# xtrail 2006 idling problem



## thebakerboyz (Aug 26, 2014)

good day, good people, have a 2006 xtrail gas, at park, and neutrel the engine revs up and down, when in drive, going at 25 and above and release the gas pedal can feel a jerk and harsh back down.

took it to mechanic, they put on computer, came up with code ECT Sensor, p0118, so we changed the engine coolant temperature sensor, and cleared it out the computer, and it's doing the same thing. any suggestions? thanks.... oh no other error messages came up


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## franticvike (Jul 7, 2014)

Sounds like what mine was doing, but I had a different error code. I'd look at the throttle body as the suspect. There's a procedure you can run that will reset the idle. Try that first (it's not easy to do without the "Consult 2" tool, but it can be done.) If that fixes it for a while and then it returns you probably need to either clean or replace your throttle body. Not terribly difficult or expensive.

Either that or you have a vacuum leak, but your mechanic should be able to spot that.


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## thebakerboyz (Aug 26, 2014)

franticvike said:


> Sounds like what mine was doing, but I had a different error code. I'd look at the throttle body as the suspect. There's a procedure you can run that will reset the idle. Try that first (it's not easy to do without the "Consult 2" tool, but it can be done.) If that fixes it for a while and then it returns you probably need to either clean or replace your throttle body. Not terribly difficult or expensive.
> 
> Either that or you have a vacuum leak, but your mechanic should be able to spot that.


good day thanks for your response. through troubleshooting heres our resolve to this...... we tried over and over to reset the idle via computer, but it wouldn't reset, realized that for some reason as soon as engine started, the idling happened which increased engine temp fast. we went to basics, cleaned carbaurator, and then used computer to reset idling. and that worked fine. hope this helps somebody.


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## FarmerChef (Aug 18, 2015)

Hey everyone, so recently I purchased a 2006 xtrail and it is doing the same thing. When I start it, the engine idle jumps up and down between 2 and 3 rpm, so then I put it into drive or reverse and the idle drops to a perfect 1. So then I drive for anywhere from 5 to 30 mins and stop and put it in park and the idle jumps up and down between 1 and 2 rpm. I've also noticed that it constantly shifts up and down while driving and the shifting is harder than it should be. 
So I took the throttle body off and cleaned it up hoping that the build up was the problem but it still jumps up and down in rpms. I would take it to a dealer but they instantly charge you 100 bucks just to hook it to a computer and then shop time on top of it. I was just wondering if there is anything else I could do myself, I got a small garage and tools, but I am pretty new to the XTrails. Any help and advice would be wicked!! 
Thanks


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## franticvike (Jul 7, 2014)

That sounds exactly like my throttle body before I replaced it (except maybe the shifting). The new unit was less expensive than I expected. Pretty sure I paid around $400 for the new throttle body and the work. No trouble since (15,000 kms or so)

You will have to make sure you reset the CPU after you remove/clean/replace the throttle body and the procedure is very finicky without the specialized tool. My mechanic said it took him over an hour and 8 or 9 attempts to get it to reset manually.

The shifting issue may be unrelated, or perhaps the throttle body issue has put strain on the transmission. Have you changed your transmission fluid yet?


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## FarmerChef (Aug 18, 2015)

Well I checked the transmission fluid and everything seems fine. when you switched out your throttle body, was it just an easy switch out? or does something need to be reset in the computer as well? My first plan was to just order a throttle body off eBay and switch it out


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## franticvike (Jul 7, 2014)

You have to reset the ECU after you do any work on the throttle body (as I understand it). The dealer or other mainstream Nissan mechanic should have a tool called "Consult 2" which performs the ECU reset. If you don't have the tool there's a "manual" way to reset it, I don't recall right now where in the service manual the instruction are located, but if you search around you'll find it. It involves a complex series of depressing and releasing the accelerator with very specific timings. I tried to do it myself but wasn't able to make it work. A mechanic friend, as I indicated above, got it to stick.


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Guys just pull the negative cable from your battery and wait 30 minutes. Otherwise you can pull the 3 fuses for the ecu. Procedure is on the Aussie X trail site. This will also clear codes if you haven't had them read. Basically you are rebooting to the original parameters. The manual method to get and clear codes, does work, but you need a watch and you have to be precise in the timing segments.
I used to have some vibration at stops. I noticed that changing the transmission fluid, made that a lot smoother. New plugs 50,000 kms ago, made a difference at the time. And, more recently the o2 sensor change has been beneficial as well. Hope you can get to the bottom of the problem Farmer Chef.


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## FarmerChef (Aug 18, 2015)

Alright so here is where I'm at with my xtrail: 
Last night while taking it into town for a 10 min drive, the car still had the jumping idle in park and neutral, so while driving home the ENGINE SERVICE SOON light came on.
So this morning I took your advice and disconnected the negative battery cable for 30 mins and while waiting, I disconnected the throttle body and cleaned it thoroughly again. so I put everything back together after 30 mins and started it up and low and behold the SERVICE light turned off! But sadly it still has the jumping idle. 

