Has anyone out there towed with Nissan X Trail 2.5L petrol? Ours is 2 years old and in good nick. We are heading off in June with our new Coromal Transforma MT45 pop top. Homer is a bit worried that the Nissan may not have the power to tow the van. The tare of the van is 1170 and overall length is 6110mm. We travel light and will not be going off road. Heading off from the Atherton Tableland in June and heading across the top through WA. Looking forward to advice. Thanks Marge.
LIMP MODE
I have posted this topic in techies corner but am desperate for help please. We took our new Coromal Magnum 450 for a test run and our Nissan Xtrail 2010auto petrol AWD with 4900k on clock has had two serious limp mode situations within 400ks.The tehnician in Mackay assured us that because he was able to replicate the situation he was sure it was the electric brake switch which though fitted by Nissan was not a genuine part so today, some $800 worse off and with new switch (genuine) installed we picked up car, headed north on way home. Some 200 k up the road the same thing occurred, though thankfully not in a dangerous situation this time. Car looses all power, though engine revs. Limped into caravan park tonight. The thought of trying to get across the Cardwell range where there are massive road works underway, is making us sick to the stomach knowing full well that the problem is bound to arise again, even if we take it to the dealer in this town where we are staying tonight. We know we will hear the same old rhetoric "nothing shows up on the computer".Seems that nobody knows what causes the car to fail. Our hopes of doing the big lap appear to be fading as we see the situation of the car playing up all the way In some far flung places or on busy freeways
QUESTION- in the event of having to replace our almost new car, that we both are otherwise very pleased with, what blooming car do we consider!!!!!!!!! After spending hours on web, it appears that there is no make of car that does not have this problem of limp mode occurring and technicians not having a clue.
HELP.
Homer and Marge
Duh said
06:58 AM Apr 4, 2013
Have you tried posing your question on the Australian X Trail forum? I gave you the link on the Tech Thread?????
Homer and Marge said
07:08 AM Apr 4, 2013
Not sure if I did post there, Duh. But I have been viewing problems others have had On that site Thanks for getting back to me and for alerting me to that site.
regardsMarge
Duh said
07:22 AM Apr 4, 2013
No worries Marg, when I had my Xtrail I visited there a lot for info and advice etc.
Hope you get to the bottom of the problem.....
Duh said
10:18 AM Apr 4, 2013
Hi Marg,
I don't know if this is what you would call "limp mode" but once my 2006 Petrol auto Xtrail conked out at a roundabout and wouldn't start again, the engine light (shape of an engine) lit up on the instrument panel.
I was in the middle of heavy traffic at the time and was holding everyone up. I got outside and looked under the bonnet but couldn't see anything visibly wrong (eg; lead off etc) and when I got back in the vehicle started, but light still on. I "limped" off the round about into a nearby parking area and rang the RAC.
When the RAC bloke came up he said it was the electronics and not to drive it with the engine light showing, he arranged a flat bed truck (covered by my membership, also taxi ride home) for me to an RAC workshop (it was a weekend) where they do repairs under the RAC banner and it was locked away until Monday, no workshop staff being on duty. They replaced something in the electronics, at a cost of about $300 odd dollars and I never had the problem again.
I am sorry, I didn't relate this to your "limp mode" problem earlier, I had forgotten about it, it was some time ago. The problem never happened again. I know the current owner of the X'trail and they haven't had any problems with it either since.
Have you tried ringing the RAC (or NRMA) for advice on your problem ???????
-- Edited by Duh on Thursday 4th of April 2013 10:22:07 AM
DeBe said
10:45 AM Apr 4, 2013
This is a cheep ($20-$25 OBD11 tester) from China for reading fault codes & erasing them, purhcased on E bay. they are suitable for vechiles built after 2005. The conector is rectangular shaped & must be with in reach of the drivers position. the one in the picture is conected to a Barina in the fuse box. This tool i use on allsorts of vehicles & is easy to use. What surprises me is no Nissan mechanics seem to know or understand which sensors on these vehicles can cause a vehicle to go into limp home mode & go from there as part of there training. As a X Ford mechanic we were trained in each model & what to look for when fault finding. Some things that can cause Limp home mode are Cam or Crank sensors or Manifold vac or airflow sensors being intermittent. Or intermitent wiring or conectors & these can be hard to find.
