What gear do i tow in
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what ever gear is required. theres no problem with towing in 5th gear.
the_bluester
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I tow a race car on a trailer with mine (Same as yours, D22 ZD30) all up it is about 1700KG. I tow in top and always have, basically if it won't hold speed, gear down from whatever you are in. I don't let it drop under 100KMH before I go back to fourth and don't put it into top before 100 in any case. I don't use the gearbox significantly differently when it is unloaded.
Is the FS5R30A overdrive gear on the main countershaft with full sized bearings?
A
ants_oz
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1st gear to pull away from a stop, then into second gear as speeds increase....followed by 3rd....then 4th..... 
If the vehicle will comfortably hold 5th gear without labouring when cruising then why not use it. If there is any sign of labouring when cruising, then back to 4th you go. The trick is to shift down early when you can see a hill that you know you will have to downshift for. Drive proactively, not reactively...
If the vehicle will comfortably hold 5th gear without labouring when cruising then why not use it. If there is any sign of labouring when cruising, then back to 4th you go. The trick is to shift down early when you can see a hill that you know you will have to downshift for. Drive proactively, not reactively...
afaik the D22 box has 5th on the main shaft instead of on a 2nd like the D21.
i'll have to check the books to make sure. i havn't heard of any 5th gear failures on the D22's and we tow 2-3 ton and done 200,000km and 140,000km in the utes with no gearbox problems.
the_bluester
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What did the D21 have in it? I have never seen a Nissan box where top gear was not on the mainshaft. TBH I can not figure out how you would put it on another shaft, it would just increase complexity and cost compared to a longer main and layshaft. In all the Datsun and Nissan boxes I have had apart, top has the same size bearing on the mainshaft.drive gear and the drive gear is literally right next to one of the ball bearing races on the layshaft that sits in the extension housing of the gearbox.
The only way I could see them being different is that the late boxes have a ball bearing race just behind top gear that sits in the extension housing to support the mainshaft and I can not recall if the older Datsun/Nissan boxes had that bearing or if it was just supported by the tailshaft yoke.
The only way I could see them being different is that the late boxes have a ball bearing race just behind top gear that sits in the extension housing to support the mainshaft and I can not recall if the older Datsun/Nissan boxes had that bearing or if it was just supported by the tailshaft yoke.
D
Dave
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My Nav is up to 172,000km's now and I have always towed in 5th gear, nothing wrong with my gearbox.
I drive like the Bluester, thats towing loaded car trailers and box trailers.
Dave.
I drive like the Bluester, thats towing loaded car trailers and box trailers.
Dave.
The FS5W71C (Z24, KA24, TD25, TD27 D21s and D22s) is a four speed with a fifth speed sticky-taped on the back. Overdrive is on a second shaft and bearing failures are very common, almost guaranteed once you get to 200,000-300,000km.
the_bluester
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Unless the D22 has a completely different box (With the standard 5 speed pattern I doubt it) top gear is still a bit of an afterthought. The driven gear is on the mainshaft and really has to be or it just wont work, but every five spped Nissan box I have seen is really a four speed with an overdrive tacked on out in the extension housing with reverse.
I would be interested to see if anyone has an exploded diagram of a D21 box, about the only real difference I can think of would be how the mainshaft or layshaft are supported out there.
I would be interested to see if anyone has an exploded diagram of a D21 box, about the only real difference I can think of would be how the mainshaft or layshaft are supported out there.
Yeah bluester you're right, it's all on the same shaft, I had remembered incorrectly that reverse and overdrive were on their own layshaft but of course they're not.
The key difference seems to be, besides bearing size, that on the FS5W71C (D21/D22 Z24, KA24, TD27) box, overdrive is after reverse, whereas on the FS5R30A (D22 ZD30, VG33, QD32), overdrive is before reverse. They are both still in the extension housing.
The key difference seems to be, besides bearing size, that on the FS5W71C (D21/D22 Z24, KA24, TD27) box, overdrive is after reverse, whereas on the FS5R30A (D22 ZD30, VG33, QD32), overdrive is before reverse. They are both still in the extension housing.
What I posted above is from the D22 manual.
From the D21 manual is attached to this post. I am guessing they hadn't changed anything, though they must have done something about the bearing failures to keep selling the box.
From the D21 manual is attached to this post. I am guessing they hadn't changed anything, though they must have done something about the bearing failures to keep selling the box.
I can remember, many years ago, that people would recommend towing in a lower gear with an auto - in fact, I recall one "experienced" driver telling me that the only way to tow a heavy trailer was to use 1st or 2nd in the auto (if memory serves, it was a HR station wagon with a column-shift auto).
Having now driven a few kilometres myself, and more than a handful of those with our turtle (check my garage, link is in my sig, for pictures of the full rig) I can safely say that these guys are right - tow in the gear that your car FEELS like it needs to use.
* Don't strain it - strain is bad for wear & tear. Change down gears when needed, anticipate hill climbs. Do the same downhill to save on brakes.
* Don't over-rev it - you're just pouring money into the fuel company's pocket. If you're climbing a hill and finding it revving a bit but you know the next gear is too tall, don't change gear, just back off a little.
* Do take off from standing starts smoothly. You use more fuel getting from 0 to 60km/h than you might think. Racing up to speed makes it much worse. Hill starts with a load are always going to be the worst of all, particularly in a manual as the gear changes have to be done at higher rpm, but you don't need to race anyone up the hill.
* Engine braking is handy, but try to be conservative with this in residential areas. Sure, the Navara isn't as noisy as a big Cummins diesel, but it's still a diesel.
* Ensure your trailer brakes are adequate. I've got mine adjusted so that on a dry road, I don't even feel the van behind me as I'm slowing - its brakes are adjusted to slow it down itself. In the wet, or on a dirt road, I back off the pressure a little because I don't want the van swinging around on me. Make sure you follow the instructions for your brake controller and get the thing adjusted right.
