James77

Ok. I'm going to take the gamble that they will not need adjusting.

I had also emailed the company(reply within 1 day) about the oil on one of my solenoids and the rattle. Both are normal, they test all of them in fluid.

I will update when I install, should be by this weekend.....

dumpc

The shift kit only worked bout 3 years. Started getting hard shifts from 1-2 and then down shifts hard from 2-1. Anyone else with transgo shift kit have problems down the road. If so how did you fix it, or how do you plan to fix it?

Rainman1

I haven't used the Transgo kit, I fixed mine by replacing the faulty solenoids with a set of Rostra solenoids.

MaximaOwner04

So glad to have found this forum before heading to the Transmission shop. Had a previous 04 Max SE with 189,000 miles that purred like a kitten and never had a tranny problem. My son totaled it so bought another 04 Max SL but immediately noticed a hard shift from P to D. It's only been a few days since it started but I want to deal with this issue before it gets to be a real problem. Considering just replacing the solenoids with Rostra as a first step to see if it works. Second step is to have Level Ten replace the valve body since they are only about 6 hours away. Has anyone used Level Ten with good or bad results????

po8pimp

I have and still working like a charm. I would first make sure you have the 5 speed not the 4speed. They both come in the SL model maxima. If it is the 4 speed might want to change fluid first then try other avenues. Good luck. Can be a series of things. Engine mounts, CSP sensors going, Bad fluid, then trans itself.

MaximaOwner04

Thanks for the response!!! I know this car has the RE5F22A Transmission, but does that part # come in either 4 or 5 speed?

Costee

RE4F04B----4speed
RE5F22A----5speed
Strictly, they are no part numbers, just code designations.

po8pimp

This is correct, thanks Costee.

As far as getting the kit, I recommend doing the Rostra Solenoid replacement as most have great results from it. I am one of only a few that have had good luck with the Transgo kit install. Usually it is done incorrectly by the shops. Keep in mind the kit is only correcting the problem. Kind of like bandaiding the problem. It doesn't replace the part, just fixes it. Been working for me for a long time now, knock on wood, but not sure how long it lasts. Spend the extra couple hundred now vice later. If you install the kit incorrectly, you are looking at replacing the fluid at a minimum which is not cheap to begin with. Use only MATIC K fluid as well. Good luck and post results when done.

po8pimp

Looks like they just updated the transgo shift kit OCT 2014.

refuse2bstopped

So my transmission is having a small issue. I notice after I drive for awhile 30 minutes or more, when I'm parked and turn off the car or whatever and back out, then when I go back in drive it hesitates for like one second than engages. It's not a big bang, but I can feel the shift. Another thing is I was just told ALL 3 of my motor mounts are DONE and need to be replaced asap. The guy showed me the engine move quite a bit as he pushed the gas. I have no other issues with my tranny at all other than this, and it doesn't always do it, it's literally happened maybe three times in the last month. Is it possible that maybe I have no tranny issue and instead this could just be the motor mount issue? I'm scheduled to get them replaced next friday so I figure that will help narrow that away as the reason or even fix it, either way I have to change the mounts anyway.

Thoughts?

po8pimp

The delay is not the motor mounts, the delay is in the transmission. It is a common issue. I recommend getting the motor mount inserts if you are going to get them replaced. They are easy to install. You can get them here: Maxima Motor Mount Inserts

refuse2bstopped

Thanks man. Do you have a link to the updated shift kit? Would like to consider putting it in before the problem gets worse (assuming I can keep it in its current state until I finish saving for the timing chain upgrade)

po8pimp

All the links in the first post have been updated. The links that those links go to have also been updated as of two days ago. Hope this helps.

refuse2bstopped

Yes it does. Thanks again

MaximaOwner04

Well, just ordered a Valve Body from Level Ten. My local Nissan Dealer offered to swap it out for $300. Hope this works. Got a couple Motor Mounts in bad shape and replacing those at the same time. If this doesn't fix the problem my love affair with the Maxima might end!!!

po8pimp

Highly recommend motor mount inserts: Motor Mount Inserts

Also might consider an external transmission cooler if your model supports it.

trs

I was having the classic symptoms and did the Rostra solenoid kit. After the relearn the shifting was worse. I opened it back up and adjusted a 2 of 3 solenoids then did a drain and fill. It's now much better but on cold mornings the first 3 or 4 shifts rev and clunk into gear. After about 4 shifts all is near perfect. Anyone else had this and found a fix?

