Oil pump and strainer will be located in the pan. It will be just to drop the pan and replace them both if you think that is the exact cause. You won't want to drive around with it like that since your heads and upper end won't be getting the correct amount of oil and can burn things up causing more damage. Someone should have the service manual for it but you'll want to prime the oil pump after doing the install.

Have you checked the oil level to make sure that it is not low. If you don't have enough oil then it will cause a drop in oil pressure when under low and at higher speeds since there isn't enough to circulate in the block.

 

Thanks for the response Glucola. Yes I have checked the oil level and it is fine. You mentioned that i would want to prime the oil pump after the install what exactly would I need to do?
I am hoping someone will post some links to make this job easier.

again thanks for the info.

 

What year do you have? Mileage?

When priming the oil pump you have to get the engine to turn over so that it will allow oil to get into the pump. On the old cars you would just pull the distributor since it was off of the crank and use a drill to spin the engine. You can do the same thing with just turning the crank by hand. Just sit tight and someone with the service manaul will post it up. I used to have all of them but sadly lost them when my computer crashed last year.

 

just to clean the strainer looks to be a really easy job:

REMOVAL (LOWER)
WARNING:
To avoid the danger of being scalded, do not drain engine oil when engine is hot.
1. Drain engine oil. Refer to LU-9, "Changing Engine Oil" .
2. Remove oil pan (lower) as follows:
a. Loosen bolts with power tool in reverse order as shown to
remove.
1. Oil pan (upper) 2. Oil pressure switch 3. O-ring
4. Relief valve 5. O-ring 6. Oil cooler
7. Connector bolt 8. Oil filter 9. Drain plug
10. Drain plug washer 11. Oil pan (lower) 12. Rear cover plate
13. Oil strainer 14 O-ring 15. Oil level gauge guide
16. Oil level gauge
PBIC2883E
PBIC2890E
Revision: September 2006 EM-28
OIL PAN AND OIL STRAINER
2007 Xterra
b. Remove oil pan (lower) using Tool.
CAUTION:

Be careful not to damage the mating surfaces.

Do not insert screwdriver, this will damage the mating
surfaces.
NOTE:
Slide seal cutter (1) by tapping on the side (2) of the tool with
hammer.
INSPECTION AFTER REMOVAL
Clean oil strainer if any object attached.
INSTALLATION (LOWER)
1. Install oil pan (lower) as follows:
a. Use scraper to remove old liquid gasket from mating surfaces.

Also remove old liquid gasket from mating surface of oil pan
(upper).

Remove old liquid gasket from the bolt holes and thread.
CAUTION:
Do not scratch or damage the mating surfaces when cleaning
off old liquid gasket.
b. Apply a continuous bead of liquid gasket using Tool to the oil
pan (lower) as shown.
Use Genuine RTV Silicone Sealant or equivalent. Refer to
GI-47, "Recommended Chemical Products and Sealants" .
CAUTION:
Attaching should be done within 5 minutes after coating.
c. Install oil pan (lower).

Tighten bolts in numerical order as shown.
2. Install oil pan drain plug. Refer to EM-27, "Removal and Installation" .
3. Installation is in the reverse order of removal.
NOTE:
At least 30 minutes after oil pan is installed, pour engine oil.

To replace the pump, you have to remove all sorts of things as you need to remove the upper pan as well per the fsm..... You got to remove the timing chain cover, primary chain, front drive axles etc etc. it's ugly.

I would try cleaning the strainer and you just drop the lower pan, which is easy to get to, clean the strainer and put back on. Hope that fixes it or else it's a big job- unless the fsm is wrong.

 

Here is the procedure for removing the oil pump:

REMOVAL
1. Remove oil pans (lower and upper). Refer to EM-27, "Removal and Installation" .
2. Remove front timing chain case and timing chain (primary). Refer to EM-55, "Removal and Installation" .
3. Remove oil pump assembly.
INSTALLATION
Installation is in the reverse order of removal, paying attention to the following.

When installing, align crankshaft flat faces with inner rotor flat faces.
INSPECTION AFTER INSTALLATION
1. Check the engine oil level. Refer to LU-7, "ENGINE OIL LEVEL" .
2. Start engine, and check there are no leaks of engine oil.
3. Stop engine and wait for 10 minutes.
4. Check the engine oil level and add engine oil. Refer to LU-7, "ENGINE OIL


what gets you is removing the upper pan requires tons of work....

