Who has had their 5spd rebuilt?
10-22-2006, 06:01 PM
#1
Who has had their 5spd rebuilt?
I'm thinking Im gona have to get it rebuilt asap.......Im almost certain the bearings are shot......and it's nowhere as smooth as it used to be..
If you've had yours rebuilt......how much was it?
And where?
I'm leaning to just get it done by Nissan, and have a warranty.....
sht!
If you've had yours rebuilt......how much was it?
And where?
I'm leaning to just get it done by Nissan, and have a warranty.....
sht!
10-22-2006, 07:17 PM
#3
I got mine done at nissan..I have a friend up there who is a mechanic so I got a clutch put in my car and my tranny rebuilt(new sincro's and bearings and a new input shaft maybe some new gears? I dont member, its been a little more than a year I think) and it has worked fine. I think I paid 500 for all that. and he did all the labor. Well I know a couple guys up there and they split the labor. SO it always helps to have friends who work at nissan. But for all that work a regular customer would pay a good bit more..
10-23-2006, 05:48 AM
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 2,007
I rebuilt my Canadian 98 SE VLSD 5 spd summer 05.
I had developed a bit of weap from the driver side axle that wouldn't go away even if I replaced the axle seal. I had a buddy that rebuilt his tranny the year before, but when he did, he must have screwed up somewhere because every now and then, when he shifts into reverse, his transmission somehow selects both I believe 2nd gear and R. You'll see the special relationship between 2nd and R if you ever take the tranny apart. The only way he can fix the problem is to remove the reverse sensor, insert a long screwdriver into the transmission, place it against the coupler, tap the transmission into neutral. However he had a reputation for the kinda guy that wasn't very good with details.
I rebuilt my transmission in my driveway/garage. It's very doable if you are good with free hand machining, have a shop press, and some kind of welder, whether it be stick, mig or tig.
Removing the transmission is pretty easy, I've got it down to under 60 minutes. But that's with Snap On everything, including pneumatics, powered by a 12cfm at 120psi IR compressor, all kinds of wobbles and extensions, and I've removed enough trannies from 3rd and 4th gens in my life.
Once you get it out, as you're disassembling, things to be wary of are the checkballs for the detents in the shift rods in the shifter mechanism. Springs, shims, etc. Basically all the little bits you shouldn't lose. Since I was taking my tranny apart to replace the diff bearings, I figured I'd do the synchros as well. If all you are doing is the diff bearings, the job is SUPER easy. If you're gonna do the synchros as well, be prepared to deal with very small tolerances, i.e. .006". At the least you'll need a set of feeler gauges, an accurate caliper, I recommend Mitotoyo. Most of the disassembly is not too bad. Just follow the FSM and use common sense as they definitely skip some steps that would for example have you reinstalling the main shaft without 4th gear on it.
Disassembly is pretty straight forward. It's the reassembly with all the shimming and tolerancing that gets hairy. This is where you'll really want to take your time, especially if you're not experienced in working with lots of small pieces with TIGHT tolerances.
Some tips, you'll need a shop press to press the bearings back on. Use a good high pressure lube during this process. I used a synthetic one made by AMSOIL. Keep it surgically clean. I used nitrile gloves, TONNES of varsol/brake cleaner, as well as lots of WD-40 or a light oil, to keep certain pieces from being exposed to moisture in the air, which will rust in minutes if water touches it or if it's humid. Lots of washes during assembly. Use vaseline to hold shims and check ***** in place.
IMPORTANT TIPS!!! Nissan does not make an appropriate shim to properly tolerance the differential. The smallest shim they make is too thick, not only leaving no freeplay, but placing pressure on the bearings as well. What do you do? Well I'm not sure what the proper answer is, but I basically used my bare fingers and a bench grinder. I basically kept taking tens of thousandths of inches off at a time checking for thickness across the circumfrence of the shim to not only make sure the thickness is what I need but that it was flat as well. Also, just to even get the measurement of free play that you will need, you will likely need a welder or someway to fabricate a rigid mount for an accurate dial gauge, again I recommend Mitutoyo. Since the case is aluminum, magnetic bases won't work, so you'll have to figure out a way to rigidly mount the dial gauge in order to get the freeplay measure that you need to determine the differential bearing shim thickness you will need, that will undoubtedly be thinner than the thinnest shim Nissan makes.
