Originally Posted by rmdl51 (Post 6329263)

Here I go again...

I've been thinking a lot of your advice/opinions (from TCU thread) and I definitely agree with you on many things, it's just a common sense: I need a new Mechanic.

so before asking for advice from you, please allow me to clear something up: First I live on apartment complex, means no garage, not allowed to work on the car unless is just plug-in a sensor or changing a hose, a 20-30 minute thing.

Second, my knowledge have seen some improvements but still I'm not an expert or don't have even 10% the experience most of you guys have.

So, that being said, I was planning to post an ad looking for a Maxima Mechanic around South CA, but I'm also thinking just walk in a few shops and ask how much they will charge to take a look at my car, but before doing so (walk-in blindly into a shop) I would like to hear your opinion/advice.

I think I can't change inhibitor switch (which is bad for sure) because mechanic said he have to lift the car and drop the tranny to replace inhib sw because if fits sideways, is that true? or is BS too?

I know that has nothing to do with the acceleration/shifting issue but at least I would like to get the self diagnostic running.

based on your experience, what could be causing my problem? I mean I have no power at takeoff, but once I get to third gear the car seems to pickup speed very easily, sometimes (if I floor it) tranny stays on 2nd gear for too long (it even doesn't shift) however if I don't floor it I can feel the shift at about 4-4.5k rpm that's from 2nd to 3rd. is this a tranny problem for sure? or engine? please remember I've changed (well the mechanic) TPS, EGR, IACV, and no help.

I can't drive the car like that, I'm not using it right now, I'm worried you know when sometimes you are waiting at green light yield for a left turn, and then you have some space to make it but the car in this situation barely moves if I floor it and takes forever to make it, I think I'm gonna get hit from the incoming traffic. so I don't drive it anymore but I surely need my car.

Thanks in advance again to all for your valuable input.

Originally Posted by maximaman1313 (Post 6329368)

VG motor, or VE? check to tranny fluid? also you can smell the fluid to see if maybe something is burned up inside the tranny. compare the smell of the fluid to your other cars tranny fluid. can't really explain how it will smell if its bad, never smelled tranny fluid from a bad tranny.

so basically, at take off, sometimes, its like your starting out in 4th gear(overdrive) ? if thats the case, your tranny is in LIMP mode...meaning it willstay in the last gear, 4th(o/d), meaning you can go 0-140mph in one gear.

I had the problem of my VE auto being stuck in LIMP mode after I had the tranny rebuilt...turns out the guy who installed it bumped the inhibitor switch completely out causing that.

If you know your inhibitor switch is bad, that is the problem with your tranny. it either needs to be adjusted properly, or replaed.

You don't need to take the tranny off or any of the crap as far as I understand. Definately get a new mechanic. I'd reccomend looking for shops that only do transmissions. Talk with them, tell them you think the inhibitor switch is bad or needs adjusting, tell them your problem see what they say.

Originally Posted by capedcadaver (Post 6329387)

limp home mode is 3rd. both solenoids are off in 3rd. i posted a page in the FSM on the other thread that says so. i even tested it by cutting out my solenoids and then turning them back on but it stayed in 3rd.

main thing is we need a video to see his RPM/speed relationship, narrated by him, to indicate throttle position.

Originally Posted by maximaman1313 (Post 6329402)

ah I always thought it was the last and final gear. but ya +1 on a video of him driving around so we can see rpms vs speed

also, is that a pic of the ve or vg switch?

Originally Posted by rmdl51 (Post 6329506)

I have a VG, that pict is froma VG too, I will try to make a video and narrate as accurate as I can, but I'm also bad taking video while driving :p last time I ask my dad to hold the camera for me but he's video was even more shaky than mine LOL

BTW, the so-called mechanic didn't mention vacuum lines, when I mention the hoses he was like... Ohh! I see ok then this one goes here and this one there, he looked like he knew but I guess he was just trying to impress or something.

Oh and he wasn't even able to adjust the idle speed, even tough he was moving the IACV adjust and the throttle body he make it RPM at 1.5rpm when on P and on D was 900rpm which was ok but then he messed up again moving and moving the adjust and it was back to 1k on P and 700 on D causing a huge shaking on the steering wheel, then he said we'll adjust that later, and then he blame my ECU, he said the idle speed gotta be adjusted by the ECU and doesn't matter how he tried to adjust it mechanically the ECU is readjusting it causing the shaking, so, more BS right?

But that's another issue, (one of many) my first concern right now is the acceleration.

Originally Posted by rmdl51 (Post 6329263)

Here I go again... I need a new Mechanic...

Originally Posted by Wiking (Post 6330566)

Don't pay for training.

Originally Posted by Wiking (Post 6330566)

This is painful as life

Originally Posted by rmdl51 (Post 6330632)

Don't worry, I learned the hard way,...

Originally Posted by rmdl51 (Post 6330632)

Don't worry, I learned the hard way, I make mistakes but never twice the same one, I won't hand a single dollar if I don't see my car running as strong as a corvette :p (ok not like that but I know how a V6 should perform)





No kidding huh?

one hour laid down over the carpet of the Maxima without any succesfull reading frustrates me so much, pedals, clips, probes of DMM, etc all PITA on this position. should I get the same readings if I disconnect completely the TCU connector and measure it directly when disconnected?

