Post by
SuperHatch »
https://forums.nicoclub.com/superhatch-u50790.html
Mon Jun 22, 2009 2:48 am
I wasn't implying that you mated the trans at an angle to the engine. The transmission is lubricated via splash lubrication by the gears sitting in an oil bath. When the trans is mounted at an angle, mode of the oil tends to sit at the rear end of the trans, and the lubricated parts at the front end of the transmission suffer increased wear. The greater the angle, the greater the effect.
I understand that cars often drive at 30* angles up hills and down hills, but the overwhelming majority of the time they are on flat surfaces. The system is engineered to work best at a level condition and in doing so it makes sacrifices for operating conditions outside of optimal. If you change the "norm" to one of these scenarios, increased wear over OEM intentions will be realized. You might only see life decreased by 5%, which is easily acceptable in your case, others might not accept that.
One thing you should consider is your assumption that you only lowered the rear of the transmission by 1" over what would be considered ideal. Just because your spacers are that large doesn't mean that the original Z mount would have been flush with the chassis at an ideal condiiton, it may have needed to be higher. Putting an inclinometer on the intake manifold before and after would have been the only way to get an accurate measurement of the change in angle.
I would be more concerned with your engine oiling situation than anything else. These engines have a tendancy to drain the sump already, measures should be taken to avoid situations that make that characteristic worse.