left side angle where the bolts are sticking out. notice the bolt thats covered with oil and dirt=blackish.

 

This should be covered by the drivetrain warranty right? Cause I'm 8 months over the 3 year warranty period with no extended warrranty to fall back.

nitely -

Yes, according to the documentation it should be covered by the powertrain warranty.

That was a good head's-up move to check the underside of your MO for tell-tale signs of leakage. You may just have saved yourself a lot of aggravation. It is a lot easier to have a seal replaced than the entire unit.

Let us know what your dealer says.

-njjoe

 

angle---creeping in from the front of car--driver side

Its definitely a leak - get it looked at soon and it will most likely be the seal.

 

Update from desert nissan,
Guy called me and told me that he did not find any leak surrounding the cvt area. He said that he cleaned up the area looking for leaks but cannot find any. I asked him why there is oil there and he only said could be moisture or something like that. Asked him if he looked at the cvt, transfer case and axle--said he did and found none. Kinda weird. When I touched it yesterday I am sure it was not water either oil or some kinda fluid. Anyways, when I went over and got my car, there was hardly anybody there to talk to and someone just directed me to the cashier. Report on the paper said no leaks found--did a 27 point inspection.--no charge. I peeked under the car and on the driver side wheel well if they actually cleaned it, looks like they did clean it a bit. -I guess all I can do is wait a few weeks and monitor this and probably go to another dealer. 1 down 3 to go. Sure hope he was right, but I got my doubts. I know what I saw and touched, this will not be the end of this I am afraid. Maybe the leak is too slow still that he cant see it right of the bat after cleaning it. I don't know. Wait and see I guess. I hope next time around they will actually see the leak before my warranty runs out. 1 year and 4 months or 24K miles to go. I am just positive that there is a leak somewhere there. I dunno, I can already see it- as soon as my warranty expires the thing will go kaput. I'll even take some pix now to record what work he did. Thanks guys. Later..

 

Pix after the nissan check saying no leak found. This side from driver side wheel well angle I did not actually look at before I went to dealer. Dont know the condition before dealer. Dealer said he cleaned cvt area.

 

However, the underside which I saw prior to dealer visit is still oily and dirty same as before. Theres got to be a leak coming from somewhere--maybe the passenger side axle? Dont exactly know where the transfer case is located here but if its on top of this--passenger side of the cvt-- then it maybe coming from that area. Don't have much access to see creeping from the ground.

 

Dont exactly know where the transfer case is located here but if its on top of this--passenger side of the cvt-- then it maybe coming from that area.

nitely-

When looking under your car, the transfer case is the point where the front end of the rear driveshaft mates. That is the output end of the transfer case.

-njjoe

 

However, the underside which I saw prior to dealer visit is still oily and dirty same as before. Theres got to be a leak coming from somewhere--maybe the passenger side axle? Dont exactly know where the transfer case is located here but if its on top of this--passenger side of the cvt-- then it maybe coming from that area. Don't have much access to see creeping from the ground.

The picture of that leak suggests three possible sources:

a) axle seal for the passenger side front driveshaft (comes out of the right side of the transfer case)
b) seal between the CVT and engine
c) seal between the CVT and transfer case

 

I just had my left front axle seal (off the transmission) replaced under warranty this morning - it had been leaking CVT oil.

This brings up an interesting idea - is it possible that the CVT/transfer case failures are not the result of poor mechanical parts, but rather the result of fluid starvation as the result of leaky seals? We all know that the CVT and transfer would likely self destruct if they run dry, and so far we've seen cases of bad axle seals from both sides - the left side comes off the transmission, and the right side comes off the transfer case. It need not manifest in puddle of oil on the floor either, since a slow leak would burn off around the hot exhaust system.

How many of us here has had a CVT/transfer failure *WITHOUT* any signs of prior leakage/burning smell?

Eric,

You bring up an interesting question that may be the culprit for the majority of the reported failures. Another question that comes to mind is, has "your Mo" (for those who have had transfer case failure) ever been towed ?

The manual indicated that towing an AWD model with two wheels on the ground (unlike the 2WD model) can cause damage to the tranfer case and/or transmission. For those that bought a used AWD Mo and had transfer case/trans problems - they may never know whether it was towed or not, which could cause the failure.

Just a thought.

-biggun

 

Mine has never been towed. May have used the awd button in tahoe the first year I bought the car -- but just for getting out of the driveway area. real short on and off. My feeling is no matter what you do some seal will leak in time--short period of time that is and cause very expense repair.
Can one actually add some transfer case fluid without removing major parts to gain access to the bolt and drain hole?

 

My transfer case failed without a burning smell. I inspected it after it was removed and the service manager was correct, it was an internal bearing failure. I was driving in a sporty manner on a gravel road when it failed.

 

2003 / 2007

I owned a 2003 for 4 years. I had all the common problem. Broken hatch handle, rattling window, loose (and then completely broken) drivers seat andindeed - a failed trasfer case. I upgraded to someing newer and larger (Acura MDX).

However - I put on about 60,000 miles and enjoyed the car thoroughly. A great design - but it did have some "north american" like design issues.

We liked it enough to buy another - just waiting for delivery on it now. Any rumors of problems on 2007 transfer case? Most seem to be on 2003 models?

