my friend is buying a 95 maxima 5spd and im going with him to test drive it, i heard that the trannys on the 5spd max's isnt that great that it breaks easyly and knowing my frind he is going to drive it hard so i would like to know wat to do and wat to look for that shows signs of the tranny going bad, i know the vq30 is bullet proof i have a 97 max auto but wat can i look for in the 95 that my friend might be getting i wish mines was 5spd but i wanted a 97+ and i couldnt find one 5spd so i got stuck with mines but i told my friend to not make the same mistake....

 

sweet fellow RI max! ... ya man i dunno where u heard our 5-speeds easily break, cuz that's definitely not what i think, they are pretty much praised for their smooth gearbox. but just obvious things u would without a doubt notice to tell a tranny's bad would be like hard shifting and any strange noises, im sure someone will chime in on this that knows more about exactly what to look for. but i'd figure i'd start you replies off. and since u're friend will be another RI max owner!

-Brendan

 

another RI member in the works. Now I just gotta get you guys to go to the meets.

 

where the hell is RI from NY?

 

im an ex new yorker and my friend is coming from ny to see the max but since were on the topic wanna trade ur max for mines and where do u have meets i see a lot of maxes around but never any races like in nyc back in the days....

 

follow 95 north about 2-1/2 hours out of NYC ...on the other side of CT

my 3rd gen for your 4th gen? Sorry man, my 4th gen is my baby. We have meets here and there. A few of us just met last weekend in Warwick. There probably won't be another meet in RI for a few months. There's the Hartford, CT meet on April 9th and the Grafton, NY meet on April 23rd and 24th. After that, there will be meets all over RI/CT/MA over the summer months. Just keep an eye on the Northeast forum.

 

actually is 2 1/2 hours in a maxima but its like 3 in any other car i take the trip every weekend ......

 

2-1/2 to RI, 3 to Prov ....giving there is no traffic.

btw, where's this maxima your friend is looking at? Is it an org member, or just someone in RI that owns a max?

 

its in a dealer here in providence were test driving it on wendsday so thats why i wanted to ask about the tranny so i can test drive the hell out of it to make sure its good...

 

2 1/2 to exit 16 of the 95 in my max, i made it in 2 in my friends camry v6 once but it was drop so it was easier the max has to much power and lil brakes and the suspension is stock so i take it slow, the camry had strutbar and 1.8 inch drop so the 95 was nothing and the snow allow me to see far ahead so when the state troopers where on the side they would stand out like a dimond in the dirt...i hold the record for fastest trip from nyc to RI i was lucky i guess...

 

thats record is amongs my friends btw incase anybody did it in less i know speeding is bad but when u haven slept in 48 hours and u have a bad cold and u care about nothing other than getting to ur bed u can do amzing things...

 

I have a 95SE (5-speed) but its only got 57,700 mostly highway miles on it. I have had absolutely no problem with the transmission and recently changed the transaxle fluid for the first time. I have a very slight leak from my left transmission seal and was told just to monitor it. I have read a lot about the dreaded differential bearing problem on 95/96s that seems to surface at about 60K. I don't drive my car like I stole it, consequently I hope I don't have any transmission-related or clutch problems for miles to come.

You haven't stated how many miles are on the car you are going to look at or whether you can get your hands on its maintenance history. If your friend buys the car try to convince him not to beat on it too much if that is at all possible. I have seen where guys have 190,000 miles on 95 5-speed transmissions with no problems.

 

I understand totally. The best I've done was about 2 1/2 to exit 5 Anyway, good luck with the car. Hope it works out for your friend.

 

my 97 5-speed has never had any problems aside from clutch, just got that replaced, but other than that, lasted FINE and im at 154k

EDIT: I DO drive like i stole it...

 

I have a '97 5 speed and haven't had any problems with the tranny and I just passed the 100k mark last week..... and sorry for going off topic but I'd be down for going to some meets I live in plymouth mass only 45 minutes from Providence let me know when your going and maybe ill go with

 

Then why do these guys with the 95/96s have differential bearing and tranny problems? Should I be concerned about a little tranny seal leak? I think its just sweating a little.

 

exeter? man u're close, how come i've never seen u're maxes around, i always check maxes out when im driving, and i drive rt 2 a lot. anyways, ya i was supposed to go to the goddard one a while back, like the last one before the winter but had to work. im gonna keep my eye open for the spring and summer ones cuz by then my max will be looking particular eye-catching ...

-Brendan

 

95-96 transmissions have diff. bearing issues cause of improper shimming, it's pretty common. If your friend drives hard he'll be looking for a new trans or getting new bearings/shimms very soon.

 

And if I continue to treat it with respect I should be good to go for some time I take it.

 

Not really, mine has almost 80k miles, 70k from trips to colorado and NY, and I sense a bearing issue(whine in 1st gear). Also if the whine in 1st is a sign of a trans going bad, I have a friend with a 99 and like 30k miles that has the same thing.

 

My car has probably 80% plus highway miles on it and there is no whine in 1st gear, the only wine is in me, lol!

 

Lucky you I guess, then again you're in Canada with your VLSD trans.

 

Do you think I have LSD? Someone the other day said I needed a V in my VIN number which I don't. I have an A. I ordered the car loaded and there was no LSD option stipulated or I would have taken it. I guess in order to find out I will have to jack the front end up and spin the wheels. However, it strikes me that every 95SE bought new in the Canadian market would have LSD. If I hear you correctly, the incidence of the differential bearing problem with LSD is much lower or non-existent.

 

I phoned two stealerships, as much as I hate them, and they both told me that 95 Maximas with the 5-speed transmission, were all equipped with LSD in Canada and neither dealership has any recollection of replacing a differential bearing. As far as the slight leak or sweating of the left tranny seal they said not to worry about it, just to monitor it in case it becomes more like a puddle which I don't think will be the case.

That takes a load off my feeble little mind, lol!

 

I'm sure there will be some. I know TLC is having a show at Goddard Park on May 29th.

 

i haven look at the miles yet but he is going to pick between the max and a 95 accord 5spd im telling him to go with the max, my sister just got a 96 accord and its like driving a diesel truck its slow... so my friend wants the max but i know hes not going to drive hard everyday but he will on weekends its hard not to smoke the lil shivics when they start reving up at u... so i have to look for a whining noise i always start in 2nd gear to make sure the clutch is good and put it in 5th at about 25-30mph to check the tranny and clutch and drive in a hill an go from 2nd to 4th anything else i can do, my maxima is automatic with 136k, bough it from a lady that was the first owner so it was easy to decide, just need rear brakes and a tuned up and the cel comes on and off but the car feels and drives fine, but this 5spd is hard because halve of the 5spd out there with power mods are using 2k and higher trannys... i had a celica i used to beat on all the time 6k rpm clutch drops with racing clutch and it never gave me any problems except for motor mounts...