fondo Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 How long is the 5 speed manual trany expected to last on the '91 v6 xe (mileage), given it is maintained properly (appx). Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yozsi Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 from 0-infinity and beyond. no seriously.... you could get alot of miles outta one. it all depends on .... well everything. i got almost 200k on my original 5 speed and its like new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PathFound Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 I'm no expert, but I think a lot will depend on how the transmission was used over the course of its life. A lot of gear grinding will definately wear it down faster. Changing the oil more frequently could prolong its life. I've heard lately that regular gear oil, meaning NOT synthetic, is better to use than synthetic gear oil. I put synthetic blend last time I changed mine, but I think next time I will use regular gear oil. My truck has over 250,000 km and an original 5-speed. It works smooth, but sometimes it's hard to push into 1st gear. I rarely grind gears. The biggest thing I notice with this gearbox is temperature. When cold, it is harder to run through the gears. When fully warmed, it's smooth as butter (well, smooth for an old truck). My gearbox needs atleast 20 minutes before it's fully warm. Yikes! So on a short trip to the store or something the gears are harder to run through, but never difficult or tempermental. For comparision, my Mazda3's gearbox is really, really smooth pretty much right from a cold start: newer car, better technology. I'm hoping to get 400,000 km out of my truck without changing the gearbox. I will change the gear fluid every summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PathFound Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 Another very important thing I forgot to mention is that when changing the gear oil in the tranny, you NEED to get 5 litres of oil in there. The recommendation is 3.5 L, but it's wrong. The casing will only hold 3.5 L, so you need to park the truck on an angle or jack up the passenger side to fit get more oil in the tranny case. Search around this forum and you will find some info about that. Last time I changed mine I got about 4.5 L in there. Also, check the amount of metal filaments that are on the magnetic drain plug of the tranny case. That can give you an idea of how much wear there is in the gears. Mine had some metal filaments, but it was probably below average. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mws Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 Still testing.... We have 2 at 220K+ miles, both functioning great. One even still with original clutch. Properly used and maintained, I think 500K or more is quite feasible. The only real wear item are the clutch and synchros. And the life of those is extremely operator dependent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fondo Posted February 8, 2007 Author Share Posted February 8, 2007 About 2.5 years ago I did something I wish I wouldn't have done now. I decided I would use a synthetic gear oil instead, on top of that it was a lighter (75w-80, or something along those lines) oil than what was called for. The trany @ the time, had about 175k miles on it and was still soundin' ok. Well I ran that oil for about 2 years and just had it changed back in may with a non-synthetic (nissan specified) oil. Any way, now my 2nd and 3rd gears grind (syncros) @ warmer temps and the trany makes a winding noise when the clutch is engaged and the trany is in neutral. This probably is all my fault because I delayed for about 2 months to change the slave cylinder on the clutch when it went bad (summer of '05) aswell as useage of a synthetic oil in a higher mileage trany, silly me. Any way I'm pretty sure that I have read somewhere that using a synthetic oil in an older trany or motor (now that the damage is done) isn't a good idea because it is so slick that it doesn't lubricate aswell (looser, more worn parts) as a non-synthetic oil would. Now that I have heard (thanks to this forum) that the trany requires an additional 1.5 liters of oil than what is called for, I'm gonna add this amount and see if this problem will go away (when the outside temp is above 55f or so). Wishful thinkin. