Gun5

Just bought a 1993 Maxima GXE for $350 (170k m).. small oil leak and the tranny only does first gear.. maybe second sometimes... anyways the exterior/interior is 100% besides a part where i ripped the back bumper off loading it on the trailer (ill fix it dont worry )

Question 1<
The car is on jacks right now.. intake is off battery is out I drained the radiator by unscrewing the plug and taking the lower hose off should i be able to take the top hose off now without a gush load coming out??

Question 2<
oil leak is from a seal right above the oil pan.. owner said he had the gasket replaced when he had the belt done 20k ago but the mechanic did a shotty job and scored the shaft or just didnt put the gasket in right so it leaks like it did before but not as bad... what approach should I take to this??

Question 3<
Here's my big concern the transmission there is no Reverse... D 2 1 are all first gear and that's all I have.. what should I look at first?

thanks, Ryan

TimberJon

iTrader: (2)

A:1) Sure, take the top line off carefully, make sure you got a big pan or catch underneath just in case.

A:2) Oil pan gasket, you might also want to get a new oil pressure sensor? or switch? I forget the exact name, but replace both. Im going to do it myself (on an SE not a GXE), so I'm told its not too difficult, just dirty.

A:3) Id look up the price on a new transmisison, or get a quote from MAACO (spelling?) the transmission guys. See what a checkup would cost on your Gxe-Unit.

Thats my opinion, I had a GXE for 8 years.

Gun5

alright ill take off the hoses later.. I gotta try and clean up the old oil so i can get a better view of where the oil is coming from.. ill probably run the car for around 20 seconds or something (no rad) just to let some oil seap out.. does everyone think my transmission is totally toast or maybe theres a cheaper fix? solenoid or clutches?

Pearl93VE

iTrader: (14)

If it's the original transmission no doubt it's toast, I wouldn't even mess with trying to fix that one. I'm on my 3rd Tranny on a 1994 Nissan Maxima. You could get quotes on a rebuild, but I know the next time I have problems I'm going to do the 5 speed swap, it will save you time and money. Plus, if you ever wanted to drop a JDM VE Engine in it, it's already ready.
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TimberJon

iTrader: (2)

I got oil in and around my valve cover gaskets and other places. What im going to do is find a place that has a diesel-powered steam pressure washer. I used to use one to clean off construction equipment. They also use one at the Rose Bowl float construction areas. Itll

I'm going to soak all non-electrical areas (as much as possible) with a heavy duty equipment engine degreaser, the foaming kind, and let it drip all over everything. Since the oil leaks down in paths, the foam should follow all trails of gunk. Im going to use that foam and let it bubble and drip down. Then im going to follow up with the expansion foam for CAT and marine engines. Disconnecting the battery of course.

Hour later or so I will pressure wash everything with a water/solvent mix and get under the car too. Then I'll run the engine a little bit to warm it up and dry it off with air only. It should look pretty clean, not sparkling but oil and grease-free. Then I'll inspect my problem areas, and stick a sheet of white cardboard under the car, and cut it so the edges hit the tires. Align the top edge with the front of the bumper, and run it for an hour. Rev it hard every 15 minutes for a few seconds and wait overnight.
If anything, I should see the drips underneath and be able to follow the trail to the leak spot.

I want to clean it all up before I replace the gaskets and things anyways. Wouldnt hurt to install a rack and pinion and all that under a clean bay.

TimberJon

iTrader: (2)

Its strange that all the forward gears work on the trans, and not the reverse. But if they work good, and clink into gear fine, then I would have it inspected. It could be a link or some teeth or something that is sliding across instead of grabbing. I dont remember how theyre all built but theres a few parts in there that might have been damaged, that are possibly replaceable.

I wouldnt know if the checkup and fix on a tranny is as much as a new one+installation, as Ive always ever had an excellent transmission in my Maxis. All ive ever owned is maximas =)

aminus21

iTrader: (14)

"drop a JDM VE in"??? super hard to get a VE engine into a GXE...i dont think anyone has done it before..someone correct me if im wrong.

for the oil leak, I would do what TimberJon said..you dont have to go to that extent, but you get the idea...

For the transmission, like someone else said, youd be better off doing a 5-speed swap, or finding a used VG auto tranny. A good rebuild would cost over a thousand. I dont know ur budget, but if my tranny died, i would go for a used one...maybe even a JDM..they go for around ~~$600

just my 2 cents...
$350 is pretty good for a clean running max..

Black92GXE

iTrader: (3)

the swap has been done by a few people - i understand its a PITA! I can't remember the gentlemans name, but there are a few around the .org that have done it and many that have tried.....

Pepi

Well i have to say that i bought an 89max se auto for $300cdn bad body and a broken fuel injector but 4 new tires.. anyways to date its now $4100 ontop of that $300 and tahst including a used trany with 170 thou k's that cost me 425+250+15 for fluid to do so it depends where you find your used trany.

good luck, i know i love my max its my very 1st car. lol

Gun5

its just gonna be a DD for my gf and me, i got a 04 elantra and a 1994 355 firebird (puts around 470 to wheels) only 1xx to a tank though.. anyways my tranny guy said hed look at it for free so all i gotta do is take it out any tips?

thanks

and the previous owner said the leak is the main front seal or a scored shaft?

Gun5

Well so far got the battery + intake + intake manifold + rad hoses off... tryed to take the dist off but it just spins in place and I cant see under it due to the cover being there on the side of the engine



once again car is 171k miles... i plan on doing head gaskets, the intake gasket/tb gaskets where toast so they are gonna be replaced.... i believe the oil leak is the front main seal.. (crankshaft seal right?) previous owner said it was redone but its still leaking so its scorred or they did a ****ty job of a seal