[thebigtman]

Hello everyone. I'm a previous Nissan owner (Pathfinder, 300ZX Twin Turbo, 00 Xterra) and I'm thinking of coming back. However, all of this talk about the rear diffs blowing up is rather nerve racking.
I've read though some posts on the forum and the failures don't seem limited to the MT rear diffs or the AT rear diffs. Furthermore, it doesn't look like the new spider gears in the 06's and up have helped.
Has anyone heard any good news about the 08's? Did they revise the diffs again?

Man, I really love the look and feel of the X but I don't want to worry about blowing a diff. I'm not a hardcore off-road rock crawler but I do like to wheel in Colorado when I'm there on vacation. I'd hate to blow something out there.

BTW, I've got a good deal on an 08, Red Alert, 4x4, Off-Road, tech package, Ipod hookup, floormats for $25480. That's not a bad price.

Can anyone provide some insight or comfort as to the diffs on the X??

Take care,

 

[DBAX]

excellent price in fact..

 

[S_e_X-Terra]

Well as for the rear diffs... the only major malfunctions have been from the OR's. this is due to the fact that it uses the same ring gear but its been grinded down to help fit the locking mechanism. So it isnt as strong. There have been some other guys with rear diff issues that dont have the locker (I think) but its not from wheeling them.

As for the fronts... that is a different story. I am one of the lucky ones I guess, because my front hasnt gone yet... I currently am running 35's and am supercharged, so that puts more stress on mine than anyone has had on theirs. It may be my wheeling style... I donno!

Im not going to tell you that you wont ever have a problem because, well.... that may not be true. If you wheel hard and plan on modifying it and beating it up, and you do end up haveing a problem, I doubt you will see much help from the dealer unless you establish before hand what will and wont void warranty.

Good luck... And that sounds like a smokin' deal!

 

[RockyMtnX]

The better question is what are really the alternatives? Yeah, the diff issue sucks, but what other vehicles are in that price range for the great platform you do get?

 

[thebigtman]

The better question is what are really the alternatives? Yeah, the diff issue sucks, but what other vehicles are in that price range for the great platform you do get?

I hear ya on this one. I have also considered buying a used DIESEL Liberty. I hate the looks of the thing stock and it would need $1500 worth of lift and tires before I would be somewhat happy with it. The engine on the other hand is a sweet little package. There's a 2006 Sport (basic) Lib CRD is my area with 16K miles for $20.5K. For $4.5K more I can have a new vehicle with all the things I already want on it.
I'm having a hard time paying $20K for a used vehicle but I also hate the idea of taking the initial sticker depreciation when you drive off the lot....although the sweet price does help quite a bit.

Decisions, decisions, decisions...

 

[thebigtman]

Is there an alternative if the diff blows out of warranty? Is there any sort of locker or trac lock that can bypass the troubled spider gears? Eddo, I thought it was the spiders that were blowing out, not the ring gears?

 

[S_e_X-Terra]

I believe that the spiders were part of the problem on the front diff not the rear. I could be wrong, but that is what I thought.

For the rear end.... There is a true track LSD out for the titans... the xterras with the M226 rear end share the same rear diff, and it does fit (d-rap has it in his X). All manual transmition xterras and all offroad editions have the M226.

For the front..... Nothing yet!

 

[thebigtman]

I just reread the specs/technical aspects on Nissan's website for the Xterra. It says that the rear Dana axle is "manual transmission only." You're saying that all off-road editions have it but I can't find that anywhere on their website.

It makes sense that all OR editions would have it but why in the hell don't they fix the website? Nevermind, I guess they're hard at work trying to find a solution to the diff problem, right?

 

[nexus_7]

YOu would think, but they have had since mid/late 04 to be working on that. Instead they have added navi and rear seat entertainment center. Ohh ahh. Everythign you dont need, at a price you cant believe.

 

[lloyd Swartz]

The primary problem is the spider gears in the rear diff. Only 2 on 05-mid 06 models that strip the minute you put it in 4x4, and weak spiders in general. Both diffs, Nissan engineered the perfect market implosion.

 

[Dude-Man]

Anyone know the build dates or diff numbers to tell if one has two or four spiders?

 

[IZVERG]

Not too sure how to answer your question, but for that price...wow! And welcome, I'm in SA as well!

 

[vman]

If I were to re-do things again, I would not get an X. At least not the 2nd gen one. This "all you want, nothing you don't need" claim is BS w/o strong differentials.

If you're getting a car to get you to the beach and back, this is fine. But I am seriously paranoid about taking the truck to the trails after my front diff blew. Yes, Nissan fixed it for free, but this was not w/o giving me crap about the car being abused and such. Sure, I could SAS the car but that would not make it a bargain any more.

Sorry, I don't want to spook you or let you join the evil side (Toyota), but my experience with the X was just okay.

 

[dezurtrat]

....But I am seriously paranoid about taking the truck to the trails.....

x2

 

[S_e_X-Terra]

....But I am seriously paranoid about taking the truck to the trails.....

x2

I think a little bit of paranoia is a good thing... unless it totally stops you from going out on the trails.

It keeps you cautious, makes you really plan out your lines well, stops you from doing stupid things, and.... If you are scared of blowing a diff it makes you take it easy on the truck so it lasts longer.

I know if I thought I had an indestructable front diff.... I would probably have many other broken parts on the X :blackeye: :blackeye:

 

[vman]

S_e_X-Terra,


I am honestly surprised that you did not blow the differential. With the lift and tires and going off-road. Honestly, out of all the cars on this board your rig makes me think that some of us just had a bad batch (I hope this were true). Anyway, being paranoid makes me think twice, but it does not stop me from using the truck the way it was supposed to be used!

 

[Muzikman]

But you do have to question how often and how hard you wheel. When i say how hard, i am not talking about beating the truck up or taking stupid lines, I am talking about running blue/black's instead of greens.

I went through a front and rear diff, almost exactly a year apart. I wheeled A LOT before the rear finally gave out and I wheeled a good bit before the front failed.

 

[RockyMtnX]

There are certainly a LOT more people that wheel than have blow diffs. Look at this board... maybe a dozen members have blown diffs, 2 dozen if you really look hard. I'm certainly not going to let a few diff failures keep me off the trails... I paid too much for the X not to use it as I intended to when I bought it. I sure as heck wouldn't have paid the extra for the OR if I didn't plan on using it. Yeah, it is a weak point, but don't let it keep you off the trails, or scare you away from a great vehicle.

 

[Muzikman]

Again, I question how much people actually wheel.

 

[RockyMtnX]

Muzik,

I agree- the more you wheel, the greater your chances for a failure. But, to see other members discouraging someone from buying an X who "takes an occasional trip to Colorado to wheel" is absurd. The paranoia seems to be getting to the point of don't put your X into 4wd or your diffs will explode; this is just completely disproportionate to reality.