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unccpathfinder Posted February 9, 2007 Share Posted February 9, 2007 my 87 has 230k miles on it with absolutely no issues (except when its cold but if you go from 1st towards forth and back into 2nd until it gets warm she doesnt fuss the 95 is the same way) and my 95 has is a diff story...my cuz got it with about 90k on it about 3 years ago and the syncro's were going in 1st and 4th grinding and what not) so she drove it for roughly 2 years...and now i have it and i can drive the truck without grinding for the most part...if i dont give 3rd to 4th enough time (try and quick shift) she'll bark at me... its now got 140k and still running strong...i've changed the oil 2 times now and have gotten very minimal shavings out of it and no chunks... i will say the syncro's aren't that bad tho...i can still rpm shift (shift with no clutch) without any major issues but sometimes 4th has to be exact on its rpm going in but most of the time she'll shift with no issues unlike most other on this board too...i drive both of my trucks very hard...more so the 87 (till something fell in the engine during a spark plug change and fubared #1) than my 95... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheel366 Posted February 9, 2007 Share Posted February 9, 2007 I have 196K miles on mine and I supposedly had my fluid changed at 184k with redline MT-90. Now, I'm not really sure it was done or not. But last winter I was fine. THis winter with it being so cold it feels like I am shifting through drying cement. Also, I always grind 1st to 2nd if I don't double clutch it. Oh, and the clutch is soooooo stiff in this weather. In the next couple of weeks I am going to change it again, most likely with Amsoil 75W-90 and see if there is anything in there that shouldn't be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94extreme Posted February 9, 2007 Share Posted February 9, 2007 118k thusfar -knock on wood- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zack1978 Posted February 9, 2007 Share Posted February 9, 2007 Well A few things to remember. First of all YOU MUST USE A GL4 gear oil. GL4 is hard to find, as most places only sell GL5. GL5 will damage the trans. To my knowledge Amsoil and Redline make a GL4 spec oil. Also as mentioned before, you must "overfill" the trans! I know the above because my 1995 SE-V6 5spd with 171,000 miles is now damaged, as a result of not following the above advice. When my clutch was changed at 150,000 miles the shop I guess put in GL5, as well as underfilled it. Now I have the "noise" in all gears except 4th as defined in the TSB. Now I am at a crossroads with my truck do I replace the trans or sell it? Zack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fondo Posted February 9, 2007 Author Share Posted February 9, 2007 Any one know why GL-4 is required? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yozsi Posted February 9, 2007 Share Posted February 9, 2007 no, gl-5 contains sulfur, a lubrication additive. Our syncro's are made with brass and/or bronze, sulfur corrodes and eats away at bronze. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted February 9, 2007 Share Posted February 9, 2007 Hmm....always thought it was because GL-5 was too slick. Guess I was wrong. Good info yozsi! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mws Posted February 9, 2007 Share Posted February 9, 2007 Yozsi is correct. Puts on geek hat... More info those who care: GL is gear lube. GL-4 is designation for lubes intended for regular intermeshing gears - like straight cut, angle cut, or bevel gears. It must lubricate the bearings, gear teeth, and be able to withstand extreme pressure between gear teeth. GL-5 is designation for lubes intended for hypoid style gears - like most modern differentials. In these, there is also a tremendous amount of sliding action between the teeth as well as pressure. To protect them, GL-5 has additives (like the aforementioned sulfur) to provide extreme scuffing protection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mws Posted February 9, 2007 Share Posted February 9, 2007 I know the above because my 1995 SE-V6 5spd with 171,000 miles is now damaged, as a result of not following the above advice. When my clutch was changed at 150,000 miles the shop I guess put in GL5, as well as underfilled it. Now I have the "noise" in all gears except 4th as defined in the TSB. Now I am at a crossroads with my truck do I replace the trans or sell it? Zack Unless the noise is really loud or unbearable, you may be able to get many more miles off of it. Dump and refill with GL-4 - it won't fix any existing damage, but may prevent any additional. And unless there are many other problems with the truck, it is absolutely not a reason to give up on it! Replacing with JY trans is pretty straightforward. And compared to automatics, rebuilding a 5 speed is simple and extremely reliable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mookie Posted February 9, 2007 Share Posted February 9, 2007 ...you NEED to get 5 litres of oil in there. The recommendation is 3.5 L, but it's wrong. The casing will only hold 3.5 L, so you need to park the truck on an angle or jack up the passenger side to fit get more oil in the tranny case.... iirc, what people use is the 90 degree gas elbow fitting. It screws right in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zack1978 Posted February 10, 2007 Share Posted February 10, 2007 Unless the noise is really