Supercharger durability in 02-X-SC?

[XenonofArcticus]

Hi all, longtime reader, occasional poster. I have an 02 Xterra-SC, and love it, living in the thin air above Denver at 8000ft. I've noticed over the past year or so that my 02 X, with about 130K miles on it, has developed an occasional rattle or chatter. All the usual maintenance has been done in the proper time frame (yes, including timing belt). It _usually_ only manifests after a while of driving (couple hours) when the engine is all warmed up. I don't see any adverse effects on performance, but I _know_ that chatter isn't supposed to be there and it can't be good.

I have zero trust for the nearby Nissan dealer that it originally came from, and nobody but a Nissan specialist has any clue about the SC. There's a good shop in Aurora, but it's a 2 hours drive from my house, so that kind of sucks. Before I take it over there, I wondered if anyone else had any experience or insight into this sort of problem?

How long should a supercharger last? Does it need any maintenance on itself? Could the bearing be shot, or wearing? How bad of a mess could this turn into?

Thanks for any advise.

[Desert Rat]

Bearings have gone out of a lot of them at 55-70k miles, so you got a good one, and it's probably ready for some R&R.

[Big-Bird]

Unfortunately the Supercharger is the only thing I don't have a breakdown of. Lets get NM50 in here and see what he thinks. Steve is a Nissan tech and seems to have worked on just about every problem our NICO members have experienced.

OH STEVE!!!!!!...

[NM50]

Sorry for your luck.The compessor is running on sealed bearings.No serviceability.IMO your best bet is to trade up for the 05 and up model.More power and better mileage.The fuel mileage itselef makes it worth doing.That many miles on a single supercharger is the longest life I have heard of.

[XenonofArcticus]

The compessor is running on sealed bearings.No serviceability.That many miles on a single supercharger is the longest life I have heard of.

Wow. Didn't realize they were that fragile. How much needs to be replaced? Is it something an owner can replace, wiht some mechanical skills, or is it purely technician-work? How much are we talking for the parts, and maybe for the labor if I have to have a dealer do it?

IMO your best bet is to trade up for the 05 and up model.More power and better mileage.The fuel mileage itselef makes it worth doing.

Yeah, but I really like the compact size of the 02, and it's paid for which is a BIG deal in my book. Though, the 02-SC seems to fetch a fair price used, among off-roaders who want to hack on the SC engine.

[NM50]

An hour tops,if you can change the plugs you can change the compressor.The parts cost I dont know.

[XenonofArcticus]

Followup:

Nothin new on the rattle situation for quite a while (doesn't seem to show up as much in the summer). This past week, while driving up a hill in the cold, it came back. By chance, someone in front of me slowed down right then, and I moved my foot to the clutch pedal preparing to downshift if needed. My foot pressed slightly on the pedal in doing do -- and the noise disappeared! A little experimentation showed that the rattle goes away when the clutch is pressed in ever so slightly, and comes back when the clutch is out all the way.

So, a clutch problem is a LOT easier to handle than a supercharger problem. I haven't had it looked at yet, as my second vehicle, a 97 Jeep Wrangler, needs the starter fixed before I can take the X off the road for work.

Thanks for all the tips everyone, even though it mercifully doesn't look like it is the supercharger wearing out.

[MartyC61]

I have over 136,000 miles on my '02 supercharged xterra and I'm also hearing a whizzing noise. Just paid off the vehicle, and my '95 altima's timing chain broke after 188,000 miles. Really don't want to finance another vehicle yet. Can the dealers replace the supercharger, and if so what can i expect to pay?

[generic808]

You could always just pick up a refurbed and have it installed anywhere for a lot less than a dealership would charge.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...ZWDVW

[eazye2000]

Followup:

My foot pressed slightly on the pedal in doing do -- and the noise disappeared! A little experimentation showed that the rattle goes away when the clutch is pressed in ever so slightly, and comes back when the clutch is out all the way.

Sounds like a Throw Out Bearing to me. I have no idea about engine or drivetrain in the truck. I'm just plugging around different sections trying to keep busy.