ok, so i've searched, i've read the stickies, and i haven't been able to find a clear answer one way or another.

i have a 2001 open diff. tranny sitting in my garage waiting to be installed. do i need 5th gen axles, or can i reuse mine? yes, the sticky says i need new ones, but there are a few people who have done it who (say they) reused theirs. i don't even care either way, i just need to know.

so can you guys clear this up for me once and for all? i really don't need to hear "i've researched it and..." or "i think...", because i've researched too and it hasn't gotten me very far. can someone who knows for sure answer this for me?

 

why dont you go to a parts store, ask to see the 5th gen axles and 4th gen axles and compare the sizes?

 

not one parts store in the area has 5th gen axles available, and i can't get them from the dealer without actually buying them (not a lot of diy mechanics around here, so they don't keep this kind of stuff in stock). i asked the parts department manager, but all he could tell me was that they weren't the same part #, he had no idea if i'd be able to reuse mine or not, and didn't know who could tell me for sure. if i had a simple "irl" solution to this i wouldn't have bothered posting.

 

Unless you have a LSD trans, USE THE 4TH GEN 5SPD AXLES. Despite what you say it has been said a million times that with the open diff 5spd you can keep your stock axles.

 

that's all i needed. thank you.

(point of clarification: i know that's been said a million times, and i never said it wasn't. my problem was the other million times when it's been said that you need 5th gen axles, and the general confusion of the entire venice nissan parts department on the issue. i wasn't about to put the wrong ******* axles in after all the other work i'm doing, so i just wanted an answer from someone who had a clue. thanks.)