[aggieEVO]

Hey All,

Excited to be posting here. We owned a 08 Xterra S 4WD quite a few years ago. My wife needed something that got MUCH better mileage for her job. I've always missed the Xterra and having something to take camping and to do some mild wheeling in.

I've been itching to get a daily driver and turn my current daily driver (Evo VIII) into more of a track build. I had been searching sale sites for weeks and finally found a diamond on eBay. The seller had it listed for $1500. I messaged her back and forth and wasn't ready to sink $1500 into what I think needs quite a bit of work. It didn't sell and was relisted for $499. I ended up getting it for $627 and am picking it up about 2 hours away tomorrow morning! It needs a LOT. I'm handy with a wrench and like getting dirty. I'll post more pics when I get her home, and I'll be making a laundry list of things to do to get her roadworthy. She currently sits with a burnt transmission that slips after about 15 minutes. I haven't confirmed SMOD, but I'm sure it's the culprit. I'll attempt to change the radiator, hoses, and do a few flushes, but I may just be looking at a rebuild.

Stay tuned!

2005 SE 4X4, complete with matching body damage!

 

[mtnbound]

Hey for $627 bucks you cant go too wrong!

first thing i'd do would be to wipe the gauge cluster off!!!

 

[aggieEVO]

Lol, seriously. I'll do a pretty good cleaning before I roll her into the garage to go under the knife.

Hey for $627 bucks you cant go too wrong!

first thing i'd do would be to wipe the gauge cluster off!!!

 

[aggieEVO]

Guess my post got moved to the project section. I think I'm okay with that!

About to head to OK to pick her up and bring her back to TX! Updates this afternoon.

 

[Old Navy]

Didn't meet the "Member's Xterra Posting Rules" at the top of the page - So it was moved.

Old Navy

 

[TerryD]

Guess my post got moved to the project section. I think I'm okay with that!

About to head to OK to pick her up and bring her back to TX! Updates this afternoon.

We have an agreed upon standard to help arrange the builds info into the first post as much as possible so people can get a quick overview of what you have done. It makes it nice when you see a mod on someone's truck and can quickly find links in the first post. Check out mine and the format in the thread Old Navy linked and once you get your first post matching that, he'll move it back.

It happens to the best of us! :grin:

Welcome aboard, I'm looking forward to seeing what you do. I do have to ask though, if it was listed for $499, why did you wind up paying over $600? Was it at a dealership or something?

 

[Longboardr]

I do have to ask though, if it was listed for $499, why did you wind up paying over $600? Was it at a dealership or something?

Don't you have taxes and title transfer fees in VA? :grin:

 

[TerryD]

Don't you have taxes and title transfer fees in VA? :grin:

Yeah, but that's not usually included in the "purchase price" of a vehicle though. I refuse to pay those fees at a dealer, I'll do it thought DMV where there's no markup.

 

[Just a Hunter]

Before you spend alot of cash and time flushing your trans fluids, I would suggest dropping your transmission pan and inspecting the insides.

Once the radiator fluid enters the transmission, it tends to cause rust which assist in the ultimate failure we know as smod.

No amount of flushing will remove this rust. If you find this has happened, I would be looking for a good used transmission for a swap. In the past , there has been at least one member which has resolved his smod problem by cleaning the rust and replacing components, but this fix dont appear very common.

 

[IntellectualRedneck]

i've got an '06 as a project. I've got a few less challenges than you however. Looking forward to seeing what you do with it.

 

[aggieEVO]

It was $627 as someone else bid. I put $750 in as my max bid, but never went that high.

So, took a little trip to Oklahoma this morning.

Here she was at the top of the hill waiting for me:

Loaded up on the U-Haul, following us home:

Here she is in her new home:

 

[TerryD]

Oh ok, it was an auction. Looks like a good starting point!

 

[aggieEVO]

Did a bit of cleaning yesterday. Vacuumed out about 50 drywall screws and a bunch of broken glass. Plenty of dog hair. Already smells better. I have to run to grab more cleaning supplies today. After I feel good about all the plastic I'll start cleaning the carpet and seats.

So, let's talk about the transmission. I assumed this truck had SMOD. It does not. As soon as I got there I pulled the radiator cap and checked the expansion tank. I found the coolant to be perfectly green. The problem is that the trans starts slipping when you drive it for about 5 minutes. I was moving it yesterday and had to end up coasting downhill to another street to park it. Cooled off for about 30 mins and then I was able to move it to my driveway. I'm going to get a filter, pan gasket, and some Valvoline synthetic. There were 2 bottles of auto parts store fluid in the truck. Hoping that it just has the wrong fluid in it. Worth a shot before I replace the trans, I suppose.

 

[IntellectualRedneck]

Who was murdered in the passenger seat? ?

 

[AlbatrossCafe]

yo unrelated, but let's see them pics of the EVO VIII. Need to see an example of your craftsmanship as you get started

 

[KC]

^^^^ I agree

 

[MeHere!]

at $627 can't beat it even if some folks were gutted in the pass. and rear seats...lol

 

[aggieEVO]

Haha, ok. Here's the evo. She's been my daily driver for quite a few years. Bought with a swiss cheese block and a bunch of bent valves. Currently running a bunch of bolt ons and a ported IX turbo. 350whp. Wanting to get something else to drive so I feel okay about a bigger turbo and e85.

 

[VMBiohazard]

Subscribed

 

[Mar10]

Do a PMF on the trans:

https://www.thenewx.org/forum/15-how-tos/30213-how-transmission-pmf-poor-mans-flush-pbr.html

This is a “flush” and fill without the machine. No risk of valve damage due to suction, cheaper, and will give a good start to diagnosing the tranny issues.

Just because the coolant is clean does not rule out SMOD. It could have been drained and filled at some point.

Looks like a the truck is in good shape, minus all that filth.
Pull the seats and carpet and pressure wash em.

Can’t wait to see some more results. Best of luck to you with the transformation!