New 4WD Hubs - Will it fix this problem?

2434 Views 4 Replies 3 Participants Last post by lupuslefou, Jan 31, 2017

hobie690

Discussion Starter · Jan 28, 2017

I have a 2004 Nissan Xterra 4WD with 108,000 miles on it.

Recently there was a problem with the 4WD and it was determined that the auto locking hubs should be replaced. That said, they quickly found out that the auto hubs were no longer available and found someway to repair the hubs so that they were engaging in and out of 4WD properly.

Since that repair, we've had a new problem that sometimes presents itself when the car is in 2WD. It's a rapid clicking noise that can be best described as sounding like it would have when you put a baseball card in the spokes of your bicycle wheel back when you were kid. Eventually this is followed up a very loud very substantial feeling thud coming from underneath your feet -- perhaps near the 4WD transfer case. The thud/clunk is so loud and jarring that it causes you to instinctively utter an expletive even if your young impressionable 3 year old is in the car.

We're thinking that it's probably time to replace the hubs with manual locking hubs given the lack of available auto hubs.

But...that leads us to the ultimate question in the subject of this post: Will it fix the problem?

I'd love to have someone definitively say something like "that clicking noise is the ________ doing _______ and that loud thud/clunk is when the ________ finally does __________, but no one has told us that when we've asked.

Thoughts??? Is it wacky hubs or something else?

If it is the hubs, what about replacement recommendations?

Thanks!

Tim

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robcarync

· #3 · Jan 30, 2017

hobie690 said:
I'd love to have someone definitively say something like "that clicking noise is the ________ doing _______ and that loud thud/clunk is when the ________ finally does __________, but no one has told us that when we've asked.

Tim

I had the exact same problem on my 2004 xterra several years ago. I won't say this is 100% accurate...but it is pretty close ...

The stock auto locking hubs lock into 4wd (meaning the hub with the tire engages with the CV axles) when there is a torque applied which catches the 4WD hub onto the inner locking ring ("Fixed cam assembly"). If one side happens to be stuck in the locked position, the road pushes on the tire which catches the fixed cam assembly and the CV axle, which then applies torque into the differential which can then apply torque to the opposite side tire. I then got a "click...click...click...click...click...CLUNK" noise, which was the GOOD side halfway locking in. Eventually it had a loud clunk and it was good until I came to a stop. Maybe I don't understand the 100% explanation since we have open differentials (or my front USED to be open

Lokka for the win!!!) so maybe the torque shouldn't carry from one side to the other...but this was 100% exactly what I went through.

The big take away is that what you describe sounds like 100% locking hubs. New manual locking hubs will fix this (I got mile markers). The loud CLUNK usually comes from your GOOD side...as was the case with mine...the GOOD side trying to lock in since the BAD side was getting stuck and sending torque backwards through the drive train. The clunk came from the LEFT tire because my RIGHT auto hub was bad. I swapped my left hub with 2 different junk yard hubs until my buddy (xterror04 on here and xterrnation.org) watched my CV axles as I drove slowly in 2wd and noticed I had one CV axle still getting stuck and rotating.

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