my VE has been in several shops over the last few months, trying to hunt down and figure out a little glitch that has troubled me more than any car issue in my life.

the transmission downshifts when cruising at a steady speed. when the problem occurs, apparently, the ecu powers off, (this has been the story from all 3 shops so far) so no shop can get a diagnostic reading on the issue.

the car is now at the third shop, the dreaded dealer. it is a last resort as i am at the end of the line here.

They thought they had solved it yesterday with a revolution sensor replacement, but that was not it, they tell me today. they called nissans "tip line" (already this sounds bad) for help and they said I should have the alternator, coils and harnesses replaced. ~900$. i said i thought the coils were fine, they insist they are "dropping out". why didnt they know that yesterday before the called the "tip line"?

now i tested the coils myself before i sent it in - they all oHm'd at 11.2 even across the board, I had 3 spares that I swapped in and around and none of that helped. the alternator i had not replaced. they say its output is too low at ~11 or so when it should be, i forget, ~14?

I dont know if I should authorize this work, it just seems to me that they have no idea what they are doing. If that work solves the problem, then I'll have been reamed due to the fact that I could have done the same work in an hour for a few hundred. If it is not the problem, and I dont authorize the work, then I am back to square one minus the 85$ it costs to have them look at it. I am at my wit's end.
all ideas are appreciated
tom

 

that would be amazing if they replaced all that stuff for just $900 (I don't think its likely). they would charge $900 just for the alt and 6 coils.

If your alt is only charging to 11v, then thats your problem right there. Ask them to show you so you can see that its actually doing that (hooking up a volt meter to the battery while the engine is running).

They should be able to diagnose a bad cylinder (coil, injector etc.) just by running a "power balance test" with the Consult diagnostic tool. I guess it plauseable that if enough coils are bad that the tranny would up shift for more high rpm power, but doesn't explain why the ecu would shut down.


has the tranny fluid been drained and filled recently? You might have a bad solenoid pack.


You might have a few problems

 

The shop is BSing you. Take the car away from them, bite $85 bill or dispute it if you can - they did not help you in the end. Get a hold of FSM and do your homework with the board assistance. There are many experienced members who will gladly help you.
1. If your alternator output too low, that's the regulator and brushes, not 900 bucks.
2. What do the coils have to do with downshifting? You checked them, so that is out of question.
3. Is your car up for a general tuneup? If yes, start with it and see if it does it any good.

One of the first horror stories I heard when I came to North America was the one of the guy, who bought a relatively Okay running Ford Taurus which developed vibration on the HW one day. He paid about two grand in transmission repairs before someone told him to balance a tire. Try not to get hosed!

 

Problem: "transmission downshifts when cruising at a steady speed"
--->Nissan Stealer$hip Solution: replace coilpacks

LOL! (why not rear seats?) ...Get u car outta tHere ASAP.

Buy 10$ multimeter and measure alt voltage uself. It has to be 13.8V or more. Reason is oxidation, wiring and/or faulty alt. Swap/correct that first of all, [NOT at Nissan] then continue. Low voltage might be all u have.

Next measure Voltage at tranny - u can do it uself. Then u can run tranny self diag. Check out the manual, whattodo http://www.cardomain.com/ride/748507/14
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/748507/15

 

see if cleaning the alt. grounding points doesnt free up it. but yes take your car and tell them youre going to blow the car up so there is no need to fix it and smile and drive off. but yes just clean alty grounds then test it then if it still sucks get a new one.

 

Not necessarily NEW alt, maybe just new regulator. I did my first regulator repair on a VW Passat back in '96 using vacuum cleaner brushes and diodes from the flea market. That 1981 unit still runs fine.

 

our alts are known to have faulty rotors, the brushes burn into the rotor. there is a TSB on a rotor exchange program, I've never looked into it.

Really, I'm surprised they didn't want to install a rebuilt tranny

 

thanks guys. i will go pick it up now. i guess i have some time to keep chipping away at this. i have the multimeter, and repost here as i progress.
thank you all - seriously - this has been really distressing.
tom

 

LOL TripleGmax. I have been running around a number of mechanic shops for the past 2 weeks trying to get a suspension problem fixed on my bro's car and looking at some of the quotes they are throwing at me, that is exactly what I want to tell the mechanics.

 

One of the true benefits of owning a max is the org! When I get my next non-max car I will make sure there is a support forum out there.
eric93se: it's not a solenoid pack. I have had a faulty one since I bought my car 2 years ago. All it does is make it shift hard at certain throttle positions. I have had a new pack sitting around for 6 months, but need to get around to installing it. That requires a tranny drop, which needs to be done to fix a problematic leak anyway.

 

Are you sure you need to drop the tranny? On the VE there is no need to. Check the FSM.

Hard shifting may be a bad throttle positioning sensor. $60-$120 (but get nissan OEM).

 

Yes, it is necessary on the VG's and I ran the self-diagnostics before ordering the part. ($120)

 

If you need a throttle position sensor, I have an extra one or three. Shoot me a PM.

