sighs all right i need some advice. its for my dads 97 gxe which has 181k. which seems to show signs of a failing tranny but its weird considered how I've been told and experienced how 4th gen trans fail. He calls to tell me the issue. I go and test drive it. In D it shifts from 1st to 3rd at light throttle. 1/2 throttle or a little more. it'll shift from 1st to 2nd. But it slightly revs in between. Same thing from 2nd to 3rd. We changed the fluid (which came out black as hell , then he tells me he's never changed it the 5 years he's had it...and of course neither has the previous owner). Also this started a couple weeks ago. it happened all of a sudden. Then gradually kept doing it. So should we be looking forward to doing a trans swap or is it less serious ?

 

Believe it or not, you should have left that old fluid in..
Start shopping now.

 

yep... that is true^^^
if i remember correctly there is the option to upgrade the valve body on those and thus fixing the issue...

 

does that apply to 99 also? also i thought leaving bad fluid in there would make it worse ?

 

It's any transmission. When the fluid wears out, the gears dont get the lubrication they need, therefore allowing the gears to grind against each other. That causes metal shards to get in the fluid, which is the only thing keeping the tranny from slipping. When the bad fluid was replaced, the shards came out too. So it would have been better if the fluid had never been replaced since it was so bad. It will probably need another transmission. Sorry. :\

 

no...i meant the upgrade. does this apply to the 99 also. I've been looking for some trans for him. its just weird that this happen all of a sudden. which makes me worry cause I've got two jugs of trans fluid in my garage. plus a stacked oil cooler for my car but between work being sick and in and out of the hospital. i haven't had time to do mine.

 

yes, the auto trans is the same on all 4th gens...so the "upgrade" (which is really a SHIFT KIT, comapny names TRANSGO make's 'em) will work on his

I thought you said in your original post he's got a 97 GXE? Youre now saying 99...

 

I think that transmission is damaged - they run until they break. The 95-99 4AT trannys are all the same, along with the 95-99 Infiniti trannys. Always change the fluid when in doubt, and use synthetic oil like Mobil1. Synthetics stand up to heat much better than OEM oil. There are magnets in the oil pan that collect metal shavings so they don't stay in the gears, clutches and bands. If you drop that pan (25 bolts?) you will be shocked at the mass of metal shavings you will find on those magnets.

Look in car-part.com for 95-99 Maxima or Infiniti transmissions. Part # RE4F04A is probably what your car uses. Look under the hood, on the passenger side, on the firewall, and there will be a silver plate with rows of numbers. About the 6th row will be the transmission number. That number is what you want from any salvage yard car.

Good luck...

 

mine is a 99 with vlsd. my dads is a 97. When we dropped his pan both magnets were COVERED in gunk and shavings. i was asking about changing the fluid cause of my car. she still shifts good but i don't want to be in the same boat.

 

^^That depends on how your car has been treated.
Is it high mileage with a dark color or burnt smell to the fluid?

Your first problem was easy to solve because you gave us history and mileage.
Now your just making us guess. Lol

 

no .lol. Im not making you guess. I've already described his fluid condition and how the trans is acting. as for my car. well she has 128k last time i checked the fluid it was red. and smelled like trans fluid as for driving characteristic lets say i don't drive like grandma

 

once the old fluid gets to a point it is worse to change the fluid like everyone has said. Maintenance is key

 

In your case, change the fluid, but DONT FLUSH. Drop the old fluid and replace with the same amount.

 

and clean the screen filter too right?

 

Get a new filter.

 

^ Doing a full cleaning can't hurt. After you tighten up the pans 21 bolts and fill with ~6 quarts ATF continue with a non-pressurized flush to replace all 10 quarts of that used ATF. You need to remove the ATF return line hose connected from the RAD to the AT. After removing that hose on the AT side start the car for 2 seconds forcing out ~2 more quarts of ATF. Measure how much used ATF came out of the hose and fill with new ATF the same amount. Continue 2 or 3 times until new pink ATF is coming out of the return line hose.

To get more info read the 'How to Flush ATF' sticky in the Fluids and Lubricants forum.

 

I've heard about the trans filter on these cars even experienced it too. there's a bolt or nut that just spins so ill just use a can of brake parts cleaner.

 

Dude, before you give up, give Lucas Oil a shot! I use it for maintenance, and it works wonders. It saved the tranny on my '92se for like two years after it started slipping. I do a modified change technique, and it works well. Get 4 gallons of Valvoline Dex/Merc tranny fluid, and two bottles of lucas oil tranny fix 24oz each. Drive car for a while, Drain fluid from tranny drain bolt (should get about 4 quarts), replace bolt, fill with 4 quarts of fluid and test drive. Repeat this procedure 2x more times, and on the 4th fill, use 2.5 quarts of the valvoline tranny fluid, and the 2 bottles of Lucas Oil. Test drive and check fluid level. You should feel a huge difference immediately. If you don't, then you should probably head to the tranny shop. This fluid change method basically provides and 80-90% fluid change without harsh flushing.

 

those fluids dont solve the problem though and after you use them there is no fixing it. Again.....maintenance is key to an A/T