2015 Pro-4X

Marker Lights - March 2020:


with lights off:

5 marker lights fit into 3/4 inch holes, connected in parallel together.
Twisted wire connection for 1-to-1 and 5 wires together inside of blue caps, twisted... makes the waterproofing grease to come out.... messy. Makes the double sided red tape not stick.
Double sided 3M tape holds the wires against the air dam face.
I use the double sided 3M tape McGyver style... for everything... phone case attachment knob, Xterra inside cable holders, outside wind-deflector holder, license plate hole cover...
Here I use 3M tape to firmly hold and insulate wires after twisting them, same for the 5-wire holding blue caps, then using just 1 side for holding it against the back of the air dam. And hold it, it will, permanently. If you haven't tried this tape, you should.

The marker lights are as high as possible


Wiring:
through Pro-4X stock 1 1/8" hole, using the stock rubber grommet which leads into a right angled thin tube...
continues through the driver's side pillar, under the steering wheel, under the center console, to my 2 switch panels next to the passenger seat.

Carbon Fiber car wrap - moved to: roXterra 2015 - And that's a wrap!

Weathertech window deflectors - March 2020

If you ever had these deflectors, you can't live without them. I had them on both Xterras since 2006 when I first saw them on a car in Boulder, Colorado.

After the surgery:
3M double sided tape is holding the rear deflector against the outside trim. Blue tape is just a temporary support while 3M bites. Hard. 3M Tape was too thick to use on driver's rear side in channel, as the deflectors are designed to do. That was fine on my 2007, but on my 2015 there is not enough room in the channel (especially in the fronts) and the motion of the windows is impeded by the foreign object in the tracks. The deflector follows the trim on the outside nicely, but on the right side in this picture, there is a 1/4 inch gap, which had to be filled with a piece of rubber trim from another car. Hopefully the 3M tape is able to do its magic and stick to it. Permanently.


The fronts had been holding strong since 2015. The back ones had the tape holding them from the outside since 2015 and finally it was time to update.

The only in channel one is now the right rear.

The alternative is buying Nissan glue-to-sheet-metal kind, which leads to bad news, if you ever have seen them break and take paint with them. Plus they don't cover as much as these ones from Weathertech cover.

And it worked, even though I wasn't confident about the gap filling rubber trim (from another Xterra) being able to have the 3M tape stick to it. The first minutes seemed like it wouldn't stick.

2015 Xterra Pro-4X - Lava Red - October 10, 2015

On an October night in 2015, I was driving on a winding road in Wyoming. Turns and turns and 65mph speed limit, and suddenly there were horses all over the road. Right in front of me.
I could only see where the lights were pointing and suddenly there they were. Brakes maxed out. Not enough stopping distance. We made contact.



That will buff out. Maybe?
The battery was cracked open but car wanted to start. Hood crumbled as it's designed to do. I was fine, barely making contact with the visor.
Airbags haven't worked for the past 10K, the airbags light came on then and the dealer said it was a $1000 fix... replace... computer... something.
So I put a blackout tape over my airbag dash light... problem fixed.
The problems needing fixing have been growing since 200k, and this wasn't a must fix. Was it?

277k now
It was a Saturday when I woke up at the dealership after the night of the impact. I was towed there the night before. I talked to the insurance company. Who talked to the dealer.
Xterra was totaled.

Shocking to me, I was 1/4 of the way to my 1 million miles. It took 9 years.

Out with the old, in with the new. The red took a little getting used to (that day), but this was the last year Xterras were made and this was the end of that year.
1,000 miles from home.
Saturday.
I wanted black. I had the dealer make calls across the country for a black one.... Some hope, nothing final. Afternoon........ I pulled the trigger.



First time at 80mph I could tell the Hankook tires were a bad product. Too unstable, like a different car. Not enough traction. I had them taken off and I put my 10K old Wranglers on. Much better.
Stereo had to be pulled next. And alarm. Roofrack. Wind deflectors were stubbornly glued and wouldn't let go. Front pasenger one broken with the horse impact.

Red color grew on me. Lava Red.

Shrockworks front bumper - arrived in October 2016
Since my first 2007 Xterra which I picked up on Dec 8, 2006 I have thought about a front bumper. But I wanted to keep the "stock geometry" which I enjoyed, and with a front bumper you need to change front suspension...

In October 2015, along came my Lava Red Pro 4X. Goodbye old 2007 friend. 277k happy miles.