Rainman1

Fortunately I didn't have to do any adjustments when I installed my Rostras. Worked great from the beginning.
Not sure which way to steer you from here. At this point it would basically be guessing and trial and error.

I have over 8K miles since the install and it's still shifting fine.

dauntlessmax

Holy cow this thread is still roaring with life. Nissan really dropped the ball on this generation

MaximaOwner04

Just returned from having LevelTen valve body replacement. Problems are worse. Still hard shift from P-D and P-R, but now there is a slip between 2-3. Couldn't be more disappointed and pissed. I'd have been better off burning $1000. Drove around for 30 miles going through shifts, stop and go, reverse. Anyone want to buy an 04 with tranny problems???? LevelTen gets

Scramblinman

How did Nissan drop the ball? The transmission was sourced from Aisin, who generally has a good reputation. And it's not like the problem with the transmission is limited to Nissan products.

I do fault Nissan for not taking ownership of the problem and remedying the problem for original customers and/or vehicles with less than 100k miles, however.

po8pimp

Did you have it installed by Level 10? If so take it back and have them fix it. If not, you need to call customer support at Level 10 and let them know their product is **** and that you want a refund. That will get the ball moving and they should be able to make it right. You are one of 2 people that I have run across who actually used Level 10. The other was Chernmax. You can look him up and send him a message. He is the only one that I remember with it installed. He also has his Maxima turbo'd. If you sent them your valvebody for a rebuild and it was not done correctly, then they have to make it right. Good luck and keep us posted.

PS, I just remembered you said Nissan was going to install it for you. Did they end up doing it? I hope they didn't screw something up on purpose to get you to buy a different car. Just saying. Something like this should have been done at a transmission shop. I recommend if Level 10 wants you to send it back for repair and diagnostics, that you go to a transmission shop and have them pull it for you and send it out. Nissan might have screwed you. Level 10 has a very high reputation in the Nissan community. That being said, people make mistakes.

Romney19

Not sure how I got two accounts, but this is MaximaOwner04. Update to my issues. I called and talked to Pat at Level10 and explained the situation and that I would be willing to drive to his location to have him look at the car, which I did today. He assured me it would be taken care of and sure enough in two hours my car was running smooth. Great staff and experience and would highly recommend not only their products, but if you have the opportunity to experience their service make the trip. No charge and problem fixed. While I was there picked up a Flash upgrade for $198. I wouldn't have trans work done anywhere else if I can avoid it. Level10 Rocks!!!

lowkeyswizz

I'm having the same issue at 160k, did you drained all the fluids first then put it back and refill....? Please lmk Need Some help!

lowkeyswizz

Where can I buy the rosta solenoids? I Going Thru The Same Issue.....Was Thinking Bout Buying A New VB but was told where I buy it it has to get programmed?? Is this true? Please help?

dano1262

So I've been reading other threads and it sounds like this is a pretty common problem. My Maxima started having a trans issue. It jerks both shifting up from 1st to 2nd, and down from 3rd to 2nd. I assume this also leads to motor mount failures. Is there any help for this besides rebuilding or replacing the transmission?

Thanks in advance.

Costee

Not true.

Costee

Be patient to go through the thread.

po8pimp

Agree, if there is something missing from the first post that should be linked or added to make sifting through the posts easier, please pm me so that I may update it. Thanks Costee for keeping things in order here.

Costee

warlok

I'm 99% sure I'm going to order the Rostra solenoids in the next day or 2 and just wanted to ask... Should I drain and refill a couple times before or just after I replace the solenoids?

