Interesting how life leads Xterra owners down different paths. I went through a nasty divorce last year and working on and off-roading the x has been my therapy. I look at my x as my warped-minded "hotrod" that I enjoy wrenching on. I recently bought a new fronty and even like you said, while I like all the modern conveniences the fronty has, I have come to appreciate the 1st gen Xterra's simplified design and relative ruggedness in comparison to my modern stock fronty. Don't ever think that you need justify your reasoning for selling your x to anybody...to each their own.
I do like wrench therapy too! I agree no need to justify, just answering some questions people have asked. No car lasts forever, so everyone reaches the point eventually!
Very articulate explanation. And I understand the part of growing up. It's somber at first, but things change along the journey and I'm glad you not only think of yourself, but your family. Highly respectable. But hey, now that you're moving towards a Tacoma, I look forward to seeing those videos. As I am myself, contemplating on wanting one. 👍
I wish you still had your Xterra. I need to search your videos to see if you have any on removing the Supercharger to get to those coolant hoses. Mine developed a leak, and I am on the fence about DIYing the coolant leak myself.
Good job Rob. Hey, I just swapped out the gasket just above the front cat that hooks into the manifold, but still hear a subtle hiss when accelerating. Any suggestions? Like maybe liquid gasket? 2002 Nissan Xterra 4wD SC
Is your manifold cracked? I know the VG33 exhaust manifolds were very susceptible to cracking and causing exhaust leaks. Pain in the ass to get to and inspect though but I had a friend have to replace one twice on his non super charged version.
@@XterraRob I don't think so. But, when I sprayed soapy water on the gasket before I replaced it, you could see it bubbling out all around the gasket. Oh well, it's not that loud, I guess this is just part of having an old truck
Soapy water spray is a go to for finding air leaks. You could try to use some high heat RTV and see if it holds up. Do you have any CEL or run symptoms? If not, I would probably let it ride with RTV and turn your music up a notch :)
@@XterraRob Thanks brother. You are one of the best go to channels on Xterras! Glad I found you and thanks for always responding! I will try the fix and let you know if it worked. Man, you should start your own board site. It would be a library of DIYs and you interacting with people. I think people would pay money for such a resource. As my 2002 gets older, I'm learning not to be afraid to tackle some of these simpler projects. Next, I'm gonna tackle my transfer case seal. It drips one drop after parking.
Proud owner of a yellow 2000 Xterra SE in mint condition, low miles, 2 inch PML in front and springs in back, ungraded shocks all-round, LS diffs front and back, 32 inch tires. Used for mild off road to Forest fire lookouts, hiking trail heads and exploration. Take very good care of my baby, love it and will never sell it ! Would NOT trade it for a brand new Toyota or Jeep ! I've already owned several of both and and my Xterra just hits the spot !
Life is full of choices. Well done! I have a 2004 VG33E automatic with PML and street tires. I stick to the easier paths as well. Did you do anything special with the front suspension that helped it keep from breaking while off-roading? Was there anything you wish you would have done to the front suspension that you didn't do? Was there anything you DID that wasn't really necessary? Do the CV axles need to be upgraded? Do you recommend manual locking hubs instead of the automatic?
Biggest thing to prevent breaking is the steering system. I have a video a few years back about heavy duty steering systems... titled "Hold your alignnment...and survive the trail". Nothing specific I wished I did...I just wish I knew everything all at once so I didn't have to learn what all I needed over the course of 10 years!
I did a three part series about 5 years ago with my 5 favorite mods, 5 least favorite mods, and a discussion on what I call the Goldilocks principle with regards to tires, lift kits and armor. Take a look!
Stock CV axles are fine, just replace if rubber breaks and starts throwing grease. It depends how good your auto hubs are working. The stock auto hubs are strong enough, but with age, they dry up and get sticky and don't unlock and can make clunking sounds and not work smoothly. They aren't available anymore other than a junkyard...so I recommend manual hubs for reliability of locking and unlocking ...but either are plenty strong unless you get into situations of heavy gas pedal when bouncing up and down on rocks.