It wasn't 3 weeks before my bumper made contact again. In Colorado. Just a gentle touch with a deer running from right to left across my path. No damage.
July 2016. A winding one lane road, immediate drop-off on the right, and rising cliff on the left. I had no chance to see the deer while following the left turning road. I looked forward while the deer came out of nowhere from the right, reached the road and crossed my path. There was no time to react.

Deer down. Bumper with a 1 inch crack throughout.
Insurance called. Then Shrockworks called. (Not the same day.)

Summer turned into fall and I was driving with my separated bumper


and then the bumper arrived.
And all was good. Eventually. The 500lb front coils felt wrong, very wrong. And a few days later they settled and my car felt great again. Better

Suspension:
1) Front (October 2016) - to support 140lb Shrockworks front bumper
600lb Eibach Coilovers - 12.300.600S
Bilstein Shocks 24-187053
SPC Cam Bolts 87520

2) Rear (October 2019) - replace stock springs after 115k
ARB OME CS061R Leaf Packs
Bilstein 5160 external reservoir extended travel shocks

Related:

• also replaced stock rear Diff cover which was tiny bit leaking, with red ARB
• the spare tire and rim, always so un-attractively dusty, were finally power washed for the first time, and a barely fitting cover put on

Stereo and electrical:

parts -
connect Pioneer aftermarket stereo to stock backup camera (bought January 2020): Axxess AX-NIS24SWC-6V Harness w/6V Converter for Nissan 2011 & up w/NAV

connect Pioneer aftermarket stereo to stock steering wheel controls: PAC SWI-RC Steering Wheel Control Interface

The stock stereo only stayed in a week, and the sound system and alarm came out of my 2007 and in here.

Garmin GPS bolted with self tapping screws into the center console and held on the other side with pieces of steel brackets. Under it is the cellphone boosting internal antenna.
2 USB Apple Lightning cables, ON with Main (red) power switch.
2 phone holders just below vents
Voltmeter showing 11.75 Volts. It is not ON normally, only used to check how much I have depleted the battery when using electronics with engine off. When it gets to 10.5 Volts, the car probably won't start. Hence the need for a Jump Starter.


1/8" flex cover runs to the left, another up, and the thicker 3/8" flex cover is for GPS/cell booster cables. 2x Micro USB cables are showing, they had their use in the past, will in the future, they are loose ends for now.

The subwoofer also came out of my 2007, it was custom built from Fiberglass layers in 2007. It is a hollow box with layers of fiberglass cloth dipped in liquid (took them a few days to layer, dry, repeat). Then it was covered with carpet material.


Power controls:
GPS, top Marker lights, passenger USB, cell phone booster (5 Watt Wilson amp)
Main power switch (for the above)
Fridge and aux power battery


External antenna for cell phone signal boosting.
On my 2007 it would stand up on top of the roof. Eventually it scratched the paint. Now it's on the fin of the roofrack. For best reception it should point up, but for best garage entry/exit it is better this way. No more garage entry slapping.


The 4 channel amp for front speakers is mounted in the engine bay. Originally installed in 2017, to address the heat coming from under the seat where it was. Open windows and air circulation contributed to the heat waves. 2 bolts hold the 3/16 thick channel (L shape bracket, amp bolts into the side not showing), and that holds the amp. In 2020 the amp had to be replaced after one channel started to occasionally cut out the volume.


2 big fuses held by zip ties, and the jumbo 150amp fuse mounted at the far end (the newest addition, used for the engine bay amp only)
The big fuses use 3 connections for 2 fuses (1 is shared). And used to go to 2 amps (now 1) and probably radio completes the 3 count.

Viar 400P mount and On/Off switch (while ignition is turned on) - April 2019


Viair 400P is mounted behind the right rear tire.
Viar metal mounting base had edges shaved, and was welded to the frame. Spray painted afterwards or the bare metal that was exposed to allow welding.
33% duty cycle with great flow of 2.54 CFM.
After use, just drive away, no need to wait for it to cool off before putting it away, as was needed when it was in a bag.

Running the wires - March 28, 2020
Left upper "flex tubing" or "wire loom" hides cell phone booster (thin) and Garmin GPS(thick) wires
The rest is 4 charging cables still being organized - work in progress. Waiting for 1/8" flex tubing. 2 * Lightning cables and 2 * Micro USB cables.
This used to be a horrible mess of 6 wires coming side by side from the gap just above the carpet. A lot better after drilling these two 1/2" holes which merge - what was needed just to fit the big GPS logic board that was part of the cable.
On/Off for a 400W Power inverter.

