FIXED: Rear axle click clunk noise

JARblue · 12-17-2014, 08:43 AM

juld0zer, thank you for presenting this solution. It worked out fine for me with only minor changes. In the future, I would probably get 4 new washers for each side to be safe. They're actually kind of expensive for washers, but they're still only a couple bucks each.

Also, I should clarify that my clicking was caused by a lack of moly grease on the axle. My adjusting cap was quite tight and not the cause. For me the Kawasaki nut was just a preventative measure to keep it from happening in the future.

chops · 12-17-2014, 05:31 PM

for the record, you can probably use flat fender washers and just buy 2 new spring washers (one for each side, to go on after you stack some fender washers). since i believe the way the spring washer works is that it provides tension against the nut to keep the nut from getting loose. stacking 3 spring washers on top probably keeps this from happening.

problem is finding a fender washer with an inside diameter big enough to fit over the axle, and outside diameter small enough to fit into the hole for the hub though. i'm taking apart mine tonight to see if i can find fender washers at grainger that will fit before i order 2 more spring washers. not like the car is going anywhere anyway...its been raining for a week or two now

JARblue · 12-17-2014, 05:37 PM

If you are able to take the spring washer to Grainger, I guarantee they can find you something that will work. And I agree, it is probably appropriate to only use one spring washer per side.

chops · 01-19-2015, 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JARblue

If you are able to take the spring washer to Grainger, I guarantee they can find you something that will work. And I agree, it is probably appropriate to only use one spring washer per side.

just an update... i picked up 4 of these and they work perfectly

https://www.fastenal.com/web/products/details/33821

zefaulter · 01-19-2015, 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chops

just an update... i picked up 4 of these and they work perfectly

https://www.fastenal.com/web/products/details/33821

Why 4?

chops · 01-19-2015, 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zefaulter

Why 4?

it goes, 2 washers, OEM spring washer, kawasaki castellated nut on each side. i did not feel comfortable using 3 OEM spring washers in order to get the new nut to fit correctly

zefaulter · 01-19-2015, 10:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chops

it goes, 2 washers, OEM spring washer, kawasaki castellated nut on each side. i did not feel comfortable using 3 OEM spring washers in order to get the new nut to fit correctly

Oh gotcha!

JARblue · 01-20-2015, 06:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chops

just an update... i picked up 4 of these and they work perfectly

https://www.fastenal.com/web/products/details/33821

Quote:

Originally Posted by chops

it goes, 2 washers, OEM spring washer, kawasaki castellated nut on each side. i did not feel comfortable using 3 OEM spring washers in order to get the new nut to fit correctly

Thank you for the link

I am currently using 3 OEM spring washers. Kevin at the Z clinic didn't seem overly concerned about it, so I wasn't either. But I will probably go ahead and order these anyway; they're not expensive.

YzGyz · 02-15-2016, 04:30 PM

Those of you that did it themselves, did you unbolt the axle from the diff and smear grease between the diff and that shiney part of the axle? How much grease did yo put on there?

YzGyz

JARblue · 02-17-2016, 08:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YzGyz

Those of you that did it themselves, did you unbolt the axle from the diff and smear grease between the diff and that shiney part of the axle? How much grease did yo put on there?

YzGyz

I bought the Honda M-something moly lube. Used most of a 10oz tube on the rear axles. No need to be stingy with it

edit: I left the axle connected to the diff so it did not get any lube there.

TreeSemdyZee · 02-17-2016, 09:00 AM

Speaking of TSBs. I just found an interesting site with ALL of the TSBs.
The link below is specifically for the '09 370, but they have all vehicles.

2009 Nissan 370Z TSBs (Technical Service Bulletins) | NissanProblems.com

juld0zer · 02-17-2016, 09:39 AM

The M77 grease is to be applied to the flat face of the outer CV only. Not the splines. The flat face is the face which butts up against the hub. It's approx 10mm wide. There is a TSB for the 370Z and many Nissan models. The TSB will
have photos that tell you where to put the grease.

Follow the specified amount - weigh the tube using digital scales before applying and during application to determine when you have administered enough grease.

From memory, i took the axles out to do the greasing because i couldnt get enough room to properly see where i was applying it. Dont take chances, order the mandatory replacement fasteners

As i said earlier, this did not solve my problem but by all means try it out if you have access to the grease.

JARblue · 02-17-2016, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by juld0zer

The M77 grease is to be applied to the flat face of the outer CV only. Not the splines. The flat face is the face which butts up against the hub. It's approx 10mm wide. There is a TSB for the 370Z and many Nissan models. The TSB will
have photos that tell you where to put the grease.

