i need a beefed up 5 spd manual transmission for my maxima. i blew five teeth off of the main gear amd the pieces messed up the rest of it. i need a rebuild done, i have a guy but we cant find the beefed up parts. Anybody have any leads? i cant even find an oem one and if i was to use another oem id blow that one too..

 

Swapping to a 6 speed trans is what most do for strength. Otherwise, look up Precision Automation and Robotics gears for the 5 speed.

 

i honestly kinda wish i did that originally, but i had the car converted from an automatic to a 5 spd manual, with a stage 2 ACT clutch kit. i supposed if i needed to i could switch to a six speed with more work but id have to scrap my perfectly good 5 spd stage 2 act clutch(i actally have an extra 5 spd stage 2 act clutch🤦‍♂️)
other mods:
long tube mandrel bent Obx headers
catback wth straight through exhaust
Weapon-R short ram air
run 93 octane gas or higher

 

Either way, you'll be more money into making a 5 speed stronger (if you PAR still makes gears) than a 6 speed and clutch swap.

I personally liked the 5 speed for drag racing in conjunction with the size of DR I was running, which I forget, because I banged the limited right after I passed the 1320. But I wouldn't have built one up.

 

If I remember correctly, the cable shifted Altima 5 speed has similar gearing to the 4th gen 5 speed, but with all the improvements that came with the 6 speed style transmission.

 

Ok that sounds like a potentially good solution! what year ALTIMA is that? will it bolt right up to the 4th gen Maxima? can you please elaborate? 🙏😋

 

it requires all the same mods as converting to 6 speed (including the clutch) it just has one less gear per his gearing preference.
L31 Altima.

 

So it's a 5 gear transmission but I will need a 6 speed clutch kit?🤔

 

Think of it this way, its a 6 speed transmission but without the 6th gear. Externally its nearly identical to the 6 speed.

 

ok. so if i already converted from automatic to manual 5 spd how, what other mods would be needed for this application? i need to be able to convey this to my transmission guy and want to be sure. Thank you guys very much for you time and effort!🙏💯
Also what specific year L31 is this transmission you are referring to?
And just to be sure, with this _ _ _ _ (year) L31 Altima(3.5L engine?) axles are same, mounting same and clutch same and shifter assembly is different?😵‍💫

 

There are threads in the All-Motor section about the 6MT swap. I've also made a video going over whats needed for the swap.
L31 Altima is 02-06. The trans will need to be from the VQ35.
What transmissions are you comparing those parts to?

 

Schmelly did you ever get that trans mount idea ironed out? That would be a game changer.

 

By comparing I think you mean what do I already have in the car. I have a 5 speed OEM transmission. As I stated converted from automatic to manual.🙏

 

Pretty much. I have a couple of my prototype brackets out in the wild. Just have a few minor changes to make before its ready.
Okay, youll need everything mentioned in the video as if youre doing a 6speed swap. And youll want the shifter out of the L31 atima because the other 6speed shifters have a recerse lockout that you dont need.
Shift cables might be different but dont quote me on that.

 

Assuming you're still on the original 3.0, you're lucky if you're making 180 whp. There's no way you need super expensive PAR gears or even a 6 speed to put that power down. And IIRC the 6 speed only has about a 10% increase in strength/torque rating over the 5 speed, so it's not like it's a huge change. You didn't explain what you were doing when you broke your diff. How did it happen? If I had to guess it involved a quick transition from the front wheels spinning to them getting grip, like what happens when doing a burnout. We need more information.

But setting that all aside, PAR only makes strengthened gears, and doesn't make the diff, which is what you broke. Someone please correct me if I'm mistaken. So PAR gears aren't going to help you if you abuse your diff.

Plenty of people have done far more drag racing than you've probably done with more power running a 5 speed without blowing their trans apart. IMO, the problem is probably a combination of how you're shifting and the ACT stage 2 clutch. Way back in the day people were blowing out 3rd gear with ACT clutches by shifting too hard, and most of those people were running the stage 1. These transmissions are fragile in general and you need to treat them as such. I learned that lesson the hard way. Personally, I choose to run the most "stock" clutch/pressure plate that I can to keep shock loads to a minimum, and baby my transmission as much as possible. Wheel hop is also very harmful, so do everything possible to avoid that.

