venturous

My 96 has gotten to the point it does not want to shift into 2nd gear. I can run it up to enough speed for 3rd gear and it will shift to 3rd and then shift fine up to 4th. The torque converter also locks up good.
I can also pull out with the shift lever in 2nd and it still wants to hang in 1st, even while running at a steady 3000 to 4000 RPM's. Then sometimes when I pull out it will shift thru all four gears perfectly.
Any suggestions?
Randy

NmexMAX

iTrader: (22)

What speed is that?




. Come on Randy,

Be more informative...

nitink

I am no guru, from what ever I have read your problem might be bad VSS.
Disconnect VSS (you will loose speedo) & tranny will shift on TPS input.
take it for couple of test runs, if shift is fine, your problem is vss,
Before replacing try to clean VSS>

venturous

nitink, not familar with VSS. Would that be Varible Speed Sensor? Where is it at and where do I disconnect it?
Thanks for your input.

Nmexmax, I don't understand what english you do not understand. Looks pretty self explanatory to me.
Quote:

Then sometimes when I pull out, it will shift thru all four gears perfectly.

. Come on Randy,

What do you mean "come on Randy", and speak english?

NmexMAX

iTrader: (22)

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=494647
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=432334

willard00

iTrader: (1)

ide get it checked out if you think somethings wrong. i got my car, thought something was wrong with the tranny, ignored it, then a year later poof. $2000 for a rebuild...only had 1st gear. they told me if i brought it in at first it would have been much cheaper.

iDuty

I wonder about the trans shops saying "Had you brought it in back then it would have been much cheaper to repair." A rebuild is a rebuild, in that the greatest expense is the labor. In any rebuild they should replace the clutch materials and torque converter, and a list of other 'soft' parts like seals. It is $300+ of labor just to remove and reinstall the transmission, let alone all the actual rebuilding process which is skilled labor.

Don't get me wrong, I believe in proactive care, but unless you break some hard parts in the transmission the rebuild will cost about the same $ which is in the 2,000 range depending on the labor rates in your area. Proactive care for your transmission is mostly changing the ATF every 30,000mi BEFORE you have any problems with it.

nitink

In case you still need info, VSS is vehicle speed sensor, its primary sensor for TCU, essentially your transmission shifts on input from VSS. Its mounted on back of tranmission (little hard to describe) but FSM has a nice picture. disconnecting is simple just pull off one plug.
Our Trany's can also work on input from TPS, Mostly VSS does not go bad, just gets dirty or connections tend to get looses. I would say pulling VSS out and cleaning it and cleaning area in which it fit might help.

Nissan's have one of the better tranmissions, I have seen some (actually many lasting over 300K) but corresponding electrical system is not soo good. so I would say check VSS, TPS, clean TCU & ECU connections with QD electrical cleaner, check all grounds, if required add an external ground these checks will be well worth it.
Good luck.

willard00

iTrader: (1)

a rebuild is deffinatly not a rebuild no matter what. depending on what set(s) of clutches/bands, or the panetary gearset, pump, govener, or whatever else is F-ed up in the tranny determines the overall costs. you wouldnt completely overhaul a tranny if the parts were still good. you get whats needed and fix it. but yea, labor is a b*tch when talkin about tranny rebuilds.

in my specific case i deffinatly would have saved a few hundred at least. they replaced EVERYTHING except 1st gear clutches and bands. they said my fluid was as thick as varnish and everything was all burnt. if i braught in earlier that never would have happened. saving me at least a couple gearsets. which is a couple hundred bucks in the long run.

to original poster: do what you want, but im just suggesting to get it checked out ASAP...i mean, aamco diagnoses for free. so why not?

iDuty

willard00, I agree with your suggestion to get it checked out ASAP. If it is acting up, something is wrong. Failure to use 2nd gear is not a good sign.

It seems logical to me that all 'soft' parts should be replaced by a good rebuilder. Hard parts are another matter; like the gearsets you mentioned, are only replaced if necessary.

Just out of curiosity, how much did those gearsets cost? And what was your mileage?

I am no expert, there are others here who know better.

willard00

iTrader: (1)

im not sure how much they cost exactly...wasnt a real breakdown of prices for parts...but my mileage was around 115K.

a couple semesters ago when i was in transmission class a kid rebuilt a chevy 350 tranny and it cost him around $2-300 for the pump and rebuild kit (clutches and bands and all that good stuff) so i would assume it would be around the same price for our cars.

grey99max

iTrader: (12)

Don't rebuild it, replace it. The yards are full of good, low-mileage Maxima transmissions, and a used one is always going to be better than a rebuild. Even the best rebuilds can't be any better than a factory-built transmission.

Some things you repair, some things you replace.

willard00

iTrader: (1)

^^^i agree. but ide still get the free diagnosis to see what they think is wrong with it.

PS- when i said aamco does free diagnosis i forgot to mention i didnt have them rebuild it because they were WAY too expensive. so if you do go down that route, you might want to look for a local shop with a good rep for a good (better) price.

iDuty

I'll second the preference for a local shop with a good reputation instead of a chain store. Local owner operated shops care about their reputation where the chain manager can get a new job every few years.

