vtkahns

I am far from a mechanic but try to surround myself with some.

My transmission on my 97 .. with only 79K miles has self destructed.. Its not a half shaft (which are both under a year old ) ...

It would appear this it too expensive to fix vs the value of the vehicle.. some body rust up in Vermont... Interior .. tan leather.. bose.. other wise all fine.

How can I decide if parting it out will be worth my time .. seeing that I am not near a big city with people in need of parts... I could not ship huge things like seats I would assume...

Radio.. speakers.. small parts.. would all be easily dealt with I think.. I can't stand the thought of trashing it to a junk yard for $175 / ton when the darn thing turns on and idles in park just as if it were new. AC works.. no leaks.. etc. If I can easily sell some things.. help some folks out.. and at least make more than what the junk yard will give me.. I would feel better about it.

I am looking for some advice on whether I have the stamina to part out and if being far from a market.. makes it a lose lose proposition.

The place its at right now wants me to haul it away and I just don't want to make a bad decision and throw too much money away..

Cole1983

Keep it, craigslist has trannys for cheap!

beatdown97

iTrader: (2)

if you decide to part it out i have some things i would want

beatdown97

iTrader: (2)

like the ac compressor, center vents on dash, ckps, corner light for driver side and bose HU

asand1

iTrader: (1)

It would take more energy to part it out than the replace the tranny. Pick one up for $300 and have friends help.

beatdown97

iTrader: (2)

i agree it would take more energy to part it out then to put another tranny in it.. im just saying that if you decide you wanna go that route then i wouldnt mind putting some parts on a shopping list.. for that matter if i could see pics and your sure you wanted to sell the whole thing maybe look at maybe buying it off of you as is.

QT1 5MT AE

iTrader: (6)

used tranny for $400, labor to swap $300. done deal

Maxnub

if you have the ability to part it replacing the trans should be cake

felorojas14

iTrader: (4)

Do you already have another car as a replacement? Because if you go buy used, its going to cost you atleast a couple grand just to get a decent car. Then your going to have to perform some maintance work on this new used car to have it run good. And eventually all used cars run into problems. So, buying used will eventually add up.

The way i see its usually more cost effective to fix your current car because your fimiliar with the car and know what you have. As opposed, getting into a used car which you dont know what problems it coming with.

How many miles does the engine have? Our vq engines have a good track record for longevity....

vtkahns

So.. Almost 80K miles on it.. It purrs like a kitten.. So I was always assuming it would last a long time...

Body rust in one quarter / rocker is the biggest issue to keep it road worthy.. I have a rocker hole taped over to make myself feel good.

The Ypipe and cat are original.. so who knows when those will let go.. everything is rusty from being here in Vermont but garage kept.

I was told the radiator support is a concern.. with I know a rust hole in the front of it ... could be sured up I would assume as said another guy.

Other than that.. everything works and drives / handles fine. I did half shafts (no, not raxles) last year with autozone duralasts w/ lifetime (for me I presume). I replaced the LCAs with dormans from amazon. I replaced the sway bar links with moog (made a nice difference in ride .. one was shot ) I replaced all 4 brake torque members and calipers and painted with G2 silver. Pads and rotors in rear are new from last fall.. just pads in front are new at the same time.

I replaced the condensor a few years ago.. been holding a charge and cooling ever since.. Tan leather all in very good shape.. Mats have had mats and towels on them at all times so the interior is very nice..

I just hate the tought of trashing it.. or parting it..and I'm no mechanic so doing the transmission myself is not likely.

Plus there is the wife whining factor that is very large... She wants it gone.. too worried about what will go wrong next..

It seems like its worth more than $300 ..

Undecided..

cashoit

like everyone else has sd...u can replace the tranny for 800 total incl labor... or if u really want to make sure the car last...u can buy a new tranny from nissan for 2000 bucks. 80k on these motors is nothing.

Where else can u find a good car for 800 or even 2000 bucks???

And of course the wife want it gone. Women dont wanna fix cars, they jus wanna pay and drive.

phatboislim

iTrader: (27)

if the body is rusted out, get something else...like buy my 5th gen

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

How did the tranny with only 80K on it self destruct? Are you sure it's not a simple fix?

vtkahns

I was driving to the store to get milk.. probably not even accelerating at the time.. and bang.. the rpms went nuts.. sounded like I ran over someones puppy.. and i heard all this nasty grumbling .... I pulled over to a side street (where it stayed until being towed ).. I tried to check the CVs as I read and was told that a busted joint could act this way.

In park it was fine.. but didn't hold the car from drifting backwards...Starts.. idles fine.. drop it into any gear.. even neutral.. and it sounded BAD.. Starting it with the shifter in neutral.. same thing... putting it back in park after it starts sounding bad.. no better..need to shut off key.

