In the mornings when i start my car and its real cold out (freezing or below) if i dont let the temp needle rise from cold and i put the car in drive the transmissions slips in 1st until the car warms up then its fine. (If im at a stop the engine revs then the trans will catch). This happens when the car has sat for about 8 hours. The transmission doenst slip in any other gear. It has 135K.
My questions are:

Do i need a whle new trans?
Or, should i do a flush and fill?

 

I suggest just warming your car up in the morning. Just save some money up just in case the tranny does blow.

 

Go out and buy some KY Jelly.

It wont help the transmission, but it'll help the process for when you'll have to bend over and pay to have the trans rebuilt.

 

Well, that sort of sounds like me. Except mine doesn't slip, it randomly downshifts. I'll be in 2nd going around a corner, not even touch the gas, and all the sudden you'll see the tach blip for a second until it upshifts again.

 

Warm up the car first and it will never happen. It happens to me sometimes when I'm running late for work and dont have time to wait for the car to warm up. I just try to take it easy until the needle starts to rise.

 

Time for a complete trans and transaxle flush, if that doesn't fix it I would try and find a VLSD auto, better than the maxima trans.

 

Well that is sorta my question. If it only does it when its cold and only does it in 1st gear does that automaticaly mean the whole tranny is bad?

 

Does it do this from a dead stop? Mine kinda feels like it slips when I start from a roll, I think its starting in second. Mine also shifts hard into second when its cold, but it never slips. Then again I think the coldest I've seen this winter is 40.

 

Yeah, from a stop it feels like the car is starting in 2nd gear.

 

Once mine just revved up to like 3.5k and then dropped. I almost sh*t my pants. It'll last as long as you warm it up every day. That's the price us Autotragics have to pay.

 

I would first change the tranny fluid than if the same symptons persist you can than think about other transmission problems. If you can hold out you may not even need to do anything b/c the temperatures in the North East will be climbing soon.

 

I have the same problems with my 2000 GLE even after a transmission flush and fill. Is it related to the solenoid valve assembly problem or just a poor AT design?

 

My car does the same thing. If I put the car into drive without letting it warm or reving the engine, then it stalls. I'm gonna flush it soon and see how that works.

 

Might this have something to do with the ECTS? Does that sensor affect the transmission?

 

well the starting in a higher gear, sometimes I swear its third, could be helped with cleaning the grounds. I know it solved my problem. I also added some grounds. Here's my post about that:
http://www.forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=459115
But mine would do this cold or warm, just more noticable when its cold.

 

as with any auto transmission, once that b!tch starts slipping, it's all over with.

 

exactly...warm it up...be nice to it...it'll last, but save up some money and rebuild it, cause it'll keep getting worse and worse

 

sounds like a solenoid valve assembly problem , had the same problem with an older honda accord

 

Let it warm up before going.

 

I see a lot of people are saying let it warm up, but this isnt normal.
I'm lookin for a fix or a reson why this is so.

 

it used to slip when it was cold, but when it was hot it was ok. It was because i didnt have enough tranny fluid. Get it flushed and see how it works. After it started slipping the tranny never felt the same, feels like you hit a wall when it shifts. My car doesnt respond the right way anymore but that could be more the engine with over 216k miles...old engine plus old tranny = trouble coming for me. I am gunna hit 300k though no matter what. hehe

 

If you take a look at the car reviews by Altima owners, there are several, even for 98-2000 models, that complain of the same problem. So it seems to be a frequent issue.

 

my tranny does the same thing, teh need just drops randomly then it shifts.... it also shifts very hard and jerky..
when i started getting that, i let it warm up all the way ever since

 

dont flush it.........
just wair until gets warmer and see what happens?

if it keeps on happening, maybe flush it

 

Mine does this if i dont let it warm for 3 mins...on reverse it will slip and my car will hesitate big time as if its about to stall out when i back out of my street. just warm it up and temps are rising soon anyways.