Please help - Output shaft leaking

[pnoman]

Greetings. I'm new to this site, having just bought a used '95 Altima GXE with a 5-speed. It has 129K miles, but the engine runs great and the car is in pretty good shape.

However, (and I knew this when I bought it - cheap!) there is quite a bit of gear whine and there is a leak in the output shaft on the driver's side. I went to the auto parts store and bought a rebuilt driver's-side CV joint/halfshaft, and a new oil seal. The old shaft boots were rotten and ripped open, and the CV joints were about dry.

After replacing all the pieces, I'm still getting a gear whine similar to when a power steering pump runs low on fluid. It stops when I depress the clutch pedal, and quiets down at highways speeds. It also does not make the sound when the clutch is depressed and the engine is revved, so I think it's a transmission problem. It's also still leaking trans gear oil down around the output, enough to create a 4-inch-wide puddle overnight.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I know this car has another 75-100K in it, and would like to fix it up for my son to take to college. BTW, I'm in the St Louis metro east area (by Scott Air Force Base, where I just retired after 20 years of service) if you know any good shops, in case it needs serious surgery.

Thanks!

pnoman

[pnoman]

Well, today I went to 3 different transmission shops and got the same answer. Nothing lots of $$ won't fix. Turns out the inner bearings and synchronizers are bad, which requires a rebuild. The output bearing (that the driveshaft attaches to) is so worn, it is allowing the output shaft to move in and out of the case about 1/8 inch, which is why there is not enough pressure to maintain pressure on the output shaft seal. Hence, the leak. Oh well. At least even with the added expense (about $1200), the car is still a good deal.

pnoman

[aznissanaltima]

Have you considered buying/installng a used or rebuilt transmission instead?

It might be less expensive than the repair.

[pnoman]

The cost for a used transmission would be about $800 - $1000, including labor. I would not know the history of the unit -- just have to trust the company selling it to the local shop. I figure the extra couple of hundred $$ would result in a like-new unit with new bearings and seals. Hopefully, I'll get alot more miles out of this car since I've seen neglected Nissans run over 200K.

In the end, I'll have a nice car (including rebuilt transmission and new driveshafts, plus almost new clutch, brakes, and struts) for less than $3,000 total. The engine is quiet and smooth, the suspension and steering are tight, and it has COLD A/C!! Could be worse.

Thanks for the note.

pnoman

[aznissanaltima]

The cost for a used transmission would be about $800 - $1000, including labor. I would not know the history of the unit -- just have to trust the company selling it to the local shop. I figure the extra couple of hundred $$ would result in a like-new unit with new bearings and seals. Hopefully, I'll get alot more miles out of this car since I've seen neglected Nissans run over 200K.

In the end, I'll have a nice car (including rebuilt transmission and new driveshafts, plus almost new clutch, brakes, and struts) for less than $3,000 total. The engine is quiet and smooth, the suspension and steering are tight, and it has COLD A/C!! Could be worse.

Thanks for the note.

pnoman

Good point... I have a 99 with 234,000 miles, and other than a steering rack that's beginning to wear, it's doing great.