'97 HB manual transmisison leaking near shifter

[Q451990]

Like the title says, my transmission is leaking on the top near the shifter. Any idea what seal(s) I need to order and how hard of a job I'm facing?

Heath

[NM50]

An old TSB was to ensure that the vent tube on the center section of the trans was clear,and the dumb part was to silicone the shifter boot and seal it with a "zip tie".

[Zion8561]

I have the same problem with my 5 speed. The boot is torn, but it looks like you need to disassemble the shifter to change out the boot. I have the shifter off the transmission, but the boot does not fit over the shaft.

Has anyone taken the shifter apart? It looks like the lower portion is pressed into the upper part with a rubber "bushing" holding it together...

I am going to bring it with me to the machine shop when i get the flywheel resurfaced to see if they can pull it apart and put it back together with the new boot.

[Zion8561]

Ok, this may help you. get under your truck with a mirror and flashlight and look at your shift boot. You will probably be able to see the cracks/tears when the shifter is placed in 4th gear.All you have to do is take the shifter out by pulling the boot up and removing the C-clip. Then cut the old boot off. I was able to put the new boot on from the top by slowly forcing it over the shaft of the shifter. Just by looking at it, I didn't think there was any way the boot would fit without tearing, but every now and then I used a lighter to heat up the rubber so it was more pliable. Go slow, use lube. Peace.

Edit: I used a boot I had bought a while back for my 240, they are identical. I think it was less than $10

[Q451990]

I finally got this done today! Nothing too bad, the worst of it was taking the seat and carpet out. Gave me a chance to clean under there though.

Since I had them I replaced the nylon socket that the shifter ball sits in, and the gasket where the top bolts down to the transmission. Prior to my ownership, someone took that top cover off (probably when the clutch was replaced) and reinstalled it with liquid gasket instead of the paper seal that Nissan uses - so it's possible it was leaking there too.

The boot did have a nice hole in it and lots of cracks, so I feel sure it was leaking there. I didn't have any issues getting the new boot on by using some lube. The hard part was getting the shift knob off. The outer skin separated from the rubber core that screws on to the shaft, so I ended up cutting the cover and then using some big channel lock plyers to finally get it off. Guess I'll have to order a leather shift knob now

I'll go tomorrow and get some fresh gear oil and change it and the differential oil. It wouldn't surprise me if I'm a little low on gear oil - it's getting a little hard to get into gear sometimes when it's cold outside and the truck isn't fully warmed up.

Heath

[cleidus88]

mine is leaking also but I haven't looked to see where