No need to engage AWD button unless you are stuck in snow and cannot move. Once going, it is recommended that you turn it off. It disengages automatically when it gets to about 6 mph anyways.

Remember that AWD system is computer controlled and will engage automatically at any speed when slip is detected, even when the button is off. So just leave it in off position and focus on driving. In fact, Nissan does not recommend engaging the button at all unless you are stuck because by manually putting it in AWD mode, you run the risk of driving the car on dry (without ice or snow) pavement which can damage the transfer case.

There should be a light on the dash that comes on when AWD is engaged.

 

I have been advised by various members of this Forum to NEVER engage the AWD lock. Doing so will do irreparable damage to your transfer case and require over $4000 in repairs. For that reason I have put a piece of black tape over mine so I'm not tempted to use it.

Kind of makes one wonder why it's there in the first place!

 

Let me re-interpret, because there is some inaccuracy in the comments above.

There is no "absolute" about the lock button as stated above. Actual human judgment is called for.

As noted earlier in this thread, it is OK to use the lock as intended - which is only when you are stuck while parked in an extremely low traction situation, or otherwise need a little more traction to get moving from a stop.

At that point, the lock should be engaged only long enough to get moving, then turn it off.

It is not accurate to say "Doing so will do irreparable damage to your transfer case and require over $4000 in repairs." Not true.

Using the lock INAPPROPRIATELY and especially on dry pavement while turning and going around corners can (not "will," but "can") possibly cause damage to the transfer case by putting undue loads on it when front and rear wheels turn at different rates, which creates loads on the transfer case, which in turn may - not will - cause damage.

If you don't use the lock on dry pavement and don't accelerate hard or try other extreme measures to get out while stuck, you should be OK.

This vehicle is All-Wheel-Drive, NOT Four-Wheel-Drive. AWD in this case means it's a passenger car chassis (Nissan Altima) with a mid-size SUV body mounted on it. The transfer case is not designed for heavy loads, extreme stress, or off-roading; it is only designed to provide traction for the driver on slippery surfaces. Evidence of this is that the lock kicks off at (I believe) 16 MPH, so its only function is to get you moving.

A 4WD vehicle is generally truck-based and is designed for heavy loads on the transfer case, extreme differences in traction over a prolonged period, and such activities as off-roading and climbing over obstacles. The drivetrain is much heavier-duty and able to withstand extreme service. Most 4WD systems can be engaged at any speed, including highway driving. Generally speaking, they are strong enough that if you start turning corners on dry road in 4WD, you will wear out the tires before bothering the transfer case.

 

Sorry for my ignorance guys.I just tried to turn it on and i see a indicator in the fuel meter.I will make sure i wont engage it will automatically engage when it detects the front tires slipping

 

The AWD lock will unlock after 15-20mph automatically. However, you should only use the AWD lock button to get better low speed traction in slippery situations like on icy roads. When you press the button the Murano will grip strongly to the road and you will hear the system work as you drive.

 

I think in the 2012's at least that AWD lock disengages around 6 mph to keep from damaging the transfer case. It's doubtful under normal driving conditions that one would ever have to use it.

 

I think you're right - I have seen that number quoted before. The earlier series went a few MPH more before disengaging, IIRC.

 

Well, I stand corrected!

 

No insult intended - just wanted to provide a more nuanced explanation of what goes on with that system. :29:

 

I believe from 2005+, the AWD was reprogrammed to disengage at 6mph vs 18mph in earlier models. Some people have had problems with the actual button - it used to be a rocker switch but was changed to a toggle switch (at the same time adjusting the cutoff from 18mph to 6mph). For 2003-2004 owners, if the rocker switch malfunctioned (or fell into the actual console), they replaced it with the toggle switch (and the lower cutoff).

 

I believe that the AWD's failsafe will prevent any problems to the transfer case, if anything you will loss some MPG's if you use it every time you stop the Murano due to the increased traction until 6-18 mph or so ,in which the AWD lock cuts off. P.S my 06 Murano owners manual stated the AWD lock goes back to the normal auto mode after 6 mph.

 

Not true. The "failsafe" is speed-related, not torque-related.

If you engage the AWD LOCK on dry ground and drive a continuous right (or left) turn at 5 MPH no "fail safe" will intervene and you risk damaging a drive line component.

-njjoe

 

The big shortcoming with the MO's AWD system is not the transfer case itself, but the lack of a center differential to protect the transfer case.

The vast majority of AWD systems employ either a center differential or viscous coupling between the front and rear axles. Both systems enable the front and rear wheels to operate at different speeds (as when the vehicle is turning) to prevent the drivetrain from binding.

