SR20 Forum banner

Disassembly of B15/P11 tranny/install of friction type LSD

38K views 52 replies 24 participants last post by  newB13 
#1 ·
This write-up covers the disassembly of a B15 or P11 (2000-2001) manual transmission in order to install a Phantom Grip style friction type limited slip. The friction type limited slip greatly improves traction in front wheel drive vehicles and is quite affordable (usually ~$200). The part itself (pictured below) is a small assembly of two metal disc plates which hold tension on the differential side gears with the help of four small springs. In VLSD equipped transmissions, this complements and improves upon the viscous limited slip while in open diff equipped transmissions, this basically converts the diff to a limited slip. In cornering and braking, the friction type performs like a disc-type limited slip while in straight line acceleration, it acts as a locking diff (like posi-traction). The friction type limited slip can be purchased with different spring rates which correlate to different degrees of effectiveness (e.g. the "street" and "drag" versions). The street version has a lower spring rate and the drag version has a higher rate.



The transmission used in this write-up is a B15 with a viscous limited slip differential (locking diff), but the friction type limited slip can also be installed into the open differential (non-locking diff) and the process is virtually identical to the one described here save for some differences in the stock differential.

I would like to make mention of something first off. This install is not very difficult for people who are mechanically inclined and have had experience tearing apart transmissions and/or motors. If you have never taken apart a transmission before or are clueless as to how they work, I would not recommend doing this by yourself. You would be best off either doing this under the guidance of an experienced technician or having someone else do it for you. That being said, I'd like to start with a list of necessary tools for this install. If you do not have all of these tools, do not attempt to do this install. Here they are:

Tools Needed:
-Ratchet with metric socket set or metric wrenches (specifically 10mm, 12mm, and 14mm)
-Flat head screwdrivers
-Large phillips head screwdriver
-Ball-peen hammer
-Rubber mallet
-3/32" and 5/32" pin punches
-Telescoping or pen style magnet
-Standard snap ring pliers
-Lock ring pliers (You will need either the special transmission variety available through Matco tools, or a normal pair that you can grind down, I'll explain why later)
-Regular pliers (preferably two pairs)
-Impact wrench with 14mm socket

Begin by placing the transmission in a convenient work location like a work bench or some other out-of-the-way place where it will not be in the way of anything but can easily be worked on. There are a few things during this install that may force the process to go a lot longer than planned, so decide on your work location accordingly. Before placing the transmission on its bell housing, grab a shirt, towel, rag, or something else to lay the axle seal on. This will help prevent the seal from getting torn up while you work on the transmission. In the picture below, I have a folded shirt, and as a matter of fact, it happens to be an MC Hammer "Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em World Tour" shirt but any old shirt will do. :biggthump



Once the tranny is on its bellhousing, the first order of business is to remove the five 10mm bolts to the main shaft rear bearing cover pictured below. After removing the bolts and cover, group them together in a convenient location so as not to lose anything.



Next, remove the six 10mm bolts and the reverse idler gear cover pictured below. This is the only instance where you come across an actual gasket, so be careful not to damage it and it can be re-used. Again, group the cover and bolts together off to the side so as not to lose anything.



Next we will remove the reverse idler gear. Begin by removing the retaining shaft's snap ring which is pictured below. Then thread one of the idler gear cover bolts into the threaded hole in the top of the shaft. Simply pull the retaining shaft out of the case by the threaded bolt.







After that, the reverse idler gear comes right out of the case. Take note of the orientation of the gear because it is not straight cut like typical reverse gears. Be careful when pulling it out, there are some loose pieces that can easily fall out (two thrust washers as well as a bearing). Set the gear aside with its loose parts so as not to lose anything.





Next, remove the lock ring from the main shaft rear bearing with a pair of standard snap ring pliers. Place it with the cover that was removed earlier.



Next, remove the two 14mm check plugs pictured below. Inside each sleeve will be a small spring as well as a check ball. Remove these parts with either a telescoping or pen style magnet and set them aside where they will not be lost!



Next, remove the 12mm bolts holding the case and bell housing together. Group them to the side somewhere so as not to lose any.



You are now ready to remove the case!