loud or unbearable, you may be able to get many more miles off of it. Dump and refill with GL-4 - it won't fix any existing damage, but may prevent any additional. And unless there are many other problems with the truck, it is absolutely not a reason to give up on it! Replacing with JY trans is pretty straightforward. And compared to automatics, rebuilding a 5 speed is simple and extremely reliable. Well I drove it about 10,000 miles with the GL5 in it and underfilled. I have since put the GL4 Amsoil in as well as overfilled it. So I guess the damage is not getting worse, but the noise is still there. Zack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zack1978 Posted February 10, 2007 Share Posted February 10, 2007 Unless the noise is really loud or unbearable, you may be able to get many more miles off of it. Dump and refill with GL-4 - it won't fix any existing damage, but may prevent any additional. And unless there are many other problems with the truck, it is absolutely not a reason to give up on it! Replacing with JY trans is pretty straightforward. And compared to automatics, rebuilding a 5 speed is simple and extremely reliable. JY TRans? What is that? Thanks, Zack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted February 10, 2007 Share Posted February 10, 2007 Junkyard transmission Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slick Posted February 10, 2007 Share Posted February 10, 2007 welp, mini is sneaking up on 150k now, and last summer i put 5 bottles of redline MT-90 in her. she is smooth as always, little fussy in 1st on a cold day, but going strong. when i drained her fluid to put the redline in there was little to no "fragments" on the plug. when i added the redline, i went in through the shifter hole no problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheel366 Posted February 11, 2007 Share Posted February 11, 2007 Well, I changed my mind. I am probably going with Redline MT-90 again. From looking at the specs, it flows at colder temps than amsoil and has a higher flash point too. Plus, I already have redline in there, so when I drain and fill it would be with the exact same stuff. I think I am going to do this either next saturday or the saturday after. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unccpathfinder Posted February 11, 2007 Share Posted February 11, 2007 interesting on the GL-4 and GL-5...I spoke with a dealership and they said they use GL-5 now b/c the 4 is not available b/c i couldnt find any...they said that it superseded the 4 so it was ok just like dot 3 and dot 4 brake fluid, you can go up from 3 to 4 but cannot go back down to 3 after you do that... and i checked the records on the 95 and the owner B4 me had it changed and they used GL-5...this could possibly explain my syncro grind... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chriskaw440 Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 going on 240,000 on my 1990 SE's 5 speed tranny and so far so good. Like the others, sometimes getting into 1st gear is a bit of a push and sometimes stiff, even at full operating temperature but I just blame it on age and normal wear and tear. I don't drive it real hard, and run Redline MT90 in it. Redline 75-90 in the rear end. Unbelievably reliable vehicles. Not sure about the newer ones but I have always seen were the early 1990 years were probably among the best for the Pathfinders. two more cylinders would be nice though for a vehicle this size and being a 4x4, but at least the gas mileage is decent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 This may be slightly off topic but I have 340,000 kms on my 93 with an autotragic. This is the original trans with stock cooler. We've had this pathy since 1999 and never once had a problem with the trans. My dad had all the oils done regularly with whatever they call for, and 20w50 heavy duty oil in the engine. After reading this forum and what they have to say about the auto trans in the pathy's im shocked with mine. And it still runs fine and shifts smooth. Do I have the only good autotragic? No mods on this truck either, bone stock. And I can remember many road trips from ottawa to washington dc and more in the heat of mid summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PathFound Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 two more cylinders would be nice though for a vehicle this size and being a 4x4, but at least the gas mileage is decent. Huh? Maybe you are running on 4 cylinders only. I find the gas mileage terrible, and I drive slow. Many people mentioned the lack of GL-4 availability. I'm in Canada and found it for sale nearly everywhere. But another thing I noticed is some of these gear oils say it "Meets or exceeds GL-4 AND GL-5 standards..." What does that mean? Is it good to use in the Pathfinder gearbox? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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