A weird thing happened to me last night! I was driving down the interstate at 4am doing about 70-75mph. I kinda noticed tha tranny was struggling a little bit to keep up with a steady speed. Then all of a sudden when I get to a dark stretch of highway, I heard and felt this violent jerk! Then I noticed my speed started dropping, and the revs were not matching the engine speed! I was so nervous, because I was too far away from home to be stuck in the middle of nowhere. I smelled tanny fluid inside the car with the windows down. I did manage to keep it at 65 for at least 30 miles until I had to get off the interstate, and pull over to a gas station about a half mile from my house. Lo and behold I pop the hood and It smells like burned transmission fluid, it smells even worse when i pull the dipstick. I dont know if any of it leaked out or anything. So I go to get back in the car, put it in drive, and get no movement at all in either gear. Luckily I had a half bottle of tranny fluid left in the trunk, So I pour that in there, and the engine just revs and revs. Im like this cant be happening! SO i rev the engine enough to get the car finially moving! Then it gets up to speed, and I was able to make it home thank goodness. The tranny was acting weird all week. At first it started making some wierd noise like it was straining when I put it in power mode, then it started slipping in 3rd 4th and overdrive, but mainly 3rd. I dont drive the car hard, I pretty much baby it. I havent changed the fluid since I bought it, because some people say its not a good thing to do. I did add a bottle of Transmission tuneup like 50,000 miles ago. I hope I can some way save the tranny as this is my only personal car for now. It is a 93 GXE with 225,000miles. Maybe a fluid change would help but I dont know.

 

sure change it but you pretty much cooked the tranny.

 

especially being a RE4F02A with over 200k miles, pretty much any internal problem is fatal. especially revving the ***** off it to get it to move cuz you're a few quarts low on fluid. I had the same problem with the oldsmobile last year.. had a fluid hemmorage so i could only go about 30 miles per gallon of ATF i added before it started slipping in and out of gear, then eventually wouldn't move at all. That car's next stop is the junkyard.

 

My original tranny only lasted to 220K... then the rebuild only lasted till 285K and I replaced it at that point...

 

Wow talk about unexpected surprises huh?? I was planning on doing some things to the car to get it in top notch condition. I guess I will see about getting one from a junk yard. The thing thats weird about it is the dip stick always showd it was full of fluid, and I didnt have any leaks. I guess I will have to retire the max because I probaly will end up putting a good bit of money in just getting a tranny installed, plus the engine needs work, like a timing belt change, fuel injectors and that leak thats on the passenger side that eats at my control arm bushings, plus it needs shocks in the back. All that will add up to a new car. I hate to see the max go!

 

LOL at that reasoning ^^^^^

I've spent... eh... $6,000 on my Max this year (of course this was major stuff, I redid/upgraded my suspension at the beginning of the year, and I just replaced my motor and tranny due to catastrophic failure) But I have a vehicle that I know all the qwerks of... getting another car... (used of course, cuz you just cant get a "new" car for $6k) will have all of it's own problems, and you just don't know what your buying (and don't think your not going to spend thousands on dollars on repairs of whatever you buy these days, they just don't make them like this anymore)... I look at it as at least I know what I have as opposed to a bunch of unknowns...

 

i'd be weary of a junkyard VG auto trans... half the VG auto 3rd gens are probably there cuz of dead trannies that the owner didn't feel like replacing.

assuming you do all labor:
tbelt/tensioner $100 OEM
PS leak $10-100 depending what the cause is
injectors depends what you need (just o-rings, just 1 or 2 used or new injectors, or full used set, or a full new set)
rear struts $150-300 depending what brand/quality you get

question is, do you enjoy the car enough to where it's worth ~$1500 to get it back into proper shape? For me, the answer was no, since my z31 i'm building better suits my needs/wants as a 21 year old single guy. I don't need rear seats, and winters here are pretty mild so RWD won't really be a problem. For you, maybe you have a family or whatever and need the extra space/seats, or need FWD due to harsh winters, or are just really attached to your Maxima, etc.

