Hello guys, I have a 98 5spd, and my tranny blew. so i put in a tranny from a 96 along with a new clutch (01 clutch kit). It runs great, untill it started leaking a bit, it was just the differential oil seals because they wernet replaced. so when i got them replaced the mechanic noticed that it looked like my axle was not going into my transmission all the way. We initially thought maybe it had something to do that i replaced my axles about 2 months ago from a place that is known to give you the wrong parts, but when i visualy checked them they looked the same. Even my old axle looked the same compared to the new. So we got a new axle and it did the exact same thing. The mechanic said this is why my original tranny blew and why it started leaking again. I dont know if its true or not. Basically im stuck, my car renders basically useless because i cant drive it far at all because im afraid something will blow. If possible could someone take a picture from the bottom view of there maxima's drivers-side axle going into the transmission so i can compare it to mine? Is it possible one of the c-clips that hold the axle in place got stuck in the transmission?

thanks
Chris

Pictures:

 

The clips that hold the axle in are on the end of the axle. Remove the axle, almost at the very end there will be a groove for them. Make sure it is there. Make sure the clip is well rounded. Next, look at the splines on the axle and inside the differential. They should all be even and clean. If they are not, get a properly sized screwdriver and clean it a little bit. The odds are that if you're axles went in that far, they are probably the correct axles.

Questions:

Is this the driver side, or passenter side axle?

If you shake the axle, does it move at all?

Can you see where the c-clip is supposed to fall in the differential? If you can, measure the distance from the axle seal to that groove. Then measure the face of the axle knuckle to the c-clip. Confrim they match.

 

im gonna be pulling my tranny and selling it in 2 weeks if you need axels.

 

Your axle seals are leaking because your diff. bearings are failing.
This is a very common problem with 4th gen 5 speed trannys.
Simply replacing the seals is not going to cure your leak, it's going to come back sooner then you think. Your axle fitment issue could also be from something wrong with the diff assy because of failed bearings.

If I were you, I'd take that tranny out, pull it apart and inspect it.
You should have done that before you installed it. It would have saved you from doing the job twice.

 

thanks for the replies, ill have a look at it today. The transmission i got had very little if any play in the diff. I assumed that it was okay. I really have no clue what could be the problem. Ive tried 2 different axles and both did the same.

 

In those pics, is the axle clicked in? I see the metal shroud nearly touching the tranny housing, which looks fine to me.

If the c-clip at the end of the axle is bent or not well centered, it can stop short of clicking and sit just a little away from the tranny. If you're having trouble getting it to click, use a new ring, push it in all the way to the ring (this centers the ring), pull it back a hair, and then push it in real hard. It also helps to lube the ring up well with vaseline. Also wipe the inner lip of the seal clean with a clean paper towel and apply some vaseline to that.

A loose axle will not blow your tranny, but it will cause massive amounts of oil leakage.

As for the diff, there should be zero play. It would have been wise to take the tranny housing off before you installed it, so you'd be sure.

Dave

 

dgeesaman thats the post i was looking for. Thanks, I was questioning how it would blow my transmission, but the weird thing is im not leaking any transmission fluid. It was leaking a tiny bit before but now its not leaking at all. We put in the new axle i got still does the same thing but might as well throw it in anyway since i already paid for it. The diff had no play, i put the axle in and tried lfiting it up and down to see if there was any play, and i am certain there was maybe 0.001mm of play. So do you think the car is fine to drive now?

 

anyone else know if its alright? I will try the c clip to see if it got bent on the install or wasnt centered correctly.

 

If it's not leaking, the axle is clicked in, then it's ok to drive. But I'd take it on a few short local trips, and make sure to include some tight radius turns and bumps. If you can, find a steep driveway apron and approach it while taking it with the wheels turned hard (like you would to avoid scraping the front end). If the axle doesn't come loose doing that, you're good to go.

As for the play in the axle, the differential is designed to be squeezed by the bearings at all times. If there is even the tiniest amount of play, that means your differential bearings are getting pretty worn. That play leads to leaking at the diff seals - no matter if the seals are new or old. If you drain some of the tranny oil and you find metal flecks that's additional evidence. This differential stuff has little to do with the axle, but if left go it will make the tranny much weaker and prone to going kaboom.

Dave

 

alright, i talked to the mechanic today, and he said the shoulder on the axle prevents it from going into the transmission all the way and said i have very little of the actual splined section in the diff. Im not really sure what to do right now, id really rather not risk driving it, but right now im getting a ride in my freinds pony(hyundai) and to be honest i feel more safe walking with a loaded gun to my head then being in that car lol..

 

Make sure the oil seals aren't switched. The passenger side seal is slightly smaller, and if installed on the drivers side it would prevent the axle from fitting.

 

well i have VLSD so, i dont even think its possible to switch them around, the drivers-side is about 2 times the size of the passenger. Is it possible that they sent the wrong oil seal?

 

Alright I have had this same problem that you describe in your pictures and have yet to fix it. However when I did do the install I went to Nissan and got the new driveshaft oil seal and compared it to the old one and they are slightly different. Nissan changed the way they design the oil seal to make it more universal for other models. I had the guy check the #'s after I got the same problem and he insisted it was the right one. So I did a search and came upon a thread on here I believe, and the guy had the same problem. He said that in order to get the driveaxle to go in fully he had to go to NAPA and buy their version of the seal and it worked for him. So I went to napa recently and they had to order it but came the next day. But unfortunately I havent had a chance to install it yet, but will try to soon and let ya know if it works. If you do find a solution though please post it here.

 

If you can measure them, the seal should be a tiny bit smaller on the ID than the seal surface of the axle. (Maybe .005-.010" smaller).

I haven't worked with a VLSD assembly yet - perhaps there is something in there against the viscous slip unit blocking the axle from going in fully?

Also try removing the snap ring and inserting the axle to see if it goes in deeper?

Dave

 

Yeah, the nissan seal is thinner than the one I bought from a mom/pop part store.

Jae

 

So did the seal from napa fix your problem?

 

bump its not the seal unfortunetly, does it loook okay to drive on?

 

Update: The diff was faulty i guess, i returned this transaxle got my money back, went to the wreckors just down the street and i brought my old axle put it in and it went in all the way, so 450$ later i just have to install the transaxle now.