nadir_s

ok i guess I should have read the directions more carefully... and now I find out I need a drive ratchet. What's a drive ratchet????? I know i have a socket one... the regular kind u take most bolts on. When i went underneath the car, i found the spot where the fill bolt is... but it's not an actual bolt. Nothin is sticking out! only it goes inward... i thought it was missing the bolt at first but when i stuck my finger in there i felt a metal wall. So... this means i gotta go out and get myself a drive ratchet right?

I know this must be a hella stupid question to ask but i did search on google.com for some pics of a drive ratchet and the ones i saw looked pretty much teh same as a socket...

Thanks guys. BTW- if you guys also know this quesiton, i asked it again on a previous post but no response... when testing the driveshaft to see if the bearings are bad, should the car be lifted?? I took a hold of it and started shaking it but it dind't budge at all which i hope is a good thing. The driveshaft is the rod coming from the wheel to that tranny right?? lol sorry for the newbie questions, please help me!

SuDZ

Are you refering to the square that is inverted? That is a bolt. Use the ratchet's end without a socket. I think it is like 1/4 or so? Been a while since I did it, but non the less put it in there and undo it.

SuDZ

nadir_s

Thanks for the tip, i tried it and it was too small. I believe it's suppose to be 1/2 drive ratchet... i guess ill have to head out and buy it now.

Mishmosh

iTrader: (3)

Yeah, 1/2" drive with no socket. If you plan to do any modding on the car, just go ahead and by a decent 1/2" socket set with breaker bar. It will come in handy when 3/8" just doesn't cut it.

Alternatively, you can purchase a little 3/8"-to-1/2" adapter for $5 to use your 3/8" drive.

nadir_s

Yeah, i ended up getting a 1/2" ratchet at walmart for 13 bucks... i was plannin on opening up my tranny to drain/fill it myself from now on anyways.

OMFG! i've been trying for the past 10 min to try to freakin take that bolt off but it's like extremely tight! it won't budge at all! i'm afraid to use all my force w/ it and somehow have the car fall on me or something. blah this is startin to **** me off... it's dark and i want to get that damn bolt off. It's up by the driver front side wheel... i just used the jack that came w/ the car... and another jack that's the same frmo my mom's van to keep the thing up. I'm not stickin my head down there, but im afraid it's gonna fall or something if i try too hard....

I can see where the leak took its toll, its pretty oily down there... especially near the drain bolt area.... how much is usually to fix that seal (gasket)?

iansw

iTrader: (7)

Um, If you're emptying and filling the tranny, don't use that bolt.

Use the black bolt under the pan (It's on the bottom of the car). You'll get more fluid out that way.

IanS

VeeQueue

iTrader: (1)

There is no "pan" on a manual tranny. That 1/2" filler plug is the only way to fill the manual tranny.

nadir_s

I give up for tonite. I dont know which idiot torqued the bolt.. it's well over 50lb. Freakin Nissan ******, i had them drain/fill and install a new clutch about a year ago. I'm going back to walmart and exchanging the one i bought for a longer ratchet.

StygianMax

iTrader: (8)

Look at my website I just changed my tranny fluid 2 weeks ago on my own with a fellow org. Lots of pics/text. btw, my drain bolt wouldn't budge so I removed the shifter sensor (which came out from the tranny box very easily.) I did have to pop it out with a flat-head screwdriver carefully.

Let me know if you have any questions. Otherwise, good luck.

nadir_s

heh, i DID use your helpful pics and txt as i was starting it Thanks! it's a great writeup.

I dind't know about the tranny sensor.... what is that and where is it? Does removing it make the tranny bolt easier to come out or something?

StygianMax

iTrader: (8)

Someone's referred to it not as a tranny sensor but a "shifter sensor". I drained my fluid from that hole after I pulled that black sensor off. I did NOT remove the drain bolt at all....stinkin' thing started to get rounded & I didn't want to make it any worse.

If you're wondering how much tranny fluid gets drained from that hole, lets put it this way....I put in about 4.25 quarts of Red Line oil so maybe there was .25 quart of the original fluid that was still stuck in the case. In my mind, that's not too bad for a DIYer.

nadir_s

oops, i mis-read ure first post. I haven't tried teh drain bolt yet. I was trying to open the fill bolt but taht ***** is too tight in there. I gotta see if there's tranny fluid in there or not. I think almost all or most has leaked out while iw as driving or something.

StygianMax

iTrader: (8)

You might want to find a breaker bar or a torque wrench....something that'll give you some more leverage.

As for the leak, while you're under the car, look for traces of fluid to see if you can find where it's leaking out from. Some folks have had trouble removing the shifter sensor off so you'll want to be very careful with that. Don't use too much force in trying to remove it.

nadir_s

Thanks for the advice. Is this sensor like black and oval shaped? If so, i heard that was the Tranny position switch or something.... i'm hoping the leak is originating from that rather than something else... can't afford to get trany rebuit =(

BTW- can someone please tell me about the driveshaft test... to see if ure bearings are bad. Does the wheel have to be compleely off the ground ni order to feel it? If not... then i'm glad my driveshaft doesn't move at all. Also, i grabbed it with both arms and started to shake it but it didn't rattle or move... but then i thought maybe cuz the wheel was still on the ground.

StygianMax

iTrader: (8)

That's the one.

dwapenyi

iTrader: (3)

If you used a regular ratchet with a 1/2" drive, it will feel like that. If you used a 1/2" racthet, it would open with no problems. The 1/2" ratchet not only has a different socket size, but it also nearly 3 times the length of the standard ratchet, giving you the ability to generate alot of torque on a bolt. I bought a 1/2" ratchet and I thought I would never use it again except for the tranny, but it has come in handy when I did my suspension bushings as well. In tight spaces where you need to put some crazy torque on a bolt, that big ratchet comes in very handy.

