I recently took my car in to Nissan to have the auto tranny flushed at 33K miles. Ever since I got it back the transmission really slips between 1st and 2nd gear at WOT...especially if I manually shift at the redline. Of course, it doesn't do it every time and there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it. It never did it before, regardless of auto or manual shift. How can a transmission flush affect this? I'm NOT very happy!

Thanks,

Tony

 

How was your fluid before the flush? Sometimes if the transmission is very dark colored and has metal shavings, its only going to get worst if you have it flushed. Have you checked your transmission fluid level?

 

there is a TSB for this. do it now!!!
either bad bad transmission control module (TCM), or shift silenods

my story...bad TCM caused me to have to get a new tranny (under warranty) well the dealership didnt tell me why the tranny went out. i learned on here about the TSB...well it was to late..my warranty was up. just paid $500 for a new TCM

 

Is the TCM hard to change.

 

ok.. your tranny is on its way out..
but no worry if u have warranty , it has to be covered.. wait a bit more and take it to the dealer for a new tranny

 

Uhhh...bad advice. Take it into the dealer as soon as you can. Have them fix it under the TSB. If it's not fixed after the first try take it in again. Sometimes it can take multiple trips to the dealer prior to being fixed to be patient and diligent. I wouldn't wait till your tranny goes because it could be after your warranty...then you are SOL.

 

They will say they don't feel it

 

The TSB for the "abnormal shifting" on auto trannies is NTB04-035 "Abnormal shifting of auto transaxle" if you need a copy let me know. They are full of shat.

 

Nope, its plug and play

I think if you have records and receipts of the transmission fluid and you've gone to the dealer to document the slipping 1-2shift (even if they dont feel it) you'll be fine. When they test drive the car, make sure you have the engine warmed up but the transmisssion cold by parking the car at the dealer overnight, warm up the engine to normal temperature, but don't drive the car anywhere. That way, the transmission is gaurentee'd to slip between 1-2 because the symptoms are usually worse when the tranny is cold.

 

and technically the TCM is part of the engine control system and not the powertrain. so the dealer does not have to replace it under the powertrain warranty

 

hmm...in what condition should we change our tranny fluid? many ppl have bad tranny after fluid change...how to prevent bad tranny after fluid change?

 

I just got back from a trip, so I got a chance to drive the car a bit. What I've really noticed is that sometimes it slips a little right at the shift, but not all the time. What I noticed it doing ALL the time is when it shifts into second gear and I'm still WOT it kicks down to about 4,500 rpm and kind of sits there and pauses for a bit while the engine catches up and then the rpms start to go back up again. Does that make any sense?

Tony

 

You say that you've noticed a trend of people having their auto trannies going bad after a fluid change???? Anyone else?

Tony

 

Mine is gong in next week to have the valvebvody changed per the TSB mentioned above. I changed my tranny fluid about 15,000 ago when I put on a tranny cooler but the problem didn't start then. GEt a copy of the TSB and take it in for service.

 

Does this tsb apply to the 3.5 Altima also?

 

Yes, "2002-2004 Altima (L31)"

 

I have a 2000 maxima with the same problem. I bought it from a dealer back in march and it now has 90k. I do not have factory warranty anymore.

Is this covered as a recall or something? Gene

 

The TSB covers 2000-2003 Maxima's. I'm not sure with 90k on it, may be a battle with a dealership to get it done, but it never hurts to try. Good luck.

 

Is there a page that shows this recall?

 

Yes..Please link if there is...........

 

Its not a recall so no

 

It's not a recall. It's a TSB.

http://www.nhtsa.com

You can search by vehicle year, make & model.

Tony

 

here is what i posted in a thread a few days ago about what causes the "slipping"

its not actually "slipping" its hesitating..just like Tony Fernandes described

this is supposed to happen
Tcm gets alot of info from multiple sensors
compares that data to stored parameters on when to shift
send electric shift signal to shift selinods
selinods shift tranny

what happens (#1)
TCM is messed up and has problems proccessing info
tranny is ready to shift (RPMs are high) but doesnt get the signal
your car will go to close to redline and hesitate
TCM finally figured it out and sends the signal
well now your engine is higher then the RPMs where tranny is supposed to shift
so when it shifts it will be a very hard jerking shift

what happens (#2)
TCM is fine
send electric shift signal to shift selinods
selinods are bad and doesnt shift the tranny right away
tranny is ready to shift (RPMs are high) but doesnt get the signal from the selinods
selinods finally sends the signal
well now your engine is higher then the RPMs where tranny is supposed to shift
so when it shifts it will be a very hard jerking shift

yes a TSB is diffirent from a recall. a recall is usually something safety related so nissan pays for the fix (by law they have to) a TSB is put out by nissan for their techs to use to fix a common problem. they will only pay for it if its under warranty. and like i said before, if you only have powertrain warranty left..they dont have to pay to replace the TCM since it is part of the "engine control system"

 

I had flushed my auto-trans fluids out twice with synthetic oils. I have no problem so far and the shifts between gears are as smooth as butter.

