richard310's 04 Xterra

[mortonm]

That's the unfortunate part. I definitely dug myself a hole on this one. I went WAY past my original plans of keeping this an extremely basic rig with no lift etc etc. Boy, that sure went out the window fast. I guess the good thing out of this is that mechanically, the vehicle is fine and running great with the normal wear-n-tear items needing attention first. Although expensive, but normal and should prolong the life of the vehicle.


.

The good news is being in SoCal she is likely completely rust free, That is what will likely kill my truck before anything

 

[mounty71]

Hey Richard, this is Matt S. $1400 for balljoints (not even all 4??) and tie rod ends is insanity. I've never worked on a Nissan but I can't imagine it being significantly different than anything else. I still can't even grasp that amount...$1400?! You could be halfway to getting that Total Chaos kit I showed you way back haha. You seem to be pretty mechanically inclined, so I'd say try doing the job yourself. Or I might be able to hook you up with some friends who can get it done, and walk you through it so you can do the job yourself in the future, or out on a trail if you need to. They do side work for people sometimes, whether it's mechanical or fabrication, so it wouldn't be free, but still a fraction of $1400. You can message me on FB if you want.

 

[richard310]

Hey Richard, this is Matt S. $1400 for balljoints (not even all 4??) and tie rod ends is insanity. I've never worked on a Nissan but I can't imagine it being significantly different than anything else. I still can't even grasp that amount...$1400?! You could be halfway to getting that Total Chaos kit I showed you way back haha. You seem to be pretty mechanically inclined, so I'd say try doing the job yourself. Or I might be able to hook you up with some friends who can get it done, and walk you through it so you can do the job yourself in the future, or out on a trail if you need to. They do side work for people sometimes, whether it's mechanical or fabrication, so it wouldn't be free, but still a fraction of $1400. You can message me on FB if you want.

Great to hear from you Matt! Long time no see

It's quite pricey but since that's an initial quote, I'm going to ask them today what kind of parts they used and how much it broke down to. They've already ordered the parts and already began working on it. I'm guessing it's mostly labor and they charge a bit more on labor. I personally don't think it's a difficult job to do since I've done a good amount of suspension work before. It's just that I don't have the time to spare these days to do it, or a garage since the driveway is at a slope and I can't fit in the garage.

I remember that TC kit. I still have to get their extended axle shafts (~$600), new shocks ($300), fiberglass fender flares ($300) in addition to the kit. Plus I'd probably want to upgrade my steering to their kit as well... another $700! If I decide to go long travel, which the Xterra desperately needs up front, I'd definitely consider the TC kit... if I had the spare cash to blow. It's still an awesome option to consider! If this rig lasts as long as I hope it will, I might just jump on this kit sometime way down the road.

 

[codesertrat]

I realize you're already getting the work done, but I wish you'd had a chance to take a look at the wear yourself. Jack it up and start grabbing, prying, and moving things. Any slop will show up pretty obvious. I'm curious as to just how worn out things really are.

Just for the record, my '01 X has 190K on it, and 120K of that is with me behind the wheel over the past 10 years or so. I've been off road across Colorado and Utah more than most, not hardcore 4wheeling (although I have done quite a bit of Moab), but thousands of miles of 4wd rough dirt roads and backcountry exploration. All that is with oversize 265/75R16 or 285/75R16 tires, a PML, 2" body lift, and usually heavily loaded with camping gear and my family. I'm a maintenance freak, and inspect my X regularly. My OE balljoints and steering joints are fine. I've replaced the idler arm twice due to wear, and the sway bar end links several times. The center link is starting to show some slight looseness. It just seems surprising that yours is so worn out.

I do have a chronic P0430 fault code (poor catalytic converter efficiency LH bank), but I still passed emissions with flying colors. Buy a code scanner and turn the light off before the test. And I'm pretty sure Denver is just as strict as Cali on that stuff.

 

[richard310]

I realize you're already getting the work done, but I wish you'd had a chance to take a look at the wear yourself. Jack it up and start grabbing, prying, and moving things. Any slop will show up pretty obvious. I'm curious as to just how worn out things really are.

Just for the record, my '01 X has 190K on it, and 120K of that is with me behind the wheel over the past 10 years or so. I've been off road across Colorado and Utah more than most, not hardcore 4wheeling (although I have done quite a bit of Moab), but thousands of miles of 4wd rough dirt roads and backcountry exploration. All that is with oversize 265/75R16 or 285/75R16 tires, a PML, 2" body lift, and usually heavily loaded with camping gear and my family. I'm a maintenance freak, and inspect my X regularly. My OE balljoints and steering joints are fine. I've replaced the idler arm twice due to wear, and the sway bar end links several times. The center link is starting to show some slight looseness. It just seems surprising that yours is so worn out.

I do have a chronic P0430 fault code (poor catalytic converter efficiency LH bank), but I still passed emissions with flying colors. Buy a code scanner and turn the light off before the test. And I'm pretty sure Denver is just as strict as Cali on that stuff.

I had tested, pulled, twisted, pushed, and doing all sorts of weird things underneath the truck before I took it in. There was a significant amount of play in all the joints. I could see all the balljoints twisting and bending in place even while the truck was sitting on the ground. Heck, I could even shift the tire when it was sitting deadweight on the ground. Even the alignment guys showed me how bad it was. I guess it was about due since I really don't know what conditions the previous owner had driven in and how hard he/she drove. It is what it is. My mech also told me my recently installed Calmini UCA Balljoints are pretty bad as well! ******.

Luckily I have access to an OBDII scanner and can flip off the code right before my smog test. It's so stupid how there's a specific cat that you have to buy here in California and only from the dealer, but legal everywhere else. Plus it doesn't even affect performance OR emissions either! .../rant.


