KevMaster

With other transmission, most shops are more likely right about require transmission over haul transmission fluid is black. With this 04-06 Nissan maxima transmission, if transmission fluid is brownish/black with burnt smell then don't get frustrated if shops says you need transmission over haul. Unless they see metal shavings in transmission fluid, don't just get agree with them. They more likely see every transmission as same way: black fluid = transmission over haul. When transmission slips, hard shifts, bangs in gears then pretty much the transmission works overtime and heats up pretty bad. That's what happening with most of the 04-06 maximas. In that case you more likely see your transmission fluid become darker very soon. I would strongly suggest anyone to go through valve body patch work first before turning car over to transmission over haul work just because transmission fluid is looking dark or black.

Blackxima

Well, I got the max back again today. If you read my previous post, I stated i got it back after the transgo install and is was worse shape. I went ahead and took it back for fluid change. The service guy wanted to take it apart and look at the selinoids again. He took the Vb off and cleaned up everything and put in 5 fresh quarts of K matic. IT DRIVES LIKE NEW NOW!!!!!!!!! Maybe there is something to these extra fliud flushes. It was acting so bad I thought there was no way it would every fuction properly agian.

All I know is that when I first drove it home after the Transgo install - I was sick to my stomach. Today I drove the ***** off it home with a big smile on my face. I still plan to put a few hundred miles on it and drain the fluid one more time. I was charged $280 to have the kit installed (Fluid included) and $70 more today, So it has not been to bad. I just hope it is fixed for while. BTW: the shop was getting K- matic for $6.60/qt - I guess that is wholesale jobber cost. We are getting screwed buying it at the stealership.

Good luck everyone, just dont give up on it.

MIKERNM1990

Good Information






Need RE5F22A Exploded view CLICK HERE

twashi43

Their is another company called valvebodybuilders.com,located in Canada.They solved many of my problems and knows our vbs well.Ask for Carlos.Also the vb has a learning procedure,this is very important after the install.

Longotter

I live in the York, PA area and am preparing to have my tranny rebuilt to solve my banging/clanking problems. Any suggestions or recommendations on any good, trustworthy tranny garages?

KRRZ350

iTrader: (29)

Trans-go install write-up coming very soon, I've got 30+ pics sitting on my memory card, and a bunch of links & good info about rebuilding the AW55s50. Just need about 3-hr's to do the write-up, but if you had any idea the amount of stuff on my plate for the next 1+ week you'd go crazy just thinking about it.

MAXIMA TILL I DIE

Hi, I Haven't been on here in a week or so but i was having the same issues with my Tranz after about 15- 20 miles it would start shifting funny and hesitating etc...... so i stopped driving her until this past friday (1-28-11) i went ahead and went to a place called Dacco transmission parts here in town to pick up the transgo shift kit which i got it for $87.16 with no tax since i have a tax id and i took my baby to a tranz shop called Jerry's Transmission in Hueytown, Al since he works on alot of Maxima's like i said i dropped her off this past Friday and now i am waiting to see what happens im kinda felling down and out about it because i think shes still going to be ill but i wont know until i get her back hopefully tomorrow (2-2-11) or either (2-3-11) its taking awhile due to the fact there were a few cars ahead of her but i made sure though that he put her in the shop at night and not outside but anyways hes charging me $150.00 to install the kit it seems kinda low to me but i hope that this fixes her if not i found out that Dacco can get me a vb from central valve bodies for $455.00 (my price) $515.00 (everyone else price) that has all sonnax parts and a 3 year unlimited mileage warranty so if this kit doesn't work then that will be my next option.

Also has anyone else had any luck with the transgo kit i started to do it myself but by the time i buy everything i needed it would have been more than his labor charge. Wish i had did it though because not seeing her in the garage for the past 4-5 days is making me sick ;(

Thanks In Advance
Never Letting Her Go Even After Death

SATXBOX

I See quite a number of places selling sonnax valve upgrade with all parts having sale too, even Sunbelt Valve Body Builders which was never mentioned in this thread once.

MAXIMA TILL I DIE

Hi, I have a question does anyone know about this LEARNING PROCESS that the vb has to go through either once you purchase and install a new one or after removing and fixing your old one.

