front final drive assembly

dferraro · 06-12-2008, 12:57 PM

Hi All:

I am new to the forum and this is my first post. I am looking for info & advice regarding my stepson’s 2004 Titan with 68K miles. The Titan is not used off road. It is used to go back & forth to work. He tows a small food trailer about 12-20 times a year. The trailer weighs less then 3000lb. The Titan is currently at the dealer. Problem 1: the brakes. He had them fixed under the service bulletin in Oct 07. He has gone about 11K miles since then and says that he has the same problem, vibration, etc. The dealer says that the rotors are warped and cannot be resurfaced and that the pads are halfway down. The dealer claims says that this is normal wear & tear. Could this be possible? It doesn’t sound right to me. Problem 2: fluid leak. When I changed his oil I noticed that there was a fluid leak. The frame (after the shield that you have to remove to change the oil filter) and the oil pan as well as all of the bolts had drips of fluid on them. I’m describing this from memory so it might not be 100% accurate in terms of the location of the components. I had thought that it might have been a Power Steering leak as the reservoir container was caked on the top with dried fluid, dirt, grease, etc as well as being below the low mark. The dealer said that the leak is not from the Power Steering but from the Front Final Drive Assembly and that it is not covered by the Silver Warranty package that was bought with the Titan. But, it would have been covered under the Power Train warranty that expired 8K miles ago. The dealer says that it is not repairable and must be replaced for $1836. When I looked at the covered parts for the Silver package I found numerous references to drive shaft, drive seal, etc. but, I couldn’t find anything called the Front Final Drive Assembly in any of the packages, Gold , Silver, etc. Could the dealer be calling it something else that is actually covered by the Silver package? When I asked the dealer about how long he thought that it was leaking, he replied “a long time.” Now it was at the dealer 11K miles ago for the brakes which would have made the mileage 57K. At that time the dealer fixed a leak in the rear differential. Could a leak from the rear differential get fluid up near the oil pan? Seeing as to the dealer saying that the leak has been going on for a long time could there have been 2 leaks at 57K and they thought it was only the 1? Sorry for the long post but, I wanted to include as much info as possible. Thanks

**loufish** · 06-12-2008, 08:44 PM

Sounds like the front diff...You need to find out where from the front diff the oil is leaking from, if it's just a seal a trip to another dealer might find it's under your Silver plan...

Quote:

Problem 1: the brakes. He had them fixed under the service bulletin in Oct 07. He has gone about 11K miles since then and says that he has the same problem, vibration, etc. The dealer says that the rotors are warped and cannot be resurfaced and that the pads are halfway down. The dealer claims says that this is normal wear & tear. Could this be possible? It doesn’t sound right to me.

What was done in Oct 07? Were the rotors replaced and new pads installed?
11,000 miles doesn't sound right, I've got 49,000 miles on my front rotors & pads after being replaced under the front brake TSB

dferraro · 06-13-2008, 08:15 AM

Hi Loufish,

I don't know for sure (the paperwork is in the truck at the dealer), but, I think that the rotors were resurfaced. I don't know about the pads. Thanks

dferraro · 06-13-2008, 09:45 AM

To All: Just an update. I spoke to the dealer again, the rotors were resurfaced and the pads replaced in Oct 07, 11K miles ago. He says the final drive assembly is not the front diff. He said that it is a sealed unit that cannot be fixed or have fluid added to it. He also said that if it isn't fixed then bearings will seize and more damage will be done. Thanks

BK19702 · 06-13-2008, 10:01 AM

Is it a 4WD or 2WD? "Front Final Drive" to me means front diff, which is exactly the nomenclature used in the factory service manual. Rear final drive = rear diff and front final drive = front diff.

54warrior · 06-13-2008, 01:43 PM

I'd like to know how the front diff could fling oil all the way up to the top of the Power Steering fluid housing. Sounds more to me like the transmission cooler lines are leaking. Think about it, if it's been leaking so badly, for so long, you'd be having major problems with the front diff. by now.

Symptoms of leaking Trans Cooler lines:
Leakage

dferraro · 06-13-2008, 02:17 PM

To BK19702: This is a 4WD Titan. The dealer says that it is not the front diff., which is covered by the Silver plan. Can you give me any specific info on the manual that you are referring to? Name of manual, page #, etc. I have a ticket open with Nissan National and it would help to have that documentation that says that they are the same thing. Thanks for the reply.

To 54warrior: The only noticeable problems when driving have been the vibration on the brake pedal & steering wheel when braking. There was some issue when turning left, which I assume was due to the low PS fluid. I will take a look at the link that you posted. Thanks for the reply.

**loufish** · 06-13-2008, 11:02 PM

Quote:

He says the final drive assembly is not the front diff. He said that it is a sealed unit that cannot be fixed or have fluid added to it. He also said that if it isn't fixed then bearings will seize and more damage will be done. Thanks

Something is missing here...Ask the dealer what this magical "final drive" does because none of this sounds right...

54warrior · 06-14-2008, 05:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by loufish

Something is missing here...Ask the dealer what this magical "final drive" does because none of this sounds right...

I agree!

dferraro · 06-16-2008, 04:49 PM

To Loufish & 54Warrior, I will ask the dealer for a more detailed explanation. I had also contacted Nissan National and the case was sent to a Regional Manager. I am supposed to be contacted no later then Tuesday 6/17/08 with the results of his investigation. I will post as I get more info. Thanks

bestatchess · 06-17-2008, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dferraro

He says the final drive assembly is not the front diff.

Your dealer is a liar.

mcm4090 · 06-17-2008, 04:41 PM

http://www.courtesyparts.com/betasit...1308_1597.html

**loufish** · 06-17-2008, 09:38 PM

Dealer was right on the money...No seals to replace and not able to change or add oil...

dferraro · 06-19-2008, 06:33 AM

Hi MCM4090, Thanks for the drawing. I will have to go over the parts to see if any of them are listed under the Silver package. I don't have much hope in this respect.

To All: My wife called the Nissan rep on Tuesday. She said that from the conversation, it sounded like he didn't even investigate anything. The bottom line from him is that he is not going to cover anything. He mentioned some things that he said that the dealer told him, i.e., that the dealer replaced the rotors 11K miles ago when the dealer told me that the rotors were resurfaced and that they were abused by braking too hard. I have left 3 messages for him but have not heard back from him. If I don't hear from him by noon today (6/19/08) I will call and ask to escalate the call to his boss or higher. Can anybody suggest any other course of action? Thanks

54warrior · 06-19-2008, 07:28 AM

I'd like to know how they know whether or not you were 'braking too hard'... What constitutes 'braking too hard'???? I'd like to know how they define that!