I posted this in the 5th gen forum, but did not get a response. I guess all the knowledgeable people now hang out in this forum now.

I have a blown 5spd tranny in my 5th gen. Can I put a A32 5spd in my 2000 maxima? I know it'll bolt up just fine, but can I use the A33 CV joints with a A32 5spd?

Both trannys have open differentials.

You might ask why? Well, I can get a A32 tranny for cheap and I'm going to sell the car. I'll prolly rebuild my A33 tranny and put it in my 4th gen when/if it goes out.

 

Yes, I believe you can use the 5th gen axles with the 4th gen tranny.

 

Yes you can, the open diff tranny be it 4th gen or 5th gen uses the same axles. It should install just fine.

 

thanks for the info. I'll do the swap once I receive my tranny jack adapter.

 

i have wat ur talking about just in the other way...

4th gen axles and 5th gen tranny

 

The only thing is the shifter placement. Knowing how much the shifter moves back with A33 tranny in a A32 I would think the shifter will move forward a lot. If you have a STS which does this already IDK if that will work.

 

4th gen and 5th gen 5spd tranny/axles are interchangable as long as its not a LSD trans. Like Liquid I have a 5gen trans with 4 gen axles so I'm sure it will work in your case.

 

I hope the 4th gen tranny has been rebuilt. Quite a few guys have had bearing failures because they were shimmed incorrectly from the factory. This seems to be predominantly in A32 transmissions but not A33.

 

I've had 2 A33 trannies with diff. bearing failures.

 

Were these 5-spds or 6-spds? I'm wondering if it's just a design flaw in all of the 5-spds or whether it was a poor manufacturing practice that carried over to the 5.5gen.

I'm just interested because I've been pondering doing a tranny swap/buying a stick car for a long time, and I've grown increasingly hesitant after hearing the diff bearing failure stories. As much as I don't like driving an automatic, it's been pretty darn reliable.

 

They were both 5spd A33 trannies. From what I've heard, the 6spd is beefier and more reliable. It's not really a design flaw, but a manufacturing defect. The bozos at the factory shim the diff bearing incorrectly.

I got a brand spanking new A33 5spd put in my 2000 maxima in Nov. 2003 and 41,000 miles and 2 years later, it croaked.

If you go ahead with a swap and get a used 5spd tranny, my advice is to replace the diff bearing before you put it in. Except the for the diff bearing problem, the 5spd is reliable.

 

Only the driver's side axle is different.

I am running a 98 AUTO passenger side axle in my AE 5spd

 

I got the A32 tranny put in my 2000 maxima on tuesday. Problem is that it is leaking oil out the pass. side cv seal. I replaced the oil seal, but I might have damaged it when I put it in since it's still leaking.

I have monday off from work, so I'll look at it some more then. Other than the leak, it's running like a champ. The shifter is moved forward like an inch or so. It's not something that most people would notice unless you drive a 5spd maxima everyday.