 

Well It also needs a heater core too. I just got it painted in Febuary, it has new tires all around, new plug wires, plugs ect. ANd I was just getting ready to install 3 used fuel injectors, along with the struts, and fix the seal leak. I like the maxima alot, it has been very reliable during my ownership. I love the way the engine sounds and it has a nice body. If anyone has any suggestions on where to get a good used tranny from, please let me know. I only know of a few sources that I can get a price for that would be in my spending range. I will call around today, as I dont want to let this small problem hinder me from doing other things. I guess some things happen for a reason! At least It didnt leave me stranded on the highway!

 

Well this car get wierd and weird! I go to start it up this morning, and the thing sounds like it whynning. Pulled the dipstick out and it smelled like something was on fire in there! But it seemd so Ironic because it was just riding smooth minutes ago. I let the engine get to operating temperature and the noise stops! Then all of a sudden im looking under the hood while the car is running, and then it just automatically shuts off. It never did this before! I go to start it again, and it acts like it wont stay running, it keeps cutting off, so I said **** it! This is way more than I bargined for. Dont know if I will keep it or not, because it wont move at all, just my luck!

 

sounds like your tranny pump was on it's last leg.
with less than ideal pressure you kept on pushing it to get home hence destroying the clutch packs or what's left of them.

so now it makes a whine since the fluid is cold and it's having a hard time pumping the cold fluid. once it warms up it's thinner so it whine less.

now it sounds like the pump seized all together so it won't idle/spin w/o massive effort.

just guessing here...

 

Yes thats what may have happened here. the car just shut off, and it wond move at all. Im waiting for the local Junk yard to call me back and see if they have any in stock with a good warranty. Ive heard someone else say that they have bought a junk yard tranny without any problems, then I saw one on ebay for about $300-$400 dollars. We have a local u-pick u pull around here, but I have never replaced a tranny before let alone remove one.

 

join the club LOL, mines died on me. had to get it replaced. i would be driving, and then all of the sudden after second gear, it would rev like im on neutral lol

 

i hear on ebay theres a surplus of nissan maxima transmissions for like $650. seen it awhile back dunno if its still posted. $650 for a new one. i called up nissan, a new one would have been over $2000. s**t nuts lol.

 

you burned the hell outta that tranny.........I killed the factory trans, then a rebuilt.

Same symptoms, started slipping, fluid got dark and burnt looking.

J/Y trans may work for ya....I had mine rebuilt and it was around 2200, then the second time it was just barely past the warranty period so he helped me out and it was a couple hundred.

Good luck, hopefully u get to keep her. If so, look into an auxillary cooler if u dont already have one.

 

I will be looking around probaly friday and see what the installation prices are like once I find one and try and get it back on the road soon! Someone menchened the addition of an external transmission cooler, and I always thought that the radiator cooler was enough, well I guess not in my case.

 

the factory cooler is not enough in my opinion if u have any spirited driving at all. An after market cooler placed inline after the stock cooler is ur best bet. They are cheap insurance, I wish I had the money at the time to put one in, Im sure it would have helped.

 

Well I went out today and got some results! To my surprise alot more good results than bad ones. The first stop was at Ammco Transmissions. They wanted to charge me to take it out and look at it, and that a rebuild would cost nearly $2000 plus labor. They told me a used one would cost $1800 with labor. I told them that I was not spending that much money! I left and went to a local mechanic that would charge $250 to install one, then I went to a local pull-a-part that sold all transmissions for $85. I went to another guy that said he would look at it for free if I got it there. His rebuild price was $1400. Went to another guy that said $950 for everything. Would like to do it myself, but I never tackled a job like this. I did start the car up this morning, and it started up so nicely. It even went in gear, but didnt move when i put it in reverse. It also made that weird sound that was coming from the transmission. I was wondering if the transmission pump and the torque converter were the same thing? There is place around here that sells rebuilds for $125, and I was wondering if I get a used one, would it be a good idea to replace the torque converterz? Also If anyone knows of any place on the net to get a good used transmission for a reasonable price please let me know. I looked on ebay, but looks like they only have transmissions for the VE engine and not the VG.

 

That's expensive. If I were you I would buy 2, and just install a JY tranny for now, then overhaul the second one yourself (it's not hard), you'll save alot, and you'll know how to do the overhaul.

Maybe find a guy from the forum who's parting out his 3rd Gen, that's what I did. It can fit in the trunk of a 3rd gen, but you'll need a helping hand to lift it.

