00Maxima37

OK. I got a 2000 Maxima SE Automatic Trans. with about 64k miles. On the way from NY to VA(about 130 miles into the trip) I stopped and got gas. As I merged back on to the highway I was doing about 90(with the O/D turned on), and then RPM's were up at about 4.5k. Figuring the RPM's jumped so high I figured it was because of the quick acceleration. So I took my foot of the gas, and the RPM's jumped(WITHOUT SHIFTING) down to about 3k. I didn't try to go too much lower then that as I was trying to keep up in traffic. I turned off O/D and it seemed to have shifted properly the whole time. As the traffic started to rubberneck I decided to shift it back into O/D to see if the problem would have self corrected itself. At about 60mph the RPM's were about 3k, which is about right I believe prior to normally shifting down slightly to about 2.5k(I believe). I then got it up to about 80mph and it had not shifted at all. I realized the problem was still present so I turned O/D off again. Which kept the RPM's where they were at, however when I slowed down it properly shifted.

About 30 or so minutes later after trying not to worry about it too much I stopped off and got a bite to eat. The car was shut off for about 20 minutes and I figured again I'd try to see what happened in O/D. The car seemed to have shifted properly from this point and the check engine light never came on during any of this.

Any feedback as to what may have caused this? Or why it seems to have self corrected itself? As the dealer will say they can't find anything wrong with it since they probably won't have any code since the engine light never came on, and it shifts properly now.

00Maxima37

So no one has any feedback as to what the problem may be?

mtrai760

iTrader: (19)

Your explanation makes no sense. How do engine RPM jump 'down'. Jump is a term used when something climbs, not falls. As far being at a higher RPM when you have it floored vs. letting off the gas, its called a locking torque converter. When you are cruising along your torque converter 'locks' to conserve fuel. Doing 90, it does not suprise me your RPM were that high. Does not sound like anything unusual to me, then again, It also doesn't sound like you did a very good job explaining whats going on.

00Maxima37

hard to explain...

Pretty much in O/D it seemed as if the transmition was in it's last gear... and when I took my foot of the gas (oh so slightly)the RPM's dropped(easily about 1.5k -2kRPM) so drastically that it seemed that it skipped a gear.

If you need more details.. feel free to ask.. hard to explain it as i'm not sure what people need to know.

MIXXMAX

iTrader: (1)

Sounds like you don't quite know the concept of the overdrive function. The overdrive function is meant to stay on all the time under normal driving conditions. It is meant to save fuel economy as well as the life of the transmission. If your cruising at a high speed and the O/D is on, and then you turn it off...yeah, of course the RPM's are going to "jump" (as you put it), because now the engine is revving high putting more strain on the transmission, letting alone wasting more gas. With the O/D on, the transmission will "ease" up on itself in the same gear but using less gas, and less engine RPM's. Basically, most people turn the O/D off under a heavy load or climbing steep hills.

00Maxima37

I know the RPM's jump up when u take it off of OD... I completely understand that....as it shifts into a completely different gear.

However, When the car was in OD, it wasn't shifting through the gears properly.. It would not shift from 3rd gear with the OD on. Which I believe is why when I had the O/D off .. it shifted normal. since when OD is off.. from what I read it operates with one less gear.

No Maxima - with the OD on should be @ 4500RPM's.(when doing 80mph) And then to take your foot off the gas peddle.. the needle drops to less then 3000 rpms.. and I mean drops.. as not in smoothly. in a split second it went from 4500RPM's to less then 3k RPMs. Normally when you take your foot off the gas, the RPMs go down as either the car shifts into a different gear. or your speed slows down so your RPMs slow down. or possibly a cominatino of both.