[loufish]

That's right boys and girls...Took my truck to the dealer this morning for the rt axle seal leaking...Got the phone call around 1:00 that they found metal in the gear oil and they would have to replace the entire rear end...
The service writer thinks they can have it done by end of day tomorrow. They did offer a rent-a-car...Thank you Glendale Nissan...

I'll be filling out the NHTSA paperwork to report another rear end faiure. I only have 48K on the truck and the lube was replaced w/synthetic at about 3000 miles.
I tow now and then, but it's usually under 4000 lbs.

 

[nyc07_king.titan]

what year is your truck...hoping my 07 is not gonna have that same problem..only got 7000 on it now...hope and pray:fight:

 

[loufish]

Mines a 04' 2wd B/Tow KC...

 

[Walrus]

Whew.
From the thread title I imagined a catastrophic accident or worse.

 

[[email protected]]

I'm having a Detroit True Trac installed Monday. Parts, labor, etc..for about one grand. This is a much stronger rear end carrier that alot of guys are using. It's also a true lmited slip diff., so traction in both wet and dry conditions should be much improved. By the way, my differential blew at 7,000 miles during a hard burnout. Definiely a weak link in the Titan drivetrain!

 

[INTRCPTR187]

Can I be in the club,
I haven't had a leak yet but 2 mos ago I hit a pothole at about 25mph in my '04 kc xe and my driveline popped out and went back in (says the dealer) and shredded gears. +new rearend -dealer took 5 days to get it done.

 

[NorCal 4x4]

Yeah, I thought the worst too when I saw the title ... like jail time or something like that. j/k But it's good to hear you're getting a new diff/axle.

I agree with [email protected] in post #5. If I ever get a new axle, or at the end of my Nissan extended warranty, (99,950 miles or so), I'll be sacrificing my E-LOCK and buying a Tru-Trac. E-LOCK is awesome for crawling up steep arsed hills, perfect for hunters, but that's about it. With the Detroit, it is there 24/7, at all speeds.

Btw, my Father-in-law got an 04' 1/2 ton 4x4 Hemi, with some type of real limited slip differential, (about the same time I bought my Titan). We spent half a day hill climbing out at Prairie City state off highway vehicle park, and he would go up any hill I climbed, and many of them in 2wd!

The E-LOCK is nice to have but with the price of a new axle at $3500, (I think some have said), I figure spend $1000 on a Tru-Trac, almost guarantee no spider gear failures, and have a superior rig 99.9% of the time.

 

[loufish]

I agree with [email protected] in post #5. If I ever get a new axle, or at the end of my Nissan extended warranty, (99,950 miles or so), I'll be sacrificing my E-LOCK and buying a Tru-Trac. E-LOCK is awesome for crawling up steep arsed hills, perfect for hunters, but that's about it. With the Detroit, it is there 24/7, at all speeds.

I agree, if you're 2wd and go off road a locker type rear is needed, but I was afraid somthing like this would happen(I install a TruTrac and then the dealer wants to replace my rear end) so I'll what to the 5yr/60k warranty is up then do the trutrac install...only about 12,000 miles away...

 

[SirKeats]

this has me concerned a bit. thanks for the post.

i have an 2wd 04 and am going to be replacing the rear diff cover myself (putting on the oem '05 finned cover). if i find metal or something floating around in there... am i going to have problems at the dealer? meaning, i'd hate to get bent over by the dealer to do the swap (which is why i want to do it myself) but if i find a problem and then try to get it fixed under warranty, do i then risk having them try to say that it was something i did and therefore they'll no longer fix under warranty?

 

[TitanLou]

this has me concerned a bit. thanks for the post.

i have an 2wd 04 and am going to be replacing the rear diff cover myself (putting on the oem '05 finned cover). if i find metal or something floating around in there... am i going to have problems at the dealer? meaning, i'd hate to get bent over by the dealer to do the swap (which is why i want to do it myself) but if i find a problem and then try to get it fixed under warranty, do i then risk having them try to say that it was something i did and therefore they'll no longer fix under warranty?

