Well without any warning, 3rd gear decided to explode today... It appears that all other gears still work.

Here's my questions for your transmission gurus. How long will the rest of the tranny last with 3rd shattered? What can I do to increase longevity?

I'm going to have to find a used 6-speed, and that may take a while... ugh.

 

6th gen 6sp tranny too...better gearing and they don't have the tranny issues IIRC

 

Yeah that's what I am going to look for.

This one gave me 140k and 2 years of tracking without any issues... not so bad I guess.

 

www.car-part.com

Search for the tranny...then sort by distance...pick one close to you

 

ahh crap =/ def. go with a 6th gen one tho i heard there better and have better gearing also

 

Yeah they have the 4.1 FD same as the 04-06 Spec V, plus (not 100% on this) stouter 2nd/3rd gear and better synchros all around.

 

how long it will last probably depends on what failed. If there are huge chunks floating around in that tranny then it will likely make the other gears fail also. On the other hand, if there are only small parts it should last a little while

 

Possibly tranny flush just to see how bad you got it? Check for larger metal shaving and base your conclusion off that? Other than that I guess just ride it till it dies. I can't think of a firm way of figuring it out..

Gl bro.

 

I've got one if you need it. P/M me.

That's how I found my HLSD.

 

 

Wish I didn't open this thread...

I'd go with the spec-v trans. I was under the impression that they all came with HLSD, and I bet they are cheaper also.

 

they arent a direct fit though

 

Just out of curiosity, is your OE tranny limited slip?

You're a pretty hard core drag racer, Sparks, and certainly aren't shy about flushing money down your Maxima. It would be interesting if you didn't actually have HLSD, and to hear your thoughts on that. Just as interesting would be if your OE didn't have it but your replacement transmission does... and to read your thoughts on the swap.

Sorry to hear about the fail. On the up-side, you're done spending money on exhaust systems now, right?

 

Yes i was about to mention this, since u already have the clutchplate/bellhousing off a VQ35 just swap all the stuff over from the specV transmission. i was looking into doing this the Gearing and everything is the same as the maxima's 6spd but the final drives:

02-03 Maxima FD: 3.83 iirc
02-03 SpecVs FD: 4.4
04+ SpecVs FD: 4.1(same as a 6th gen)

so u got some options.

and yes they are very cheap, Car-part is littered with them, 02-03 trannies with low mileage going for about 400, and 50 more for the newer ones.

 

Of course I have a HLSD trans. How could I possibly burn out on my DRs/slicks, if not?

Yeah there are a few complications, though.

Firstly, like you said EVERYTHING has to be swapped over to do a bellhousing swap. It takes 200+ in tools alone to do the swap, so I'd just have to take it to a transmission shop to get it done.

Also, I cannot be 100% sure that my bellhousing is still in good condition after a gear went in it. A new Maxima bellhousing is around 200 bucks more.

Ugh!

 

From another thread:

 

Yeah, that was a dumb question. g'luck with the fix, Sparks.

 

Thanks! Don't take my abrasiveness too hard, haha.


I basically have a TON of options to go over...

If I go with a 6-speed, I certainly want the 4.133FD with the better 1st-3rd synchros and HLSD. These are hard to find and very expensive.

There is also a possibility of an altima 5-speed, for many reasons. I will just need to do a lot of research on the plausibility of this option before I make any decisions. Seriously though 5 speed >>>>>>>>>>>>>> 6 speed for drag racing as long as the gear ratios are where they need to be.

 

Definitely have had thoughts of wishing I had a 5mt..

 

No worries, Sparks. I've read that opinion a few times, about the 5MT > 6MT for the straight away. I'm pretty sure the 6MT was born out a combination of marketing and mileage.

 

take the hlsd unit out of your old tranny and swap it into the newer 06 tranny, it will fit fine. just change the final drive ring on it.

I don't think the 4.4 final drive will be beneficial at the track. 2nd gear would come far too quick, and may even force a change into 5th gear near the quarter mile.

 

Yeah that is why I said I want a 4.1 FD... That would give me pretty much perfect gearing for both the 1/8th and the 1/4 mile with a 7200-7500 redline and my tiny DRs.

 

I've been checking car-part periodically, just to see what's available.

It's very hard to find 04-06 HLSD Maxima transmissions, but those Sentra transmissions are so common.

I wasn't aware that it was so complicated to swap the bell housing over though.

And knight had a good point, you already have the HLSD unit, so you really don't have to worry. I just hope metal shavings didn't make their way into any part of the HLSD and possibly damage it.

And I have also thought about a 5 speed. I'd trade my notchy/grinding 6 speed for a 5 speed that shifts smooth.

And can anyone confirm that the spec-v's are all HLSD?

 

Yeah they are. When I bought mine, the HLSD was just included, no option package.

 

So have you drained the fluid to see what your dealing with?

What does it do when you try to shift into 3rd?

 

I'm not going to drive it again in hopes of preserving the bellhousing and saving 200 dollars buying a new one in case I do the Spec V trans.

3rd shattered. It is done. Trying to shift to 3rd just causes tons of racket.

 

thats probably the cheapest way to get this fixed which is the funny part about it.

 

What I ended up doing was purchasing an open-diff trans from a 6th gen and swapping over the HLSD unit.