it. If the X is anything like it, you might be better off pulling the engine, because pulling the tranny was a nightmare.

Try this:
http://www.xterraownersclub.com/forums.html
 
Not a bad idea on the books, if it's anything like how the recent one I have looked at they are a waste of time. The new Haynes for our trucks is a waste, glad I kept the old one.

Thanks for the link I'll browse that area probably tonight.
 
Also before you get all crazy with tearing it apart double check to make sure it's not a cam shaft seal or valve cover gasket that's leaking.

And you might want to try pouring in a bottle of "White Shepard" - "Blue Devil" or some other high quality stop leak. Stop leak may not be the best choice for fixing the problem, but it just might save you a lot of work/money and get you by.
 
I have looked all over and I can't see it running down the engine. My gut feeling is rear main or rear oil pan which is a rubber seal. This would be so much easier if they implanted a inspection cover.:doah:

It leaks way to much oil now to think about using stop leak and I would rather not risk it.
 
It's an 01 Nissan, if you pay someone to fix it, it will probably cost you more than the thing is even worth. No disrespect intended, but think about it. How much time and/or money are you willing to invest in a Nissan that will never be worth more than $2,000 on it's best day?

So again, what would it hurt to try?
Worst case, he loses $20 on a bottle of good stop leak.
Best case, it works.

Myself, I'd get a bottle of "White Shepard", $5 in quarters for the car wash and a for sale sign.
 
Trust me I know and I don't want to do the job.:haha: he loves the thing and they are on a strick budget right now.
 
Tell him to save his money for something that isn't made from Xterra left over parts, and doesn't say Nissan or Isuzu anywhere on it (including the not a "Honda" Passport, which is really made by Isuzu, and the Hombre/S-10) because they are junk.

I don't mean to be one of "those guys" but they are 150,000 mile vehicles tops. After that, they become scrap metal just like a Poulan chainsaw. If you can put more than 5 gallons of gas through one, consider yourself very lucky. If the odometer on a Nissan or Isuzu ever says 150,001, that means it was very well taken care of, and like it or not, no mater how much love (money) you pour into it, it's going to die soon.

Tell him to invest his money in something like a Toyota, that is reliable and will still have some resale value a month from now.

Best of luck to you.
 
Wow, 150k tops huh? I guess I'd better tell my customers with over 300k on their 3.3's to stop driving them and junk them. :rolleyes:

I've been a Nissan tech for 20 years at a dealership. Xterras are good vehicles, my wife drives a supercharged 2002 model. The lip seals are the main leak, but every now and then you do have a rear main seal leaking. Is it 2wd or 4wd? If it's 2wd you don't have to drop the torsion bars to get the trans out. I'd try the lip seal on the pan first. The pan uses gray silicone instead of a gasket. The valve covers are also known to leak, they are rubber but will dry and crack and start pouring oil on the starter on the pass. side.
 
It's a 4wd model, I'm hoping it's just the oil pan. I would assume dropping the front diff is in order along with the torsion bar cross member?
 
I had a 01 frontier 2 wd truck and had over 150k ran like a champ with 4 cylinder/5 speed combo paid 1k for it drove 2 yrs and put $600-$700 in it sold for 4k after wards and truck was rough looking when bought it but spent 40 hours cleaning,scrubbing,detailing and DIY bedliner in bed and fenders. There worth fixing to me! I'd buy another one right now to flip!
 
:doah:I stand corrected, Nissans are the greatest vehicles ever built, blessed by the hand of god himself. :bow:

Does everyone feel better? :dunno:
 
LOL, everybody has their own opinions. I will be the first to say the newer ones aren't near as good as the older ones.

I always sell the rear main seal and do the lip seal at the same time. You do not have to drop the pan if you do the rear main seal and lip seal together.
 
Really common thing on those motors.... the seal is embedded in a retainer which you replace as a set. Good idea to also replace the half moon seals in the front and rear lips of the oil pan while you're in there... to answer your original question, you do have to remove the trans and the torsion bar brackets to access this seal... it pays about 12 hours for a shop to do it.
 
Started working on it today, 5 hours in and the pan still isn't out. The center link for the steering is in the way and I can't get the tie rod ends off.

I didn't notice any oil on the started but the bolts were oily, is the rear main bad?
 
Sorry, just saw this. There's no way to know. I'd put the lip seals on the pan, clean it up and see if it still leaks.
 
Thing is driving me nuts, such a horrible design in my eyes. I have had to drop the pan twice... I dropped the bolts in the bell housing. Someone has been in it before, one of the bolts broke off in the block, the first one next to the front lip seal. Going to need to drill it out bigger and run a tap in it. :doah:

Never wanting to do this again.
 
I stopped doing side work for people. I just get fked over and over. Something fun that I'm interested in I will volunteer for, but when someone says, "hey my car is running bad. Can you fix it?" I say, sorry but I'm too busy. Which I usually am.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest Posts

Top Bottom