 

labor and parts per alldata:

Oil Pump


31 - Oil Pump
15010EA20A $240.90
Labor Information Skill Level Mfg. Warranty Standard

Oil Pump


Replace
B 6.5 8.8

Overhaul/Rebuild

Includes: R&I Oil Pump.
A 6.8 9.2


so it's like 9 hours of labor.. yikes!

 

labor and parts per alldata:

so it's like 9 hours of labor.. yikes!

So take 9 times about $125/hr average at a dealer is $1,125 before parts and taxes are added.

 

Word of caution if you decide to do this work yourself. You'll want to ensure that you have the number 1 piston TDC. You also will want to make sure that you put all of the valves in N. This means that all of the pressure is off of the springs and each of them is closed. You will have to do one head at a time since you will have rotate the crank to one position and then another for the other head. If you don't do this then your valves will open at the incorrect time and will cause damage the the valves and pistons. It is a lot of work to do the oil pump the right way but it can be done. Also remember that you will have torque and detorque all of the bolts in a particular order and retorque them to the correct specs. Don't confuse in-lbs with lb-ft.

 

Thanks for the info. I have a 05 X w/120,000 on it.

So all I need to do is remove the bolts from the lower pan to get to the strainer. not to hard. Hey silverflash when I remove the lower pan I should be able to remove the two screws to the strainer assembly correct? I am going to go ahead and replace it since it is only about $23

 

I have no idea but based on the fsm, it appears that's the idea. i have never done this before so i don't know.

I would assume though that you can!

 

Any way to distinguish which part would be the culprit? The strainer or the pump? Does it make since to clean strainer out or replace it and then put lower pan back on and check to see if that fixes it?

 

as replacing the strainer appears to be a fairly easy task, i would go that route. i would replace the strainer too. Then see if that solves your issue. if it does, you are good. if not, well you are out $23 plus oil and labor for the pan drop.

reward of this being just the strainer and you replacing it far outweighs replacing the pump......or taking somewhere to have them tel you it's the pump when it's really just the strainer.

 

Thanks, I'll be doing the strainer replacement myself so if it doesnt work well the loss would not be to bad. Now I just have to find time to do the work. but anyway I really appreciate all the input. Thanks All!

 

First thing you might want to do is replace the oil pressure sensor. I think 05's had a version that would actually output a signal linear wrt actual oil pressure, so the gauge would work like a gauge, where as 06's and up had a different part that worked more like a switch, as in, it would output a fairly constant signal if the pressure was above a certain threshold. I've read about these needing replacement several times on this forum, so it might be a cheap easy place to start.

 

The '05 and early '06 have a buggy oil pressure sender that doesn't age well.
99% sure you just have a bad sender and not real problems inside.

 

yes, i have to agree.

i'd replace the sensor and see what happens. if no joy, then do the strainer. then oil pump if needed.

as you have pressure for a while then it drops, i doubt a pump would do that. maybe a cruddy strainer with stuff getting kicked up or a bad sensor..

good luck and let us know what the results are!

 

I have replaced the sensor already. The first issue I had was no pressure showing at all, so I went for the quick fix and replaced the sensor. Now I have pressure, but lose it after a while. I will work on replacing the strainer next and I will keep in touch and let you all know how it goes.

 

Ok. Please don't take it like I am attacking your skills or anything so this is just a helpful suggestion is all in case this is the first time you do this. When you go to take off the lower pan make sure that you take the bolts out in the right order so that you won't warp the pan at all. The service manual has the right order but you can basically start on one corner and go to the opposite corner then do one in the middle then jump over to the opposite side of that one. You can get the torque numbers for any auto parts place and they may even have the diagram for you.

If someone could can you post up a pic of the torque/detorque proceedures for the lower oil pan and the torque specs please!

 

the more info i get the better. thanks for the post. I was able to find the manuel on line with the diagram of where to start when removing the bolts.

http://pdf.textfiles.com/manuals/AUTOMOBILE/NISSAN/xterra/2005_Xterra/em.pdf

If anyone else can think of anything else please post it.

Thanks!

 

Just follow that to the letter and you should be good to go. That's pretty much what the techs at Nissan are going to follow anyway. You can use that to help you with the upper if you needed to go after the oil pump.

 

did you replace the sensor with an aftermarket or OEM sensor? If aftermarket, i would suspect the sensor still- seriously. i had an 88 bronco that had low pressure readings, swapped it out with an aftermarket and then the light came on. went to a ford sensor and all was well.....


also, ,did you get the RIGHT sensor? Did you order and verify the sensor is for your exact year?

 

Good point since there was a change in the sensor toward the later part of 2005. I know this since I had to replace my sensor in my 2005 and was asked for my vin number to make sure that they gave me the exact part for my truck.

