2ndMAX

I've noticed a slight whining noise when my transmission is in gear. Usually noticed in first gear and low in second gear. Its not the throw-out bearing. I've heard about problems in 4th gen manual tranny's relating to some sort of internal bearing wear. It sounds like a high pitched (not a squeal) whine. If I engage neutral it goes away. My tranny operates fine other wise. First gear engages smoothly and the clutch was replaced about 2 months ago. The sound is not related to wheel bearings (thought this was the culprit). I had those changed about 2 weeeks ago. Any help would be great. My transmission is under warranty since it was rebuilt and I'd like to cure this minor problem before it sprouts into something bigger. Is it possible it could be a pilot bearing/bushing. Let me know if I'm not clear enough about the exact problem.

Daniel B. Martin

This is a perfect description of worn or defective transmission bearings.

No. The pilot bearing supports the tip of the transmission input shaft. When the clutch is fully engaged the shaft and bushing do not move relative to each other.

Your description is perfectly clear. This problem arose because ...
- you had (or have) the wrong quantity or quality lubricant in the transmission
- the rebuilder failed to replace worn bearings
- the rebuilder did replace worn bearings and the new bearings are defective

99SEBABY

iTrader: (5)

Mine does that now and I only have 11k miles on my 99. Only in 1st and second gear. The clutch chatters when it's wet or really hot.

2ndMAX

Thanks for your help Daniel. I recently pruchased some Redline Synthetic Fluid (MT-90) for my Max and was gonna have Jiffy Lube do the replacement (very busy this week, no time or I would do it myself) then check to see if the sound persists. Either way do think its wise I bring the car back to the transmission shop or should I try the synthetic and wait to see the result?
Again thanks for your help Daniel you're a great resource to the this forum. I hope everyone read your posts carefully.

MaxedOut97SE

That sucks. I just had my internal bearings replaced at only 64K miles, bummer. The sound I heard was more of a grinding type noise, in first gear. So wait, you've heard that this is a common problem with the 4th gen manual? Anyways, it was a major inconvienience. It cost me about 950 bucks. However, I got a brand new clutch installed for $200!!! Now that's a deal.

Daniel B. Martin

Bring it back right away, before trying synthetic lube. There's a risk that synthetic lube would mask the problem well enough to get past the warranty protection period. If there is a problem get the dealer to fix it now... or at least document the customer complaint now. Save all dealer service department paperwork.

Bearing noise is a "one-way street". It can only get worse. The open question is how quickly it will get worse. In the extreme, noisy bearings are so loud you cannot drown out the sound by turning up the radio. (Spoken by one who knows!)

2ndMAX

I've noticed that this is a problem a few 4th gen owners have had with their manual transmissions. From what I see from owners complaints' its usually after at least 50k miles. Transmissions are such tricky things that in most cases I believe tranny shops rob the customers blind. For example the replacement of your bearings. I'm sure $950 was a lot more than was necessary to complete the job and still pay the mechanic a good labor rate. These shops are usually the first and last to see the internals of the tranny so they can make whatever assessment they see fit in order to justify whatever cost they see fit.

Dont mind me, I'm always under the impression they wanna rob me.

Kevin

Daniel B. Martin

$950 is in the right ball park. There is a lot of labor involved with this service procedure. The cost of parts is another factor. I did this job only once and the dealer price for replacement bearings seemed unreasonably high. I took the bearings to an industrial bearing supply house. The counterman measured my damaged parts to identify them and sold me name-brand replacements for $31, total.

Curt Deiner

iTrader: (1)

I had this problem on my '97 SE 5spd. Started with a leaking axle seal. After the dealer replaced the seal twice, and it still leaked, Nissan had them open the tranny to find the worn bearings. They told me the worn bearings allowed the axle to move around and take out the seal. I had about 55K miles on mine. I also replaced the clutch while they had it apart ($200 to me). Since I had that chatter or grabby thing noticed at take off, and they said it looked like it was about time. Wished I would have asked for the old parts now, would have been interesting to see. BTW, all but the clutch kit was covered under warranty. And my clutch works great now.

MaxedOut97SE

Yes, $950 was alot to pay for that work. I took it to Aamco Transmissions and they quoted me around $750, but I decided to let the dealer do the work. I've learned, from experience with my old SHO, that the dealer is about the only place that will stand behind thier work. Oh and I'm so happy about my new clutch. For $200!! My old one wasn't even that bad but I figured, "Pay $200 now, or pay $850 in a year".

vmok

i don't think you have to worry if they're is a very faint slight whine in the first gear or two... afterall, these are mechanical gears acting on each other.

anyway, my 97 5sp has 130,000+ miles on it and it's still quiet and still on the original clutch. the other thing that can cause premature wear is low fluid level.

this happened in my '92 ford ranger... I had a leak that I didn't know about... started hearing whining. couldn't figure out what it was.. finally checked the trans fluid level, and it was pretty dry... filled it back up, but the noise never went away. it sounds like i have a jet engine now

i was working under my '97 max the other day and noticed fluid coming out of what i think is the reverse/neutral switch... i've got a replacement part, and have only driven the car as sparing as possible since then until i can check the fluid level again. the low/no fluid may not lubricate the surfaces properly and cause accelerated wear. there'll be no cooling action of the fluid running over the parts either. so the leaking seals might not have caused the noise, but the results of the low fluid may have...

-V

GTRBlkMax97

iTrader: (1)

YOUR WELCOME

GTRBlkMax97

iTrader: (1)

I have the same thing when it rains, is that the bearings Daniel? I also have the whine that 2ndMax has. I still have the powertrain warrenty so i think I will tell nissan to jump on it and replace it. maybe I can get a clutch put in for 200 too Austin

Daniel B. Martin

I can't think of any connection between rain and noisy transmission bearings. Your unwanted sound is probably coming from some other part of the vehicle.

Whenever you have a symptom which is correlated with rain, you should verify that all the plastic splash guards around the engine are still in place. If not, repair or replace as necessary.