I knew this day would come...

I was sitting at a stop light. Light turns green, I put it in 1st. I let out the clutch and press the gas. Clunk. Then it kicks the shifter out of first. Tried it again, same result.

Whenever I put it in first and take off, it kicks it out of gear. I can hold the shifter in place, and it works fine. The other gears (even 3rd) are fine. I think its the throw out bearing.

Im thinking about taking him Certified Transmissions - Ive heard nothing but good things about them; mixed things about Cottman.

Any estimates on what happened, how much it will cost, or how long Max will be out of commission? Should I just get the whole thing rebuilt?

Thanks.

 

ok, thanks for your help guys.

 

well, in my haynes book it says the possible problems could be:
1. Worn or improperly adjusted linkage
2. Transaxle loose on engine
3. Shift linkage does not work freely, binds
4. Input gear bearing retainer broken or loose
5. Dirt between clutch cover and engine housing
6. Worn shift fork

if you are mechanically inclined at all i would suggest doing the work yourself. it's not really that hard to work on a manual and would cost a lot less than taking it to someone. if not, take it to several tranny shops and get all of their opinions and prices. also check the BBB for the different tranny shops around there.

 

Ok thanks.

Hopefully it wont be anything too major. I just dropped it off at Certified Transmissions. I should hear back later about what they think. If its not big, Ill have em just fix it. Something bigger, Ill get another opinion.

Thanks again.

 

Well, I got some bad news. Bearing in the tranny is broke amongst other things. Yada, yada, yada.....$2,000 for a used tranny and new axle (CV boot was torn and CV shaft is dry). Or $2500 for a rebuild. Not to mention the fact I only got approved for $1500 from dumb Wells Fargo bank.

Heres what Im looking at:
Tranny: $1600
Axle: $400
Ex Manifold: $600
Shocks/Struts: $600
Total: $3200

More than the car is worth. Not to mention anything else could go at any moment.

Should I repair it or let it die?

 

that is wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy y over priced. the bearing and seal for the bearing and then the two seals for the axles would cost under 50 dollar to get. it's not that hard to do. the axles don't cost that much either. i think you can get them for like 250 at autozone and they have a lifetime warrantee or something like that. why do you need the shocks and struts and exhaust manifold?

 

The guy at Certified Transmissions estimated a tranny rebuild at $2500. Thats $500 for the intial labor. He said, from experience with Nissans (he worked at a Nissan dealership) that the parts could add quickly. He suspected that other stuff inside would need to be replaced as well.

What I could do is....repair just the tranny ($1500) and then sell it, hopefully getting at least $1500 out of it to pay off the work - anything more I could get out of it would go toward a down-payment on another car.

What do you think I could get for a 1991 SE (5speed) 161,000mi, leather (no rips), everything but ABS, including working Bose w/ Sony cd player and all windows functional, new tires, bad CV shaft?

 

actually, parts don't really add up quickly. go here for sweet prices on everything http://www.drivetrain.com/nissanRS5F50Afwd5sp.html you can get a rebuild kit for 200 dollars from these guys. it truly isn't worth that much money to fix. i would take it to some other places and see what they say. i'm sure all that broke is the input shaft bearing. that thing seems to go out a lot, like it did in my tranny and another one that i bought. if the car is driven too long with the input shaft bearing broken damage could be done to the bellhousing which would then cost a lot to fix.

 

Im going to call Cottman tomorrow. Ill see if they can get me a better deal on a used tranny or see if they could rebuild it for less.
BTW - I live in an apt, so working on it here is kinda out of the question.

 

i got my used tranny for 350. the input shaft bearing was broken still but easy to fix. i'm sure you can find a cheap tranny that works. check www.car-part.com