Drive train clunk

[Dude]

If the problem is, in fact, sliding utilitrack covers, then I'd say put a very small amount of hot melt glue on the outside of the two bottom utilitracks, towards the front. Not very much glue - you just want a bit of extra girth to the track.

After the glue dries and becomes a bit rubbery, slide the track covers all the way forward and they'll stay in place.

I just cut off about 1/2 inch of the covers just enough to allow me to put on those "stops"(don't know the proper term) on the 2 bottom tracks. Now the covers don't slide anymore. My noise is most definitely gone. Before, mine slid freely and would clunk everytime I accelerated and braked. I was given 4 "stops" with my truck, one for each track.

[Bayou Titan]

Originally Posted by Dude

Well the noise happened again without the cleats in the side box, but I think I now know the source of my clunk. It was the covers on the bottom utilitrack sliding back and forth. Accelerating does not cause the noise, but hitting the brakes even mildly will make the covers slide up and hit the bed wall. My covers slide freely. I think I may have read another post about this same problem, but I don't remember.

Thanks for the tip! I removed the track covers from the bed and the clunk sound dissapeared. This sound was driving me crazy. It sounded exactly like a drive train problem. I wonder if Nissan has notified their dealerships? It would sure help those guys out who are trying to chase down the problem.

[wolfox2004]

I got it fixed!!! the noise was driving me nuts! anyway the noise was coming from the slip yoke on the drive shaft.

Step 1 Go to GM dealership and get Special Lube Part # 12345718

Step 2 Index and remove drive shaft (index so you don't get any vibrations)

Step 3 Lube the spines of the yoke where it goes into trans or transfer case
use a generous amount on the splines don't put any on the outside of
the yoke.

Step 4 Clean the seal surface of the yoke so you don't ruin the seal

Step 5 Re-install the drive shaft and torque the bolts to serv man spec. (don't
forget to put it in the same way it came out.

the whole job took about 15 minutes and was very easy to do and the noise is completely gone. If you have any ?'s you can e-mail me at intruder8000@juno.com

[JSTARSPILOT]

My truck has 1000 miles and it is a 4x2 LE Big Tow. It seems to snap forward from a dead stop, not smooth at all. No codes have been thrown yet, but stopping and shifting on the fly seems fine so far. Is this the symptom everyone is talking about? I only notice it when I let off the brakes at a red light and start forward. I have to be real easy on the gas or it launches hard.

[RED BRAWN SE CC]

That's it. I still have that problem. I originally thought it might have been due to the bad tranny I had replaced. Have had to the dealer and they still can not fix it. I'm thinking of taking it to another dealer. They tried lubing the slip yolk, tightning all the drive line bolts, tightning the leaf springs and checked the diff for low fluid. I'll keep trying to get it fixed and report back. Ughhhhhh!

[althepa]

Originally Posted by JSTARSPILOT

My truck has 1000 miles and it is a 4x2 LE Big Tow. It seems to snap forward from a dead stop, not smooth at all. No codes have been thrown yet, but stopping and shifting on the fly seems fine so far. Is this the symptom everyone is talking about? I only notice it when I let off the brakes at a red light and start forward. I have to be real easy on the gas or it launches hard.

Same problem I have had - do a search under "driveline slop" for several old threads on this. When starting from a dead stop, the drivetrain has to audibly and palpably catch itself with a mild clunk just before it gets moving. Opposite occurs on stopping. The consensus here is that it is the slip yoke. When I get some time I plan on lubing it to see if it helps, before taking it to the stealership.

