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Nissan Armada Towing and rear differential

31 messages,  Last post on Feb 15, 2008 at 4:24 PM

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#1 of 31 Towing and rear differential by jklein1 Jun 15, 2006 (3:00 pm)
Has anyone had problems with their 05 Armada rear differential going out when towing? We tow 8500 lbs from Phoenix to flagstaff and it has gone out both times. Nissan replaced the differntial - still went out. Replaced it a 2nd time and added synthetic fluid. Have not had a chance to test it again. Don't think it can tow that much weight up the mountains and do not beleive the synthetic will make that much of a difference. Replies to this message: philbergin (Jul 22, 2006 11:04 am) shark715 (Oct 11, 2006 1:05 pm) jklein1 (Oct 12, 2006 1:27 pm)
#2 of 31 Re: Towing and rear differential [jklein1] by philbergin Jul 22, 2006 (11:04 am)
Replying to: jklein1 (Jun 15, 2006 3:00 pm) What weight synthetic fluid did they add? I've put 75W-90 in my Dodge Dakota, but I only tow about 4,000 lbs. I would think you would need 75W-140.
#3 of 31 Re: Towing and rear differential [jklein1] by shark715 Oct 11, 2006 (1:05 pm)
Replying to: jklein1 (Jun 15, 2006 3:00 pm) When you say the differential "went out", what exactly do you mean? Replies to this message: jklein1 (Oct 12, 2006 1:27 pm)
#4 of 31 Re: Towing and rear differential [shark715] by jklein1 Oct 12, 2006 (1:27 pm)
Replying to: shark715 (Oct 11, 2006 1:05 pm) The 1st time heading up to Flagstaff, Az it started smoking and burned up the seal and lost all the fluid. They replaced the rear differntial. They told me it was probably a bad seal. The 2nd time we tried, we could smell the burning fluid again, so we turned around and took it easy coming back home and they said they found metal shavings in there and replaced it again and this time they said they put synthetic fluid in. We took it up there once more, but did not fill up the trailer with water and left the quad at home to reduce the weight. We made it this time. Not sure what will happen the next time we add the weight to it...
#5 of 31 Rear Diff by shark715 Oct 12, 2006 (2:12 pm)
Wow, it is hard to believe that Nissan would give a truck a 9000 lb tow rating if it can't handle it. I would think the truck could tow 10-12,000 lbs. with no short term damage. Can they be so stupid to not realize they will get killed with warranty claims? Were you towing a boat or a house trailer? I'm not trying to suggest you are to blame (just trying to find out the true capability of the truck), but how certain are you that you were only towing 8500 lbs? I know with boats sometimes the actual weight is far more than the manufacturers specifications. Did your 8500 lb. estimate all your gear in the trailer and in the Armada, as well as the people in the Armada? Just curious, how hot did your trans get?...did you happen to notice the trans temperature gauge? I guess it could be that the differential just can't handle the weight, or it could be that the seal failed and the differential overheated when it ran low on fluid, but that doesn't explain the second occurance...unless the dealer did not replace the diff as they said they did, or the new diff was not installed correctly, which is not an easy job (can you tell I don't trust car dealers?) I have to agree that synthethic fluid could help as it does not start to break down and will continue to protect your diff until a much higher temperature. How hot was the weather when this happened? What speed were you driving? I had a Grand Cherokee that I used to tow my boat with. The pinion seal was installed backwards at the factory, and only when the diff got hot (when I towed my boat) did the lube start to leak thru the seal. Chrysler did specify 75W140 synthetic. At that time the only place you could find it was at a Chrysler or Jeep dealer, and they charged $23 per quart!
#6 of 31 Rear Suspension by shark715 Oct 12, 2006 (4:41 pm)
One more question...how did the rear suspension handle all that tongue weight? Did the auto leveling suspension do its job and prevent the rear of the truck from sagging? And how well did the truck ride while towing all that weight? Replies to this message: ctretta (Nov 06, 2006 9:57 am) shark715 (Nov 06, 2006 10:46 am)
#7 of 31 Re: Rear Suspension [shark715] by ctretta Nov 06, 2006 (9:57 am)
Replying to: shark715 (Oct 12, 2006 4:41 pm) I have a 2006 Armada LE 4X4. I towed our 30' Travel Trailer with it over about 3000 miles down through Texas recently. The auto leveling suspension does well, but as you get close to rated tongue weight, it starts to sag. I have to adjust the weight distributing hitch (Equalizer brand) a little tighter and see if I can pull it a little more level. I'll let you know what I find. Ct.. Replies to this message: shark715 (Nov 06, 2006 10:46 am)
#8 of 31 Re: Rear Suspension [ctretta] by shark715 Nov 06, 2006 (10:46 am)
Replying to: ctretta (Nov 06, 2006 9:57 am) Thanks, what was the tonque weight of your travel trailer?
#9 of 31 I've towed by paisan Nov 23, 2006 (9:33 pm)
a 9000lb cigarette boat with my 04 w/o issue. I would think that the issue with the original poster was that the dealer did not in fact replace the diffy, but rather cleaned it out and replaced the seal.   Another option for those of use planning to tow often would be to get some finned rear diffy plates, perhaps off of the pathfinder to aid in cooling.   -mike Replies to this message: shark715 (Nov 24, 2006 1:08 pm)
#10 of 31 Re: I've towed [paisan] by shark715 Nov 24, 2006 (1:08 pm)
Replying to: paisan (Nov 23, 2006 9:33 pm) Paisan, how far did you tow it? Flat ground or hills? Did you use a weight distributing hitch? Any idea what your tongue weight was?

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