Once all the bolts are removed, you must carefully separate the case from the bell housing. I started by placing the handle end of a rubber mallet on the bottom side of the protruding part of the case pictured below, and then I tapped it with a ball-peen hammer until there was ample room to get a flat head screwdriver in between the bell housing and the case. At that point, I worked my way around until they were sufficiently separated. Once free, the case just lifts straight off with no adjustment necessary (if you've ever taken apart a B13/B14 tranny, this will seem weird because of the way that you have to work the case off of those).



The picture below is what your transmission will look like without the case on it.





--Continued on next post--
 
See less See more
14
#2 ·
Disassembly of B15/P11 tranny/install of friction type LSD- Part 2

Remove the green plastic parts and set them aside (first note their orientation). Now it is time to remove the shifter rods so that you can remove the gear stacks and get that diff out! Begin by removing the check plug pictured below. Then pull back (it is not necessary to remove) the spring, check pin, and check ball that hold tension on the input shaft's shifter rod (which by the way is responsible for engaging 3rd and 4th gears). The use of a telescoping or pen style magnet will most likely be necessary to pull back the check ball.





Now here comes the hardest part of the whole job. The shifter fork on this shifter rod is held in place by two lock rings. These lock rings are positioned in a small recess and because they don't have typical snap ring nipples on them, they are extremely tricky to remove. I searched Sears, Advance Auto Parts, Autozone, and even some local tool shops, but nowhere could I find the right style lock ring pliers to remove these rings--and I know what you're thinking, but standard snap ring pliers will not work. As it turns out, Matco tools sells the appropriate set of pliers for this job, but they are $25.00. Not wanting to pay this, I simply ground down a pair of my own lock ring pliers. You basically just need them to be able to fit in the recess in order to remove the lock ring. After some considerable grinding, I was ready to remove the rings.

What I did was basically position the pliers on the ring and heftily push forward with the pliers while very lightly (and that is the key to not slipping off the ring) opening them. I did this until the ring was just slightly off of the shifter rod since it is extremely difficult to take it fully off with the pliers. At that point, I popped it the rest of the way off with a flat head screwdriver. Keep in mind that these are pretty high tension lock rings despite their size so be careful to hold on to it while prying it off so that it doesn't fly off somewhere. This particular shifter fork has two rings that require removal.



Next remove the roll pin from the bracket pictured below. It is a two pieced roll pin, the inner of which requires a 3/32" punch and the outer of which requires a 5/32" punch.



You are now ready to remove that shifter rod. You will need to pull it up and out of its seat so that you can pull the shifter fork laterally off of its coupling sleeve. This will not come easily. I clamped on to the upper part of the rod with a pair of regular pliers and pulled up until the rod came out and I'd suggest this method as it is nearly impossible to remove it with only your hands. Once the rod is removed, I'd suggest storing it in a ziplock bag with its lock rings and roll pin until it comes time to re-install it.

Its now time to remove the next shifter rod (which by the way is responsible for engaging 5th and reverse). First, using your magnet, remove the check plunger and check ball that hold tension on the rod. Next, the lower bracket has two of the tricky lock rings to be removed. After that, there are two of the two piece roll pins to be removed. You can pull the shifter rod out with its brackets but the shifter fork cannot be removed until the final shifter rod is removed. Store this rod the same way the first was stored (i.e. with all of its small parts).







The final shifter rod is responsible for engaging 1st and 2nd. Removal of the final shift rod is pretty easy (because there are no lock rings!). First, remove with your magnet the two check balls that hold tension on the rod. Next, there are two of the two piece roll pins to be removed. After they are out, simply remove the rod the same way that the others were removed. Once it is out, the shift fork from rod #2 can be removed.





At this point, you only have two gear stacks and the diff left to be removed. The gear stacks will simultaneously pull out with great ease. Be careful during removal so as not to damage any bearings. Store these gear stacks away in a safe place (now might be a good time to send them out for cryo-treating if you were considering it). After the gear stacks are out, the diff simply lifts right out of the case and you're left with what is pictured below.



