# 2010 Stick shift Gear box and/or Drive line issues



## Bryan_W (Mar 1, 2021)

Car details:
Nissan Qashqai +2 (aka Rogue) 2010 2L Petrol 6spd Manual 4x4. 130,000km odo.

Symptoms:
In order they started happening (a few months in between.)
1 Intermittent clunk noise just after engaging the clutch from a standing start.
2. Front left axle diff seal started leaking. Replaced by Nissan shortly after.
2. Usually difficult to change into 1st gear (often need to double clutch to get it in), sometimes a little difficult into 2nd also. Same whether in 4x4 or 2x4.
3. Intermittent vibration at ~50kph (30mph), not at higher or lower speeds. Vibration remains the same regardless of gear selection or clutch engagement. Same whether in 4x4 or 2x4. Steering doesn't seem to effect it either.

Based on the symptoms and discussions with others, I felt confident it was a transmission problem. Since I live in Switzerland and the labour costs are high, I changed the gearbox (with included 4x4 transfer case) myself at a DIY workshop 3 months ago. I followed the Nissan service manual. The replacement was used with ~80,000km. I installed a new clutch concentric slave cylinder at the same time. I bled all air out after. New diff seals too.

During the replacement I didn't notice any problems with any other parts.

Initially the gears all changed easily, but within days after the replacement, I notice the clunk noise after engaging the clutch again. So far, no diff seal leak, but shifting is difficult again and the vibration occasionally happens.

Since they were relatively cheap and quick to change, I replaced both front wheel bearings on a hunch. No change to the symptoms. All CV joint boots appear in good condition with no signs of grease leaks. I pulled back the inner CV boots to inspect and there is plenty of grease in there. All engine mounts look fine. RH front axle support bearing seems ok. Prop shaft bearing seems ok.

With it running at idle in 1st gear up on the hoist, I couldn't see or hear any problems.

Based on the symptoms and the fact this is a 2nd gearbox (and 4x4 transfer case) with same symptoms, I can't think of anything it could be except the following:
1. Front axle CV joints (most likely inner left).
2. Front RH axle support bearing.
3 Propeller shaft. It continues to turn when set to 2x4, since the 4x4 engagement is at the rear.

Can one of these items cause manual transmission shifting problems?

Do my symptoms clearly point to 1 cause?

Am I missing some other possible causes?

If it is a bad CV joint and I install new axle assemblies, is it possible all my problems could be solved, or is it certain my 2nd gearbox is damaged?

I'm tempted to change both front axle assemblies, but only if I'm certain it'll fix it. It could be the prop shaft also. According to Nissan, the prop shaft and hanger bearing are not separately serviceable, and I don't want to replace the whole thing without evidence.

I appreciate any help you can give with this. Thanks.


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## Bryan_W (Mar 1, 2021)

Hi All, In the end I found that the gearshift problem was caused by play in the outer joints of the front wishbones, where they connect to the hubs. Replacing the wishbones fixed the shifting problem.


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