# 1993 Nissan Sentra SE Help



## taylor_f (Mar 28, 2011)

Hey there all, I'm back needing some info on my car. I got the 93 Nissan Sentra SE, Manuel, 5 Speed. I was trying to check all my fluid levels on the car and I'm a bit confused on somethings.

For some reason I can't find the dipstick for the transmission fluid to check it. Is there a transmission dipstick? Where do I fill it up if it needs it, or how do I check it?

I've always used a automatic for the 2 years I've been driving. I knew the basic fluids to check on a automatic. But now what about manuals? Is there clutch fluid? Anything else I might be needing to know?

I just bought the car with 138,000 miles on it. I don't know when the last tune-up was, should I take it to a garage and get it tuned up you all think?

I'm wanting to do basic maintenance on my car, I'm just needing to figure some stuff out.

(Oh and does anyone know what my car would be listed as in the 1990-1994 service manual that's here on the forums? Would it be E, CD, SR, or GA?)

Thanks again everybody, I appreciate all the help.

Taylor


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## chrismariscal (Jan 10, 2011)

Yes please do a tune up. Not just for you, for all of us. 
And for your MT there is no dipstick. 
Yes you would search for a GA. 
And actually if you're not sure about the last tune up, just drain the old tranny fluid, drop the pan, replace the filter, clean the two magnets. 
And last time i checked theres no clutch fluid.
And why take it to a garage? A full tune up can be done at home with just a socket set. New cap+rotor, plugs, wires, K&N air filter, fuel filter, oil change, tranny change. 
Save some money.

And give me your email so i can email you the Nissan Maintence pdf that tells you how to do all the tune up and even check and change your tranny fluid.


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## taylor_f (Mar 28, 2011)

Gotcha. Yeah, I got a socket set here at the house. I haven't had a whole lot of experience working on cars, but I have a little. Do you still think I can do it? As well my e-mail is [email protected]. I would appreciate all the help I can get. Thanks a lot.

Taylor


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

chrismariscal said:


> Yes please do a tune up. Not just for you, for all of us.


X2 on that one!!!



> And for your MT there is no dipstick.


Some would argue that point. Sometimes there is a dipstick...behind the steering wheel 

AFAIK, the manual transmission doesn't have a filter or magnets. Just the automatic.



> A full tune up can be done at home with just a socket set.


And a couple of screwdrivers!


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## taylor_f (Mar 28, 2011)

Do you think I would be able to do it JD? I should have some time tomorrow to do it.


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

Refering to Post #2:

-The car has a manual trans, so there is no pan to drop or filter to replace. There's only a drain plug on the bottom of the transmission and a fill plug on the side of the trans. Drain the gear oil, clean the plug and coat the threads with RTV silicone and re-install, fill the trans with API-GL4 75W-90 gear oil until it just starts to pour out of the fill plug. Do the same for the fill plug as you did for the drain plug. It should take just less than 3 quarts. 

-If you have a 5 spd., I'm pretty sure you have a hydraulic clutch. If you do, you'll have a clutch master cylinder not far from the brake master cylinder. It takes DOT 3 brake fluid, just like the master cylinder.

-While replacing the air filter is part of a tune-up, replacing it with a K&N filter is not. That's a matter of preferance. For best flow, go with the K&N; for best filtration, stick with a genuine Nissan air filter. Anyone familier with the Spicer Air Filter Test (you can "Google" it) knows that K&N's let a lot more dirt pass into the engine than most conventional paper filters. Also, the oil used on the K&N filters can contaminate the hotwire of the Mass Air Sensor and cause incorrect readings.

Now, if you have an "SE" you should have a GA16DE. If you have an "SE-R" you'll have the SR20DE. As far as tune-ups, Nissan recommends major tune-ups at 30,000 mile intervals. It's best to stick with genuine Nissan or NGK parts, especially on ignition system componants. Personally, I like NGK's ignition wires better than the genuine Nissan wires. They're better constructed and lifetime warranted.


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## taylor_f (Mar 28, 2011)

Hey there again guys. I've gotten a hold of a mechanic...he is wanting over 300 dollars to do a tune up on the car. That's outrageous. I'm going to have to do this tune-up myself. Is it possible do you all think for a novice like myself to do it? I could probably get some help, but do you think I can do it? Where should I buy my parts, liquids, etc. from? As well could one of you type a list of all the parts I need so I can check them off as I go and buy them? 

I'm sorry if I've been a hassle. I'm needing to learn my Nissan myself, since I'm hoping to get a whole lot of miles out of her. By the way, hey again SMJ and thanks for the help again to everyone. 

