Pieps

Even before replacing my clutch assembly, the shifter in my 96 5-speed would not go to the left in the H pattern, to where 1st and 2nd are. It wouldn't go to the left in neutral at all. If i force it, it will go to the left, but not enough to get it to go into gear. it does this on and off, and i retightened the rod shift linkage and it went away last time. The last time it happened was about a month and a half ago, and it hasn't it done it since. I pulled out of church this morning, and everything was fine. I went to stop at a light not a half mile later after going through all the gears up to 45, and it wouldn't go to the left at the light. I drove the rest of the way home starting in third, and i need to know if there is an easy fix for this. If i keep driving, sometimes it goes away. Is there something that is getting caught somewhere in the tranny? Thanks guys

dgeesaman

iTrader: (10)

Look at the shifter. The spring that pushes against you on the left side of the "H" is in the shifter assembly, not near the tranny.

You might also need a new shifter bushing. I've never changed mine, but I'm told it's right under the shifter and above the cat.

Dave

Pieps

Where can i get a shifter bushing? Is that something i should go OEM for, or autozone it?
And how would i go about changing that? I think i remember someone doing it without taking off the cat, and that would be the best option for me if possible

Pieps

Also, can i take off the cat heat shield above the cat and the resonator and leave it off? Is that gonna make anything too hot?

lilaclucymaxima

iTrader: (16)

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=467839
Post #307 had problems with the first two gears as well.

Pieps

Does anyone know how to fix this? Please?

dgeesaman

iTrader: (10)

The problem is almost certainly the spring in the shifter assembly. If that's not enough information, I suggest you take it to a mechanic and have them look at it.

Dave

Pieps

what should i do with the spring? Replace it? Take it off? i shot some WD-40 up there to see if that would help, but no dice. Thanks for all the help

dgeesaman

iTrader: (10)

Sorry I got snappy, in fact I've re-read your description a few times again and I'm no longer sure if it's a shifter thing or tranny thing.

If at some point when it's parked in a place where you can work on it, and it decides it won't go into a gear, then lift the front end, detach the shift rod, and use a screwdriver thru the striking rod bracket holes to manually shift it into gear. (Looking toward the front of the car, turning clockwise puts you toward 5/R, counterclockwise puts you toward 1/2. Gears 1/3/5 are by pulling the rod out, and 2/4/R are by pushing in) If that gear still refuses to go in, it's a tranny problem. If this is the case, I would then drain the tranny oil and look for anything in the oil. You're looking for a piece floating around that is blocking your shift mechanism - possibly plastic or a hunk of RTV.

By any chance, has your speedometer stopped working?

If the tranny shifts fine and the oil is clear of debris, I would look at the shifter.

Dave

Pieps

That was the plan that i had to disconnect it there. I hope that it is a shifter thing, but we'll see. Thanks for all the help, i'll let you know how it turns out

I did have another question though. What does the other rod do that is next to the shift linkage that is bolted to the tranny and to the shift tower as well?

dgeesaman

iTrader: (10)

That's a support rod that keeps the shifter working tightly in spite of the motion of the engine/tranny on the flexible engine mounts.

That support bar should also be good and secure, or else it can affect shifting.

Pieps

Well...I disconnected the shift linkage and tried with the screwdriver. The linkage rotates fine, but the transmission itself won't rotate counter-clockwise at all. I am gonna try and drain it, but if there was something in there wouldn't i know about it by now? Could it be bad shift forks, or maybe bad synchros?

dgeesaman

iTrader: (10)

If you can only work 4 of 6 gears manually at the transmission, it sounds like something is wrong with the shift mechanism inside the tranny. It could be a hunk of something broken that's blocking the shifter, based on the fact it's intermittent.

When it resists shifting, I strongly recommend you do not force it, or you'll break something else. Just work it through the gears that are working and hopefully it will jiggle the piece out of the way. I experienced something like this when my speedo sensor snapped off, and the plastic gear pieces migrated down into the shifter mechanism. It was just like you said - in fact a couple times it refused to go into any gear at all - then it would operate normally. If you're lucky, the part will drain out with the oil and be the only issue - if that happens, post a pic of what comes out and maybe we can guess if it's safe to run the tranny without it.

Dave

Pieps

What else could it be if it isn't something stuck? and how would i go about fixing it? Thanks for all the help, you were the person that i was hoping to talk to about this

dgeesaman

iTrader: (10)

Well when you rotate it counterclockwise, remember there will be no spring resistance. There will be spring resistance only when rotating clockwise (toward 5/R). 3/4 will be when the shifter bracket is perfectly horizontal, and 1/2 will be when the shifter is turned slightly ccw. You can't feel the difference between 1/2 and 3/4 - you have to look at the position of the bracket to know which pair you're engaging.

