tmr

I have a '96 SE 5-speed that I bought new and have 84k miles on. About a month or so ago, I noticed a whirring noise coming from the transmission after I let the clutch out with the transmission in neutral. It sounded like a bad throwout bearing (from past experience with other cars), but I didn't have any clutch slippage or other clutch problems. I also started to notice a whirring noise when starting off in 1st gear and then shifting to second.

I just replaced the clutch, pressure plate, and throwout bearing (done by a competent shop) yesterday. I used Nissan parts and looked at the clutch components that came out of the car. The flywheel had no scoring and the clutch disc had about 5-10K life left. The throwout bearing was indeed noisy and had a lot of play in it. When I drove the car on the 10 mile trip home, I noticed that the noise was still there (maybe even louder), although the clutch pedal was much easier to use and the car drove fine. I called the shop and talked to the owner, who said that they also changed the trans gear oil and replaced it with Valvoline 80W90, as is called for by Nissan specs. He also said that the old oil looked clean, with no sign of metal shavings, etc. He also said that the transaxle input shaft didn't appear to have any end play. He further said that a Nissan tech that he consulted said that the clutch would make noise for the first ~75 miles or so until it was broken in.

After reading some of the messages about bearing problems, I'm a little paranoid. The car has no engine modifications, but has been lowered with an Eibach prokit (1 to 1.5 inches), has a strut tower brace, and KYB AGX struts/shocks. The car is extremely well maintained and not really abused.

Any thoughts?

dallasmax

I have a 97 Automatic with 81K, which has been well maintained and have begun to notice the same whirring noise. I notice a loss of power and response from time to time. There are times when the car runs like a scalded cheetah and other times it runs like @#$%. I have not narrowed down the problem yet but it seems to come from the middle or rear of the vehicle. My guess is the catalytic converter is clogged. If you get yours figured out please reply.
Cap

nadir_s

i too have a '96 SE 5-spd... my bearings went out at 135k miles.

Well, look underneath at your tranny and see if there are any leaks. If not, keep driving it till that sound spreads to 2nd and 3rd, by then you'll definately have the leak. Keep an eye on it... good luck man.

tmr

I looked all over my tranny and did not see any leaks whatsoever. Also, I've never seen any fluid under the car other than A/C condensate. I hear the sound in 1st through 3rd plus reverse, but no leaks. Would you be able to detect any play in the tranny input shaft with bad bearings, or is it at the output that the bearings go bad?

Thanks,

TMR

Scruit

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?threadid=222028

You symptoms are just like mine.

tmr

Scruit:

Apparently with good reason. The tech at my local Nissan dealership that specializes in trannies listened to it today and declared that it was main shaft and counter shaft bearings. The guys there have always shot straight with me on anything I've had done there. Since my car only has 84K and has been loved/maintained by original owner (me), I called Nissan today with the sad story. They opened a case on it and sounded optimistic considering my maintenance records (all there and over the top) and the fact that I bought a 2002 SE for my wife last year and wondered out loud if I'd made a mistake. We'll see how it all turns out.....



'Your symptoms are just like mine. [/B][/QUOTE]'

tmr

My faith in human nature has been restored! My pals at the local Nissan dealer rebuilt my tranny, with Nissan paying for the parts and the dealer charging 'employee' labor rates. Total bill was $440, which is much less than the $1,300-1,400 it would have retailed for. Apparently the main (input) shaft bearings looked scratched up, like something got into 'em. It couldn't be explained, since the fluid has always been changed by them, never any leaks, and didn't have any metal, etc. in it when it came out.

The shifter is more positive/direct than it has been recently and was very quiet, as it should be! The lesson here is 1) Do the maintenance, 2) keep records on it, 3) have a good working relationship with the service mgr. at your dealer (if you use one), and 4) call Nissan with the complaint as I did. All they can do is say no.



[QUOTE]Originally posted by tmr
[B]Scruit:

Apparently with good reason. The tech at my local Nissan dealership that specializes in trannies listened to it today and declared that it was main shaft and counter shaft bearings. The guys there have always shot straight with me on anything I've had done there. Since my car only has 84K and has been loved/maintained by original owner (me), I called Nissan today with the sad story. They opened a case on it and sounded optimistic considering my maintenance records (all there and over the top) and the fact that I bought a 2002 SE for my wife last year and wondered out loud if I'd made a mistake. We'll see how it all turns out.....