Clicking?

[D1dad]

My 21 has a single clicking going from R to P and vice versa. I did hit a decent sized pothole last year and fear it’s just now rearing its ugly head. The cv shaft feels tight and nothing abnormal in the way it drives.

[D1dad]

I’m going to check the axle nut and make sure nothing came loose. Vstar, any idea what the torque spec should be? Skf say 92 ft lbs which seems low as opposed to 135 on the 5th gen. I’ve gotta put about 400 miles on it this week and am going to eliminate the simple stuff.

[VStar650CL]

Yep, that sounds like the axle nut issue. There's a bulletin about it:
https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2022/ ... 4-0001.pdf

Torque on the fronts is 81 lbs/ft, rears (AWD) are 92 lbs/ft. The fronts are staked and not cotter-pinned, so they're kind of a PITA.

[D1dad]

Is there a charge at the dealership for this?

[VStar650CL]

If the warranty is expired, yes. It's a bulletin, not a recall. It might be included under the 5/60 drivetrain warranty and not 3/36 basic. That's not my department, you'd have to call a dealership with your VIN and ask about it. The warranty clerk should be able to tell from the op code on the last page of the bulletin whether it's covered or not.

[D1dad]

The repair looks easy enough. But how the hell do I get the axle nut off lol? And when I do I assume I need a new one?

[VStar650CL]

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2021/ ... 6-0001.pdf
Basically you hammer the cape chisel into the slot and use it to relieve the staked area of the nut. Yes, you usually need a new nut.

[D1dad]

Leave it up to Nissan to outsmart themselves and use tools only a dealer has. It’s scheduled at the dealership after thanksgiving. The dealer was familiar with the recall and the tech that I trust is going to look at it. My wife’s got a 25 rogue right now in DC and said it’s the biggest POS new car she’s ever driven. Hesitates when she hits the gas, stop start and the push button P is just asking for trouble. I saw that Nissans laying off 9k employees and 20% of their global workforce. Go figure!

[VStar650CL]

Yep, there are definitely no happy campers in corporate right now.

[D1dad]

I dropped it at the dealer on the way to the airport on Sunday. I won’t be able to verify that it is in fact fixed until a week from tomorrow. But, $220 later and the tsb was performed and supposedly that was the clicking. If not for the stupid unnecessary staked axle nut and not really having the time this time of year, I’m sure I could have done it myself. I actually somewhat trust the tech that did it. He’s a younger guy who knows I’m not one to have my exhaust fluid replaced and don’t even try it. The last few days it was really becoming obnoxious, especially when downshifting. Hopefully it’s right and lasts.

[rp709]

I have a 2021 Altima that was having a popping or clicking noise from the front end at acceleration and deceleration. Had a mechanic tighen all bolts in the front end, which did not solve the problem. I recently went to the dealership for an oil change and tire rotation, and they over inflated the tires by three pounds (?). Anyway, the noise has stopped. So, I think the problem was solved by (1) tire rotation, or (2) tightening or loosening the torque on the lug nuts, or (3) the over inflation. I have no idea, except the noise has ceased, and post this just to pass along my experience.

PS I was going to take the car to the dealership for them to fix the noise, but they wanted to keep it for 3-4 days, which I couldn't do.

[D1dad]

Looks like my 21 may have a wheel bearing going out. I obviously don’t have this tool for the axle nut. Any other Mcgiver ways to get this off Vstar?

[VStar650CL]

You can always use a nut-splitter. Other than that, no. They're a PITA.

[D1dad]

I have a hard time believing it’s an actual wheel bearing. It’s between 60 and 70 mph and doesn’t go away if I pull left or right. Nothing until I reach that speed. I left the car set for 2 weeks while I was away on a business trip and this is what I came home to. I just drove it 300 miles and the hum is the same as when I left. It’s got (newish) Bridgestones so I can’t believe it’d be a tire, but it’s definitely coming from the front, maybe right, maybe left. I’ll rotate one tire at a time when I get back and see if it moves. If you get a chance, can you post a part # for the axle nut and if I can use a regular one? I’ll use a nut splitter if I have to. What a stupid design when a cotter pin has worked for decades.

[VStar650CL]

IIRC there's no cotter hole, so there's no straightforward way to lock the nut in place without staking it. Those parts are all surface tempered, so I doubt it would be drillable and I'm not sure you wouldn't compromise the stub shaft if you succeeded. You could try double-nutting, but no apologies if it doesn't hold.

40262-4GA0D should be the right part.

