Hey Scotty! I have a 2002 Nissan Xterra with 82,000 miles on the clock. I have been doing some research and I noticed the 2.4l Xterra’a have a timing chain but the 3.3l X’s have a timing belt. Why would one be a belt and the other a chain? Also, how worried should I be about having a timing belt and how often should I change it out? Thank you!
Here is the owners manual and it is the king of resources for maintenance:
http://www.vadennissanservicecontracts.com/owners-manual/nissan/2002-Nissan-Xterra.pdf
But I could not find the intervals here. What I can say is that most say to change it between 60k-90k miles. They also deteriorate with age and most say to change it no more than every 10 years so I would go ahead and change it.
If it has not been changed, go ahead and change it. Thankfully, the engine is non-interference but you do not want to be stranded on the road side.
