Parts for your 1991 Nissan Primera-Centre bearing

1991 Nissan Primera centre-bearing: is it actually a thing?

Short answer: for a 1991 Nissan Primera (P10) as sold in Australia and New Zealand in front‑wheel‑drive form, there isn’t a centre-bearing to service or replace. The Primera uses a transverse engine and transaxle driving the front wheels via two short driveshafts with CV joints, so there’s no long, two‑piece prop shaft running the length of the car that would need a centre support bearing.

This isn’t just hearsay. The Nissan Primera P10 Factory Service Manual (driveline/axle sections, 1990–1995), the Nissan FAST parts catalogue for P10 models, and the Haynes Service and Repair Manual for Nissan Primera 1990–1999 all depict a front‑wheel‑drive transaxle with left and right half‑shafts and constant velocity joints, and they contain no centre support bearing for the vehicle’s standard ANZ spec. Those sources only show a centre support bearing where there’s a multi‑piece propeller shaft—typical of rear‑ or all‑wheel‑drive layouts.

There is one caveat: a small number of Japan‑market P10 4WD variants existed. Those use a prop shaft to the rear diff and can have a centre support bearing. If someone’s brought one into New Zealand as a used import, that’s the exception to the rule. For the common ANZ 1991 Primera (FWD), a “centre-bearing” isn’t part of the car.

Chasing a droning or vibration and got told it’s the centre-bearing? On a FWD P10, the usual suspects are:

• Outer or inner CV joints (especially on full lock or under load)
• Front wheel bearings
• Engine and trans mounts causing vibration under acceleration
• The right‑hand intermediate/jackshaft support bearing (fitted to many FWD Nissans), which is not the same as a prop‑shaft centre support bearing

For routine servicing, it pays to inspect CV boots for splits, listen for clicking on turns, and check for play in the wheel bearings. If the car has that intermediate shaft with a hanger bearing, check it for roughness or movement while the driveshafts are out. Any rumble that changes with road speed but not engine speed is a good sign to look at hubs and tyres before chasing anything “in the middle” that doesn’t exist on this layout.

Popular questions

Does my 1991 Nissan Primera have a centre-bearing?
Most Australian and New Zealand 1991 Primeras are front‑wheel drive and don’t have a prop‑shaft centre support bearing. If it’s a rare JDM 4WD import, it may have one. A quick check: if there’s a rear diff and a long shaft under the car, that setup can use a centre-bearing, if not, it won’t.

What’s the humming noise at 60–90 km/h if it’s not a centre-bearing?
On a FWD P10, that speed‑related hum is commonly a front wheel bearing or a cupped tyre. CV joints tend to click on turns or shudder on acceleration rather than hum steadily. Get the wheels off the ground, spin and listen, and feel for roughness at the hub.

Is the intermediate shaft bearing the same as a centre-bearing?
No. The intermediate (jackshaft) bearing supports the short shaft that equalises left/right driveshaft lengths on many FWD cars. A centre support bearing sits mid‑way along a long, multi‑piece prop shaft in RWD/AWD vehicles. Different parts, different jobs, different checks.