Nissan told me while fixing something else that oil was leaking from the rear main seal on the engine. I figured that I would wait to do that repair until I had some more money. Well today I got a second opinion and I watched fluid spill out of the 5sp tranny while my mechanic wiggled the driver side axle. The trans was leaking oil not the engine. It was about a quart low. If I would have kept driving it as is and checking the motor oil that I thought was leaking I would have run the transmission out of oil before I knew what was really going on.
My mechanic said he could get me a used tranny for 1400 plus about 500 in labor to put it in with only a six month warranty. I know I could also get it rebuilt and have the bearings replaced but I don't know how much that would cost. If it is rebuilt isn't there a strong possibility that if not done correctly that this could happen again? Doesn't this problem arise from something in the tranny not being shimmed correctly? I thought this happened to the 95-96 models mostly? Any idea what it runs to have mine rebuilt?

 

bump for help? I have hail damage from last nights storm and a shot transmission. Might be time to trade it in?

 

could just be the seals. that would be the cheapest and easiest fix.

 

i think i know exactly what it is. This jsut happened to my 97 about 2 months ago. I had the same leaking and everything from my seals. IT turns out that it is the tranny. It is due to failing differential bearings. You dont need rebuilt or new tranny. Just make sure when they redo the bearings that they PROPERLY SHIM them. I havnt had any problems since. It cost me $1500 for the bearings and replaced CV joint. Thank included all parts and labor. Let me know if you have any other questions. Here is a link to what my car was looking like when I had the problem.

http://community.webshots.com/user/tallica62

 

So I might be looking at 1200-1300 to replace the bearings? Thanks for the info. Im real nervous that they won't do it right. Im not sure whether to try a chain like aamco or one of the local mom and pop places.

 

I have another issue that I think might be related. When I press the gas in 4th or 5th gear a little too quick the drivetrain shudders. I can feel it through the shifter and through the floorboards. If you accelerate very gently it won't do this but if you hit it too hard it shakes. Its not clutch slippage, I think it might have to do with my tranny.

 

Those 4th gen rims look tight on your car. Nice ride.

 

differential bearings ..... do you hear any whining noises? if not not now, you will eventually ...

the leaking should be on and off - mainly during hot weather and alot of driving.

i ended up rebuilding my tranny ... the sucker still leaks every now and then (right after 1 yr / 12k warranty ) but no whining at least .. im just hoping it was a bad seal


I paid 1200 to get my tranny REBUILT ( replaced 2 gears + bearings + seals whatnot)


the major labor is to drop the tranny from the car. The proper way to fix it is to have the shims correctly adjusted .. but i can tell you, unless you do it yourself, i really doubt it's goin to happen.

others suggsted i just find a replacement tranny at junkyard and hope the problem never arrises... if you plan on rebuilding, might as well be now before the bad bearings get chewed up and have metal shavings running through the whole case

 

on the diffy bearings

I'd call around to local shops and find a good price. I had all bearings replaced (input/main/differential) for $500, but I brought them the transmission. I got another quote for $600 to do the rebuild and the R&R.

I have decided to do my differential bearings myself this time. The shops don't follow the FSM for doing the rebuild; they just use the original shims. They may *say* they're going to shim it properly, but they won't.

You can get a new one for ~$1700 from www.everythingnissan.com; that's a VLSD tranny too. If you're looking at a high rebuild cost, I'd suggest getting a new one instead. Remember, if you get a new tranny with VLSD (20th Anniversary Edition), you'll need a new driver-side axle.

I'd pay no more than $500 for a used transmission; $1400 is a RIP-OFF!!!! www.car-part.com is your friend for used parts.

Good luck!

 

my car did not have that 4-5 gear shuddering like you. I had mine done at a Nissan dealership. Just make sure wherever you go, you make sure to tell them to proplerly shim the bearings. This will hopefully make them realize you are not some stupid customer who doesnt know what is goign on. It should make them realize you will know if they did hte job wrong. The whining noise is also a tell tale symptom of this problem. As I was told when I was posting questions about this problem, start with the cheapest thing and figure it out from there. Although I think it is your diff. bearings, just make sure that is exactly what it is. you are probably going to have to spend 1000-1500$ regardless of what you do. However, on a positive note, theoretically you should not encounter other big problems like this as long as you take care of your car. Thats y i didnt get too bummed out. Nissans are known to be good cars, so I fixed mine and keep maintaining it properly. Just make sure your not drivin w/o any gear oil/tranny fluid cuz that will demolish your tranny. Be sure to tell us waht you end up doing.

