wham fellas ... like allyuh was missing meh orrrrr?? LOL
Ok, so... lemme start here..
A lot of Navara owners have complained about strange rattles, squeaks and rumblings with their trucks. I have also shared similar complaints and I think I've figured out most of them. My navara is currently doing 90,587Km... no major mechanical complaints (other than the self inflicted sheit that I've done from off-roading) and I do all my regular maintenance by myself.
Squeaking rear suspension or squeaking when moving over humps/obstacles/small animals and rodents usually means your navara has been exposed to road dirt...... which is obviously going to happen anyway in our climate (LOL). Anyway.... the possible sources for these are just like the other guys said in the last few posts: BUSHINGS, LEAF SPRINGS, CAB MOUNTS. I do a good amount of offroading with my navara, so i get a LOT of squeaks esp when I push down on the tray... it goes *squeaky-squeaky-squeaky*. Don't worry, it's not harmful to the truck, it's not going to fall apart and the world is not going to end..... In fact I find it quite amusing whenever I jump in the tray to load up some sheit and it starts to squeak like a pair of mice being thrown into a blender full of vinegar....... It's also funny to see ppl's look of surprise when that happens and I usually tell them "don't worry, that's how all Datsuns are. It have arthritis but she running good bai!! "
Solution to this - regular sprays with WD 40 or maybe a nice thin silicone lubricant every month or so will keep your big truck nice and lubricated, smooth and silky. Probably every time you wash it down, just bend down, look underneath and get lubricated...... ok that came out wrong.
I'd advise NOT to use shock oil, because the petroleum products in the shock oil (which incidentally is just a varying mixture of 50W Diesel Oil / Kerosene / WD40 & other light oils) will cause damage and rot to your rubber components/hoses/bushings/seals over time. Yeah, we all like the nice, shiny black look of a fresh shock oil treatment after an underwash, but save that for dem maxi-men and them. Treat your Navara right, give her the proper treatments and lubricate that big girl up before you show her a good time!
Ok next problem - Rattles!!
So you're driving down the highway, and all of a sudden you hear a strange noise....
"buh wha de hell is dat? I now buy this flickin' van and it makin all kinda noise already?"Again, some of the guys before already posted the possible sources - Bonnet hood latch or spring release mechanism could cause rattles under normal road driving and operation (mine never did that though) and yes, noise can also be caused by having one of those fancy but otherwise useless wind deflectors on the hood (IMO - well, it does have a nice "Navara" sticker on it so the old tanty in the Tiida driving slow on the fast lane will know which big truck is telling him to move the f*ck out of the way ).
Did you know that one of those wind deflectors / tanty-irritators costs $1500 or so in one of those RORO dealers from south as an added option when you're looking at the options list? (IIRC)
As far as cab mounts go - next time you're servicing the truck, or before you wash it.... use your 1/2 ratchet, medium extension and a 17-socket and 19-socket... lie down under the truck and tighten each cab mount bolt and tray bolt you can find. (remember lefty loosey, righty wring-out... that's my rule anyway... don't ask about the wring-out part, heheheh).
There are 7-bolts per side of the truck:
- One under the front bumper (you may need to unscrew the wind-deflector under the front bumper to access that one)
- one under the driver's foot
- one under the driver's ass
- one under the back seat passenger's foot
- one under the back seat passenger's ass
- one by the wheel well, just by the wall of the tray close to the backseat passenger's lower back
- one just before the tailgate underneath the tray
Just give each bolt a small tug, less than 1/4 turn if loose. Don't overtighten them or else you'll do like me and wring out the nut inside the chassis... if you do, then you're gonna have a bad time.
Steering wheel rattles - that was well covered earlier as well.
I did a 4" lift on my navara, and those steering rattles have become more pronounced and are still as irritating. N&M can do the insulation job as was mentioned before.
Finally.... something that has plagued and irritated a LOT of navara owners yet no one really knows the solution to the problem (not even N&M!).....
Say for example - you're driving down the highway as usual, and all of a sudden you hear a slight rattling noise coming from the right wheel well, very near to your right foot. It comes and goes, doesnt seem to be aggravated by road bumps or potholes and sounds suspiciously like Injector Rattle or tappet rattle - only it's by your right foot by the firewall.
Well gentlemen, I beleive I've found the problem.... it's loose screw for a bracket that holds the front right wheel brake lines in place. Mine is loose and doesnt appear to have any nearby tapped holes to screw into, which is a mystery to me.... Here are some pictures:
This is a view looking into the Right Front wheel well (located very near to where you'd access the oil filter)
Look closely on the left hand side of the pic, where those brake lines come near to the chassis. There's suppsoed to be a bracket and a tapped hole there, but I'm not seeing any on my navara.
This screw on the bracket that holds the brake lines together can sometimes vibrate while driving and cause a slight rattling/tapping noise that can give any Navara driver an anxiety attack and make them think their truck is about to fall apart and worry about if N&M will still honor the warranty if it does indeed explode into a bajillion pieces. Don't worry guys..... that's not gonna happen.
Easiest fix - put a piece of rubber or some other cushioning material between the screw and the chasis. Keep a few pieces stored away for when your first piece will inevitable fall out somewhere on the roads.
More complicated fix - disconnect and move the brake lines out of the way, drill a 5/16 hole and using a tap/die set tap some screw lines into that area and then screw the bolt in permanently.
So, I hope that solved most of your problems with Navara's shake/rattle & roll.
Till next time fellas, enjoy your big Datsun's, and keep on truckin'.
