deezo

iTrader: (3)

After looking at the vid, it looks like the left axle and you can see it's not fully inserted where it should be as Neal said. You can pull that out in about 10 min and check the axle to see if or how bad the damage is.

silencecalls

iTrader: (2)

I'm going to pull the axle on sunday (weather permitting), though i'm pretty sure it's the diff. Axle slipping out would not explain the loud bang i heard/felt and it would not explain the grinding noise i hear when i put the car into gear right now.

P.S. rebuilding tranny = not worth it. Ebay with 6month warranty automatic is about $300. Waaaay cheaper then the $1k a shop would charge for a rebuild.

luke95gxe

iTrader: (4)

the bang you heard could have been the axle pooping out the grindin noise could be the splines on the axle making contact with the moving diff when in gear

hatchexhaust

Sorry man. But i think the diff is broken? Try just pulling on the inner part of the cv shaft. If the keeper/snap ring came off, the axle should come almost all the way out(enough that you could see the splines on the end of the axle).You do not need to take the wheel off or the 36mm nut. If it does not and it feels like the axle is still stuck(but moving)well? When you get a new tranny. look for the RE4F04V out of the i30t VLSD (much better trans). Your A32 should have the open diff/trans RE4F04A. Also if you are going to pull the whole axle out for inspection, i find the best corse of action, pull the bolts out of the lower control arm, not the bolts on the strut b/c this will effect the aligment.

hatchexhaust

Sorry man. But i think the diff is broken? Try just pulling on the inner part of the cv shaft. If the keeper/snap ring came off, the axle should come almost all the way out(enough that you could see the splines on the end of the axle).You do not need to take the wheel off or the 36mm nut. If it does not and it feels like the axle is still stuck(but moving)well? When you get a new tranny. look for the RE4F04V out of the i30t VLSD (much better trans). Your A32 should have the open diff/trans RE4F04A. Also if you are going to pull the whole axle out for inspection, i find the best corse of action, pull the bolts out of the lower control arm, not the bolts on the strut b/c this will effect the aligment.

asand1

iTrader: (1)

Sorry, didn't mean any disrespect. You stated that your problem was the result of not fully inserting your inner CV. His has not been recently worked on. While you do have a valid point about the noise and symptoms, there is no good reason for his CV to just pop out all on its own.

asand1

iTrader: (1)

The speedo runs off the diff gear if FWD. A reactive speedo tells us everything is moving in the trans up to and including the diff. A grenaded set of diff (Side &spider) gears would cause rpm and MPH to increase, with no increase in vehicle speed.

I can see in the video that the CV has backed out. The question is why.
These are my guesses, in this order.
1 fragged side gear
2 twisted off at splines
3 clip broke

Remove the two strut to knuckle bolts, this will allow enough room to pull out an intact shaft. Check shaft and look in trans with a flash light.

silencecalls

iTrader: (2)

So, the car was towed to a mechanic today and the verdict is:

Axle snapped inside the tranny case!
So, right now a new axle will be going into the car and the mechanic will also take a look if the diff is fine or not, if yes then great, if not then i'm also in for a transmission.

Daniel1120

iTrader: (1)

It snapped? is the part of the axle with the c clip still in the tranny? If so make sure your mechanic knocks it out.

MikeB

I have exactly the same thing going on in my Maxima. I have been lucky enough to have another car to drive but I am going to check the left axle out. That one does look like it's not in, and unfortunately mine does look like it's seated better. But the truth will be if I can pull it out without resistance. My passenger side was fine. I had recently replaced both for CV boot problems, so I'm hoping it's just not clicked in. Let you know. If my trans/diff is busted, I will be looking for a good used autotragic.

silencecalls

iTrader: (2)

Aaaaand the news is bad. The metal shavings from the broken axle also screwed over the transmission. So, i'll be without a car for another 3 or so weeks as I come up with the money.... =\

Thanks for the input over the past few days.

deezo

iTrader: (3)

Ok I can see all of what you're saying after the fact tho. I posted my thoughts before he posted the vid so we're all guessing until he posted the vid. Like I said either way, the tranny is going to have to be rebuilt if the axles are fine.

deezo

iTrader: (3)

That sucks. I just had mine rebuilt but that's because I just plain wore it out. Differ bearing started to go. Good luck with it.

