Minty91GXE

iTrader: (3)

hey all,
i am a new guy on these forums but i do like what i see and plan to stick around. i've been driving a 91gxe for about two years now and i want it to last forever. i maintain it mostly myself.... cept what i cant do with the tools i have.

my question is: given excellent care of an automatic transmission, how long could the tranny feasably last? right now i'm pushing 160k and i have yet to have even a minor problem (except that crappy little rubber bushing by the cat. conv. that always rots off). the age does worry me though.

and on a personal note:
everyone seems to have their philosophy on mechanics here, but i am of the type that likes to keep my ride in original form. a purist i guess. i get nearly all my parts at the nissan dealership except things like sparkplugs, oil, fuel + air filters...etc, which i believe to be worth going as high-end as possible on. in short, i want my ride to feel like it came off the assembly line every time i slam the door. that's just the way i am. i also hate the idea of a mechanic touching my car.

lovely forums,
t

MrGone

iTrader: (30)

as long as your not beating on it and such, it should last alot longer. I dont really want to give a specific estimate because every car is different, but if your not having any problems now, then just keep up your current driving style and you shouldn't have a problem. Granted things do wear out though, and when begins to happen you can do a rebuild. I believe CandiMan rebuilt the tranny on his VE, or maybe he just upgraded the bands and such.

Minty91GXE

iTrader: (3)

thanks mr.gone
i didn't expect a specific estimate, i've just never busted a tran myself and someone was telling me i was due for it. damn, a tran. teardown, theres a weekend project that'll last the whole weekend! actually i'd love to do that, but i'll wait until it's a must, seeing how intricate an automatic tran. is.
i recently ran into someone who had a '89 maxima with 500,000 miles. no idea how they managed that. same engine, same manual transmission.
thanks for the reply,
t

jaguax

iTrader: (1)

The tranny fluid should be drained and filled every 30k I believe? That's the best way to prolong the life of your tranny. Most people ignore this though and drive on old tranny fluid throughout the life of their car. Then they complain about paying for a rebuilt tranny

However it is said that if you never changed your tranny fluid and you have high miles(like your 160k), it can actually kill the tranny or greatly shorten its life to have it flushed. I don't know the whole truth of this though, it's been discussed a lot on this board.

Maxima NutBag

my original tranny went out at around 14x,xxx miles. As for care, major stuff I let the dealership handle (like my current electrical short, gets inspected tomorrow, ::whew::, other stuff is DIY for me. Take care of it and it should last for a very long time. My '89 has 168,xxx miles and runs very well for its age. Alot of people are shocked at the smoothness of the engine and ride for a car as old as mine. There will come a time when she becomes a nickel and dimer, and then its the hard thing; letting her go. I will miss mine, its probably gonna be sold in December. I literally grew up with that car. From my first ride in it at age six after my dad had bought her brand new as his own baby.