Ok I've researched this for the last 3 months and I found nothing.

I have a 2002 Nissan Maxima Automatic.

I had my tranny rebuilt at the end of August. Three weeks later my MAF sensor blows. My car sat over the weekend until I could get another one. After I get the MAF replaced, I go to test drive it and find that my tranny flares going into third gear. Also when I'm already in motion, I hit the accelerator at full throttle and find that my tranny flares all the way to redline before it will even move.

So I take my car back to the place that rebuilt my tranny. They tell me that its my MAF. I told them that I just replaced it. They tell me that it's not the right one or its a bad one. So, I replace it again.....same thing still happening. I take it back to them AGAIN. They tell me that the tranny worked fine when it left the shop. So they say it might be an engine problem. Ok whatever. They disconnect my line pressure sensor so it wont be as much flaring.

I take my car to the Tischer Acura Nissan in Laurel. They tell me that its definitely a tranny problem but could also be a throttle body problem. (For one, they didnt even test drive my car to see what problems existed. They just hooked it up to the machine and made a theory off that)

I go BACK to the tranny shop. Now they tell me "well it says here that it's throttle body related....you need to get that fixed b4 we do anything else to your car".....WTF!!! They wasnt even for certain that that was the cause of the problem.

So, now I take my car to Carmax, where I originally bought my car. They tell me its definitely a tranny problem also. I asked them about the throttle body....and they said "it could be but not for sure". So they call the Technician from the tranny shop and they get together with the carmax mechanic and look at my car. Then the service manager called me and told me that they can't do anything to my car because I have too many performance parts on it.......WTF!!

So for 3 months I have been given the run around on getting my car fixed. I have 5k more miles b4 my extended warranty is up and no one wants to fix my god damn car. Im about to go ballistic right now...AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!

If anyone has had or have any similar problems please help me. Ive read that it could be a bad TCM, a bad TPS or a bad Shift solenoid assembly. But people dont post the results or any info on how they fixed their problem. So now Im asking you.....

 

the transmission control module (TCM) is bad and needs to be replaced. the bad TCM is most likely what caused the original tranny to go bad.
call daveb and order a new one.

i had the problem on my 00 and the new TCM fixed the problem.

 

thank u....i will do that

 

as far as performance parts -
even though good judgement wasnt used when picking your parts they can not refuse service unless they can prove the aftermarket part caused the problem.

your admitted driving style could have caused the problem...but they cant prove that

 

i have a used 02 TCM that worked just great. PM me if youre interested

 

If the TCM doesn't fix the problem, then I wouldn't be suprised that the shop that did the tranny rebuild only fixed what absolutely needed fixing. I went through a nightmare with my old Accord. I took it to my Dad's mechanic (the guy is first rate) not knowing he no longer did rebuilds but sent them to a tranny shop about two blocks away. I had it rebuilt and it was leaking after the rebuild, plus flaring on the 2-3 downshift. First they said it was just the seal, then they called and said the converter was cracked. The next day, the converter comes in and it is the wrong one. New one comes in but the transmission is still leaking. Then they decide the case must be cracked. They get a new case, swap guts and now they can't get it to shift. Finally they said they'd get one out of a wrecking yard and rebuild it. Within a few weeks, this one was flaring on the 2-3 down and up shifts. And that was after two weeks in the shop and the manager blowing up at me and cussing me out in front of my then 12-year-old son, saying it was all my fault because of all the high performance stuff (header, cold air, exhaust, pulleys). Uh yeah, right. 125 hp stock, maybe 140 hp with the mods, no more than the EX versions that used the same tranny. Anyway, the owner of the original shop that had farmed it out to the transmission shop stepped in and told the manager that if he ever wanted another transmission job from his shop, he better fix mine right.