Rainman1

There's no guarantee either way. I think it has a lot to do with amount of miles on the trans and how it was driven that determines how many atf flushes should be done. The price of the Matic K makes it a question that only the individual can decide.
I did one drain - refill on mine before doing the Rostras hoping that just the new Matic K would fix
the shifting issues, it didn't. So I drove it a couple 1,000 more miles and got around to installing the Rostras. Refilled with new Matic K and has done great ever since. I think it's at 10 K miles since the Rostra install and doing fine. I plan to order more Matic K soon to do a drain - refill.

warlok

I'm in the exact same position.. Bought a case and did one drain and refill hoping for the best. Only been about 200 miles since but has gotten a bit worse. So I'm gonna change the solenoids and just fill whatever comes out.
Thanks man.. (for all the info here..)

Slickfoot

Hi again everybody...


Just an update sry it has taken so long. Rostra solenoids fixed my hard shifting problems as well as the slipping when getting back onto the throttle in 2nd gear. I explained my problem in an earlier post back in March 14.


I just had a new problem with the transmission hit me 2 days ago on Saturday. I was driving through a parking lot and had to stop and go into reverse to go around another car stopped in front of me. As soon as I got it into reverse something happened. The engine quit running and it threw the engine needs service light on. After a long crank and added throttle the engine re-started. When I attempted to go around the car stopped in front of me I noticed I had no power or pull while giving some throttle. I switched it over to manual shift and noticed that it was in 5th gear while stopped. I tried switching down to 1st manually to no avail. I was able to gently get the car moving and headed straight home with it stuck in 5th gear the entire time although it seem like the car would shift dwn to 4th when I called for it with a very hard thumping shift back to 5th when needed. It would never dwn shift for me all the way to 1st even while stopped the gear readout read 5th and I would dwn shift once to what seemed like 4th but still readout 5th.


I was frantically re-reading Maxima.org for any tips or info that I could find
This new problem had me scared that I was in for big $dollars$ to fix. I took my Maxima to an aamco transmission shop on a referral from a local auto mechanics shop. Guess what was sitting outside the transmission shop as I limped in? *Yep* An 05' Maxima with the exact same problems I was having and another SE model not sure of the year. 3 Maxima's sitting in the lot at a Transmission shop...WOW!!


I had read here on maxima.org somewhere about CSP (Cam Shaft Position Sensor's) can go bad there are 2 of them I believe. After having the CSP sensor replaced today my maxima has been cured, all is good atm....




Thx everybody

Rainman1

Good to hear you got it running right.
Did the transmission shop do the work and how much did they charge you to do the Cam shaft position sensor(s)?

lanzer

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this thread! I finally had my transmission fixed and all is well (knock on wood).

As someone who stumbled upon this whole issue with no background knowledge, I think it would be very helpful to have a quick glossary on page 1 that describes what IS the Transgo shift kit, and what is the Rosta solenoid. Also, a big keyword for this issue is the "AW55-51SN" transmission which might ended up in search terms. The links are great, but short summaries are always a plus.

Something I think would help:

--

Issue: This thread is dedicated to those who are experiencing delayed shifting or knocking on the 5 speed automatic transmission

Solution: There are 2 kits that claims to resolve the issue. The Transgo shift kit and the Rosta replacement solenoid. Both kits take different approach into solving the same issue. You can choose to install one or both kits.

Transgo Shift Kit: ($70) [8 hours] This kit requires the valve body to be removed from the transmission and the valve body to be disassembled. Different parts of the valve body will be replaced by parts in the shift kit, and there is a drill bit to clean the solenoids themselves. Might require an extra set of valve body gaskets as they might break during disassembly. Might also require a valve body cover gasket.

Rosta Solenoid Kit: ($220) [3 hours] This kit only requires the valve body cover to be removed, the entire 3 solenoids are then replaced. Might require a valve body cover gasket.

** Some had claimed that Transgo shift kit fixes the problem only for a year or so, as it only cleans the faulty solenoids, but doesn't actually replace the solenoids with flaws in their design.

--

I ended up installing both kits so I can't tell which actually fixed the problem. Fingers crossed that this will be the last time I need to open my valve body up!

SoTM

Hi all.

Quick question on this.

