Gearbox Advice Wanted! New to R Ownership!

[mercer_5254_mercer]

Afternoon Chaps.
I have recently bought a R absolutely love it. Sadly out driving yesterday I got stuck in forth gear! I have pulled the gearbox today I have snapped the selector fork common problem apperently! My question is do I get it rebuilt, do I throw another unit in or do I upgrade it?? Also while it's out what else shall I replace. Iv pulled the clutch she's got a 6 paddle clutch in that looks in ok nic shall I replace this as well. For info I split the transfer box and left engine and transfer box in the car! Much appreciated in all your help. Ta Dave

 

[johnny gtir]

Internals of boxes is not my area but I would say with the amount and price of boxes and second hand is a gamble. I would look at rebuilding it. From what I know inspect everything replace worn or damaged gears. Check bearings for play and Sure the spring can stretch or snap. Least rebuilding you know the history of the box. Suppose the casing check for cracking. Is your car running much power/torque ?. Like I say there is people on here know Alot more about this then I ever will but get you some stuff to think of

 

[fubar andy]

As an "expert" in smashing 3/4th gear selectors it comes down to one main thing:

BUDGET!

I honestly give my gearbox a hard time (as it mainly lives on track) and I've ended up installing a 3/4th gear PAR selector as it should take a decent hammering compared to the standard Nissan unit.

If your not in a hurry to get the car back on the road, I would look at the condition of ALL your gearbox bearings to see if there is any wear on them. I personally would replace them if you see any noticeable wear then you have piece of mind that they are all new (I didn't and it had to come out again!)
Also check the syncros, make sure they are not worn (or looking like they are on there way out)!

Secondly, what are you going to be doing with the car? Track, drag, or weekend warrior? What kind of power are you going to be running power-wise?

If you have the budget and you are going to be running more than 380bhp and using the car "hard" I would recommend a Quaife 3rd and a 4th gear.
This is a debatable option as some people have never had any issues at 400bhp where myself and others have had gears go at 330bhp!
3rd gear is most susceptible to becoming stripped!

I'd not bother buying second hand gearbox parts (unless absolutely necessary) and buy new from Nissan. Nor would I bother with a secondhand gearbox, the reason for that is you have no idea what condition it's in and after parting with your money, the gearbox could "blow" within days or weeks and your back to square one!

Personally my experience is: all new parts, don't be cheap and use the best gearbox oils you can afford! (oh and try to be mechanically sympathetic when changing gear and don't launch the car from the lights!


btw, welcome to GTiR ownership!

 

[mercer_5254_mercer]

Thanks for your replies guys! The car is running around 280 bhp so nothing silly it's just a weekend warrior! What rough price on a box rebuild? I have looked at the par 3/4 selector fork. As everyone says it boils down to budget! What I really want is a price comparison from a box rebuild to a second hand box! Keep them coming. Cheers

 

[vpulsar]

I think new bearings alone are around £300 a second hand box can be had for anywhere between £100-£250 but as Andy said I wouldn't go down that road. By comparison my box probably cost near 4k to build with new quaife gear set new standard parts par 3/4th selector and brace.

 

[johnny gtir]

I would say boxes are closer £350 plus I know that's a broad statement but there ain't many good ones for sale rob. Not saying there ain't a lot of boxes but seem to go through stages where there are a few and then Nowt. A hell of a lot of people done box changes last couple of year and not rebuilds so a lot of knackard ones unknown condition about. Think as gears are so expensive and certain bits no longer availible off Nissan prices rose. It's a case of matching the bearing numbers etc at bearing distributors

 

[vpulsar]

I wouldn't touch a second hand pulsar box with a barge pole personally.

 

[murty]

find a good gearbox builder, buy a second hand gearbox and use that as a spares box. i have been doing that for years, i could break the box drop it myself drop the box of with spares £20- £100 later, put it back in then abuse it on the dragstrip.

 

[Cosmic73]

Doing a rebuild yourself isnt as daunting as you might think,
As long as you have the right tools (bearing pullers, feeler gauges, seal removers and a press) you can do it.
Just follow the workshop manual to the letter and be OCD and document and carefully store every part you remove.
All bearings, seals and baulk rings are available from your Nissan dealer.

 

[Cosmic73]

Also make sure you put new shift linkage bushes in, this could be a root cause of failure,