I am not sure about the AT stuff, but I am pretty sure it's not the coil packs that are causing your problem.

I seriously doubt that the ECU is "powering off" unless you do have a bad alternator and it's killing your battery. Mine only reset itself when I actually disconnected the battery.

Do your own test. Take off the ECU cover before you drive. Just drive your car until you have the problem. go somewhere safe to park and shut it off. Turn the key to the "on" position and do an ECU test for codes. Turn the dial all the way right, then all the way left. Lights will flash long for the first digit, short for the second.

Here are some codes that you might be getting:

Speed sensor -- 14
ECU -- 31
TPS -- 43
Signal malfunction from A/T control unit to ECU -- 54

No Malfunction is 55.


Good luck with your problem. Hopefully, it's just the alternator not working right and screwing with the electrical system. I would also double check and clean all of your battery and alternator terminals, connections and grounds. You know you can get a free battery/alternator test done at NAPA, Autozone and I think Pep Boys.

 

red92-thanks for all that info. i started without checking a few of the most basic things, because the problem itself was so strange. i never checked the battery or alternator...

and speed sensor... that's interesting to me. that sounds like a good suspect to put in the line-up. even if it isnt throwing a code for it.

i did try to pull codes four or five times, but always came up with 5-5. i swapped coils, ecu, 02 sensor, plugs, maf, ohm'd the coils, harnesses, tps, fuel injectors... dropped the pan, changed the fluid, adjusted the linkage, replaced a linkage bushing, checked for bad grounds and connections and wiring in aftermarket accessories. no luck. not even a good hint of where i'm narrowing down to.

battery and alternator check tommorrow.

 

You have run ECU selftest. How about TCU self test?

TPS:
- You swapped. BUT. Did you MEASURE your 'new' TPS resistance?
- Test TPS readings AT ECU. IF ECU does not get its signal, does not matter if TPS is good or bad...

CLEAN TCU connectors, electronics cleaner spray INTO each connector pin slot:

clic: http://www.cardomain.com/ride/748507/14

 

Me and my brother both have 3rd gen maximas and both our transmissions went bad after 100,000 miles. Are maximas known for bad transmissions?

 

yeah 3rd gen maximas i think had trannys made by borg warner....needless to say they suck.

 

I Need Advise My Self. My Spedometer Stoped Working And My Mechanic Fixed It But Now When I Turn On The Lights My Dash Does Not Light Up. Does Anyone Have Any Advise . And If I Get The Reverse Glow Dash Lights Will It Not Work As Well Because The Regurlar Dash Lights Dont Work. Please Anyone Let Me Kno Your Opinions.

 

wiking - i appreciate the time you took to post that picture, i will try cleaning those connectors.

 

Man, what a spoiled society we have bred! My Dad used to trade cars after 60,000 miles. Now we b*tch when we have to make repairs at 100,000 miles -- 4x around the freakin' PLANET! Children!!!!
"Known for bad transmissions....?"!!!!!! Check out the Dodge forums! 33K on a Dodge Tranny! Check out the Ford forums...Windstar trannies dying at 50K!!! What do you want from a transmission? Immortality? My tranny lasted to 121K, and has just now, at 180K shown more signs of failing.. but I don't lay the blame on shoddy engineering! I understand that if you want to keep a car, you're going to have to pay for it.

We're well on the way to cars that last to 500,000 miles. Let's not get impatient.

L

 

my gxe trans is fine at 170,000 miles, totally perfect. the VE is fine too, at 100,000 this is an electrical problem. i drove it around 10 miles today and it stalled 15, yes, 15 times. this car wants to die and i'm about to call kevorkian

 

New issue why not start new thread?

Check fuses. Rear light missing too? Take rear lamp assemblys out for inspection, possibly shorted.
clic http://www.cardomain.com/ride/748507/5

 

It was a spoiled society, when your dad traded relatively new cars. Now the economy is going down and people started to realize, that they are better off keeping cars longer, but oops - they do not last that long. I owned a VW Passat standard with 297,000 kms put on it before the speedo cable died - it was running fine. Another Passat with auto and the same thing at about 230,000 kms. My mom drives my 91 Accord standard that has never been repaired so far, other than body damage after she got rear ended. That Accord has hail damage since 99 when we had golf ball size hailstorm and no rust whatsoever so far. That's how the cars are supposed to perform!

 

Just gotta add: I have this same problem on my Ford Escort -87. I've narrowed the problem down to the carborator... not that maximas have them though but it sort of gives another angle if you see what I mean

 

Yeah, for people who don't change the fluid on a regular basis.

 

I'm at 120,000 on the original auto. I'm about to drop it to fix a small leak right over the left axle. It only drips, but when the car is in motion, the fluid gets flung everywhere. Also have to replace the solenoid pack. Hopefully it will last, but I'm on the hunt for a good 5-speed tranny to install this fall.