The shop I had it towed to just went under to see if the portion of the shafts that go into the transmission were turning.. and says they were not.. and just said..sorry.. transmission..

Is there any diagnosis that can be done for little money that might tell how serious it could be ?

I cannot fix it.. If it could be something simple.. I wish I could find someone to help me diagnose that in northern Vermont ..

I will say.. i never did anything to it.. no fluid changes.. (sorry.. i was just lame).. The thing just ran and ran quiet .. no symptoms of anything.. Only issues I had to do from time to time were exhaust rusting out..

Nothing is leaking (still).. .. from the axel entry points.. Other than that, I have no idea and .. with the rust and probably cat rusting soon.. it may just be liberating to walk away..

And.. my wife has no patience.. I would drag it to the house and at least use it for parts , if needed when I inherit a 98 with 155K from NJ from my brother that has no rust .. orig exhaust.. .. Not sure what on mine I would swap but if easy.. id do the bose system (as I assume his GXE won't have it ).. probably not the leather seats... auto climate control .. if its as easy as popping out his and putting in mine.. Not too many components underneath will look nice on mine.. compare to no rust on his..

I am stuck .. and the shop does not want to keep it there much longer and my wife has no interest in seeing it in my driveway.. in the way.. argh..

If anyone is in northern NY or VT.. and has any interest.. no reasonable offer refused.. parting it out , at least from my driveway, appears unlikely..

Bufflomike

Dude, the car is low mileage I would just get a used tranny and swap it and you will have another 300k miles to put on the engine. The tranny may go again though...

Snypa

iTrader: (35)

<--THIS

S1cTech

Please let me get the AC compressor, I will pay extra for the labor of you removing it. PM ME. I also need some more parts, And I am right in Mass so shipping will be cheap and easy. Since you are already about 2 hours away anyway.

DennisMik

iTrader: (2)

As QT1 5MT AE said in post # 7, shop around and get a used trans. Parting a car out is a lot of work - answering buyer's questions, taking the parts off of the car (which you say is not your strong point) and then the shipping (finding containers & packing) all takes a lot of time and energy.

And if you didn't know it by now, a woman's attitude is always "throw it out and buy a new one". And if you do buy another car and decide to part this one out, she will still complaint that the car is still around.

So stand up, be a man and do what YOU want to do.

TRAE_5GEN

if i was you i would keep it and get tha trans fix. find another car and keep the max as your project car.

Cole1983

^^ Track car!

vtkahns

So the opportunity I have is that my brother is "giving" me a 98 GXE .. with 155K miles but from NJ w/o any body rust..

If I get approval from the tower (ie wife).. i was thinking of taking things off the 97se that I recently put on it.. and most with lifetime warrantys.. like:

1. dorman LCAs left and right
2. moog sway bar links
3. I think brake pistons had a lifetime but either way.. new remans from < 1 year ago
4. duralast gold 1/2 shafts both sides - non locking differential on mine.. not sure on the 98 or if the shafts were for both.. i almost think so .

5. Also have new pads front / rear , new rotors rear (that i dont like as they look lame with cheap steel but are lifetime I think from either az or advan.

6. Could steal bose hu and speakers if they are just a plug and play into the 98 gxe (not sure how lame the gxe stereo will be )

Will all of these parts be a direct fit with the 98? I was assuming so..

Surely worth doing to save some future cash and still sell the carcass for $300 for the salvage yard.. I even have my steel rims and 30% used snow tires on it now (so I could keep my se alloys ) that if I could take off and keep will save me buying snows for at least 2 winters.

I would assume a salvage place can get it w/o wheels on jack stands but I have not inquired.

If I could bring it to my house and do all of this, it would be easier.. may have to do it where it is and quickly.. and just get the parts and keep them here until (if?) the 98 arrives.. If not, I could sell them as they are all < 1 year old .. That and some exhaust replacements are all I ever did to the car.. (oh and my fumoto drain valve.. that's $30 for an easy swap )

Jayson89NYC

iTrader: (4)

i have 130k on my tranny and it runs strong as an ox

vtkahns

So did mine... it was as smooth as day 1.. .Well.. downshifts when taking my foot off the gas were a little clunky.. at very slow speeds.. perhaps that was some kind of warning sign.. worse when the AC was one perhaps..

its done now.. just trying to harvest from it what has value at least to me..wish I could stash it somewhere for a rainy day but she'll have no part of it.. I should sell the wife and keep the car but that won't be cheaper.

cashoit

yo man...u never even posted what was wrong with the tranny. We might be able to diagnose and fix it!

If its dropping hard into gears its prolly the drop resistor or solenoid pack.

EDIT:

I hate to see a good maxi go to waste.

