My parents are going to be getting a Maxima or I30 in the next few months. Since my mom will also drive it the car is going to be an automatic.

I am pretty good with feeling out problems when I drive a car but I was wondering if there are any tips that you guys that have owned/driven auto for awhile could tell me.

Life expectancy of an auto tranny? Personal experiences?

Thanks for any info guys, I am having a great experince owning my Maxima and I just want them to have the same with the car they buy.

 

The 1-2 shift may be a little harsh when cold or at certain throttle... thats pretty normal... other than that, step on it (at various speeds, driving conditions) and check for precise downshifts - there will be lag, but you shouldn't feel any slip (there is a difference between lag and slippage). Check for smooth upshifts, check for the final torque converter lockup. Use the OD button to make sure the tranny downshifts/locks out OD, and reengages etc.

Lifespan: I'd say they fail anywhere from 30k and later... I've seen some go for > 150k without any failure.

 

my father's 95 w/ 125k and no failure thus far, or any signs thereof.

 

I have a 95 with 128K, no signs at all of any tranny failure anytime soon, never even changed the fluid... I plan on never changing the fluid EVER either..

5spd swap in 2 weeks.

 

Thanks guys, it seems like it really just depends on how the car was treated/maintained. I was hoping that would be the case and that there would be no widespread "bearing failure" type problem that ALOT of us five-speed guys go through.

 

dont tell me that im planning on getting another 4th gen (that makes 2) but this ones gonna be a 5 speed.....im not interested in pulling the tranny EVER unelss im putting in a clutch/flywheel

 

no tranny fluid changing, after 80k.....
dont do N while going, then D

make sure its not leaking.

check if tranny has enough fluid.

 

Exactly why I'm unsure about selling my auto to get a 5 speed

No problems with my auto transmission...I have around 65,000 miles. My old Maxima did a few wierd things though...one time I hit the gas, the RPM's went up, but the transmission didn't shift so I'm guessing that wasn't good. That one had less mileage than mine does now.

 

91k on my auto no issues. Drain and fill at 60 and 90k. I added a additional cooler at about 60k.

 

I have 190k on my origional tranny..... still pulling strong.

 

Mine's still going strong too. I changed the fluid over to Amsoil ATF and it made a WORLD of difference in terms of shift smoothness, especially in the cold. I can tell that i'm going to have to do a drain + refill again this summer to regain that smoothness.

LEMAR

 

I have heard pretty bad things about the automatic transmissions in 4th gen Maximas. The common theme seems to be that "shift solenoids allow slipping and premature wear". That's one of the reasons why I bought a 5sp.

A couple of years ago, my dad bought a 1996 automatic with 135,000 km and it was having noticable transmission problems, especially with harsh driving. Whenever I would floor it, the result was never predictable. Sometimes it would downshift and accelarate nicely, sometimes it would redline with no accelaration at all and then accelaration would kick in really hard, almost shaking the whole car, but most often there be a 1-2 second delay before accelaration. One time I floored it and I heard a real loud bang (which I'm guessing came from the transmission), which scared the heck out of me and made stop pushing my dad's car so hard.

When accelarating lightly, there didn't seem to be much noticable problems except for somewhat harsh downshifting when slowing down. Right now it's got 175,000 km and it hasn't gotten any worse yet.

However, I know people with auto Maximas with a lot higher milage who drive their cars hard and are not having any problems. I think the big factor is changing your transmission fluid.

As for test driving, my advice would be what someone had already suggested, step on it hard a few times and see how it behaves.

 

233k ready to die ...

 

150k and still going strong

 

Thats what I like to hear.

 

lol, not if you only have 65,000 and you're waiting to do a 5 speed swap!

 

...

 

i have 172k miles and still good. I do have a cooler installed when it was new

 

233K >>>>>65K Northern Maxima

 

115k miles, just had its tranny flush and still havent gotten it back. about test driving them, get on them hard a couple of times, but only do so if you feel that the car will handle it. in other words if you f*ck it up its your fault. make sure it shifts pretty smoothly through the gears, make sure it downshifts okay. and so forth. might want to check the fluid to. should be nice and pink.

