Problem in the rear end.....

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matty

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Ive got a problem with the diff/drive shaft i think. when taking off whilst turning i get a clunking almost grinding sound coming from the rear end. and sometimes the handbrake light come on also when it is doing it, not sure if this is related to the problem but might help. only things i can think of is that maybe the driveline is twisting/bad backlash in the diff or something to do with the lsd. it does no make any noise when taking off straight and on the flat but when taking off on a decent hill it does it but more so when taking off whilst turning. honestly i really dont know what it could be so im open to all suggestions. thanks guys
 
Ive got a problem with the diff/drive shaft i think. when taking off whilst turning i get a clunking almost grinding sound coming from the rear end. and sometimes the handbrake light come on also when it is doing it, not sure if this is related to the problem but might help. only things i can think of is that maybe the driveline is twisting/bad backlash in the diff or something to do with the lsd. it does no make any noise when taking off straight and on the flat but when taking off on a decent hill it does it but more so when taking off whilst turning. honestly i really dont know what it could be so im open to all suggestions. thanks guys

Going on ONLY your description, and for starters

either your handbrake is not fully released, or

your diff centre / lsd clutch/cone components are knackered
 
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what about when your already moving and turning, ie not turning from taking off?

As above, sounds like LSD might be stuffed
 
Going on ONLY your description, and for starters

either your handbrake is not fully released, or

your diff centre / lsd clutch/cone components are knackered

pretty sure the handbrake is fully released, cos the drums are not getting hot after driving. well not excessively hot anyway.is there some way to test the lsd. i have always thought the lsd in the nav was pretty weak, i drive a triton work ute and the lsd in that is a whole lot better than the one in the nav. when im getting up it (the triton) and try and get it sideways it will always kick out but in the nav i rarely can get it to kick out as i just get the inside wheel spinning
 
what about when your already moving and turning, ie not turning from taking off?

As above, sounds like LSD might be stuffed

cant say i have ever noticed it whilst turning at speed, basically just when im taking off and the harder i turn, ie full lock the louder the sound is
 
I had the same graunching / grinding sound in my diff after a broken diff breather nipple allowed water in. Same symptoms as you describe except for the handbrake light.
Go to a large area and do some figure 8's slowly and see if it is predominantly to left, right or both. Does the handbrake light come on when you do this?
 
pretty sure the handbrake is fully released, cos the drums are not getting hot after driving. well not excessively hot anyway.is there some way to test the lsd. i have always thought the lsd in the nav was pretty weak, i drive a triton work ute and the lsd in that is a whole lot better than the one in the nav. when im getting up it (the triton) and try and get it sideways it will always kick out but in the nav i rarely can get it to kick out as i just get the inside wheel spinning


Not sure about the nav centre (would have to look into it) but for example i could tighten up my ford 9inch rear end by shimming up the clutch pack for more 2 wheel traction at the rear but the trade off was chatter when doing turns
and also if the correct oil is not used it would chatter also..



"Correct oil, level and free from contamination is critcal for LSD centres".



when you drive in a straight line then turn left or right on bitumin or taking off from stationary at a T intersection does it 'carry on'

is it ok when moving straight?

In short, if its making these sounds in the situations you mention its not a good sign and further investigation will tell u what the damage bill will be.
 
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I think I have the same problem with mine. Mine is only 4 weeks old with 2000km on the clock. To add to what you've described, mine seems to lock up as well as make the crunching sound, for example the other day in the wet I was turning slowly and it felt very much like the diff locked up momentarily because it pushed the front wheels (understeer). I haven't experienced any problem with the LSD being loose, in fact mine seems very very tight. I have actually found it to be a little dangerously tail happy in the wet
 
I think I have the same problem with mine. Mine is only 4 weeks old with 2000km on the clock. To add to what you've described, mine seems to lock up as well as make the crunching sound, for example the other day in the wet I was turning slowly and it felt very much like the diff locked up momentarily because it pushed the front wheels (understeer). I haven't experienced any problem with the LSD being loose, in fact mine seems very very tight. I have actually found it to be a little dangerously tail happy in the wet

Yours on the other hand probably needs some breaking in.

With the correct oil level in the diff, on dry bitumen and in 2WD,
do 6 or so tight rh circles and then 6 or so lh tight circles and see how you go.

...Provided there has'nt been any abuse or cause for the diff to be anything other than pretty much brand new.
 
