Hey guys, finally I am getting started on changing my 5sp transmission. I will probably be posting tons of questions in here periodically. I get the general idea, but the factory service manual is very vague on specifics, usually it just says "remove this" but it is like "how the hell do I remove that?!?!"

So if anyone knows anything about this, any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Anyway I'll start it off with a few questions:


This is a sensor in the far rear corner on top of the transmission closest to the engine.

1.) What sensor is this? I am guessing the vehicle speed sensor perhaps?
2.) Is the vehicle speed sensor and "speedometer pinion" the same thing?
3.) It is in a very awkward spot to remove, can I get away with just unplugging it and actually physically removing it from the transmission later once I get the transmission out?



This is the clutch operating cylinder

1.) To remove this I take it I remove the two bolts to the left in the photo, the hydraulic line that sits in similar to a brake hose on top, and I have to disconnect it from the clutch release arm. How do I disconnect it from the clutch release arm?



This is a view of the front of the transmission.

1.) This is the crankshaft position sensor I assume?


This is a bunch of stuff attached to the transmission mount.

1.) I assume this all stays on the mount and I can just unbolt the mount from the transmission?


This is from underneath the transmission

1.) The arm that attaches to the bolt in the FAR RIGHT in the picture, what does this do? It appears to not move thus I guess this is just a stabilization rod of some sort?

2.) How do I remove this bolt? It is too close to the center member to get a socket on it, but the nature of the rod/arm thingy itself makes it difficult to get a wrench on it. If I dremel away part of this arm by the bolt so I can easilly get a wrench on it, will this have negative consequinces? In other words, this arm withstand heavy loads and forces such that dremeling away a bit of it could cause it to snap?










If you can answer some or all of the questions, that would be spectacular! Thanks guys. I might be back with more questions lol.

 

1. VSS, correct.
2. You could call it that, sure.
3. Yes.

Once you remove the bolts, it just lifts away. The only way it's 'connected' to the clutch fork is that the shaft sits in the pivot point on the fork when it's in place, nothing else holds it there.

Yes.

I have yet to drop a 5MT in a Maxima, but I would get all of that crap out of the way for more working space, personally. The wiring harness can come off once you get the starter out and all of the harnesses disconnected, I usually also disconnect the two next to the fusebox (F36/F37) and lay the whole harness up by the UIM.

The clutch line, I would just put that up out of the way along with the slave cylinder (no need to disconnect the lines).

I usually pull the mount out, as it does give you a bit more room; generally it's one of the first things I pull.

1. Control rod.
2. If you'd like (before you remove the trans mount) you could just drop the crossmember a bit, and get on it. Once again, never dropped a 5MT in a Maxima, so I'm not aware of the tricks for that specific bolt. I can't imagine greatly affecting the structural integrity of that bracket by removing a small section, honestly.

 

SWEET! pmhor, you are the man. Thanks a bunch.

 

To the last couple questions only... Once you start to remove the transmission, and you get everything lowered down, you will want to remove the mount on the transmission, it will just get in the way.

Last question- I have always been able to get an angled box wrench on that bolt. Just be careful not to strip it out. That bar is just used to support the shifter, so that everything doesn't move when you try to shift.

Pmohr covered everything else.

 

Awesome! Thanks for tips! Man, I wonder why they have that bar that goes all the way under the transmission just to support the shifter and everything. You would think it would be simpler and more light weight just to bolt all that to the chassis or something.


Anyway, I have one more question, today it rained so I didn't get too far, but I got the two bolts for the clutch operating cylinder off, however I still can't get it out of the way. It seems like everything is loose and has a lot of play now, but I can't get the clutch release fork out or anything.

 

It should just pull right out of place, with the bolts out.

 

Weird, I haven't been able to get it. Should I pull directly up out of the transmission? Knock it forward, knock it back? I have tried it all but it definitely feels as if it is connected to something in the bellhousing.

 

Wait, the clutch fork itself?

That stays in place until you drop the trans.

