Novak Conversions Jeep Wrangler TJ radiator

Who Has Bought a Rebuilt NSG370?

g.hayduke

g.hayduke

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Hello Gang

I need a new/rebuilt transmission. Please don't bother with the AX15 suggestions. I've read plenty of that and I get the reasons for it. I'm not looking for alternate transmission suggestions right now. And please no suggestions on tips and tricks for the NSG370 if you don't mind.

I have an '05 LJR with the NSG370 6 spd I've had for several years and I can no longer reliably get it into reverse. It's always been finicky but it's way worse now and I don't consider it safe to take offroad alone at the moment so it's parked until I get this resolved. Bad timing! Couldn't happen in the winter?

On a recent trip to Silverton CO, there were a couple times when I was not sure I could get reverse to engage at all. It's time to replace it. It has roughly 115K miles on it.

So the quickest/easiest solution is to replace the NSG370 with a fresh rebuilt one. However, I cannot find much info on the quality of the rebuilt units. The 2 vendors I've found the most on are Zumbrota and High Impact. Zumbrota is more expensive but that could be due to the external appearance they brag about so much. If a rebuilt lasts 16 years and 115K miles like the original, that's good enough for me.

So has anyone bought a rebuilt NSG370 from any vendor? If so, please describe your experience dealing with the vendor and your experience with the product. I would like to get the transmission swapped asap but don't want to purchase a new headache.

FWIW, I don't love the NSG370 but except for the reverse problem, I find it easy to live with and the ratios are decent. The thought of going to a wider ratio 5 spd (AX15) doesn't appeal to me but is currently plan B if I can't convince myself that another NSG370 will be OK.

Thanks in advance!
 
It's a very simple manual, just find a local shop. I wouldn't pay for a specialized vendor to do the rebuild when it's just a few bearings and one or two special fixes. It ain't an automatic.
 
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pagrey said:
It's a very simple manual, just find a local shop. I wouldn't pay for a specialized vendor to do the rebuild when it's just a few bearings and one or two special fixes. It ain't an automatic.
Click to expand...
You apparently have never been into one or done research..they arent an easy transmission to rebuild and parts are very expensive. I live in a fairly large area and almost every transmission shop I called either didn't know what it was or didn't want to work on it
 
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g.hayduke said:
Hello Gang

I need a new/rebuilt transmission. Please don't bother with the AX15 suggestions. I've read plenty of that and I get the reasons for it. I'm not looking for alternate transmission suggestions right now. And please no suggestions on tips and tricks for the NSG370 if you don't mind.

I have an '05 LJR with the NSG370 6 spd I've had for several years and I can no longer reliably get it into reverse. It's always been finicky but it's way worse now and I don't consider it safe to take offroad alone at the moment so it's parked until I get this resolved. Bad timing! Couldn't happen in the winter?

On a recent trip to Silverton CO, there were a couple times when I was not sure I could get reverse to engage at all. It's time to replace it. It has roughly 115K miles on it.

So the quickest/easiest solution is to replace the NSG370 with a fresh rebuilt one. However, I cannot find much info on the quality of the rebuilt units. The 2 vendors I've found the most on are Zumbrota and High Impact. Zumbrota is more expensive but that could be due to the external appearance they brag about so much. If a rebuilt lasts 16 years and 115K miles like the original, that's good enough for me.

So has anyone bought a rebuilt NSG370 from any vendor? If so, please describe your experience dealing with the vendor and your experience with the product. I would like to get the transmission swapped asap but don't want to purchase a new headache.

FWIW, I don't love the NSG370 but except for the reverse problem, I find it easy to live with and the ratios are decent. The thought of going to a wider ratio 5 spd (AX15) doesn't appeal to me but is currently plan B if I can't convince myself that another NSG370 will be OK.

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Hi impact has a decent reputation and I have heard first hand of people having good experiences with them.
 
Yeah, I'm not pursuing a local rebuild or trying to tackle it myself.

I just want to buy a transmission and swap it. It's the quickest way to get my Jeep back in service.

Who bought one and what was your experience? That's all I want to know. Anybody?
 