🤔sounds like you're just a quitter..jkjk😃. Ive got a 2000 fronty im trying to keep alive, but parts are getting harder to come by. Thanks for the detail on the upper plenum video!
You made a rational and sensible decision. Your Tacoma will be a safer and more reliable car to hand down to your son. My 1st Gen. Xterra can be pretty sketchy to drive, I imagine it’ll get worse as time goes on. I wouldn’t want a teen to drive it 15 years from now because it probably would be dangerous.
I just bought a 2002 Xterra for $500. A week later, I bought another Xterra, 2201, for $2500. Now, I look forward to seeing what the 2024 Nissan Xterra will look like. I think I will buy one of those in 15 years when I can afford a used one.
i won't ever sell my X. Have had it for over 13 years now and still going strong with only 160k miles. I just have to keep up on rust prevention. Have stock piled some extra parts as well just in case they stop making them
Its like the ES300 all over again. Glad to have been here since the start, sad to see it go. Even i was thinking my old 01' was getting dated especially with the manual trans. Anyways thanks for all the great xterra content truely the best🫡
Interesting how life leads Xterra owners down different paths. I went through a nasty divorce last year and working on and off-roading the x has been my therapy. I look at my x as my warped-minded "hotrod" that I enjoy wrenching on. I recently bought a new fronty and even like you said, while I like all the modern conveniences the fronty has, I have come to appreciate the 1st gen Xterra's simplified design and relative ruggedness in comparison to my modern stock fronty.
Don't ever think that you need justify your reasoning for selling your x to anybody...to each their own.
I do like wrench therapy too! I agree no need to justify, just answering some questions people have asked. No car lasts forever, so everyone reaches the point eventually!
Truly you made a wise decision. My daily driver is my much-loved 2004 Xterra, purchased in 2005, it is all I need, and will outlast me.
Thanks for the comment and for watching!
Very articulate explanation. And I understand the part of growing up. It's somber at first, but things change along the journey and I'm glad you not only think of yourself, but your family. Highly respectable. But hey, now that you're moving towards a Tacoma, I look forward to seeing those videos. As I am myself, contemplating on wanting one. 👍
No regrets on the Taco! I've got plenty of videos queued up coming soon!
I wish you still had your Xterra.
I need to search your videos to see if you have any on
removing the Supercharger to get to those coolant hoses.
Mine developed a leak, and I am on the fence about DIYing the coolant leak myself.
Do a TH-cam search for someone named RP and super charged Xterra. He does a super charger swap that shows a lot of removing the super chatger
@@XterraRob thanks!
@@EntertheStars happy to help!
I understand. I still have and love my 2004 Frontier 4x4 and plan to keep it forever, but we’ll see how reality plays out.
Keep it going man! They are awesome vehicles and I will be cheering you on!
Good job Rob.
Hey, I just swapped out the gasket just above the front cat that hooks into the manifold, but still hear a subtle hiss when accelerating. Any suggestions? Like maybe liquid gasket?
2002 Nissan Xterra 4wD SC
Is your manifold cracked? I know the VG33 exhaust manifolds were very susceptible to cracking and causing exhaust leaks. Pain in the ass to get to and inspect though but I had a friend have to replace one twice on his non super charged version.
@@XterraRob I don't think so. But, when I sprayed soapy water on the gasket before I replaced it, you could see it bubbling out all around the gasket. Oh well, it's not that loud, I guess this is just part of having an old truck
Soapy water spray is a go to for finding air leaks. You could try to use some high heat RTV and see if it holds up. Do you have any CEL or run symptoms? If not, I would probably let it ride with RTV and turn your music up a notch :)
@@XterraRob Thanks brother. You are one of the best go to channels on Xterras! Glad I found you and thanks for always responding! I will try the fix and let you know if it worked. Man, you should start your own board site. It would be a library of DIYs and you interacting with people. I think people would pay money for such a resource. As my 2002 gets older, I'm learning not to be afraid to tackle some of these simpler projects. Next, I'm gonna tackle my transfer case seal. It drips one drop after parking.