Rad subwoofer placement and build. How did you run your amp wires back?

(I added pictures above that show my fuses under the hood, and amp wires.)

The amps are... now only the subwoofer amp is: under the seat.
The big gauge wire (from battery to amp) goes through the firewall somehow. On the passenger side.
The stereo place did it (on both Xterras), and I never cared to see the hole, they might have re-used the existing grommeted hole, made it bigger...

The other amp used to be under the seat, now it's in the engine bay. 3 years and counting. Only on second amp ?.
The stereo guy told me to get the Marine version next time, they can take more of a pounding.
The amp didn't die a quick death, one channel kept cutting out, sometimes, and the fix was to replace the amp and that fixed it.

The heat under the driver's seat was noticeable. It's a 600 Watt amp vs my previous ...about 300 Watt... feeling the heat in desert summers when it's 100 degrees, was.. not cool. Even in cooler months there was this hotter/cooler air experience I would feel. Having windows open added to the air circulation, including this hot air.

roXterra said:

Stereo and electrical:

The stock stereo only stayed in a week, and the sound system and alarm came out of my 2007 and in here.

Garmin GPS bolted with self tapping screws into the center console and held on the other side with pieces of steel brackets. Under it is the cellphone boosting internal antenna.
2 USB Apple Lightning cables, ON with Main (red) power switch.
2 phone holders just below vents
Voltmeter showing 11.75 Volts. It is not ON normally, only used to check how much I have depleted the battery when using electronics with engine off. When it gets to 10.5 Volts, the car probably won't start. Hence the need for a Jump Starter.
View attachment 126439

1/8" flex cover runs to the left, another up, and the thicker 3/8" flex cover is for GPS/cell booster cables. 2x Micro USB cables are showing, they had their use in the past, will in the future, they are loose ends for now.
View attachment 126440
The subwoofer also came out of my 2007, it was custom built from Fiberglass layers in 2007. It is a hollow box with layers of fiberglass cloth dipped in liquid (took them a few days to layer, dry, repeat). Then it was covered with carpet material.
View attachment 126336

Power controls:
GPS, top Marker lights, passenger USB, cell phone booster (5 Watt Wilson amp)
Main power switch (for the above)
Fridge and aux power battery
View attachment 126337

External antenna for cell phone signal boosting.
On my 2007 it would stand up on top of the roof. Eventually it scratched the paint. Now it's on the fin of the roofrack. For best reception it should point up, but for best garage entry/exit it is better this way. No more garage entry slapping.
View attachment 126338

The 4 channel amp for front speakers is mounted in the engine bay. Originally installed in 2017, to address the heat coming from under the seat where it was. Open windows and air circulation contributed to the heat waves. 2 bolts hold the 3/16 thick channel (L shape bracket, amp bolts into the side not showing), and that holds the amp. In 2020 the amp had to be replaced after one channel started to occasionally cut out the volume.
View attachment 126437

2 big fuses held by zip ties, and the jumbo 150amp fuse mounted at the far end (the newest addition, used for the engine bay amp only)
The big fuses use 3 connections for 2 fuses (1 is shared). And used to go to 2 amps (now 1) and probably radio completes the 3 count.
View attachment 126438

Click to expand...

I have NEVER seen a stereo amp mounted under the hod. I would think it would see even more heat there than under the seat. I have a 5 channel Alpine amp under my passenger seat and barely gets warm. Mine however is a digital amp. If you have a more old school class A,B, or AB they will definitely get much warmer. I like your sub. I sprung for the JL Audio Stealthbox for mine. It was a lil pricey at $750.00 but sounds awesome. Nice truck. Looks like everything was well though out and built for purpose rather show.

Thank you Scott, the amp location was an experiment, and it has lasted. During months like now it barely gets warm. In Arizona summer it gets hot, too hot to touch. I think it has overheat shutdown (temporary) but it hasn’t shut down. It gets air flow when driving, but even parked in Death Valley and driving there and parked in 120 degrees it has been fine. Until the channel started to cut out. Second one has been ok.

I have for show plans with little Oznium lights.. for photos that is, adding color to the grille.

