NISMOMAXMAN

Ok, just wondering where you get your manuel transmission from?

There used....correct? (around how much mileage should I be looking at?)

Will I have any issues with the AUTOmatic ECU/ECU upgrade?

Should I get the aftermarket: Flywheel, Clutch, anything else....while I'm swapping the tranny?

Also where can I find the pedal, the cable, and other little parts that I will need? Because I'm just getting the tranny.....

Will all my previous mods still work with my car?
Y-pipe
CAI
UDP
Tranny Cooler
Ecu Upgrade

Sorry for not searching, but I'm at work, and I cant really use the internet. Anyhow I'm gonna take this old auto, try to get the best possible time with it (my goal is 14.9 at least, best time for a all motor max is 15.1(auto)), and then swap and hit even lower times, everyone already knows how fast this car is, but now I want to show them how fast it really can be... Thanks Raul

Terran

iTrader: (6)

You need a 5spd ecu.

Broaner

iTrader: (10)

You don't need a 5Spd ECU. It will just throw codes but will not cause the car not to start. I would suggest not getting a flywheel. Many people have experienced that it actually hurts performance. It may help on the dyno but its very hard to be consistant with that light fxcker in there, especially when combined with an UDP. Obviously your tranny cooler will not work any more. I will be doing this also and will go with ACT Stage 1 or Exedy and a B&M Short Shifter. I can't wait 'till I can put "5Spd GLE?" in my profile. I will start looking for parts hard at the end of the summer. Anybody want my tranny? Its a perfect candidate for a rebuild. Its got 130K with probably more miles left in it but I'm not sure. This would be a perfect opportunity to pick up a solid housing and build the **** out of it.

MaximaTodd

iTrader: (8)

nismoman im dissapointed! after all that you went through getting the vb mod! haha. are you already tired of it? i myself am thinking about going 5 speed. the shifts with the vb mod are so harsh sometimes it just makes me want to get a 5 speed, but it still makes the auto more fun to drive! =l

NISMOMAXMAN

LOL, I know man, but I wanna play with the big boys, and talk trash now! LOL, have you taking yoru ride the track??/ I havent so I still dont know if it was worth it or not. I love it thou, I might keep the tranny around just in case I mess up the 5spd. I dont regret gettign the VBMOD, I would recommend it to anyone staying automatic, its just that right now I foudn all the parts for a good price, plus I found a guy who will install it for a good affordable price too. But I'm still in the process, of getting everything together, aslong as I have the money coming in, its all good.

MaximaTodd

iTrader: (8)

yeah i feel ya. all this talk about 5 speeds makes me wanna convert. how much are you getting it installed for if you dont mind me asking?

NISMOMAXMAN

The swap is gonna cost me $500 for labor. I found a nice engine with 45K miles compression test showed 180 in all 6 cylinders, for $400, and a nice sweet manuel tranny with 24Kmiles for $600, so its aroudn give or take under $2000. But I need the pedal, and some other little parts. Plus upgrade the clutch and anything else I need. Is a manuel I30 tranny better??? Hhhmmmm........

nismology

iTrader: (8)

I'd go for a low-mileage 2000-2001 5-speed tranny if i were you. You won't ever have to worry about wheel bearing issues plus you get a stronger 3rd gear. Can't ask for much more than that. BTW, the gear ratios are the same as the 4th gen 5-speeds.

NISMOMAXMAN

would I need anything special or replace anything if I were to go with the 5thgen tranny? Sounds tempting....

nismology

iTrader: (8)

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=258184&page=2 Post #54

To add to that post, you might be able to get the axles at napa and/or raxles.com on top of autozone.

Broaner

iTrader: (10)

But no VLSD or Helical Slip. What else is needed for the 4th auto to 5th 5Spd swap? Speed sensor and ...?

edit: nevermind. I just read the linked thread.

How important is it for a stonger 3rd gear? I was thinking that second takes the most abuse. An N/A car will have a hard time chirping or breaking 3rd, right?

nismology

iTrader: (8)

The 2001 AE 5-speed has a limited slip. I don't know if it'll be easy to find one though.