 

See the "write up" in my sig ... will help you to know what tools you'll need, how to get at things a bit easier and give you some basic steps to follow. G'luck ... keep us posted.

It will make SO much more sense once you do it ... you'll understand. If you have questions, feel free to PM me - done this a few times now (with and without help).

 

on that last bolt u list, if im thinking of the same bolt i used a couple of long extensions and racheted it from the other side of the cross member i believe. i found that to be the easiest way. then again i could have been doing it the hardest way possible (it was my first and only time messing with the tranny) but if a noob like me could get it done then i think u can do it! just remember where everything goes. and the haynes manual helped me a lot

 

yea, to get to that shift support bracket bolt (from under the car, the one on top - most forward bolt) you can use some extensions, go right past the oil pan - over the exahust and you go right at it. As for the other (rear most) bolt, an angled box end works well ... ratchet angle box is even better, but not a lot of room with the way that bracket is.

hint: while the trans is out you can use a dremel tool and notch the support bracket so it makes room for a socket or flat ratchet wrench to get up in there. Big time saver if you ever have to drop it again - and it's good for putting it back in too. Will not hurt anything, just don't go nutzo with the cutting.

 

Sweet, I got it. I thought the clutch operating cylinder (thats what they call it in the FSM, but this is the same as the slave cylinder right?) was one piece with the clutch fork. I got it now though. Sweetness.

So far here is my progress:

air intake off
battery out
starter out
clutch cylinder off
grounding harness disconnected
**** ton of stuff attached to the LH mount unmounted
VSS disconnected
CPS off



I have two more questions for you guys:

1.) My CPS had a lot of small metal shards magnetized to it. Is this a dreadful sign something nasty is about to happen? Also my car has a really hard time starting sometimes, it just cranks and cranks and cranks and cranks, could this be due to all the metal shavings magnetized to my CPS?


2.) The center member. My FSM and just about everything I have read so far says to remove the center member. JTZmax's writeup mentioned nothing of it. Also, when I look at it, I honestly don't see how having the center member there will impede the process of removing the transmission.

Also, when removing the center member the front motor mount bolts to the center member so that would leave the engine with just one mount, the FSM says to support it under the oil pan with a jack, but the side that the oil pan is on is the side that has that one mount anyway. It just doesn't make sense to remove the center member and support the engine under the oil pan to me.

Can I take my transmission out and leave the center member alone? Also if I do this and leave the center member as is, the only mount that is removed the LH mount, with just this mount gone, the engine doesn't need additional support from a jack right?



Thanks again guys, I really appreciate all the help!

 

That is normal, if you open up the trans, there is a catch magnet and that will have even more shavings on it.

You are correct! No need to remove it. You can ... but it is much more work and a PITA!

Correct .... I didn't remove it, cause you don't need to. The engine will not go anywhere, you have 3 mounts holding it (if you leave the X member in). Also, there is pleanty of room with it in - yea, might make it easier to reach those freekin shift support rod bolts, but to me, it's more of a PITA to remove it so ... why bother.

The job is not that hard to be honest, but it is confusing and time consuming. (I have done a it a few times now and I can have a trans out in a few hours - but ... I know what bolts, where they are, how to get to them)

 

That's how it was with Merlyn's 6MT. The first time, it literally took all day to get the damn trans off, before we learned the tricks and the easiest way to do things. Now we can get from wheels on the ground to the trans off and case apart in 45 minutes.

It's all about learning the tricks...

 

Yup! And ... not taking off all the crap you don't need to. I know my 1st go round, I took off more than I needed to ... so it's a little help to have someone who knows the tricks or at least ... what you can lave on.

 

Awesome! That saves me so much time and hassle knowing I can leave the center member on.

I have a couple more questions for you guys:

1.) to get that shift support rod bolt off, I tried loading up a ****load of extensions and going over the exhaust and center member, however the CV axle is in the way and won't allow me to get the rachet in at the right angle.