Originally Posted by andy21 (Post 6333661)

wow i've been having the same exact problem with my car as you describe and its really starting to aggrivate me...i have a 91 VG auto

i had the tranny rebuild about 9 months ago and it rides a little stronger but not always...he repaced the torque converter i believe (the problem goes away and comes back sometimes...does that happen to you?)

what is this inhibitor switch you speak of and should i just take my car into a local nissan dealer rather than some jokester who fixes transmissions from my town?

Originally Posted by andy21 (Post 6333680)

so where can I order a new inhibitor switch or is it something that just needs an adjustment (can you tell i dont know too much about this stuff? lol)

Originally Posted by rmdl51 (Post 6333781)

I'm sorry, I've been so busy and unable to take that video, but I'll try to do that tomorrow!

Easier than measure the inhib sw terminals, put your shifter selector on D, R, 2, or 1 and try to start the car if it does start then you test those terminals according to the FSM very similar to what capedcadaver said, the FSM specify which pins belong to each gear, if it doesn't start I guess you shouldn't worry about the inhib switch, I worry about that because that is preventing my self diagnostic to run and therefore I have no idea where to look for the problem, and my car does start on gear, and my so-called mechanic told me the inhib sw was properly adjusted and it might be dead.

But this inhib sw (I guess) has nothing to do with the acceleration problem, and you are right sometimes the car pickup speed very fast but this happens randomly, so according to the fake mechanic and electrician that worked on my car they said I have a burned TCU so I bought one and replaced it and problem wasn't fixed, now I have a spare working TCU just because this tards don't know what they were dealing with.

Keep reading the thread andy, we might figure it out soon.

Originally Posted by andy21 (Post 6333867)

yea i actually went into my manual and looked up exaclty what an inhibitor switch was and yea it has nothing to do with the car when it is in drive, just park and neutral.

thanks for the help though and i guess ill just keep a lookout on the thread over the next few days...see if anyone else can help solve our problem

Originally Posted by andy21 (Post 6333938)

so then IF that were my problem it would clearly be on the PRND2L circuit then? seeing as how the car is in D when I'm experiencing a problem

Originally Posted by andy21 (Post 6334069)

no it defineltly highs at about 2300 like you said then eventually you feel a shift...

but the tach never shows that a shift happend that didnt actually happen if thats what your referring to

Originally Posted by andy21 (Post 6334107)

... and then the car will suddenly shift

Originally Posted by rmdl51 (Post 6337004)

You know, That's what I been thinking about: a broken wire or some bad ground, but not on the TCU (I checked that already) I think this clown (mechanic) maybe break a connector or forgot to put a cable back (like those vacuum hoses) and that's causing the problem, but I don't know where to start since he mess up with the whole engine.

Originally Posted by capedcadaver (Post 6337342)

from another thread



i'd check the ground on the tranny, tbh. there's a black wire that clips onto a little flat terminal on the seam of the 2 halves of the tranny. it's on the top somewhere, but i forget where precisely... just follow the seam and you'll find it.

also there are like 4 connectors on the tranny. one for the speedometer, two in the inhibitor, and one on the front for the valve/control stuffs. I don't know if the tranny can function without them, but then again, it could possibly go into a failsafe induced by a lack of signal from TCU, at which point you'd be stuck in 3rd always with no real way to regulate anything (no drop resistor, not TC control, no solenoid control)

question - does your power light blink on your power/comfort switch when you turn the key ON?

Originally Posted by rmdl51 (Post 6337470)

which makes perfect sense for my problem since the shiftings are so weird and even sometimes it just can be picking up speed very slowly until 35-40mph where the car behaves much better. I might be wrong but that sounds like getting stuck on 3rd.


Sorry to be on the other thread, it was just because the question about the code 34.....

Yes! the P turns on, but doesn't blink, it just turns on for about 2 seconds

BTW, if there's still daylight when I get home today I'll try the video

Originally Posted by rmdl51 (Post 6338401)

Nope! to be honest....I don't know where are the 4 connectors, should I be under the car? or I can reach them by just taking out the intake tube? the only ones I was able to see are the ones from the inhib sw which I was testing the other day and one more under.....ummm I don't know how to name that... will try to take pictures tomorrow, too dark now and no flashlight available (dead batteries :p)

Originally Posted by rmdl51 (Post 6338401)

Nope! to be honest....I don't know where ...

Originally Posted by Wiking (Post 6338498)

To be honest - you have never taken a look into the links & pics I gave you.

Originally Posted by rmdl51 (Post 6338727)

... if you give me a picture of your house ...

Originally Posted by rmdl51 (Post 6339500)

Hey! you upload more pictures on your page! I like the explanation on the inhib sw, that's easy to understand

I finally take that video, but I can't upload it, photobucket says limit is 100MB(5 minutes) mine is 130MB and 8 minutes, tried youtube but it's down everytime I tried to upload, where else can I try?

Originally Posted by rmdl51 (Post 6339500)

... that's easy to understand...