On to the good news:
Calmini UCA Balljoints are en-route, ETA tomorrow.
White Knuckle Sliders are en-route, ETA tomorrow.
Truck will be back in my hands tomorrow as well.

 

[mounty71]

Great to hear from you Matt! Long time no see

It's quite pricey but since that's an initial quote, I'm going to ask them today what kind of parts they used and how much it broke down to. They've already ordered the parts and already began working on it. I'm guessing it's mostly labor and they charge a bit more on labor. I personally don't think it's a difficult job to do since I've done a good amount of suspension work before. It's just that I don't have the time to spare these days to do it, or a garage since the driveway is at a slope and I can't fit in the garage.

I remember that TC kit. I still have to get their extended axle shafts (~$600), new shocks ($300), fiberglass fender flares ($300) in addition to the kit. Plus I'd probably want to upgrade my steering to their kit as well... another $700! If I decide to go long travel, which the Xterra desperately needs up front, I'd definitely consider the TC kit... if I had the spare cash to blow. It's still an awesome option to consider! If this rig lasts as long as I hope it will, I might just jump on this kit sometime way down the road.

Ya, maybe we'll catch up with each other one day in the desert! And I was joking about the TC kit, I know just the kit is the beginning to a much larger snowball, as I just finished up that stage on my own truck. I was just trying to put into perspective how expensive that quote you got is. But if it's already underway then not much you can do now. I just couldn't not try to offer a cheaper option. If any other costly suspension or fabrication upgrades pop up, don't hesitate to ask, as I know a ton of knowledgeable people in the area that can help.

 

[richard310]

Ya, maybe we'll catch up with each other one day in the desert! And I was joking about the TC kit, I know just the kit is the beginning to a much larger snowball, as I just finished up that stage on my own truck. I was just trying to put into perspective how expensive that quote you got is. But if it's already underway then not much you can do now. I just couldn't not try to offer a cheaper option. If any other costly suspension or fabrication upgrades pop up, don't hesitate to ask, as I know a ton of knowledgeable people in the area that can help.

Awesome, thanks Matt for the offer! I'm sure I'll be needing some recommendations in the near future as I don't think this build is ever going "end." I'm just happy to get the truck back from the shop with a more solid front end. Hopefully we'll cross paths one day out there I'll drop you a line if I'm ever up in SF.

 

[DD196]

It's maybe not to surprising that your new(er) Calmini upper ball joints are loose, when everything else is loose and moving around it puts more stress on anything tight. Tough deal, that's a big wad of cash.

 

[richard310]

It's maybe not to surprising that your new(er) Calmini upper ball joints are loose, when everything else is loose and moving around it puts more stress on anything tight. Tough deal, that's a big wad of cash.

True. Makes complete sense in that matter. It'd be better to get everything refreshed at the same time anyways and their joints are quite easy to put on too.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Ah man that sucks! Sorry to hear about all your troubles.

That's the downside of these higher mileage trucks. They seem to start falling apart all at once, and they never seem to do so in an inexpensive manner. Glad to hear you're not giving up on her though, I think that your X is a great build, very well suited to your needs. And otherwise it's been reliable for you.

Looking forward to more positive updates. Those sliders are gonna be killer! I just love mine. They showed up exactly 3 weeks after I made my order. Be prepared to do some drilling.

 

[richard310]

Ah man that sucks! Sorry to hear about all your troubles.

That's the downside of these higher mileage trucks. They seem to start falling apart all at once, and they never seem to do so in an inexpensive manner. Glad to hear you're not giving up on her though, I think that your X is a great build, very well suited to your needs. And otherwise it's been reliable for you.

Looking forward to more positive updates. Those sliders are gonna be killer! I just love mine. They showed up exactly 3 weeks after I made my order. Be prepared to do some drilling.

Thanks Wreck! Yep it's been holding up great with the amount of abuse I put on it. I'll be toning it down for awhile to ease expenses and reduce wear-n-tear on the Xterra. I'm hoping to keep it until it chugs its last breath.

I believe it will be 3 weeks exactly tomorrow since I ordered the sliders. A very consistent turn-around time. I'm still awaiting the MOLLE rear panels to be shipped from Xterra Performance/Dep. No mention of ETA as of yet.

Last major mods:
Snorkel
Shrockworks Skids
Wheels (maybe)

 

[richard310]

Sliders sitting happily in the shop right now. Paint and install tomorrow after work. Balljoints delivered.

Truck is back in my hands with brand new steering. So this is what the xterra felt like right out of the factory!

I'll break down the parts when I get home. I'm happy. Wallet hurts but I'm happy. Now its prep time for DRV this weekend!

 

[mortonm]

Sliders sitting happily in the shop right now. Paint and install tomorrow after work. Balljoints delivered.

Truck is back in my hands with brand new steering. So this is what the xterra felt like right out of the factory!

I'll break down the parts when I get home. I'm happy. Wallet hurts but I'm happy. Now its prep time for DRV this weekend!

Awesome!

 

[Longrange308]

Go on a trip to Arizona, Utah or Nevada, find an exhaust shop and have them install a generic OE replacement cat.. Shouldn't cost more than a couple hundred bucks.. CA is the only state stupid enough to make you go to the dealer for a cat.. Im guessing CARB gets kickbacks for every overpriced cat install in CA..

 

[chmura]

Go on a trip to Arizona, Utah or Nevada, find an exhaust shop and have them install a generic OE replacement cat.. Shouldn't cost more than a couple hundred bucks.. CA is the only state stupid enough to make you go to the dealer for a cat.. Im guessing CARB gets kickbacks for every overpriced cat install in CA..

I believe the durablilty requirement for CA cats are on a different level than non CA cats.