4th gen 5 speed tranny = unreliable?
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Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 398
4th gen 5 speed tranny = unreliable?
Ok. I don't know if I believe this one, so I thought I would open it up to you, the owners of 4th gen Max's. A friend of mine is a mechanic, and he says that there was a problem with early 4th gen Maxima 5 speed trannys being unreliable. It was supposedly on 95-96 mainly, and corrected by 97 or 98. My question is this - Anyone ever heard this rumor, and what is the general consensus about the average reliablity of the 4th gen trannys? (assuming no forced induction or high hp applications).
Trevor
Trevor
I bought my '97 SE M/T second-hand. Who knows how the previous driver drove it. I had to get the tranny replaced (fortunately under extended warranty) in yr. 4 (at approx. 56K miles). Apparently a gear tooth was broken! I don't know if it was a defect or the previous driver abused the car. 
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Posts: n/a
Re: 4th gen 5 speed tranny = unreliable?
Considering the low #s of manual transmission 4th gens out there and the large # of people on this forum citing instances of manual tranny failures over the years, I can pretty confidently say that the 4th gen manual tranny is not very reliable by most manual tranny standards. Most failures follow the same root cause also, and start with a failing differential bearing. That usually leads to fluid loss and results in secondary failures. My tranny failed at 73K miles. I've seen failures anywhere from 60K miles on up.
On the bright side, the rest of the car is so reliable that dealing with one massive failure every 3-4 years is not all that bad. Of course I'd rather have the tranny be bulletproof, but t'aint so.
On the bright side, the rest of the car is so reliable that dealing with one massive failure every 3-4 years is not all that bad. Of course I'd rather have the tranny be bulletproof, but t'aint so.
Originally posted by Trev_Daddy
Ok. I don't know if I believe this one, so I thought I would open it up to you, the owners of 4th gen Max's. A friend of mine is a mechanic, and he says that there was a problem with early 4th gen Maxima 5 speed trannys being unreliable. It was supposedly on 95-96 mainly, and corrected by 97 or 98. My question is this - Anyone ever heard this rumor, and what is the general consensus about the average reliablity of the 4th gen trannys? (assuming no forced induction or high hp applications).
Trevor
Ok. I don't know if I believe this one, so I thought I would open it up to you, the owners of 4th gen Max's. A friend of mine is a mechanic, and he says that there was a problem with early 4th gen Maxima 5 speed trannys being unreliable. It was supposedly on 95-96 mainly, and corrected by 97 or 98. My question is this - Anyone ever heard this rumor, and what is the general consensus about the average reliablity of the 4th gen trannys? (assuming no forced induction or high hp applications).
Trevor
It is well known that the 4th gen m/t are prone to differential bearing problem...you can read that anywhere.
...but that's the only bad that I have heard for the trannys on non-boosted motors.
(of course...I have heard that it's very expensive to replace the bearing too)
...but that's the only bad that I have heard for the trannys on non-boosted motors.
(of course...I have heard that it's very expensive to replace the bearing too)
What everyone else has said, I just got mine fixed, had a bad bearing, I have a 99 so it obviously wasn't fixed till then. It started around 97K miles on mine. So yeah it's true...it's deff. not a 300ZXTT Trannie 
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 727
I have a 97 SE with a manual tranny. 93,500 miles on it and no problems knock on wood. I'm doing a drain and refill with synthetic fluid in about 3 weeks so I'll examine the fluid and see if theres anything in it that might be symptomatic of failure
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 398
Of course, when I started this thread, it was about the 4th gen's. However, I have a 2K SE that I've got into the dealer right now for a wheel bearing and a motor mount (wonder how that happened? 
However, the service advisor VOLUNTEERS to rebuild the tranny...I didn't even know there was a problem with it (still shifts fine). Luckily, $50 deductible covers it 
Just wanted to hear other stories about the trannys...
Trevor
However, the service advisor VOLUNTEERS to rebuild the tranny...I didn't even know there was a problem with it (still shifts fine). Luckily, $50 deductible covers it Just wanted to hear other stories about the trannys...