@@EntertheStars thanks for all of the nice words dude! Appreciate it
Proud owner of a yellow 2000 Xterra SE in mint condition, low miles, 2 inch PML in front and springs in back, ungraded shocks all-round, LS diffs front and back, 32 inch tires. Used for mild off road to Forest fire lookouts, hiking trail heads and exploration. Take very good care of my baby, love it and will never sell it ! Would NOT trade it for a brand new Toyota or Jeep ! I've already owned several of both and and my Xterra just hits the spot !
Good deal dude. Who cares why you let it go. You enjoyed it and shared content with us. 🤘
Rock on my dude.
Life is full of choices. Well done!
I have a 2004 VG33E automatic with PML and street tires. I stick to the easier paths as well.
Did you do anything special with the front suspension that helped it keep from breaking while off-roading?
Was there anything you wish you would have done to the front suspension that you didn't do?
Was there anything you DID that wasn't really necessary?
Do the CV axles need to be upgraded?
Do you recommend manual locking hubs instead of the automatic?
Biggest thing to prevent breaking is the steering system. I have a video a few years back about heavy duty steering systems... titled "Hold your alignnment...and survive the trail". Nothing specific I wished I did...I just wish I knew everything all at once so I didn't have to learn what all I needed over the course of 10 years!
I did a three part series about 5 years ago with my 5 favorite mods, 5 least favorite mods, and a discussion on what I call the Goldilocks principle with regards to tires, lift kits and armor. Take a look!
Stock CV axles are fine, just replace if rubber breaks and starts throwing grease. It depends how good your auto hubs are working. The stock auto hubs are strong enough, but with age, they dry up and get sticky and don't unlock and can make clunking sounds and not work smoothly. They aren't available anymore other than a junkyard...so I recommend manual hubs for reliability of locking and unlocking ...but either are plenty strong unless you get into situations of heavy gas pedal when bouncing up and down on rocks.
🤔sounds like you're just a quitter..jkjk😃. Ive got a 2000 fronty im trying to keep alive, but parts are getting harder to come by. Thanks for the detail on the upper plenum video!
Happy to help out my man! Thanks for watching :)
You made a rational and sensible decision. Your Tacoma will be a safer and more reliable car to hand down to your son. My 1st Gen. Xterra can be pretty sketchy to drive, I imagine it’ll get worse as time goes on. I wouldn’t want a teen to drive it 15 years from now because it probably would be dangerous.
I agree with that! Thanks for the comment.
I sold my too I miss it often but some time adult decisions have to be made.
I agree. Bittersweet...but when I see my new truck with suspension, bumper, winch, sliders and tires outside...no regrets!
I just bought a 2002 Xterra for $500. A week later, I bought another Xterra, 2201, for $2500. Now, I look forward to seeing what the 2024 Nissan Xterra will look like. I think I will buy one of those in 15 years when I can afford a used one.
Haha! Nice collection you got there!
In my opinion the Tacoma is better however having the cheaper rig is better for off-road. you should post up some trail rides.
I definitely agree with that...as I started building the Tacoma, armor and protection became a much higher priority!
Don't stress. Who cares you do what you need
Appreciate the support. Not too stressed though...people asked so I just tried to better explain :).
Nissan Xterra was very helpful! . Tacoma is also a good car! .
Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching!
i won't ever sell my X. Have had it for over 13 years now and still going strong with only 160k miles. I just have to keep up on rust prevention. Have stock piled some extra parts as well just in case they stop making them
Keep it going my man!
You know, man, I get it. Even to this day, my family members ask me why I sold my Xterra.
Why did you?!?!?!
Why
lol
Its like the ES300 all over again. Glad to have been here since the start, sad to see it go. Even i was thinking my old 01' was getting dated especially with the manual trans. Anyways thanks for all the great xterra content truely the best🫡
Thanks man I appreciate it!