 

Me too. Did the flush myself and changed to Mobil synthetic ATF. This actually improved the shifting.

 

Initially I used Redline ATF @ approx. 15K to flushed out OEM's ATF. The second time around was Amsoil ATF @ 40K. Both was done with B&G ATF flushing machine. You can really see the color differences between the new and old fluids at only 15K. Also, I used some of the ATF left over and flush out the power steering fluids with the do-it-yourself procedures.

You will notice a better gears shifting w/the use of synthetic ATF especially in cold temperature.

 

Just FYI, the service manager at my local dealership specifically told me that Maximas come with synthetic ATF from the factory. She also told me that as a matter of common practice they would be putting synthetic ATF back into my car as well.

Tony

 

Tony,

I don't believe it....I believe she told you that....But I also believe she does not know Synthetic ATF from Summers Eve

 

they do not fill with synthetic at the factory. and they would not refill with that at the dealership unless you ask

 

How do you know this?

And I did ask...this is when she told me that they do it as a matter of practice.

Tony

 

Firstly, the service manager is my ex-girlfriend. And I can testify that she does indeed know what Summers Eve is. Secondly, she's been the service manager there for at least 5 years. Thirdly, I would think I would be able to trust her.

Tony

 

^^^ If what you'd said is correct, the factory synthetic ATFs suck! The aftermarket Redline & Amsoil are much better. I can feel a much better shifting improvement over the OEM ATF after flushing the factory "synthetic" ATF out at 15K. Before, the auto-trans often shifted rough and hunted for gears under load or extreme temperature condition.

 

well.....just because i know and i said

and if you dont believe me...

from the owners manual (you should flip through it some time) -

Use only NISSAN Matic D (Continental
US and Alaska) or Canada Nissan
automatic transmission fluid.
DexronTMIII/MerconTM or equivalent
may also be used.

NISSAN Matic D IN NOT SYNTHETIC..AND NEITHER IS Dexron III

any other questions?

 

I stand Uncorrected...Thanks Soonerfan....My faith in Nissan service techs remains stable. Girlfriend, sister, brother..what ever the tech is....Odds are they don't know Salad Dressing from FDS

 

You said it! I went back to the dealeship today and the service guy rode around with me. The first time I got on it and the car hesitated/shifted from 1st to 2nd was all he needed to see. They're ordering in the parts to perform the TSB work under warranty next week.

My ex-girlfriend was still under the impression that Nissan Matic D was synthetic...that is until the guy that had been riding with me overheard her. He corrected her, basically summarizing what Soonerfan had already told us. She thought, in her words, that since the Nissan Matic D was so expensive that it HAD to by synthetic. Wow. I was very unimpressed that a service manager with 5 years of experience didn't know the difference. Unreal. I'll be buying my own ATF next week and they're going to re-flush the system when they fix the tranny and put my stuff in.

So everyone, I can't find Mobil synthetic ATF anywhere in my area. NAPA has Amsoil synthetic ATF, which is non-petroleum based. The manager there told me that I really can't go wrong with either Mobil 1 or Amsoil, but did say that he thought the Amsoil was surperior and would keep my tranny cooler. I've used Mobil synthetic motor oil in my cars for years, so I kinda wanted to go with the same brand in my tranny. However, after not being able to find it, is the Amsoil really comparable?

Tony

 

Well, I ended up researching Amsoil myself. So unless someone wants to post just for general information, you can ignore my question. I'll be buying the Amsoil.

Tony

 

I am going to talk to my dealer today about getting mine corrected..New service mgr

 

http://www.alldata.com/TSB/02_mk.html

I found this guys..And it is all free...

 

Amsoil is the best stuff out there. thats what i use.

 

whats free?
to fix it? if so, its ONLY free under warranty.

or did you mean that site to check TSBs? if you meant that, that site is garbage.

here is a link to ALL 5th gen maxima. and its doesnt just give you a TSB #...what are you gonna do with that? it has the actual TSB.
http://maxima.theowensfamily.com/tsb/