-- Edited by DeBe on Thursday 4th of April 2013 10:57:27 AM
Homer and Marg, When your car goes into limp mode, does the "Check Engine Light" come on? If it does and you can, take it to an EFI Workshop and get them to put it on a Scantool. If you want to chat to me about it you can call me and I'll give you the names of a few places I use. My number is 0439704544.
Cheers Sol
GaryKelly said
03:04 PM Apr 4, 2013
What a bummer, Homer and Marg. I sure hope the good people here can help your overcome this huge disappointment. I can readily identify with how sick it must make you feel, knowing that the problem will occur again with the likelihood of no one being able to fix it. Best of luck and all good wishes!
Homer and Marge said
03:39 PM Apr 4, 2013
Good morning Sol,
We are leaving Bowen now and hoping we can get a wee bit down the road. We will try the pull over and turn off the ignition trick and see how far we get. Thanks for your offer to speak to us and Homer will call you when we get back to the Atherton Tableland. The llights do not come on on the dash, even when we are crawling along. Bit scarey to say the least wish us luck.
Marge
spida said
05:12 PM Apr 4, 2013
Have you had the onboard computer reset? When I had that problem after a fuel pump job a reset fixed it. I was told the computer picks up a problem and puts everything into 'safe' (lmp) mode. Nissan must be able to check things out? I think if you turn the motor off and then when turned on again it 'clears' the limp if that works I would suspect definite computer problem.
Duh said
06:16 PM Apr 4, 2013
Thanks DeBe, what are they "$25 code reader/ eraser" and how do you use them, also where do you get them from please?
I haven't got a radio code for my Ford Transit but want one for when I have to exchange the battery. My local Ford dealer wanted $190 to remove the radio to get the serial number for the code (and get me the code).
I have found from other enquiries that I can get the Serial Number and Audio Serial Number by depressing buttons 1 and 6 on my radio and reading the (very quick) displays. I took photos of mine to read at my leisure as it turns over very quickly. This saves taking the radio out partly which requires a special tool, not sure where you get one of those or if there is an alternative tool.
In the process now I have that info of trying to get the 4 digit code.
Sorry for the OT Homer and Marg.
-- Edited by Duh on Thursday 4th of April 2013 06:24:20 PM
herbie said
07:44 PM Apr 4, 2013
Will be ordering one of those bad boys ..how handy would one of those gadets be and for the price who cares if it never gets used thanks for that info.
Regards Herbie
Sol said
08:21 PM Apr 4, 2013
Homer and Marg, Another idea that works a lot of the time is disconnecting a battery terminal for a few hours.
Cheers Sol
Duh said
09:48 PM Apr 4, 2013
Just curious Sol, which one, negative or positive, and will your radio code have to be reset ????
DeBe said
10:15 PM Apr 4, 2013
Doest matter which lead you disconect, but you may need a code for the radio & some dealers charge for the service. Mutch cheeper to use a $25 code reader/ eraser.
Duh said
01:58 AM Apr 5, 2013
I towed my Coromal around Oz with my Xtrail and had no problems, the only problem I did have was a one off as reported earlier and that was just the vehicle on it's own on a day trip in the suburbs near home.....
PS: I loved my Xtrail and only sold it when I bought a Hi Ace campervan, I still miss it!
-- Edited by Duh on Friday 5th of April 2013 02:01:14 AM
DeBe said
03:52 AM Apr 5, 2013
Hi Vic, my point was its easier to use the OBD scaner to erase codes in the engine computer, rather than disconect the battery & loose the radio code.
Sol said
04:19 AM Apr 5, 2013
I'll do it free of charge!
Cheers Sol
Duh said
04:43 AM Apr 5, 2013
DeBe wrote:
Hi Vic, my point was its easier to use the OBD scaner to erase codes in the engine computer, rather than disconect the battery & loose the radio code.
No worries DeBe, prevention is better than cure!
Duh said
04:44 AM Apr 5, 2013
Sol wrote:
I'll do it free of charge!
Cheers Sol
Pity your on the other side of the desert to me, lol !
Cruising Granny said
05:12 AM Apr 5, 2013
Unfortunately I have seen several Nissan Xtrails and similar vehicles return to caravan parks on the back of a tilt tray truck with caravan in tow because the little tug broke its gear box or diff or motor. It's a big ask of a little car. All the best with your little limp tug.
