I recently bought my first Maxima ('97 GLE, Auto) after 6 years of driving Mustangs. I've got a quick question about the automatic transmissions in these cars. My auto has a slight slipping problem when the accelerator is quickly depressed, enough to force a downshift. The trans slips and then bangs into gear. I'm also getting some shuddering when cruising with my foot lightly on the accelerator. I've got 106,000 miles on the car and I'm wondering if transmission flush/fluid change would help correct the problem, or would I need to invest in the VB mod to firm up the shifts and eliminate slipping. My girlfriend's '96 SE has similar problems, so I'm assuming that its fairly common in 4th gen autos, though the slipping trans TSB says nothing about '97s. Any help or advice is appreciated, sorry for such a long winded introduction, I'm hoping to get this "problem" squared away.
Thanks,
Derek

 

I doubt it is slipping. You are probably experiencing the torque converter lock-up disengaging before kick-down to a lower gear.

When you are at part-throttle, steady-state cruise, the car will be in 4th gear with the lock-up engaged (for better fuel economy). When you floor the accelerator, you will hear the lock-up disengage, then a shift to 3rd, then a shift to 2nd (in most cases, depending on speed).

I had an automatic Maxima for 6.5 years that I drove hard for 155K miles and never had a problem with the transmission. The transmission flush service is always a good idea.

 

Micah,
thanks for the response. as long as its not actually slipping and as long as nothing is in need of repair I can live with it. i've spent the last 5 years daily driving a 5spd car, so I'm getting used to the automatic again. I'll probably still get the fluid flushed, however, because after I went through the previous owner's service records I didnt see any receipts for trans work. Again, thanks, I look forward to learning as much as I can about these cars.

 

If you want a more sporty tranny you could get the VB mod or go cheap with the drop resistor mod. Or you could do the 5spd swap .

 

Hey! You could always go with the LSD upgrade. Stillen sells a good one for a pretty fair price. Stillen Link

 

Its normal in our cars.. its pretty bad but very normal.. dont worry. You have to really floor it for it to grab a lower gear. I"ve had that problem since day 1... its probably one of the only things I HATE about my car.

 

Great post! I have wondered about this ever since I got my Max. I finaly have an explanation, too cool! That LSD is a little pricey (in terms of what I can afford) but im sure its a fair price. Is the core charge included in the price, or is it on top of it?

 

I always noticed that I gotta get on the gas to have the gear drove in my Auto, but at the sametime I wonder if im beating on the car too hard. What does anyone have to say to that??

 

What is the VB mod or the drop resistor mod, and what exactly are the gains of this?

Thanks in advance!

 

I beat up on my GLE daily and it never broke. I wouldn't worry about it.

 

The VB mod is a product you buy from Mobiletek (maybe others now). The drop resistor mod is something you do to the car yourself. They raise the line pressure for the transmission fluid so the shifts are quicker and more forceful. I never did these mods myself, so I'm not an expert on them.

 

so how much does vb mod cost and will it ruin a tranny with 165k on it. i dont know if ive seen vb mod is stickys

 

Im not expert on this but from doing some reading I learned that the VB mod is good for your tranny. It lets it shift faster instead of a slow shift which put more wear on your tranny. I think ontop of the VB mod you need to get a tranny cooler since tempertures will rise from the faster shifting.

 

thanks for all the responses guys. i'm strongly considering the vb mod in the near future. i can live with the transmission's behavior, but i'm sure i'll eventually get sick of it and want firmer shifts. after driving a manual with a stiff mechanical clutch in traffic for all those years i'm really enjoying the rest that the auto affords me. its good to hear that its normal though, that definitely puts me at ease. thanks again,
derek