My 2006 Altima V6 has about 110,000 miles on it. It has started to to what si described here and elsewhere....hard shifts in the first couple of gears. As well as occasionally slipping (flare) going from gears 2-3 ( I think).

Anyways I bought the Rostra solenoid kit, and was thinking about doing it myself. But I am not all that interested in crawling under a car, even though the job looks easy enough.

I went by a well known local tranny shop today, and asked if they would. One of the main guys came out and said that these transmission valve bodies are very "finicky", and that their policy is simply to replace it all with a re manufactured one. I am not all that sure he understood that these solenoids were not OEM.

It has me a little concerned that it may potentially do more harm than good by attempting to replace these solenoids, be it myself or another mechanic.

iSOBigD

Hard Shift Issue - Solenoid Replacement
First off, thanks to everyone on the forum for all the useful posts. Secondly, my 2004 Maxima has the hard shift issue for a while so I'll post about the solenoid replacement. I finally got the new Solenoids and called some Transmission shops since I couldn't get under the car myself. If you sound like you know about the issue, they will generally agree to change them for you OR say that they only change the entire Valve Body, etc. If they offer right away to steal $3-4k and replace the entire transmission just hang up on them.

Call other places. They should be very familiar with this issue and quote you 2-3h including testing, etc. I found this to be more than enough time for transmission experts and they took care of it for me. Changing out the valve body should take about that same time, not 1-2 days like some places claimed. I don't want to speak to soon but I tested it and it shifted fine 1-2, 2-1, 2-3 and 3-2 which were my main issues.

HOWEVER, I do have a delay now between N/P and D. I used to have that sometimes, but now it's always, so I learned that the pressure may be too low and the SLT solenoid adjustment screw should be screwed tighter/in. Someone here was saying they can reach that under the battery somehow? Can anyone confirm this can be tighten without getting under the car and taking anything out? I don't know if the screw should be visible or if I should be looking for a hole, I can't find pics or a video on this one without the valve body taken out.

Stuck in 5th Gear Issue
Lucky me, I had this and the ABS issue the same week. Luckily, this one is an easy fix and seems to be unrelated to the solenoids. From all my reading/videos online/Bluetooth OBD scanner results I figured out it's one of the 2 camshaft/crankshaft sensors (right of the engine, left of the battery as you face the front of the car). Mine was Bank 1 which is behind/under a few hoses in the back of the engine, but I also swapped out Bank 2 which you can see and reach by hand (There is only one 10mm screw to remove). The second you plug them in and turn the key, you'll notice the start delay is gone and it starts in 1st gear so that's easy to test.

If you're in the US, they're like $15 each and a cheap code scanner will tell you which one is the problem. If you're in Canada, stores will ask for hundreds of dollars, so just buy from the US/China. You'll save money even when shipping costs as much as the product. Hope that helps!

MaxItOut04

Hi everyone, I'm new to this forum and just bought a 6th gen 2004 Maxima SE, 5 speed Auto. It runs fine in 1 and 2nd, when it hits 3rd the rpm revs upto like 3200. Instead of drive in "D" drive, I shift manually and rev the rpm high like 3500 in 2nd gear and shift (skipping 3rd) into 4th. So, it runs fine in all 5 gears except 3. I checked the Trans oil, and it was very, very low and kinda burnt in brown color rather than cherry red. The check engine light is on as well.

I'm thinking about changing the trans oil and filter first, than the camshaft sensors. I was told by Advance Auto parts, to use Valvoline MaxLife Dexron/Mercon (ATF) Automatic Transmission Fluid Part # vv324. Any suggestions on using this oil as oppose to Nissan/dealership brand?

I also checked, that radiator is new, but the Antifreeze is green but oily, smelly and dirty. Code P0128 is going off because of it.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Here are some of the codes that I got:
P0726: Engine Speed sensor
Po128: Coolant below regular Tempreture
Po780: Shift malfunction
Po171: Bank 1 too lean
C1109: Battery Voltage abnormal.

Costee

Attend to all the codes except P0780. If after that P0780 still features, then move over to the valve body.