Duh said
05:42 AM Apr 5, 2013
Coromal 450 should be well within the limits of an Xtrail CG, I towed a Coromal 475 with mine and had no trouble. They make a good combination, small van with a medium size tug. Different models of Xtrail have different towing capacities, the Coromal 450 has a tare of 900 kgs, so is not a heavy van and even when loaded the Xtrail should tow it ok.
TOWING
Not all X-Trails are the same when it comes to towing ability. While most variants offer a maximum braked towing capacity of 2000kg, there are some exceptions. These include 2WD, petrol manual variants, which are restricted to a maximum 1500kg. Diesel, auto X-Trail can only tow 1350kg (or 2000kg with the manual transmission).
The other, slightly confusing issue to consider is towball mass, which varies according to how much youre carrying on board the 1556kg X-Trail. Fully loaded to the maximum GVM of 2100kg, the maximum weight on the towball is limited to 50kg. Keep the GVM to 1850kg or less and towball mass increases, up to 200kg.
Nissan doesnt recommend fitting load levelling or weight distribution devices when using a Nissan Genuine towbar, and (sensibly) recommends no greater than 100km/h when towing.
With this mind (and the Ti CVT offering 2000kg towing), we hitched up a 1500kg caravan with 90kg on the towball. With the van weighing about the same as the X-Trail, it seemed a good match with only a slight drop in the rear suspension.
On the move though, the van was always noticeable behind, and the X-Trail struggled a bit, particularly up inclines. Trying to maintain a 60km/h speed up a short, medium incline hill required pedal-to-the-metal throttle and revving almost to the 6500rpm redline.
This resulted in the fuel consumption when towing never falling below 18.5L/100km, compared to 10.5L/100km solo. With a 65 litre fuel tank, youll want to make sure you dont venture too far from a fuel pump.
Even when sitting on the freeway at 80-90km the engine was forced to rev at 2500-3000rpm to maintain speed, which also contributed to in-cabin noise.
Although weve only driven it on another occasion solo, the gutsier, more fuel efficient diesel X-Trail with manual transmission would seem a much better option if you plan to regularly tow something 1500kg or greater.
VERDICT
Its easy to understand the attraction of the X-Trail among compact SUV buyers. Reasonably roomy, comfortable and practical, its also well equipped for the money particularly in up-spec models.
With an unbeatable 2000kg towing capacity, at least in this segment, its also a decent tow vehicle, although wed go for a diesel, non-CVT version if hauling a reasonably-sized rig is a major priority.
>> Thanks to Melbourne & European RVs in Melbourne, for loan of the Adria Adora 662UP caravan for this towing test.
NISSAN X-TRAIL TI 4WD
Engine: 2.5-litre, four-cylinder petrol Max. power: 125kW at 6000rpm Max. torque: 226Nm at 4400rpm Transmission: CVT auto Length: 4635mm Width: 1790mm Height: 1700mm Wheelbase: 2630mm Ground clearance: 212mm Kerb mass: 1556kg Fuel: 65 litre Towing cap. unbraked/braked: 750kg/2000kg Tow ball mass maximum: 50-200kg (depending on payload) Fuel economy (claimed): 9.1L/100km Price: $44,990 (MRRP)
Homer and Marge said
06:29 AM Apr 5, 2013
Thanks Vic. Yes I had read your previous posting and thanks for that. We got home in one piece and while the car didn't go into limp mode, it was struggling for a while. Ringing RACQ for advice is on our to do list tomorrow. Also thanks for your report on the Coromal re towing with the Xtrail.
Has anyone out there towed with Nissan X Trail 2.5L petrol? Ours is 2 years old and in good nick. We are heading off in June with our new Coromal Transforma MT45 pop top. Homer is a bit worried that the Nissan may not have the power to tow the van. The tare of the van is 1170 and overall length is 6110mm. We travel light and will not be going off road. Heading off from the Atherton Tableland in June and heading across the top through WA. Looking forward to advice. Thanks Marge.