Now it is time to install the friction type limited slip into your diff assembly. First, using an impact wrench with a 14mm socket, remove all of the final drive gear retaining bolts.



Pull the final drive gear off of the assembly. You will see two screws holding the viscous fluid housing together with the pinion shaft/gear housing. Remove those two screws with a large screwdriver. They will be pretty tight but not too tight to take off by hand, just be careful not to strip the heads and use a torque driver if necessary to loosen them (I didn't have to and you probably won't).



After removing the screws, separate the two housings and set the viscous fluid housing off to the side. What you need to do is run the pinion shaft through the friction type limited slip. To do this is simple. There is one roll pin (5/32") holding the pinion shaft in place that you will first remove. Once removed, simply pull the pinion shaft out slightly and place the friction type limited slip in the housing. Run the pinion shaft through it and re-install the roll pin that you removed.





--Continued on next post--
 
#3 ·
Disassembly of B15/P11 tranny/install of friction type LSD- Part 3

After you have pinned the pinion shaft back into place, bolt together the viscous fluid housing and the pinion shaft/gear housing with the two screws that hold them together. Next, re-install the final drive gear onto the assembly with the impact wrench. Using whatever works best for you (two pairs of pliers or pliers and flat head screwdriver), remove the two horseshoe pins from the sides of the friction type limited slip to allow the springs to decompress.



There you have it! The only thing left is re-assembly of the transmission which is the exact opposite of disassembly. Be careful to ensure that all part orientations are correct and that all small parts get installed back in their proper places. Have fun with your new traction!!!!!!!!!
 
#4 ·
Wow! Great write up! I think you are the FIRST person to ever install the Phantom Grip into a B15/P11 VLSD tranny. Nice! I think I have much more to look forward to when I take apart my transmission now. I think George(Peters) is going to love this info just because he might he helping me to do this all.
 
#5 ·
This is awesome.
Thanks for this write-up, coalition. I just scored me a 2K1 B15 LSD tranny and after reading this I'm itching to install a Phantom Grip in it too.

What piece specifically did you use? I can't find a part listed for the B15 or P11 from Phantom Grip. Are you using the JGY diff?
 
#6 ·
binky said:
This is awesome.
Thanks for this write-up, coalition. I just scored me a 2K1 B15 LSD tranny and after reading this I'm itching to install a Phantom Grip in it too.

What piece specifically did you use? I can't find a part listed for the B15 or P11 from Phantom Grip. Are you using the JGY diff?
I used the JGY part. It was $219 and I got the "drag" spring rate.
 
#10 ·
Thats the best writeup I've seen anywhere in a while!! Most of them are vauge and ilinforming. I really wanna do the B15 tranny swap, but you know what would be cool??? The P11 JDM 6-speed swap!! :D Sorry to get off subject, just thought it would be cool!
 
#14 ·
binky said:
I can't get the retaining shaft that holds the reverse idler gear in place out and I'm pulling on it with everything I've got. Is there some trick or (more likely) something I'm overlooking?
It is a bit tricky to get it part-way out at first. I should have made mention of that in the write-up. Try this: take a pair of ***** and grasp right underneath the bolt head (that is threaded into the retaining shaft). Using the case for leverage, pry it out with the ***** by pushing down on the handles. Understand what I'm saying? That's what I did initially, and once it had come up about .5" it slid right out with ease.
 
#15 · (Edited)
Thanks! I'll give it a try tonight.

Edit: I ended up using a claw hammer in the manner you described to get leverage on the bolt and remove the shaft - it came out very easily that way.

I have the case separated from the clutch housing at this point and my JGY LSD part en route!

I would suggest that anyone attempting this also download the 2000 Sentra FSM from www.phatg20.net - this is a superb write-up but it always helps to have a comprehensive reference.

Thanks again, Coalition.
 
#16 ·
In reference to post#2:
An alternative to the Matco tools lock ring pliers can be found at Pep Boys. The manufacturer is Lisle; part# 44900 and they sell for $16.99.

You should also have a torque wrench for the reassembly, but I'm sure ya'll already knew that.
 