And I highly suggest shifting through the gears before you reinstall it to save yourself the trouble of reinstalling the tranny with a small itty bitty part that fell out of position during assembly, which I assure you will happen, especially if it's your first time. It helps to rotate the diff where it meets the axles to make shifting easier.
Also, it would be best to use an anaerobic sealer that is as thin as possible. The silicone sealant that is recommended in the FSM will definitely throw tolerances off. It will be far too thick, and is only recommend in the FSM because it cures within 1 hour before install, and 2 hours before operation, where as the Permatex liquid gasket that I use is leagues thinner, and requires 24 hours until operation. Further more, the silicone seant will pollute the gear oil, and if you run a synthetic gear oil, that could be a pretty big problem. Oh and run a couple loads of cheap dino gear oil through the tranny after the first couple drives. Like do a 20 minute drive, drop the oil, top up, drive 50 km, drop and, then fill with whatever synthetic you like best. Just to help flush out any break in wear bits that aren't magnetic or didn't get caught by the magnet.
I'm sure I'm making it sound pretty involved, and it is. Definitely not something you'll want to tackle without having an ability to work with extremely small tolerances, being creative with creating the tools you'll need to get the job done like a dial gauge mount, or a way to press parts on and off the shafts, etc. You'll also require someone with VERY good fine motor control when it comes to free hand fabricating/cutting/etc. I cut off some of my bearing races, which I highly do not recommend you do without some experience, lest you nick the shaft.
Get the requisite tools to make the job feasible, i.e. dial gauge, caliper, welder, shop press, etc. Go over the FSM repeatedly. Order all the synchros, bearings, etc you intend on replacing before you even begin. Once you get the parts, drop the tranny, crack it open, disassemble. Should be doable in 3-4 hours for a first timer. Then reassemble with the new bearings/synchros/etc, then take all the measurements you'll need for the various shims on the shafts, bearings, etc. Order those, and hopefully they are all 1-2 days away tops. If you get unlucky, either wait, or order a larger size and freehand it down to what you need. All in all, assuming I could get parts next day, which is usually the case, you could technically do it in 2-3 days without too much trouble.
BTW, new synchros and bearings make the car a DREAM to drive/shift. And with AMSOIL gear oil in it, it's damn near orgasmic.
I had developed a bit of weap from the driver side axle that wouldn't go away even if I replaced the axle seal. I had a buddy that rebuilt his tranny the year before, but when he did, he must have screwed up somewhere because every now and then, when he shifts into reverse, his transmission somehow selects both I believe 2nd gear and R. You'll see the special relationship between 2nd and R if you ever take the tranny apart. The only way he can fix the problem is to remove the reverse sensor, insert a long screwdriver into the transmission, place it against the coupler, tap the transmission into neutral. However he had a reputation for the kinda guy that wasn't very good with details.
I rebuilt my transmission in my driveway/garage. It's very doable if you are good with free hand machining, have a shop press, and some kind of welder, whether it be stick, mig or tig.
Removing the transmission is pretty easy, I've got it down to under 60 minutes. But that's with Snap On everything, including pneumatics, powered by a 12cfm at 120psi IR compressor, all kinds of wobbles and extensions, and I've removed enough trannies from 3rd and 4th gens in my life.
Once you get it out, as you're disassembling, things to be wary of are the checkballs for the detents in the shift rods in the shifter mechanism. Springs, shims, etc. Basically all the little bits you shouldn't lose. Since I was taking my tranny apart to replace the diff bearings, I figured I'd do the synchros as well. If all you are doing is the diff bearings, the job is SUPER easy. If you're gonna do the synchros as well, be prepared to deal with very small tolerances, i.e. .006". At the least you'll need a set of feeler gauges, an accurate caliper, I recommend Mitotoyo. Most of the disassembly is not too bad. Just follow the FSM and use common sense as they definitely skip some steps that would for example have you reinstalling the main shaft without 4th gear on it.
Disassembly is pretty straight forward. It's the reassembly with all the shimming and tolerancing that gets hairy. This is where you'll really want to take your time, especially if you're not experienced in working with lots of small pieces with TIGHT tolerances.
Some tips, you'll need a shop press to press the bearings back on. Use a good high pressure lube during this process. I used a synthetic one made by AMSOIL. Keep it surgically clean. I used nitrile gloves, TONNES of varsol/brake cleaner, as well as lots of WD-40 or a light oil, to keep certain pieces from being exposed to moisture in the air, which will rust in minutes if water touches it or if it's humid. Lots of washes during assembly. Use vaseline to hold shims and check ***** in place.