Trevor
Not DAVEB the parts guy
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 8,549
There definately seems to be an issue with the differentials in the 97+ Maximas. As for other failures, those are pretty much induced by hard driving, poor techique, and heavy duty clutches for the most part. When you race a car, you've got to expect things to break because you're operating the car with higher power and at under a much higher demand than spec. That's just the nature of the beast. There is a strong coorelation between the trannies failing and running a heavy duty clutch like the ACT. I think these clutches are good for ultra high power applications, but the driver needs to be aware that they're walking on egg shells if they want to bang the gears. Remember guys, we're driving cars that are now 4-8 years old with higher miles and many of us are the 2nd and 3rd owner. 5 speed Maximas are rare (8-10%) and the people who buy them typically "drive" them. That usually comes at a cost.
The 4th gen tranny is like any other manual tranny on market, it will fail if abused constantly. I don't know where you guys get your info from, but the T-56 in the F-Body/Viper is NOT known for it's stellar reliability. Failures are common in stock Vipers and in the F-Bodies breaking a gear and/or busting syncros is the way it goes when you start running sticky tires (assuming you don't blow that crap 7.5" differential in the back first). WRX trannies have a "glass" reputation and the same goes for DSMs. Celica GTS 6 speeds are notorious for lack of shifter gate feel which allows drivers to misshift and blow the motors. Honda trannies are well known for 2nd and 3rd gear grinding after constant abuse. The T-5 in the Mustang is rather weak and is well known to grind after abuse and even blow up when power exceeds 350rwtq. The Mazda 5 speed tranny put in the SHO is probably the most well known failing tranny. The smart SHO guys keep an extra tranny in the garage at all time because failure is so common.
The truth is most car enthusists think they're model of car is the one with the glass tranny. For the most part it's the racing and higher power that kills the tranny, not the lack of design.
Dave
The 4th gen tranny is like any other manual tranny on market, it will fail if abused constantly. I don't know where you guys get your info from, but the T-56 in the F-Body/Viper is NOT known for it's stellar reliability. Failures are common in stock Vipers and in the F-Bodies breaking a gear and/or busting syncros is the way it goes when you start running sticky tires (assuming you don't blow that crap 7.5" differential in the back first). WRX trannies have a "glass" reputation and the same goes for DSMs. Celica GTS 6 speeds are notorious for lack of shifter gate feel which allows drivers to misshift and blow the motors. Honda trannies are well known for 2nd and 3rd gear grinding after constant abuse. The T-5 in the Mustang is rather weak and is well known to grind after abuse and even blow up when power exceeds 350rwtq. The Mazda 5 speed tranny put in the SHO is probably the most well known failing tranny. The smart SHO guys keep an extra tranny in the garage at all time because failure is so common.
The truth is most car enthusists think they're model of car is the one with the glass tranny. For the most part it's the racing and higher power that kills the tranny, not the lack of design.
Dave
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 398
Hey Dave!
I was hoping you would post, seeing as you've probably have more experience with Maxima than many of us. You're probably right on with your assessment of the transmissions. Mustangs are my other hobby - and the transmissions are pretty weak, esp when shifting under high load.
Thanks for your contribution!
Trevor
I was hoping you would post, seeing as you've probably have more experience with Maxima than many of us. You're probably right on with your assessment of the transmissions. Mustangs are my other hobby - and the transmissions are pretty weak, esp when shifting under high load.
Thanks for your contribution!
Trevor
Originally posted by Dave B
There definately seems to be an issue with the differentials in the 97+ Maximas. As for other failures, those are pretty much induced by hard driving, poor techique, and heavy duty clutches for the most part. When you race a car, you've got to expect things to break because you're operating the car with higher power and at under a much higher demand than spec. That's just the nature of the beast. There is a strong coorelation between the trannies failing and running a heavy duty clutch like the ACT. I think these clutches are good for ultra high power applications, but the driver needs to be aware that they're walking on egg shells if they want to bang the gears. Remember guys, we're driving cars that are now 4-8 years old with higher miles and many of us are the 2nd and 3rd owner. 5 speed Maximas are rare (8-10%) and the people who buy them typically "drive" them. That usually comes at a cost.
The 4th gen tranny is like any other manual tranny on market, it will fail if abused constantly. I don't know where you guys get your info from, but the T-56 in the F-Body/Viper is NOT known for it's stellar reliability. Failures are common in stock Vipers and in the F-Bodies breaking a gear and/or busting syncros is the way it goes when you start running sticky tires (assuming you don't blow that crap 7.5" differential in the back first). WRX trannies have a "glass" reputation and the same goes for DSMs. Celica GTS 6 speeds are notorious for lack of shifter gate feel which allows drivers to misshift and blow the motors. Honda trannies are well known for 2nd and 3rd gear grinding after constant abuse. The T-5 in the Mustang is rather weak and is well known to grind after abuse and even blow up when power exceeds 350rwtq. The Mazda 5 speed tranny put in the SHO is probably the most well known failing tranny. The smart SHO guys keep an extra tranny in the garage at all time because failure is so common.