Depends on how cool the deler wants to be. Some dealers want to help their customers out, other don't give a rats azz. I would go a head and change to the finned cover.

 

[loufish]

this has me concerned a bit. thanks for the post.

i have an 2wd 04 and am going to be replacing the rear diff cover myself (putting on the oem '05 finned cover). if i find metal or something floating around in there... am i going to have problems at the dealer? meaning, i'd hate to get bent over by the dealer to do the swap (which is why i want to do it myself) but if i find a problem and then try to get it fixed under warranty, do i then risk having them try to say that it was something i did and therefore they'll no longer fix under warranty?

Install the cover but check for metal, if you find enough, bring it to the dealer and let them know that during a rear fluid change you discovered metal.
After they check it out, and if they find it enough let them replace the rear end...But my concerns were valid, I would have lost a TruTrac if I installed it...
Of course had I installed it, there might not BE any metal.

 

[SirKeats]

Install the cover but check for metal, if you find enough, bring it to the dealer and let them know that during a rear fluid change you discovered metal. After they check it out, and if they find it enough let them replace the rear end.

great tip!

i'm gonna have my mechanic do it for me... i've never been very confident in my mechanical skills when it comes to seals and i don't want to have to deal with a leaking diff cover just so i can save a couple bucks doing the swap myself. however, i'm going to let my mechanic know to check really closely for metal and such and if he finds any to NOT put the new cover on but to just refill the diff so i can take it into the dealer for a replacement.

thanks again!

 

[Bama334]

E-LOCK is awesome for crawling up steep arsed hills, perfect for hunters, but that's about it. With the Detroit, it is there 24/7, at all speeds.

I agree the TT is there 24/7 and myself as a hunter needs that much more than a e-locker, a pain in the rear to have to stop to engage 4 low to engage the rear locker and then shift back to high range traveling miles off of the main road. Lockers are great for rock crawlers and competion off-road. Right now I'm having to focus on a lift, then the much needed TT.

 

[Kronos1965]

I'm having a Detroit True Trac installed Monday. Parts, labor, etc..for about one grand. This is a much stronger rear end carrier that alot of guys are using. It's also a true lmited slip diff., so traction in both wet and dry conditions should be much improved. By the way, my differential blew at 7,000 miles during a hard burnout. Definiely a weak link in the Titan drivetrain!

I had mine done and couldn't be happier with it!:hi:

 

[mng777777]

Well, I just joined the club. I am at about 28k on my 06 and seemingly over night my rear end gave up on me. It is at the dealer to have the swap done and I should have it back early next week with a fresh rear end. I decided to buy my truck without the TruTrac after reading numerous complaints on here about not being able to ever really turn it off, but I am starting to wonder if that was a mistake as I am now thinking that rear end swaps may become part of my reglular scheduled maintenence. If anyone wants to get in on it, I am going to open Justin's rear end swap shop. You know, swaps while you wait. Guaranteed one hour or less or your next one is free. that sort of thing. On a more serious note, I asked the dealer if they were just going to replace one piece of junk with another and they said that the new rear end will have two mods done to it that will prevent it from malfunctioning again. He also confirmed that they do reprogram the ECM but promised me that it will provide quicker throttle response and more power immediately when towing, and not the opossite as I have heard from other users. I told him that I will accept nothing less but that I would wait to see how it turned out. If he in fact is wrong then I think it may be time for us to band together for a class action suit... Are the TruTrac's really as bullet proof as they are made out to be? Does anyone out there know what the above referened mods are and whether I am going to want to keep my truck when I get it back or not? On a side note he said for a big hp gain and even quicker throttle response, the two best mods one can do are a cold air intake, and an intake manifold riser plate. Obviously a supercahrger would be cool too but not as quick and easy, or affordable for that matter. Anyone know where to get a screaming deal on a riser plate?