 

btw - if it is a bad tranny (diffy bearings), then get a 5th gen 5-spd and replace it with that

 

I would never trust a mechanic to properly shim the transmission again. I did that twice...no dice. I even called my local dealer and asked if they used new shims; they said: "I've never heard of that...we just reuse the old shims"

This was a dealer. I have the FSM, and it specifically tells you to put it all together w/no shims and check clearance for proper shim selection. Either way, I'll be doing mine myself. If I screw it up, I guess I'll plunk down the $1.7k for a new VLSD unit from Nissan.

 

I would advise you to get a low mileage used tranny from a reputable junkyard(hopefully a 1999) unit since most people have not had problems with 1999 5speeds (knock on wood). I would not trust anyone to have to rebuild Nissan or otherwise. In both cases they may just not care and if it assembled wrong again you will probally not find out until your warranty is up.Better off finding a used one.
Some times i am happy i have a spare tranny in my garage


Syrth.... i notice you keep recommending to everyone to buy a new VLSD tanny from everything nissan. which seems like a great idea but you never seem to mention that they will need to buy new axles. So instead of looking at $1700+shipping+New VLSD axles to that tab

 

Hey, I just replaced my clutch about a couple of weeks ago, and I didn't use the seals. If you want them, tell me because to me it does sound like it is your seals. But I don't personally see where it is coming from, so I'm not to sure. I called a dealership to get some and they tried to charge me over 10 bucks for each. So just let me know. I also have a 98 5spd.

 

I really appreciate all the info. My g/f has told me before that she can hear a loud whining from the car when Im on our street heading home from work and I get on it a little bit. For some reason it sounds kind of like alternator whine and I actually thought it may be the rebuilt alty that I had put on there a few months ago. I had no idea it might be the trans.
Im still not sure what to do next. I could start looking for a used trans or take a chance and have mine rebuilt. Either way I could get hosed later on. As much as I would like a new lsd tranny I wouldn't be able to afford it+axles+install. I could swing 1300 for the rebuild but it will hurt. I'll probably go ahead and have the cv boots replaced while im at it since they are starting to crack.
Keep the suggestions coming.

 

I recently purchased a I30t w/5sp tranny 92k miles (just two days ago).

I notice two spot in the driveway today. Its oil but I don't think that its engine oil. The two spots were right next to each other, one being closer to the front of the car than other.

I'm going to get underneath the car in the next few days and take a look. What should I look for in order to diagnose if it is a tranny/differential problem?

crap, I'm afraid I might have purchased a car with a tranny problem Could it be something else?

-I don't hear a whinning noise (yet).

Thanks
Mark

 

look at the CV joint where the axle goes into the tranny on the driver side .. is it oily?

 

Thanks for your reply.....I'll check it out tomorrow and let you know.

Cheers,
Mark
2003 350z touring
2001 Pathifinder LE
1996 I30t

 

I had Aamco rebuild my tranny and clutch for $1600, so 1900 for a used one seems kind of high.

 

All/Anyone:

I was throwing around the idea of buying an aftermarket warranty. Now that I have a oil leak it makes that thought even more compelling.

Anyone know of a good aftermarket warranty that might cover leaking tranny/differential.

And what kind of inspection do they give the car before allowing you purchase a warranty. Hell, will a 96 i30 with 92k even qualify?

Sorry for all the questions.........frustrated!

Thanks
Mark

2003 350z touring
2001 Pathfinder LE
1996 I30t

 

I missed it in the other thread, but not this one

How much is a new axle? $100 from raxles.com? IMHO, this is a golden opportunity to get VLSD for a little bit more money.

 

well I don't have leaks but I have an interesting issue along these lines. As I let the clutch out in R or 1st I get a wierd harmonic noise. Lasts only a second until the pedal is all the way out.

Rebleed the line?

 

Mine makes the same noise if the car has just been started and not driven. The noise on mine goes away after a few minutes. It has acted this way since I bought the car in 2000 with 46K miles on it.

