While driving, when my car shifts from 2nd to 3rd gear there is a slight squeak noise that comes from the front end near my drivers seat area on my car. My guess is the transmission but I cant pinpoint what it could be. I have an AUTO 01 AE with almost 57K. It shifts normally but the squeak gets to me. It sounds like an ironing board opening but just for a split second. Nothing majorly loud or discomforting. Anyone know what this is? How to fix it? It's a faint squeaking noise for the brief shifting point. Thanks.

 

Did you check your tranny fluid level??? Check under your car maybe you have a loose part somewhere??Like the heat shields on your exhaust

 

I might be completely wrong about your problem, but I have the same noise, I think, from time to time and it turned out to be my seatbelt buckle.

 

Steves01Max, I had the same exact thing happen to mine! I too have an 01 AE auto! It started squeaking from 2nd to 3rd shifts and eventually it got to slipping from 2nd to 3rd! I didn't even let the problem persist more than a week as I rushed it in to the dealership (because I have the extended warranty to 100K). Found out it was the tranny and replaced under my warranty. (be aware they tried to just replace solenoid and see if that was just the problem, but it turned out to be the tranny) Good luck! If you have an extended warranty I would take it in asap to get it checked out if I were you!

 

I was afraid the tranny would be included. On nycmaximas.org I was told it would be the exhaust maybe loose/rattling during the shift. I dont have any tranny issues, late shifts, thuds, etc. (knock on wood). I just want a little insight because Im pretty **** with the car and anything I bring to a mechanic I want to have something to relay before I get BS'd. Thanks.

 

did any water get into your engine bay? wet belts could cause some squeaking.

 

Put your car in park, rev your engine to like 3500 rpms, and when it comes down to like somewhere around 500-1000 rpm's see if you still hear the same squeak

 

Honestly When im warming up my car til it gets to about the C on the meter, I hear a SLIGHT squeak from the belts. I dunno if thats the case but if so what should be the round about figure to get it re-tensioned?

 

Sorry to revive this ancient thread, but I'm having the exact same problem with my 01 I30. I get a brief chirp at the 2-3 shift. I took it to the dealership a few months ago; they said they put a friction modifier in and that the squeak would stop within a few hundred miles. It pretty much did for a little while, but now it's back with a vengeance . The car only has 47,000 miles on it. Could it be time to replace the transmission fluid? It looks fine; it's at the right level and is a nice red color. I haven't had the car long but from what I know, it did a LOT of sitting around for a few years (elderly owned). Could that have caused any problems?
Thanks

 

Check your side mounts.

 

Thanks!
Sorry for the probably stupid question, but transmission mounts right? I've noticed that the chirp gets worse as the car warms up. Also, I hear a little creak sometimes when I shift into drive, especially after reversing. Could this also indicate loose/bad mounts? I'll try and get a recording of both sounds today.

 

Yep tranny mounts. Try this:

Stop in front of either your driveway or one you can turn into that has a slight elevation from the street, I'm talking a slight incline is plenty (awkward phrasing its early =]). Then make a slow turn into the driveway while fully cutting the wheel. Cutting the wheel and make a sharp turn seems to put a good amount of pressure on the side mounts. This should give you the creak noise. I would know all of my mounts are basically shot and getting repaired.

The creak should be the side mounts, I can't think of too many other things that are going to give you a creak along with your other symptoms. And yes I had the other noises you had with poor mounts.

You can test them this way, but please be careful.

Find an empty place, preferably a parking lot with no one around. Pull the E brake all the way up with maximum pressure while at idle and put the car in D. The car SHOULDN'T move if its all the way up. Hop out of the drivers seat and pop the hood. I'm assuming you know how to rev the engine from the engine bay so go ahead and stand away from the front of the car and lean in from your fender and give it a little rev. If you see the motor move at all basically its your mounts. You need to make sure the car is in gear, the shaking is subtle at best in neutral.

 

Thanks
I tried making a sharp turn into an inclined driveway today, couldn't get the chirp though. I'll try the other way when I find an empty parking lot (and the courage). I also couldn't get the shift chirp on a recording, but I did get one of the creaking when I shift to drive:

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?u4qttkndzwz

I just plunked the recorder down on the ground beside the driver's door and shifted back and forth from reverse to drive.

 

Alright, it's been a hectic summer but I finally have some extra time to look into this. I just did the brake test and the engine does shift a bit when I rev. It also moves quite a bit when I put it in gear. I'll try to get a video of it; I'm not really sure what an acceptable amount of movement is.
Thanks

 

Okay, finally got around to taking this car to a mechanic. He tightened up a loose CV axle and now there's no more creaking when I shift from reverse to drive, but the 2-3 shift squeak remains. I think it's pretty loud outside of the car; it seems to have an echo and I've seen pedestrians turn around in reaction.