Front Left Noise upon turning left ? ? ?

[thedeer2]

I have a '04 4x4. Over the past week I have noticed a noise coming from my left front wheel area while making left turns at speed. I don't know how to exactly explain the noise. Are there any grease fittings?
I also have noticed an unusual (burning) smell after using 4x4 to get up my steep driveway coming from the same wheel, but the smell disappears before I can track it down.
Four Wheel Drive continues to function fine.

Any ideas?

[MuskyHunter]

Left front as in the driver side front wheel? That would be the exact problem with my truck. The sound was more of a groan. I had the dealer check out the axle end play and was out of spec. With the axle movement, the rotor would move outward and rub against the brake pad and make the noise during turns. The fix is a new front differential, which is being replaced for me next Thursday.

[thedeer2]

Did you have the smell as well? The noise is loudest when the truck/brakes are cold and becomes quieter. I've made an appointment to have it looked at monday.

[thedeer2]

Dealer (Saratoga Nissan, Saratoga Springs, NY) Had my truck today to check the problem. After them telling me they couldn't hear any noise, I told them it appeared related to the four wheel drive. They Said they would try again to produce the noise and find the problem. After several hours and no word I called them. The service rep. told me he had some good news and some bad news. First the good news, they had been able to reproduce the noise and located the problem. There is a Bearing for a pinion gear in the front drive train. The race of the bearing had cracked. causing the noise I was hearing. The Nissan solution for this broken race is to not replace just the bearing, but the whole differential. (still good news because the $1400 part is covered under my extended warranty).
Now the bad news, the part is back ordered, my truck is in pieces in the shop, and the transfer case won't be in until the end of the week at the earliest. So I will not see my truck for the whole week, maybe longer (today being Monday).

The service rep. said this is the first failure of this kind he has seen, and if I hadn't of related the noise to the use of my 4 wheel drive they would never have found it. They originally only noted a leak in an axle seal.

[Herbpov]

Originally Posted by thedeer2

Dealer (Saratoga Nissan, Saratoga Springs, NY) Had my truck today to check the problem. After them telling me they couldn't hear any noise, I told them it appeared related to the four wheel drive. They Said they would try again to produce the noise and find the problem. After several hours and no word I called them. The service rep. told me he had some good news and some bad news. First the good news, they had been able to reproduce the noise and located the problem. There is a Bearing for a pinion gear in the front drive train. The race of the bearing had cracked. causing the noise I was hearing. The Nissan solution for this broken race is to not replace just the bearing, but the whole differential. (still good news because the $1400 part is covered under my extended warranty).
Now the bad news, the part is back ordered, my truck is in pieces in the shop, and the transfer case won't be in until the end of the week at the earliest. So I will not see my truck for the whole week, maybe longer (today being Monday).

The service rep. said this is the first failure of this kind he has seen, and if I hadn't of related the noise to the use of my 4 wheel drive they would never have found it. They originally only noted a leak in an axle seal.

FIRST FAILURE OF THIS KIND HE HAS SEEN. Yeah right.