Follow the specified amount - weigh the tube using digital scales before applying and during application to determine when you have administered enough grease.

From memory, i took the axles out to do the greasing because i couldnt get enough room to properly see where i was applying it. Dont take chances, order the mandatory replacement fasteners

As i said earlier, this did not solve my problem but by all means try it out if you have access to the grease.

I did this at the same time as I replaced the stupid adjusting cap with the Kawasaki castle nut per your thread. Might as well while I was in there

Kevin at Austin Z Clinic told me to be generous with the lube, even though the FSM may say otherwise. I did everything probably 30K miles ago. No issues since.

icChi · 12-21-2016, 06:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by juld0zer

Hey guys,
As some of you will know, i've been battling these clicking axles for a while. I have tried:
- Lazy fix - basically removing the big nut, pushing the axle in as far as possible and injecting a crapload of wheel bearing grease. Then torquing up the nut to spec. Didn't last long at all.

NB: There are 2 torque specs depending on your year model/the way the big nut is secured.

- Official Nissan fix using Molykote M77 grease. Involves removing both axles, cleaning and applying this special grease and replacing all nuts, bolts, cotter pins, caps. This solution didn't last long - i had my hopes up but i also had my doubts that this super-grease could cushion the metallic click to the point where Nissan engineers declared it as eliminated. For those who want to try it but can't find the grease, you can buy it in a tube from your Honda motorcycle dealer. Google "Honda M77 assembly paste".

- Re-torquing the nut an extra 10Nm each time the noise reappeared. I couldn't go on forever retorquing the nut. With the success i was having, i'd be up to 300Nm by now.

*drum roll*
This is the solution that has eliminated the noise for me. The noise used to come back every 4000km, on alternate sides. This solution has worked for the past 9000km (almost 5 months). I am driving the car harder now that i have some mods too. No, it doesn't involve Loctite and it doesn't cost a fortune either.

Here's what you need if you want to have a go:

- Kawasaki axle nut (yes, seriously). Part number 92210-0280. They're about $15 each from your local Kawasaki dealer. The nut is almost identical in dimensions to the OEM flange type nut - you use the same socket too. Kawasaki specifies similar torque specs to what Nissan specifies so there's no doubt the nut can handle it. It's made in Japan so it must be good, right? :P

This particular nut is castellated, so it combines the OEM big nut plus the pathetic OEM 'adjusting cap' (as fitted to 2011 models and other year models) into one nut. Unlike the weak tin steel prongs of the adjusting cap, the 6 slots in the Kawasaki nut won't get crushed over time from the constant banging of the cotter pin when you accelerate/coast. The slots are also quite snug when you use an OEM cotter pin so again, there's almost no possibility of movement.

http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/a...r/photo1-1.jpg
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/a...r/photo2-1.jpg

- 2 OEM spring washers. One for each side. You'll need the washers to make up the gap because the Kawasaki nut, being just as tall as the OEM nut, will not reach the cotter pin hole in the end of the axle. In the OEM setup, the 'adjusting cap' would sit over the nut and its prongs would reach the cotter pin hole.

- New OEM cotter pins. Don't re-use the old ones. You dont want to be forever mucking around with this.

- Torque the nut up to the OEM spec for a 370z with adjusting cap. You'll notice that the castellated slots don't line up with the cotter pin hole in the axle. This is fine. Use your breaker bar and turn the nut until the next available slot lines up with the hole.

How you torque the nut is up to you. Some prefer to mount the wheel and lower the car til the wheel touches the ground. I just put a jack stand underneath the rotor hat and lowered the car til some weight was resting on the jack stand.

- Fit NEW cotter pin and secure it properly. You might need a small hammer to push it thru.

http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/a...r/photo3-1.jpg

- Reinstall wheel and enjoy

I hope you enjoy the same success as i did. You don't have to use a Kawasaki nut but any castellated nut of the same thread and diameter will be fine. Don't use an aluminium or soft metal nut.

Good luck!

Hi juld0zer, just wondering how is the fix holding up since you did it? thinking bout doing it on my Z, as the nissan fix didnt last long

Wonka2581 · 12-27-2016, 12:35 AM

Holly sh*t Batman!!!! Thank you soooo much for posting this thread!! I just had the dreaded "CLUNK" noise start happening.... and my Z is a 2011 with 20,000 miles so she just ran out of warrenty. I'm going to be ordering these Kawasaki nuts.