Dave

Pieps

Right, i did that, but the bracket doesn't move at all to the left. I am draining and straining the fluid right now, so i will report back when i get finished with that

Pieps

So...i drained the oil, strained it, and before i put it back in, i moved the shifter to the left, finally, and put it into first and second. After i put the fluid back in, then it worked for a little bit on my first drive. After putting it into second twice, it wouldn't go back in at a stop sign, it wouldn't go back to the left either. So i drove home without first or second, and after shutting the car off and keeping the clutch in, i was able to put it into first and second again. My driveway is on only a slight incline. I took another drive, and everything was fine for the 5 minute drive around the neighborhood. It went into first and second fine. I decided not to drive it to work, but i was gonna drain it again after i got home. So i just drained it and strained it again, and i saw these on the mesh. Everything but the dime came out, and the white things are plastic, and the spring is metal. They may have been in the bucket that was sitting in my garage while i was at work, but i used it to drain before. Do those resemble anything inside the tranny, or are they things that might have fallen in the bucket while i moved stuff around?

dgeesaman

iTrader: (10)

That looks like the piece that rubs against the backside of the position sensor. When the sensor is off, there's not much holding it in place - it has just 2 plastic pegs in two holes in the metal shift selector. When the shift position sensor is out, you should be able to see the copper contact of this piece right in the center of the opening. If it's missing then that's a positive ID.

The good news is that if the other pieces don't jam up other stuff, that part will be very easy to replace. I think if you buy a new position sensor ($22) you'll be in business.

Dave

Pieps

Is that the gear selector sensor? If not, where is the sensor located?

dgeesaman

iTrader: (10)

Yeah, that's the one.

Pieps

i just replaced that sensor about a month ago due to cracking the plastic ring where the screw goes. The sensor is black with the two copper contacts, right where the tranny fluid is drained. I inspected it when draining the tranny, so do i need to do anything more since i know that part is in good shape? I bought it from the dealer

dgeesaman

iTrader: (10)

Ok, so if the moving part of the new sensor is still there, then maybe the old one got lost and wandered around inside the tranny? It would explain why you didn't get any position sensor codes. Although I'm pretty sure that's what the pieces belong to, I would compare them to the working part that's in there now.

If the oil is still drained, I'd shift thru the gears a few times and make sure all the stuff is out. I'd also peek in there as best as you can and remove any other loose parts. There may still be other low points of the tranny, but at least you've established what it is, and that it's not a major issue.

I guess it comes down to this: if you get gunk blocking the shifter, drain and strain the oil and get the piece. Repeat until the problem stops or you get really tired of doing it. Unfortunately the 'real' solution is to remove the tranny, split the housing open, pull the diff, and clean things out. Keep that in mind in case the tranny comes out anytime soon.

Dave

Pieps

Thanks for all the help, and i actually didn't replace the white part, because i didn't know where it went went i got the new selector sensor, just the black piece with the cord. The whole white piece is no longer there, except for one of the pegs stuck in the hole. How can i get that out, just some plastic epoxy and let it sit and pull it out? That is the best i can think about doing.

As for straining, i am gonna do that and then let it run through again. Meaning putting it back in with a funnel, but leaving the selector sensor out so it just runs through the tranny and hopefully gets more out. Good idea?

Pieps

Alright, so after i ran the oil through to wash anything else out, i was putting the selector sensor back in, and i broke the f***in head off the bolt. I am super pissed and now i have to drill and tap it, right?

dgeesaman

iTrader: (10)

The little bolt that holds in the sensor? I think it would be fine with no bolt, since the o-ring holds the sensor so snugly. You could probably drive it around for years and never have it come loose - but the consequences of dumping 4 qts of tranny oil are just too great. You just need something to make sure it never pops out.

I was thinking a simple c-clamp would be enough to secure it until you get it fixed for real, but there is nothing for the c-clamp to grip under on the housing.

Maybe if you can get a strip of metal, drill 2 holes in it so that it will be captured by the two nearest bolts in the tranny case, and so that the strip covers over part of the sensor to it can't get loose.

If the cover strip won't work, I would drive it straight to a garage and have them extract the shank of the bolt for you. With the right tool it's pretty easy to do, and if the threads get stripped they can install a helicoil for you.

Dave

drewsblackmax

iTrader: (1)

This is true.