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hi guys i changed the oil in the rear diff this afternoon and seems to have fixed the problems. i took it down to the local school car park and done plenty of full lock turns, both ways. also done a heap of figure 8's and didnt get a peep out of it, so im happy about that it was fixed so easy. a few things i did notice thou was that the sump and oil fill bolts were so tight, i literally had to hang of the breaker bar to get them to budge. should they be this tight or has someone over tightened them previously to me. other thing was that on the sump bolts magnet it had a few fillings on it but it also had a kind of sludge stuff around it, i wiped it clean but i was wondering has anyone else experienced this sludge kinda stuff when changing their diff oil
 
I would expect the sludge and filings to be caused by the crunching and grinding. I expect that mine will probably reveal the same thing. I am taking it to the dealer Thursday to have them look over it. There seems to be a bit of oil around the diff sump plug, so perhaps there is a leak there and the oil level is low, either way I'm not very happy about it because it was at that same dealer not 2 weeks ago having the 1000km check done and I told them to check the diff because it was noisy, they just took it for a test drive (I rang them this afternoon to ask what they did - didn't even check the diff oil) and told me that "that was considered normal operation noise for this model." I'm not even a mechanic but if someone came to me and said their diff was noisy, the first thing I would check would be the oil. Seriously they must think people are fucking stupid. I've had a Nissan Silvia with a badly damaged and abused 2 way diff that made less noise than this thing. My girlfriend even asked me what that awful noise was, and she is normally completely oblivious to anything automotive.

We'll see how it pans out. If there is even the slightest hint of damage to the diff gears or clutch packs then I will be making them put in a new one. I paid for a new car, not a shitty half broken one.
 
hi guys i changed the oil in the rear diff this afternoon and seems to have fixed the problems. i took it down to the local school car park and done plenty of full lock turns, both ways. also done a heap of figure 8's and didnt get a peep out of it, so im happy about that it was fixed so easy. a few things i did notice thou was that the sump and oil fill bolts were so tight, i literally had to hang of the breaker bar to get them to budge. should they be this tight or has someone over tightened them previously to me. other thing was that on the sump bolts magnet it had a few fillings on it but it also had a kind of sludge stuff around it, i wiped it clean but i was wondering has anyone else experienced this sludge kinda stuff when changing their diff oil



There ya go mate....all better now.

Another happy customer.




Dont worry too much bout the small amount of sludge around the magnet,
pretty normal.
Tho if you find metal chunks or water thats a problem.
 
I would expect the sludge and filings to be caused by the crunching and grinding. I expect that mine will probably reveal the same thing. I am taking it to the dealer Thursday to have them look over it. There seems to be a bit of oil around the diff sump plug, so perhaps there is a leak there and the oil level is low, either way I'm not very happy about it because it was at that same dealer not 2 weeks ago having the 1000km check done and I told them to check the diff because it was noisy, they just took it for a test drive (I rang them this afternoon to ask what they did - didn't even check the diff oil) and told me that "that was considered normal operation noise for this model." I'm not even a mechanic but if someone came to me and said their diff was noisy, the first thing I would check would be the oil. Seriously they must think people are fucking stupid. I've had a Nissan Silvia with a badly damaged and abused 2 way diff that made less noise than this thing. My girlfriend even asked me what that awful noise was, and she is normally completely oblivious to anything automotive.

We'll see how it pans out. If there is even the slightest hint of damage to the diff gears or clutch packs then I will be making them put in a new one. I paid for a new car, not a shitty half broken one.



Let us know how you get on with the service manager.
 
one thing i did forget to mention is that the handbrake light still comes on and stays on for some time then goes out every now and then. any suggestions in what i should be looking for to resolve this problem
 
one thing i did forget to mention is that the handbrake light still comes on and stays on for some time then goes out every now and then. any suggestions in what i should be looking for to resolve this problem

Probably the switch at the handbrake lever...faulty/has crap in it or maybe part of the cable is worn and grounding or maybe a fault in the instrument cluster....take your pick and start at one, easiest to hardest usually.
 
Hey guys i had the same problem with mine. Took it to nissan and they changed the oil. They reckon that they only put a standard diff oil in from factory and not an lsd oil after they replaced it for me under warranty it was all good.

So i would try that first but krankin is right drop the oil if there is shards of metal on your magnetic sump plug something is wrong, or water in the oil like aido, but if theres nothing i would say just new lsd oil and test it again

Cheers
 

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