I hope you guys don't mind me asking about my Gen 3 parts here, it is a Villager but what's under the hood is Gen 3 pure and simple, and the people in the Villager forums are all total useless dorks. My car is a Gen IV....
OK. I wasn't able to fully test this thing on the open road, difficult in this huge city to do that. I knew it had some kind of transmission problems because occasionally, not all the time, it is slow to take up in first or reverse.
But this evening the wife borrowed my Max and so I was left to drive the van. On the way back I was doing about 55 and noticed that if I let off the pedal, the RPMs dropped, and if I accelerated they rose straightaway. My immediate reaction was "****! the ******* who sold it to me has disabled the TC lock." Presumably because of some problem I am not aware of yet.
Worse was to come. I got up to about 60 and wondered why I wasn't running at about 30mph/1000 rpm like my auto Max Gen IV. I pressed the O/D button. The yellow indicator lit up on the dash saying O/D off. No change. Press the button, O/D on, O/D off, no bloody difference and I am damn sure that at 60 the O/D should be able to engage.
Any thoughts on this, guys? Is it worth even diagnosing and fixing in a shop or do I start scouring the scrapyards for a used Gen3 tranny? The vehicle has 150K miles on it. Engine is sound except for the usual exhaust stud nonsense.

 

sounds like your overdrive gear isnt engaging...... i only have 1st and 2nd gear on my maxima, and thats what it does..... RPM's drop to about idling level, and when i step on the gas, they rise until 2nd gear catches on, or in your case, 3rd gear

 

Sounds like you bought a car without driving it. "Let the buyer beware!!!!"

 

No, I drove it, but the first/reverse problem only happens every now and again. And in a built-up area and in a strange vehicle, I wasn't about to do 55 or so to see if 4th gear worked... I was too busy listening for noises and checking that the brakes, lights, steering and so forth were OK. Unfortunately...
Hmm. If the tranny turns out to be major, maybe I should look for a VQ35 c/w tranny and ecu and harness, and part out the 3.0L. Bit more major work than I wanted, though.

 

I'd drop the pan and inspect for metal.
then do a filter change
you also didn't mention what year the van is so it may use a variation on the VG trans

 

Will do, thanks, and I will clean the connectors at the same time. Nissan plugs/sockets always seem to be iffy.

 

Try Checking the electrical connections to the TCU also, Mine were corroded from the previous owner that spilled SODA all over the place getting into the TCU harness and making things (The same things you described above) Happen to my 89 maxima.

Hope this helps.

Troy.

 

Mandatory 5 speed swap per auto tranny problem thread now satisfied.

 

that would have to be one TALLshifter

 

mine seems to be doing the same thing... Just nurse it along until it will go no more...