Hi all. I have always wanted a 5.5 gen 6-speed, and I plan to hopefully get one around end of spring to beginning of summer. My biggest question is on the gearbox. I have read that it's notchy. I can't imagine it's too much worse than my old 99 Max or my 95 Max 5-speed, but is there any difference between the 2002 and 2003 gearbox as far as the notchy feel goes?

I have also read that the 3.5 can burn oil which is not too big of a deal, just monitor it, but any other issues? My preference would be a 2003 with hlsd, but can't be too picky if a good car with good mileage comes up. This would be my third Maxima, can't think of a better daily car!

 

Wait for a LSD, trust me. It makes a huge difference. The 02 trans is notorious for weak syncros. If you can wait for an 03, then do it.
Other issues are,

Power steering hoses leak (common for Nissans)
Rear valve cover leaks
MAF issues on certain models

I am sure there are other issues but I just can't think of any right now.

 

So there are some upgrades to the '03 trans...cool! I have only driven these in auto and loved it, but I can't own an auto! Sounds like '03 is the way to go, especially since I believe they were the only ones to come with hlsd.

 

One more quick question, is there a giveaway as to whether the car is equipped with hlsd? I imagine running the VIN through a Nissan dealer might help uncover it as an option?

 

I'm not too sure about the difference between the 02 and 03, but my '03 is much notchier and clunkier than my '99. That was one thing I couldnt believe that they did to these cars. I expected it to be similar to my '99, but the feel is definitely not the same.

I got the ES shifter bushings and they helped a little. I am going to try doing a short throw shifter to see if that helps the feel any, but I have heard it doesnt help the notchiness.

 

I have an 02 love it but its not HLSD I'm trying to get my hands on an 04 and ^ max 6speed HLSD tranny or even and 04 hlsd also can get a sentra spec-v tranny hlsd and switch the bell housing

 

You can tell if you have HLSD by checking the tranny code at the end of the code it should have H

 

iirc there is no difference between the 02-03..just that the 02 wasnt avail with the hlsd till mid yr..

people who upgrade get the 04+ cause of a short final drive, and i think the 3rd gear grind is gone also..

 

Excellent, thank you for that. I also just saw the options list and it states that hlsd comes with drilled metal pedals so it's nice to have a visual cue, but good idea to verify with the tranny code incase someone added those pedals.

Yeah, I just found a site and realized that some '02's may have the hlsd. That sucks for the 3rd gear grind on some of these, my brother's 2002 GTI does that and it's really annoying. I hope I'm lucky with it.

Seems strange Nissan would make a clunkier gear box like that...we give you 6 gears now but it's clunkier and may grind 3rd

 

You forgot the most expensive. The 5.5 likes to occasionally fry its ECU for no real reason.

I've had the MAF issue, and the power steering hose issue. Hopefully I don't run into the third one. You should be alright. I've heard of it happening, but not a whole lot like the MAF issue.

 

I don't grind 3rd gear but I definitely feel a hard notch when I'm driving hard and shift from 2nd to 3rd I have to shift it hard and its real notchy even when I shift slow it feels as if I was breaking someones neck lolz

 

02-03 trannys are the same. Yes, they are notchier than the 5-speed trannys. They still feel good and and I wouldn't consider it a deal breaker at all.

The 02-03 trannys are prone to what we call the "3rd gear crunch" where the syncro wears out and causes a crunch when shifting into 3rd fast from a high RPM. It won't cause a complete failure, it's more of an annoyance.

They fixed the issues 04+ trannys. They're smoother too.

The HLSD does make a huge difference in these cars. It's kind of a rare option though. Finding a car that meets your other requirements AND has HLSD will be hard.

Here's my recomendation. Buy the nicest 6-speed you can find in your price range. Go here http://car-part.com/ and get a low mile HLSD 04+ tranny and swap it in. It's a direct fit with no issues. You'll be able to sell your old 6-speed for good money too so you won't really be out of pocket for much. You'll have a better car and probably spend less overall and than if you narrow your search to only HLSD cars.

 

Thanks for your info. I am not too worried about the notchy feel, I'm not thrilled about it, but it won't steer me away from the car. I was hoping they impoved it with the 2003 but I guess not. Wanting all options (bose, htd lthr, moon roof), but manual trans, mechanically sound, and decent miles at a good deal is going to be hard enough to find so I guess I will look at the HLSD as a bonus if I can get it.

 

Your welcome buddy .......You won't regret gettin and 02- 03 max 6 speed make sure you get it with heated seats and heated steering wheel I wish I had that on mines :{ but I love my car though

 

This man says it all and I didn't have to write it. My 02 SE 6SP is fine. Yes, the tranny is notchy (especially after owning an Acura) and I have the crunch when I push it hard, but no overall issues.

