My 5 speed swap price list

5 speed I30 LSD transmission w/ 128,000 miles - $375 private seller (guy sold me a bad tranny, did not work. $375 down the drain)

97 5 speed Maxima transmission w/ mount and bolts(must use manual mount bolts)- $230 private seller

1 piece SS Clutch line from Master to Slave- $48 ebay

Exedy Slave and master cylinder- $47 ebay

Transmission seals (both sides)-$28 autozone

Brake and Clutch pedals w/ clutch bracket and bolts- $18 salvage yard

Clutch Kit and resurface of flywheel-$128 clutch kit dealer

CV axle-$68 drivers side only advance auto

Return Spring- $13 dealer

Leather Shift boot-$14 ebay

Leather Shift ****- $25 ebay

Shift linkage w/ plastic shifter console bracket- $42 salvage yard

5 speed ECU and drivers side tan leather seat( I needed it)- $32 salvage yard

Spaghetti clutch lines- $14 “waste” salavage yard (I was impatient. I didnt
need this, I went with SS clutch line from master to slave)

Bolt that connects the shift linkage to transmission- $19 dealer

Manual fly wheel and flywheel bolts ( I did not need manual flywheel bolts, I used the ones from the automatic. They work just fine, trust me! )-$16 salvage yard

18 gauge wire- $5 walmart

Brake parts cleaner- $3 walmart

Redline MT-90 Gear Oil 5 qts.- $67 summitt racing

Brake fluid (for clutch master)-$7 advance auto

Completing a 5 speed Swap on a 4th gen Maxima- PRICELESS

TOTAL= $1,199

I did everything myself with the help from a couple of friends. Car runs way better and is so much fun than driving an automatic!!!
I’ve learned a lot from this project especially from a financial aspect (you can SAVE alot of money by just going to a salvage yard).

 

Im looking to do this in the near future! congats and shift away!

 

man sorry for the wasted 375 people can be real azzholes but congrats on the 5 speed man great accomplishment much props

 

how did the install go? any major hang ups?

 

It went well, you have to do it in stages. I doubt someone can do an entire swap in one day. You will be dawg tired and if it's your first time doing one you are most likely to run into some obstacles! Example: making the clutch hole line up with the clutch master cylinder. Experience teaches wisdom! One thing I did learn that everyones advice can be different or not good. I had one guy on the org say that I can't use auto flywheel bolts but, did you know the manual flywheel bolts don't go all the way in the crankshaft on an automatic engine? They are too long. I almost damaged the threads on the crankshaft using manual flywheel bolts. Automatic flywheel bolts work just fine and they do hold up. Also, I used an impact gun to bolt on the auto flywheel bolts.

 

I know man, thats life. You live and you learn.

 

Oh, and I sold my automatic tranny with 245,000 miles for $300!

 

^^^Not a bad little profit congrats man

 

I hate to be the one with bad news.
That "one guy on the org" was correct. You cannot use auto flywheel bolts with a manual flywheel. There's only one way for the auto flywheel bolts to work and the manual flywheel bolts to be to long. That would be if you didn't use the flywheel reinforcement plate. Without that plate it's very likely your flywheel has already started to crack.

 

that dont sound good ^^

 

who the hell buys an auto tranny w/ 245k miles for 300 bucks lol. thas funny.

Yo vibes, good work on the swap man.

 

Joe, you must be talking about the timing ring for the manual flywheel that bolts up to the flywheel. YES SIR!!! I did use the the manual timing ring with automatic flywheel bolts. THEY DO WORK!!! What are u talking about the flywheel cracking? Since I did the swap I've been driving the car since early December 2010. No problems here!!! Thats why I say joe, you have to experience certain things for yourself to see the truth!!!!

 

lol If I meant timing ring I would have said that. I have expierenced things for myself and know you forgot to install the flywheel reinforcment plate. Its a plate that goes between the flywheel and flywheel to crankshaft bolts. Do things your own way but please don't pass on wrong information. Auto trans flywheel to crankshaft bolts will not work with a manual flywheel if you use the flywheel reinforcemnet plate. The flywheel reinforcment plate must be used or the flywheel will crack around the bolt holes.

 

Flywheel reinforcement plate???? I believe I did install that, because I got every single bolt and piece, including the flywheel from a wrecked 95 5 speed Maxima. Do you have a picture of this reinforcement plate?

 

Flywheel reinforcement plate???? I believe I did install that, because I got every single bolt and piece, including the flywheel from a wrecked 95 5 speed Maxima. Do you have a picture of this reinforcement plate?

 

Is the flywheel reinforcement plate look like a pollished spacer/adapter that the bolts run through first, then through the flywheel?

Side note:
Why did I have to use a hammer to get my flywheel on(original)? And when I punded it on I could get it back off. And the bolt holes were not alligned. Then I had to use a screwdriver and hammer to rotate the hole so they did allign. I also may have bent my timing ring cause now I have starting problem.

 

Yes that would be it. I don't have a pic since I'm at work on my phone.

The flywheel is a tight fit on the crankshaft so it's normal to have to give it a couple taps.