#17 ·
binky said:
You should also have a torque wrench for the reassembly, but I'm sure ya'll already knew that.
Ahh come on, what's wrong with a calibrated arm? :rofl:
 
#18 ·
binky said:
Thanks! I'll give it a try tonight.

Edit: I ended up using a claw hammer in the manner you described to get leverage on the bolt and remove the shaft - it came out very easily that way.

I have the case separated from the clutch housing at this point and my JGY LSD part en route!

I would suggest that anyone attempting this also download the 2000 Sentra FSM from www.phatg20.net - this is a superb write-up but it always helps to have a comprehensive reference.

Thanks again, Coalition.
Too bad phatg20.net still hasnt sent me my password yet.... :rolleyes: I'd love to take a look at their resources.
~Ryan
 
#19 ·
Can someone please help me out...

I have just done this install on an SR18DE transmission with VLSD, out of an N14 Pulsar GTi (Jap Import) and am up to the part where i've installed the friction plates into the diff...

Now on my instructions it says to make sure the clearances between the plates and spider gears are no more than .003" - .005" with the side clips on...!!!

My problem is that I have a clearance of .045" or 1mm which is 9 times more than the recommended clearance... Is this a major problem and will the unit still work or is the gap too much for the unit to be effective.

Any thoughts as i've got my transmission spread all over my living room floor...?
 
#20 ·
I have a b15 tranny and am having a noise that sounds like a rod knocking come out of it but when i press the clutch in it just goes away. Let go of the clutch and it comes back. I took it to a professional tranny shop and the dude said it sounds like the input shaft bearing to him.......From these pics, i just dont see how an input shaft bearing will be making that clacking sound. Im no tranny expert but wow...any suggestions/opinions?
 
#30 ·
hey i had the same prob and yesterday it finaly blew up :biggthump yeah mine was makin a thumpin sound with the clutch locked and depressed it would go away and well yesterday i was messin with sum people on the road and i lost 2nd 3rd and now the case is cracked looks like the gear pieces came through the tranny noting the huge gaping hole in the bottom of it haha
 
#21 ·
cubanprince1 said:
I have a b15 tranny and am having a noise that sounds like a rod knocking come out of it but when i press the clutch in it just goes away. Let go of the clutch and it comes back. I took it to a professional tranny shop and the dude said it sounds like the input shaft bearing to him.......From these pics, i just dont see how an input shaft bearing will be making that clacking sound. Im no tranny expert but wow...any suggestions/opinions?
if you put your foot lightly on the clutch, does the noise go away instatly? if so, then its probably the release bearing/thrust bearing for the clutch. I had the same issue, then i replace my clutch, 20,000km later i had the noise back again and then it got so bad it sounded like a belt slipping every time i put my foot on the clutch and like the motor was falling out of the engine bay onto the ground.. lol. Release bearing was rooted again. I'd say that's more likley your problem than the input shaft bearing.
 
#24 ·
NX$paniard said:
To answer my own question, Yes the 906 Phantom Grip Works in a P11 Trans. Also,
Thansk a bunch for this thread!! We could not get the P11 Trans apart without looking on here. Its worse than a Honda tranny from what I understand :D
No problem. It's not as bad as it may seem once you start ripping into it. Good luck!
 
#26 ·
Thanks for the write up, it made the disassembly go much quicker. :biggthump

I needed a slide hammer to get the reverse idler shaft out though what a PITA. Darn Michigan winters eatin' away at my car. I had some slick snap ring pliers, you adjusted them by turning the handle so they locked into posistion. I set them to the lock ring opening and tapped them with a hammer and bingo! 10 seconds a ring for removal.

I did have to play around with the shifting forks to get the shaft to come out. 2 and 3 needed to be moved up or down a bit to get 1 out because of the check ball/shaft on the side of the shaft facing the differential. Same with 2, 3 needed to be moved up a bit before I could get the shaft out for 2. After that it was a breeze. Definately not a project to be scared of.

I've added Thermoblok spacers to my intake mani, and I'd have to say that removing the tranny and opening it was about the same if not easier. I haven't put it back on yet though so we'll see.:rolleyes:

Here's why the tranny needed to be dropped:

http://www.sr20forum.com/showthread.php?t=171741
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top