I suspect that my tranny solenoid is going bad. I'm having very intermittent tranny issues - slipping, not changing gears, etc. I can't seem to recreate the problem and the problems happen for about 1 minute and then the tranny goes back to working normally. That sounds like something other than a blown tranny, especially since the tranny fluid doesn't appear to be fried. If it was the TCM, wouldn't it throw a trouble code and light up the CEL?

 

This is probably a stupid question, but is the solenoid similar in function to the valve body? I had my valve body replaced right after I got my 2000.

 

The solenoid is what controls the flow of oil into the valve body. Typically the symptoms are hard shifting from one gear to the next, or hesitant shifting. I have a solenoid pack for sale if you are interested.

 

So hesitant shifting like when resuming speed using the cruise control and as it reaches the set speed, it waits 5+ seconds longer than normal to shift?

 

I'm in the same boat shifting from 1st to 2nd gear in an RPM under 1700 it revs up and shifts into gear hard. If I get on it and climb the RPMs up to 1700+ before it shifts it will shift smooth as butter.

 

Sorry for blowin this thread up but can you guys explain where the transmission solenoids located aswell?

 

Inside the transmission valve body. They aren't that hard to replace if you have some mechanical experience and patience. The biggest keys are remove only the bolts needed and in the correct order (Follow the FSM) and make sure you have the o-rings in place exactly where they need to be.

Follow the link to download the FSM for your year. You want the AT section.

http://boredmder.com/FSMs/Nissan/Maxima/

 

OP- I would research your issue more, lots on here sounds like the revolutionary speed sensor to me.

 

akmaximafan- get your TPS caliberated, i bet if you probed it with a multi meter you would see that its not set correctly. I think the FSM says anywhere from .20v-.79v (dont quote me on that, look at the FSM to see) is within spec, but the lower it is set , the sloppier the shifts are, the higher its set the firmer the shifts, when i was playing around with mine i found the sweet spot to be .60v, when i had it around .30v at slow speeds shifting from 1st-2nd it would slip just like you said, the exact same.. It wont throw a CEL unless it is completley dead or out of the range specified in the FSM, even if it is in range, it can have a nomurous amount of issues. I actually read somewhere that early 2000's were not set properly from factory. Check your TPS.

 

+1 ^

Check your TPS first. I recently tweaked my TPS and it changed the behavior of my AT, in a good way.

 

Awesome how do I go about adjusting my TPS because it is new I just replaced the TPS IACV and along with the ECU. So I've done no adjusting with the idle ect.. Also I wanted to note that when the car is cold (sitting for about half hour+) I have to lightly press the accelerator to get the car to start.

 

Did this happen when you replaced the TPS?, double check the FSM so i havent left anything out.

1-Get a multi meter, set it to 0.00v setting, turn your car to the "on" position but do not start it.

2-grab a phillips screw driver and loosen the top phillips screw, and crack the bottom one so you have play with the tps, you dont want it sloppy loose just loose enough to move it with some pressure..it is adjustable when the screws are loose, meaning you can move the whole assembly on the throttle body.
3- the top plug on the TPS should be brown, take your multi meter and connect the black(-) wire to the top black wire on the harness of TPS, and red wire(+) on the multi meter to the middle blue wire on the harness of the TPS, it will show a reading of .xx amount
4- slowly move the TPS back and forth until the multi meter displays .60v
5- remove the multi meter WITHOUT moving the TPS ( if you have a friend who can hold the multi there while you tighten the screws thats even better and more assurance it didnt move) and tighten screws.
6- turn ignition off.
7- disconnect the battery and leave it for a hour, after you have removed the battery cable, get back into the car and turn the key to "on" position again and pump the brakes to remove any left over draw in the electrical system.
8-conect the battery terminal, turn car to the "on" position again and re-probe the TPS to verify it didnt move and you should be good to go.

I have a feeling if you yourself replaced it, you just unbolted it, and put the new one in, you have to "caliberate" it by the steps listed above.

Good luck dude!

Its really not hard to do at all and i hope i explained it well enough for you. This is a VERY important step.

P.S my multi meter is a probe, meaning it instead of having an aligator clamp style connectors, has pins so you can push the pins into the wire leaving the harness connected to the TPS, it makes it much easier. After your done , just wrap a small amount of electrical tape over each spot you probe seperatley on the wires. If u dont have a multi meter i suggest you buy one that style, i paid 15 bucks for mine at a auto partstore, best investment for diagnosing electrical issues and everyone should have one.

 

how did you know my secret lol? okay I will try that! thanks for the great description

 

I tried to adjust it down to .60v and the lowest I could get it to is .77v Idk and I'm pretty sure thats where I had it from the start. I have the car at a shop here in town to get it ran on a diagnostic machine to find out the problem. They seem to think its a shifting solenoid aswell after test driving it. I also noticed that my problem is occuring from 2nd to 3rd, not from 1st to 2nd. It was shifting so smooth from 1st to 2nd I didn't notice it was doing it in the next gear up. I will post what the shop says.

 

Slip from 2nd to 3rd is typically the TCM.

 

foodmanry- i have heard differently from numorous amounts of people.. The TCM is more of a 1-2. Solenoids can be any gear. i have a bad 2-3 in cold weather and swapping a TCM to a Y901 didnt help at all

Something is wrong if you cant get it to drop lower than that.. I would take the TPS off and re install , then recaliberate it again.
If your experiencing it only when cold it could be the valvebody, if its all the time its probably a solenoid but you should have a code, or you have burnt the clutch packs up.. I woukd start with the TPS though.. Did you replace the TPS because of this? Did you have the throttle opened at all when you installed it? If you did the arm on the TPS may not be alligned with the throttle and that coukd be preventing you from adjusting it back further.. If that is understandable..

 

Correct...I made an error. See the Nissan TSB on transmission slipping.

http://maxima.theowensfamily.com/tsb/NTB00-039a.pdf