Careful with yard transmissions as they could be subtly damaged by the wreck.

grey99max

iTrader: (12)

That's what warranties are for - but it's your money.... I take it you've had actual experience with yard transmissions and subtle damages ??

I've personally bought engines and transmissions from around the country and had no problems - unless I wreck something at the strip while racing. Then it's my fault....

Slightly used and factory-built and tested transmissions >> rebuilt.

venturous

Thanks guys, I appreciate the comments. I have found locally an Infinity trans that has 58K miles on it for $375. I have the engine from this car in my car now as I bought my car from a lady I work with with the engine locked up. The guy at the yard stated that he thought the Infinity trans was a locking differential, but was not sure. I am not sure what all I would have to change, but I think the axles are different.

grey99max

iTrader: (12)

Only the Infiniti I30t had a VLSD - the part number on the tranny is different. It ends in "V" not "A", and if it is a VLSD, you will need a different driver's side axle. If VLSD, you got a bargain!

Sorry for being so brutal with previous comments, but most rebuilders are bogus. People need to know that used engines and trannys are a better idea than rebuilding to stock specs. Nissan builds a very rugged engine and automatic transmission.

kcryan

iTrader: (1)

^ Negative, regular I30's had the VLSD on autos.....

iDuty

[QUOTE=grey99max]That's what warranties are for - but it's your money.... I take it you've had actual experience with yard transmissions and subtle damages ?? /QUOTE]

grey99, in many cases you are right, and I have no desire to argue. If the transmission if from a non-wrecked car that was junked for other reasons, great!

If from a wrecked car, unless the warranty on the used transmission is from the same place that installs it for you, you may run into this situation if the unit fails:

- Buy trans from yard with warranty.
- Pay installer $300+ to remove your old one and install yard unit.
- Yard unit acts up. Yard is happy to replace under warranty but you pay another $300+ for removal+installation.

That's all I was getting at. In the case above it seems like the OP found a great used unit.

grey99max

iTrader: (12)

[QUOTE=iDuty]And you can be right, but if you pick a known low-mileage tranny from a reputable yard, you're still better off than getting your tranny rebuilt.

That's what I was getting at.

grey99max

iTrader: (12)

If you look on car-part.com, it doesn't list the model on Infiniti, but you can bet the I30t always had the VLSD tranny.

What really matters is the tranny part number, clearly visible on the top and towards the back: "RE4F04V". If it doesn't have this number, it ain't a VLSD. Keep looking until you find one. Regular transmissions end with an "A", and they are everywhere. Tough old dogs, but not VLSD.

Dima202

Hello, thank god this thread is here.. Since I am a new member I can't create my own post but I have a similiar question. I recently bought a 1998 Nissan Maxima GLE for $3,700. It's 138,000 miles (with me driving it around 2,000). The only previouse car I owned was a Russian Zhiguli model 6 (Manual). This car is an automatic but the issue I am having is that when I start the car and start pressing the gas pedal I feel like I am getting a kick in the back (once then it doesn't do it anymore). My theory is that it's switching from 1st gear to second a little to early but I am not very knowledgable. So maybe someone here can insight me as to what it might be.

Thank You in advance.

venturous

Again, thanks guys for the comments. As far as swapping out, I do my own labor. I just took the trans out of my 95 ebay Maxima yesterday to put in the 96 until I figure out what to do. I may just rebuild it myself. The last auto I rebuilt was in my 84 300ZX Turbo with the four speed lock up auto. It worked fine after I rebuilt it. I am just not familar with all the external controls these transmissions have on them, but I am learning.
Given this trans has about 242K miles on it in the 96, it could probably use new clutches and bands and going thru. This is a real nice dark green GLE that a lady(nonsmoker) owned and was taken care of. This is also a southern car and looks very good underneath. The 95 I bought off ebay was from mid Ohio and looks totally different underneath. It is not that the body is rusted, just all the nuts and bolts. Pulling the passenger side axle out was a *****, but I got it out. It was a bit rusted in the collar. When I replaced the engine on the 96, I had no problem at all getting the passenger side axle out. I bet you guys in the northeast have a real problem with this stuff due to the harsh winters.
Randy

heynow

iTrader: (1)

Dima, i don't know if you're aware of the correct operation of an AUTO transmission, but before you mess it up, lets make sure that you know what you're doing.

When you start the car, it's in "P", to start driving, completely push down on the brake pedal, then holding the brake switch to "D" (not stopping on R or N). Once you're fully in D (you should see the engine rpm drop a little), gently release the brakes and GENTLY give it some gas. If you release the brakes too early before you're fully in "D", you WILL get a kick AND THAT's NOT GOOD!!! Follow the same procedure for switching from P-R or from R-D or vise versa. I hope you're ok now

Maxima eto ne Jiguli!!!

andrei3333

maxima eto samolet ?

maybe not, yes man russian FoB is in the house, this is north america, there are cars here that change gears for u dude !! haha just kidding

i drove a volga once and its like a big buick very nice

heynow

iTrader: (1)

lol @ andrei . I'm just making sure that the dude isn't raping his tranny.

(think of that comment what may, lol)