The MO has neither a center differential nor a viscous coupling. When the AWD LOCK button is engaged it solidly locks the front axle to the rear axle. Because the rear wheels turn slower than the front wheels when the vehicle is turning the difference in axle speeds causes the drveline to bind. The sharper and longer the turn, the greater the binding.

If the AWD LOCK button is engaged and the vehicle is traveling below the disengagement threshold and the MO is driven in a continuous right or left turn on a high-traction surface the difference in front and rear axle speeds will cause the drivetrain to bind. If the opposing torque on the transfer case exceeds its design limit it can fail catastrophically.

The addition of either a center differential or viscous coupling could have given the MO full-time AWD capability, but the trade off would have been increase costs and reduce fuel efficiency. Those trade-offs were not desirable for this particular vehicle.

-njjoe

 

Wow, this is way more complicated than I thought when I bought it. I actually thought the AWD lock would be a desirable feature. Now it just seems like a detriment.

 

Wow, this is way more complicated than I thought when I bought it. I actually thought the AWD lock would be a desirable feature. Now it just seems like a detriment.

That all depends on how you use it.

I use it when pulling the boat and Waverunner out of the water. Both the wet boat ramp and gravel parking lot are low-traction surfaces so I am not concerned with binding of the driveline. I want maximum initial traction on the slippery ramp.

I also use it when starting out in deep snow to preempt wheel slippage.

I don't even look at it when traveling on high-friction surfaces.

-njjoe

 

Excuse me? Technical babble? You are kidding, right?

If you think I am full of BS, then I suggest you take your MO to an empty parking lot, engage the AWD LOCK and travel in three tight circles at 5 MPH, as if calibrating the compass, and let me know if you don't detect drive line binding. Any amount of binding is detrimental to the drive line components.

And no, I was not bashing you, I was simply correcting a misconception for the rest of the membership.

-njjoe

 

Ok. Technical Babble may have been too harsh, because you are right about the drivetrain differences between AWD and a 4X4 with a diff and transfercase. However, my problem is about how you dismissed what I said about the Murano's AWD failsafe as wrong, when in fact that is what the AWD lock auto shutoff at 6mph feature is called. It prevents the operator from damaging the AWD if the operator forgets to turn off the AWD lock- hence failsafe. But like you mentioned when talking about the torque in the transfercase being created when turning at 5 mph-no failsafe is undefeatable. P.S. I calibrated my compass by driving around the neighborhood and back, why do someone has to drive in tight circles to calibrate the compass? Even if tight 5 mph circles with the AWD lock on cause problems, who really needs to do that? Unless, you want to test the AWD transfercase, which I won't.

 

Amazing how many of you have confidence in the "protections" of this system despite page after page of people with blown transfer cases.

If you personally want to believe it's going to keep your transfer case safe and sound, great.... It's your money when you're paying for a new one. Just please don't suggest it to other people.

 

cW-

Good point. Unfortunately there are no temperature sensors in either the AWD clutch-pack nor the transfer case. So low-speed misuse can be dangerous to the components. It would be great if the weak link was a relatively inexpensive universal joint instead of the $2000 transfer case.

Please don't get me wrong, the MO's AWD system is more than adequate when used as it is designed - in automatic mode. It is when people unfamiliar with the MO play with the AWD LOCK button that problems can occur.

-njjoe

 

cW-

Good point. Unfortunately there are no temperature sensors in either the AWD clutch-pack nor the transfer case. So low-speed misuse can be dangerous to the components. It would be great if the weak link was a relatively inexpensive universal joint instead of the $2000 transfer case.

Please don't get me wrong, the MO's AWD system is more than adequate when used as it is designed - in automatic mode. It is when people unfamiliar with the MO play with the AWD LOCK button that problems can occur.

-njjoe

Thanks for the info... Personally, I do not use the button at all or haven't had the need to use it yet.

 

OK people. The original question was about the AWD button functioning or not. The AWD lock is useful when it is needed, and all seems to agree that it should not be used when additional traction is not required. If an owner uses the AWD lock as intended, all is well. And if someone forgets to manually unlock the AWD system it will unlock itself after 6 mph. So to lay this issue to rest, the AWD lock works and is safe to use as long as you do not drive the Murano with the AWD lock on while repeatedly making tight left or right circles under 6mph, because you could damage the transfercase.

 

Hi All
I recently bought a 2007 Nissan Murano S AWD and time and only realized it now with snow approaching that it is not a full time AWD car.

After researching online i figured out that the lock button should be used only in snow conditions as there might be a dramatic diffrence in mpg?


