An open forum for all enthusiasts of the classic 60 series Nissan Datsun Patrol to gather and share information and gain knowledge. Members share off-road stories, restoration advice, modification ideas in an atmosphere free of a single controller. The fo
I went hunting this last weekend and noticed a bad noise coming from the transmission. I noticed it when i put it in reverse. When i was in forward gears it wasn't too bad and in 3rd it went away, reverse was the worst. Well i knew what that meant. The pocket bearing (needle bearings) between the input shaft and the main shaft were bad. So today i pulled the trany and transfer case out and disassembled the transmission "which was quite easy other than the weight". And of course found that the pocket (needle) bearings were bad. It also took out about 1/4" of the bearing surface in the input shaft. BUMMER! I believe i have a spare, i think, i hope. I also noticed the syncros were worn, good thing i found a couple good sets in my parts Patrols. I also ordered all of the bearings and seals for the transmission, figure i should just rebuild it now. I also pulled the clutch out because it will slip on me when im climbing steep hills. I was going to convert it to a chevrolet diaphragm clutch, but it doesnt look like it will work. The Patrol clutch disc "the center area where the damper springs are" wont fit into the chevrolet clutch diaphragm. So im going to try to either replace the Patrol pressure plate springs, or shim them, not sure yet. i will let you know how it turns out.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
We have learned some diagnostic tips. Thanks Ron. Too bad about the scoring of the needle bearings to the mating surfaces. Maybe a picture will be in order.
Hope you take some good pictures about the repair process.
Well that's a bummer Ron... I'm sure you'll have in rebuilt in no time.
How was the hunt, aside from the Patrol's tranny taking a dive?
L-R:
White 65 Hardtop L60-3-00617 (undergoing restoration)
Red 65 hardtop 4L60-002565 (scrapped for parts)
66 Hardtop "El-Bondo Patrol", L60-00511 (Restored, then sold June2020)
Blue 67 Hardtop (sold March1997)
Green 62 Softtop L60-2-00504 (undergoing restoration)
I hosted the 2nd annual Northern Arizona predator hunt this last weekend. I had 39 teams register this year. I didn't place, But i had a lot of fun. And we helped the deer, antelope, and cow populations.
2869ral wrote:I hosted the 2nd annual Northern Arizona predator hunt this last weekend. I had 39 teams register this year. I didn't place, But i had a lot of fun. And we helped the deer, antelope, and cow populations.
that sounds fun. on the tranny rebuild, sorry for your problems. but it will be a great source of repair knowledge, and a how to do it, if you break it all down with pictures. i am needing to get into mine, and have put it off because i have never done it.
second gear will grind sometimes when i shift, and my datsun guy i use keeps blaming me, saying i must think this tranny will shift like my roadster.
1967 SPL 1600
2013 Nissan Rogue
2001 Nissan Sentra SE R
2010 Nissan Frontier SE V6 burning LP
2869ral wrote:I hosted the 2nd annual Northern Arizona predator hunt this last weekend. I had 39 teams register this year. I didn't place, But i had a lot of fun. And we helped the deer, antelope, and cow populations.
that sounds fun. on the tranny rebuild, sorry for your problems. but it will be a great source of repair knowledge, and a how to do it, if you break it all down with pictures. i am needing to get into mine, and have put it off because i have never done it.
second gear will grind sometimes when i shift, and my datsun guy i use keeps blaming me, saying i must think this tranny will shift like my roadster.
Something i found when i was separating the trany and transfer case on mine, that could be a part of your problem. If you remove the plate at the rear of your transfer case, (where the PTO would bolt up) you will see a large nut (no not me im at home) at the rear of the main (output) shaft. This nut holds the main shaft and the transfer case gears tight so there isn't any back and forth movement. Now if this nut is loose the main shaft will float back and forth causing second gear grind, and the common problem of popping out of gear. Mine pops out of second gear a lot.
2869ral wrote:
Something i found when i was separating the trany and transfer case on mine, that could be a part of your problem. If you remove the plate at the rear of your transfer case, (where the PTO would bolt up) you will see a large nut (no not me im at home) at the rear of the main (output) shaft. This nut holds the main shaft and the transfer case gears tight so there isn't any back and forth movement. Now if this nut is loose the main shaft will float back and forth causing second gear grind, and the common problem of popping out of gear. Mine pops out of second gear a lot.
Does this mean that to correct the problem someone would just need to drain the oil, remove the plate on the rear of the transaxle then tighten the nut on the end of the main shaft? One of my Patrols pops out of gear a lot and also won't shift into first unless I shut the engine off sometimes. That would sure be nice if the fix were this simple.
There could be other problems, but yes this is worth looking at. First gear doesnt have a syncro. If your Patrol is grinding in first at a stop. Either the clutch isn't releasing all the time, or the output shaft is loose. Tighten the nut. Another problem i see with this transmission is: when put back together and the main shaft is tightened with this nut, it pulls the main shaft back towards the transfer case. This also in return pulls the main shaft away from the input shaft which causes a longer throw for the second and third gear synchros to travel. I will post a rebuild thread soon. My fix on this will be to add some shims between the main shaft bearing and the main shaft. I connot find what the endplay of the main shaft, or the input shaft should be. Anyone know? I have rebuilt a ton of manual transmissions, im sure i can set the endplay at a good tolerance if we cannot find this.
Cool! This is great information to have. Certainly worth crawling/creeping underneath and trying. It sure beats pulling the transmission.
The problem it has with not going into first sometime isn't that it grinds, I know first isn't syncro'd. When this happens it just won't go into first at all. From a dead stop you can't even force the shifter into first, no mater what. Sometimes it helps if I go into 2nd, then 3rd, then try 1st. But sometimes I have to shut the engine off before I can shift it into 1st. It doesn't happen all the time, just enough to be annoying.
RiverPatrol wrote:Cool! This is great information to have. Certainly worth crawling/creeping underneath and trying. It sure beats pulling the transmission.
The problem it has with not going into first sometime isn't that it grinds, I know first isn't syncro'd. When this happens it just won't go into first at all. From a dead stop you can't even force the shifter into first, no mater what. Sometimes it helps if I go into 2nd, then 3rd, then try 1st. But sometimes I have to shut the engine off before I can shift it into 1st. It doesn't happen all the time, just enough to be annoying.
What you have described here sounds like you might have a detent problem in the shift forks. But check this nut first, if it is loose the main shaft will float back and forth which may make the shift forks float a bit with it, causing your hard shift problem. Let me know what you find Leslie.
I also noticed the syncros were worn, good thing i found a couple good sets in my parts Patrols. I also ordered all of the bearings and seals for the transmission, figure i should just rebuild it now. I also pulled the clutch out because it will slip on me when im climbing steep hills. I was going to convert it to a chevrolet diaphragm clutch, but it doesnt look like it will work. The Patrol clutch disc "the center area where the damper springs are" wont fit into the chevrolet clutch diaphragm. So im going to try to either replace the Patrol pressure plate springs, or shim them, not sure yet. 
i will let you know how it turns out.