[wolfox2004]

torq spec for the driveline is 61 ft lbs. hope this helps everyone. I also called Nissan tech line and udated them with this problem with the slip yoke. if they see enough problems with it they will issue a service bull. so if you have this exact problem with the slip yoke lube call nissan and report it even if you fix it yourself. thanks

[Masa]

Originally Posted by JetTech

I've posted about this same issue before and just today a Nissan Tech and myself figured out what's going on. Basically there is too much axle wind up on take off and when stopping. If you look at the rear spring shackle clamp, you'll see a rubber bushing mounted on the top of this clamp and about 1/2" of room before the spring even touches it. The whole axle assembly twists up far enough at take-off to make the drive shaft assy. flip upwards and hit the limits of the center bearing. When your slowing down and just before the wheels stop spinning you'll get a clunk as well, the opposite is happening.

The Nissan Tech is going to get the engineers in California to look into this and see what a good fix would be. Personally I think traction bars would look cool......yes they would stop the axle wind-up but on a truck????? I'm not sure what the overall fix will be but I will be sure to let everyone know.

Dale

Dear JetTech,

I've had the same problem with my Titan from day 1. The dealer kept telling me the thump was normal for a full-size truck like Titan. I mentioned about this discussion group and insisted that they lubricate the slip yoke in order to possibly eliminate it. After they lubricated the slip yoke, the thump is still there. I also drove without the bottom utili-track covers just to confirm they were not the problem. The only thing left for me to pursue seems to be the axle wind-up? Will you kindly post what you have found out since your last post? Many thanks in advance.

[BossHogg]

I was in denial until I read this. My truck has this symptom. It feels like a slight click, or thump in the shifter from a dead start, or coming to a dead stop. I will check into the slip yoke thing.

[Dude]

I posted this in another discussion. From the owners manual page 5-29.

"The computer has a built in diagnostic feature
that tests the system each time you start the
engine and move the vehicle forward or reverse
at a slow speed. When the self-test occurs, you
may hear a clunk noise and/or feel a pulsation in
the brake pedal. This is normal and is not an
indication of a malfunction."

Perhaps this is the noise you are hearing.

[Masa]

Originally Posted by Dude

I posted this in another discussion. From the owners manual page 5-29.

"The computer has a built in diagnostic feature
that tests the system each time you start the
engine and move the vehicle forward or reverse
at a slow speed. When the self-test occurs, you
may hear a clunk noise and/or feel a pulsation in
the brake pedal. This is normal and is not an
indication of a malfunction."

Perhaps this is the noise you are hearing.

Well, the thump occurs anytime the condition is right (slow take-offs and stops). Not just after starting the eingine...

[FLfinfan]

Mine does the clunk sometimes when I shift from park to reverse or reverse to drive.

[bestatchess]

JetForeman (a/k/a JetTech & JetWrench) posted that this problem was due to wind up and that he had proposed a fix to Nissan. I think they must have swore him to secrecy or something, because he hasn't posted further details.

[JetTech]

Originally Posted by bestatchess

JetForeman (a/k/a JetTech & JetWrench) posted that this problem was due to wind up and that he had proposed a fix to Nissan. I think they must have swore him to secrecy or something, because he hasn't posted further details.

JetWrench??? Where did that one come from?? Ok, so I may be the victim of an identity crisis from time to time

Anyhow no secrecy, just deaf ears. I can't picture Nissan addressing this issue anytime in the near future due to red tape and R&D. So I took matters into my own hands and fixed it myself. I'll go out and take some pics and try to explain it the best I can.

Signed,

JetTech

I just realized my camera bag with the USB cable is in my wifes truck so I'll have to post them tomorrow evening, she's at work right now.

On another topic, I'm not recommending this...........BUT, if any of you want to stop your rotors from warping retorque your wheels to 85 ft.lbs. The 98 that Nissan calls out for is causing too much pull on a hot rotor. By the way this is NOT approved by Nissan, all I'm saying is it works and it's another fix that has fallen on deaf ears. I've been running the 85 ft. lbs. of torque on my truck for 3 months now and no matter how hot I get them they stay true as the day I bought it.......Like I said before, I'm NOT recommending this but hey, it works!!

[Masa]

Thanks JetTech. I'll be waiting for your post!

Best regards,

Masa