# Governor Gear - 1, Me - 0



## rx7racr (Jan 25, 2004)

Finally got stranded by the sentra today... Kinda surprised, as the car only has 77,000 miles on it.

So I removed the Governor Valve and saw this:











now I HAVE searched around the other Gov. Gear threads but I'm still having a difficult time determining what the best replacement gear is and where is best to get it. I'd love to get just the gear, and not the whole assy. 

Any Input would be greatly appreciated

P.S. It's a 1992 XE with the 4spd Auto coupled to a 1.6L


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## NissanGuyB13 (Dec 10, 2005)

nissan i think its like 30 bucks for just the gear, i know cause i had 2 do it 2 my sisters car, good luck


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## rx7racr (Jan 25, 2004)

NissanGuyB13 said:


> nissan i think its like 30 bucks for just the gear, i know cause i had 2 do it 2 my sisters car, good luck


cool! I'll give my friendly nissan dealer a call later today and see


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## rx7racr (Jan 25, 2004)

rx7racr said:


> cool! I'll give my friendly nissan dealer a call later today and see



You were right! the part was $50 - which I thought was a bit expensive - but I ordered it anyway, to save any further trouble...

Nissan Part # : 318-94-01-X-02

(dashes may be in the wrong places - I took it over the phone)


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## NissanGuyB13 (Dec 10, 2005)

good deal it should be a quick fix.......


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## b13pnoysentra (Mar 30, 2005)

rx7racr said:


> You were right! the part was $50 - which I thought was a bit expensive - but I ordered it anyway, to save any further trouble...
> 
> Nissan Part # : 318-94-01-X-02
> 
> (dashes may be in the wrong places - I took it over the phone)


Where is this gear located at?


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## 92 Sinatra (Jul 9, 2002)

*Mystery solved? (Maybe "Eureka!")*

Hey, bro--

I've got a '92 Sentra XE with the 4-speed auto OD. And for a while now (pretty long, actually), if I cannot avoid drving my car in the walking-speed-to-slightly-faster range, it shifts from 1st-2nd with a really unpleasant jolt. But if I can lean on the gas, the shift is smooth, and all the other shifts are real easy.

And I've been all over these boards, because if you look around there are really slick how-to photos posted. . . .

But I have tried all the links mentioned in these forums, and had no luck at all getting a quote on the governor gear or the gear assembly. Very frustrating.

Some people have replaced the nylon gears with brass, but I'm not sure of the wisdom in that. The idea is that the gear is supposed to shear, rather than ruiing the whole transmission ($$$$$$$), and brass will definitely shear easier than steel. . .but easily enough?

So is your replacement gear nylon (like OEM) or metal?

Did you have to do anything other than pull out the assembly, tap out the pin holding the gear on the shaft, and then put the new one on? Does the gear include a new pin?

I have read online about people getting what they assumed was the right gear (from a dealership, no less), and sure enough it wasn't the right part; I have heard about brass gears from aftermarket suppliers or dealers; I have also heard about people not being able to get the caps & o-rings for the governor gear assembly to come off without ruining those pieces.

I'd appreciate any info that someone who has done this successfully can give me.




rx7racr said:


> You were right! the part was $50 - which I thought was a bit expensive - but I ordered it anyway, to save any further trouble...
> 
> Nissan Part # : 318-94-01-X-02
> 
> (dashes may be in the wrong places - I took it over the phone)


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## 92 Sinatra (Jul 9, 2002)

*Location of governor gear*

If you have an RL4FO3A transmission like mine (and I think this is what we're discussing in this thread: my car is a '92 XE w/ 4-speed OD auto coupled to a GA16DE), the cap for the gear assembly is a recessed round thing about the diameter of a 12-oz Coke can on top of your transmission. This means it is on the driver's side of the car, and it will probably be obscured by some of your air-intake stuff where that oversized rubber hose feeds into the top of the engine (between your distributor and your fuel injector rack). But you can see it with the hood open, and you don't have to get the car up on a lift to do it right.

From the photos I have seen, it is possible to mangle that cap badly just in removing it; there are o-rings and circlips (those flat retaining springs) and other parts stacked in there, too, and you have to be gentle with all that. It's a good idea to remove the air-intake duct & whatever else you need to take off to make sufficient room to do the job, and it's also important to clean the outside of the cap & tranny before opening it.