And believe me man...if u junk the car SOMEONE else gonna fix it and sell it.

vtkahns

So the truth of the matter is.. i have no idea.. It goes no where and sounds like a pile of metal grinding and flinging around and popping and thumping..

In park.. she's quiet when started there.. once I drop it into any gear, it sounds like hell and putting it back in park does not stop it.. but shutting off and back on.. she's quiet..

cashoit

could jus be the torque converter

vtkahns

Does that minimize the job to repair it such that a caveman could do it ? Right now, I have not found the caveman that wants to even talk to me..

nothing is leaking.. i'm not sure how to diagnose any more thoroughly... and time is short ..

cashoit

either way u wd have the drop the tranny.

Bufflomike

please dont send this to the scrapyard or crusher. Someone here will pay you $400 for your car I am certain if you get to that point.

DennisMik

iTrader: (2)

All the mechanical parts from the 97 will fit the 98. The only thing that won't "plug & play" is the Bose. The Bose system requires a different wire harness with more wires in it.

vtkahns

I guess it just comes down to whether my other half will be willing to have the car brought to the house and sit here while I find someone to buy it.. I don't think she's into it... at all.. It's just amazing that throwing money in the street is a better option.. ..

I am in the Burlington, Vermont area.. If anyone really has interest.. I would entertain the idea.. .. The driver's side rocker and rear quarter around the curve has rust.. It passed inspection last August without issue.. Probably would again.. i never got the chance..

I am on a short runway .. the guy sitting on the car is giving me the weekend to take what I want off it so he can have someone haul the carcass away on Monday.. he does not want it sitting there.. .. I am just hosed.. sad.

Bufflomike

Dude, grow a pair and tell the wife what you are doing. Sounds like she needs a little training.

vtkahns

she (and apparently I) are untrainable.. History has shown she is (a) never wrong and (b) never changes her mind and (c) never listens to man logic.

Bufflomike

Well any woman like that would need to have no teeth, a flat head for my beer and be 3 feet tall and able to suck a golf ball through a garden hose. IMHO of course.

cashoit

lol

cut the guy some slack man. He sad enough as it is.

I know where burlington is and thats pretty far from me. Especially since my local JY is stocked with plenty of maximas to pick from. still a spare max is always good to have around.

Crusher103

iTrader: (10)

Im dead sure there is somebody local to you that can do this in the snap of a finger, its still summer time grab some beer and knock it out this weekend. Replacing the trans is not hard the only slightly difficult part is getting the bastard back on.

vtkahns

I had the car flat bedded to my driveway today.. starts right up... just kills me.... After the shop helped get it on the flatbed.. and it came here.. I get a call from the service guy.. As they were pushing it on the truck and listening to it if dropped in gear.. they had a thought..

What if the inner splines of one of the duralast AZ $69.99 shafts has somehow stripped itself out (i never beat on it.. really never.. 4K rpms is a rarity ) .. If one of them somehow stripped.. would it behave this way ?

He was thinking possibly and before I go trying to rip things off it to save for the 98 I hope to inherit.. get both shafts out and see if either is trashed on the inner splines.

Possible ? In park.. it rolls. does not lock in.. It's quiet when turned on in park.. not in any other gear.. .

Of course.. it would have been helpful for him to mention this BEFORE it was taken to my driveway but so be it.. Now I have to try to get the shafts out here w/o a lift.. w/o air (may try to borrow portable air from a buddy and have him bring his tools ) .

I am rusty on the process.. Can I just take off the 35 (or whatever it is ) mm hub nut.. and rotate the nuckle out of the way or do I have to pop either the strut bolts or the ball joint to get it free enough to turn out the outer end of the shaft ?

When I did these before.. we did LCAs and shafts at the same time so everything was off..

remaining hopeful

vtkahns

Buddy of mine climbed under and can see the driver side half shaft pulled out of the tranny about an inch or more...clearly not where it belongs. So..did the clip break..or did it just pull out and compress a joint in the axel? Did it break off and hurt something else? We will pull it out and find out. Could be my lucky day. Both wheels spin in park easily.

Godisintheradio

You should consider divorce, haha.

And also consider not using duralast axles. I've never had good luck with autozone axles for some reason, in any car. But then again, when you order something from them and continually get the wrong one sent to you, I suppose I get a bad taste in my mouth from them.

vtkahns

Does anyone think the clip could come off or axel some out say 1-2 inches WITHOUT it having caused damage inside ? If I pull it out and there is no clip on it.. how might I go fishing for it ? Would it have gotten to the pan underneath and I should pull that ?

Also.. I know the chilton manual talks of having to take the passenger side out first to be able to push out the driver's side but I know we did no such thing when replacing them last summer and had no issues..

I'm hoping we pull it out.. see it a little munched.. and put in the old on I kept just to see if my sounds are gone.. making me think that was all it was.