 

I took it to aamco for an estimate today. They seem to think that it only needs a new seal where the axle comes out of the tranny. They said it "drives fine" and they didn't hear any noise. I sent them out to drive it again because like I said earlier, my g/f complains that the car sounds like its whining while Im coming up the street. I can't hear it in the car though, it sounds normal to me. I wish I knew what sound you guys are talking about when you say that bad diff. bearings will produce a whine. Is it something that you would definitely be able to hear inside the car with the windows up? If I replace this seal and it does in fact have bad diff. bearings will this seal just break again soon? Im pretty happy right now cause it looks like I may get off the hook with a hundred dollar repair bill instead of over a grand like I was thinking. If they still swear that it is only the seal I may have them go ahead and replace the cv boots while they're at it because they are slightly cracked. Think it is the seal or the seal is just a symptom of bad bearings?

 

It could be either the seal or the bearings. But without removing the tranny and cracking open the differential, you have to rely on clues to suggest it's more than just the seal(s).

Having a shop reboot the axles and install new seals is a very good first step - in fact it would be good to have them drain/replace the tranny oil as well. If the oil coming out is a mess, it's a sign of the failed bearings. I wonder tho if leakage out both sides is more likely a failure of the bearings pushing oil instead of both seals going bad at once.

To hear the sound, try driving slowly with the windows down (radio off), down a street with buildings close by each side. Any noises will get reflected off the buildings and be audible to you. My neighborhood on a quiet evening works well enough. Many folks have said their bearing noise was worst in 1st or 2nd gear at first, before the noise spread to the other gears.

Dave

 

I realize now that the title of this thread is incorrect. I am only leaking out of one seal (driver side) not both. The guy took it for another trip and said that everything sounded normal to him. He said that he knows what bad diff. bearings sounds like and he does not think that I have that problem. He recommends only replacing the one seal. I asked if he recommends flushing the gear oil and again he said no. He said higher weight gear oil doesn't really need to be changed unless there is some other problem. (I added a quart of new gear oil yesterday anyway to replace what leaked out) So for now Im gonna take his word for it. Tomorrow Im gonna take it and get the seal replaced. This weekend Im due for an oil change anyway so Im gonna put it on ramps and clean the leftover gear oil off and watch it like a hawk from now on.

 

Go under tha car and shake the driver's side axle where it enters the tranny. Any amount of free play means shot diff. carrier bearings. I seriously doubt that you have a seal problem. If you pay for the seal change, that will just be money wasted. Check for free play yourself and then mull over your options as spelled out by others. I opted for a 2k1 5 speed (open diff.) and am happy I did. Very low miles and it shifts better than stock!

Also, tranny shops are notoriously bad for complaints. Check your local BBB online for complaint reports. A common technique is to drop the tranny, and then tell you they found some problem inside that will cost more than their estimate. In essence, they have your car hostage because you can't drive it and the labor cost already incurred is atrocious. If at all possible, I recommend you get a low miles 2k/2k1 tranny and do the work yourself.

 

Yeah I stopped by my regular mechanic after work and he laughed when I said that aamco wanted to put a seal in it. He said that the axle wiggles around so much in the transmission that it couldn't be anything else. He guarantees that if I put a seal in it that it will be leaking again within a week. I told him that when Im at highway speeds and I let off the gas then hit it again pretty hard that the car shudders horribly from the drivetrain. He said that that vibration is the axle slamming around.
The aamco mechanic says that any used car will have some sort of play in the axle eventhough it shouldn't have any. He said that if I put a seal in it the tranny probably wont leak for a couple of years. This guy also claims that there would be noise if the bearings were shot and there is none. Im almost telling this guy to go ahead and give me an estimate on replacing the bearings and he won't do it. He said he doesn't want to take money from me for something that doesn't need fixed. But I also forgot to tell this mechanic about the shuddering I get in 5th gear. Im going to tell him tomorrow and have them drive it again. If they still say it only needs a seal and are willing to warrantee it for a while then I'll let them do it I guess. What do I have to lose if it leaks again?
Thanks for all the suggestions. I trust the .org more than mechanics as weird as that sounds.

edit: do you have to have two new axles with the 5th gen tranny or just the driver side?

 

Don't take it back to aamco...they apparently don't know what they are doing. Trust me, if you have axle free play, the diff. bearings ARE shot and how soon you need to act on it depends how bad the leak is. Forget about the noise--not everyone gets it. Because the tranny oil is very thick, at first it will just coat the bottom of the tranny. Once you get dripping and puddle formation on the ground, you don't have much time. From the time I noticed to leak to the time it started dripping was a little over a year or roughly 15k miles.

That bit about highway shudder is something I experienced too.