Then (again, from what I have seen in online pictures), it's a simple [?] matter of withdrawing the whole gear assembly, which looks to be about 7-8" long; when you get the cap off, there's a gizmo on top of the assembly with a crimped-over piece of metal, and the shaft extends way down to the bottom of the transmission, and the gear in question is a worm gear down close to the tip of that shaft.

I gather it may take some prying to get the caps off and coax the assembly out, but easy does it.

And I'm guessing that re-seating the gear when you re-insert the assembly takes some touch, as well. None of that macho whammy with a hammer. It has to mate just right.

Of course this is all theoretical--I haven't done it yet myself, because I haven't been able to get a solid lead on the damned part!--but if I am wrong on any of this, somebody please jump in!

Thanks!




b13pnoysentra said:


> Where is this gear located at?


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## Twiz (Aug 24, 2004)

92 Sinatra said:


> it shifts from 1st-2nd with a really unpleasant jolt. But if I can lean on the gas, the shift is smooth, and all the other shifts are real easy


 I'd check and reset if necessary the throttle link cable that goes into your transmission or it could be the TPS.


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## HATEnFATE (Dec 24, 2002)

Just to make it easy--31894-01X02

Nissan Numbers have the same setup as Toyota Numbers. 5+5


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## rx7racr (Jan 25, 2004)

UPDATE:

I just recieved the part - - 31894-01X02 from my dealer. After asking them 3 times on the phone, "Is this the right part for the '1992 Sentra with the 4-spd (overdrive) transmission?" I'm pretty sure they've sent me the correct governor gear for the 3spd.... :-(

The gear is visibly longer, and the teeth are definitely not as helical as the original (they don't "twist" around the gear as much)...

I don't even think I should try installing it...


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## chris859 (Oct 20, 2005)

If you got it from the dealer, and it doesn't even resemble the old part (other than both being gears)...don't install it...take it back and get the right one ordered. If it ends up not working, but you installed it anyways, more often than not you will have to eat the $50 and buy another one anyways.


rx7racr said:


> UPDATE:
> 
> I just recieved the part - - 31894-01X02 from my dealer. After asking them 3 times on the phone, "Is this the right part for the '1992 Sentra with the 4-spd (overdrive) transmission?" I'm pretty sure they've sent me the correct governor gear for the 3spd.... :-(
> 
> ...


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## rx7racr (Jan 25, 2004)

chris859 said:


> If you got it from the dealer, and it doesn't even resemble the old part (other than both being gears)...don't install it...take it back and get the right one ordered. If it ends up not working, but you installed it anyways, more often than not you will have to eat the $50 and buy another one anyways.


Luckily, I didn't even open the package - thanks to some more reasearch on this forum that confirmed I had the wrong (3spd) part, and the dealer has agreed to take it back and return my $$$...

Just for everyone's info - I did some more research on this forum, and I"ve determined that the following seems to be the way to solve this problem:



Order from Aceomatic Recon:

PART NUMBER: 4843961

Gear - Governor Drive ( 16T - 1.400" Long x .475" Bore ) 1 1991-UP 
1991+ Nissan Sentra Auto XMSN 4spd w/OD: RL4F03A / V



800/999-5590

Fax 508/795-7291




http://www.acerecon.com/catalog/automatics/series.asp?t=103


A fellow nissanforums member posted this info and it seems to be the best out there..


Oh yeah - the best part: the gear only costs *$3.00* !!!!!


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## chris859 (Oct 20, 2005)

Great find! Hope all goes well!


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## DocP (Jan 15, 2006)

I have the same upshifting problem as many here have reported. Is it safe to assume that this governor gear replacement is located in the same place and that the replacment is the same for a '96 Sentra GXE (B-14 chassis), automatic?

I've actually had some tranny buds of mine tell me that removing that gear assembly will actually drop junk INTO the tranny. That's not something I have read here on these boards. It would appear that this is a relatively simple do-it-yourself repair. However, if removing this assembly creates junk dropping into the tranny and a full tranny overhaul is necessary following installation of the governer gear, I'm not even going to attempt it. I am currently unemployed and tranny replacement or overhaul is out of the question.