 

I went to the dealer and picked up the OEM sensor. I have everything I need to do the job, but now i have to find the time. I am hoping for some decent weather this week end and I can knock it out. I will post the results once I finish the job or you might find me up here asking questions this weekend also.

One more question, which type of gasket maker should I use?? so many to choose from I would like to know which one is recommended?

 

Just use the one that is in the service manual. Use Genuine RTV Silicone Sealant. So go with Permatex part number 80050 3 oz. tube. Link is here.

Edited you can use this part number or the one above mine. Either one will work. Just depends if you want it to be clear or gray colored.

 

from fsm:

Apply liquid gasket and tighten oil pressure switch to the specification.
Use Genuine RTV Silicone Sealant or equivalent. Refer to GI-47, "Recommended Chemical Products
and Sealants" .

from GI-47:

Silicone RTV
Gasket Maker
999MP-AM003P
(Ultra Grey)
99998-50506
(Ultra Grey)
Permatex Ultra Grey
82194;
Three Bond
1207,1215, 1216,
1217F and 1217G;
Nissan RTV Part No.
999MP-A7007

So you can use Permatex Ultra Grey
82194 per the fsm......

 

Thanks for the info.

 

Ok, well I finally finished changing the oil strainer Friday. I removed the oil pan cleaned it up really good and replaced the strainer. I also notice a little bit of oil leaking from behind the oil cooler, so I went ahead and bought the o-ring and replace it also. Well when everything was complete I checked for leaks and all was good! I drove the X for two days with no issues, probably drove about 85 miles between both days. I checked again for leaks and did not see any, but when I cranked up this morning and drove about 5 miles down the road the oil pressure went down again??? I don't believe the oil pump is bad because I would of loss oil pressure over the weekend while driving the X.

Any one have any suggestions?? Maybe I need to check the oil pressure switch? It was already replaced once, not sure if maybe working on the oil pan and strainer could of effected the switch??

I'll take any suggestions?

 

does the oil light come on??

if you still have your invoice for the sensor, get the part number then go over to BOTh courtesy parts nissan and cherryhill nissan and look for the sensor for you exact model year vehicle. They have date ranges on courtesy parts for the part you are looking for and on cherry hill they ask for vin.

This way you can see if perhaps they gave you the wrong part number.

it is worth a shot.

If they did, i bet that's causing the issue.

I had an 88 ford bronco that showed low oil pressure and i decided to put a mechanical gauge in. When i did that i decided to replace the oem sender with an advance auto part. Well, my pressure read good on the after market gauge but the oil light came on.

I didn't put 2 and 2 together for a bit, then had ford look at it.

they quoted me $700 to fix the issue which they said was a chaffed wire in a harness behind dash or $350 to make the light go out by shorting out the wire to the lamp on the dash- geez.

I said heck with that and decided for the heck of it to replace the sender with oem. it worked. light went out and pressure was good to go!

lesson, oem gauge is important and so is the part number!!!!!

 

Thanks for the info. I will replace the switch and hopefully that will solve the problem.

 

Get a mechanical oil pressure tester. You can usually rent one from local auto parts. Verify your true and actual oil pressure. This should of been done before throwing parts at it.

 

slickjoker7,

Before dropping more money a few questions. How much is the pressure dropping? Are you located in a cold region? What oil are you running? Is this your first winter with your X?

Reason for the questions is that a constant volume pump develops what ever pressure required to push the design flow. Cold mineral lube oil is quite viscus and will require a relatively high pressure to get it flowing. As the engine and oil warm up, the pressure will drop as the oil's viscosity drops. Once at normal operating temperature, pressure will stay steady and should be close to your summer operating pressure. Synthetic oils have a flatter viscosity /temp profile, so there will be less pressure change on warm up. Five miles for warm up sounds fairly typical. Is it possible your simply reacting to this normal pressure change? I'll have to watch my oil pressure on my way to work this AM.

Scott

Made the run into work, pressure drop was less than I expected at 30F W/ 5-30 mineral oil. Not having anything but my stock oil can gauge pressure dropped from top of the needle even with the spout to centered on the oil can after driving 7 miles. Not enough for me to have noticed, except I was looking for it.

Scott

 

On my way home today I encountered a few fairly large puddles on the road from all the rain. Shortly after my Oil Light came on and the gauge dropped to the bottom. A couple minutes later it came back to normal....First time this has ever happened to me. Any suggestions>?

 

Heck the connection to the pressure sensor. Maybe it is loose and water got in?
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