nissan x-trail - transfer box

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Fri 24 Dec 2010 15:14
nissan x-trail - transfer box - philip001

What would cause the crown wheel in the transfer box to lock-up. This has caused extensive damage to the crown wheel and the pinnion shaft, all bearings spin freely and are intact

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Fri 24 Dec 2010 19:23
nissan x-trail - transfer box - Peter.N.

The only thing that comes to mind is a stray piece of metal. Do you mean locked up as in siezed or no diferential action?

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Fri 24 Dec 2010 20:24
nissan x-trail - transfer box - madf

Different tyre wear leading to diff lockup. resulting from transmoission wind up due to tyres of differeing diameters... See your manual. Most 4x4s warn you MUST have matched tyres all round.or BANG!

( tyres of different makes, differing wear etc)

Edited by madf on 24/12/2010 at 20:25

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Sun 26 Dec 2010 23:33
nissan x-trail - transfer box - Ethan Edwards

News to me I've been running my Xtrail with different tyre tread depths (and makes ) for 7.5 years with zero issues. I'll check the manual but I don't recall that being mentioned at all. 4wd with centre diff lock has been great during the recent snow -unstoppable.

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Sun 26 Dec 2010 23:40
nissan x-trail - transfer box - bathtub tom

>>Different tyre wear leading to diff lockup. resulting from transmoission wind up due to tyres of differeing diameters...

Isn't that what a diff is designed to deal with? You don't hear of cars having this problem because they've driven round corners.

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Mon 27 Dec 2010 05:58
nissan x-trail - transfer box - madf

>>>

Isn't that what a diff is designed to deal with? You don't hear of cars having this problem because they've driven round corners.

<Sigh> :-)

A nromal car has one diff. A 4x4 has two. Both driving the wheels. If they both move as exactly the same rotationla speed, nothing untoward happens. But if one is running fastere than t'other - due to smaller tyre ratios - it will atempt to drive the other diff.. so you get diff windup... and eventually bang.

Some designs can cope. Some cannot.

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Mon 27 Dec 2010 08:46
nissan x-trail - transfer box - bathtub tom

That's assuming there's no centre diff. How many vehicles have permanent 4WD?

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Mon 27 Dec 2010 17:00
nissan x-trail - transfer box - Ethan Edwards

XT has three diffs plus it is NOT permanent 4WD. Mostly it's FWD but switchable to 4WD as needed or as sytem detects it needs to be.

I agree any diff is designed to allow exactly that differential rotation.

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Mon 27 Dec 2010 17:55
nissan x-trail - transfer box - Collos25

It was a major problem with Volvo FWD with countless diffs and drive shafts being turned into scrap the same with Jaguar FWD,Toyota Land Cruser,VW alldrive, the cause when investigated by Volvo was tyres not being changed in pairs on the same axle.Madf is perfectly correct .

But in this case haveing had to deal with this type of vehicle I would say that the unit has collapsed due to a manufacturing fault not unusual look on the varies forums and it seems to be a weak point.

Edited by Andy Bairsto on 27/12/2010 at 17:59

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Mon 27 Dec 2010 22:01
nissan x-trail - transfer box - Ethan Edwards

Sorry but all I can tell you is that my XT under these exact circumstances has been fine for the 7.5 years that I have owned it. Maybe my XT is that one in a million ? Or maybe the XT is X-empt.

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Thu 30 Dec 2010 11:39
nissan x-trail - transfer box - ED731PDH

On my 2005 issue handbook.

Page 4-4. Do not drive on dry hard surface roads in LOCK mode. Driving on dry hard sirfaces in LOCK may cause unnecessary noise and tyre wear. We recommend driving in the 2WD or AUTO position under these conditions.

Page 7-30. CAUTION: Always use tyres of the same size, brand, construction (bias, bias-belted or radial), and tread pattern on all four wheels. Failure to do so may result in a circumference difference between tyres on the front and rear axles which will cause excessive tyre wear and may damage the transmission, transfer case and differential gears.

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