At least, if I pull out the assembly, I'll know by looking at the gear if this is quite probably my problem. I'd like to save some money here so ANY and ALL suggestions, experience, etc. would be greatly appreciated.

And, thanks, in advance!


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## rx7racr (Jan 25, 2004)

DocP said:


> will actually drop junk INTO the tranny.


the way the cap is shaped (and the fact that it's sitting horizontally on top of the tranny) pretty much guarantees that dirt/grime will fall into the transmission when you pull off the cap - - UNLESS YOU CLEAN THE SURROUNDING AREA VERY THOROUGHLY!! (i just did the job today and this became very evident - - I haven't seen this fact mentioned yet, so consider it a warning)


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## rx7racr (Jan 25, 2004)

SO here's the big upddate!


I ordered the gear from the supplier mentioned above for $3.00 ! ! 

I installed it today and the 1st-gear problem has been SOLVED!!!!


THANKS AGAIN, NISSANFORUMS!!!!!!

:cheers:


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## DocP (Jan 15, 2006)

Here's the rub!

Aceomatic Recon has that gear, but they only sell wholesale. So, if you're not a shop or certified auto tech, NO DICE!

Objective: have a shop order it for you (if you trust them not to jack the price way up above $3.00)

I know a couple guys, so I'm gonna see if I can get them to buy it for me. Best part, though... there's an Aceomatic Recon right here in Tucson - no shipping!

Um, anyone here wanna order the part for me?


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## DocP (Jan 15, 2006)

Yup - my governor gear looked just the one posted at the top of this thread. I found the gear, paid $5.09, replaced it and it's as if I never had the problem.

Heads up on the post about it costing $3.00 from Aceomatic. That statement is true, but Aceomatic will only sell to dealers or shop owners. What I did is called my neighborhood Checker Auto Parts store, spoke to the manager, asked if he could order this part for me and lo and behold... I had it in my hand that afternoon.

My greatful thanks to all who posted on this topic. I can't tell you how much I appreciate the scratch you all saved me.

I'll be back.


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## rx7racr (Jan 25, 2004)

I ordered the gear from them directly no more than 3 weeks ago!!! I'm not a shop, or a dealer - - just a regular idiot.

they couldn't have been nicer, and they shipped it to my house for $3.00

no problems whatsoever!


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## rx7racr (Jan 25, 2004)

rx7racr said:


> no problems whatsoever!



It is now october....

THE DAMN GEAR SHREDDED ITSLEF AGAIN!!!! AFTER LESS THAN 10k MILES!!!


Anyone got any idea why this thing failed so quickly?

Only thoughts: The trans was pretty low on fluid for a while, and the cap that goes over the governor is a bit bent from my installation last time. It looks like the cap has a little recess inside that engages a bump on the top of the governor assy... ...if the cap is a bit deformed, could this put stress on the governor? Do they actually touch?


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## Dan9 (Sep 18, 2004)

my auto used to clunk 1st-2nd, and after I changed the fluid (2-step cheapo flush, I dropped the tranny oil then refilled to full, drove a week and repeated) over to Quaker State semi-synthetic ATF it shifter a LOT smoother and seemed to heat up less.

A little smelly at first, though, that ATF.

D



92 Sinatra said:


> Hey, bro--
> 
> I've got a '92 Sentra XE with the 4-speed auto OD. And for a while now (pretty long, actually), if I cannot avoid drving my car in the walking-speed-to-slightly-faster range, it shifts from 1st-2nd with a really unpleasant jolt. But if I can lean on the gas, the shift is smooth, and all the other shifts are real easy.
> .


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## DocP (Jan 15, 2006)

rx7racr,

Okay - here's the skinny! First off, what used to be Aceomatic Recon is now called Axiom and can easily be found by typing in that name on your favorite search engine.

Today - I purchased 2 new gears (same price, $3.09/apiece). The guys there told me that the reason this gear is shredding has nothing to do with the gear itself. They explained that, more than likely, it is the Pinion that drives the governor. They explained that it's probably the bearings on that appartus and the only true fix is to replace it, which requires dropping the transmission. Sorry, I didn't even bother to ask how much that part was. I figured once a year I could spend 3 bucks and make it run for another year.

Keep in mind that this is merely what they told me, but it seems to make sense.


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