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Diff Lock Question

11K views 18 replies 9 participants last post by  2013Pro4X 
#1 ·
tried searching around but after 20 minutes I am just posting...
truck = 07' Nismo Manual transmission.
was up at my property last weekend and got a pretty steep and rocky section that I am trying not to rut out so usually take this in 4lo with the locker on to just creep up.

stick in neutral
clutch pushed in
dead stop
engage 4hi, wait for 4 hi to read out
engage to 4lo, wait for 4 lo to read out
bumped forward a couple feet.
stopped
pushed the diff lock button (stick in neutral/clutch pushed in)
diff lock light blinks maybe 3 or 4 times and then nothing
no other lights flashing or anything.

repeated a couple times with same results.

I proceeded up the hill and honestly did not have much wheel spin to tell if the locker was engaged but doubting it if I am not getting all the dash lights indicating so.

any thoughts on why I am not seeing my diff lock flash until it engages and then turns solid with ABS lights turning on?

Thanks for the help guys.
 
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#3 ·
brake was pressed in. even in the past where I have missed one of the steps I get the light just flashing until I get everything lined up and then it pops into solid.
 
#5 ·
Mine flashes until it engages and then it stays on. Have you checked it with the wheels off the ground to see if it's actually locked yet? If it is locked it may just be a faulty indicator sensor. If it's not locked it may be a faulty actuator solenoid. It seems like it's doing the rest correctly if it starts flashing when you flip the switch. I only have to be in neutral to switch to 4lo, once in 4lo I can engage the locker any time. And I have not done the locker mod yet as I don't want to run into warranty issues. If you're out of warranty there's no reason not to do the mod. All accounts are that it stops the silly flashing while it hunts for engagement and locks much quicker. And it'll lock in any range, incl 2wd
 
#6 ·
I do not have the locker mod done. typically (since I have owned the truck new) I would follow the process above, the light would flash until I moved my wheels, maybe a foot or two at most. then be on solid. I will try with the wheels off the ground.
 
#7 ·
tried searching around but after 20 minutes I am just posting...
truck = 07' Nismo Manual transmission.
was up at my property last weekend and got a pretty steep and rocky section that I am trying not to rut out so usually take this in 4lo with the locker on to just creep up.

stick in neutral
clutch pushed in
dead stop
engage 4hi, wait for 4 hi to read out
engage to 4lo, wait for 4 lo to read out
bumped forward a couple feet.
stopped
pushed the diff lock button (stick in neutral/clutch pushed in)
diff lock light blinks maybe 3 or 4 times and then nothing
no other lights flashing or anything.

repeated a couple times with same results.

I proceeded up the hill and honestly did not have much wheel spin to tell if the locker was engaged but doubting it if I am not getting all the dash lights indicating so.

any thoughts on why I am not seeing my diff lock flash until it engages and then turns solid with ABS lights turning on?

Thanks for the help guys.
Unless something changed I have to have the clutch OUT to change in and out of low range. Were you really getting low range (did it drive like it was in low range)? Without low range you are not going to get the diff to lock.
 
#8 ·
yup. was absolutely in low range. promise. and it engages with clutch in. sure of that, hear it click right in. and its pretty obvious when your in low versus high. I have had this truck for 7+ years. very familiar with it and what it does. what it is doing now with the locker is not normal operating procedure. tried again last night in my gravel side area. exact same results. checked fuses and relays associated with the system and everything seems to be fine. did not go as far as running resistance checks on relays though. guess I will have Nissan poke it when I take it in next week for some routine maintenance. Will keep everyone posted of what they find in case someone else out there comes across a similar issue.
 
#9 ·
a quick update, Nissan called and said I need a new rear axle. something about some sensor or some internals that are bad. could cause a pin to shear off and the rear end to seize. for F's sake! they are loaning me a titan for the week while the parts are on order but going to set me back a couple bills. sucks. told them I want the old axle. as it was still driving my butt back and forth to work for weeks I know there is no damage to the gears, seals, etc, so its probably a fine axle if someone wanted to purchase it to fix up and have a locker. its out of a 07' 6 speed MT Nismo. forgot what gears they run in these, but sure someone will chime in. CHEAP axle for sale! ohhh....that does not even make me feel better about the situation really.....crap
 
#11 ·
Thanks for the update OP.... Let us know how this ends up and if they tell you any further information of what was actually wrong.