One thing that seems to help is reguilarly changing the tranny fluid with a good synthetic like Redline.

It's a great car and I wouldn't trade it.

And if you can find a 04 HLSD tranny great, but until you do get it you shouldn't have any significant issues.

 

Just a side note, you don't want bose.

 

I haven't read all of the posts, but this information should help (from: http://forums.maxima.org/5th-generat...ml#post7351545)

RFS6F51H ('05 & '06 Maxima):
3rd gear double-cone synchronizer
1st & 2nd triple-cone synchronizer

RFS6F51H ('04 Maxima):
2nd triple-cone synchronizer
1st double-cone synchronizer

RFS6F51H ('02 & '03 Maxima):
1st & 2nd double-cone synchronizer



Speed comparison across the '02-'03 and '04+ final drives with a 245/25/17 tire (nearly same OD as 5.5 stock 225/50/17):

 

I heard about the poor headunit. I would replace that with a nice screen aftermarket unit...something that would be iphone/ipod compatible but wouldn't mind having the bose speaker/amp. Just gotta make sure the new unit is compatible with the bose amp.

 

If you're gonna swap a 6th gen transmission in, go for the 05 and 06. Better syncros, as explained above.

 

No matter how you candy coat it, call it a crunch/notch but its a grind. It will get more noticable in the future.

 

Especially if you plan on upgrading to an aftermarket head unit with an Aux port or ipod interface. You need to buy an amp interface adapter along with steering wheel control adapter for the headunit if you want to keep those handy steering wheel controls.

 

I had bose n all I did was change the cd player... nothin else... speakers worked just fine

 

Yes the bose speakers work great with an aftermarket headunit. I was referring to the extra parts needed to make them work such as the amp interface adapter with gain adjustments and or antenna adapter.

 

Actually. Bose is a good thing, for me at least.

All I had to do was buy an adapter that allowed the pre-outs from my head unit to be plugged directly into the stock Bose harness.

This is by far the best way to go about hooking up an after market head unit to the stock Bose system.

The amp integration adapter with the gain adjustments will also work, but with reduced quality, as it simply takes the already amplified signal from the head unit and reduces it to a workable 0-5v signal. The harness I mentioned before uses the existing pre outs on the head unit.

This will only work if your head unit has pre-outs for the front AND sub, not just sub.

 

Hadn't heard of that one yet..

 

I have heard the 5th gens like to blow the ECU, but not 5.5 gens.

The 5th gens sometimes blow the Air Idle Control Valve and it may take the ECU with it, or sometimes the electronic motor mount on the auto trans models can go taking the ECU with it.

 

Lots of good advice consolidated here about the 6MT. Here's one more:

The shifting experience is vastly improved with ES banjo bushings and the free STS mod or an STS adapter (short-throw shifter). Also, shifting is surprisingly improved with ES bushings underneath the shifter assembly. This simple mod reduced the frequency and intensity of the 3rd gear crunch. Based on that observation, I can only assume NWP's Torque Link Connecting Rod will go further to smooth out shifts. I'll find out this summer.

The crunch is there because of the syncros. But apparently when you reduce the amount of play in the overall linkage assembly (or in the case of the torque link connector, reduce the amount of play in the engine itself), then the effects of the crunch are reduced.

Go figure.

As to the radio... I listen to NPR when I drive, so don't care (heh heh)

 

To add to Rochester's comments (^^^^^), I've found the way you shift to third can exacerbate the grind/crunch/whatever. If I perform the 2-3 shift in a fluid, shortened path (as I do in many other vehicles) as shown the left, the trans will grind going into third. If I use the right angle path shown to the right the trans does not grind. The right angle path can be thought of a three individual movements applying force in only one direction at a time; force applied forward, right, then forward.

Also, I have the modifications listed by Rochester (STS and ES bushings) which certainly aided shifter feel, but I cannot recall if it improved this issue.

 

At risk for pointing out the obvious, but that conscious effort to move the shifter laterally when going from 2nd to 3rd is somewhat difficult seeing as how there's still another gear to the right (5th).

Also, ever so slightly off-topic, but in the spirit of mods affecting shifts... 2slow, any opinion on NWP's torque link connecting rod?

