Car won't turn over/start after transmission rebuild
 

Hey guys, I really need some help. I rebuilt my transmission and starter, and I put everything back in, and now my car wont start.

I've checked fuses and I'm positive I hooked everything back up. Even trying to start it by jumping the battery right to the starter doesn't work. It turns over that way, but it wont start, so I'm pretty sure it's ok. When i try to start it with the key, it acts as if i dont have the clutch pressed in. Like the clutch safety switch isnt activated, but I know it is, because I also have a bypass switch to make it whete I don't have to press the clutch in to start the car. I'm completely lost. Can someone please help me? After having to put more into the transmission than originally thought, and taking as long as it has, I don't have much left in me.

Thanks in advance.


Posted from Maxima.org App for Android

Did it crank?

Did you sand the mating surface between engine and trans?

It cranked if i made it. I think i figured it out. The starter was put back together wrong, and the starter solenoid was fried. So when the engine did turn and not start, it was only because the starter gear was stuck on the flywheel.

And nope. It was perfectly smooth. I wiped it down with distilled alcohol, though.

Im going to get a new starter solenoid or new starter in general. Hopefully that fixes it.


Posted from Maxima.org App for Android

Look for an OEM starter if possible man to not go back there in 2 years...

Don't bother with an autozone aftermarket starter solenoid. They're not solid. When I tried it 3 years ago I had to hold the key in start position for 6 seconds. I replaced it with an OEM solenoid that weighs nearly double and it started within 2 seconds.

I'm going to go to pull a pary and get the solenoid for $5. :D OEM and cheap, so I see it as a win/win. I borrowed a starter off of a Maxima I sold to my moms bf, so lets just hope thats my only problem.

Thanks for your input, guys! :)


Posted from Maxima.org App for Android

Alright, the car will turn over now, but it wont start. And now my transmission wont go into gear, even though it did right after I put the transmission back in. Can someone please help?

EDIT: I can shift it into reverse and 5th sometimes, but if it gets stuck again, it doesn't like going back. Also, I can't roll the car in neutral. I noticed the wheels spin different ways too. Is it supposed to do that? I don't have the money to take it to a specialized Nissan mechanic, or else I probably would. Do I need to drop the transmission again? Or is this something to do with drive axles? I put the transmission back together the way it was supposed to go, and it worked fine until I put oil in it and put it on the ground.

Sounds like your missing or misplaced the dedent(sp?) check ball and or spring.

Nope. I made sure everything was there. I had everything put in the way the service manual had it. It shifted fine, and then all of a sudden when i came back to it, it wont shift. It's stuck in one of the gears.


Posted from Maxima.org App for Android

When you say your wheels spin different ways, is that when the front wheels lifted off the ground? If so that's normal. That's called open diff. Lol

If your wheels spins in different directions in Neutral, something got mixed up in the rebuild. That should only occur when you put it in Park. Park is what makes the wheels go in different directions which prevents the car from moving.

Sounds like the OP has a manual tranny. If you rebuilt it yourself then you have to use process of elimination and possibly drop it again and recheck everything. What would stop it from shifting is either the linkage from the stick to the tranny or the gear forks not being able to swing freely. Double check the linkages under the vehicle and if all is connected then you now know what you need to do.

can you move the shifter back and forth in neutral fully? i mean can you move it left between 1st/2nd and right between 5th/Reverse or does it only want to move to the left (I already know you can move it right since you said you can occasionally get it into 5th/rev).

sounds like it is stuck in a gear but the part about you being able to get it into 5th/rev sometimes is concerning, since the interlock mechanism should prevent you putting it in two gears at once.

anyways, you can pull the reverse light plug (gear position sensor plug) and look to see if it is stuck in a gear. it happens pretty often with this trans while reinstalling them.