IMPORTANT TIPS!!! Nissan does not make an appropriate shim to properly tolerance the differential. The smallest shim they make is too thick, not only leaving no freeplay, but placing pressure on the bearings as well. What do you do? Well I'm not sure what the proper answer is, but I basically used my bare fingers and a bench grinder. I basically kept taking tens of thousandths of inches off at a time checking for thickness across the circumfrence of the shim to not only make sure the thickness is what I need but that it was flat as well. Also, just to even get the measurement of free play that you will need, you will likely need a welder or someway to fabricate a rigid mount for an accurate dial gauge, again I recommend Mitutoyo. Since the case is aluminum, magnetic bases won't work, so you'll have to figure out a way to rigidly mount the dial gauge in order to get the freeplay measure that you need to determine the differential bearing shim thickness you will need, that will undoubtedly be thinner than the thinnest shim Nissan makes.
And I highly suggest shifting through the gears before you reinstall it to save yourself the trouble of reinstalling the tranny with a small itty bitty part that fell out of position during assembly, which I assure you will happen, especially if it's your first time. It helps to rotate the diff where it meets the axles to make shifting easier.
Also, it would be best to use an anaerobic sealer that is as thin as possible. The silicone sealant that is recommended in the FSM will definitely throw tolerances off. It will be far too thick, and is only recommend in the FSM because it cures within 1 hour before install, and 2 hours before operation, where as the Permatex liquid gasket that I use is leagues thinner, and requires 24 hours until operation. Further more, the silicone seant will pollute the gear oil, and if you run a synthetic gear oil, that could be a pretty big problem. Oh and run a couple loads of cheap dino gear oil through the tranny after the first couple drives. Like do a 20 minute drive, drop the oil, top up, drive 50 km, drop and, then fill with whatever synthetic you like best. Just to help flush out any break in wear bits that aren't magnetic or didn't get caught by the magnet.
I'm sure I'm making it sound pretty involved, and it is. Definitely not something you'll want to tackle without having an ability to work with extremely small tolerances, being creative with creating the tools you'll need to get the job done like a dial gauge mount, or a way to press parts on and off the shafts, etc. You'll also require someone with VERY good fine motor control when it comes to free hand fabricating/cutting/etc. I cut off some of my bearing races, which I highly do not recommend you do without some experience, lest you nick the shaft.
Get the requisite tools to make the job feasible, i.e. dial gauge, caliper, welder, shop press, etc. Go over the FSM repeatedly. Order all the synchros, bearings, etc you intend on replacing before you even begin. Once you get the parts, drop the tranny, crack it open, disassemble. Should be doable in 3-4 hours for a first timer. Then reassemble with the new bearings/synchros/etc, then take all the measurements you'll need for the various shims on the shafts, bearings, etc. Order those, and hopefully they are all 1-2 days away tops. If you get unlucky, either wait, or order a larger size and freehand it down to what you need. All in all, assuming I could get parts next day, which is usually the case, you could technically do it in 2-3 days without too much trouble.
BTW, new synchros and bearings make the car a DREAM to drive/shift. And with AMSOIL gear oil in it, it's damn near orgasmic.
10-23-2006, 07:05 AM
#10
AAMCO might be a great choice. Just keep in mind that since they are franchises, they are hit-or-miss. Some of them are awesome, and some of them suck horribly. Case in point: My buddy's family in Maryland has been getting nothing but great work and great service from their local AAMCO for years, but the AAMCO near me is apparently doesn't even know the difference between an auto and a 5-speed. Just make sure you go in and talk to the mechanics and get a feel for the place before you drop it off, and you'll be okay.
My rebuilt 5-speed is from dgeesaman. It's got about 14k miles on it since the rebuild and is doing fine.
My rebuilt 5-speed is from dgeesaman. It's got about 14k miles on it since the rebuild and is doing fine.
10-23-2006, 07:17 AM
#11
i've recently rebuilt my 01 5 speed recently as well. and like Sin, did it in a buddy's garage.
everything went really smoothly.
i was referred to this site for pics and some more advice.
http://www.motorvate.ca/mvp.php/805
Amsoil all the way.
good luck to you all.
everything went really smoothly.
i was referred to this site for pics and some more advice.
http://www.motorvate.ca/mvp.php/805
Amsoil all the way.
good luck to you all.