So here is my next thought:
Buy a brand new throttle body online($100) and swap it out to see if it changes anything. 
Or:
Bring it to a dealer to diagnostic it to relearn the idle($100+) and hopefully not need a new throttle body. 
Any thoughts on either? Anyone know how often a throttle body needs to be replaced?
Thanks everyone


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Sorry to hear of your X trail troubles FC. I haven't had any such throttle body problems, and not aware of it being something widespread. Disconnecting battery long enough will erase stored codes and resets ECU to its original settings. Wait for the code to come back and maybe you should bring it to Nissan just to diagnose the issue. Maybe its not the sensor that is bad, but that it is in fact detecting a deeper fault. Hope its nothing too major.


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## FarmerChef (Aug 18, 2015)

Alright so here is the final status on my xtrail with the idling problem:
Since the beginning it was the throttle body, when it was run with the computer($120), it pushed out 5 codes all dealing with the throttle and idle.
So I told the dealership to order me a throttle body($300) and I'll replace it myself to save myself the shop time($120/hour) 
Before leaving I asked the mechanic if I would be able to drive with the new throttle body back to the dealership to get the re learn, he said yes you can... But sadly he was wrong. I replaced the throttle body that night and first thing in the morning I drove to the dealership to get the re learn done. After having the xtrail on the computer for 40 mins the guy comes up to me and says" my computer only has the consult 3 not the consult 2 so you'll have to go to the other Nissan dealer across town".
So in my mind I am losing it but I calmly tell him that it's no problem but I will not be paying for your time because it didn't help me AT ALL!!
So I get to the other dealership and they put the xtrail on the computer and guess what!?! The new throttle body is totally F*CKED because clearly you are not suppose to drive with it BEFORE you get the re learn done.
So I politely tell this dealer my situation/ story about my problems and so he very kindly takes off the new( newly broken)throttle body and sends it back for a new one. He tells me that it will be all be covered under warranty and installs a new new throttle body and re learns it as well. 
So after only 2 hours shop time($240) the xtrail is finally running great!! 

In the end it costed me around 660 bucks when it could of easily costed me less, I now hate dealerships and I hope to find/purchase a diagnostic reader so I no longer have to pay an idiot 120 bucks to show me 5 codes.


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## FarmerChef (Aug 18, 2015)

Alright so here is the final status on my xtrail with the idling problem:
Since the beginning it was the throttle body, when it was run with the computer($120), it pushed out 5 codes all dealing with the throttle and idle.
So I told the dealership to order me a throttle body($300) and I'll replace it myself to save myself the shop time($120/hour) 
Before leaving I asked the mechanic if I would be able to drive with the new throttle body back to the dealership to get the re learn, he said yes you can... But sadly he was wrong. I replaced the throttle body that night and first thing in the morning I drove to the dealership to get the re learn done. After having the xtrail on the computer for 40 mins the guy comes up to me and says" my computer only has the consult 3 not the consult 2 so you'll have to go to the other Nissan dealer across town".
So in my mind I am losing it but I calmly tell him that it's no problem but I will not be paying for your time because it didn't help me AT ALL!!
So I get to the other dealership and they put the xtrail on the computer and guess what!?! The new throttle body is totally F*CKED because clearly you are not suppose to drive with it BEFORE you get the re learn done.
So I politely tell this dealer my situation/ story about my problems and so he very kindly takes off the new( newly broken)throttle body and sends it back for a new one. He tells me that it will be all be covered under warranty and installs a new new throttle body and re learns it as well. 
So after only 2 hours shop time($240) the xtrail is finally running great!! 

In the end it costed me around 660 bucks when it could of easily costed me less, I now hate dealerships and I hope to find/purchase a diagnostic reader so I no longer have to pay an idiot 120 bucks to show me 5 codes.


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## Mosa Ndhlovu (Nov 1, 2019)

Good day, my Nissan xtrail 2006 automatic has idling problems, when its on park and neutral the engine revs up and down, And when driving it just switch off after 20 - 30 minutes. My mechenic advised me to buy new throttle body and i did but never fixed the problem. We did put the car to diagnose machine and reset it successfully but still never worked. any advise will be appreciated


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## X-hale (Apr 17, 2017)

I had the surging/high idle issue on my '06. I bought a new Hitachi (OEM) throttle body for $180 on amazon.ca. I swapped it out in about 10 minutes.
I tried the manual relearn about a hundred times in various temperatures and conditions and failed. Today I brought it to 417 Nissan in Ottawa and they did it with the Nissan Consult in under 30 minutes including a car wash $80.00 all in.
Apparently it goes quicker and easier with a manual transmission car than an auto. Another dealer said it could take up to 3 hours. I politely hung up on them.


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Yeah, I was not alone. Dealer charged me $56, and had to garage it overnight to be able to do it first thing in the morning. Takes 10 minutes with the proper Nissan software.


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