Today on this 2008 Nissan Altima we are going to install part number 24796 from Draw-Tite. The first thing we need to do on this install is get inside the trunk area and remove the carpeting and get down to the spare tire area and the sheet metal around it. We are going to show you where the frame stiffeners typically mount up on this hitch. The hitch is actually going to be going from the bottom and be up against the inside of the trunk pan edge here and the stiffener plate is going to go on top. 00:23
Your actual frame is right here and here is your trunk pan. It is going to go in between where the hitch is however, the hitch is going to line up against the bulk end. The flat steel is going this way. This bolt might be pretty close to this plastic so we are going to remove this plastic also. Start by taking out the rivets. It pops right out. Use a screwdriver to get the rivets started or take a trim panel tool. Pull out the middle. Work your way across. 00:54
The next thing we are going to do is disconnect our ground strap because we are going to lower the exhaust and we are going to do that by unbolting the ground up here at the top screw. You could do this one right here but it is pretty rusted. Chances are it will break pretty easily. We are going to try to go up on top and undo that bolt. The muffler gets removed by the flange right here so we are going to spray them down pretty good. We have done it once already with some penetrating oil to help break it apart. We will let it sit for a minute then we will try to break the nuts loose. We are done with the driver side, now repeat the same process back on the passenger side. We have got the exhaust out of the way so now we are going to push our heat shield back in just like that with our hands and then we have access to the part where the hitch is going to install at. We are going to do that on both sides. 01:49
Next we are going to show you where the hitch mounts up on the vehicle. Just push it into position and put it up against the trunk pan and pull it towards the back of the bumper. This is where you want to have an extra set of hands. Then we are going to use spray paint to spray paint the holes that will give us a pattern to where to drill out at. We have got our holes marked we will drill them out. We will start off with 1/ 4 inch bit. You can see our pilot holes here and here. Now I am going to enlarge them to the next size over to 7/ 16. You probably want to do a quick test fit to make sure everything lines up. You may have to enlarge the holes a little bit to get it to fall through. Once you are satisfied with that lets put a ring of silicone or some kind of sealant around it to help seal it up. One other thing you want to do is maybe put a weight on top of it or when you install the hitch in the bottom have someone push down on here so you do not push the bolts back up. We will do the same thing back on the other side of the vehicle. Right now we just got done with the driver side. 02:43
Now we will install our hitch. Again we will need an extra set of hands to push it up there and make sure you do not push the bolts back through. Lets thread our hardware in. We will be using the lock washer and nut. We have one bolt holding everything together and then once we get all of the bolts through we will loosen it up and adjust the hitch left and right as needed. With all of our hardware installed on the hitch and we move the hitch around, we will not have much room, maybe 1/ 8 inch at the most. Center it the way we want and then we will snug them down and then torque them down as specified in the instructions. Next we will push our heat shields back into place. Then reinstall the mufflers. Next reinstall the ground strap. With the exhaust reattached our installation is complete. A couple of measurements on the hitch. From the top of the receiver tube down to the ground we are looking at 9-3/ 4 inches and then from the center of the hitch pin to the edge of the bumper we are looking at about 6-1/ 2 inches. There you have it for part number 24796 from Draw-Tite.
Do you have a question about this product?
With thousands of product installations and troubleshoots, we don't just sell this stuff, we know how to install and use it.
Please include the year, make, and model of your vehicle, being as specific as possible, if you have a question about a custom fit product.
Subject:
Name:
Contact email:
How can our experts help?