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If you want experience with it call Novak, they deal with this every day, especially regarding the specifics of the NSG. I didn't mean to rub anybody the wrong way @P man. Since Novak provides the conversion parts to most specialized vendors they might be able to help you find one ready to go.

https://www.novak-adapt.com/
 
g.hayduke said:
Have you heard of any experience specifically with a high impact NSG370?
Click to expand...
I have known 2 people that used them and were happy..I cant speak about longevity though. I always recommend doing your research yourself and calling them and see if you get a warm fuzzy feeling
 
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pagrey said:
If you want experience with it call Novak, they deal with this every day, especially regarding the specifics of the NSG. I didn't mean to rub anybody the wrong way @P man. Since Novak provides the conversion parts to most specialized vendors they might be able to help you find one ready to go.

https://www.novak-adapt.com/
Click to expand...
You didn't rub me the wrong way maybe it came across wrong from my end..my point was they arent an easy trans to properly rebuild. My understanding is you need a special fixture to do the job. I paid a shop to do my last one and they made it better but not completely fixed.
 
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P man said:
I always recommend doing your research yourself and calling them and see if you get a warm fuzzy feeling
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info on the 2 people you know. When you say they "used them" do you mean they bought rebuilt NSG370's from high-impact or some other transmission?

Creating this thread and reading the responses is a major part of doing my research.

Calling the vendor might happen eventually but a "warm fuzzy feeling" on the phone doesn't hold much value to me. I'm looking for actual experience with high impact rebuilt NSG370's.
 
g.hayduke said:
Thanks for the info on the 2 people you know. When you say they "used them" do you mean they bought rebuilt NSG370's from high-impact or some other transmission?

Creating this thread and reading the responses is a major part of doing my research.

Calling the vendor might happen eventually but a "warm fuzzy feeling" on the phone doesn't hold much value to me. I'm looking for actual experience with high impact rebuilt NSG370's.
Click to expand...
I mean they bought rebuilt nsg370 transmissions from hi impact and were satisfied with the service and the quality...but as we know it's longevity that matters and it's too soon to know how they hold up down the road.
 
No experience with rebuilds.

I did take mine in to a transmission shop (not a general auto shop) after mine was making a hell of a lot of noise and shaking the shifter. Ended up being the input bearing and they threw in a new clutch too given it was at 104k and they were already in there. It wasn't cheap -> ~$1,400. Transmission work is always expensive it seems.

I guess all I'm saying is a local shop may be able to repair your vs replacing. I haven't priced a rebuilt trans in a a while so I can't help you on whether a replacement would be more economical.

FWIW, mine still sounds like a box of rocks when idling with the clutch released, just as it did before the repairs. NSG370 is just a noisy box.
 
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P man said:
I mean they bought rebuilt nsg370 transmissions from hi impact and were satisfied with the service and the quality...but as we know it's longevity that matters and it's too soon to know how they hold up down the road.
Click to expand...

Yeah, no way to gauge longevity but I've seen too many reports where somebody had a transmission rebuilt or bought 1 off eBay or something that was not right immediately after install leading to warranty issues. I don't want that.

There is/was a TSB and parts to resolve the NSG370 issue with reverse. Assuming the rebuilts have the reverse upgrade, they should not have that issue.

If high impact's NSG370 is a quality rebuild using quality parts and has the reverse gear upgrade which it should (I'll confirm), it should work better and last as long as the OEM tranny, in my case >100K miles which is good enough for me.
 
g.hayduke said:
>100K miles which is good enough for me.
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This isn't allot to ask for. Have you checked under the boot to be sure you don't have spare change jamming the shifter? Seriously, I have seen this on an 06, those are low miles to have issues.

Besides getting into gear is everything else normal?
 
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Screenshot_20210826-173612_Chrome.jpg
 
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pagrey said:
This isn't allot to ask for. Have you checked under the boot to be sure you don't have spare change jamming the shifter? Seriously, I have seen this on an 06, those are low miles to have issues.

Besides getting into gear is everything else normal?
Click to expand...

Sounds like you're unfamiliar with this particular transmission. They had a known design flaw that affected reverse. A TSB was issued and updated parts were manufactured to resolve the problem. There is plenty of info on the issue/TSB available on line if you are interested in the details. I don't know how successful the updates were.

My Jeep also had about 90K miles on it when I got it. I have no idea how skilled the previous multiple owners were at driving a stick.

I know my Jeep. Reverse has been problematic at times but I could always get reverse to engage with a little extra effort/technique. That is no longer the case. I am 100% confident that it is no longer possible to reliably engage reverse in my personal NSG370. I am not in the least surprised by this. I expected to get here eventually. Some don't but many do.
 
g.hayduke said:
Sounds like you're unfamiliar with this particular transmission.
Click to expand...
Nope, have a friend that bought a new one in 2006 about the same time I bought mine. Had the same issue and it was loose change. His had almost no miles when he bought it, maybe 25, mine had 28k but I've had it for awhile too. Sounds like you've researched on the internet what your problem is, I don't want to get in the way of that.
 
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