Which leads me to question number 2

2.) On the passenger side CV axle, it appears like the shaft goes into this bracket thing with 3 bolts that does not turn with the axle. I have never seen this before, is this just a bracket that supports the axle or is the axle in two peices? In other words, once I take those three bolts off, do I pry from the transmission and take it out as a whole, or do I pry it out of this bracket thingy first?

Thanks again guys! It is coming along, at this point it is just take the shift linkages off, take the CV axles out, and I am ready to drop it!

Ooh PS, one more quickie, once I undo the LH mount do I still have to support the transmission or as long as it is bolted on the engine its good?

 

Try a universal joint or two, that might help.

It's one piece, that's just a carrier bearing that supports and retains the axle. Once you get those three (12mm head) bolts out, the axle slides right out of the trans.

It'll be fine, even without bolts it'll stay in place because of the dowels in the block.

 

^^^ and also the IPS thru the clutch.

As for the pass side axle .. IIRC, they are 14mm and you can reach them if you sit in the wheel well - you'll need at least a 12" extension and you can reach them with your hand, just no room to get the ratchet in there - thus the need for the extension.

That trans will hold on it's own ... as Pmohr stated. You'll likely need to wiggle it / pry it off of the pins. If you lay under the car (BE CAREFULL as I mentioned in my write up, it's not overly heavy, but more awkward than anything) you can get ahold of the housing (around the diff on the drivers side - where the axle slides in) and then under the other side - towards the back it's nice and flat. Just wiggle it up and down, it will not be real easy, but it should work it's way off the holding pins and you can let it down.

What I did after I got it loose was to lay it on my chest, then rolled it over (on the cover side) out the drivers wheel well. Then ... just slide yourself out and grab it. Just be certain to rest it with the clutch housing face down on some wood. You don't want to nick the face and have it not mount flush when it's re-installed. Another good idea is to take some sand paper to the face prior to putting it back in. Also, do the engine side with sandpaper too ... will get any gunk off of there nice and easy.

I remove the drivers axle first, then the pass ... (just doing the easy stuff first is all - not sure there is a reason otherwise) that opens up a LOT of room from the pass side to slip past the X member / exahust.

Keep us posted, and by all means - have fun! lol

 

12mm head on the retainer bolts, and they enter the bracket from the driver's side (so no wheel well fun, unless you meant driver's side wheel). Other than that,

 

Ok, on the drivers side axle, I got it about 3/4 of an inch out from the transmission, no matter how much I pry I can't get it any farther. I have hesitated to just grab the axle and yank, I assume that is bad on the CV joints and they aren't designed to take that kind of force right?

As far as the passenger side, I can barely get it to budge, much less even have access to the transmission side of it to pry it from the transmission. Does Anyone have any tips?

 

Oh btw, I got those 3 bolts off the carrier bearing, they did end up being 12mm's and facing the drivers side. I see no difference in the carrier bearing or play on the axle at all since removing those, is there anything else I should be doing?

Thanks!

 

Driver's side, just get a pry bar. You don't want to yank it out, it's relatively easy to pop the CV joints apart.

You don't pry the passenger side out of the trans, it will slip out once the carrier seperates.

They tend to seize up, you'll need a hammer and a punch/chisel, and maybe a dremel to get all that loose.

Let it soak in penetrant for a while, one way to get it loose is to thread the bolts back in a few turns, then get a long extension and tap them with a hammer, going around evenly. Should cause it to seperate with relative ease.

 

My bad on the 14mm vs 12mm ... I have slept since then. As for the drives axle, I just pulled mine right out - every time. Never pried on it at all. Pass side - to get the bracket loose, you need to remove the bolts holding it to the engine block. (from the pass side - 2 on bottom - 1 on top (pass side of the bracket) If you took out the 3- 12mm bolts facing the drivers side, yes that is the carrier bearing its self ... I am talking about just remvoing the whole bloddy bracket - MUCH easier IMO. Once you remove the bracket bolts, the axle will slide right out. If you are trying to leave the bracket in place and remove just the axle ... it is way hard to do. I think it's worth it to remove the bracket, then seperate it off of the car.

