# B14 to B13 front strut assembly interchangability



## M.J. (Aug 29, 2002)

Car I need front stock strut assemblies for is a *b13 1994 *sentra le sedan, 1.6L, pwr steering, 5-speed manual trans. non ABS has 190,000 miles on it.( spring broke on my Left front)

Can't justify buying new parts because its at the end of its life.

Have been searching around online for used parts at junkyard/salvage yards and have found numerous *b14 95-99* sentra front strut assemblies ( I would buy a pair off same car, as low on mileage as possible, LF&RF)

Are the strut assemblies in fact interchangable? 

Would one off an auto trans be that much different than a manual trans?

Would there be any compatability issues? such as ABS mount.......etc


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## dreamteam (Jul 29, 2005)

car-part.com lists them as interchangeable.
Also looks like b-12,13,14 are all similar.
I am assuming that you are taking the strut and spring as one assembly.
It's much easier that way.
PS, don't sell these sentras short, my last one made it to 455,000 miles.
And it was still running.


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## M.J. (Aug 29, 2002)

*Thanks again dreamteam for your response, and*

I did a massive search in b-13, B-14, ga1.6L and suspension forums for strut interchangability, I did find threads that did in fact state that b-13 and b-14 front struts only, were interchangable. 
When I did searches on Car-part.com its not showing, in my area anyway, that when I do a search for say 94 or 99 seperate struts, They only come up by platform years in the same query for that year. I'm not getting a strut from 93 showing up for a match say for a 98 ( different platform )
Maybe, I'm not searching right or something, or at a different car part website than you.
The search function there seems, to be very specific in its matching, and it does not allow me CTRL key it to pull multiple searches at one time.

I don't sell nissans short at all, They are every bit as good as any other car out there, including toyota, honda and other jap brands, korean, european, american.
I think the Japanese are a very hard act to follow when it comes to The 4 cylinder engines and, components on my car have tended to last far longer than the normal for most domestic and import.
Anyone else that wants to weigh in on this thread with options I might want to consider on used Struts platform interchangabilty I would appreciate it.


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## BeeTwelve (Feb 1, 2010)

b14 springs and struts are stiffer than B13s. Had them on my B13 and ride was very stiff and harsh. seen that you broke a spring they might work fo you. othewise b12 and b13 springs and strus interchangeable (same spring rates but different strut design). B14 and B15 STRUTS ONLY interchangeable springs are a different design.

If you put auto B14 springs on your B13 your will look it wants ti take off. your ride will be crappy and your handling very poor. please GET NEW springs and struts designed for your car. Believe me you will thank it everyday.


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## dreamteam (Jul 29, 2005)

Hey M.J. , did you get the struts in?


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## M.J. (Aug 29, 2002)

*dreamteam*

Yes, I did, I bought a pair of used 96' front strut assemblies from a local junkyard for $95.00 
I had to adjust my toe, on the car, because after installing them, the front of my tires pointed outward, and my steering wheel was off center.
I had to extend the steering knuckles: left out 1 1/2 turns, right out to 2 1/2 turns to get the front toe back in and center the steering wheel.
I then had to retract both sides back alittle, about 60 degrees/of a turn, each side to get closer to the 1-3mm toe in that specification is.
I need to check it again yet to be sure, but the car drives alright, the wheel is centered, and letting your hands off it, just to see how it tracks going down the road, it doesnt pull or drift to one side or the other. Camber might be slightly off alittle but I'll watch the tire wear

Like a former poster said "they are stiffer and the car does'nt handle as good"
I noticed them being stiffer but as far as handling its negligible to me. I drive very conservative, that might be the reason.
Obviously, its not the Ideal way to go, but if your working with limited funds, used/salvaged parts like these are an alternative way to go. I would of prefered to get 91-94 struts, but distance was a factor.
I could put new springs on my 190,000 stock front struts, to re-use them, but that seems pointless, unless I'm going to replace the struts and mounts also.
Keeping my eyes open for a different ride anyway, 17 1/3 years out of this car, I got nothing to complain about. Maybe a 98 or 99 in my future. Saw a 94 sedan in decent shape with/78,000 on the ticker for 2300.00, seems kind of high on price. Rust is an issue here in Michigan and I need to keep that into consideration.


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## dreamteam (Jul 29, 2005)

Congrats!... way to keep an oldie on the road!
I am considering an upgrade myself.
Starting to have thoughts about a B-15 SE-R.
The 02's look pretty good to me. Only problem is I like Two doors.
That keeps me looking at older SE-R's and NX's.
Anybody else have any suggestions?


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## M.J. (Aug 29, 2002)

*dreamteam*

I just wish that I did'nt live in a rust belt state, or it would be worth keeping it running with good oem parts whenever it needed them. Unfortunately rust is going to take it soon, when? not sure could be another 6 months to 1 1/2 years from now.

I have a sedan, and really like it. Mainly, because I need it to haul my sons (2) around. Coupes are cool, but dreamteam, sedans are way more practical, even if the back seats fold down to allow more trunk space as mine does.

I'm not really crazy about the B-15 or B-16s, because their a bigger car, and using a bigger engine 1.8l. They are not getting better mileage, and the forums seem to suggest that the 1.8l engine is having head gasket issues.

