Posted: Nov 03 2004 at 1:43pm | IP Logged

I'm dragging this thread back up to let you guys know how my rearend is doing (no wise cracks)  and something I saw at my dealership yesterday.

First of all, after 2000+ miles and towing my boat a couple of times, my new rearend is not making any noise.

However, yesterday while talking to the service writer, she asked if I'd seen a new 2005 Titan?  I said no and she pointed to one across the lot that was facing away from us.  Something that jumped out at me was the shiny cover on the rearend housing.  As I looked at it some more, it became apparent that it was shiny not because it was clean, but because it was aluminum.  But that's not all - it's a finned aluminum cover!

I asked the service writer what that was all about and she was as surprised as I was.  So we took a closer look.  Sure enough - a deeply finned cover.  I told her that it looks like to me that Nissan has a problem keeping the rearend fluid cool and that's possibly what's causing the rearends to burn up when heavily loaded.

I told her that she needed to order one for me and that the correct answer is YES and FREE.  

Tom

Posted: Nov 05 2004 at 1:19pm | IP Logged

I've also noticed the new coversI also noticed a slight rust color on mine, and brought it to the attention of my service advisor. He called me back with GREAT news that they just put another coat of paint on it.  "HEAT RESISTANT I'M SURE".

Posted: Nov 10 2004 at 10:24pm | IP Logged

Tom,

Thanks for the heads up on the 2005 differential cover plate with the cooling fins. After going through the warped front rotor problems, and reading about but not experiencing the overheating differentials, I traded my 04 (with 30K miles) for an 05 today. For those of you keeping your 04s, request your dealer install the new covers while under warranty. Also request they modify your front brakes to the spec's of the "braking" technical service bulletin found on this website.

Enjoy!

Steve

Posted: Dec 16 2004 at 7:07pm | IP Logged

Just a little info.

It sounds like the noise you heard ( maybe a little like a jet engine?) was a pinion bearing. This is a common problem with Dana rear ends. I used to work in a Dodge dealership had the same problem with Grand Cherokes and Rams alike. As with towing, very important that we engage tow mode or at least ensure that we take our trucks out of overdrive (go to manual shift). I hope I don't have this with my truck.