And the 5th gen 5-speed might have a stronger 2nd and 5th gear but I'm not to sure about those. But the 3rd gear is stronger for sure. This is significant because most, if not all 4th gen 5-speeds have shredded their 3rd gear. It seems to be its weakest link.

BTW, with an ACT you can chirp 3rd N/A.

VQuick

iTrader: (17)

Gimme a break. If you are boosted, yes you will probably shred 3rd quickly. If you are NA and have an ACT or racing clutch and dump power on your tranny every time you drive the car (because you're stupid), yes, you will probably shred 3rd quickly.

Otherwise, I think you're fine. I'd still prefer a 2000-2001 tranny, but I'm not going to look for one until this one breaks.

nismology

iTrader: (8)

Wrong answer.

1. Most of the 4th gen trannies that have shredded their 3rd gears were with N/A use.

2. My brother's 2K1 is supercharged with an ACT clutch and he bangs into gears and the tranny hasn't blinked for over 35,000 miles with the mods.

3. How many boosted 5th gen 5-speeds have tranny problems?

4. It's a fact that the 5th gen 5-speed has a stronger 3rd gear. It has a completely different part number.

5. The 5th gen tranny has no wheel bearing issues.


If you wanna deal with an inferior transmission that's more susceptible to breakage and wheel bearing failure, be my guest. But you can't say you didn't know any better. Besides I was replying to NISMOMAXMAN because he's looking to buy a 4th gen tranny. Since he looking for trannies, he might as well buy a 5th gen tranny.

*EDIT* I found a 2000 5-speed for $550 on www.car-part.com.

VQuick

iTrader: (17)

I never said anything contrary to 2 through 5, and even re 1 I'd say that the people who have problems are those who really beat up on the transmission. There are lots of ways to drive a 5-speed car and lots of them are bad for any tranny.

That said, I'm well aware of the particular weaknesses of the 4th gen manny tranny. If you're going to do a swap anyway, get a 5th gen tranny, no question about it. I'm just saying the 4th gen tranny isn't like glass.

VQuick

iTrader: (17)

Question: the 2000-2001 5-speed has a rod linkage like the 4th gen, correct? But the 6-speed manual in later 5th gens has a cable linkage? What are the pros and cons of each? Cable seems like it would be less reliable than rod.

Also, can somebody point me to some threads that talk about putting the 6-speed MT in a 4th gen? Thanks.

Broaner

iTrader: (10)

Same questions as Tom. I know someone can find the thread of the 6Spd 4th gen. I just don't understand how one would go about destroying 3rd. Anyone with experience care to enlighten us. I guess it just goes to show that each tranny is different. DSM's are notorious for eating 3rd and 4th. Is there any difference between the AE tranny and regular 5th gen?

nismology

iTrader: (8)

3rd gear is the weakest gear. It's not rocket science. The SR20 guys have the same problem with their trannies. Most ppl that have busted their 3rd gear is slamming into gears with the ACT clutch (or equivalent). With the 5th gen tranny, you won't have to worry about that, even with the ACT. With that said shredding 3rd gear in a 4th gen tranny can be easily avoided.

And as for the difference between the AE and regular 5th gen 5-speed, read post #12.

Broaner

iTrader: (10)

Why is it not rocket science. Seems like the one to two puts more stress on the internals to to the huge jump in gearing. What am I missing?

I read post 12 and it doesn't tell me what I was looking for. I want to know if the AE needs different axles from the regular 5th gen. Anyone?

nismology

iTrader: (8)

OMG. 3rd is the weakest gear. That's all there is to it. Why or how?... doesn't matter.

And you didn't say anything about whether the AE has different axles or not. You asked a general question, so i gave you a general answer. Im only trying to help.

BTW, I don't know if they use different axles or not. I would imagine they do though seeing that the 4th gen VLSD tranny uses different axles.