[D1dad]

Appreciate it. Amazon sells cape chisels, which is about all it seems to be. I’ll just take my time and make sure it’s freed up. The hardest part is going to be finding it.

[D1dad]

How would you get the old one out? Drop the knuckle? What’s the torque specs for everything? Sorry to bother you, but I don’t have time to go to the dealer and don’t feel like paying $700. I’m going to use a BCA bearing. Made in Japan and oem here of late doesn’t inspire much confidence. My wife’s 24 had both replaced on a brand new car and now ones failed @47k on my car.

[VStar650CL]

Here's the exploded and R&I from the FSM. Torque specs are in the exploded diagram.

[D1dad]

Thanks vstar. I talked to the dealer and it’s under warranty. I’m only @48k and it was put into service 49 months ago. I’ll still keep the bearing I ordered as the exact side it’s coming from isn’t jumping out. What’s weird, is it only does it from 60-70? Looks like the procedure hasn’t changed in 20yrs so I’m good on replacing it. An hour tops.

[VStar650CL]

Honestly, that just doesn't sound like a bearing issue. Roller bearings are usually very consistent when they go bad because the damage is almost always similar, a flat spot. You get a rumble or roar which increases in volume and pitch with road speed, very predictable. If your noise started at 60 and kept going, I'd say maybe, but disappearing above 70 makes me suspicious that it's tires. The Tiger Paws we got with the wife's '13 started making noise in the rear when they were about 50% gone, I assumed they'd been cross-rotated before we got the car and changed them out for a new set. Those were quiet as a doormouse for a long time. Now the new ones are about 50% and -- duh? They're making noise just like the originals. I don't rule anything out with tires, rubber is just plain weird.

[D1dad]

I agree. I had the car aligned and the right rear was toed in, for how many miles, I have no clue. They’re Bridgestone turanzas with about 18k and are at 8/32nds. So still newish. By the time I got home from my 600 mile round trip the noise had gone down dramatically. I bet I had a high spot that is wearing in. I still ordered a wheel bearing and some new axle nuts cause I’m sure I’ll need them at some point.

[D1dad]

Update:
It’s definitely a wheel bearing. I pulled the front tire yesterday and am kind of upset. The dealership that performed the TSB for the cv shaft clicking, re-used the old axle nut and didn’t even restake it. I put my torque wrench on it just in case it wasn’t tight and it clicked right away. Out of curiosity I jumped the torque up to 100lbs and it didn’t budge. Mind you, the nut should have been 81 ft lbs. I then set my torque wrench to 150lbs and it clicked again. I’ve got new axle nuts being delivered today so I’m just going to replace it myself. I’m of the idea that the tech just took his impact and zapped it on, thus destroying the wheel bearing. Idiots!

[VStar650CL]

I’m of the idea that the tech just took his impact and zapped it on, thus destroying the wheel bearing. Idiots!

Probably right, can't fix stupid. Those hubs will resist a good bit of overtorqueing, but I'm pretty sure 150 lbs/ft would distort something. The idiot part is that if he bunged the threads being lazy, Nissan would kick back the whole repair. The SM would not be a happy camper, and you should probably let him/her know about it.

[D1dad]

I had my son take it over to a different dealer today and now have a whole different issue. They did in fact replace the left front, like I thought it was. I just got home and drove it and the cars vibrating like there’s a wheel (or 3) out of balance. Plus the right side brakes were ticking like the pads were shot, but I checked and they’re still @75%. I’m going to run it to the tire shop tomorrow and have them rebalance everything and hope that they knocked a weight off. After that I’ll clean and lube the brakes and hope that’s just a coincidence. I can’t imagine what would cause a vibration like this just doing a wheel bearing? It’s 5 fasteners and an abs sensor. But the hum is gone.

[D1dad]

It’s fixed. The left was humming and the right was vibrating with a slight hum. I replaced the right myself yesterday with a BCA bearing made by NTN who manufactures 30% of the oems in the USA. The markings were exactly the same as the Nissan oem I took out, so I’m assuming I used the same bearing without the $350 price tag. The hardest part was pinging the new staked nut with a punch. FYI, there’s absolutely no need to touch the knuckle like the illustration shows. It’s a tight fit but you can get to all the 17mm bolts with a shallow and deep socket and an extension. After hitting massive potholes, with both sides, my car drives and sounds like new. I won’t fault Nissan on this one, I fault the states of Indiana and Ohio.

[VStar650CL]

Yah, we don't pull the knuckle on them either unless it's an assembly. The ones that bolt up can all be extracted with some combination of sockets or swivels. Glad you got it straightened away.