LIMP MODE
I have posted this topic in techies corner but am desperate for help please. We took our new Coromal Magnum 450 for a test run and our Nissan Xtrail 2010auto petrol AWD with 4900k on clock has had two serious limp mode situations within 400ks.The tehnician in Mackay assured us that because he was able to replicate the situation he was sure it was the electric brake switch which though fitted by Nissan was not a genuine part so today, some $800 worse off and with new switch (genuine) installed we picked up car, headed north on way home. Some 200 k up the road the same thing occurred, though thankfully not in a dangerous situation this time. Car looses all power, though engine revs. Limped into caravan park tonight. The thought of trying to get across the Cardwell range where there are massive road works underway, is making us sick to the stomach knowing full well that the problem is bound to arise again, even if we take it to the dealer in this town where we are staying tonight. We know we will hear the same old rhetoric "nothing shows up on the computer".Seems that nobody knows what causes the car to fail. Our hopes of doing the big lap appear to be fading as we see the situation of the car playing up all the way In some far flung places or on busy freeways
QUESTION- in the event of having to replace our almost new car, that we both are otherwise very pleased with, what blooming car do we consider!!!!!!!!! After spending hours on web, it appears that there is no make of car that does not have this problem of limp mode occurring and technicians not having a clue.
HELP.
Homer and Marge
Not sure if I did post there, Duh. But I have been viewing problems others have had On that site Thanks for getting back to me and for alerting me to that site.
regardsMarge
No worries Marg, when I had my Xtrail I visited there a lot for info and advice etc.
Hope you get to the bottom of the problem.....
Hi Marg,
I don't know if this is what you would call "limp mode" but once my 2006 Petrol auto Xtrail conked out at a roundabout and wouldn't start again, the engine light (shape of an engine) lit up on the instrument panel.
I was in the middle of heavy traffic at the time and was holding everyone up. I got outside and looked under the bonnet but couldn't see anything visibly wrong (eg; lead off etc) and when I got back in the vehicle started, but light still on. I "limped" off the round about into a nearby parking area and rang the RAC.
When the RAC bloke came up he said it was the electronics and not to drive it with the engine light showing, he arranged a flat bed truck (covered by my membership, also taxi ride home) for me to an RAC workshop (it was a weekend) where they do repairs under the RAC banner and it was locked away until Monday, no workshop staff being on duty. They replaced something in the electronics, at a cost of about $300 odd dollars and I never had the problem again.
I am sorry, I didn't relate this to your "limp mode" problem earlier, I had forgotten about it, it was some time ago. The problem never happened again. I know the current owner of the X'trail and they haven't had any problems with it either since.
Have you tried ringing the RAC (or NRMA) for advice on your problem ???????
-- Edited by Duh on Thursday 4th of April 2013 10:22:07 AM
-- Edited by DeBe on Thursday 4th of April 2013 10:57:27 AM
When your car goes into limp mode, does the "Check Engine Light" come on?
If it does and you can, take it to an EFI Workshop and get them to put it on a Scantool.
If you want to chat to me about it you can call me and I'll give you the names of a few places I use.
My number is 0439704544.
Cheers Sol
Good morning Sol,
We are leaving Bowen now and hoping we can get a wee bit down the road. We will try the pull over and turn off the ignition trick and see how far we get. Thanks for your offer to speak to us and Homer will call you when we get back to the Atherton Tableland. The llights do not come on on the dash, even when we are crawling along. Bit scarey to say the least wish us luck.
Marge
When I had that problem after a fuel pump job a reset fixed it. I was told the computer picks up a problem and puts everything into 'safe' (lmp) mode. Nissan must be able to check things out? I think if you turn the motor off and then when turned on again it 'clears' the limp if that works I would suspect definite computer problem.
Thanks DeBe, what are they "$25 code reader/ eraser" and how do you use them, also where do you get them from please?
I haven't got a radio code for my Ford Transit but want one for when I have to exchange the battery. My local Ford dealer wanted $190 to remove the radio to get the serial number for the code (and get me the code).
I have found from other enquiries that I can get the Serial Number and Audio Serial Number by depressing buttons 1 and 6 on my radio and reading the (very quick) displays. I took photos of mine to read at my leisure as it turns over very quickly. This saves taking the radio out partly which requires a special tool, not sure where you get one of those or if there is an alternative tool.
In the process now I have that info of trying to get the 4 digit code.
Sorry for the OT Homer and Marg.
