richard310's 04 Xterra

[Allof75]

Great pictures, I love going out there. I try to make a point of it at least a couple times per year.

 

[richard310]

I like how the guys with the flip pac and RTT choose the rockiest place in the desert to pitch camp.

"It'll be fine!"

Great photos and story as always.

JTree and Vegas in the same day with going back to LA. Hardcore I say

That was a nutty schedule and ended up getting sick after the trip but well worth it.
I happened to setup tent on the only non-rocky area next to the fire pit haha.

Great pictures, I love going out there. I try to make a point of it at least a couple times per year.

Its always fun and not too far of a drive for an overnighter. Wish it was a tad closer though for day trips.

 

[Allof75]

Its always fun and not too far of a drive for an overnighter. Wish it was a tad closer though for day trips.

Agreed, though my best luck was if you leave early in the morning (5-6) and you can make it out there in reasonable time. Eat dinner in Palm Desert or Springs and drive home. Long day but it's worked well for me.

 

[richard310]

I replaced my two dome lights with red LED's I purchased from Amazon. Bought a pack of 8 in case a few blowout, and they are pretty bright. Not overwhelming but great for the night-sight. I'll be keeping the maplights up front as a standard lighting for now as the girlfriend needs to get used to the red.

Cutequeen 31mm Red LED's: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AO4QQ46/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I also replaced the standard headlight bulbs with Nokya 9007 Arctic Yellow bulbs. The output is a bit more warm than the stock bulbs and most likely it's in my head, but I'm able to see a little more than usual. Hopefully the yellow doesn't land me a ticket This was an aesthetic choice...

Nokya Arctic Yellow 9007 Bulbs: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013J9EGI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'll take some pictures tomorrow.

 

[richard310]

Went out to Big Bear this morning with some fellow ExPo folks: Stioc and ih8philly

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/137869-Gold-Mountain-trail-run-this-Sun-2-1-2015

Hit up Gold Mountain, but we had traction issues getting up one rocky section and had decided to turn around and save it for another day, a drier day. Had to use some recovery tools to get Stioc out of a tight spot which was great to observe and see in person. We ended up running Gold Fever and enjoyed the beautiful SuperBowl Sunday morning. Lots of mud and slush, large mud puddles, and slippery conditions.

 

[richard310]

Well I'm at the point of continuous maintenance. I've got a RPM and light dimming fluctuation so an IACV and TB cleaning are going to happen this weekend along with a much needed oil change and air filter cleaning. I might even try to fit the 180A Mean Green alternator as well by swapping the OEM pulleys if I have the time. I've got a Big Sur trip coming up next weekend so the truck's got to get back into A-shape.

I'm also at a point of what to get first: Shrock Front/Engine Skids or White Knuckle Sliders? I don't feel like dropping a pretty penny right now by getting both at the same time... One or the other but both will end up as the final two bits on this rig. Which would you guys do? (I'm leaning towards Skids... or convince me otherwise)

 

[Dmski]

Great pictures and Xterra there Richard! As for the skids vs sliders debate, that is a tough one. Both are really important, but I'd say in terms of a get-you-home-safely solution I'd go with the Engine skid. If you dent your rocker panel, yes that would really suck, but without an oil pan you won't be going very far which is why I would choose engine skid. However, if you don't have a place to jack the truck up, the sliders may be an important option as well since the likelihood of getting a flat or stuck in sand/mud is much higher than taking out your oil pan. Depends really on where you wheel and what you deem more important I guess.

 

[richard310]

Great pictures and Xterra there Richard! As for the skids vs sliders debate, that is a tough one. Both are really important, but I'd say in terms of a get-you-home-safely solution I'd go with the Engine skid. If you dent your rocker panel, yes that would really suck, but without an oil pan you won't be going very far which is why I would choose engine skid. However, if you don't have a place to jack the truck up, the sliders may be an important option as well since the likelihood of getting a flat or stuck in sand/mud is much higher than taking out your oil pan. Depends really on where you wheel and what you deem more important I guess.

Thanks Dmski. That's exactly the reasoning I'm at right now. With the terrain that I've been on, I'd say sliders first since I'm rarely climbing over large boulders or what not. The gained ground clearance from suspension lift is great as I clear decent obstacles just fine but it also makes it harder to jack up. I'm always more afraid of getting a flat than smashing my oil pan or anything on the underside. Both will eventually be put on but a jacking point seems more effective being the first between the two. At the same time I like the protection of the skids plus it shields the alternator/ oil filter a bit more from splash damage. It may even be an aerodynamic improvement to allow the lower air to flow smoother.

 

[stioc]

You need both but in my experience I've used the sliders several times yet I still have the factory splash shield.
How much are the sliders vs. engine skid, again in my experience the sliders are more expensive so if you have $ to spend there I'd do that first.