NismoMaxman2

iTrader: (2)

What about my current mods, will they still work with the 5thgen tranny???? And what about the ECU, do I need a 5spd ECU???

skeelo34

iTrader: (4)

broaner22 already told you that you dont need the ecu. I'll tell you also that you dont need a new ecu. Except for the tranny cooler, everything else should work.

Broaner

iTrader: (10)

Obviously it is rocket science if all you can say is,
What is that all about? D@mn. You don't know the answer so don't try to back out of being uninformed. I'm looking for an educated explaination of why 3rd is so weak. Not just, "Why or how doesn't matter." Is the shape or the gear badly designed or did they have a casting that encouraged hairline cracks or what? Anyone know if the 4th gen gears are cast in a mold or produced by CNC'ing or a similar process.

BTW, a quick call to Nissan reveals that the part #'s for the axles are different from 5th gen to AE trannies. Brian, the parts guy, mentioned that the trannies themselves are totally different. I asked if the shape of the bell housing was different. He didn't know about that off hand because the computer doesn't tell him what the differences are. So... This brings up a whole new question for me; has anyone actually put an AE tranny into a 4th gen? If the bell housing is different it would be very difficult because a new mounting surface would have to be created to center the clutch correctly and allow a proper seal to prevent moisture from getting into the clutch housing. The only way to have this done properly would be to have a new ring CNC'ed and somehow attached to the existing bell housing by adapting it to the existing surface(probably wouldn't work because the distance from the flywheel would be greatly increased) or completely cut off the old part and weld on the new which would be very difficult to get precise.

nismology

iTrader: (8)

I never claimed to know why. Sorry for not being able to explain it in detail. I just didn't think the "why" was important. Honestly. I've never seen a thread or posts that explain it's weakness, ever. A million apologies for being out of the loop.

VQuick

iTrader: (17)

Always ask "why". If you go through life without questioning, you won't go nearly as far.

— Old Maxima Proverb

VQuick

iTrader: (17)

Broaner, can you use the clutch and housing that comes with the AE? I don't have a very clear picture of the physical layout of a manual transmission (need to look it up) so I don't know exactly where the clutch is and what the bell housing is...guess this post is pointless but I typed it so I'm hitting the Submit Reply button.

Broaner

iTrader: (10)

I'm not that good at manual trannies seeing as I don't have one yet. Ha! Evil laugh. The bell housing is just that a bell. Its hard to explain. Its all in the FSM. Tom thats an interesting point about mixing and matching. So, I guess we also need to know if the 4th gen or 5th gen bell/clutch housing will mate to the AE gear box and as a result also the differential box.

Basic layout is:
\/The bell part begins here. It isolates the gear lube from the clutch housing.
(Gears) - (TO bering) - (Pressure Plate) - (Clutch Disc) - (Flywheel) - (Engine)
/\(Differential. If you have it this is where the LSD is)

I have another question. Does any company carry or make a Stainless Braided clutch line? I saw this on Tuner Transformation(don't laugh too hard) and figured it would be good to do while I was in there. This mod has good theroy behind it. Just like SS brakelines. With the stock rubber line pushing in the clutch results in slightly expanding the line while moving the pressure plate. SS lines would create a much more precise friction point and would thwart draging the clutch due to the pencil thin engagement zone. So probably wouldn't help in straighline performance but would be much more fun and probably help in road racing situations.

VQuick

iTrader: (17)

Oh god, the friction point / sweet spot is so small (precise) on the Maxima (at least mine) already, I wish it were bigger.... I'd say don't bother.

maxima98vspec

also guys 4th gear is direct drive, so there is no gear ratio on 4th gear, sence the the power goes streight from the crank to the diff. with no gear reduction.

VQuick

iTrader: (17)

Gotta love 4th.

Broaner

iTrader: (10)

Yep. Thats why dyno'ing in 4th is cheating. Always thought it was 1:1 but its .96 as per the FSM.