Daniel1120

iTrader: (1)

Dude, its not so bad. This just gives you justification for a 6 speed swap.

silencecalls

iTrader: (2)

Ok, just picked up my car after having the axle replaced.... Axle looks fine. The retention ring thingy broke. That is why the axle slipped out, now the mechanic replaced the entire axle which makes me not happy, as I don't see how an entire axle needs to be replaced because of just that ring.... But whatever, what is done, is done.

Now he also says he fished out as much of the clip leftovers with a magnet as he could but some still remained in there, and says the transmission leaks. Now I haven't verified it myself yet, BUT the transmission works without any kind of sounds or anything, shifts smooth and without problem. I'm going to verify whether or not the transmission actually leaks or not.

Now my dillema is - replace the transmission OR clean up the car and sell it off to some one and then find a manual max. (I'm not leaving maximas as I already got the 00vi for it, and nice rims, and a few other mods =P)

nelledge

iTrader: (6)

Did your mechanic not replace the old seal when he installed the new axle? I would fix the car and keep it, especially if you're staying in the Maxima family. However, the decision is relative to your budget and level of aggravation. Best of luck.

bobflood

Good question about the seal. Hard to believe a good shop would replace axle w/o replacing the seal in a case like this. If the car drives OK, why not keep it? "The devil you know is better than the devil you don't know." (Old Irish proverb) I certainly would not replace the tranny unless something was actually wrong with it. Also, really not ethical to sell w/o revealing problem you know about.

silencecalls

iTrader: (2)

All right, so the transmission DOES leak, a good quart every 2-3 days. So now that i'm tired of adding oil and have gotten some money I will be buying a used one from a car that is going for parts.

Questions: What should I look for in the transmission that I will be picking up? Anything I can/should test before taking it with me? Any particular areas I should look at? How can I test it?


PS: For anyone interested, what actually happened in the story was that the previous owner had shocks replaced, whoever did the job didn't install the axle in properly causing too much tension on the retainer ring. In time that ring snapped sending my axle out of it's place - and making a hole in the transmission. Thus costing me both an axle and a transmission. Wish I could find the person who did the work and beat the #$%% out of them.

MikeB

I hope I don't have the same thing with mine, bu t I'm pessimistic. I have fortunately have another set of wheels, but this is getting old. I removed the driver side axle today, it wasn't being held in to the transmission at all, and then fished out the retaining clip that had come off , and found part of the axle after the clip has sheared off. I'm probably not going to have any luck fishing that out with a magnet as well, but do you guys know if there is a plate that can be removed on the automatic, or it a complete disassembly job ? I don't know if the transmission is grenaded or not, but it won't be long if there a bunch of little bits of metal floating around . Appreciate any tips of anybody that has been there.
I haven't given up on the Max yet, it's not really her fault, crap new axles from AZ.

defiance

iTrader: (1)

These automatics don't like to fail unless there is a good reason.
Poor workmanship and sh&tty repair quality are very good reasons.
Bad mechanics ultimately killed your trans or at least did it in far enough for it to start leaking badly .

Quickywd01

iTrader: (16)

You don't need a new transmission. You need a new axle seal. Check where it's leaking from. The axle seal people are referring to is the seal around the axle where it enters the transmission. Check this before resorting to a transmission swap.

silencecalls

iTrader: (2)

I have a HOLE. I've seen it with my eyes. =) And the other day I got ANOTHER hole - about 3 fingers big. Managed to seal it with some plastic and epoxy ( =P ) But the point is, I WILL be getting a new tranny. =) Just would be nice to know how to check the transmission when i pull it from another car.

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

I find this very strange as the axle isn't removed to install/replace struts.