Sorry it took so long to reply. Was in a junk yard all day. Im thinking the shift forks are catching, and its stuck now. I was going to buy another 5sp transmission and use it as kind of a guide, then resell it, but out of the 16 maximas and 8 i30 that could have had that transmission, they were all auto. -_- So I'm going to tear it back down and make sure everything is greased well and in perfect working order before I put it back on the car.


Posted from Maxima.org App for Android

yeah finding a 5spd max in the junk yard is a long shot. you can also grab the 3rd gen 5spd to use as a guide if you can find one.

I tried those, too. Still no luck. Hopefully I can fix whatever I messed up tomorrow.


Posted from Maxima.org App for Android

Alright, i was able to get it to start, and it runs fine now. But the transmission still wont shift into gear. When i shove it into 5th or reverse, the car bogs down when i let off the clutch. When left in neutral, the car starts off like its in first. I've removed the transmission many times already, and went through it each time, but still no luck. I'm about to take it out again, and I was hoping someone might know what's going on. Each time I went through the transmission, I left each fork in the middle of the synchros, thinking thats how its supposed to be. The shop manual doesn't give a specific way they are supposed to go. Also, I'm able to move the forks up and down with the upper, empty part of the case off, but when it's put back on, even with the detents out, i can't shift it by hand.


Posted from Maxima.org App for Android

did you do what i suggested in my earlier post?

I completely pulled the top off, but i did manage to break the sensor you said look in to. -_- I'll glue the screw bracket back on to it and it should be fine.

And you were right i think. After taking it back apart, then making sure all of the gears stayed in neutral while playing around with it, i put it back together enough to where it would function, and i was able to shift through the gears on it. Even though i think you were right, having my master mechanic uncle back from his vacation helped alot, too. Haha.

I'm about to go put it back together for good, and hopefully it stays working. If not, I'm gonna blow it up and get another transmission. :P

Thank you to everyone who put in an input. And thank you Nealoc because you've helped on every post I made the past few weeks while I was struggling with my car. Lol.


Posted from Maxima.org App for Android

I'd make sure you clean the mating surfaces btwn the tranny and engine with a wire brush before you re-install. not a real coarse brush though. Just enough to make sure it is clean. Mine LOOKED good too when i re-installed, but the car would not start after. Ended up hjaving to pull the tranny back out to clean those surfaces.

I did. I used an air powered sanding wheel and it worked great. Thanks for your suggestion, though. :)


Posted from Maxima.org App for Android

omg!!
 

I did a manual tranny swap on my 98 maxima. now when I go to start the car the car struggles to start. the engine turns over for a couple of seconds then the engine finally starts. you guys keep talking about the mating surfaces between the trnny and engine. do you mean the bell housing where the tranny physically makes contact with the engine by the mounting bolts? because I put a lining of black gasket maker there! I am wondering if this is causing my problem. I thought It would be a good idea to make a gasket there so there would be no vibration on two metal parts.?????:mad::mad:

That's funny about your home made transmission gasket.
Sad too..but amusing.

Some people run 0 gauge wire to make a ground when they forgot to sand..

Why would you do that??? That's not a normal thing to do nor is it in any of the FSM, Hayes, Chilton, nor Mitchell manuals!!! You need an electric path for your ground! Time for that bonding wire/ground strap!

:bonk: Follow the FSM. The link is in my signature.

For an easy fix, connect a thick ground wire between the tranny and engine. Ideally, the tranny and engine are mounted together as one unit. There should be zero flex between the two. Taking the engine/tranny apart and sanding down the mating surfaces would be the right thing to do.

:laugh:

:sprint: Incase you don't want to drop the trans again! Sometimes doing extra stuff like that gasket bites you in the end.

done
 

well im back, figured I would just drop the tranny again. droped it in two hours. spent two hours cleaning and sanding, about three hours putting it back together. just waiting for my gear oil too get here.

yea I tried this. I cannot find terminal connectors that are thick enough to crimp on such a thick wire
:mad:

Just checking....your gear oil is GL4 only right?

yes sir!

done
 

well I sanded the tranny toengine surfaces. starts great!