 

What I meant is that I have a long time to wait until I have a good excuse to stick a 5 speed in there. Of course the longer it lasts the better for my wallet

 

210k on my sister's 95. Still going strong, still shifts hard.

 

depending on the mileage i suggest a full tranny flush + tranny cooler.

 

I have a 99 altima and I have a tranny cooler. My tranny doesn't shift hard from 1-2 anymore. The 2-3 shift is actually harder than the 1-2 now. The tranny fluid is red and clean. I guess it's on it's way out.

 

Why don't you put in a 5MT now, sell the auto while it's still good and make some of the money back from the swap. I bet it would pay for a good portion of it.

 

'96 with 165k. Trans is ok. Doesn't downshift to 1st until almost stopped. I've never changed the fluid. Is it too late?

Russell

 

But that's normal.

 

That's a possibility...I don't have much money to do anything now though and I don't even know what would have to be done since my car has traction control. I think I might just consider selling and buy a 5 speed.

Sounds like the Maxima auto's were built pretty strong!

 

I understand what you mean now Northern Maxima

Sounds good, if they are getting a slushbox I at least want it to be fairly trouble free.

 

Switch to Mobil1 and quit spraying !!! JK ..... Out with the old oil , in with Mobil1.

 

ok, just curious but what do you mean by cooler?? also, i had a loud bang 1 time when i floored it and had to let off the gas real quick beacause someone cut in front of me and the dealer said it was inbetween gears and i let off which made it jump out of gear real quick, but that was typical for it to do that, and it's been ok other than it feels like it has a timing issue. 142,000 miles and i've had 3 or 4,000 thousand put in to it just regular maintenece stuff. runs really good most days

 

Should you drive with OD on or off?

 

Ive got 210k on my orginal tranny . ..

what

 

I'm quoting a freind of a freind, who was a head tech at a dealer: "Whenever you're going under 40mph, take it out of overdrive"

My freind put 205k on his auto with no problems (<----He's selling the tranny if anyone needs it, he swapped in a complete drivetrain w/60k after blowing his headgasket cause he's stupid, I told him I'd do his waterpump FOR FREE but instead he kept driving it and adding only water!). Also, to whoever said the auto maxima's have reliability issues your dead wrong. I'm rebuilding my 5-speed as we speak, the auto's are WAY more reliable, hard to beleive I know. Also, on 4th gen's, the firmer the shifts the stronger the motor, trust me on this one. And just like someone else said, they are really firm on a cold morning.

Some general car buying advice: run a carfax (pm your vin's, I have access to an account but it runs out soon), check blue-book at kbb.com, say it's 2-300 cheaper, tell them you checked it in NADA, and test drive several of them! You might find one with 125k that runs and drives better than one with 80k. DON'T BUY THE FIRST ONE YOU SEE!!!!! Check the oil, check for the oil-change sticker, check the tranny fluid, coolant, tires, brakes, cv-boots, etc. Point out the wasted flex-pipe, point out the rotted front/radiator cross member- you can see it when you look through the grill at the very bottom (90% of them look junk on 4th gen's but cause ZERO problems!). Go over every seam, pop the hood, all 4-doors, and trunk, look for overspray, or tape lines in the clear-coat. Check the body very good, look for any orange-peel, dings, dents, scratches, swirl marks. Point out EVERY SINGLE problem you can possibly find, act like you aren't happy with the car's condition, don't be afraid to walk away, in fact, walk away and come back a few days later after you have looked at some other cars. Why? Because dealers know most people buy the first car they see that they like, if you appear like the customer who doesn't notice the giant scratch or small dings then the salesman knows that even if you haggle him, you will still be willing to pay close to his asking price. Point out every problem, it helps with price negotiations, also, it helps if you bring along a chick who repeatedly brings up little dings, dents, or interior problems, then agree with her. I love this technique, it really shows the salesman that your **** and not afraid to walk away. DON'T BE AFRAID TO WALK AWAY!! You can always come back later, this is really important.

 

Oh and don't forget to turn the key and make sure that the oil, brake, abs, airbag, and the red A/T warning lights work.

 

175,000 and no problems.