I've got a 2007 Xterra Off Road, with the 6 speed manual. There's nothing in the manual about driving in reverse, or any other "engage/disengage" procedure, short of "under 62 MPH, put it in neutral, press the clutch and hit the button".

So how does the 4WD work? Does it electronically engage the hubs and t-case? Are the hubs "always on"?

Get as technical as you want, please. I'm fairly familiar with 4WD, having rebuilt an IHC Scout...

Woody

Simple answer. There are no hubs. The front diff is always turning. The 4wd switch only changes the transfercase.

So as the manual says. To switch from 2wd to 4hi and back to 2wd just turn the dial. It might not go from 4hi to 2wd until you come to a complete stop. If there is stress on the TC gears it won't go from 4hi to 2wd and coming to a stop solves that problem (this isn't in the manual, but having had the X in 4wd hundreds of times, this is what I have found).

To switch to 4lo, be sure you are at a complete stop. Shift into N and swith it to 4lo (you will hear clicking as the gears change). Put it back in gear and have at it. To take it out of 4lo, do the same thing.

When I switch from 4WD to 2WD mode in my 2006 Xterra , the chassis figure keeps flashing for several miles. Does the flashing indicate that the 4WD mode is still engaged? Sometimes the mode change takes less than 10 seconds but other times the transfer can take several miles.

Mine does that to, it appears to be normal. It won't shift out of 4 wheel at all unless you're moving.

That is normal and yes, when flashing it's still engaged. That is where coming to a complete stop after switching it helps.

My old Scout would try to bind when shifting out of 4WD while moving, and pumping the gas would unbind it. But then again, it's a Scout; everything in it was steel and iron.

Not that I want to do that with the X. Thanks for the 'splaining; that's what I thought was going on.

BTW, when it's flashing, your t-case is binding. This stresses the gears in there, so slow down or stop, and find some loose terrain to let it unbind.

Woody

On my 2006 Xterra, the 4WD chassis figure keeps flashing on ice and snow packed roads so I doubt if the drivetrain is binding up. I called the service departments of two different Nissan dealers and basically got the same answer. Their response was that the flashing was normal but they don't know why. They also said that just because its 4WD chassis figure is flashing does not mean that the transfer case is still in 4WD. They said that all Nissan vehicles with 4WD have the same indicator that flashes when going from 4WD to 2WD.

I asked if the 2006 Xterra has auto-hubs since the indicator flashes in the area of the front wheels in additon to the transfer case area. The service guy said that the Xterra has a new design auto-hub. I looked at the factory service manual and all I saw was a spindle and nut which would indicate that the Xterra does not have auto hubs. I guess the best thing to do now is jack up one side of the vehicle front suspension while in 2WD and turn the wheel to determine if the driveshaft is turning. The drive shaft turning would prove that the auto-hubs don't exist.

I got my first xterra 2005, ( abs ligth is on, it's disable my 4wd?)
thanks ...

The truck has hubs. The hub is what the wheel attaches to, they're just always engaged. When you shift out of 4X4 and the light flashes, it means that the T-case is trying to disengage, but there is tension on the gears so the actuator cannot move the shift fork. you can help it by getting on and off the gas a few times.

I got my first xterra 2005, ( abs ligth is on, it's disable my 4wd?)
thanks ...

Are you in 4lo?

I find that to get the transfer case to switch from 4wd to 2wd better, you can back up after switching. It has nothing to do with the hubs, I think that it just helps align the gears in the transfer case for faster shifting.