The truth is most car enthusists think they're model of car is the one with the glass tranny. For the most part it's the racing and higher power that kills the tranny, not the lack of design.
Dave
There definately seems to be an issue with the differentials in the 97+ Maximas. As for other failures, those are pretty much induced by hard driving, poor techique, and heavy duty clutches for the most part. When you race a car, you've got to expect things to break because you're operating the car with higher power and at under a much higher demand than spec. That's just the nature of the beast. There is a strong coorelation between the trannies failing and running a heavy duty clutch like the ACT. I think these clutches are good for ultra high power applications, but the driver needs to be aware that they're walking on egg shells if they want to bang the gears. Remember guys, we're driving cars that are now 4-8 years old with higher miles and many of us are the 2nd and 3rd owner. 5 speed Maximas are rare (8-10%) and the people who buy them typically "drive" them. That usually comes at a cost.
The 4th gen tranny is like any other manual tranny on market, it will fail if abused constantly. I don't know where you guys get your info from, but the T-56 in the F-Body/Viper is NOT known for it's stellar reliability. Failures are common in stock Vipers and in the F-Bodies breaking a gear and/or busting syncros is the way it goes when you start running sticky tires (assuming you don't blow that crap 7.5" differential in the back first). WRX trannies have a "glass" reputation and the same goes for DSMs. Celica GTS 6 speeds are notorious for lack of shifter gate feel which allows drivers to misshift and blow the motors. Honda trannies are well known for 2nd and 3rd gear grinding after constant abuse. The T-5 in the Mustang is rather weak and is well known to grind after abuse and even blow up when power exceeds 350rwtq. The Mazda 5 speed tranny put in the SHO is probably the most well known failing tranny. The smart SHO guys keep an extra tranny in the garage at all time because failure is so common.
The truth is most car enthusists think they're model of car is the one with the glass tranny. For the most part it's the racing and higher power that kills the tranny, not the lack of design.
Dave
Originally posted by Dave B
There definately seems to be an issue with the differentials in the 97+ Maximas. As for other failures, those are pretty much induced by hard driving, poor techique, and heavy duty clutches for the most part. When you race a car, you've got to expect things to break because you're operating the car with higher power and at under a much higher demand than spec. That's just the nature of the beast. There is a strong coorelation between the trannies failing and running a heavy duty clutch like the ACT. I think these clutches are good for ultra high power applications, but the driver needs to be aware that they're walking on egg shells if they want to bang the gears. Remember guys, we're driving cars that are now 4-8 years old with higher miles and many of us are the 2nd and 3rd owner. 5 speed Maximas are rare (8-10%) and the people who buy them typically "drive" them. That usually comes at a cost.
The 4th gen tranny is like any other manual tranny on market, it will fail if abused constantly. I don't know where you guys get your info from, but the T-56 in the F-Body/Viper is NOT known for it's stellar reliability. Failures are common in stock Vipers and in the F-Bodies breaking a gear and/or busting syncros is the way it goes when you start running sticky tires (assuming you don't blow that crap 7.5" differential in the back first). WRX trannies have a "glass" reputation and the same goes for DSMs. Celica GTS 6 speeds are notorious for lack of shifter gate feel which allows drivers to misshift and blow the motors. Honda trannies are well known for 2nd and 3rd gear grinding after constant abuse. The T-5 in the Mustang is rather weak and is well known to grind after abuse and even blow up when power exceeds 350rwtq. The Mazda 5 speed tranny put in the SHO is probably the most well known failing tranny. The smart SHO guys keep an extra tranny in the garage at all time because failure is so common.
The truth is most car enthusists think they're model of car is the one with the glass tranny. For the most part it's the racing and higher power that kills the tranny, not the lack of design.
Dave
There definately seems to be an issue with the differentials in the 97+ Maximas. As for other failures, those are pretty much induced by hard driving, poor techique, and heavy duty clutches for the most part. When you race a car, you've got to expect things to break because you're operating the car with higher power and at under a much higher demand than spec. That's just the nature of the beast. There is a strong coorelation between the trannies failing and running a heavy duty clutch like the ACT. I think these clutches are good for ultra high power applications, but the driver needs to be aware that they're walking on egg shells if they want to bang the gears. Remember guys, we're driving cars that are now 4-8 years old with higher miles and many of us are the 2nd and 3rd owner. 5 speed Maximas are rare (8-10%) and the people who buy them typically "drive" them. That usually comes at a cost.