5 times it went back in, 5 times they claimed it was fine, even though it flared on the 2-3 up and down shifts. The owner of the original shop who farmed out the work called me and told me the shop got a new rebuilder and manager so I should take it back again. They agreed there was a problem, opened it up and it appeared to never have been apart. Apparently, they just tossed a junk yard transmission in my car without rebuilding it. Anyway, they rebuilt it right that time. Unfortunately, 18 months later, the converter came apart and toasted the transmission. I ended up finding one with 60k miles on it from a '97 Accord (mine was a '90) and swapping in that one. End of problems.

I hope you don't go through the same crap I did. $1800 for a transmission that never worked right the first couple of times it went in, then a 12 month battle trying to get it right. Not to mention 45 days of car rental during that time because mine was in the shop.

 

Wsup Yall.
I have 00 Nissan Max GLE (auto)
Milage: 154K & change.
Mods: Tokico HP Blues/Stillen Short Ram Intake/Tint: 20% front/5% rear/Alpine HU/(4) Infinity Kappa Perfect 6.1/Alpine PDX-4.150/Phoenix Gold Xenon 1200.1/S12L7 Kicker/

Transmission problems because probably of my driving habit, but symptoms list:

Early Symptoms:
1) 1st to 2nd - Hard Shift
2) Delay from Park to Reverse
3) Delay when put to Drive
4) Engine doesn't self brake (So basically car keeps speed if you let go of pedal) and constant use of brake.

Later Symptoms:
1) 1st to 2nd - Hard Shift
2) 2nd to 3rd - Delay (tranny slippin)
3) Delay from P to Reverse
4) Delay when put to D
5) Performance of Car (sluggish)
6) Engine doesn't self brake (So basically car keeps speed if you let go of pedal) "You have to continuously press the brake, than pick up where you left off" - Lot of brakes.

Current Symptoms:
1) Doesn't pick up 1st gear until you continue to give gas (very slow)
2) Very Hard Shift in 1st
3) Long delay (slipping to 2nd) than hard shift to 2nd
4) Whinning Noise when giving gas but car is not shifting pretty much the car is not in gear)
5) Long Delay (slipping to 3rd) than hard shift to 3rd
6) Pretty much in undriveable condition.
7) Looked up transmission pan and found metal flakes.
8) Engine didn't self brake.

Code: P0430 (Pre Cat/Bank 2 & Knock Sensor)

Right now my car is in the transmission specialist shop. Stealership tried to recommend me doing the solenoid packs, than if still bad, have to replace transmission.

Any recommendations?
Transmission Shop is going to take out the transmission and call me tomorrow by 9AM and give me heads up on what went wrong and what is bad?

Should I recommend them replacing a Transmission Control Module while they are at it? Also if they drop a remanufactured transmission do I still need to replace solenoid packs? I don't know if these two are together.

Need Help before I see what they are going to tell me.

 

well here's what happened to my tranny when i first got it rebuilt. first the car wouldnt pick up speed until it got into 3rd gear. then i lost reverse. when i took it to the traany shop, they told me that all my high clutches were burned and that my torque converter died.....

when i brought it back, they unplugged my drop resistor so my tranny wouldnt flare as much. they said it shouldnt hurt my tranny riding with the drop resistor unplugged. but since i've been riding with it unplugged for a couple months.....i wonder how my clutches are holding up.....

good thing they guarantee 1 year/12k miles

 

So this new TCM module you guys are talking about. Will this fix the 02 transmission issues as well? Right now mine is just slipping from 1st to 2nd, and gets lazy and car takes a major performance hit when the trans is warmed up. But if I could get a new TCM and save the tranny....I would be willing to do it.

Thanks

 

I miss the olden days when I could go down to a wrecking yard, pick up a low mileage TH350 automatic, replace the front and rear seal, toss in a shift kit and get back down the road for $250 or so.

Oddly enough, for all the transmission problems that the Mazda 626 is known for, mine was trouble free right up to when the car was totaled with 163,300 miles on it. The original transmission in my Accord made it to 190,000 or so before first gear went away. I am hoping with regular fluid changes I can get the same durability with my Maxima...but at least my Maxima is a nice enough car to make it worth putting another transmission in should it go out, couldn't say the same about my 626.