 

[richard310]

A

You need both but in my experience I've used the sliders several times yet I still have the factory splash shield.
How much are the sliders vs. engine skid, again in my experience the sliders are more expensive so if you have $ to spend there I'd do that first.

I'd figure the sliders would see more use than the skids as I don't rumble over boulders like others. I'll be pulling the trigger on some White Knuckle Sliders next week. Sliders are about $400+shipping and the Skids front and engine skid are about $400+shipping as well so it's really a toss up.

I cleaned my TB and sprayed some cleaner into the IACV tube to see if that would resolve anything. The rough idle remains the same so I'm going to send my truck off to the shop next week and get the IACV replaced, hoses replaced, knock sensor replaced, the gaskets replaced as I'm leaking small amounts of oil, recharge/fix my A/C again, drain and fill the diff oil...

Anything you guys can think of that I can get replaced while it's under the knife? I've got about 30k miles since my major maintenance schedule of belts and stuff so no need for typical maintenance items. Maybe replace all the injectors as well?

 

[keeganxt]

I think the white knuckle with DOM tubing would be more expensive than the skids. P&P sliders maybe?

 

[Silver dude]

Sliders for sure the underside of the Xterra rarely contacts and when it does damage almost never results. I sort of regret making a gas tank skid never once has it contacted a rock despite wheeling all over Moab and Colorado yet I haul the weight everywhere I go. Sliders though absolute life savers.

If your Xterra just had the 100,000 mile service its pretty fresh as you stated. Distributor failure is common could refresh the bearings. Most the vacuum hoses are cracking on my 2001 yours is newer though you likely live in a drier environment so could be aged like mine. The front tensioner pulleys can make a racket in high mileage. Though like most things if it isn't broke don't fix it. The truck is pretty robust and simple if kept up on basic maintenance. I passed 200,000 miles on stock injectors and wouldn't touch them.

 

[richard310]

I think the white knuckle with DOM tubing would be more expensive than the skids. P&P sliders maybe?

I forgot P&P made sliders... thanks for the reminder. I planned on HREW and don't see the type of action that DOM warrants. I do prefer the lower profile kickout for the rear door on the WK than the P&P, which sticks out too much for my taste. White Knuckle is local too.

The difference in price is negligible:
Shrockworks Engine + Transmission Skids: $375+shipping
White Knuckle Sliders HREW: $380+shipping / DOM: $420+shipping
P&P Engineer Sliders LVL-III DOM: $395+shipping

Sliders for sure the underside of the Xterra rarely contacts and when it does damage almost never results. I sort of regret making a gas tank skid never once has it contacted a rock despite wheeling all over Moab and Colorado yet I haul the weight everywhere I go. Sliders though absolute life savers.

If your Xterra just had the 100,000 mile service its pretty fresh as you stated. Distributor failure is common could refresh the bearings. Most the vacuum hoses are cracking on my 2001 yours is newer though you likely live in a drier environment so could be aged like mine. The front tensioner pulleys can make a racket in high mileage. Though like most things if it isn't broke don't fix it. The truck is pretty robust and simple if kept up on basic maintenance. I passed 200,000 miles on stock injectors and wouldn't touch them.

I'll have my mechanic check out the distributor (and replace if necessary) while he's under there replacing the IACV and related hoses. I wish I had time to work on it myself but work and life have gotten busy... Thanks for the advice.

 

[richard310]

So the truck's going under the knife again tomorrow morning. Praying it fixes the idle issue before next weekend's trip and gives me some power back.

IACV replace
Related hoses replace
Knock sensor replace
Valve cover gaskets replace
Check distributor, replace if necessary
Find AC leak/ recharge
Drain & fill diff oil
Oil / filter change with synthetic.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Ahh, isn't it great when you reach the point of a boatload of maintenance? Sounds like you should be freshening everything up pretty nicely though, so with luck that will help smooth out your idle.

As for the sliders vs. skids thing, I agree with what others have said. Think of it this way: the Xterra has a pretty short wheelbase, which means the odds of coming down on the undercarriage is already fairly minimal, especially with the lift and tire size you have. If I recall correctly, everything vital is also tucked up above the frame rails on the first gens too. So that means body contact is more likely, so sliders are the way to go. As far as which ones, I highly suggest the White Knuckle sliders. Trust me, the HREW is more than strong enough for your uses. DOM tubing is for really heavy vehicles or rock crawlers: http://www.savageoffroad.biz/DOM-vs-HREW_ep_42.html To be honest, what matters most is the steel, not the process by which it was turned into tubing. If it's good steel, it will be strong no matter the process.

I also prefer the design of the White Knuckle sliders. They are really well thought out and the finish is excellent. I love that the square tubing is tapered at the ends to make sure everything is covered from damage. I also like their rear kickout more. It flows better and looks cleaner in my opinion.