 

After re-reading what you posted Pmohr ... I understand what you meant. I am just talking about removing the whole bracket (carrier bearing and all).

 

ahh, the VSS. the only thing i broke when i did my clutch. yeah these guys pretty much got you covered. i had the same problem with the axles. i left them both in the tranny and just unbolted the halfshaft from the block and snaked it through the driver side. much easier to work on it on a bench. good luck. and spray everything.... it cant hurt.

 

Wow, passenger side axel took a tap to the carrier bearing and popped right out. Drivers side is still stuck in the transmission, but the transmission is now sitting in my garage so Ill deal with it later.



Ok, so the new transmission I am swapping in has a cracked bellhousing, so I have to swap my old bell housing onto the new transmission. Is there any trick to this? Should the transmission be in a certain orientation to avoid spilling its guts all over the garage floor?

 

Which part of the trans case is cracked? The actual bellhousing, or the rear section?

 

The new transmission I got has a cracked bellhousing, almost where the clutch fork sticks through to the slave cylinder. So I am trying to put my old bellhousing on the new transmission. Just wondering if it is as simple as swapping bellhousings or if more is involved, for example, if I have it orientated the wrong way, will I end up spilling tranny guts all over my garage floor, that type of thing.

If anyone has any advice on swapping bellhousings that would be great.

 

Everything internal is secured in place, but you are aware that you're going to need to tear it all down to swap it over, right?

 

ahh i remember doing this, good ole times! I have to agree with the statement the first time you do it it is confusing but after doing it will make sense.

i used the laying down method on a 1g dsm. and i agree it works pretty good.
and i also agree with not even messing with seperating carrier bearing just take the whole thing out. although those bolts can be a little troublesome its a lot better that beating on it.

these guys got you covered. like jtz said its fairly easy once you know what your doing lol

 

so ... why are you swapping in the first place? sounds like your old case might be in better shape? Can you take a pic of the "new" bellhousing? If you are going to tear it down and put the guts into the "new" trans ... what's wrong with the "new" one (besides the bell housing) and ... are you doing bearing replacement while you're at it? If not ... why not?

As for the drivers axle, could be that the snap ring is wedged, broken, or just really tight. Shouldn't be much trouble now that you have it dropped and on a bench / floor to work on it.

Pmohr is right .... all inside the trans is not going to fall out when you pop the lid. You really need to be carefull when removing the IPS and MS assy tho. Needs to be pulled together - my write up covers this. You need to remove the R assy by sliding a thin, yet strong piece of metal between the shafts and tap the pin out. (looks like a screw, but it's not) As for the rest of it, it's just a puzzle is all.

G'luck ... keep us updated!

 

Yikes, I didn't think it would be so intensive to swap bellhousings. I got the new transmission for cheap and figured since it had less miles on it and my input shaft bearings were going out on me (and who knows maybe gears and teeth too since it was whining worse than a touring car) that I might as well swap them over.

So far I have gotten the housing separated about an inch or so, now it seems like I can't get it any further. Does anyone have any ideas?

 

pry it apart at the two points that have shoulders ...

with the diff sitting on the Right hand side, trans in front of you - there is a tab on the oppisite side and one caddycorner to it (so if you make an X from one point to the other, use one side of the X) make sense? I hope so ... lol You'll need two things to pry with ... one on either side. Slip in under and give it a good pop up, should lift off the MS then.

Oh ... did you remove the detent bolts for 1-2, 3-4? on the top part of the case??? if not ... you'll never get it aprat. Also, you'll need a small mag to reach into the holes and remove the detent ***** / springs. Don't loose them!