Leo and Dayton-what shops are doing the work on your cars? Hopefully you have found a good independent shop that specializes in transmission because the franchises chains are really only about replacing just enough in the transmission to get it working again.

 

the shop i went to was recommended by carmax since they dont do trannys there. It's called North Laurel Transmissions (they are an independent shop).

but im going to a tranny guy next tuesday. he has this machine that can tell you exactly whats wrong with the tranny. not just the scanner...he has some other hi-tec thingy....he said if my car has any electrical problem or bad sensors or anything, he can tell me. he is going to hook it up for $35.00. so ima see what he says. maybe he can work a wonder for me.....:fingers crossed:

 

id like to know what that "hi tec thingy" is called so i can see if there is someone around here who has one.

 

SAME HERE!!!

I hate automatic transmissions. I hate the electronic ones even more!

My "auto-tragic" history;

1982 Chevy Monte Carlo: 350 V8 (1970 4-bolt main 3560 from a Nova or something). The car ran great until... I shouldve rebuilt it myself (Its not like I didnt know how to, it was my ONLY CAR and I couldnt afford to have it down for any length of time).

1990 Nissan Maxima: Lawd... 7 trannys! All rebuilt by this guy who used to be in the DC Metro area. I wont bash his name. I heard he builds the BEST Nissan transmissions now. I guess he learned on MY car! LOL! After all of the madness, I replaced the TCM and all the problems went away (Hmmm.. Sounds familiar...)

1998 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP: On its way to its 4th tranny. Fricken PCS (Pressure Control Solenoid) is bad. Slips on light throttle but has nice firm shifts at WOT. Converter clutch slips at light throttle on the highway. Holds firm when you give more than 1/3 throttle. TPS is good. Disconnect PCS solenoid power wire on PCM harness = no more slipping. Now, it wont "learn" and the shifts are soggy. AAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH. Oh... PCM replaced. Both PCM's are reflashed with aftermarket tunes.

Give me a manual tranny ANYDAY!

Oh yeah. I have driven 1sexyleo's Maxima. Its either a valve body problem, a shift solenoid problem, or a TCM problem. I dont know why the shops dont realize this. Ask and I will explain...

 

when i find out....i will post it up.

 

cuz they so busy thinking its the performance parts on my car........

 

It's actually pretty rare for the TCM fail. It's much more likely you have a crappy rebuild that failing. It's nearly impossible to get a good rebuild these days.

 

please provide proof to back up your statement that it isnt common.
there is a TSB for it...TSB are created by NNA to provide dealerships with instructions to fix COMMON problems.

do not post as fact without proof. thanks

 

Okay I am in Cali right now. It isn't a franchise but a single owner w/ two shops. The shop is called Transmasters.

I went today and he said we could do patch up work, pretty much replace whatever is broken or they could rebuild the tranny.
He quoted me $1650 for the labor and $725 for the parts for the complete rebuild.

What went bad in the transmission was...my 4rth gear was out. So the RPM wouldn't drop. It would stay at 4000 RPM when it should be at 2.0-2.5

Also Mossy Nissan quoted me a good price they say $2125 for a factory remanufactured transmission & $620 for the labor.

What I agreed for them to do is they are going to do the following:
1) paper & rubber kit
2) Torque Convertor
3) Drum
4) 3-4 Steels
5) FWD Hub
6) 3-4 Clutches

3mo/4000 Mile Warranty : $1600

Can anyone tell me rip off or should I just buy the remanufactured one from Nissan for $2135?

Please get back to me guys.

 

Do it right and have it completely rebuilt. Seriously, no point in replacing just the 3-4 clutch packs and not doing the others since they likely have some wear in them as well. If you don't do it all now, it is highly likely in 6-12 months they will have to go into the tranmission again to replace at least the other clutch packs.

