My buddy has an 87 5 speed. He purchased new axles seals from a Nissan dealership for his 5 speed for his year for his production date. He wrecked one of the seals trying to put it in.

He sourced a different set of seals from another parts supplier and he said the one he tried went in perfectly fine. I asked him about the part numbers for the seals he got from the Nissan dealer and they match the seals I just picked up for my 85 5 speed. So I took out my old seals which look like the new ones he got but nothing like the ones I got from the Nissan dealer. Here's the funny part, I used my calipers and spec'd the seals and they were an exact match size wise. I don't get it.

He is trying to tell me that there are three different manual transmission for 87 Max's hence a potential of three different types of seals for these manual transmission. HUH? Is this so?

Just curious.

 

That is quite odd. There is absolutely no difference in the trannys for 2nd gen's. Hell the 4th gen ones look exactly like ours except for the bellhousing. I find it odd the have different ones. Do the ones you got fit?

S

 

Yep, they are EXACTLY the same dimensionally, both ID and OD, just not as much rubber around the outside of the seal from the other supplier. My guess is that the ones from Nissan aren't as easy to compress and punch into the hole whereas these other ones go in a little easier due to the higher amount of rubber on the periphery. The oddball thing I find is that this other supplier is trying to say there are three different manual trannys for 87 hence three different seal sets to get depending on which manual tranny. I call bull pucky!

 

I have to sorta correct you guys. I came across different set uops of secong gen tansmission. Yes transmissions are the same except that some have totally different shift rods. Also lets say its 2 set ups.. set up 1's rod wont connect to set up 2.. and vice versa. Also I noticed the kats were different. Some were oddly shaped to go around the rods..and others were not because the rods were not in the way. Also the shifter is a little different from the inside where the car is. I was so stunned to find this out..no wonder we couldnt get the tranny to run right... OH and some secon ges have a support shift rod base..thats where the support rods rests. Others, the support rod is just longet and there is no support base...strange isnt it. I found 3 maximas with this set up and 1 regular like in the book. This was at the yards.

-hec

 

Dude, they are still the same tranny. Just because they have different shift rod does NOT change the tranny, or the part number for the tranny. What you just said doesn't make any difference, other than it was bolted in differently. Probably for purposes of improvement because of a flaw with an older design maybe. I bet if we had the parts catalog software, that shows exploded diagrams of the tranny, it would show the exact same part numbers for the trannies.

KALSC, for the seal, it could be that the one you received is of new design that works better with the tranny. Only way to really know is to install it, but if you do that, you probably can't return it.

S

 

um coprrection there.. the shift rods WONT grab the other tranny. The hook that goes in the transmission is at a different angle, also one set up does not include that support rod brace. Then the shift rod's end is at a different angle, I had to cut mine and turn it 90 degrees, Ill take pics of the different set ups.

 

Oh yeah the transmission IS the same as in bellhouseng and all, its just the shift rod, still they both can be adapted so u can use either one. Just clreaing up that I did have trouble with the rod's ends.

 

So back to the seals, I agree that there may very well be differences in moutning/attatchment, but as for the seals, I can't see there being differences in the ID of the seal recess. However, I do agree that there may be different seals whereby some are updated/better designs.

 

Yeah, I still think it's one of those try it out and see what happens type a deal. Worst case scenario, it leaks.

S

 

Well, I will say one thing, these 'newer' seals SUCK!!!!!! Talk about a bugger to get in. I am taking them back to Nissan and hunting down the more rubberized ones. My buddy used those and they popped right in. There was NO WAY I could get these ones I have to even start!!!!!! ARGH!