# Trans swap - '97 Sentra to '98 Sentra



## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

Been awhile...too long...
Had a '97 Sentra GXE, 192K miles, ran like a champ. Got totaled back in Dec '12, 3/4 front/right hit from a Mustang. Engine still ran after the hit, although the alternator was busted in half, radiator broke, etc.
Pulled the motor, transmission, bunch of other stuff, before sending the body off to a crushing death. Note I've also got a '98 200SX-SE that uses a lot of the same parts.

Found a '98 Sentra GXE yesterday with a bad transmission. Don't know what's wrong with it yet. Might just need a fluid/filter change. Don't know. The guy that owns it is car-dumb.

Question...

Will the '97 Sentra GXE RL4F03A swap into a '98 or no?

I think it will.


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## rogoman (Dec 16, 2004)

According to the FSMs for both Sentra models, the RL4F03A A/T is used in both. So the '97 Sentra GXE RL4F03A can swap into a '98.


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

I figured it would..but..ya know.
As stated before, I found a '98 GXE with 189K miles a couple hours away from me that the guy says won't move at all. The guy says the engine starts and runs just fine though. Maybe I'd get stupid lucky and find the shift cable broke off 
How much you wanna bet it's got a front crank seal leak and a clatter like a mad sewing machine from the tensioner?

Next big thing will be dropping the transmission out of it. Haven't had to do that in a B14 yet. Any tips/tricks to make it easier or on this transmission in general?
How about the transmission itself? Before I get around to pulling the transmission, I'm going to pull the pan regardless. If I don't find anything seriously goofy in there (except for the fuzz that normally hangs on the magnets), I'm going to shoot for a fluid/filter change and inspect for anything obvious.


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

Looked at the Haynes manual for a rough idea on how to get the transmission out.
Had no idea it was so simple.
All I gotta do is get a "round-to-it".
Where do they sell those these days?


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## rogoman (Dec 16, 2004)

Excuse my ignorance but what is a "round-to-it" tool? We have a lot slang sayings around here but never heard of that one.


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

It's all good.

Well, say you had something to do, but didn't feel like doing it.

You might want to go out and buy a 'round-to-it'. That way when you have some ambition, you can get a 'round-to-it' and get it done.


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## rogoman (Dec 16, 2004)

Nice! Got a few of them myself.


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

Picked up the "new" Sentra today. 1998 Sentra XE, 190K miles, automatic (blown???)
Body, not horrible. Rust over both wheel arches, but not horrible rust. Trunk area, very clean. Interior, clean, seats not ripped, visors stay where they are put, dash not trashed, carpeting in good shape, blah blah blah.
Under the hood, the usual coat of oil on everything. First look says the crank seal is probably leaking. Not much noise from the tensioner. Drivers side axle, completely shot/wasted/etc. Passenger side boot is ripped, but doesn't make noise when rolled. Engine started but died right away, didn't touch the gas pedal attempting to keep it running. Oil on dipstick ok. Records showed the guy changed oil at least every 5K miles if not sooner. Transmission fluid went about 6 inches up the dipstick. Yes, Too far, but the engine hadn't been ran (or put in gear) for at least 2 weeks. The guy said he had been driving it around for a few weeks in 1st/2nd gear up until 2 weeks ago. And the trans fluid was almost perfect...suggesting it had just been changed, which is what the receipts in the car showed, along with a note that 8 qts had been put in!!!
How lucky could I be that the tranny is wayyy overfilled?
1st thing and only thing...trans fluid/filter change.
Trans turns out good? Press on with new axles, oil change, etc.
Trans bad? Start with the trans swap as originally planned...

What's the difference between the '98 Sentra GXE and XE?


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## rogoman (Dec 16, 2004)

jdg said:


> What's the difference between the '98 Sentra GXE and XE?


The B14 sentra platform was offered several trims, Base, XE, GXE, GLE, SE and SE Limited. Base and XE come with 13-inch steel wheels with hubcaps, GXE prior to 1998 also included 13-inch wheels. The only difference between trims is the GXE and up come with rear seat trunk access, rear headrests, a grip-assist handle on the passenger side, additional fabric on doors and seats as opposed to vinyl, power windows, locks, mirrors, etc.


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## Ricobob (Jun 25, 2017)

*Add some extra wood to the wood stove!*

 North Dakota?

Who can work on a car in the middle of December in North Dakota? Let alone do an engine and tranny swap from one car to another?

YIKES! And I thought it was cold here in KY! Going to be 52 here Thursday and I need to change my trans fluid and filters and install the Tranny Oil Cooler I just got. But BOY I really need a warm garage!

