1996 Nissan Maxima 5SPEED

Okay here's the deal, i reciently had MAJOR transmission problems, you name it i had it, slipping, leaking (slave hose and from shifter linkage boot) grinding clunking etc etc) - i drove up to a fellow .org dude and had it swapped for a GOOD used trans same year (96) low miles etc, new throw out bearing, used clutch that came with the tranny that WORKED in the previous max (so he said) - he installed it quickly and it was shifting PERFECT (still a little hard to get into gear at times, but not a big deal - changed the slave hose and it was even better) BUT i could still hear a slight grind/spinning of something when i DID NOT have the clutch engauged. It was doing that before my previous trans failed all together. He said it was because it was a new throw out bearing and it would take a while to break in. So i left it alone......

It's been 3 weeks now since i had it replaced and today while driving i put it into first, let off the clutch and compressed the gas petal and it went CLUNK! (just like before!) - about 20 min after it had started doing that i lost 1st and 2nd gear all together... So i pulled over, called my wife, bled the lines (top and bottom) made sure resivoar was full, still no first or second gear...

Put it into reverse and tried to back up and it sounded and felt like my tranny was about to bust out on the floor.......and now i'm leaking again right around where the shifter goes into the transmission (that boot it looks like) - so i drove it home in 3rd (that was fun) it wasnt far, but on the way home 1st and 2nd came back, and i made it... so i get home, check for other leaks, nothing, check fluid and it's good - got about the first crease of my pinky in the hole and i could feel fluid... (of trans) - started it and put it into reverse and it went CLUNK really bad again as i was letting off the clutch....

I was told it could be flywheel, forks (took the boot off right at where the low bleeder is and looked to see if springs came off or something or if there was metal around in there, and nothing, looks nice and lubed up and everything (some dirt)) - so now i'm stumped....

DO i get a new clutch and mastercylinder and flywheel? Could it be something more simplier? could it be somethign having to do with bearings? i think it's odd that i have the exact same problem with two different transmissions within a month........ SOMETHINGS UP.

ANY INPUT?

 

Not the cluch fork, they meant the shift forks most likely.

If it's a noise when the clutch is engaged, then it's most likely an ISB noise.

TOB usually only makes noises when clutching in, as otherwise it's sitting there stationary.

 

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ISB = ? - and yeah when i press in the clutch the noise goes away slowly, but when i have the clutch not pressed and i raise RPMs the noise speeds up with the revs....... (just some more info)

 

When you couldn't get first or second, was that only when the car was running, or did that also happen with the car off?

Reason I ask is it sounds like something let go inside and now there are pieces in the bottom of the transmission. These pieces will tend to block the shifter and prevent you from putting the car in certain gears. If the junk moves you will be able to get in gear again.

I suppose it all boils down to the fact that there is no such thing as a "good used" maxima 5 speed. I've opened up a lot of "good used low mileage" 5 speeds and found severe damage. The sound you describe before thes shifting trouble is one indication, as is the leak on the striking rod. Personally I value a used 5 speed with no history as a rebuild core and nothing more unless someone has opened it up and inspected it for damage.

Dave

 

Couldn't have said that any better.

OP - You need a new (rebuilt) transmission. I would also contact the person who sold you the used junk and get your $$$ back.

 

I have a 4th gen. 1995 maxima, and my trans won't go in to 1st or 2nd gear either.I recently pulled the trans myself and took it to a local transmission shop. Needless to say the mechanic there didn't really know nissan transmission because he couldn't even get the housing off. So I did some searching in local junk yards and couldn't find the right trans.Went to the internet and finaly found one in Mo., with shipping it would cost me over $900.00 and had 109,000 miles. So I found the Info. I needed on how to take it apart on the net, and decided to check it out myself. I got the housing off with no problem, and started to dissasemble my trans.Thats when I noticed the roll-pin that secures the shifting fork for the 1st & 2nd gear to the shaft was backed way out to the right side of the fork. Now I don't know that much about standard transmission, but wouldn't that cause my problem? I mean the inside off my trans is very clean and there is no metal shavings. there is alot of work pulling & dissasembleing the trans, do you think I should replace the roll-pin put it back together and try it or just replace the transmission?

 

I tried both with car on and off, it wasnt untill i started driving (in 3rd) that i was able to get it into first and second, it just felt like there wasnt any gears there at all i couldnt even push it over to the left beyond 3rd and 4th line......., reverse worked as well, so i had 3rd 4th 5th and reverse....

Drove it to work this morning and other than the grinding (engauging) in 1st gear and reverse it shifted and went into all gears just fine..... One other thing i noticed was that, when i first got the tranny fixed, my actual shifter moved around ALOT, like there was no tension on it at all, it would just slope to the left side when in nutral.... and when i lost gears it was stiff as can be... this morning and last night when i got gears back, it was lose again... any ideas?