Oznium LEDs added to the front grille over the past week. In the meantime I was driving with blue tape sticking from the grille, holding the loose ends, another bulge or 2 inside...

4 of the 11mm LEDs at the top (with solid backing in the grille), and 4 of the 6mm LEDs on the little grille pieces.
After wiring all up I found out 1 of the LEDS was not on (top left.... still off now). Must be my wiring and my questionable butt splices right? So I took apart the suspect parts.... twice... including wrong wires that had nothing to do with this and were fine... That's what happens working in quickly fading daylight.
Turns out it is the bulb/light itself, now why didn't I check them all before wiring? It complicates things when all is done, and I don't have a spare. So for now the light is out of there and I already ordered a new one. Might even be warrantied.



The top right here is on... it was blocked by the front bumper bar above.


This project started after I saw pictures of 3 lights in the grille. So I ordered 3 of the 11mm lights, and 4 of the 6mm lights.
The idea was to try the 6mm and if they are not bright enough, go with the 11... and maybe use 6mm somewhere else?

Even before they arrived I switched my design to 4 up top. 3 would have fit a lot easier, but 4 look better! The honeycomb has backing up top, but not always.

When I do this again, and that's a when not if, I will do it with the grille off. It would be so much easier for all, including the final wiring which including a lot of 3M double sided tape, the modern duct tape! One that doesn't leave residue (well, very little, none with a lot of effort), sticks to everything, can stay on the outside of the car in the sun for years...

With LEDs off


Behind the scenes look,hood latch showing, (front of the car is to the right), and that's the final, tucked in version. It was the butt joins that created bulges, 2 of my black clips are showing (about 6 used), ideally it would be all clips, but joining 4+4 lights into 1, and cables not reaching to a single point of attachment... I ended up joining 2 of 20 gauge wires + 16 gauge on one side into a 16 gauge on the other side.... times 2 for red and black.

My grille has been broken since a deer encounter in 2016... which took out my bumper, grille just cracked, and I have been living with the cracked grille (the cracked parts don't show), but when I get a new one in the future, I will make sure to do all the wiring before it goes on.



Oznium.com - great company to deal with, they ship fast, same day or next... even these days... $2.50 shipping for light stuff by USPS First class, faster than Amazon!
Many products, so many choices, my LEDs were $6 for a 11mm, $6 for a 6mm, they have surface mount LED strips.... maybe 100 total products.
The LEDs look good when off too, good design, 3 ft cables on mine, solder tipped, not cheap Amazon super thin impossible-to-work-with wires. Just use a wire stripper like my Klein somewhere above in pictures, because my 20 gauge wires would get accidentally cut with wire cutters used as strippers (you can get away with that on 16 gauge and thicker).

I used these butt splices and still have about 300 left, even with my 50% mortality rate (re-dos, different kinds of accidents):
They look great on paper, and work well too, are supposed to shrink with heat, but I can see how a heat gun would do a lot better than my hair fan. Even a $10 heat gun would.
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but this is what I will be using during my re-do of the top markers or grill markers:
connects 5 wires, so 4 lights + going-out wire..... but thin wires could be doubled up too...
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works on gauge 12 down to 28
the bottom side lets you measure how much wire to expose (about 70% of depth of going in), and then it holds the still insulated wire after you open and close the orange clamp.

In the field today

Adding red glow through the bottom...

this is what I want my xterra to be!! but sadly I am starting from an S-model. long road ahead. what did you do with you old roof lights?

is your steel bumper black or grey?

Sorry I missed your comments.
My front bumper is grey, red with grey is a great mix.

I gave the Pro-4X lights to a friend. He might be switching however when I start putting Baja Designs lights up. While the stock lights are convenient because they come with Pro-4X, if you ever try real lights, you will see what you have been missing.

What you see here are so called "marker lights". What you need down the trail are off road lights, and while you may think yours are fine, when you try off road lights, and ones with the right color/temperature (white/amber / 5000K), it's hard to go without them afterwards...

newx said:

this is what I want my xterra to be!! but sadly I am starting from an S-model. long road ahead. what did you do with you old roof lights?

Click to expand...

Driver camshaft sensor,
Passenger camshaft sensor
Crankshaft sensor
Replaced at 155k today
$280 from Z1 Offroad. Local dealers sell for $145+$140+$80 before tax so you save at least $100 and it’s OEM parts shipped quick. $280 was after taxes and shipping.