-- Edited by Duh on Thursday 4th of April 2013 06:24:20 PM
Will be ordering one of those bad boys ..how handy would one of those gadets be and for the price who cares if it never gets used thanks for that info.
Regards Herbie
Another idea that works a lot of the time is disconnecting a battery terminal for a few hours.
Cheers Sol
Just curious Sol, which one, negative or positive, and will your radio code have to be reset ????
I towed my Coromal around Oz with my Xtrail and had no problems, the only problem I did have was a one off as reported earlier and that was just the vehicle on it's own on a day trip in the suburbs near home.....
PS: I loved my Xtrail and only sold it when I bought a Hi Ace campervan, I still miss it!
-- Edited by Duh on Friday 5th of April 2013 02:01:14 AM
Cheers Sol
No worries DeBe, prevention is better than cure!
Pity your on the other side of the desert to me, lol !
All the best with your little limp tug.
Coromal 450 should be well within the limits of an Xtrail CG, I towed a Coromal 475 with mine and had no trouble. They make a good combination, small van with a medium size tug. Different models of Xtrail have different towing capacities, the Coromal 450 has a tare of 900 kgs, so is not a heavy van and even when loaded the Xtrail should tow it ok.
TOWING
Not all X-Trails are the same when it comes to towing ability. While most variants offer a maximum braked towing capacity of 2000kg, there are some exceptions. These include 2WD, petrol manual variants, which are restricted to a maximum 1500kg. Diesel, auto X-Trail can only tow 1350kg (or 2000kg with the manual transmission).
The other, slightly confusing issue to consider is towball mass, which varies according to how much youre carrying on board the 1556kg X-Trail. Fully loaded to the maximum GVM of 2100kg, the maximum weight on the towball is limited to 50kg. Keep the GVM to 1850kg or less and towball mass increases, up to 200kg.
Nissan doesnt recommend fitting load levelling or weight distribution devices when using a Nissan Genuine towbar, and (sensibly) recommends no greater than 100km/h when towing.
With this mind (and the Ti CVT offering 2000kg towing), we hitched up a 1500kg caravan with 90kg on the towball. With the van weighing about the same as the X-Trail, it seemed a good match with only a slight drop in the rear suspension.
On the move though, the van was always noticeable behind, and the X-Trail struggled a bit, particularly up inclines. Trying to maintain a 60km/h speed up a short, medium incline hill required pedal-to-the-metal throttle and revving almost to the 6500rpm redline.
This resulted in the fuel consumption when towing never falling below 18.5L/100km, compared to 10.5L/100km solo. With a 65 litre fuel tank, youll want to make sure you dont venture too far from a fuel pump.
Even when sitting on the freeway at 80-90km the engine was forced to rev at 2500-3000rpm to maintain speed, which also contributed to in-cabin noise.
Although weve only driven it on another occasion solo, the gutsier, more fuel efficient diesel X-Trail with manual transmission would seem a much better option if you plan to regularly tow something 1500kg or greater.
VERDICT
Its easy to understand the attraction of the X-Trail among compact SUV buyers. Reasonably roomy, comfortable and practical, its also well equipped for the money particularly in up-spec models.
With an unbeatable 2000kg towing capacity, at least in this segment, its also a decent tow vehicle, although wed go for a diesel, non-CVT version if hauling a reasonably-sized rig is a major priority.
>> Thanks to Melbourne & European RVs in Melbourne, for loan of the Adria Adora 662UP caravan for this towing test.
NISSAN X-TRAIL TI 4WD
Engine: 2.5-litre, four-cylinder petrol
Max. power: 125kW at 6000rpm
Max. torque: 226Nm at 4400rpm
Transmission: CVT auto
Length: 4635mm
Width: 1790mm
Height: 1700mm
Wheelbase: 2630mm
Ground clearance: 212mm
Kerb mass: 1556kg
Fuel: 65 litre
Towing cap. unbraked/braked: 750kg/2000kg
Tow ball mass maximum: 50-200kg (depending on payload)
Fuel economy (claimed): 9.1L/100km
Price: $44,990 (MRRP)
Thanks Vic. Yes I had read your previous posting and thanks for that. We got home in one piece and while the car didn't go into limp mode, it was struggling for a while. Ringing RACQ for advice is on our to do list tomorrow. Also thanks for your report on the Coromal re towing with the Xtrail.
regards
Marge