jjamzman

I just swapped in an Infiniti LSD auto trans to replace my dead 96 Max trans. It was not as bad a job as I expected, and a lot easier than many other trans swaps I have done.. I did it in my home garage with pretty much normal tools. I had to switch the trans dipstick and one of the trans sensor wiring harnesses from the 96, but that was it. Came out and went back in with no great drama. I did also have to change the left axle to a 96 I30 Touring. No problems, no leaks, no issues.

Driving first on dry roads didn't really tell me much about the LSD until I started pushing it hard in some turns. It definitely comes out of a fast turn under power MUCH better than with the open diff. It doesn't try to throttle steer like before... just comes out where it is pointed.

Today it rained. I can now leave from a stop in the wet with a big footfull of throttle without spinning the tires. WOW! huge difference. It feels so much better now than before. I didn't expect this much of a difference. I am so glad I held out for an LSD trans.

If anyone wants any particulars on the swap let me know. I did come up with a couple of useful tricks of my own.

By the way. Total cost of swap with me doing the work, including the trans and new axle assembly- $685.00

This is a tad bit better than the $2000-$3000 quotes I got to rebuild the original....plus I got an LSD now.

jjam

MaximaSE96

iTrader: (8)

YEA...Direct swaps tend to be pretty easy.......besides the driver axle of course...but i know what u mean about taking the trans out in general it can be a PITA

goldtooth

iTrader: (56)

does it cost more to rebuild an open diff as compared to rebuilding a LSD?

sam29281

where'd you buy the tranny?

jjamzman

Unless the diff itself is bad, the cost to rebuild the trans is based on how many parts need to be replaced, at least that is what I was told at the trans shops. I am sure an LSD is more expensive by itself than an open one.

jjam

jjamzman

I got the trans from Tom's Foreign Auto in Waterbury, Ct. 800-255-6656

They were really decent to deal with. I saw pictures of the car before the trans was removed. It was still in running/driving condition when I bought it. Freight was the lowest I found anywhere and they did a great job of boxing the trans. It also came with a 99 day warranty.

I found three JDM LSD's about 50 miles away, but no one was sure if they would hook up OK with the electronics. I decided that a domestic Infiniti was a sure thing. It has worked out fine. I am glad I waited for an LSD.

jjam

MaximaSE96

iTrader: (8)

Toms Foreign...good guy...i bought a trans for my 96 auto there....good guys

gen4maxima536

iTrader: (14)

should just post up a mini how-to of your tips and tricks for others who may be trying this. just an idea

jjamzman

I will do this. There are a couple of things that make the job a bit easier.

jjam

sam29281

Yeah, looking forward to the howto's on this. I thought replacing the tranny in the max is a pain in the butt.

jjamzman

I'll be travelling for about a week. When I get back I will write this up. I also took some pictures along the way.

Mine didn't really seem so bad partly because I did it in stages. Since I could not get absolute agreement on all of my prior swap questions, I decide to pull the trans out and have it available for comparison to an I30 LSD. I have a heated garage with a decent stereo so it is not a bad place to be or work in. I have another vehicle to drive so the Max sat for a week minus the trans until I got the I30 unit and made sure it would fit.

Replacing ANY trans is generally a pain, but the Max swap was not as bad as I expected, and I have done many others (but not Max's). I heard some horror stories before I did mine but had a hard time believing some of them. I was even told by an auto mechanic no less that you have to cut a portion of the unibody rail out to remove the trans!!! I found that not as much needs to be removed as I was told if you do things right. I think the horror stories I heard were just the result of very inexperienced people getting in over their heads. I can assure you, you don't need to cut anything, don't need to remove the engine, don't need to remove the exhaust and don't even need to remove the engine cross member. If you take your time and plan ahead, it is just time consuming, not really difficult for the most part. There are a couple of places though where you can go wrong and if you do, you will have a lot of extra work, but there are ways to prevent these minor issues from being majot problems. I went very slowly, took pictures and double checked things as I went and it took about 4-1/2 hours to drop the trans. I think I could do it now in about 3 hours. Reassembly takes a bit longer, but is not tough once the trans is remated to the engine. I'll post the long version in a couple of weeks.

jjam

sam29281

I experienced removing the whole unit,..engine+tranny (I blew my maxima motor at 240k). It's so tight..I assumed that removing the tranny would require removing the engine too.

removing tranny is simple on rwd cars. FWD small engine.. simple.
Maxima tranny seems hard--- That's why I'm looking foward to your technique... I'm not doing it anytime soon...but I'm sure people here will appreciate your contribution.

Make good use of your travel. Enjoy.