Also, whatever these guys prices are, if I were you I would get the full list of stuff they are going to replace, or ask them verbally, and write it down. Some will skimp on stuff to increase their gain, so one guys price may not equate to another guys price....because of what they are actually replacing. The less they replace, the more they gain.

 

thanks for the advice. I will most likely have her back up and running in about a week or so.

 

Wow it seems that the SE model Transmissions are a lot cheaper and more available than the GXE models are. That really sucks!

 

You say that rebuilding yourself is not hard. Does anyone have a step by step process on how to rebuild one? I have a spare one in my garage that I would like to rebuild. Also any recommendations on where to get the rebuild parts?

Thanks,
Eric

 

http://www.boredmder.com/FSM/Nissan/Maxima/1994/at.pdf

have at it

 

when driving on the highway at around 100-110 km/h so that like 65-75 mph my car is occasionally jumping from 2k rpm to 2400 rpm on hills. I'll be going up the hill with steady accel. and the car will be at 2k rpm.... then jump up to 2400rpm for half a second and come back down to 2k rpm, and it will do this once every say five-ten seconds? think this is the tranny? no power loss or anything. just seems like it can't make up its mind.

 

probably just the torque converter unlocking while you are on the hill to give you a little bit more torque, then locking again if it thinks you don't need the extra torque.

 

Update: I found a transmission with a 30 day extended warranty for $530 with shipping included. The guy says it has 120,000miles on it from a parts yard thats been in business for 30 years. Do you guys think that this is a good buy??

 

No. I wouldn't pay more than $100.00 to $150.00 for a used VG Tranny. His tranny is essentially a used one. Maxinout those prices you quoted above, the $1400.00, $1800.00, $2000.00, did that include the removal & installation of the replacement.

 

Yes that included the installation and removal of the original tranny thats in the car. I was thinking that If I got the original tranny off the car myself, or just got it off all togather and took it to them to rebuild later on, would they still give me that same quote. Thanks for the advise, I did think that that was a little too high to be paying for a used transmission for a nearly 20 year old car. I may end up going to the local salvage yard with some friends and just pull one out from there.

 

That's what I say you do - get your buddy and grab one out of the junk yard or look on Car Part dot com and find a used one that may already be pulled - the go from 200 up I think if you want to save on the labor (although at that price I bet you that one has to get it themself at the yard). Getting it from the yard might be tough if the cars are stacked on top of eachother and you need to lift it up more.

Then just overhaul your original one over the winter at your leisure. The problem with these old maximas are, in order to keep it on the road, you practially need the backup parts ready to go in at the drop of a hat...like you need them in your inventory, or else your wasting time driving around jumping through all sorts of hoops to get things done....as I am experiencing now.

 

Kringle I don't get it, your rebuild didn't last as long as the original? I always thought when one pays for an rebuild it resets it back to OEM specifications.

So I called a reputable shop in Toronto today to do some investigating, and the guy told me that NO rebuild will in fact reset it to the incredibly long life the RE4F02A gave, which in my opinon is a great transmission, my original is still going. Basically he said, to get a transmission to last another 16 yrs, he said it will cost approx. $8000.00 to overhaul in that fashion.

What is this guy talking about $8000.00, is there even $5000.00 worth of parts in that thing...considering it will cost him $3000.00 in labor. I know he was just giving an example throwing numbers around, but basically, what I'm getting at, is it's much more than I thought.

 

Yeah I also thought that an overhaul or rebuilt meant that the transmission would be in like new condition like it came from the factory when new with zero miles. They may as well call it a tune up then if its not going to last very long. Its no wonder that one of the shops I went to told me that if they did the rebuild, they needed to keep checking up on it every few thousand miles to make sure everything is working right. Heck for the prices they were giving me, I was under the impression that they were replacing everything in the transmission, and that I would not have to worry about it breaking or dying on me in such a short time frame!

 

I hear you. Ya that's not the case. I think if you want to actually end up with an actual overhaul, you'll have to do it yourself. It would be WAY too expensive through any shop, hence they quote you for the 'rebuild'. Those guys are doing rebuilds to fit their budget, and replace anything that may look of a pending danger, once they open it up. By the way, you can buy a brand new RE4F02A for $2700.00 USD but I don't know what shipping would be.