Taylor


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## taylor_f (Mar 28, 2011)

Well here's what I got so far. Please help me if I made any mistakes on this list. Also, I'm going to need some help when it comes down to installing this stuff. If I could get everyone's help I'd be very very thankful.

1 x NGK Ignition Wire Set, Part # 9889. Advance Auto Parts: Ignition Wire Set by NGK - Part 9889

4 x NGK V Power Spark Plug, Part # 6953
Advance Auto Parts: V Power Spark Plug by NGK - Part 6953

3 x Mobil1 Synthetic Gear Lubricant LS 75W-90, Part # 98W573
Advance Auto Parts: Synthetic Gear Lubricant LS 75W-90 (1 qt.) by Mobil1 - Part 98W573

3 or 4? x Mobil Oil 10W30 Synthetic Motor Oil, Part # 98KU84
Advance Auto Parts: 10W30 Synthetic Motor Oil (1 qt.) by Mobil Oil - Part 98KU84

1 x Purolator PureONE Oil Filter, Part # PL24457
Advance Auto Parts: Oil Filter by Purolator PureONE - Part PL24457

1 x Purolator PureONE Panel Type Air Filter, Part # PA24278
Advance Auto Parts: Panel Type Air Filter by Purolator PureONE - Part PA24278

This is the best I got so far guys. If there is something I'm missing please fill it in. As well, if you all know of alternates that I can use that are a little less expensive. Thanks again guys.

Taylor


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

Standard NGK plugs, no need for the "V-Power"
5W-30 engine oil, not 10W30 unless it's gonna be like above 100F where you live.
Just a hair over 3 1/2 quarts for an oil change with oil filter change. Top off as needed.
Purolator oil filter? Ok...whatever. Not my first choice, but not my last choice either.

Where's the fuel filter?
Distributor cap?
Distributor rotor? (should come with the cap, but you never know)
Battery terminal cleaner plus a good wire brush
New belts
New upper/lower radiator hoses
2 gallons of antifreeze mixed down to a 50/50 mix with distilled water

Clutch is cable operated, not hydraulic (had to look that one up). If it feels good now, don't dick with it.

Smallest can of DOT3 brake fluid you can find. Why? Because as soon as you crack the seal, brake fluid will suck up any water that's in the air and render it useless (look up hygroscopic in the dictionary). Top off the brake fluid.

Small bottle of power steering fluid (if you've got power steering). Same hygroscopic reason as the brake fluid although not nearly as bad.

Maybe a can or two of fuel injector cleaner to run thru the gas tank.


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## taylor_f (Mar 28, 2011)

Well I don't have enough money at the moment for everything. I'm needing to conserve my money. I'm thinking the top things to do on the list would be transmission change, spark plugs, wires, oil change, oil filter. I'm going to have to wait on the other things. Do you agree? Unfortunately I can't even do everything else unless I have help doing it. These at least I have an idea of how to do it.

Right now I'm waiting on landing a job at a contracting company. Once that happens these other things will fall through. Thanks again guys.

Taylor


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

Then save up your money until you can do everything otherwise you'll end up halfway doing the job and not do the rest of it later. That's the way it goes.
Don't worry about the trans fluid. This isn't an automatic. The manual will live.
Do the oil change, plugs, fuel filter, check the wires, check the cap/rotor, don't worry about the rest.
And for gods sake, buy a Haynes or Chilton's manual or something.


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## taylor_f (Mar 28, 2011)

Haha, thanks JD. I appreciate the patience with me. I'll get on it. One more question, the transmission fluid. If I get the 75w-90, I change the transmission fluid. How long until I change my transmission fluid again?


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## taylor_f (Mar 28, 2011)

Would this gear oil work for the car? It's a GL-5 rather than what SMJ recommended (GL-4). Is it okay to use?

Mobil/1 qt. 75W-90 synthetic gear oil (98W573) | Gear Oil | AutoZone.com


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

Forget about the gear oil! Manual transmission lube, unless it's been wrecked by water, or other off-nominal event, is good for a LONG time. If it ain't shifting hard and doesn't make any weird noises, leave it alone!
Buy the distributor pieces and a Haynes or Chilton's manual first!


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## chrismariscal (Jan 10, 2011)

jdgrotte said:


> Standard NGK plugs, no need for the "V-Power"
> 5W-30 engine oil, not 10W30 unless it's gonna be like above 100F where you live.
> 
> Purolator oil filter? Ok...whatever. Not my first choice, but not my last choice either.