 

I ve got 2004 MO with 64 K miles just less than 3 months ago .
Transfer case gone in 3800 miles lucky me when i was buying MO dealership offered me 2year bump to bump warranty

i didnt know before that Mos has this problem (

 

Re: 2003 / 2007

Any rumors of problems on 2007 transfer case? Most seem to be on 2003 models?

Most 2007 models won't have enough mileage on them to fail yet.

 

Another one Bites the Dust

Transfer Case cracked in half today...100,000 kms 2004 awd Murano
No Nissan Dealership in town, closest is about an hour away. I made it to a Canadian Tire which is where the car is sitting. They say I have to replace the whole thing, TC and Transmission.

They say the freezing rain storm is the main culprit...icey, slippery road sliding then hitting a clean patch and getting traction. They tell me this isn't the first MO they've seen, for a car that isn't that old the tell me a bunch have come in with similar cracks in the TC, typically winter slipery driving conditions. The tech says they really messed up when they designed that transfer case, they're crap for winter driving.

The real kicker is that my wife and I traded our 2003 Maxima for this car because we thought the AWD would be better/safer in the winter for the new baby. I'd rather have the maxima any day, today I was lucky I was close to Canadian Tire...if I was in the middle of no where (most of the area around where I live) my 9 month old baby could have froze due to their crappy design)

How ridiculous is it to offer an AWD that can't handle AWD conditions and has to be babied more then a car.

What a Joke

 

I have an 04 Mo with 39k miles and this week i started to hear and feel strong kicks from from wheels when accelerating from the stop and same when reversing. I think maybe the transfer case. Will take it to the dealer tomorrow. Has anyone else had those symptoms ?

 

I had the same syptoms, right before the thing cracked...I'd have it towed if I were you. If it is the transfer case maybe you can save your tranny.

 

I reaaaaalllly need the car in the morning to go to school (exam) but you really got me thinking now. I doesn't do it regularly just now it has been more often.


Thanks for the tip thought

 

Re: Another one Bites the Dust

Transfer Case cracked in half today...100,000 kms 2004 awd Murano


How ridiculous is it to offer an AWD that can't handle AWD conditions and has to be babied more then a car.

What a Joke

Bummer man, especially with a new baby.
Unfortunately, you must not have found the forum before purchasing Mo for such a hardy place to live in snow/ice conditions.
The TC is Mo's achille's heel, quite noticable by the posts here.
I imagine an Outback probably would be one of your best vehicles for that place.
Good luck!

 

Drove the car to the dealer and had a tech go with me on a test drive. He also noticed the kicks from the wheels and confirmed the noisy transfer case. I had to leave it till tomorrow as they are too busy to take it in for the detailed check today.

 

I just saw the poll, victim at 42000 miles with a leak I discovered by this website. Thanks for the info...looks like ALOT of Muranos affected by the defect.

How would one go about having Nissan acknowledging this problem with a TSB??? I'm hoping the dealer does not try to screw me with the repair.

By the way for those that do not report having a leak now...keep a check because you'll most likely discover it sooner or later. I was one that did'nt think I would be affected...NOT!!! And for those that think that a small percentage are affected, look above and do the math, it is a PROBLEM!!!

 

Picked up the car today with the transfer case changed by dealer. Still have the kicks when turning from left or right. Will go back to the dealer tomorrow. Anyone has any idea what it might be ?

 

Awesome... this just started to happen a couple weeks back.

My '03 MO with 92 k...started to leak...see pic taken last night when I went to change the oil.

Awesome huh!

Quick question…

I replaced the stock Goodyear Tires (had to) with four Cooper CS4 Touring tires (235/65R18) about 3K miles ago....see pic below...and I now have some suspicious noises/vibrations. I'm wondering whether or not it's a result of the CVT/Transfer Case or the tires being out of balance. At any rate, I have to get that leak taken care of before my extended warranty runs out in about 6-7K miles.

Now I know the ride is a touch louder because of the tread, but at about 1K miles in with these tires, I started to notice that the ride is a hell of a lot louder with a repetitive....rub-like sound. I rotated the tires last light and, although the repetitive sound is significantly less, the sound/vibration still shows up at 35-40 MPH.

I would appreciate any feedback as to whethere this sounds like a CVT or tire issue?

PS…I too experienced that nasty, flat-tire like sound at about 65K. I had my MO towed to the dealer, where it was repaired under warranty and my CVT-ignorant a$$ was told that “It was one of the bearings that came loose in the CVT.” Problem was fixed and I did not experience anything until now.

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

 

gatr09-

Beautiful car. Too bad the underside is not as clean as the topside, but that is Nissan's fault, not yours.

I would think the wheel vibration is not related to the CVT leak. Many owners have opted to have their wheels balanced using Hunter RoadForce equipment. It does a much better job of balancing tires than your typical balancing units found in many places.

Here's a link to another thread on this forum that discusses the Hunter Roadforce system - CLICK HERE

-njjoe

 

gatr09-

I would think the wheel vibration is not related to the CVT leak. Many owners have opted to have their wheels balanced using Hunter RoadForce equipment. It does a much better job of balancing tires than your typical balancing units found in many places.

Here's a link to another thread on this forum that discusses the Hunter Roadforce system - CLICK HERE

-njjoe

Just had the tires balanced at NTB. Although much softer the whell sound/vibration is still there.

But my dumbass forgot to ask if they perform the ballance with Hunter Roadforce system.

Thoughts?