 

Ok I've read the FSM's, JTz's writeup, motorvate.ca's writeup with pics, and none actually explain what the detent bolts are with pics. Being a newbie as far as rebuilding a transmission goes, I have no idea. Here are some pics:





The above two appear to be what looks to me like is holding the casing together. It appears that a thin metal bracket of some sort is going from the non bellhousing side to the bellhousing side with a bolt. This is inside the transmission



In this picture above are two bolts. One roughly in the center of the picture and one in the lower right hand corner. This is of the side of the transmission that faces the radiator. Are either of these the so called detent bolts?




This photo above is from the back side of the casing, these two wierd looking things next to each other, are they the detent bolts?






As for the story behind why I am doing this, here is the story in full:

My car makes a HORRIBLE whine in first and second gear. It is quite loud, in fact it sounds like a touring car with straight cut gears. I hear this revving in neutral as well. I diagnosed this with the help of some .org members here as being an input shaft bearing. I had also seen from some members photos that the teeth on their gears were pretty chipped as well. I figured, if it was whining that badly, damage was probably done to my gears as well. A mechanic told me my transmission was very close to death also.

So, I searched on the .org and put up a WTB ad. Kzoosho, a member here had a transmission that he told me had approximately 80,000 miles on it and had no whine whatsoever, but the bellhousing was cracked.

I figured I would buy that transmission, and just swap bellhousings.

Since I guess I did not do my proper research and just took on a much larger project, it appears that I guess this is my ultimate goal:
1.) take both transmissions apart
2.) use all the internals and bearings from Kzoosho's transmission with my bellhousing.

Is it possible for me to do this or am I stuck using my bearings unless I cut them out?











P.S. I would also like to say thanks a lot for the help guys. I really appreciate it. If it weren't for you guys, I would probably have no idea what to do as the FSM's are not very clear.

I know it can be difficult and frustrating trying to explain something to a newbie like me, so I just wanted to say I really am thankful. After this experience I will no doubt pass on my knowledge to others attempting the same thing as it was passed to me.

 

Ok ... sorry, was watching Burn Notice online ... not paying attention to the .Org

First things first ... slap that lid back down! Next, with the trans in front of you (diff on the R side) you'll see oppisite the differential (where the axles go in) a small (12mm) bolt on the Left hand side and 2 sortta at an angle above (on the lid) and one inbetween. These all need to come out ... but first things first here. The middle bolt is the R gate holding bolt. (you'll see when you open it up and why it's so much fun to put the lid back on if it's not lined up!) Remove the top 2 bolts (IIRC, they are almost even with eachother) and remove the bolt 1/2 way down the case. The lower (on the clutch housing) can stay in for now. Remove those 3 and you should be able to open it up. You'll never get the lid off if all you do is pry on it. You could hurt stuff inside if you pry to much ... so if you still are - stop. The detent bolts sortta look out of place on the side of the case. You can tell they go into something and you'll see when you lift the lid.

As for explaining to noobies - well ... how do you think any of us learn anything? lol I had never done a trans (5spd anyway) prior to doing mine ... so we all gotta learn somehow. I enjoy helping other (thus the write up) and if Denver weren't a 10 hour ride away .. I'd be happy to help in person.

As for the detent springs / ***** ... they lock the shift rod up or down, or in N. Basicly it's a ball that is pressed on by the detent spring held in by the bolt. The top 2 are pretty short, and so are the springs. The lower holds more pressure, and it's another beast. The shift rods have notches in them and the ball sets into one of the notches depending on the gear selected (or N). Do as I said above ... remove those bolts, the lid should come right off.

Happy to help! That's why I am here - help where I can, and learn!

edit :::: don't forget, when you pull the bolts, there is a spring followed by the detent ball (you'll need a magnet to slip in the hole and remove these) - then the lid comes off. No spring or ball for the R gate, at least at this point.

 

Ok ... relooked at the pix ...

3rd picture shows the R gate bolt (just above the split case) and the I wanna say 1-2 detent bolt.

Also ... I see your axle still in .... pop it out already, not sure the lid will come off with it in.