:nerd:


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

Heat wave...
It was about 26F today, messing with axles, etc. The driver's side axle shaft didn't have any balls in it at the hub end! And the guy I bought the car from was 'driving' around with it like that! Luckily I had just swapped out both axles in my 200SX last week, but hadn't taken them to the metal recycler yet. Took them out of the recycle bin, slapped them into the Sentra. Good enough until the new axles show up sometime next week.
Before taking the pan down, took it for a drive. Reverse, 1st, 2nd gear, no problem. Stall test ok. As soon as it wanted to shift into 3rd...nothing. Just like it shifted into Neutral. According to the FSM, it's a problem with the High Clutch pack. 
Pulled it into the garage later in the day to pull the tranny pan and have a look-see. Magnets looked like they both had big beards...all the way around. Ripped the filter open to find it about 1/2 full of 'stuff'. Bottom of the pan has a very thin layer of 'stuff' on it. But, there aren't any chunks of anything substantial laying in the pan. I don't know how much metal in the pan would be good indicator of a catastrophic failure, but it didn't seem like the amount I had was enough. I've had Turbo-350's fail catastrophically before and they had what seemed to be a solid 1/8" or more of metal/sludge in the pan. What I've got is just a film.

And the garage gets set to 50F if I'm working in there, maybe 60F if I'm feeling froggy. Otherwise it sits at 40F. Plenty warm, even at 40F.


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

New filter, new fluid, same symptoms. No 3rd gear, no 4th gear. Couldn't get the top off the governor to inspect the gears.

I see a tranny swap in my future.

...and by future I mean tomorrow or the day after.

Just because I happen to have a good one laying around.

This XE is about as bottom of the barrel as it gets... manual everything, locks, windows, etc., no cruise, etc. At least the A/C works...as far as I can tell. Kinda hard to differentiate between the cold air inside and the cold air outside this time of year.


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

Old trans out..
New trans stabbed, but not finished yet.

Power steering rack leaks.
Thoughts on rebuilt units off rockauto? That's the only place I could seem to find them.


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

How about a driver's side sun visor? 
Could those things cost any more new?


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

And the next question up for bids would be the block heater freeze plug location...

Ol' Blue (98 Sentra XE) runs pretty good with the tranny transplant from the '97 GXE.
Since it's got 189K miles on it, it's due for a new front end...lower control arms, power steering rack, inner/outer tie rod ends, wheel bearings, axles...almost everything.
But that's only an afternoon of work.

Good times...


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

Reman. R&P's are always a crap shoot. I don't think one is necessarily much better than the other, so I would look at warranty. I would go with the BBB brand rack and it's 3-year warranty. A-1 Cardone is a bigger name and the same warranty, but I've had a couple of bad units from them. I would also install a pair of Moog tie rod ends, as well. It's too bad you didn't replace it when you had the transmission out because it is so much easier! Make sure you use red power steering fluid or automatic transmission fluid and not clear or amber power steering fluid. Generic brand Dexron III/Mercon ATF is fine, but I usually use Valvoline Maxlife full-synthetic ATF in my power steering. It's also a good time to replace any hoses that are suspect. 
I wouldn't worry about the mileage on the wheel bearings. If they are noisy or exhibit excessive play, by all means replace them! If not, let 'em ride! The fronts aren't hub assemblies and require pressing them out an into the knuckle, which is a bit of a pain. Timken or SKF is usually the OEM brand. 
As far as the block heater, if you can find one for a GA16DE, Nissan typically installs them on the right side of their engine blocks (or, in your case, the back side closest to the firewall).


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

R&P - Detroit Axle reman unit off Amazon. Says it has a 'limited lifetime' warranty as long as I send back the core unit. Ya...you know well that goes.
Got a set of Moog outer tie rod ends, and the ball joints weren't horrible, but they were sloppy enough to buy a pair of new LCA's from Rockauto. Good enough for me. Wheel bearings and seals from the same place.
I've got a case of Dex3 for everything. Had to keep the old rack somewhat full during all this fixing.

So, all in all...
A 115 mile tow on a 2 wheel dolly, a pair of axles, tie rod ends, rack&pinion, wheel bearings/seals, new (old) transmission plus 2 filter and 3 fluid drain-refills, a new upper tensioner, and crank seal...All getting done as soon as the rack shows up, probably this weekend.

And the block heater... I remember it now. PITA. It's getting a lower radiator hose heater and an oil pan warmer until I have to drain the coolant.


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

So, spent yesterday afternoon pulling apart the front end and swapping in the new parts...and getting it cleaned up for the new rack once it shows up...

12:00PM - 5:00PM - Removed the old steering rack
5:00PM - 5:40PM - Removed the tires, changed brake pads & rotor and bled the brakes, replaced the lower control arms, swapped out the axles, drained transmission fluid, pull the pan, swapped out the 'filter', chaned the oil and oil filter, replaced the wheel bearings, removed the rusted out battery tray to rework that metal, started on the upper tensioner.....

Got 100x more accomplish in that last 40 minutes, than the previous 5 hours of dicking around with the steering rack...


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

Axle nut washers...
I had them on my '98 200SX.
Seems as though this '98 Sentra XE does NOT have them. Either that or the previous owner lost them. There's a LOT of stuff on this vehicle that the previous owner didn't give 2 flying f&*ks about. And every bit of it is either fairly cheap or fairly easy to fix (except for that power steering rack yesterday...either that or I was being a serious dumbass).

Can anybody confirm or deny that this particular vehicle either does or does not have them.


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## rogoman (Dec 16, 2004)

Hee's a picture from the 1998 sentra FSM; is #12 the washer you're referring to:


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

Yep...
Now I gotta find a pair of them. Either that or suitable fitting substitutes...


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