Agreed. I got the NGK Iridium's for my car and they were toasted two months later. Totally burnt. I guess they were too hot for my car. And also my car is running too rich.. so im sure that didnt help any. 

Also whatever you do don't buy a Fram Filter. Look up on youtube Fram Filters. Theyre just made of paper. No protection whatsoever. :lame:
After seeing the youtube video's, i had just done an oil change like 900 miles ago. When i did the oil change, my oil was black, and the filter had collapsed! :wtf: 
So never again will i buy Fram. Instead i went with a K&N Oil Filter. Havent done an oil change so i cant say how its worked. 
But if you dont wanna get the K&N the Napa Gold is just as good i hear. You can get it at, yup you guessed it, Napa.


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

X2 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
god yes
If a guy runs Fram filters, may as well run nothing...


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## taylor_f (Mar 28, 2011)

Gotcha gotcha. Thanks again guys. I got me my Haynes Manual. Oil change and oil filter change tomorrow. Next on the list:

Spark plugs
Fuel Filter
Air Filter
Distributor Cap
Rotor

Does that sound right?


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## taylor_f (Mar 28, 2011)

Here's some other parts, tell me if I'm buying the right stuff haha.

Duralast/Ignition Rotor (JA967) | 1993 Nissan/Datsun Sentra 4 Cylinders E 1.6L SFI DOHC | AutoZone.com

Duralast/Distributor Cap (JP912) | 1993 Nissan/Datsun Sentra 4 Cylinders E 1.6L SFI DOHC | AutoZone.com

Ngk Standard Copper/Spark Plug (2382) | 1993 Nissan/Datsun Sentra 4 Cylinders E 1.6L SFI DOHC | AutoZone.com


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## chrismariscal (Jan 10, 2011)

sounds good to me. 
or also look into the NGK Platinum.
Make sure they give you the ones for you're car, that way they are pre-gapped for you already.


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## rogoman (Dec 16, 2004)

taylor_f said:


> One more question, the transmission fluid. If I get the 75w-90, I change the transmission fluid. How long until I change my transmission fluid again?


Normally there's no need to change the M/T oil periodically, otherwise you can change it every 50,000 MI if you're concerned that much.

Another point to consider about changing the oil, is to first remove the fill plug before draining the oil. If for some reason you're unable to remove the fill plug, you don't want to end up with an empty tranny and unable to fill it.


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## taylor_f (Mar 28, 2011)

Gotcha, okay guys I need some help real quick. 

I just bought some Motor Oil for a Oil Change tomorrow. I live in the Kentucky/Indiana area. The temperatures here in the summer are normally 80s to 90s. They can sometimes reach 100s+ for a period of time. I bought 5w-30, should I of bought 10w-30? I got Valvoline Durablend Synthetic Blend Oil. I got it with a Tough Guard Fram Oil Filter. It was all together for $20. Should I change the oil and filter? 

Another thing I was wanting to ask. When I'm driving, since it's a manual. When I shift into 1st or 2nd, their is a bit of a resistance. Nothing major, but you can notice that it takes a bit of force to put it into gear. Do you think i ought to go ahead and give it a transmission oil change? Will the MT-90 from Redline work? 

Thanks again guys, I appreciate it.

Taylor


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

No, 5W-30 year round...
IMHO...Should've went with Mobil 1...
1st/2nd...there will be resistance if you're moving...just the nature of the beast...
You worry too much. There's a difference between wanting to do things right and being just plain anal about it.


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## taylor_f (Mar 28, 2011)

Yeah, I know. It's just a bit nerve wracking having a used car that I just bought and don't know the regular tune-up procedures that have been done on it. 

What, you think I need to go and get a Puralator or something better for an oil filter? Something better than fram?


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## chrismariscal (Jan 10, 2011)

bahahadhahahfjkasgbkGVjhDBIL!!!! 

what did we say about FRAM?!? 

well don't say we didn't warn you. And yes 5-30 is great. It's what i use. 
Except i use Castrol.


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## chrismariscal (Jan 10, 2011)

anyways yes i would go get your money back. get a Napa Gold or K&N. 
at least those are the only two i ever buy..


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## taylor_f (Mar 28, 2011)

Alright, so starting yesterday, my Nissan starting making a very small quick screeching noise when the A/C was on. Had my Uncle check it just a little bit ago, the belts I guess are needing to be replaced. When the A/C isn't running it doesn't make any noises. 

Does anyone know a preferable brand of belts to get?