12-17-2014, 08:43 AM	#1 (permalink)
JARblue A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Austin, TX Age: 44 Posts: 36,450 Drives: 11 Z34, 98 E36 M3 Rep Power: 2684441	juld0zer, thank you for presenting this solution. It worked out fine for me with only minor changes. In the future, I would probably get 4 new washers for each side to be safe. They're actually kind of expensive for washers, but they're still only a couple bucks each. Also, I should clarify that my clicking was caused by a lack of moly grease on the axle. My adjusting cap was quite tight and not the cause. For me the Kawasaki nut was just a preventative measure to keep it from happening in the future. Initial Z likes this. __________________ 2011 370Z 6MT Sport Gun Metallic \| ARC \| CJM \| Ecutek \| FI \| Fujimura \| R2C \| SPL \| Stillen \| TWM \| Z1 \| ZSpeed \|

12-17-2014, 05:31 PM	#2 (permalink)
chops A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: NA Posts: 1,732 Drives: NA Rep Power: 22	for the record, you can probably use flat fender washers and just buy 2 new spring washers (one for each side, to go on after you stack some fender washers). since i believe the way the spring washer works is that it provides tension against the nut to keep the nut from getting loose. stacking 3 spring washers on top probably keeps this from happening. problem is finding a fender washer with an inside diameter big enough to fit over the axle, and outside diameter small enough to fit into the hole for the hub though. i'm taking apart mine tonight to see if i can find fender washers at grainger that will fit before i order 2 more spring washers. not like the car is going anywhere anyway...its been raining for a week or two now JARblue likes this.

12-17-2014, 05:37 PM	#3 (permalink)
JARblue A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Austin, TX Age: 44 Posts: 36,450 Drives: 11 Z34, 98 E36 M3 Rep Power: 2684441	If you are able to take the spring washer to Grainger, I guarantee they can find you something that will work. And I agree, it is probably appropriate to only use one spring washer per side. __________________ 2011 370Z 6MT Sport Gun Metallic \| ARC \| CJM \| Ecutek \| FI \| Fujimura \| R2C \| SPL \| Stillen \| TWM \| Z1 \| ZSpeed \|

02-15-2016, 04:30 PM	#9 (permalink)
YzGyz A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Houston Posts: 1,449 Drives: 2010 Nismo Rep Power: 64	Those of you that did it themselves, did you unbolt the axle from the diff and smear grease between the diff and that shiney part of the axle? How much grease did yo put on there? YzGyz __________________ http://www.the370z.com/members-370z-...gyzs-turn.html YzGyz

02-17-2016, 09:00 AM	#11 (permalink)
TreeSemdyZee Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Kentuck-IANA Age: 61 Posts: 4,887 Drives: '09 370 & ‘14 Juke Rep Power: 27409	Speaking of TSBs. I just found an interesting site with ALL of the TSBs. The link below is specifically for the '09 370, but they have all vehicles. 2009 Nissan 370Z TSBs (Technical Service Bulletins) \| NissanProblems.com JARblue and YzGyz like this. __________________ Borla S-Type \| Motordyne \| Z1 (lots) \| South Bend \| K&N \| Nismo/Nismo S-Tune \| Eibach \| Aerojacket \| Fujimara \| Spl \| ZSpeed Performance \| Kenwood-Infinity-Sound Ordnance \| Whiteline \| Ecutek \| Hotchkis \| Clazzio \| VQ Vortex \|Morimoto XB \|Dynosty Tune 329.64hp 265.73 ft/lb

02-17-2016, 09:39 AM	#12 (permalink)
juld0zer Enthusiast Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Sydney Posts: 428 Drives: 11 Nissan 370Z MB M6 Rep Power: 139	The M77 grease is to be applied to the flat face of the outer CV only. Not the splines. The flat face is the face which butts up against the hub. It's approx 10mm wide. There is a TSB for the 370Z and many Nissan models. The TSB will have photos that tell you where to put the grease. Follow the specified amount - weigh the tube using digital scales before applying and during application to determine when you have administered enough grease. From memory, i took the axles out to do the greasing because i couldnt get enough room to properly see where i was applying it. Dont take chances, order the mandatory replacement fasteners As i said earlier, this did not solve my problem but by all means try it out if you have access to the grease. JARblue and YzGyz like this.

12-27-2016, 12:35 AM	#15 (permalink)
Wonka2581 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Chattanooga, TN Posts: 3,083 Drives: MY WIFE CRAZY.... Rep Power: 2612	Holly sht Batman!!!! Thank you soooo much for posting this thread!! I just had the dreaded "CLUNK" noise start happening.... and my Z is a 2011 with 20,000 miles so she just ran out of warrenty. I'm going to be ordering these Kawasaki nuts. __________________ "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat""Winston Churchill*"

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