i have a 96 gle w/ ~ 180k on it; it's the original automatic transmission that has had its' fluid changed a few times over it's life, still shifts fine with good looking fluid. i'm pretty good mechanically (have done water pump/time chain tensioner and replaced passenger side power steering rack seal with rack still on, on this car & brakes, tie rods, alternators, ac & radiator work, timing belt, removed heads & more on other cars in the past). i'm getting the fix bug again now that the weather is getting nicer and am leaning toward putting on the trans-go shift kit (the mild version & will just do the valve body stuff) and replacing the solenoids while i'm in there. i've read the posts here that deal with these things and have some questions.

should i even do any of this or should i just leave it alone?

for those that have done the trans-go, did you use 4 new valve body gaskets or just reuse the existing? i'll go with new lip seals for sure. how big of a job was it; any pitfalls or things to look out for? the trans-go instructions don't seem very thorough; will the fsm be enough to supplement it or should i get the atsg techtran manual as well?

since it's shifting fine, should i replace the solenoids (w/ new o-rings), just clean them up or leave em be? did the "bad" solenoids even affect the 96's?

there's a little "FILTER ASSY" courtesy # 31726-A32B001 that looks like it sits atop of the valve body; what is this thing & should this get changed also? i'd change the regular filter/strainer for sure.

i want to keep the car in good running condition so on one hand i'm leaning toward doing this but on the other hand i don't want to borrow trouble and cause unnecessary problems for myself so i'm still not sure what (if anything) i'm gonna do.

thanks for any info or advice anyone who has knowledge about these things can offer me.

well ill be honest 180k is kinda high to be doing any trans mods. especially considering you have no clue what the clutch plates look like.
you always could remove the valvebody and swap it if the trans takes a dump. so thats up to you.

now on to the questions
the valvebody gaskets:: i swapped in a 5th gen trans so my gaskets were bonded to the separator plate if your are bonded dont touch it if not replace them

yes replace the solenoids yes the tsb included the 96

13 bolts hold in the valvebody then 4 more hold it together its three pieces and theres check ***** scattered all over if you lose one your screwed.
read the directions carefully and take your time or you will have a 3000lb paperweight

what do you mean "bonded" seperator plate gaskets; do you mean just stuck on/stuck together or is that some type of special gasket? none of the other 4th gen trans-go threads mentioned bonded gasket that i recall.

he said he swapped in a 5th gen transmission that had the gaskets already bonded to the separator plate.

The bonded gasket are completly stuck there impossible to get off without destroying the separator plate the 4th gen valvebody my not have this in that case replace the gaskets

ok. so the 5th gen vlve body has special "bonded" gaskets. since i've read posts of other 4th gens doing the trans-go shift kit or hd2 kit, i'm assuming that they're not "bonded". hopefully someone with knowledge of 4th gen valve bodies will confirm that they're not "bonded".

anyone have any information on the "little "FILTER ASSY" courtesy # 31726-A32B001 that looks like it sits atop of the valve body"? i'm still wondering what the heck this thing is

my 4th gen valve body didnt have bonded gaskets they actually fell apart when i removed it. i have no clue what "filter assembly" your referring to the filter screen on the bottom is the only one i know of.

i have my old 4th gen valvebody at work i could take a picture and show you the top so you can point it out if you would like.

good, the 4th gens valve body gaskets are regular.

http://www.courtesyparts.com/31726-f...-p-132968.html

this shows the filter assy on courtesy's website and page 6 of the trans-go shift kit installation pdf shows and refers to it in the channel casting image (i cut the image out of the pdf but can't figure out how to paste it in here)

http://www.courtesyparts.com/maxima-...1851_1862.html

this courtesy pic shows it just aboveand to the left of the valve body breakdown.

one more thing, the trans-go instruction also mention "band adjustment"; is that something we can/should do? it mentions band should be able to wiggle at least 1/16" (is more better or can it wbe able to wiggle too much, ie if it wiggles 1/8" is that ok??). their pics shows in what plane it should wiggle. sorry if the questions seems to never stop; i just want to be careful & fully prepared if & when i do this.

Ok. Gotcha. The filter thingy; don't replace it just clean it with brake clean. Speaking of cleaning when you install your kit make sure that absolutely everything is spotless any tiny little piece of crap can screw your valvebody.
The band adjustment is easy with the valve body removed you can easily see the band this is when you would adjust it.
The second gear acuumulator is facing the radiator. Springs get changed in that as well 3 10mm bolts hold on the plate it's a b!tch to compress the spring but it helps the 1-2 slam oops I mean shift (it slams)
The questions are ok feel free to ask away

ok, so re-use the little filter assembly thing in the valve body.

how about the amount of wiggle in the band; 1/16" back & forth, is a little more ok or better or should it exactly 1/16"? do you measure this play with a caliper or just eyeball it?

the trans-go instruction say to use "assembly gel" (to hold the check-***** in place while assembling); i've read various places online that vaseline (ie petroleum jelly) is ok to use. is this true or will the petroleum jelly mess with the seals or clog things up?

You could just eyeball the band or use a caliper whatever is more convienent for you the caliper is the most accurate of course
Vaseline is the best to use cuz its cheap don't go without any kind of assembly lube though it just makes things difficult
Work smarter not harder

i prefer to worker smarter not harder whenever i can; hence all my questions before i get into it.

yeah actually now that i think of it you should use a caliper

it looks like the band gets adjusted from outside the transmission case; where exactly is the band adjustment screw/locknut located?

When I walk to my car I'll pop the hood and check it out. I can't remember exactly where it is with the trans tnstalled.

Ok so the band adjustment is near the starter facing the firewall

thanks maxed out; does the starter have to be removed to access the screw & lock nut or can it be adjusted with the starter still on?

It can be adjusted with the starter in place.
It's really easy if you have an aftermarket intake. Or just remove your airbox

Fix bug? What's to fix? You just stated your trans shifts fine and the fluid maintenance is up to date.

There's a good saying you should be well aware of when playing with a high mileage vehicle. It goes like this...

If it ain't broke, don't mess with it.

The transmissions in our cars are pretty solid. Regular maintenance is all they really need to provide you with many, many trouble free miles.

Here's a suggestion - Drain the fluid and drop the pan. Clean the sludge from the magnets, the "filter" is nothing more then a screen. Clean it if you wish, replacing it is not necessary.

Refill and enjoy the fact that it will give you plenty more worry free miles.

My .02

And if you want to spend money, replace the fluid with Amsoil ATF. expensive but worth it IMO

to njmaxseltd: yeah that's what i'm still debating...should i even mess with it at all. my though process to playin w/ it are 1. the solenoids had a tsb on them, 2. the shift kit, since it allows for quicker shift, results in less clutch pack wear... so between them both, maybe i can get 250K, 300K miles on it. on the other hand, if it ain't broke don't fix it (ie don't borrow trouble. i go back and forth... do it; leave it alone.

hey here comes .02 cents...

i replaced my original trans at 188K I then replaced that one 65k later.

if you install the shift kit and new solenoids and your trans takes a dump you could always swap them in to the new trans