Also something else what I think started the noise. Yesterday I was coming down a country road here where I live and hit a small globe (earth) that hit the undercarriage of the car. It wasn't a driving error, it was simply in a blind spot that was seen at the last second. I don't think it's done any real damage. But it did hit something underneath. No leaks or anything else that are going on, so thank God for that. But could that of been the reason why the belt is making noise now when I have the A/C on? Thanks a million guys.

Taylor


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## rogoman (Dec 16, 2004)

The A/C belt probably doesn't have enough tension. You can get yourself a tension gauge from most auto parts stores; not expensive, around $20. 

Gates belts are a good brand or get one from a Nissan dealer.


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## taylor_f (Mar 28, 2011)

Gotcha, which belt is the A/C belt? Where is it's tensioner? I got a Haynes manual, but I don't know which one is it.


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## SE_RBOY (Jul 28, 2010)

From what i have seen on here in a thread... they said that the 5-speed ga16 and sr20 does not use tranny fluid... i have no clue mine is an auto is this true?


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

Manual transmissions _generally_ use 75W-90 or 80W-90 gear lube. Some newer ones use various types of ATF. Some of the most recent types use even more exotic fluids.

Automatic transmissions _generally_ use some sort of hydraulic fluid, Dexron/Mercon, Dexron IV, Dexron VI, and so on. And same thing, some made in the past few years use more exotic (i.e. more expensive) fluids.

I'll give you one guess where all this information on exactly which fluid your particular transmission uses can be found...


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## rogoman (Dec 16, 2004)

taylor_f said:


> Gotcha, which belt is the A/C belt? Where is it's tensioner? I got a Haynes manual, but I don't know which one is it.


You didn't specify if you had a GA or an SR engine. On the GA, the tensioner is the idler pulley; on the SR, it's the alternator.


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## taylor_f (Mar 28, 2011)

Gotcha. Sorry about that Rogo. Yeah it's the GA. So it's the idler pulley, gotcha. I'm driving it down to my fiances father's house to work on it later. We'll try taking a look at it. Thanks again Rogo.

Taylor


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## SE_RBOY (Jul 28, 2010)

So with the automatic tranny if your using a diffrent tranny fluid other than.... Dexron with Nissan recommends for the b13. Would it affect your transmission....


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

Ya think?


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## taylor_f (Mar 28, 2011)

Alrighty then, got down here to my fiance's house around 1:30 (EST). Around 5 my future father-in-law and I went out and started to work on my car. We looked at the belts and it seems that the sound either was just me being finicky or it has went away. I don't know how often that happens, but it wasn't making a sound like it was before.

Got my oil changed, also realized that I have a 75 Month warranty on my battery, so praise God for that. Then as well I realized on my K&N Air Filter (that came with the car) pretty much has a lifetime warranty on it. You can clean it and reuse it as many times as you'd like. Very very neat. The Air Filter assembly was a bit off, so my FFIL unscrewed it and re-aligned it. Gave it a good oil change, along with it's filter. Then finished off with cleaning the head of the engine to make it look more spotless.


Praise God again for a reliable car! Thanks guys. I know I still got some routine maitenance (spark plugs, distributor cap/rotor, fuel filter, etc.) I'm going to do it with time. On top of everything else, I start Monday at a new job. So I'll be able to acquire some income to put into my car to fix it up. Again I appreciate the help.

Taylor


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

Take a quick video of it.
The GA16DE has a known "thing" where the upper chain tensioner wears out over time, maybe 100K miles, maybe 150K miles, maybe 200K miles. Could be more, could be less. Mine both went south around 160K-180K miles.
When it starts to wear, the upper chain kinda slops around a bit and almost makes the engine sound a bit like a diesel at idle. The fix is relatively cheap (swap out the upper chain tensioner, see the stickies, I ain't gonna type a whole thing up on it when it's well documented and you can read) and doesn't take too long. It's not the type of thing that has to be changed "RIGHT NOW", but plan on changing it eventually. One of mine really sounded like crap and when I finally got it tore apart, it was SHOT. I could've run with it for another year or so, but I did the job anyways. The other car is starting to make the noise now (180K miles). I might change it this summer, might wait 'till the winter.
And quit worrying so much...beginning to sound like a 12 year old girl that didn't get to the last Bee-ber concert or something...when the car is about to jack itself up, it'll let you know if you're listening (smelling/feeling) for it. You're doing more than probably 90% of the population as far as preventive maintenance and paying attention to stuff.


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## taylor_f (Mar 28, 2011)

I know. It's all I got in the means of transportation. Considering what lies ahead, I'm going to need to this car to work for me. I'm worrying a whole lot. But just trying to be on the alert in-case something is happing or going to happen. I appreciate it JD. Thanks for telling the truth.

Taylor


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