10-23-2006, 07:40 AM
#12
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 2,007
Originally Posted by resurrectedmax
i've recently rebuilt my 01 5 speed recently as well. and like Sin, did it in a buddy's garage.
everything went really smoothly.
i was referred to this site for pics and some more advice.
http://www.motorvate.ca/mvp.php/805
Amsoil all the way.
good luck to you all.
everything went really smoothly.
i was referred to this site for pics and some more advice.
http://www.motorvate.ca/mvp.php/805
Amsoil all the way.
good luck to you all.
Notice how Frank had to cut his bearing race off? It's pretty much the only way to do it. Tip, instead of cutting through it, cut a line into the bearing axially to the shaft. Start with almost no pressure just creating a nice furrow. As you start cutting, be sure you don't actually cut through the race. Get it as thin as you can without actually punching through. Then use a chisel and a dead blow and crack the race. Once the race is cracked removing it is easy as there is almost no more load, practically slides off. If you do nick the shaft as Frank did,just make sure there are no burrs, and unless it's HUGE, it's not a huge deal. It's more so like **** retentive people that appreciate fine motor control free hand machining that give a rats ***. For the function comes first people, no one cares.
Also, notice the jig that Frank used to mount the dial gauge. Something like that is critical. I didn't have one, so I used bolts and metal rod to fashion what I needed. I used a piece of 1/2" steel as the piece that would be bolted to the rim of the transmission using one of the securing bolts to the engine I believe. I had a piece of 1/2" round bar welded to this plate piece, and triangulated, which was a bit of overkill admittedly. Then welded a 1/2" bolt to the end of vertical rod so that I would have vertical adjustment that I could lock in place on either side using plain old 1/2" nuts on either side of the horizontal arm. I basically made 3 points of articulation over the 3 axes.
If you're gonna go through the trouble of cracking your tranny open, you might as well go all the way and change the input and main shaft bearings, as well as the synchros. It's like having a brand new transmission for like $400 in parts, maybe $500 if you count stuff like the misc bits like shift fork retainer clips, and misc other stuff you replace along the way because it just needs to be replaced. And maybe 3 days in the garage, and one of them is spent waiting on parts, and an overnight for the sealant to cure.
Order all the bearings, both input shaft, both main shaft, both diff, etc. And all the synchros ahead of time. As well as misc parts like retainer clips and synchro guide detents that are exclusively one time use only. Once you have everything, rip the tranny out on a sunday. Should take no more than 2 hours. 60-90 minutes if you've done it before. Tear it down, takes about 20-30 minutes. Reassemble with new bearings/synchros, etc, measure tolerances. Order shims and any other parts needed monday morning, and find alternate means to get to work. Most of the time it's next day delivery. And 2 day if it's in North America. If it's coming from Japan, usually 3-5 days, sometimes more though. 99% you'll get the parts next day. Reassemble with new parts, recheck for tolerances. Seal, reinstall and drive Wednesday. So you see how it can be done in 3 days, and 2 really if it weren't for the 24hour cure of the liquid gasket.
10-23-2006, 09:00 AM
#13
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 509
i JUST pulled off the input shaft bearing on my tranny... and it was really rough, it turns rough and catches, other than that, everything else seems to be fine. i think i might just replace all the bearings for peace of mind. but realisitcally i will have a good tranny for about 30$ (the price of a new input shaft bearing). mine was the front bearing that was shot, it was all gouged up on the race. i bought a tranny with 82k miles from august pohl, and once i get my other tranny back together, i will have a good spare, which is great peace of mind if you drive like a jackas like me
btw: wheel hop KILLS the tranny, be careful with that man, i have a suspicion thats what caused it
btw: wheel hop KILLS the tranny, be careful with that man, i have a suspicion thats what caused it
10-23-2006, 09:13 AM
#14
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 2,007
Originally Posted by acidspit86
i JUST pulled off the input shaft bearing on my tranny... and it was really rough, it turns rough and catches, other than that, everything else seems to be fine. i think i might just replace all the bearings for peace of mind. but realisitcally i will have a good tranny for about 30$ (the price of a new input shaft bearing). mine was the front bearing that was shot, it was all gouged up on the race. i bought a tranny with 82k miles from august pohl, and once i get my other tranny back together, i will have a good spare, which is great peace of mind if you drive like a jackas like me
btw: wheel hop KILLS the tranny, be careful with that man, i have a suspicion thats what caused it
btw: wheel hop KILLS the tranny, be careful with that man, i have a suspicion thats what caused it
They are like $16-40 each I believe.
