I've noticed a leak where the driver's side axle goes into the tranny. Fairly minor leak, but I'm worried after reading the big old thread in General Maxima Discussion about bearing/etc. probs with 4th gen manual trannies. Just bought the car, 76K miles, and it shifts fine. No noise or anything. But I'm worried about this leak. Any diagnoses?

And if it is just a leaking seal, how hard is it to change that seal? It would involve taking off the axle and draining the transmission fluid, I'm guessing. But how many hours, with air tools?

 

Sounds like your bearings will be failing. You can change the seal, but most likely it will soon leak again. Check if you have play in your axle....
Add fluid as necessary....

 

You should try replacing the seal first, but I agree it most likely will be a temp fix. I have done the seal and it's not too bad. Only hard part is getting the axel in and out and gettin the seal to seat properly.

Yes, you do need to drain the tranny fluid. It's pretty straight forward.

 

Thanks for the help. I had the local Nissan dealer do both driver and passenger side seals yesterday and had them fill it with the Redline MT-90 I'd bought after the job. Total came to $228.86 with tax, which is annoying becase each seal was under $7, but I don't quite have the time or experience right now to do such a big job. I've heard that the Redline is so slippery it even leaks out of good seals a bit, but if major leaks return in a few months I'm going to be annoyed.

Next time I have the car up on stands I'm going to check the play in the axles. Can I just take off the wheels and do this or do I have to take off a lot more? Thanks, all.

 

Bump'n'grind

 

you dont have to raise the car to check axle play. just get under your drivers side and try to wiggle the axle where it meets the tranny. if it feels loose at all, your bearings are going.

 

It's gonna suck if you have to get a rebuild after spending almost $300 on seal replacement.

 

skeelo34: Great, thanks.

I30tMikeD: Yeah.

 

any warentee on the car ?? 5K 10K...3 month ???


-matt

 

Im doing my seal now. I just changed my transmission on my 96 with a 97 and my drivers side axle is leaking. Im pretty ****ed cause it took me about 20+ hours to change my tranny and it shouldnt be leaking. good luck man, keep us updated

 

Hey guys,, great site... I have an 2000 Maxima SE with 5 speed manual, this problem raised it's ugly head at around 120K, before I ever heard of this problem I went ahead and had the seal fixed, leaked again within a few hundred miles, went back to my mechanic, he said the axle was bent and probably wiped out the new seal, so I had a new axle and new seal put in, leaked again within a few hundred miles, he discovered the bearing problem, so out came the tranny, he replaced the bearings, new seal, after spending half a fortune, it started leaking again within a few hundred miles. He said he found out from Nissan there are two different seals, one for stock Japanese axles and one for reman. american axles, replaced yet again, within a few hundred miles the seal is again leaking. I love the features of my Maxima, but it is driving me crazy, i'm ready to take the car to a Honda dealership and see what they will give me for it.. Can anybody help ?? why does the new seal keep leaking after only a few hudred miles each time, even with the bearings replaced ??? Thanks for any help in advance .. Chris

P.S. build date on the car is 6/99 so I have a very early 2000..

 

wow dude that really sucks, can imagine all the money u wasted. that mechanic sounds like a moron, i wish i could diagnose whats wrong here but that so called mechanic or urs is just milkin u for money. cut ur losses and take the car to nissan i guess.

 

Replace the whole tranny with a used low-mileage one from a salvage yard. www.car-part.com

 

Is your mechanic well versed in trannys? It's entirely possible that he didn't replace both differential bearings, and the one that most needed replacement is the one that he didn't get to. I just did a 4th gen tranny last week like that.

It's also possible that somehow the bearing preloads were not correct, and this can rapidly accelerate the wear on the bearings. I'm afraid that it's usually not the seal in these persistent cases, it's the tranny.

Low mileage used trannys can be better, but usually don't wear as long as a properly rebuilt one.

Dave

 

The problem is that Nissan never acknowledged or fixed the shim problem so unless you have a mechanic who really knows what he's doing and explain the problem, a rebuilt tranny will probably be just as bad. I wouldn't trust a dealer.

FWIW, I started this thread 2.5 years ago, and since I got the axle seals replaced I haven't noticed any problems! I have only put about 14,000 miles on the car since then, but no noise or shifting problems, and haven't noticed any leaking. 90K miles on the car now, so it goes to show that the differential bearings aren't always the problem.

 

That's why I say to look for play in the diff carrier. (also look for metal flakes in the oil). No play, no flakes, try changing the seals. Otherwise start looking for a tranny rebuilder.

And I agree - most dealers do not do acceptable manual tranny rebuilds.

Dave

 

I tried the oem replacement part from the dealer and it failed. Later, I used a part from NAPA and have not had a problem since (that was over 18 months ago). Good luck.

 

I have the same leak from my passenger side seal. I need to replace that half of the axle anyway due to a torn CV boot and plan on replacing the seal while it is out. Any suggestions on how to put the new seal in? From what I have seen you just line it up and pound it in with a rubber mallot.

 

There is a protruding lip. You cannot hit it directly with a hammer.

If you don't have a set of seal driver cups, I suggest taking your time and using a piece of wooden dowel or a fairly large (>1/4") metal punch.

 

You're not alone. I bought my 98 I30t 5spd last year July. It had 46k on it, and the car looked to be in great shape. Everyone gave the thumbs up and I loved the way the car drove, so I pulled the trigger on the purchase, not to mention that I'm an impulse shopper. lol.

Dealer tried MANY times to fix the problem. I took it to two dealers over the course of its first 6 months, a total of like 11 times. That's right, 11 times. I didn't want THEM to win. Supposedly changed the seal 3 times, once they blamed it on the o-ring, another on a grooved pin, bearings... and the list continues. Every time they would do something, it would feel worse, and the leak never stopped. I gave up and drove the car for 6 months just filling it occasionally. I finally brought it to Dave who's responded in this thread to rebuild it. I should be picking it up tomorow evening.

In my case, apparently, the dealer did not know what they were doing. Hopefully everything works out.