VQuick

iTrader: (17)

Yeah, 0.954. Never noticed that. I guess one of the gears has one or two less teeth than the other, so it's not 1:1 but I assume it's still direct drive.

topdog1207

iTrader: (1)

how much would it cost to swap auto to 5 sp?

Broaner

iTrader: (10)

What planet are you from? Totally J/K. $900 if you really shop around and cut corners. That would even be w/ a used clutch which I wouldn't recomend seeing as you have no idea what kinda MILF was driving her husbands car. I plan on spending $1400 + a gifted Short Shifter. Tranny is what $500?(Funny how VQ's are cheaper than trannies.) Anybody had experience with picking up an I30 tranny? How much? Clutch is what, $350-400? Shifter rods and assembly for less than $100? Clutch master cylinder and assembly $150? New axle $250?(I don't trust used CV's seeing as mine have been replaced twice) CV's on the max are terribly weak, IMO. If you wanna do it right a 5Spd ECU is needed to not throw codes. I plan on keeping the auto ECU until I can gather more cash to buy a used 5Spd unit and send it off to JWT or TS, only TS if they've cracked the rev limit by then. This way I won't have to deal with down time on my car. I can kill a bunch of birds with one stone. Sell the auto ECU, eliminate codes, and gain 20+HP.

Where exactly is the TCM? My guess would be one of the boxes in the center console. There is keyless/alarm, airbag, TCM and ECU all in that general area, right? I plan on removing TCM to save weight and maybe sell it somewhere. Anyone need one? $50+shipping and its yours. The list of things I'll be selling.

Auto Tranny itself = $100
TCM = $50
Auto ECU = $100
Auto Wood Shifter Panel = $20

All of these figures are not including shipping. They will be definitely ready to buy by X-mas and possibly October. As I stated before the Auto Tranny has 130K on it as of now and has been driven very hard for the last 10K. By very hard I mean DR'ed and consistantly downshifted. Hey, at least I'm honest. Anyway, this tranny is a perfect base to build the **** out of. This brings up a curious point for me; what exactly can be done to beef up an auto? I know VB and TC but what else can be done to make it so good without starting from scratch.

SleepyMaxxx68

[QUOTE=NISMOMAXMAN]Ok, just wondering where you get your manuel transmission from?

whats a Manuel Transmission???

















oh.....Manual!!

VQuick

iTrader: (17)

Manuel Transmisión, he's this Mexican dude works at the auto shop down the street. Just go there and ask for Manny, he'll hook you up.

Broaner

iTrader: (10)

Funny ****!

Again I ask if anyone knows what exactly can be done to beef an auto? TC, Line Pressure Mods(VB/DR) and...?

VQvroom

Well, from what ive read so far in this post.... It would be cheaper to go out and buy a used 5spd maxima swap all your mods then sell the stock auto. In the end result youll have a clean 5spd with all the mods from your old car and no butchered 5spd swap leftovers. YAY.

..or sell your current auto as is...buy a 5spd then use the loot that u were spending on the converion on new mods. once again no butchered 5spd swap leftovers. YAY.

Im always a fan of these threads...ive learned to hold my tongue and keep my thoughts to myself. I was getting anxious to be driving a 5spd again, i loved my old max 5spd. But the reality of it all (for myself atleast) is that if im going to be driving another 5spd again its going to be a coupe.

GL with the swaps.

VQvroom

cryo treat the gears mang....
this is heavy stuff....not typically done to the likes of a maxima.

look into a level10 transmission.

NismoMaxman2

iTrader: (2)

LOL, thanks SleepyMaxima for your Spell Checking, and the joke about the guy down the road was a good one... Ok, well let me just get this straight and correct if I'm worng..
I'll need a

5spd ECU (so my ECU wont throw CEL)
2000-2001 5spd Tranny
2000-2001 axles
95 Engine with 24Kmiles

Should I upgrade the clutch while doing this??? ACT or what? And all my mods besides the VBmod and the Tranny Cooler will work correct?
(y-pipe, UDP, CAI, ECU, etc...)