Spinergy02

So I just really started driving this car today. For the first 5 mins or so of driving after a cold start my car seems to want to go to higher rpms before changing gears regardless of what setting the a/t switch is on. After that period I notice the low rpm shifting in comfort mode and power mode basically feels like any other car I've had when you turn overdrive off. The car has 102k miles and the transmission was serviced before 100k miles. Is this normal behavior or is it already time to see the mechanic?

chrome91

iTrader: (1)

check the level of the fluid, one time mine started to slip a bit like that and it ended up being the trans was a bit low on oil. Power mode will make it shift at higher RPM, i always kept mine in comfort mode

first thing is check the level, when the cars warmed up park it on a flat surface and leave it running. find the trans dipstick (looks like the engine oil dipstick), and check it like motor oil. level should be within the crosshatch or high and low levels, oil should be red and not dark or black

Spinergy02

Thanks for the reply. I checked the transmission fluid this morning after running for five minutes and again after a 30 mile trip on the interstate. Both times it was right at the top of the crosshatch. I've been leaving that switch in comfort mode and it's still sticking in first gear. Also, I went to grab some lunch and when I got back in the car to leave I put the car in drive and it took longer than usual to engage first gear. Kinda worried now because I doubt it's the transmission fluid pump ( levels are visibly higher when engine not running so fluid is being cycled). Any suggestions as to what I should expect from a mechanic?

chrome91

iTrader: (1)

at work, if the fluid level is okay we just suggest the transmission be replaced or rebuilt, to me it sounds like something is up internally within the trans

Spinergy02

I agree. Next question..would I be better off buying a rebuilt transmission myself and taking it to a mechanic for install rather than let them buy the parts for rebuild themselves? Also, is the transmission the same for the SE model as the GXE? Anyone know about how much to expect for labor?

chrome91

iTrader: (1)

GXE trans is completely different, its weaker than VE auto transmissions and wont bolt up anyways.

im not a fan of rebuilding auto trans in some cases, if its a older trans (60s, 70s etc) then you maybe have no choice but to me if you can get a low mileage used trans go for it. some auto trans dont take rebuilds very well and crap out again later, dont know about VE auto trans. where i work labor is i think $120 a hour now, with us supplying the trans i think the last comparable FWD trans i swapped came to around $1200ish, but a backyard mechanic can do it for half of that

if you want, trans shops will take your car for a drive usually for free and see what they think. years ago before i became a mechanic i dropped my 3rd gen off for some work, guy said afterwards that my transmission was slipping really badly. i said it feels like it always has to me, couldnt it be that i have it in power mode? he said no, definitely slipping. so i took it to a trans place, he drove it, said the trans is absolutely fine and to leave it in comfort mode, power mode should be used for towing. i would do that and maybe try changing the fluid and see how your trans runs, i remember mine started acting really weird around 400,000km and i went to Royal Purple ATF. trans went to 429,000km before it started to slip and it was a GXE auto trans

Spinergy02

Thanks for all the help. I guess the next step is to take it to a few different transmission places and see what they say. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it's just the pump..

chrome91

iTrader: (1)

no prob. ive seen bad speed sensors cause weird trans shifting, but the only thing making me think its not that is it taking time to engage in gear

i cant be of more help without actually driving it, but yeah let a few places take it for a drive. if its got 102k miles thats odd for a VE trans to crap out unless its been abused (ie shifting R to D and D to R before fully stopping), around 100k miles is GXE trans crapping out territory but according to others on here VE auto trans are far tougher

shiloh51933

iTrader: (5)

5 speed swap time!!! Don't bother spending all that hard earned money on another A/T!!

Spinergy02

Just noticed if I go from park to 2 or 1, first gear engages right away. From there I can put it in drive and carry on as usual. The hesitation from first to second and second to third seems to be calming down a bit today but I still want to get it checked out.

I also ran the transmission self diagnostic this morning and had no errors show.

I'd do the 5 speed swap if I didn't live in an area with lots of stop-and-go traffic. Also I don't know anyone in the area experience with swaps like that and have read lots of swaps gone bad threads. Not willing to try it on a vehicle I'm relying on for school.

chrome91

iTrader: (1)

check your shifter bushing then, its above the heat shield where the shifter linkage assembly is under the car. its a $3 part from Nissan. its common for the bushing to wear out on automatic 3rd gens, when it goes out the shifter wont register the shifter being in D and usually wiggling the shifter engages it into gear

had it on mine, had to wiggle the shifter to engage D and sometimes wouldnt register being in Park so the car wouldnt start and i had to d1ck around with the shifter. replacing the bushing fixed it and the shifter felt way less sloppy. might be why it hesitated going into D for you, but not if you manually go to 1 or 2

shifter bushing takes 5 minutes to replace, did one at work on a 3rd gen that had shifter slop.

Spinergy02

So that's potentially one problem solved but wouldn't explain the hesitation between shifting from first to second and second to third. Gonna go ahead and try to replace the bushing myself tomorrow and see what happens lol.

Spinergy02

Can anyone tell me what this vacuum line is for and if it could cause the problems I'm having?

Spinergy02

Put the car in the shop today. He's saying that it's probably the shifter bushing and speed sensor but wants to take a better look at everything himself this afternoon. Keeping fingers crossed for a <$1k bill!