I dont know whether the lock button in my Murano is functional or not?As i dont see any light on the button going on or off when i click on the switch and there is nothing displayed on the center panel indicating the AWD is on.


Is there any way to tell whether it is working as it should?

Thanks

You may have a bad switch or the switch is unplugged. Pull the center console that holds the switch up and look at the underside to see if the switch is unplugged. Since your Murano was used when you bought it, maybe the previous owner unplugged it to prevent someone from accidentally locking the AWD.

 

I still, seeing as the 2nd gen Murano always starts from a stop in 50/50 AWD anyhow, why the lock button is even needed anymore. Maybe people just feel more secure having the switch? lol...who knows.

 

Hi All
I recently bought a 2007 Nissan Murano S AWD and time and only realized it now with snow approaching that it is not a full time AWD car.

After researching online i figured out that the lock button should be used only in snow conditions as there might be a dramatic diffrence in mpg?


I dont know whether the lock button in my Murano is functional or not?As i dont see any light on the button going on or off when i click on the switch and there is nothing displayed on the center panel indicating the AWD is on.


Is there any way to tell whether it is working as it should?

Thanks

Wow, I guess we really did get off-topic.

Your 2007 MO has a warning light on the dash. It will illuminate whenever the AWD LOCK is manually engaged. If you do not see the light when you push the AWD LOCK button then I suggest you check that the light is functioning. According to your Owners Manual the AWD LOCK button will illuminate for one second when the ignition switch is turned to ON. Check it out and get back to us.

-njjoe

 

I just read a review of the 2013 Rav4 and this is how their AWD system works:

Of note, AWD models get three drive modes: Auto, Lock and Sport. In auto mode power is sent to the front wheels, with the rears being given torque when slip is detected. Lock mode can be engaged at speeds below 25 mph and engages a full-time AWD system, with up to 50 percent of the power headed to the rear wheels. Above 25 mph the system reverts to Auto mode. And finally, there’s a Sport mode where up to 50 percent of the power can be sent to the rear wheels, while other car characteristics are heightened, including faster shifts as well as more immediate throttle and steering response. Front drive models also get a sport mode with similar, steering, transmission and throttle changes. In addition, sport mode will even “blip” the throttle on down shifts.

Sounds like an interesting system that may be a little more robust than the MO.

 

Other than a sport mode, what makes you think that differs from how the Muranos works?

BTW, full and part time describe 4WD systems, not AWD systems. As for the speed in which the lock mode is disabled, 6 MPH is hardly what I'd call high speed. AWD LOCK disengages at high speed according to the manual so I don't know where these numbers keep being pulled from.

 

It has probably the center differential or viscous coupling then, OK.

 

I was actually thinking about using it at the beach in the event the sand got deep or it felt like it was bogging down. In my area Southeast Texas this was the only time I would ever see myself using this feature. Would this be an ok surface to use the AWD button and not damage the the transfer case in any way?

 

That would be the ideal condition for engaging the AWD LOCK - a low traction environment where driveline binding is least likely to occur.

-njjoe

 

So is this 2007 awd any good in the snow or not ?


Sent from my iPhone using AutoGuide.com App

 

My 07 Murano AWD is just great in snow, and I live in Colorado and use it for ski trips. I don't use snow tires, either - just M+S rated tires.

But if we get 18 inches of snow overnight (yes, it has happened) I leave it parked and stay home until the Jeeps and the snowplows have opened up the roads.

 

So for me the situations this coming winter will be mostly like this.

After work on the way home in slow traffic (ok more like stand still traffic), it shows and the road is nasty with dry, ice, and snow patches.

Is it advisable to use the lock or just let the system stay in auto?

By the sounds of it, its better to leave it alone unless you are spinning your wheels and not going anywhere, in this case would the system not kick in anyway as it detects wheel spin?

 

In that case, I'd leave it in AUTO and let it do its thing. It works well and if wheel slip is detected, it'll send power back to the rears. Only use lock if stuck. You probably wouldn't hurt anything in stop and go traffic like that but it's not needed.

 

^^^ Every word above is correct. Unless you're stuck, keep hands off the lock switch.

 

Just want butt-in, sometimes when my steering wheel is angled too much on a turn (or some other driving scenario where AWD should act automatically)-- it would slip the front tires and I can feel I don't move an inch. YES! there is seconds dead stop before AWD engages automatically.

IDK if anyone experienced this but my point I want to convey is-- I don't think it's 50/50 distribution from a dead stop.

 

I believe that it starts at 50:50 traction, however the Murano do not have a limited slip axle, so the wheels can still spin until the AWD system compensates for the slipping wheel.

 

I never thought it was, either, but I did read it in the literature!