10-23-2006, 09:33 AM
#15
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 509
Originally Posted by Sin
If you're gonna do all the bearings, you might as well do the synchros as well
They are like $16-40 each I believe.
They are like $16-40 each I believe.
whoa is that all? i would have thought more, should i get them from drivetrain.com or whatever that site is?
10-23-2006, 09:39 AM
#16
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 2,007
Originally Posted by acidspit86
whoa is that all? i would have thought more, should i get them from drivetrain.com or whatever that site is?
10-23-2006, 09:46 AM
#17
Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 16
We rebuilt the 5spd in my daughters 96, it want that bad to do. This website was a really good reference.
http://www.motorvate.ca/mvp.php/805
If you buy a reman, be sure you get a good warranty, if they dont shim the bearings correctly your Max will eat up the tranny pretty quickly again.
http://www.motorvate.ca/mvp.php/805
If you buy a reman, be sure you get a good warranty, if they dont shim the bearings correctly your Max will eat up the tranny pretty quickly again.
10-23-2006, 12:01 PM
#18
i actually only did the diff bearings and the input shaft bearings, with of course new seals.
the synchros was going to cost me just over 400. how did you manage to get everything for so cheap SIN?
i should've done the synchros anyway because my shifting is still quite notchy. ah well.
-r
the synchros was going to cost me just over 400. how did you manage to get everything for so cheap SIN?
i should've done the synchros anyway because my shifting is still quite notchy. ah well.
-r
10-23-2006, 12:07 PM
#19
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 2,007
Originally Posted by resurrectedmax
i actually only did the diff bearings and the input shaft bearings, with of course new seals.
the synchros was going to cost me just over 400. how did you manage to get everything for so cheap SIN?
i should've done the synchros anyway because my shifting is still quite notchy. ah well.
-r
the synchros was going to cost me just over 400. how did you manage to get everything for so cheap SIN?
i should've done the synchros anyway because my shifting is still quite notchy. ah well.
-r
If I remember correctly, most of the synchros were around $40 each, and reverse was cheaper. All in, bearings, seals, clips, synchros, etc, etc, etc, etc, I think I spent about $500 in parts, and that even includes the cheap gear oil I used. I probably spent another couple hundred dollars on things like a 20 tonne shop press, and other miscellaneous items.
Becareful, if you ask for say 2nd gear synchro, they call 2nd gear on the main shaft 2nd gear synchro. It's actually the gear set with the engagement teeth pressed onto it. That will easily cost you $100-150. But the actual I think they call the wear items of the synchros thrust washers or something, are only about $40 each.
10-23-2006, 12:20 PM
#20
Originally Posted by Sin
I do have a pretty good thing going with the dealership I buy most of my parts from. They know me quite well over there, and I think they like that I'm a little eccentric and do complete transmission tear down and rebuilds, to the point that each pieces within the transmission is disassembled. They seemed quite shocked that I was doing the job in my driveway. I think they respect that I'm as tight *** as I am about doing things right, so they are pretty generous with discounts there.
If I remember correctly, most of the synchros were around $40 each, and reverse was cheaper. All in, bearings, seals, clips, synchros, etc, etc, etc, etc, I think I spent about $500 in parts, and that even includes the cheap gear oil I used. I probably spent another couple hundred dollars on things like a 20 tonne shop press, and other miscellaneous items.
Becareful, if you ask for say 2nd gear synchro, they call 2nd gear on the main shaft 2nd gear synchro. It's actually the gear set with the engagement teeth pressed onto it. That will easily cost you $100-150. But the actual I think they call the wear items of the synchros thrust washers or something, are only about $40 each.
If I remember correctly, most of the synchros were around $40 each, and reverse was cheaper. All in, bearings, seals, clips, synchros, etc, etc, etc, etc, I think I spent about $500 in parts, and that even includes the cheap gear oil I used. I probably spent another couple hundred dollars on things like a 20 tonne shop press, and other miscellaneous items.