Thanks In Advance
Never Letting Her Go Even After Death

MAXIMA TILL I DIE

So the transmission shop has called me to tell me that my car is now slamming into reverse and it wont shift just stays in high gear and its giving a code for selenoid b i know someone else on here had that problem what did they do to correct it please help i dont know what else to do.

Thanks In Advance
Never Letting Her Go Even After Death

MAXIMA TILL I DIE

Hi, Ok Nevermind the earlier post they opened the tranz back up to find out that the connector that was on the green linear solenoid was not fully attached so after he corrected that i went ahead and picked her up and shes driving and shift smoothly no hesitating nothing as of now this kit has fixed my problem but i will still be buying a whole new vb from levelten in June or July of this year so ill know its permanently fixed as far as that goes but just for the record i have the transgo shift kit install and after a horrible phone call and me about to lose my mind shes running excellent now also he dropped my labor charge down from $150.00 to $100.00 so in the end all i spent was $100.00 for labor and $87.16 for the kit total $187.16 im looking forward to hitting the highway and going out of town with her again now.

Thanks In Advance
Never Letting Her Go Even After Death

LiquidIce

iTrader: (1)

Looks like I may go the way of TRANS-GO soon. I don't have any serious issues yet.. just yesterday I noticed hard shifting a little more and the hesitation to go from park to drive or park to reverse the car kind of nudges forward and falls into gear (not sure if this is normal) I don't notice anything bad going from R to D or vice versa..

I do have the hard drop and pickup from 2-3 in cold weather and sometimes in warm when i accelerate slow (trying to save some gas by driving like a grandma) Also not trying to push my car above 3000rpm when not at operating temp.

I am at 89K miles just about to hit 90K .. thought I would go the Trans-go route kit and do some preventative maintenance. Is this a good idea.. if so patiently awaiting that guide

TheDefpom

I recently lost my 2003 maxima (A33) to a flood, and was wanting to get a newer maxima, but this whole gearbox thing has been concerning !

TheDefpom

Can someone tell me which gearbox's are having the problems?

I notice that there seem to be 3 types of auto gearbox, 4 speed, 5 speed and CVT, I have seen the 4 speed and the CVT versions on cars in my country, on 2004-2007 models.

I have been doing a lot of reading but am still unclear if there is a gearbox which is actually OK !

Is the 4 speed auto OK, or the CVT OK ? I can see from posts that the 5 speed auto seems to be a major issue.

MAXIMA TILL I DIE

Hi, Ok its been a week and 800 miles since i picked my baby up from the tranz shop i haven't had any shifting problems since the kit has been in the only problem i had was she started puking trans fluid all over herself out of the overflow valve due to the shop putting almost four quarts more than what was needed in her but i went by there and he couldn't believe it come to find out after he opened her back up and fixed the connector issue the other guy came behind him and added more fluid (dumb ***) he offered to drain it off for me but wanted to keep her until she cooled completely down so he could have a accurate reading but i choose not to leave it and did it myself the next morning after letting her sit overnight. And like i said so far so good nothing to complain about but im still going to get another vb from levelten this summer but the transgo kit actually does work just make sure the shop that does it reads the directions accurately and make sure all connectors are all the way clipped on.

Thanks In Advance
Never Letting Her Go Even After Death

SATXBOX

jus got my car back, its having tranny issues again and i got these codes P1800 (Transmission Manufacturer Control) and P0780 (Shift Malfunction), mechanic say its a valve body issue, also now my check engine light is on and the car stalls out after a while, please help.

Longotter

Dropping my 2004 Maxima off for a complete tranny overhaul today. Will let everyone know how it turns out.

On another note...I have a bumping noise coming from my right front strut. I have already replaced the sway bar links but noise still remains. The struts seem in great shape but I'm thinking about replacing them anyway along with the strut bearings/bushings and plates. Any other ideas or suggestions are greatly appreaciated.