 

I agree. That's the course of action I took before I got my 6th gen HLSD tranny (with only 2k miles on it )put in. Shifting diagonally from 2nd to 3rd would crunch pretty hard. Then I would move the shifter more towards the right and then UP and it was much better. BUT, no matter how I shift from 2nd to 3rd in with my 6th gen tranny, its always crunch-free (knock on wood - watch, I probably jinx'ed myself now )

 

For light load driving (non-spirited everyday rowing through the gears) I doubt a connecting rod and/or stiffer motor mount bushings will help. For more spirited driving (higher loads) stiffer motor mount bushing and/or a connecting rod may help; though I wouldn't expect miracles. I assume the added stiffness will maintain the orientation between the shift selection levers and cables which will help control the motions.

On the other hand, the connection rod will likely transmit a good deal of NVH from the engine to the chassis (and passenger compartment) making everyday use undesirable. If the product used some sort of compliance element the NVH should decrease, but so would the effectiveness of extra mount. Other companies offer aftermarket mounts/braces which use dampers (they may have an interal spring assist) to control engine motion:


Overall, I haven't used these products, so I am a little wary of the magnitude of their benefits.

 

I agree that NVH should increase; (Noise, Vibration & Harshness.) Vibration, specifically. But for me, ever since installing ES motor mount bushings, I've been jonesing for an increase in engine feedback, so a small add to vibration would be a welcome experience. That's the theory, at least.

Good comments, 2slow. Thanks.

 

Some really great info here! It looks like the best solution would be to get a manual trans w/hlsd from a 2005 or 2006 Maxima. That would be a beefier trans on a car with less power, it eliminates the 3rd gear grind, and it's probably less 'notchy'.

I do have an advantage. One of my close friends has his own auto shop, my brother runs it and is a mechanic, and my cousin a very good Nissan tech for about 13 years. So labor would be nothing for the swap, and I could get some money for the 2002/2003 manual trans with a resale. Looking into that swap sounds like a very good option.

My cousin has told me several times that he feels the 2002/2003 Maximas were the best ones and are very reliable. It's good to get some of this feedback above on the 'notchy' problem, and I wasn't even aware of the 3rd gear grind. Still, nothing to deter me from the car because every car has some gremlin. I see so many Maximas for sale with 150K+ or 180K+ miles, even over 200K+, so I have no worries about it running for a long time. My other 2 Maximas were excellent too.

 

definitely gonna get me an 05-06 tranny gret info and very very useful to others like myself as well

 

Whats keeping you from grinding with the second image isn't the squared off travel. It's the extra time it takes to do it. Slowing down the shift gives the weak syncro time to do it's thing. Out cable shifter system doesn't transfer any sort of small movement into the transmission.

That being said, it is good advice because it lets you shift normaly without having to think about slowing it down. That's how I shifted until I did my tranny swap. It actually took me a while to stop doing that after the swap.

 

wow, LOTS of good info here. I didnt realize I was so lucky to find my 02 SE with leather, heated seats/wheel, and all other options other than nav. AND I have 6 speed and HLSD I think the notchiness is really bearable, but I guess it depends on how you drive. for me, not really pushing it like crazy it is fine. Not as smooth as my hondas I have had in the past, but overall not a crappy feel at all. I have driven a lot worse thats for sure. and I agree that the time it takes to shift at a 90* from 2-3 would be the reason for no grinding. just giving the synchros time to do their thing. but again, me driving rather reasonably, not at a dragstrip, and it works fine for me. otherwise, wait for a car like I did, took a month to find but man was it worth it

 

While you make a good point, I am not certain it applies to my situation. When I performed the more fluid shift (left curve) at a slow speed, 3rd gear would still crunch; at least this is my recollection. I will try to test this the during my next trip which is long enough to warm the transmission fluid.

 

Yeah, try it out. I think you'll see that it still takes a fraction of a second longer to do the squared off shift and you spend more time in the position that pushes the syncros together.

If you look at the shifter on top of the tranny where the cables go you'll see that it only moves a few ways. You can shift it through the gears with your hand. There's no room for any movement other than in and out of a gear. Any extra movements of the stick won't affect how the gears go together. The only variable is how fast it happens.

Now I'm not saying you're wrong about it working. I would recomend your technique to anyone living with the crunch. I'm just going into why it works.

 

By that reasoning (which I think is sound), the STS mod would exasperate the crunch. And while all that makes sense, I don't recall whether or not that was the case for me. I might have observed it at the time, but can't remember. Did you notice the crunch being more prevalent after the STS mod?

And even if it did get worse because of the reduced time in shifting 2-3, that was more than compensated by improving stability in the shifter linkage and shifter assembly; (via ES bushings).

 

Thanks, I understand your reasoning and don't want my thoughts taken as contrary. My thought is that while the shift mechanisms are constrained to rotary movements, if both levers are moved simultaneously can the shift forks be affected? I don't know internal transmission mechanisms very well.