M.T., (DOHC), locking differential
M.T., (DOHC), non-locking differential
A.T., SOHC
A.T., DOHC, thru 9/93, locking differential
A.T., DOHC, from 10/93 (locking differential)
A.T., DOHC, thru 9/93, non-locking differential

I'm not sure if my tranny is toast yet, but I started shopping for one. The ones above were in an online shop's listing for the 89-94 maxima. I have the VG, however I'll consider every option. I'd basically like to know the production codes as well as pros and cons of each.

 

ive got the dohc, m.t. locking differential im glad i hate the one wheel wonders LOL.... personally i would get anything else than a non locking. traction is your friend..

 

I've got the VE 5spd LSD now.

Non LSD Maxima's are fun to drive though, I drove one in the rain once going up a steep hill going WOT, you have to hold the steering wheel 45* to the left or right (depending on which wheel has power) in order to go straight, and when it switches power to each wheel you have to jerk the steering wheel back and forth.

One tire fires are fun, but I'll never own a car with an open diff.

 

Sadly, the VG only had one option and that was non-locking. You will need a trans specificaly for the VG. UNLESS you want to change the spindles and axles, then you could get a locking diff.......

 

Mtcookson mentioned that you'll only need to replace a hub when putting the VE tranny in a VG car.

 

nope, definatly need the axles and spindles

 

and i dont think you can put a VE auto in a VG because of different computer control

 

i might have found a way to only change the axle but i need to a do a bit more research. i'll let everyone know what i find when i get it all figured out.

one question though, which axle on the ve tranny is different?

 

Has anyone done the VE-VG tranny swap?

 

Yes, Kaleb has. I've talked to him in depth about the swap, and according to him both VE axles and spindles are larger and must be swaped over. You also must rewire the speed sensor harness, which isnt difficult. I dont know anyone that has done a Auto VE to VG swap, and as subs1000w pointed out you would have a hard time getting the VE tranny to work with VG ECU.

 

so are the axles of the ve the same length as the vg and just larger or are they larger and shorter/longer?

 

As far as I know, they are just larger. The VE and VG trans cases are praticaly identical, so I would pretty sure they are the same length. If you are going where I think you are with this Mark, dont. You have a turbo so you NEED those bigger axles. Forget the smaller VG axles!

 

As said, the VE axles are a little bit larger diameter...

if you're swapping them into the VG, you can simply tear a set of axles apart and take the parts you need from each and put them back together.. stick the VE inner joints onto the VG outer joints and you're done.
but you'll also have to worry about all the other issues.. wiring, clutch, ECU stuff, etc etc etc..
but it's a LOT better than swapping in another auto or a VG 5spd.

 

VE lsd is not that great but it's better than nothing. It only locks to about 20% or so

 

its definitly no detroit

 

Would replacing the ECU with the one from a VE work, or would this create more conflict issues?

 

Your transmission would work great, but your engine wouldnt run... its your call.

 

Well, how come kaleb didn't have any issues with the ECU?

 

that's what i was thinking of. so this would work?

 

whatcha mean?

 

Sorry, there appears to be some confusion. Kaleb put a 5-speed VE trans in his VG. The manual trans requires no input from the ECU, so the only electrical involved in this swap is the speed sensor which as I stated before is pretty easy (only 5 wires).
IF you wanted to swap a AUTO VE trans into a VG, you would have a hard time since the auto trans relies on input from the ECU. There is no way to swap a VE ECU into a VG while still keeping your engine from running. So, your only option then would be to interface the VE Auto trans wiring harness to the VG ECU.... it maybe entirely possible, but not without a few FSM and a whole lot of knowledge of these transmissions and their corresponding controlers.

 

Looks like I'd be getting into untapped waters with the VE auto. I might just get another VG auto, or if my short fuse blows, copy kaleb's work and have the manual swap done.

 

How do I know if my '93 DOHC max has LSD or not?