Longotter

My Maxima started out the same way basically. It began with a mild bang from 2nd to 1st and from 1st to 2nd. It progressively became worse and worse to the point it bangs like a drum downshifting and upshifting after about 12-15 miles. With any banging at all I am reluctant to just replace or install a Transgo kit. With any banging it is highly likely to be interior damage. Going to have a complete overhaul which comes with a 3 year, 100,000 mile warranty just to be safe. My mechanic says he will overhaul to all the latest upgrades. Keeping my fingers crossed.

blkmaxi04

So glad I found this forum-
my 2004 maxima SE has been shifting hard, I got a tranny flush, it has helped but hasn't solved the problem completely. Every once in a while when I'm at a complete stop and go to accelerate my RPM's go way up and my engine rev's then the car jerks forward.

I need to make sure there are no metal shavings in the pan but I'm really hoping it's the vb and I don't need to get a rebuilt tranny...
it would b awesome to get this fixed though....so irritating

SATXBOX

The Transmission guy had the valve body solenoid cable cross up, now the P0780 code is gone and the car shifts and slips when warm up or cold, but the (P1800) remains and i got i scanned by another company it shows up P1800 (VIAS Control Solenoid Valve) and my SLIP, VDC on/off and ABS light stays Lit up on dashboard as well too, just waiting on next week Wednesday to take it back, so they can get started on repairing the issue any advice would be appreciated it.

rj71985

Hi Im new here and I have an 04 Maxima SE with right at 105,000 miles for awhile it had been shifting hard in several gears and I remember a few times when after reversing and putting the car into drive the car would buck VERY VERY hard almost like being hit by another car. Now I have noticed the car has started slipping real bad in third gear. What is weird is I can put it into manual shift and upshift the car and let off the gas when I shift and let the RPMs drop down to 1500 or so before easing into the throttle again and I have no problems with the slipping or bucking.

I read a lot of this thread but am kind of confused. What do you guys recommend I try? Does the transmission need to be rebuilt? Or should I try the shift kit I have been reading about?

Any advice will be GREATLY appreciated!!!!!!

Thanks!!!!!!!

SATXBOX

twashi43, i got the seem codes last week too, but my mechanic mistakenly cross one of my valve body wire's. he correct it, and my P0780 code went away, but the P1800 remains and my SLIP light stays on too and my tranny still slips, any ideas?

maine090987

Is there anybody with something good to say about there max. Did anybodies max go the distance?

po8pimp

SatxBox, sounds like the mechanic who did your work completely messed things up. I would take it back and make him fix it. If one wire was crossed, makes you wonder what else was installed incorrectly. Sounds to me like they didn't follow the install directions.

SATXBOX

He overhaul the tranny, change tensioners, brake pads, and also replace my valve body with a sonnax upgraded one. He didn't do the trangso install, i still how ever have my old valve body and the other tranny specialize store mentioned dat this can be an electrical issue as no tranny codes came up when they scanned it but we do get a P1800 now, by im still waiting on this following Wednesday to take it some place which is the best on the island for tranny repairs. And btw po9pimp my SLIP light stays lit solid when i turn on the car too, i seen where some metioned on a other forum where after they got their brake pad change thier SLIP light comes on then the tranny starts slipping any ideas, my ABS, SLIP, VDC OFF and BRAKE lights are on too.

KevMaster

That sucks man....I hope you get better place to get your ride fix.

kbird182

hey everyone,
im glad to hear everyone is getting their tranny issues resolved.

my maxima has 195k plus (i drive alot!)
its being needing the vb work
i was thinking of shift kit.
Since i drive alot, among you who has driven the most miles with the kit?
has their been any defects or bad side effects?

thanks in advance

KevMaster

Go with the new/re-manufactured VB way....

bharned3

Does the transgo kit come with instructions. Does anyone have a pdf or electronic version of it.

KevMaster

I do, PM me your email address...