Becareful, if you ask for say 2nd gear synchro, they call 2nd gear on the main shaft 2nd gear synchro. It's actually the gear set with the engagement teeth pressed onto it. That will easily cost you $100-150. But the actual I think they call the wear items of the synchros thrust washers or something, are only about $40 each.
can i contact you next time i have car woes?
sorry to jack your thread ATL GXE. all in good interest
10-23-2006, 12:35 PM
#21
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 2,007
Originally Posted by resurrectedmax
thats wicked man, i'm guessing you're not speaking of brampton north?
can i contact you next time i have car woes?
sorry to jack your thread ATL GXE. all in good interest
can i contact you next time i have car woes?
sorry to jack your thread ATL GXE. all in good interest
In regards to help with woes, sure. Although I must admit I'm kinda outta the loop. I've been in Australia for almost a year now, and my 98 SE 5 spd is still back in Toronto.
10-24-2006, 02:06 AM
#22
i had it done at a trusted shop..cost 1100. think i might have overpaid from what im reading from you guys but im happy. felt real smoothe afterwards, still going fine about 10k later.
10-24-2006, 12:21 PM
#24
I live in the nyc tri-state area so if anyone on this thread knows of a good place for me to go get my tranny rebuilt let me know.... I can't find anyone in my area that I can trust to do the job right. If I had the time I would do it myself but I work to many hours now so I'm willing to pay someone else as long as it's done right.... I've heard way to many horror stories of people having them done at aamco and having to do it again after 25,000miles..
10-25-2006, 05:02 AM
#25
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 2,007
Originally Posted by Max Noob
i had it done at a trusted shop..cost 1100. think i might have overpaid from what im reading from you guys but im happy. felt real smoothe afterwards, still going fine about 10k later.
Even if the diff bearing preload wasn't set right, you wouldn't notice anything by 10K. Typically improper diff bearing preload symptoms such as slight gravely noise that gets louder and louder, as well as driver side axle seal weap/leak, don't begin to show up till 25-30k. And if you've made it past 50-60K (oh and I'm talking km not miles) without symptoms, you're pretty much in the clear. If you get the diff bearing's set right, and shift with wear in mind, i.e. double clutching down into lower gears, you'll easily go 150K on the tranny.
10-25-2006, 07:17 AM
#26
Member
Join Date: Dec 2000
Posts: 253
Originally Posted by tdbak
We rebuilt the 5spd in my daughters 96, it want that bad to do. This website was a really good reference.
http://www.motorvate.ca/mvp.php/805
If you buy a reman, be sure you get a good warranty, if they dont shim the bearings correctly your Max will eat up the tranny pretty quickly again.
http://www.motorvate.ca/mvp.php/805
If you buy a reman, be sure you get a good warranty, if they dont shim the bearings correctly your Max will eat up the tranny pretty quickly again.
My tranny has 178,000 KM since I rebuilt it with the proper shim. The factory shim was ~.006" too thick, and it only lasted 80,000 KM before it started to drip.
Frank
95 Maxima w/ 378,000 KM
motorvate.ca
10-25-2006, 07:30 AM
#27
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 2,007
Originally Posted by MaxVQ
Proper shimming is critical!!!
My tranny has 178,000 KM since I rebuilt it with the proper shim. The factory shim was ~.006" too thick, and it only lasted 80,000 KM before it started to drip.
Frank
95 Maxima w/ 378,000 KM
motorvate.ca
My tranny has 178,000 KM since I rebuilt it with the proper shim. The factory shim was ~.006" too thick, and it only lasted 80,000 KM before it started to drip.
Frank
95 Maxima w/ 378,000 KM
motorvate.ca
10-25-2006, 08:25 AM
#28
Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 18
Hey guys,, great site... I have an 2000 Maxima SE with 5 speed manual, this problem raised it's ugly head at around 120K, before I ever heard of this problem I went ahead and had the seal fixed, leaked again within a few hundred miles, went back to my mechanic, he said the axle was bent and probably wiped out the new seal, so I had a new axle and new seal put in, leaked again within a few hundred miles, he discovered the bearing problem, so out came the tranny, he replaced the bearings, new seal, after spending half a fortune, it started leaking again within a few hundred miles. He said he found out from Nissan there are two different seals, one for stock Japanese axles and one for reman. american axles, replaced yet again, within a few hundred miles the seal is again leaking. I love the features of my Maxima, but it is driving me crazy, i'm ready to take the car to a Honda dealership and see what they will give me for it.. Can anybody help ?? why does the new seal keep leaking after only a few hudred miles each time, even with the bearings replaced ??? Thanks for any help in advance .. Chris
P.S. build date on the car is 6/99 so I have a very early 2000..