Also to save on the re & re, you can send me a PM and i'll find my notes on how easy it is to remove and install the RE4F02A. It really is one of the easiest jobs i've done on this maxima, and you should start by removing yours now to save time. You can't do anything until it's out anyways so remove it now.

Do post what you find on costs for your kit if you get into it so I can compare with my budget.

 

i don't think it's really intelligent to spend $2700 on a repair for a car that probably isn't worth $2700. Spending $2700 on a quality turbo setup or VQ swap on a car that is already in good shape? Maybe, but not on a needs-it-to-run repair.

 

Yeah I agree $2700 is way too much to spend on a transmission. For that price you can probaly buy a newer model Maxima. I saw one in good shape for $3500 it was a 99. I checked the local salvage yards around here in my area and areas 100 miles away and got all negative results. It seems that a transmission for a GXE these days are hard to find. One For an SE is very easy to find, I guess thats why people keep them!

 

keep in mind that not all SE's had the VE engine.. just the 92-94 SE did. if you can find a 89-91SE automatic, that's the same as any-year GXE transmission.

 

That's precicely the non-intelligent thing to do. Spend $2700 on turbo or swapping, which doesn't solve the problem. As soon as you put another transmission in the car it too can die - and the turbo does absolutely nothing for maintenance.

The thing is, cars are wasting assets no matter how you look at it, at least these regular cars like Nissans, no matter how much modding or whatever you do to it. Now it depends on how you look at your car, if you view your car as a business machine and a wasting asset, you'll start to understand my thinking.

 

You could buy a newer model maxima, but then that transmission can then die, and your out the $3500.00 with a useless chassis. Point is, there's no easy answer to these decisions, and I certainly don't have the answer, nobody does. When people try to think of the cost of maintaining their machine vs replacement, if your replacing it with another used machine...then you play the game of musical chairs all over again...you can potentially just be moving one loss from point A to point B, but in fact incur an even bigger loss if point B has a ton of parts on the verge of collapse.

 

No matter what you do you can blow the trans. i have blown 3 trans in the last 2 years , 2 of them in under 3 months. the first was my max GXE, two years ago. then it died again last winter and then i blew the five speed in my mustang (gernaded 4th gear litteraly). the new models have a better trans that the 89 to 94 max GXE. much better. the $3500 for the 99 would be a good investment aslong as you get the car fax. but your reasoning is out of focus.

the GXE trans of the 3rd gen is junk. yeah some have gone a long time with proper maintance but many many many have lost there life do to the overdrive getting cooked.

the VEs had a much inproved trans.

$2700 rebuild is too much for a car of the vintage. if it was something like a baracuda from the 70s that would be a different sorry. but the 3rd gen is still fairly common and demand for one is dropping.

my advise is to either A do a 5 spd swap if yoiu have the know how and the tools. otherwise find another 3gen or what ever will be reliable for what you can afford.

 

That's precicely why the smartest thing to do COULD be to buy the BRAND NEW transmission for $2700.00. Regardless if you move to another car, those transmissions could blow. If you buy a brand new RE4F02A, it will likely give you at least 10 yrs of service...mine has given 16 so far. $2700.00 over 10 yrs = $270.00 per yr.

As far as the transmissions blowing, were you the original owner of all those transmissions from day 1? I imagine if someone put in Amsoil Synthetic in a brand new transmission, it SHOULD at least out last mine, which had the most generic fluid it's entire life.

By the way, what's this overdrive thing - your saying if I de-click the button to OFF, the trans should last longer?

 

depending on the roads you drive on, OD off and/or power mode can help the tranny last longer. the former because it keeps the tranny from shifting back and forth between OD and 3rd so much. the latter because the tranny will downshift under less throttle given the same speed, meaning that you are not forcing it to shift while producing lots of power, reducing strain. also power mode helps when upshifting, in that you have to lift off the throttle more (than you would in comfort mode) in order for it to upshift, which achieves the same effect.

 

What should I put the 2 settings to for this 2nd unknown used tranny I'm putting in next week, considering I'm doing city driving, mostly stop & go traffic, and city highway driving, but all on level ground most of the time. This used tranny will be in for about a yr.