 

[loufish]

I decided to buy my truck without the TruTrac after reading numerous complaints on here about not being able to ever really turn it off

There is nothing to turn off, it works smoothly and is stronger then the diff it replaces. Other then cost there's no downside...

 

[TallTexan]

I would not let that arse hole reprogram nothing on my truck. I can assure you your performance will suffer. You will take off like a f-150 and finally feel some power at about 20-30 mph. I dont know about you but I liked the snappy takeoff even if just normal driving. They are changing to save their weak differentials. Problem is, they do this and do not tell you what they are doing. See, it does not show up on your receipt. I wonder why?

 

[mng777777]

There is nothing to turn off, it works smoothly and is stronger then the diff it replaces. Other then cost there's no downside...

It is never easy to admit that you dont know what you are talking about, but I suppose I dont. I thought that the VDC and trutrac were one in the same or at least that the vdc required the trutrac. I bought my truck used and I did a lot of reading on here prior to buying and the vdc was the one thing I just figured i'd leave to chance because it gets very mixed reviews and I could see it being a nuisance if you are off road quite a bit. It just so happened that the truck I found with all of the other things I wanted didn't have VDC or TruTrac to my knowledge and so I figured i was better off without them. Does one have anything to do with the other?

I would not let that arse hole reprogram nothing on my truck. I can assure you your performance will suffer. You will take off like a f-150 and finally feel some power at about 20-30 mph. I dont know about you but I liked the snappy takeoff even if just normal driving. They are changing to save their weak differentials. Problem is, they do this and do not tell you what they are doing. See, it does not show up on your receipt. I wonder why?

If I wasn't sporting the 08 as my loaner I would agree, but after driving the 08 all week there is no lack of power. If I stomp on it it'll spin the tires, and there is continuous power through all the gears. You can feel the power band but it is smooth, and best of all it is really fast. The service rep said it should come out driving like my loaner and if it does, I will be a happy camper regardless of what they do to make it that way.

 

[TallTexan]

It is never easy to admit that you dont know what you are talking about, but I suppose I dont. I thought that the VDC and trutrac were one in the same or at least that the vdc required the trutrac. I bought my truck used and I did a lot of reading on here prior to buying and the vdc was the one thing I just figured i'd leave to chance because it gets very mixed reviews and I could see it being a nuisance if you are off road quite a bit. It just so happened that the truck I found with all of the other things I wanted didn't have VDC or TruTrac to my knowledge and so I figured i was better off without them. Does one have anything to do with the other?

If I wasn't sporting the 08 as my loaner I would agree, but after driving the 08 all week there is no lack of power. If I stomp on it it'll spin the tires, and there is continuous power through all the gears. You can feel the power band but it is smooth, and best of all it is really fast. The service rep said it should come out driving like my loaner and if it does, I will be a happy camper regardless of what they do to make it that way.

Let us know what happens. Remember, the 08 is supposed to have stronger diffs so more power might be o.k. I can only tell you to drive before you leave the dealer.

 

[NorCal 4x4]

... I thought that the VDC and trutrac were one in the same or at least that the vdc required the trutrac. ... It just so happened that the truck I found with all of the other things I wanted didn't have VDC or TruTrac to my knowledge and so I figured i was better off without them. Does one have anything to do with the other?

Nothing to do with each other. VDC is a stability control, (YAW control), system that applies braking and throttles back engine speed when it senses, and concludes you're out of control. Nissan puts this into some of the Titans.

Tru-Trac is an aftermarket Limited Slip Differential made by Detroit Locker/Eaton. It is said to have stronger spider gears, which is what fails in most of the Titans that have had issues.

4x4 Titans and some 2wd Titans have Active Brake Limited Slip, ABLS, but this isn't as good as the differential based traction control system that the Tru-trac provides. But if you get the Tru-trac, keep the ABLS connected as, in some conditions like all four worn tires on sheet ice, the ABLS will initialize the traction enough for the Tru-trac to engage ... from what I've read on it.