 

Uh oh...I just thought of something. There was a metal bracket held on by a bolt, the wire for the gear shift position sensor was threaded through this bracket. I took the bolt off, a spring shot out, and all my transmission oil drained from there. Did I remove one of my detent bolts and probably loose the ball down my driveway somewhere? Or in the pan of oil....


As for the drivers side axle, I honestly don't know what to do at this point, a friend and I were both leaning into crowbars as hard as we could at the same time and we can't get it to come out more than a half inch or so.





EDIT: One more quick question, is this going to be as simple as swapping all the components, shafts, and bearings from the new transmission over to my casing? Or am I going to have to cut bearing races and whatnot and go buy new parts?

 

1st .... Do you have, or can you get a picture of the bolt that you removed / spring you got out? Is it long? I bet you removed the R/5 detent bolt and the spring came out.

2nd ... axle - have you tried to just push it in and then slap it out (what I mean is ... grab ahold of the shaft just below the inner joint / boot (closest to trans) and just give it a push in, then a sharp / hard yank)? Another possible way to do it is to use a long enough screw driver and slide it thru the diff. There is a post in the differential that you'll have to "miss" it's center in the diff. You could try to use a tool and go above and below (smack at top, then bottom, then top, bottom, etc....) but be very carefull not to hit the case! The case is weak enough at that point (weakest point of the trans IMO) and if you smack it good with a hammer, you might crack / break it.

3rd ... as for swapping it all - it shouldn't be too hard once you get it all lined out. Good news is ... if you did loose a detent spring or ball, you have a whole nother trans to use parts from. I think you'll be ok. I know it is intimidating and you are "stuck", but .... you'll be ok.

I would get that axle out before I went any further. I don't know that you can lift the lid with the axle in, even if you have it ready to come up. (Did you remove the 1/2, 3/4 detent bolts / springs / *****?) I hope this helps ... I feel bad that you are at this point, but I don't know what else to tell ya.

 

Hey man thanks for the advice. I got myself into an "uh oh" situation just now.


I closed up the case, I took my pry bar and started wailing on it with a hammer trying to get the axle out, it looks as if its now stuck further in. It moves freely between 0-1/4 inch whereas before it would move freely between 0-1/2inch. So, I took a screwdriver, put it through the opposite side and started smashing that with the hammer, both above that pin/post thingy in the diff and below it. Can't get it to budge.

So not thinking at all I figured I would just seperate the casing again, and for some reason I thought I would end up with all the tranny stuff on the bellhousing side and that I would just pull the casing with the drivers side axle off.

Well, that doesn't quite work because it appears most of the "transmission guts" are mounted to the bellhousing side, but with this axle in, the differential is stuck to the casing side.

So, now I am at a point where everything between the two casings is misaligned in such a way that I cannot close the casing, I cannot open it any further, and I cannot get the drivers side axle out.

lol, did I just get myself into the transmission equivalent of stripping a spark plug a.k.a. royally screwed?



EDIT: Btw, I have both 14mm detent bolts out, both springs out, on one of them the ball came out with the transmission fluid and was lost a long time ago, on the other, the ball is still inside and I don't have any magnetic to stick in there, thus I can't get the ball out.

 

You'll need a mag to slip in there, or that ball will likely not come out. If you take a thin screwdriver and a large enough magnet, you can smack the screwdriver on the mag and it will magnatise the driver. One way to do it I guess.

As for the axle, have you tried to yank it out? Sounds like the "C" clip is wedged in there somehow. And ... yes, you will not get the case open with the axle in (as I have said before) and you are correct - the internals set into the clutch housing (bottom 1/2). The diff sits under the MS so w/o removing the MS (and IPS - at the same time) you will not get the diff to move.

For now ... so you understand better, take the "new" trans apart and take a look at it. DON'T loose the damn ***** / springs tho! lol That will give you a better understanding of what could be your problem. You have to get that detent ball out tho! It is in a notch on the shift rod and preventing the lid from moving at this point (I assume).