Longotter

Just got my 2004 Maxima back from the shop yesterday after having the tranny completely overhauled. Everything was replaced for the most part to all the latest upgrades. Had a new valve body installed versus a re-manufactured one. Was told by my builder that the new valve bodies have a 40% failure rate (which is not that good) versus an 80% failure rate (which is horrible) for a re-manned valve body. Nissan should be totally embarrassed with making such a trash transmission. At least now I have a 3year/100,000 mile warranty in case something flares up again with this piece of crap transmission Nissan put off on loyal customers. Will probably never buy another Nissan product. Totally disappointed in Nissan!!!!!! Will not recommend to anyone as I have in the past.

redmaxpa007

iTrader: (21)

it is not just nissan.... most automakers have at least once crappy tranny

masetas

just found this thread glad i did
I have a 05 maxima with around 70K miles and its started to have this problem about 3K miles ago. Only maintenance i have done to the tranny was about 5k miles ago did a oil change (bought about 7quarts like the guy at autozone said it needed but when i started to drain the oil it only drain what look like 3quarts) so i added 3quarts of ATF oil and i bottle of lucas antislip since i thought that would fix it. After i did the oil change it felt way smoother didnt feel any shifting problems from 2-3 gear and 3-2 gear but 2 days later it started again . Been reading this forum and i just wanted if anyone on here can clear some things up for me

1st) does the kit really work?
2nd) Exactly what is needed besides what comes in the kit
3rd) is it possible to do yourself correctly?

also a check engine light is not showing up should i still run the diagnostic on it? Could possibly be something else.

And Does anyone know anybody that can do this in my area FONTANA CA

TIA

KevMaster

First, I hope you did not dump fluid you bought from autozone into your transmission. And yes it takes somewhere between 3 to 5 qts during drain and refill.

Second, no comments for Lucas additive. Personally, I would have stayed away from long tern transmission additive unless I am planing to change transmission fluid shortly.

To answer your other questions,
1) Some swear by the valve body repair kit, some reported unpleasent surprises. However vote goes for this kit according to many maxima owners. Few went with new or remanufactured valve body instead of repair kit.
2) You need this kit, gaskets, transmission fluid, and blank check or credit card to pay labor charge.
3) You can do it yourself if you have done similar work in past.

If your engine light is not ON then chances are your car will not spit out any codes through code reader. I am not sure if it ever did with others.

masetas

thanks for the reply

I actually did add the fluid that i bought at autozone i asked the person there which it required and thats the one they gave me (import auto transmission fluid). Did i mess up by doing this. If i flush that oil and add the correct one will it help?

I called a local repair shop that specializes in transmission repair and the rep asked me what type of car and what year and then automatically knew what the problem was and told me they do that all the time he said its going to cost $1800 total with tax he doesnt recommend the shift kit says they tried that already many times all his customers came back knew exactly what brands of kits they are and said it was better to replace the valve body with a new one.

Anyone know of another place in the Fontana CA area they can recommend or where i can find a new valve body for cheaper?

KevMaster

Ohh man....I never even heard of that autozone brand fluid and that person who recommend you had no clue what-so-ever about our cars.

However you can try this method to see if it help you before you replace your valve body with the new one. I never ever recommend transmission flush method. Instead, try this manual flush method.

1. Get 12 qts of recommended transmission fluid from dealer.
2. Drain and refill your transmission fluid first time.
3. Drive around 50 to 100 miles.
4. Drain and refill your transmission fluid second time.
5. Drive around 50 to 100 miles.
6. Drain and refill your transmission fluid third time.

Now drive around for days/weeks and see how that goes.

silver & black

I live in fontana, can you give me the number to the shop you called. I am going to buy a valvebody from vbxpress. Hopefully they can install it for me. Also our trannies use K-matic fluid which I believe is only sold at the dealer.

masetas

silver & black the number is 951-893-5209 (sorry for taking so long to reply with it)

Kevmaster do you think that can actually work because i know that fluid is expensive and i dont want to add to the expense on getting this fix?

KevMaster

Keeping wrong type of transmission fluid will screw-up completely and it's just a matter of time. I did drain and refill 3 times and I have cured violent shift delay into very normal shift delay in my car and it's been like that from 5k miles.

masetas

kevmaster do you know where i can get the oil a cheaper than what the dealer wants for it which is $15.58xquart.

Im having the problem that many have stated on here about the 2-3 and 3-2. When i drive the car it does that here and there but i do notice it but when my wife drives it she tells me its bad and that she feels like its about to strand her. Is this something the fluid flush would help in. Just trying to figure if i just change the valve body as soon as i get some $ or its worth trying the flushing because $15.58xquartx12quarts= 186.96 plus tax is expensive if it doesnt help at all and i would still have to replace the valve body?