You might be ok with a 2.0L engine in one, though

With gas prices constantly being an unpredictable factor, My focus has got to be on mileage/reliability. Versa is a possibilty, but so are other japanese cars that are getting high mileage. I'm just not sure which way to go. But for the short term, If I could find a decent b-13, b-14 sedan with 5-speed, I'd probably go that route, because the mileage numbers are still better than the newer cars. as for hybrids, I'm not impressed. Nor could I afford one.
Its pathetic that in 2012 and all the technological advances that the majority of cars manufactured, even the ones, that are suppose to be known for good mpg, are'nt cutting it, compared to older cars. I know there are other factors causing this as well, federal regs, gas quality, etc.
We are going to reach a point, where people are not going to be able to afford to buy, much less repair these newer cars, because of specialized engineering, and high parts cost, even DIY'ers at the local parts store costs.


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## dreamteam (Jul 29, 2005)

Yeah, I agree on the pathetic.
My son and I both laughed at a recent article 
on how auto makers will meet the new cafe standards.
They make it sound so difficult. Why not just bring back the B-13?


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## M.J. (Aug 29, 2002)

*Bring back the B-13?*

Why that would just be common sense. Thats just blasphemy, that's anti-progressive. But we don't live in that kind of world anymore and have not for some time. 

You would think, that if your building a really good product, and people were buying it, it was economical to own, maintain, relatively simple design. That you would increase the length of the platform production run from 4-6 years to 10-12 or longer, as long as the sales numbers were there, and just keep improving that platform run. People still have to maintain it, and buy parts, The older, the more parts.

People don't need all this extra stuff coming out in new cars, Its just nothing more than more distractive driving. You don't need a car making judgement decisions for you either, they just need to concentrate on driving 
Focus on what their suppose to be doing, not multi-tasking.

I look at ads for used B-13's and see that they claim they changed the timing belt and just laugh, they obviously are clueless or just plain lying.

I think I'm done ranting for awhile.


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## dreamteam (Jul 29, 2005)

Oh boy, don't get me started.
Our current B-13 is the culmination of a five year search.
When my B-12 finally wore out (455,000) I started 
looking for a replacement vehicle.
While the Sentra is not my daily driver, It certainly is needed in our family.
During that search, I got pretty good at narrowing down the BS.
Also, the best selection seems to be in the pacific northwest.
There are, of course, other parameters. Economically depressed areas,
like las vegas, are good bargains if you don't mind cracked dashes.
You've probably gathered by now that I've turned this into a hobby.


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## M.J. (Aug 29, 2002)

*Well, actually I'm kind of curious*

what kind of BS have you seen when researching for used cars? 
mileage on the car, makes me wonder sometimes, when its real low for that year.

Also, where abouts do you reside? you don't really need to be specific, just a general area if you want.

After doing more research, I'm not so sure about the versa, it does not seem to be getting that good of mileage. The six speed seems to be geared kind of low at the top end also. Not crazy about automatics, especially that varable auto trans. some are getting decent mileage, some are not.

I like the idea of the 6 speed, but 6th gear better be a good overdrive gear.


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## dreamteam (Jul 29, 2005)

I live up here in North Dakota. Some areas are rusty, others are too remote for salt.
The BS list when searching for used cars is pretty lenthy.
I will give you some of the highlights.
Rust: not always what it seems. top of car OK, bottom not so much.
Flood damage: obvious-stained seats and interior. Want the truth? Pull out a wheel bearing.
Odometer rollbacks: mileage numbers crooked and don't line up.
Body damage: improperly fitting glass.
Engine replaced: Too clean, new paint.
Others: New locks, new keys.
Dents behind drivers door,called damnit dents. Car failed-driver kicked.
Be wary of any ad where the owner feels a need to tell you why he is selling the car.
Also, New timing belt, brakes, transmission, etc., means I just dumped a bunch of money into this car and it still sucks.

As far as the Versa, I don't like the Renault connection.
Six speeds are better than automatics or CVTs,however I personally like manuals,so I guess thats just me.


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## M.J. (Aug 29, 2002)

*It gets cold up there, in that*

North Dakota, although I thought it was a cool state when I traveled thru it, when I was over the road trucking. Alot of oil work going on up there now I'll bet.
I think I found a possible flood damaged car here in MI, Its a 94 silver sedan on Craigs list City: Ann Arbor listing. 78,000, back seat base is stained in the middle, and there is a dammit dent behind drivers door in the middle of passengers door. They don't give a vin number or much other info in the ad, but the used car dealership has a good share of pictures. They keep re-listing it, been no takers yet, it just looks to suspicious to me.
Its been pretty mild here in MI this past winter,but that all could change next year.
So far as manual trans, that's my personal preference also. Automatics are OK, but that CVT in the versa uses a chain/ or a belt, from what I read, and the trans requires a certain type of fluid, the maintanance cycle seems to be pretty picky and pricy. I was'nt aware of the renault connection in production but knew about renault being involved in the corporate business end.
I'm starting to look at other used brands such as honda, toyota, hundia, kia etc.
need to research those brands.
Not a big three domestic fan, I've worked on a few from all three, they do stupid things, in my opinion.


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