P.S. build date on the car is 6/99 so I have a very early 2000..
10-25-2006, 09:08 AM
#29
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 2,007
Originally Posted by chris288
Hey guys,, great site... I have an 2000 Maxima SE with 5 speed manual, this problem raised it's ugly head at around 120K, before I ever heard of this problem I went ahead and had the seal fixed, leaked again within a few hundred miles, went back to my mechanic, he said the axle was bent and probably wiped out the new seal, so I had a new axle and new seal put in, leaked again within a few hundred miles, he discovered the bearing problem, so out came the tranny, he replaced the bearings, new seal, after spending half a fortune, it started leaking again within a few hundred miles. He said he found out from Nissan there are two different seals, one for stock Japanese axles and one for reman. american axles, replaced yet again, within a few hundred miles the seal is again leaking. I love the features of my Maxima, but it is driving me crazy, i'm ready to take the car to a Honda dealership and see what they will give me for it.. Can anybody help ?? why does the new seal keep leaking after only a few hudred miles each time, even with the bearings replaced ??? Thanks for any help in advance .. Chris
P.S. build date on the car is 6/99 so I have a very early 2000..
P.S. build date on the car is 6/99 so I have a very early 2000..
There is also always the possibility he might have been a little negligent during the rebuild, particularly with the tolerancing, which I must admit is a pain in the *** if done right. And odds are he didn't. A lot of the time, Nissan mechanics are instructed to order/use the middle sized shim, and not bother with tolerancing, because worst case scenario, it leaks somewhere down the road again and the customer has to come back eventually.
I don't know how proficient you are, but if you want to know for sure, I say remove the transmission from your car, and take the differential freeplay (it's actually freeplay that is required and to be taken when it comes to the differential, however, because the shim is often too thick, not only is there no free play, as the transmission casing is bolted together, preload is applied to the bearings) and check to see that it is within tolerances. If there is excessive freeplay, odds are your diff bearings are toast again, OR, for some reason it wasn't rebuilt correctly, i.e. a missing shim, or too thin of a shim, which is highly unlikely. It will almost be impossible for there to be too little free play by this point in the transmissions life. If the differential free play checks out to within tolerances, it's likely the seals/axle.
I don't have access to the FSM right now, but if the differential free play checks out, see if you can confirm axle seal and axle circumfrences/diameters. Even if they differ from the ones you have on your car now, by comparison you can confirm. For example, if the FSM spells out no free play in its dimensional details for components, then measure your axle and axle seal looking for the same sizes. If there is a certain amount of free play allowed which is possible, or preload of the seal around the axle, which is unlikely, then compare to your actual axle and seal measurements. Just make sure you're using a good caliper or don't even bother.
10-25-2006, 10:18 AM
#30
Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 18
Thanks for the reply Sin,,, Was there last night to drop my car off yet again, I printed out the instructions from motorvate.ca for him and we discussed the situation, he said he used the original shims and it was within spec. Was the original spec. from Nissan correct ?? from what I have read it's not totally clear,, the original did last 120K. He said he would do what he has to, to fix this problem, even if it means pulling the tranny again and replace the bearings,, I told him I dont think there is any way the bearings would go bad this quick but we still need to find out why seal after seal is leaking in a short period of time..
He mic'd up the axle and two different seals, one for supposed Japanese axles and one for the American Axle, said he did find a difference in ID between the two and did use the correct seal for my replacement axle. The fix ends up lasting a few hundred miles and I get the all too familiar smell through the vents...
... Thanks again for any help.. Chris
He mic'd up the axle and two different seals, one for supposed Japanese axles and one for the American Axle, said he did find a difference in ID between the two and did use the correct seal for my replacement axle. The fix ends up lasting a few hundred miles and I get the all too familiar smell through the vents...
... Thanks again for any help.. Chris
10-25-2006, 10:32 AM
#31
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 2,007
Originally Posted by chris288
Thanks for the reply Sin,,, Was there last night to drop my car off yet again, I printed out the instructions from motorvate.ca for him and we discussed the situation, he said he used the original shims and it was within spec. Was the original spec. from Nissan correct ?? from what I have read it's not totally clear,, the original did last 120K. He said he would do what he has to, to fix this problem, even if it means pulling the tranny again and replace the bearings,, I told him I dont think there is any way the bearings would go bad this quick but we still need to find out why seal after seal is leaking in a short period of time..
