i spent all day saturday underneath the maxima swapping my open diifferential tranny out with the infiniti LSD tranny. while i was in there i put in the exedy stage 1 clutch and fidanza flywheel.

my stock tranny was giving off the "skateboarder riding by" sound, and my clutch had no grab at any type of throttle. for a couple weeks i have been having to feather the throttle just for everyday driving.

the skateboard noise is definately the main transimission shaft bearing. i was debating whether it was this bearing or the clutch release bearing since it only makes the noise with the clutch disengaged. but with the stock trany out, turning the main shaft yielded some resistance and some play side to side. while turning the shaft you can hear the skateboard noise in slow motion.

there wasnt too much information available (or at least i couldnt find much) on the parts needed and differences in going from OD to LSD. keep in mind i was going from 5spd OD to 5spd LSD. i took the chance and took the car apart without being 100% sure i had every singe part to make it work. but i got the stock tranny out, and got the LSD in with virtually no snags. took my time and a couple food breaks and got it all out and back in in 9.5 hours (with air tools and a lift in my garage). if there is a next time i am sure i could have it down to 6 couple hours, but that is not my style to work fast and rush. i take the time to label and bag every bolt and part that comes out so i dont have the famous "what are these extra bolts doing here".

so what you need to do this is...
-LSD tranny itself
-new seals for the LSD tranny (can be had at the nissan dealer with the infiniti CD-ROM parts list to get the #'s)...i replaced the axle seals and left the shifter seal that was on the tranny.
-CV joint/axle - DRIVERS SIDE - for an LSD infiniti I30. i DO NOT have ABS. but the guy at raxles.com sent me one made for ABS. after talking to him, he said it would work. sure enough the tooth gear on the end of the axle cleared the hub, and it went right in.
-CV joint/axle - passenger side - is the same but not a bad idea to change since you are already in there.
-new clutch and flywheel - if yours needs changing. but they the LSD and OD is all the same when it comes to clutch and flywheel.
-tranny gear oil

from the outside the trannys look IDENTICAL. only difference by sight is the axle input on the LSD is about twice the size.

as for the drive...it feels like i bought a new car. my stock trans and stock clutch haved lived a hard life since going FI. the clutch grabs fairly close to the floor and the friction point is a lot more "on/off" than the stock clutch. but its not harsh at all, and i am getting used to the engagement very quickly. the revs are noticeably quicker and smoother with the flywheel i think i will enjoy the fun factor with this flywheel. with the LSD the car grabs sooo much better. the steering is tighter and through the turns the car feels so planted.

i was loosing sooo much power through the clutch, and if you saw the track run vids on the 13.4 runs, you can see my 1-2 and 2-3 shifts are slop. not to mention the clutch slip once the clutch is fully out. so hopefully even my street tire passes will yield a quicker 1/4 but now i can run slicks and shoot for mid/high 12s.

since i had a tough time getting all the info for this swap, i figured i would shed a little light on the matter and give what all is needed so someone in the future may not have a hard time. sorry for the length...thanks for reading.

--Paul

 

Hell yeah man! The LSD is seriously going to make your max feel like a race car now! Where did you find the LSD? Sounds like everything is working fine too, good luck on your new times and keep us all posted.

 

Congratulations on a successful swap. I wanted to do the exact same swap with the exact same parts (LSD tranny, exedy stage 1 clutch, fidanza flywheel) but I decided to wait a while longer on the tranny so I have a temporary fix with the exedy stage 1 and a resurfaced flywheel. Next time around (couple years maybe) I'll probably do the swap (or tranny rebuild) and your information will definitely come in handy.

 

thanks for an awesome post on this subject. I have a few projects im working on but soon i will be taking on this project as well. very good to hear it turned out positive and take it easy on everything for a while .. LOL ! break it in !!

thanks again for the thread, very helpful !

 

yes, very interesting.
Let us know how much better it performs when you get it running at full speed.

 

damn paul. its about time you put that tranny in. lol can't wait to see what kind of numbers you put down at the track now.

 

Good work. Glad you like the LSD

 

congrats on the new toys, and nice write-up

lets see some more times!

 

thanks guys...i am through 200+ miles with no problems. clutch is silky smooth, no chatter. car grips tight in turns. now its time to really stomp on her and see how it holds up

--Paul

 

better break it in some more!! congrats

 

I agree, give it at least 500 before you romp it.
Thanks for all the info on the LSD install. This is a mod Im considering also. With your info its making it an easier descision.
Im hoping parts arent to hard find.

 

true on the parts, i need a freaking grocery list to spell it out for me ..ha !

 

Dude, if you can, write up the part numbers, and ask a moderator to add it to the stickies on changing out an LSD.

 

An LSD sticky with part numbers does sound good

 

Good work. I was trying to start a GD on KAAZ LSD's, but going nowhere. Maybe I'll look into the Infinity LSD. Again, Good job!
________
The best vaporizers

 

+1

 

Good write up, and much fun on the new setup. One question, How does the Quiafe compare to the lsd?

 

How much does the tranny go for?

 

What are you doing with your old trans?

 

is that directed at me Matt??

its laying in my garage, i was hanging on to it in case of an emergency situtation arose. but for the right offer i am sure i could part with it

i can check on the part #'s but i might have thrown the bags away that had all the numbers for the seals and what not away. i'll check it out.

--Paul

 

depending on mileage and where you get it from you can expect to pay in the area of $750-$1100 for a tranny. and then shipping comes into play.

personally i found one local to me that i could pick up and not worry about shipping, i payed $1000 for it with ~50k miles on it.

www.car-part.com seems to be the place where people are having the best luck uncovering them.

--Paul

 

Yes sir!

I'll catchup with you later about it.

 

Nice write up, thanks for the info!

 

A Quiafe IS an LSD. Were you asking how a Quiafe compares to an OEM VLSD?

 

I wish i had a quaife..
________
Infants Prilosec

 

Yes. How does it compare with the OEM lsd and is it the best Lsd out there for the maxima??????

 

The Quiafe is a mechanical LSD, and is generally described as being the best LSD for the Maxima. You can Google it to learn more, or check the 4th generation stickies.

The VLSD found in the I30 is a Viscous LSD, which uses heat from the turning gears to thicken a liquid in the differential. Again, more info can be found in the stickies.

The last type is the Phantom Grip LSD, which is popular with 240/sentra/200sx drivers. I don't know id anyone put one on a maxima as of yet, but other applications have really liked them. You can find info about the on SportCompactCar magazine's website, or again with google. This is probably the cheapest LSD application for the Maxima.

 

I don't you will find any quicker 1/4 times with or without the factory lsd.

If have run both and I have virtually identical 60' times (ie 1.75) on the vlsd and open diff on my 4th Gen. Funny part is I do exactly the same 60' on my 2k2 auto with open diff.

You may find a big difference coming out of corners etc but straight line no. Although on the street it may be a difference story, however at the track street tires and drag racing don't really mix.