Overheating

Was it actually overheating? Was coolant disappearing? Did you have the water pump changed? Was the squeal caused by the belt slipping? How many miles on this vehicle? What is the code for the check engine light? We need more information.

I had that problem on my 01 xterra it turned out to be the coolant temp sensor

yeah it could be a bad sensor, however if the coolant is boiling over into the overflow bottle than you know its really getting hot and not just a false indication on the dash... Best answer I saw so far on this subject is this: "As for the vehicle still overheating, if all of the parts you have replaced are working fine, then you may have an air flow issue through the radiator. If this was the case, the vehicle would still cool at higher speeds and just not around town. If it gets hot at all times, then it may have a clogged radiator, or more commonly a leaking head gasket. I would perform a block test prior to changing anything else. If that fails the test, then the engine will need to be disassembled and repaired. If it passes, then it may need a radiator." -- which i found posted at a site called YourMechanic - response by a certified mechanic by the name of Robert Tomashek. Think about it what he says and it makes sense. My opinion as far as repeated head gaskets going out is whoever is doing the work is doing a poor job of head gasket repair. The heads should always be magnafluxed and inspected by a machine shop for cracks and warping and resurfaced each time the gasket is done. Also likely the repeated unresolved overheating is causing the head gaskets to go bad. So you need to get to the root of the over heating problem. From what I heard on a few sites is a bad radiator cap and overly advanced ignition timing could cause a car to run hot. If you are using your Xterra to do alot of towing and hauling or driving on mountain roads and inclines you should look into getting an external tranny cooler because the stock one is inside the radiator and adds heat loading to the engine cooling system. If you are driving with the A/C on max all the time in hot weather, you should ad an external booster fan in front of the condenser behind the front grille, this should be turned on by relay when the A/C compressor relay energizes. Some Xterra's came with this from the factory. The A/C Condensor blows extra heat into the front of the radiator also so that adds more heat loading to the system. Good luck.

I have a Nissan Xterra as well. Same problem except no check engine light. I've discovered a bad sensor....the mass airflow sensor seems bad. Unhooked it while truck was running and it kept right on. It was suppose to stop. So now I'm debating on whether to give it a try. After 2 radiaters 2 waterpumps 2 thermostats a coolant sensor 4 catalytic converts cleaned later...I'm frustrated.

I have an 08Xterra same thermostat issue indicating overheating but car runs fine. Figuring it’s a sensor since the A/C stops blowing cold air. Any comments?

I have An 2003 nissan exterra its over heating since a few says ago y is that

I believe it is the coolant temp sensor. My Xterra overheats all the time in the summer. However once I get it out on the freeway it will often cool down to the proper temperature. I’ve checked the coolant fluid and it seems fine and at the correct level. Since the overheating is irregular I am going with the coolant temp sensor problem. If it were a major problem like the head gasket it would overheat on a regular basis and then eventually fail in a major way. And let’s face it, if you are basically driving it as a daily driver it is highly unlikely a fairly new, advanced vehicle like this would blow a head gasket.

I have a 2005 Xterra and a 2011 Frontier. The Frontier started having similar problems 1st. While vehicle was moving there was no problem, but when vehicle sat idling it would over heat. If you put it in neutral and rev the engine the temp would come back down. I brought it to mech. and they told me it was the heating core. We replaced it at the tune of $1500, but it did fix the problem. The plan is to keep the Frontier so it was money well spent. The plan is to replace The Xterra at the end of the year so putting $1500 into it is not the preferred choice. I am wondering if I by-pass the heater core will that maybe stop over heating?

One possibility and very simple solution: your radiator and/or condenser may be full of debris. This might not be very visible or even visible at all, due to a build up of very fine particles. Let the vehicle stand 2-3 hours or more until it's "cold". Blast out both the radiator and condenser from the engine towards the grill with high velocity water. Then do the same from the grill toward the engine. If you're compulsive, do it again from the engine side. You might be surprised at what washes out. If this was the cause, your engine will run cooler immediately and your air conditioner will put out cold air both quicker and colder.