DW

nadir_s

Thanks! They have the same thing you're talking about at walmart for the same price, I will go back and exchange it for that.

ericdwong

You guys DON't use the park positional sensor to empty the tranny. 1) It is difficult to get out without breaking and 2) I've had problems with that thing leaking once I pulled it out. Use the 12 mm drain plug instead.

nadir_s

hmm... do 5-spds have a park positional sensor?? I'm not too familiar w/ the tranny. Thanks for the advice tho eric. One more thing... when testing the driveshaft to see if your bearings are bad, what was the exact procedure for that? I know the driveshaft is the rod that comes from the wheel and into the tranny... now does the wheel have to be off the ground (up on jack stands)? I tried shaking it the other day when it was on the ground and it didn't budge at all so i'm guessing i need to jack it up...

Also, i read that u only need to press ure thumb against it to see if it moves from side to side... correct? Thanks!

dwapenyi

iTrader: (3)

I don't know about the procedure for detecting bearing failure, but wouldn't it be the most economical thing to just let them wear out?? On my car, the bearings got so bad, you could hear me shfiting into gear from 500 ft away. The slight whirring you hear now would be so loud with bad bearings. When I slowed to a stop while downshifting into 1st, everyone on the street corner would hear itIt got to the point that it was so annoying, in 1st and 2nd gear, I just decided to get everything done. I replaced the tranny and put in a new clutch.

DW

nadir_s

lol i hope the problem i have doesn't get THAT far! i'm trying to save money here!!

nadir_s

alright guys...

im going ****IN NUTS! I went out and bought a longer ratchet and the motherfreakin bolt is NOT COMING OFF.



someone tell me this... i'm trying to loosen it using the standard rule... lefty-loosey, righty-tighty. I'm facing the front left wheel well with the bar and i'm pulling it towards me... that's CORRECT right?! this freakin bolt isn't like counter-clockwise to loosen up or anything right???? omg, now i gotta go to a tranny shop or something to get this ****er loose.

here's a visual length of the ratchet:

iansw

iTrader: (7)

Like I said, don't use the bolt on the side of the tranny, use the black 14mm bolt on the bottom of the tranny. It's way easier to get to, and you can drain alot more fluid from there.

IanS

Mishmosh

iTrader: (3)

Well, it looks like you have the right tool for the job. I can't imagine that the bolt has been torqued so high that even a 1/2" breaker bar couldn't loosen it up... but you never know who worked on it before.

I would just keep at it. Your direction of turning you describe is correct. I think it just needs some serious muscle to break it free and then you will be home free. If i recall, I think it's possible to bust it loose from above if your stock intake stuff is not there.

iwannabmw

iTrader: (3)

You're doing it the right way. Did you try spraying the bolt with WD-40 or something to try to loosen some of the corrosion around the bolt??

StygianMax

iTrader: (8)

I think your caution is a good one. No one should be using excess force on a plastic component.

It sounds like some people have rotten luck with the sensor. I just happened to have rotten luck with the drain bolt & could not budge it one bit. Things were further aggravated as the bolt started getting rounded. So being cautious, I had to go to Plan B which was to remove the sensor (which came off quite easily). I just checked the tranny this morning (2 weeks after the fluid change) & I have no visible signs of leaking from the sensor.

dwapenyi

iTrader: (3)

Yup. That's it. And you're right about lefty-loosey etc. I'm surprised that it is still stuck. Just put everything into it. It's a very beefy bolt with thick threading. It won't suffer.

DW

nadir_s

Thanks guys, you've motivated me to go try again instead of taking it to a tranny shop this morning. I'll keep at it. My only concern was that i'd somehow round it out or something... it seems pretty thick so i doubt it will.

BTW- when i put my ratchet into the bolt, it is a bit loose... meaning i think its a lil bit more than 1/2" ? if i wiggle it a bit i get a good catch tho, i think some sort or electronic drill thing or something was used to open/tight it. blah what a waste of time, ill keep trying.

nadir_s

well! here's the update.... i took it to a nearby tranny shop. The guy had to use an air-ratchet in order to get that bolt off. He drained it... filled it. He said the leak looks like the driveaxel seal but he cleaned it up really good and said to bring it back on monday to see exactly where leak is hapenning. When I drove it back, i still heard the whining sound. It only happens from 1-2 gear... when im past 3k RPM. I dunno... im still hoping it's not bearing.

The mechanic told me fixing the driveaxel seal is about an hour's worth of labor. Hopefully the price for that stays under 500 bucks.

Can u guys gimme some feedback on what i should do or what this prob is.. im still hoping its not bearings. I do have a 140k miles on the car and never had the bearings go out on me.. so im hoping the shims did not suffer a manufacturing defect... Thanks

Mishmosh

iTrader: (3)

Well, the sound + leak that you getting is not good. Usually, clutch groan is only in first and maybe reverse. People report that when you start hearing it in other gears, your bearings are going. Also, I'd be leary of just having him replace the driveaxle seal if what's causing that seal to fault is the bearings...

nadir_s

very true. I will have the mechanic drive it around... he only drove it aroudn the parking lot. He told me to come back on monday and we'll check that out. Ill take him on a long road and tell him to listen to it. I forgot to tell him what kind of tranny oil to put in there... oh well i was planning to replace it w/ MT-90 soon. Damn this sucks, i was just hoping that sound was because i was low on tranny oil or something.

iwannabmw

iTrader: (3)

The seal replacement should be no more $100 tops. If that is what is leaking, replacinf it will make the leak stop, but if the bearings are indeed back the seal will start to leak again in a month or two.