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2000 Xterra's gauges working/not working half the time

4K views 13 replies 7 participants last post by  PhilKratz 
#1 ·
I bought my 2000 Xterra a few months ago and I have been having a problem with the entire gauge pod sometimes working and sometimes not working. The gauges light up but none of the gauges will work at all, including the odometer. Sometimes the gauges will work for a week with no issues, and sometimes they won't work at all for 2 weeks at a time. And sometimes they will go from not working to working numerous times in a 10 mile ride. I have checked all of the grounds related to it and haven't found an issue there and was wondering if anyone else has had this problem. Nissan said they have never had any recalls on the gauge pod board so they don't know what the problem is. Its really annoying not knowing how fast I'm going, the fuel I have, or the temp my car is running at sometimes. I haven't been able to make a connection with anything that causes it such as moisture or heat etc. I'm at a loss here about the problem.


Thanks
 
#3 ·
I know the pod could be repaired or bought from the junkyard, but what says that it's the pod itself? That's why I was asking if anyone else had had this problem before, I don't want to pull the pod and replace it and waste my time and money if its not the actual pod that is the problem.
 
#4 ·
I know the pod could be repaired or bought from the junkyard, but what says that it's the pod itself? That's why I was asking if anyone else had had this problem before, I don't want to pull the pod and replace it and waste my time and money if its not the actual pod that is the problem.
I have the same problem and it seems like the only solid solution is to throw money at it, as ridiculous as that sounds.

Thats why I've just learned to live with it. I'm a broke college student and don't have money for adventures like that...
 
#5 ·
I have the same problem and it seems like the only solid solution is to throw money at it, as ridiculous as that sounds.

Thats why I've just learned to live with it. I'm a broke college student and don't have money for adventures like that...

Thanks for the reply, that helps me out allot just knowing that someone else has or has had this problem even though you don't know what is causing it. It still helps me out knowing that it is an issue and not a ground issue, especially since I spent an hour or so laying on my back digging around under the dash trying to find a bad ground:aufkopfhauen-big: I contacted another Nissan dealership a city over since the one in my city acted like I was nuts and that I had obviously did something to mess the gauge pod up. The other dealership said that he hadn't came across the problem but for me to bring it in and let them run the VIN# to see if any of the recalls for my Xterra had been fixed yet or not. It looks like I will just be getting new gauges and making a custom gauge pod and putting aftermarket ones in there, it will be cheaper and look better and also be more accurate! After I do my gauge pod the next mod will be the air box and also some new bilstein shocks that are made for the 3" lift Xterra's. That info is all thanks to this forum, my Xterra rides like a sports car, rough. I am trying to find some longer springs for it also to soften up the ride as much as possible, I don't mind the extra body roll because its not like I'm circuit racing in it, I just want the softest ride I can get from it.
 
#6 ·
Ever figure this out ? Man, I have only owned my 2000 x for 2 weeks and this is the same prob I have the good thing is I can get the dealer to take care of it hopefully but it's aggravating and it only does it sometimes so if I take it to the shop chances are it works fine for them. And I see a ton of pods/clusters on eBay but the all have more mileage on the odo so I dunno what to do about that! Any advise? Thanks.
 
#7 ·
You may want to take out the pod (not hard) and unplug and plug it back in. It may just need to have the plug pins get better contact. It may be just that!
I have not had that problem in my X, but I had an Acura with the same problem and it fixed that one!
It will just cost you a little time and no money to try!
 
#11 ·
I put a new gauge cluster in mine from a junk'd Xterra about a month ago and I'm still having the same problem, just not as often. The search continues for me...
Because it is happening with both pods, you are either getting a bad ground, or bad 12v+. It really sounds like the power is cutting in and out, like a bad connection somewhere.
 
#12 ·
So, I'm stoked to find other people with this problem. I own a 2000 Xterra (seems related to 2000 models??) and it is having the exact same issue where the instrument cluster completely shuts off periodically. This includes the odometer which is frustrating because I no longer know the true millage of this car. Its been doing that since we purchased it a couple years ago. who knows how long its been doing this!

One thing I noticed was the cluster shuts off when the engine is Hot. So, either a long drive tends to set it off or when my thermostat is having issues. This car has had MANY issues, but this one seems steady and is getting worse.

Anybody know if there is a relation to the temperature??? Loose connection??
 
#13 ·
There does appear to be a correlation to temperature in those gauges. There are some threads buried here that talk about this, but the solutions I remember reading are to insulate the dash around the gauge pod, swapping out to LED lamps, and checking for bad solder joints.
 
#14 ·
yeah, I have a 2000 xterra and mine were always messing up when the heat was on or it was really hot outside... I insulated the area around the heater ducts and around the back of the cluster and changed to led bulbs (a lot less heat) and have not had a problem in over a year ... I believe it's a problem solved I drive a lot. Just get some kind of foam or something and stuff behind the cluster and you should be fine .


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