I ran across a killer deal on a 2006 Nissan Xterra SE 4WD. 110k miles for $3600. I wish it were manual but for that price I can’t complain. It belong e to an older guy who used it as a second vehicle. He only put 5k miles on it a year for the last few years. South Carolina car so no worries about rust. It does have 2 dents (one on each fender) but they don’t really bother me. This is a third vehicle for me so it’s gonna be my beater. The service light is on but when I hooked it up to my diagnostic it throws an O2 sensor code so I’m not too worried about that. It runs great..tires are almost new. Anything specific I should be looking for with this model year?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Dusty78,

The thermostat housing to block seal leaking.
It sucks to repair it.
Marzy can let you know what to do.

A little late to be "looking out for" ain't it?

The O2 sensor code is a cat. They are part of the exhaust manifold.

At 100,000 I had to bore out a stick a no foul plug insert and put the sensor in it to stop the code. 200,000 miles later and it still works just fine.

Thanks Marzy!

Isn't this year affected by the transmission cooler inside the radiator cracking and allowing coolant into the tranny?

If so, you may think about replacing the radiator.

quote:

Originally posted by Shifferbrains:
Isn't this year affected by the transmission cooler inside the radiator cracking and allowing coolant into the tranny?

If so, you may think about replacing the radiator.

This. I don't remember the age range though. Posted everywhere though so should be easy to look up.

A replacement radiator for that truck is around $40 delivered on ebay.

There are modifications I would do to prevent future annoyances. For one the first thing I would do is delete the manifold heater. The hoses are on the back by the firewall into the heater pipes.

Just cut them loose and plug them off. There's bunches of videos on youtube.

The O2 sensor trick is very common.

Change the plugs and wires at the same time. #6 is an absolute bastard. Behind the intake manifold on the firewall. Remove the hood to change the plugs. Use anti seize on the plug threads and wire sealant on the plug wires, BOTH ENDS. You will be able to pretty much submerge the engine.

I have a reliable 300,000 miles on my VE33.

My timing belt broke at 200,000.

The timing belt isn't difficult to do, but when it;s open, change the water pump and unbolt and carefully lift the thermostat housing and put the retrofit gasket under it with gray RTV to prevent the annoying leak I just repaired this weekend.

That's a sweet deal!
I have been looking for 4wd xterra to use at my farm the last few weeks.

quote:

110k miles

Due for a timing belt.

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:

quote:

110k miles

Due for a timing belt.

I thought gen 2’s had timing chains.

Is it a 3.3 or 4.0 engine? The former is a belt, the latter a chain.

2006 models have the VQ40 engine. Timing chain which shouldn’t need replacement instead of a belt. There was an issue with some chain tensioners being defective. If it was going to happen to yours, it probably would have by now. If you hear a whining from the front of the engine, it’s probably that.

Go ahead and replace the radiator - cheap insurance.

It should have the VQ40DE in it. It has chains.

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:

quote:

110k miles

Due for a timing belt.

I believe this has the 4.0 liter V6 and has timing chains.

Should have refreshed the page before responding.

I can tell you this: my wife has a 05 Xterra and I have Titan.
We BOTH had the same problem.
> Parked and could not get it to go back into gear aka stuck in neutral/park.
> Wife had car towed (paid by insurance) to dealer.
> She paid $900 to fix {total rip off but I digress }
> Apparently the connection grommet broke and slipped off causing the issue.
> Dealer solution was to replace the whole cable which is their common fix
>> Happened to me while parked at Home Depot on my Titan
>> Went back into the store and bought a $8 set of pliers
>> Got it back in gear to get home
>> Bought a Doorman universal grommet set from the Advanced Auto Parts store for $12
>> Took about 20-30 min to fix

SO if you get stuck in gear DON'T take to dealer > it is a common Nissan problem with an inexpensive fix and an expensive one. You choose.

It is the 4.0. I’m actually pretty impressed by how smooth the engine and tranny feel.

Frequent Gas Stations?

(ex Girlfriend had one. I liked it, but it averaged around 15mpg)

quote:

Originally posted by 46and2:
Frequent Gas Stations?

(ex Girlfriend had one. I liked it, but it averaged around 15mpg)

I’ve averaged about 18 in 2WD

Google the pink milkshake of death. Happened to my ‘08 at 108K miles.