Again, avoid Aamco. Find a different tranny shop if you need to. Their warranty for the seal is probably nothing more than them giving you some credit for them to do the tranny rebuild. It will probably be overinflated and like sryth says, I wouldn't trust them to do the job right. You will probably end up with the same problem sometime outside of their 1 year warranty. If you think Aamco may be right, you are in denial. Check the severity of axle play yourself. I was able to move the axle on mine 2mm in each direction and say oil gushing past the seal. BTW, I did change the seal myself as well and it didn't do a damned thing.

 

Btw, the regular 2000 or 2k1 tranny requires NO new axles. You can use your 4th gens. If you get the VLSD version, you will need only the driver's side axle. Low miles open-diff 5th gen trannies are easy to find. Regular mechanics can do tranny swaps because it is nothing more than a clutch change (and shouldn't cost you more either). Honest transmission shops are extremely rare IMHO.

 

if the car isn't leaking TOO bad, then i suggest you just keep driving it until you hear the whining sound. I drove my car for 10k until that sound spread from 1st all the way to 5th. I just ended up rebuilding it since the tranny had to be cracked open anyways.

it is obvious that aamco will suggest a bad seal because that's where the leaking .,.. only we know the history behind the maxima and that problem and most mechanics don't take our word for it anyways.

 

I guess I'll need to look for a used transmission. A 5th gen non-lsd transmission will bolt right in like the factory one then? Did they do something to correct this bearing issue in 5th gen transmissions or what is the difference between the two? Is $500 or so what I would expect to pay for a junkyard 2k-2k1 manual trans?

edit: I found one online from a 01 SE with 73k for $500. But most of them are $900 or more.

 

So Nissan fixed the transmission shim problem in 99ish- after? The 5th gen 5-speed should not have this flaw, right?

 

That's a good question; I've been looking for the answer, but have yet to find it. Let me know if you find out.

 

No one knows if they fixed the problem. Nissan does not even recognize it as a problem...no TSB or anything. All you can say is, if you get a 5th gen with low miles, you will probably get good life out of it and can appreciate the upgrades they made to it. Only time and miles will tell... if 5th genners start reporting in with problems in 2-3 years, we'll know nissan cost cutting was still ongoing... I'm keeping my eye on a G35 but honestly cannot see myself in one if nissan transmissions are questionable.

 

I called aamco and said that I was going to investigate the issue further. The mechanic is completely convinced that it just needs a seal and he guarantees that the bearings are fine. He is so sure of himself that he is kind of pushy when telling me to replace the seal. I found out that he will not give me my money back if the seal goes bad though, he will apply it towards transmission repair which raised a red flag in my mind. He says that my shuddering in 5th gear could just be an axle that is on its way out? Just called the dealer and he says that if there is less than an 1/8" of play then just throw a seal in there. It seems like more than that to me.

 

just took it to a dealer for another opinion. The tech says it needs a new trans too. He doesn't want to rebuild cause he "never has any luck with them lol." They quoted me $2200 parts/labor for a used w/ 85K and $2845 parts/labor for a new transmission . Anyone want to sell me their low mileage 4th gen 5sp tranny .

 

Just for reference, I bought my 2k1 tranny for $650 ($100 for freight) with 14k miles. I did the work myself but typically a new clutch install would run you $600-750 including the new clutch... so you do the math. I personally would not touch a tranny with over 50k miles.

Another option is to just trade the car in... a 98 is getting close to the age when stuff start to need replacing: coil packs, radiator, water pump, rear main seal, etc. The tranny is by no means the end.

 

entire thread, am I to understand that problems with differential bearings are common in in 4th generations.

Does i make a difference if you have VLSD? Is it just as common in the VLSD tranny?

I have a leaking gasket and am worried that it might be a bearing problem.

Thanks
Mark

96I30t

 

I have started looking for a used transmission and I haven't found any deals like that or I would have already bought it. Most want about a grand for a junkyard trans. I bought this car a year ago and have replaced the following:

Alternator
knock sensor
evap vent control valve
rear brakes

Mods:
red/clears
SE wheels
new floormats
new head unit
2 amps
all 4 speakers
subwoofer

So I already have some money in it. I hate to trade it now but Im starting to think that this car is a POS and a money pit. And to think, I sold my 91 accord because I was tired of replacing the cv axles. What I wouldn't give to have those kinds of problems to worry about. BTW that car had 198K when I sold it and it still had the original transmission and clutch and engine.