 

nah look at the damage. its not the differential. its the tranmission i grenaded. The car was just over 190 hp stock, i must just be really luck right? wrong. luck is not a factor. If I could have my mechanic install luck in my car that would be great! lol!! I had my card dino'd And it's pushing over 200hp at the wheels. Again stage 2 racing clutch, Short ram air intake, Long tube mandrel bent OBX headers and High octane gasoline. Yes I absolutely do need a more robust transmission. No I'm pretty certain that's not the differential. And no I did not burn out I accelerated and near the end of the 1st gear it Busted before I shifted. I'm 41 and I've been driving manual transmissions since I was 14. Pretty sure I know what I'm doing lol. In my opinion getting a transmission that's 6 speed from a 3.5 L engine and having that put in is not super expensive. But that's just my opinion.

 

I'm trying to help you and save you money. Please listen carefully.

So yes, that is in fact your differential that broke. If your mechanic told you otherwise, get a new mechanic. I've been in these transmissions a few times and have seen the exact same thing before. I know what I'm talking about. You can shell out $5,000 on all PAR gears (or whatever it costs these days), but you'll still have a stock diff, and if/when it breaks again, all it will do is trash your fancy gears. And then what?

Your car puts down 160 whp stock. You did not gain 40 whp from intake and exhaust. If your dyno said you make over 200 whp, it's not accurate. But even if you did put down 200 whp, that in no way justifies the need for a stronger transmission. People put down over 300 whp all day on stock 5 speed transmissions. It's how you drive it that makes all the difference. It's also possible that your transmission was just at the end of its life, and you can slap in another stock 5 speed and never have another issue with it. But your decision to run a stage 2 clutch isn't necessary and only makes it more likely this problem will happen again.

I just went through the process of installing a 6 speed in my car, so I have firsthand knowledge of the process. If you are paying someone to do it, it will not be cheap. It's significantly more work than just installing another 5 speed.

Again, just to reiterate, YOU DO NOT NEED A STRONGER TRANSMISSION IN YOUR CAR. And FYI, plenty of people break 6 speeds as well. They're only about 10% stronger than a 5 speed and are in no way indestructible.

 

ok thanks, i will look into all this🙏 and post updates to this thread as long as it is up

 

You can find a used 5 speed here: https://www.car-part.com/

 

I wasn’t going to say this but he’s absolutely right.

This is really all I came here for. Good to know.

 

i am unable to find a 5 spd MT for my Maxima. anybody have one, or know where i can find one, already searched all over car-part.com and more 😭

 

I see about 30 of them listed in the US on car-part, which admittedly is far fewer than I was expecting to find. Are you sure you were searching correctly? You may be better served by finding and pulling one at a junkyard.

 

i only saw about 15. most of them listed as being at "garland auto recyclers" and they dont have any anymore, non updated inventory. i checked all local junkyards, no 4th gen maximas to be found. how did you perform the search?(criteria/parameters?) Also, i dont see any point in getting one unless its got low mileage.

 

Search for 2000-2001 Maxima also. Yes, they're the same. There are 15 non-VLSD right there. I counted 5 VLSDs between i30s and one 01 AE maxima.

 

ok thanks! I'm gonna check it out! i think mine is LSD. i forget how to be sure though or if it even matters. not sure what VLSD is though😬. Also is the bell housing the same if i want to switch to a 6 speed? since im gonna get rid of the stage 2 clutch and buy a new stage 1 ACT clutch kit. 🙏 i want my Maxima back so so much🤗

 

Some quick advice on carpart.com,,,,bunch of stale listings. I had one hell of a time finding a flywheel with timing gear for my project. At least the first 11 listings where expired,some by years. I did have luck ,but just know you might struggle to find what your looking for.

 

what is the best transmission fluid for me to use in my '99 maxima's 2000 manual tranmission with 100k miles on it? so many options out there but i figure you guys must have some valuable input on it. 🙏💯

 

Red line MT-90 75w-90 GL-4 or Amsoil 75w-90 GL-4.