I just got a maxima SE 5 speed, i know very little about transmissions and i was wondering how durable they are. I know they are better than auto's but is there a good chance of breaking anything other than a clutch??

 

They are fairly durable and reports of failures on this forum are rare. Clutches last awhile too unless you tend to race a lot. My clutch has 100K miles and still easily spins 2nd gear with a hint of torque steer in 3rd.

 

Sometimes synchronizers go bad, usually due to racing shifts or a dragging clutch. Sometimes bearings go bad, and that is usually a manufacturing defect. In general a 5-speed will not need repairs.

 

does that mean they will fix the bearing for free? I have what I believe to be a throwout bearing gone bad? will they fix it ?

 

I doubt it, because a throwout bearing can become worn due to a bad driving habit (riding the clutch). I was referring to the 5-speed transaxle's internal bearings. These bearings may fail due to ...
- metallurgy defect (substandard steel alloy)
- manufacturing defect (not properly heat treated or not properly ground)
... and these things are not the driver's fault.

Those internal bearings are covered by the 60 month / 60K miles powertrain warranty. If your Maxima has passed that point you are on your own.

If you read the fine print in the warranty booklet you will see that Transmission and Transaxle includes the clutch cover and housing. The clutch driven disk and throwout bearing are not mentioned.

 

a rack and pinion steering unit, is that covered under warranty? Thanks for the info Daniel B.

 

Yes. The R&P is covered under the basic warranty, 36 months / 36K miles.

 

60k warranty?

 

60 months / 60K miles on the powertrain.

 

is it covered?

 

Generally, I think the tranny is quite durable. I have 90K and I'm still on the original clutch. 2 things to keep in mind though;

1) the VQ motor develops alot of torque down low, so if you've got a lead foot, its easy to make the engine "run away" from the clutch. I can tap the accelrator a little hard in 1st and my tires will screech, its that simple.


2) To make your tranny last as long as possible, and make the shifts more pleasant, try switching the tranny oil to a Synthetic, like RedLine MT-90. When I did, the shifting got a whole bunch easier, and its better for your car,too, cause t will keep your tranny cooler.

DW

 

Not to scare anyone, but I did have the 5spd on my 97 fail after ~73000 miles. One of the differential bearings fell apart (basically) as did the input shaft bearing. The tranny was totalled. I had to replace it, but at least took the opportunity to upgrade it to a limited slip unit from a canadian Maxima.

I have heard of one other Maxima with like the *exact* same type of failure, but I still think our experiences were a bit rare. Most trannies seem to be pretty durable. Still, I'm suspicious of how well such a small tranny with a relatively high powered/torque engine can hold out. I did push my car fairly hard, but certainly didn't beat on it. Nonetheless, I think it's wise not to be too rough on the Maxima 5spd tranny. Just my opinion based off my own experience.

 

This excact thing happened to my car to... i wish i knew about the limited slip when i replaced the tranny though... didnt know it was available.. how much does this cost?

 

Yeah synchros are gonna go unless you learn how to double clutch and do it religously. I always double-clutch and heel-toe when I race. Thus my synchros are spared on the high rpm downshifts.