 

I had to have installed that reinforcement plate man. I need a pic just to be sure what you guys are talking about.

 

Just noticed you edited your post. You kind of have to wiggle the flywheel off and if you get it in the right spot can turn it by hand to alighn the bolts. Your starting problems could be that the timing ring is bent. You could tell by removing the CPS and have someone crank the engine over. Or the more likely cause is you have a weak ground cause you didnt sand the mating surfaces of the trans and engine block.

 

Thx man.

 

You couldn't have or the auto bolts would have been to short and the manual bolts wouldn't have been to long.

 

Ok Joe, I was searching through the FSM and found this. Click on the link and go to EM-54 pg 128 and show me exactly what this plate looks like.

http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/maxima/1997/EM.pdf

 

My bad! I was mistaken the timing ring for the reinforcement plate! Joe I'm 100% POSITIVE that I used the reinforcement plate. YES SIR, I DID! I did use the automatic flywheel bolts with the reinforcement plate. I also tried the manual bolts with the reinforcement plate and they did not go in flush.

 

I think it is either number 15 or 16 on that FSM. 15 is more like it cause mine was shaped like a dish or bowl.

 

Yep, its #15! Thats exactly what I installed on the swap. # 16 is for the automatic.

 

hey man as long as it works thats the main thing. I would hope anyone attempting to do this swap or any mechanical work would know that the bolts should be flush and seated properly after proper torquing

 

Thank you Cashoit! I said it in my earlier post and I'm gonna say it again. "EXPERIENCE TEACHES WISDOM".

 

Yes it's #15. I wish I had a manual flywheel laying around to measure. I know I have auto bolts and a manual reinforcment plate.
If you used the plate how do you explain the manual bolts being to long? The crankshaft is the same for manuals and autos.

 

Well Joe, thats a good question. All I know is that the Manual flywheel bolts with the manual reinforcement plate did not work for me.

 

There is something about this site and people insisting they do things correctly even though they are unable to articulate how and why.
Do you not hear the absurdity of the above statement? They are called manual bolts because they go with the manual flywheel and spacer... no? If I had a hair dryer and it did not dry hair I would assume it was either broken or not a hair dryer.
If you said that you measured them with a micrometer [even a ruler?], or dry fit them to check for depth, etc. I would understand your stance of position.

Let me get this straight - the correct bolts, combined with the correct flywheel and spacer does not fit. The wrong bolts, with the correct flywheel and spacer does fit?

If experience necessitated wisdom our world wouldn't be full of ignorance.

 

well we need some other swap guys to chime in... and i have certainly never have done or wd attempted this swap. I wd rather jus wait and buy a 5 spd car.

but its possibly that the holes were tapped for the length of the auto bolts. both AT and MT have some sort of reinforcement plate so the AT bolts prolly do fit but are not completely backed in. All vibes had to do is torque the bolts in until they were flush, which is what he did cuz he stated he used an impact gun.

It doesnt matter what bolts he used. Hell, he cd have bought new bolts. Bottom line here is that the swap is complete and his car isnt trashed.

If he says he got it to work then he got it work. We shdnt be flaming him.

 

is the reinforcement plate this (circular plate that sandwiches the flywheel to the crank)?

http://www.motorvate.ca/auto/maxima/...l_DSC00109.jpg

 

yes its number 15 in the fsm are u sure u didnt use the a/t reinforcement plate its thinner than the manual reinforcement plate that would allow the a/t bolts to be used

 

I did mine with a couple of friends in a day. But I didnt have to drill through the firewall because 00-01 I30s come with that hole pre-drilled because of the foot E-brake. But either way, as long as you have the correct drill bits, you can drill those holes out in no time. Measure 2, 3, 4, or even 5 times and drill once is the rule of thumb here.

I can also confirm that the auto flywheel bolts work. Thats what I used for my swap also. And yes I did use the reinforcement plate. I cant remember if it was the auto or manual reinforcement plate though because I did it so long ago. But I know for a fact that the auto flywheel bolts were used and are still going strong in my car.

 

Oh yea, and as far as cost goes. I probably spent about $400 max out of my own pocket to complete the swap.

 

any pics of your swap?

 

I know it sounds strange, but its true. When I went to the salvage yard to get the flywheel I made sure I got all of the components that came with it. Bolts for the pressure plate, the 8 bolts for the flywheel, and reinforcement plate. Now, when me and some friends of mine at the shop installed the flywheel with the manual bolts and reinforcement plate the manual bolts were not going in flush with the reinforcement plate. I was like WTF???? We used an impact gun for manual and auto bolts with manual reinforcement plate, manual did not work. My friends who helped me out have over 20 years of experience in the auto mechanic industry and have done numerous conversions. Point is, is that it did not work for me. Have you heard the saying, "Their is more than one way to skin a cat"?

 

I guarantee you I used the manual reinforcement plate with automatic flywheel bolts.

 

Thank you sir, I thought I was the only one. Thanks for coming in here and having back!

 

I'll make another thread seeing what I can come up with on the thickness of the stock flywheel.