It makes sense for me to post this here rather than starting a new thread, as I am having a similar (but not identical) problem.

1) Switch into 4lo no problem
2) Switch on diff lock and I get continual diff lock flashing:



I then have dried rolling a few feet, putting it in drive, reversing, etc but nothing gets it to engage, however on
1 attempt out of about 30 I believe got it to engage successfully, ABS and slip on and Diff Lock lite solid:



Here is the question, in the 2nd pic which I believe is successful engagement, my 4wd indicator looks like its in 2wd (and no 4lo indicator either) is that normal?

In any case, I plan to take it to the dealer in the next week or so, as its still under warranty, (unless anyone thinks I am engaging it incorrectly), and I will post the results of what they say.
 
#13 · (Edited)
thanks for confirming that is not normal Nissan4Life. I'm 100% certain I was in 4lo when I engaged it successfully that time. However, I was trying so many things that day, it is possible I switched back to 2wd after engagement and then took that pic (although I would have suspected that the diff lock would disengage itself under those circumstances (when switching back to 2wd) and the abs light would go off, and the diff lock light would start flashing again.

I tried to duplicate again just now, but I can't get it to engage to take another pic.

Definately an issue somewhere, so I'll take it in an report back.
 
#14 ·
I made an appointment with the dealer for the 30th of June on this topic, because I'm almost out of warranty (I think, maybe this is covered under the 60K portion, I'm not sure).

Once I'm out of warranty I'm game for trying the diff lock mod because I would like to diff lock in 4Hi.

Anyway, I tried again tonight to engage diff lock, and I got the dash to look like the below pic. I have no trouble getting to 4Lo, but after engaging 4Lo, it took about 15 attempts (rolling forward, oscillating the wheel a bit) for the dash to look like this.



Does this correct to you guys? I may not have time to get the rear wheels off the ground to test if I'm actually locked, before I take it in.

I recall over the winter when I really used this a few times, that the "slip" light was also on. I also recall it was much easier to engage and disengage the diff lock (after being in 4lo). Just want to confirm I'm not completely nuts before I bring it in.
 
#15 ·
Yup, that's locked. Once the "diff lock" light stops flashing it's locked. And the ABS is disabled in 4lo so that's why that light is on. My diff lock is usually pretty quick to engage once in 4lo but it depends on what type of surface you're on too. It engages easier on dirt than on rock and same deal for disengage. I have more trouble getting it into and out of 4lo than I do getting the locker to engage/disengage once it's in 4lo. The locker mod is on my list too but I need to take it in to the dealer one more time to have them check the 4lo issue first since it's still under warranty.

EDIT: been a LONG time since my cluster has read anywhere near 16.9 mpgs :laugh:
 
#16 · (Edited)
To close the loop on this anyway, I brought it to the dealer today.

In a parking lot a few hundred feet away, just before I got there, I tried it again, no engagement. Then I pulled into the service bay entrance to park and tried it again one last time, and (of course) it engaged immediately (same exact steps every time, neutral -> brake depressed -> 4LO -> diff lock).

Anyway, a few hours later, I got "the call" from the dealer, with the "instructions" on how to use it, because its engaging fine now they said. "The truck must be in 4lo, do not use on dry pavement, only use it when you are stuck, and oh yeah, the truck must be in reverse" (what?? no reference in owners manual about reverse)

See below..



Anyway, now magically it seems to be engaging very well, sometimes rolling forward a few feet helps lock it in, but it now engages every time, so who knows, maybe it needed some exercize :)

After the warranty is up, I think I'll try the diff lock mod, I think its something I could probably handle, and I've heard that besides being able to lock in 4Hi, it also engages easier and faster.
 
#19 ·
thanks shizzy and mdsjohna. yes the service bay was painted concrete

I used the diff lock it 2 or 3 times during the winter (one time it saved me from being recovered - worth the extra price for the p4x that time :) ) on snow and it engaged easier.

All of these recent questions came about because I was doing my final "warranty is almost over" check, so these comments about alignment/slippage make me feel a lot better thanks.
 
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