I'm afraid I need a new TO bearing. Had the trans repaired under warranty at 54K miles (you 5spd owner's prolly know the repair) and noticed on the ticket, no TO bearing listed. Anyway the pedal is sticky and noisey when depressed now at 120K miles.

So AAMCO will do it for $450, don't even want to ask nissan. Or how much work is it? I've replaced the front control arm ball joint, so I was that far into it. No lift or trans jack in my garage.

 

You don't need a trans jack, but it's a large job. It really helps to have air tools too, but not necessary. You just need to lift the car safely on jackstands at least 18".

You will need to drain the tranny oil, pull both axles (actually the pass side can stay, but if you're not working with a tranny jack and lift I think it's easier), air intake and battery tray, starter, clutch slave, and drivers side engine mount. Plus whatever switches and wiring is in the way. The engine crossmember is optional - some bolts are close to the member, so if you can get them out with something low profile like a ratcheting wrench then it's not bad. Also, with the pass axle out you can use an extension to reach thru that opening. If you can work around the crossmember and leave it in, you won't need to separately support the motor. If you do remove it, obvously use a wooden block and jack or other sturdy support to hold up the engine before unbolting the crossmember.

Then to drop the tranny, get a sturdy beam (I use a cut hockey stick shaft, but a 2x4 may work) and a ratcheting strap. Cut the beam to fit exactly across the engine bay and over the tranny. Run the strap over the beam, and along the seam where the two tranny housing halves come together. Use the strap to snug up on the tranny, and unbolt it from the engine. These bolts come out in both directions, and some are back at the rear of the tranny.

Then using the strap for support, pull the tranny away from the engine. It balances perfectly if the strap is running along the housing seam. Since you're just doing the t/o bearing you can swap them (pay attention to the direction of the spring clips!) and reinstall.

The details of the steps can be found in these FAQs or by searching. I strongly recommend you get the Factory Service Manual in some way and contribute for membership so you can run searches. (Although clever use of Google works on this forum just as well).

Dave

 

I have never tried the beam across the engine bay, how well does the strap slide on the beam? I usually support it from below with a floor jack, this allows me to raise and lower it during reinstallation. It can be done alone, but when it comes time to actually separate the tranny from the engine, it really helps to have a friend hanging around. Also, removing the slave cylinder sucks, but I recommend removing the two bolts that hold it to the block, not removing the hose. It it is left in place the hose can get in the way during reinstallation.