Trust me, as someone who dealt with a shop half-assing it on the rebuild and the numerous times it was back at the shop, not to mention the rental car bill, it pays to have it done once and done right.

 

I also found this doing some research. My car does make some weird noises sometimes and it's always coming from the driver side wheel well where the tranny is. Sometimes it's a buzzing noise and sometimes its a ticking noise.



"If the car won't shift into correct gears and displays a self-diagnostic light most likely the fault is not with the transmission. Sometimes a clattering sound may also be heard in the cockpit. This may be the sound of the transmission interlock system misbehaving, which may indicate a bad TCU."

 

That would be a lot cheaper than a rebuild....

If the TCU fixed your transmission, I would highly recommend installing a shift kit in the valve body since you are running your car at the strip. A side benefit of the faster shifts is less heat build up and wear since it reduces the overlap between shifts. Should give you slightly quicker ETs and make the transmission last longer. Definitely one of the mods I am looking into in the next few months.

 

yeah...just gotta find someone that does that around here. the shop that used to do it moved to kentucky somewhere i think

 

It really isn't that hard to do, but you take a bath in ATF when you remove the valve body from the transmission. I believe the Trango kit comes with an installation video.

I am still debating whether when I get one to do the install myself or not. No biggie when I did it in my Chevelle or Cutlass but those cars cost a lot less than my Maxima did, plus a Maxima transmission costs significantly more than the TH350 my other cars had. I'll probably make a decision after watching the video. If it seems as straight forward as the other kits I have installed, I'll save the 2-3 hours of labor a shop would charge and do it myself.

One thing I can tell you, I have never had a transmission fail after installing a shift kit, even when adding significant power to my Chevelle (3 cam changes total, heads, intakes, carbs, etc), or in the one I had in my Cutlass, despite swapping in a 455 with an additional 110 lb ft of torque vs the 350 that was in it.

 

Can't forget a tranny cooler, for good measure.

 

she has one

 

Then get a TCM and a VB mod.

 

ordered a used tcm for $100. we'll see what happens.....trying to put it in b4 my tv goes in. it should be an electrical problem, the guy that tested my car said my atf smells pretty good.

 

Bad shift solenoids can cause problems too...but unfortunately when I had my Honda, it was just a crappy rebuild.

Hopefully the TCM does the trick.

 

the guy said they woulda threw a code.....but it didnt.

 

Update: 00 GLE (auto)
Got the Maxima back after overhauling the transmission. The transmission is smooth now. But I still get the delays from P to R to D in any order. There is a bit vibration in the steering wheel (Motor Mounts). When I kept calling in for status on car they said they had to readjust the 2nd-3rd band (whatever that means?!). (Rental Car Fees were getting to me) First thing I did notice and what the owner told me was the pulleys were making noise. (is this maybe the shop's fault and can they tighten it?)

Driving Conditions: The shifting isn't pin point but I tend to drive slower from the stop instead of pushing the gas like I normally do to any car. I'm not too sure whether the transmission fixed the engine self braking in stop & go traffic. Have yet to see but will update soon.

 

Your transmission may need some break-in time but if you still get the delay going into gear from park, either you are low on ATF or there might be an issue with the rebuild.

 

received the tcm today.....lets hope this works

 

Interested in seeing how it works out for you.

 

i hope this does the trick b/c i will be very disappointed cuz i will be back at page 1 again. then i would have no choice but to take it to the tranny place. this time i wont be as nice as i was before.

 

you gonna do the work yourself leo?

 

lol....no, when it comes to electrical stuff....i leave it to people thats done it before. i dont wanna break nothing.

 

As far as I know, you'd just unplug the old TCM and plug in the new one.

 

its very easy. the TCM is right behind the radio

disconnect battery
remove old TCM
install new TCM
connect battery

 

unfortunately that didnt work. I dont know what else to do. i guess back to the transmission shop i go.

 

I feel your pain, believe me I do. I had to fight for a year to get mine fixed right after the initial rebuild.