Thumping/clunking from rear end area what could it be?

[cwilliamsws6]

Hopefully this is the final update for awhile, I'm putting this into the shortest terms possible.

Got a call from the local Nissan dealer today, and here is the presumed diagnosis as it currently stands.

They replaced the rear diff.

They test drive it, noise still there, so they say transfer case went boom.

Transfer case going boom echoed into the CVT causing it to false flag judder code.

Getting new transfer case on top of the rear diff they already did.

No cost to me on any of this because of Protective lifetime powertrain warranty.

Also possibly getting a new CVT because despite the (false) judder codes, it looked fine on inspection but on paperwork it needs replaced and it's at no cost to me, and the warranty company reimburses them for the work anyway.

So basically, I am getting a whole new drivetrain minus the engine, for free... hehe

 

[researcher]

Hopefully this is the final update for awhile, I'm putting this into the shortest terms possible.

Got a call from the local Nissan dealer today, and here is the presumed diagnosis as it currently stands.

They replaced the rear diff.

They test drive it, noise still there, so they say transfer case went boom.

Transfer case going boom echoed into the CVT causing it to false flag judder code.

Getting new transfer case on top of the rear diff they already did.

No cost to me on any of this because of Protective lifetime powertrain warranty.

Also possibly getting a new CVT because despite the (false) judder codes, it looked fine on inspection but on paperwork it needs replaced and it's at no cost to me, and the warranty company reimburses them for the work anyway.

So basically, I am getting a whole new drivetrain minus the engine, for free... hehe

oh wow.. I'm sitting here thinking $$$$ but you have the extended warranty! awesome! So in the end you end up with a completely new drivetrain! nice! always nice to hear a good ending to a bad situation..

 

[cwilliamsws6]

oh wow.. I'm sitting here thinking $$$$ but you have the extended warranty! awesome! So in the end you end up with a completely new drivetrain! nice! always nice to hear a good ending to a bad situation..

Oh yeah! If my old friend (and prior service advisor) hadn't reached out and reminded me, my dumb ass would have paid for this all out of pocket. He certainly saved my ass, and when I get my car back I'll be sending him a bottle of bourbon

 

[researcher]

Oh yeah! If my old friend (and prior service advisor) hadn't reached out and reminded me, my dumb ass would have paid for this all out of pocket. He certainly saved my ass, and when I get my car back I'll be sending him a bottle of bourbon

oh heck ya bottle of bourbon, least you can do! Time to do the HAPPY DANCE! lol..

 

[cwilliamsws6]

oh heck ya bottle of bourbon, least you can do! Time to do the HAPPY DANCE! lol..

I live 2500 miles away now so it's the least I could do lol. I asked him if he likes bourbon or not and if not then my fallback plan is a pretty big visa gift card so he gets lunch on me for awhile. Lol

 

[cwilliamsws6]

Last update.

Got a call from the dealership today. Everything got approved under warranty to get replaced. Protective paid out just shy of 8 grand to get everything taken care of. $0 deductible no cost to me for any of this.

They actually had to have a guy from Protective come out and inspect my car in person because apparently they've never heard of the 4WD coupler blowing apart and also destroying basically the rest of the drivetrain in the process.

Anyway, transfer case is on order, it's on the way I should have my car back within the week.

It's finally all over!

 

[cwilliamsws6]

Oh, and my service advisor back in Ohio who helped make all this work out got his bottle of bourbon today in the mail. Lol

 

[cwilliamsws6]

They just called, it just came out of the wash and it's ready to go. However, they close before I get off and they're closed all weekend so I'll probably be staying awake after my last graveyard shift and picking it up Monday morning.

 

[i6pwr]

That's good to hear!

I wish I had seen this, and I want to speculate they did, but was the rear main seal replaced with the transmission removed?

Either way....it's a lifetime warranty, I do like to hear these good outcomes!

 

[cwilliamsws6]

That's good to hear!

I wish I had seen this, and I want to speculate they did, but was the rear main seal replaced with the transmission removed?

Either way....it's a lifetime warranty, I do like to hear these good outcomes!

They ended up not doing the transmission because it inspected completely fine, they cleared the judder code and it never came back with the new rear end and t case in.

However whenever it does finally go, it's covered anyway by the warranty so not sweating it

 

[cwilliamsws6]

Another quick update. I've driven about 1,000 miles since all this went down, the judder code still has not returned and it's still driving better than it did the day I bought it.

Question though, since the rear end and transfer case are both brand new, do those have "break in metals" and would benefit from an early fluid change like an engine would, or would I just service those at the typical recommended interval?

Thanks!

 

[Number_35]

Question though, since the rear end and transfer case are both brand new, do those have "break in metals" and would benefit from an early fluid change like an engine would, or would I just service those at the typical recommended interval?

Thanks!

I would change out those fluids! 1000 miles sounds good.

 

[cwilliamsws6]

Thank God for the lifetime powertrain...time to cash in on my free CVT replacement. Started juddering like a mofo driving home from work tonight. Active P17F0 code so getting it covered will be a slam dunk.

 

[researcher]

Thank God for the lifetime powertrain...time to cash in on my free CVT replacement. Started juddering like a mofo driving home from work tonight. Active P17F0 code so getting it covered will be a slam dunk.

Wow that sucks, but glad you have that powertrain warranty! sheesh..

 

[cwilliamsws6]

Wow that sucks, but glad you have that powertrain warranty! sheesh..

Juddering up an 11% grade was NOT fun either... I did not like the way it felt, at all

 

[researcher]

Juddering up an 11% grade was NOT fun either... I did not like the way it felt, at all

Oh I can imagine.. thinking "am I getting up this hill?!" but now (on the positive side) you're going to complete the drivetrain! all brand new! No excuses after this, sucker should work correctly now or you will probably take a big hammer to it lol..

 

[i6pwr]

Doggone man..lol, yeah, no doubt.

If it were mine, I'd crawl under and take pics and make a sharpie mark somewhere on components...that way I would know what was removed, even if it was one part.

 

[cwilliamsws6]

Doggone man..lol, yeah, no doubt.

If it were mine, I'd crawl under and take pics and make a sharpie mark somewhere on components...that way I would know what was removed, even if it was one part.

Already was planning to do so

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

Sell it while you can; between your truck’s luck, Nissan’s issues, and your dealer’s “expertise”… there’s no way I’d continue to ride that rollercoaster. F that noise; you’ve spent half of the past 6 months without your vehicle.

Best of luck, though. Reading this thread made me want to drink FOR you!

 

[cwilliamsws6]

Sell it while you can; between your truck’s luck, Nissan’s issues, and your dealer’s “expertise”… there’s no way I’d continue to ride that rollercoaster. F that noise; you’ve spent half of the past 6 months without your vehicle.

Best of luck, though. Reading this thread made me want to drink FOR you!

Since the CVT replacement is free I'm going to get that done and hopefully get a few more years out of it. Honestly, I love my Pathfinder and until July of this year when everything started it's been trouble free. Luckily while it's in the shop I have other vehicles at my disposal to use.