 

FOUND PART OF THE PROBLEM


- about 6" below the trans fill plug, there's a drain plug... that plug was finger lose..... and the trans fluid is below that, so it's been pouring out and possibly almost empty, hopefulyl that's my problem, i got off work early today to check some of the bolts etc etc - see what i could find... - found that so *fingers crossed* that's most of my issues...


Thank you all for the input and suggestions, i love having this site as a crutch to avoid mechanic shops and stealerships... I'll let you all know if i have any more issues after i fill with fluid....

Will post pic of the plug in a sec...

 

 

That bolt was completely lose by about 3 or 4 threads... Why? i dont know..

 

That's not the drain plug, that's a detent bolt for the shift rods.

That would explain shifting issues or issues with it popping of gear, or not wanting to go in. Don't have my FSM handy, but IIRC that's the 1-2 detent ball.

 

Put in a quart of GL4, gonna go see how it does =) *wish me luck!* - how do you know how much you need to put in? is there any test or something (besides running the car) like a finger test or something? Or do you just fill it up till it's at the plug........?

 

Drove it after a quart added, runs great except when i downshift at higher RPMS it shudders bad, could be mounts, i'm doing them this weekend (es poly motor mounts) so i'll see if that fixes the problem, still dont kinow how much i need to have in, i might just drain it all and put fresh trans fluid in.... Like i said before all, thank you for your help... any other theories let me know..

and i still need to change out flywheel (guy that changed it said it needed to be turned) but i'll just get a new one w/ clutch...

 

oh, es mounts are so fun to install.....lol good luck with that.....as for fluid, i put in 5 quarts....just pour it in till it starts pouring out of the hole. thats why its on the side, and not on the top. hope this helps.

(on my tranny, when i bought it, that bolt above was loose too...and the car would sometimes struggle to get into 1st, and popped out of 1st.....i tightened it, and its good now.)

 

Actually that bolt is the reverse idle shaft retainer. If you try to drain or fill through it, it won't hurt anything, but you'll have a really hard time making fluid go in or out. The fluid on the striking rod boot is probably just leaked from this hole and collected there.

If your fluid slowly drained down to that level it probably did some serious damage to the bearings or gears. I've seen transmissions that were run low on oil, and the 5th gear or input shaft bearing sometimes turns purplish from heat discoloration. Tighten the bolt, then properly fill the transmission and hope like crazy it runs ok. However, based on the symptoms so far something is already broken inside.

Dave

 

as far as the ES mounts, i have a friend that's got a hydrolic press - so it should be cake (assuming i can break the bolts on the mount brace) and also in reguards to your bolt being lose, yeah it drives perfect now basically - i still think i need to get a new flywheel and clutch and possibly TOB, i'll look deeper into it this weekend and take pix...


OHHH and for that detent bolt... do you need to have threadlock or that teflon tape on it? it looks like it had some kind of sylicone on it at one point.............

 

Drove it like i said, and stil jerking a LITTLE in 1st gear letting off clutch, not bad though..... Hopefully nothing is permintatly torn up on the "inside" but we'll see..... So DAVE, would you recomend filling the trans fluid up to the main fill hole untill it overflows basically? or would that cause some kind of slippage from the clutch? i'm using 75-90 GL4 trans fluid....... Let me know bro

I only put a quart in it...

And i still have the noise when clutch is NOT pressed in...........weird? i'm thinking flywheel again or fork bent or something.... (i was told NEW TOB (throw out bearings) will make noise untill they get broken in... is that true?

 

i had to do everything by myself....i burned the original mounts, burned the insides out, and spend 4 days trying to put the mounts in.....gave up, and used lube. (a little lube always helps)

as for the bolt. there is a little clip screwed on...the wire harness from the reverse sensor goes on there.....i see that u dont got it.

 

Dont know about that clip sensor for reverse, i'l have to look it up..

 

ok i lied...it was actually this bolt that was loose on my tranny.

 

That bolt is a shifter detente. As long as the spring and ball behind it are still there, just tighten it and refill the trans right to the fill line. That clip goes underneath the bolt head. Oil fill level has nothing to do with clutch performance.

As for the shifting that it might have directly affected, that rod carries 3rd and 4th gear. But if the detente isn't holding the 3rd/4th rod firmly in neutral, the interlock mechanism can resist you getting into the other gears.

The noise heard in neutral with the clutch out is a telling sign - it would indicate damage on the input shaft (bearings).

Dave

 

Thanks again dave, your a savior... i did my poly inserts today (will post pix tonight w/ a vid) and it helped, still jerking and leaking from somewhere - almost looks like it's some kind of SEAL leak on the bellhousing..... havnt quite figured it out yet... did all that you said to do, just odd that it would happen with two diff trans same situation.....

alll i can do is baby it and try and match rpms when shifting and downshifting to save gears and bearings, clutch i'm not worried about....

I'll check write ups on ISBs


Thanks again ya'll.......

 

nice things worked out