He mic'd up the axle and two different seals, one for supposed Japanese axles and one for the American Axle, said he did find a difference in ID between the two and did use the correct seal for my replacement axle. The fix ends up lasting a few hundred miles and I get the all too familiar smell through the vents...... Thanks again for any help.. Chris
He mic'd up the axle and two different seals, one for supposed Japanese axles and one for the American Axle, said he did find a difference in ID between the two and did use the correct seal for my replacement axle. The fix ends up lasting a few hundred miles and I get the all too familiar smell through the vents...
... Thanks again for any help.. Chris
10-25-2006, 10:39 AM
#32
Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 18
Thanks again Sin, before I researched this problem for myself yesterday, I was getting extremely fustrated... He is willing to pull the tranny again,,, and make things right, he said he set up a dial indicator and with the new bearings in, it was within whatever spec. he had re-using the original ( old ) shims. like I said, through out this entire ordeal it's only been about 1,000 miles or so, I higly doubt the bearing is bad this quickly,, so the real question is if they are not toleranced to the correct spec. would this keep wiping out the seal ??
10-25-2006, 10:44 AM
#33
additional information for those of you who may be reviewing this thread.
my initial thread.
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=473230
my initial thread.
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=473230
10-25-2006, 10:45 AM
#34
Originally Posted by MaxVQ
Proper shimming is critical!!!
My tranny has 178,000 KM since I rebuilt it with the proper shim. The factory shim was ~.006" too thick, and it only lasted 80,000 KM before it started to drip.
Frank
95 Maxima w/ 378,000 KM
motorvate.ca
My tranny has 178,000 KM since I rebuilt it with the proper shim. The factory shim was ~.006" too thick, and it only lasted 80,000 KM before it started to drip.
Frank
95 Maxima w/ 378,000 KM
motorvate.ca
just wanted to say thanks for your site. helped out quite a bit while i was doing my rebuild. was trying to contact you but couldn't through the site.
cudos mon ami.
10-25-2006, 10:46 AM
#35
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 2,007
Originally Posted by chris288
Thanks again Sin, before I researched this problem for myself yesterday, I was getting extremely fustrated... He is willing to pull the tranny again,,, and make things right, he said he set up a dial indicator and with the new bearings in, it was within whatever spec. he had re-using the original ( old ) shims. like I said, through out this entire ordeal it's only been about 1,000 miles or so, I higly doubt the bearing is bad this quickly,, so the real question is if they are not toleranced to the correct spec. would this keep wiping out the seal ??
10-26-2006, 03:18 AM
#36
Originally Posted by Sin
Original shims?!? What does that mean? For the differential alone, Nissan has like 30 different sized shims. All so that you can properly tolerance the diff. If all he did was resuse the old one, no wonder. Odds are the one that was in there was too thick to begin with. If he's truly being as helpful and honest and you make him seem to be, I suggest what I just posted. Pull the tranny, check the differential free play.
You can't truly measure freeplay without removing the tranny housing half, tapping out one bearing cup, removing the shims and putting the housing back on the tranny, making the measurement (more than once of course), then taking off the housing the replace the shims. That's a little more than a 10 minute job.
I have rebuilt a number of 4th gen trannys where the original shims were correct. The play in the diff was simply due to the amount of bearing wear. It's entirely possible the mechanic has rebuilt it to the precise spec. However, I keep a large set of nissan shims on hand, and a Nissan mechanic will not have that, so it's also quite common for them to skip this step like a little white lie.
Dave
05-13-2007, 06:29 PM
#38
Member
Join Date: Dec 2000
Posts: 253
Originally Posted by resurrectedmax
Hey Frank,
just wanted to say thanks for your site. helped out quite a bit while i was doing my rebuild. was trying to contact you but couldn't through the site.
cudos mon ami.
just wanted to say thanks for your site. helped out quite a bit while i was doing my rebuild. was trying to contact you but couldn't through the site.
cudos mon ami.
BTW, I still have the Maxima and it now has 392,000 KM. The tranny has 192,000 KM since the rebuild and is starting to leak by the driver's side CV.
-Frank
05-13-2007, 08:07 PM
#39
man yall got me worried. I just bought a 96 tranny with like 160k on it from a guy for 300 bucks and i'm starting to think its BOUND to have problems (i havent driven the car with it in yet).