The 4th gen tranny is like any other manual tranny on market, it will fail if abused constantly. I don't know where you guys get your info from, but the T-56 in the F-Body/Viper is NOT known for it's stellar reliability. Failures are common in stock Vipers and in the F-Bodies breaking a gear and/or busting syncros is the way it goes when you start running sticky tires (assuming you don't blow that crap 7.5" differential in the back first). WRX trannies have a "glass" reputation and the same goes for DSMs. Celica GTS 6 speeds are notorious for lack of shifter gate feel which allows drivers to misshift and blow the motors. Honda trannies are well known for 2nd and 3rd gear grinding after constant abuse. The T-5 in the Mustang is rather weak and is well known to grind after abuse and even blow up when power exceeds 350rwtq. The Mazda 5 speed tranny put in the SHO is probably the most well known failing tranny. The smart SHO guys keep an extra tranny in the garage at all time because failure is so common.
The truth is most car enthusists think they're model of car is the one with the glass tranny. For the most part it's the racing and higher power that kills the tranny, not the lack of design.
Dave
Senior Member
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 213
OK! Now I'm scared!! I spin in second every day! I think I'm going to 'shif_then excelerate' from now on. So far I've had no problems, out-side of the occasional mis-shift... worst one being red-lined in 3rd, slamming 4th... but missed, hit second and saw my RPM fly through the 8k as my head tried to go through the front window!! I've got 220000k on my 95 GXE. New (ish, 2 years) clutch (OEM), but that's it. Tranny juice is nice and clean...
Bottom line... now i'm scared!! lol I have night-mares of looking in the rear-view mirror and seeing smoke, now they will include crunchy shifts and motionless maxima's!!
SHIFT_then accelerate...
Bottom line... now i'm scared!! lol I have night-mares of looking in the rear-view mirror and seeing smoke, now they will include crunchy shifts and motionless maxima's!!
SHIFT_then accelerate...
Member
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 180
From: New York, NY
How right you are Dave, before this I had a 1st gen AWD DSM with the boost kicked up to 17 and a racing clutch. I never once lost a race off the line, but I also had that tranny rebuilt twice and the transfer case once. Abuse kills tranny's no matter what car you've got.
Guest
Posts: n/a
The new WRX has a terrible 1st gear, that when launched hard, breaks.
So whats the point of the AWD when your gonna blow 1st? I read that in Turbo magazine.
But my 5-speed only has the bearing problem so far. But I slam 2nd every now and then just for fun. And it doesnt seem to be ****ting on me yet. Im at 92,000, 1st owner
Oh yeah I havea '97 SE, if that matters.
So whats the point of the AWD when your gonna blow 1st? I read that in Turbo magazine.
But my 5-speed only has the bearing problem so far. But I slam 2nd every now and then just for fun. And it doesnt seem to be ****ting on me yet. Im at 92,000, 1st owner
Oh yeah I havea '97 SE, if that matters.
Dyno plot says I have the most area under the Administrator curve
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 7,064
Originally posted by Dave B
The truth is most car enthusists think they're model of car is the one with the glass tranny. For the most part it's the racing and higher power that kills the tranny, not the lack of design.
Dave
The truth is most car enthusists think they're model of car is the one with the glass tranny. For the most part it's the racing and higher power that kills the tranny, not the lack of design.
Dave
Every forum I go on, people are complaining about their crappy tranny's. Granted, some of it is from legitimate design shortcomings (Honda & Acura V6 auto tranny's - all got warranty extensions from Honda), but a lot of it is just purely hard and abusive driving, performance modifications, etc. And then all it takes is two or three tranny's going out (regardless of mods or driving style) to spread fear and paranoia, and then the myths begin.
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 170
I completely agree with Dave; a transmission's longevity has A LOT to do with how it is treated. I had a 96 maxima with 180,000 miles on the original tranny and it had no signs of failure before it was totaled. The clutch had been replaced about 10k miles earlier and my mechanic said the transmission fluid had no metal in it and it still shifted find and made no unusual noises. I now have a 98 with 105k miles and the manual transmission is also still going strong (knock on wood).
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