Greetings all,

Long time lurker here.

I have a 2003 Nissan SE 3.5L Maxima and the tranny is spiking from second to third gear. What I mean by this is that when the car goes to shift it will generally be around 2,400 to 2,700 RPMs and then it will rev up and shoot the RPMs up about 400 to 600 RPMs come back down and then shift.

I went to local place here in MN called Kennedy Transmission today and they took it for a test drive, I rode with them. They stated that there is definitely something wrong in there, duh. He stated that in all likelihood the tranny would need a re-build. Naturally this comes at the cost of about $2,900. I also schedule an appointment for Monday at a place called AAMCO. They stated that if it needs are re-build that it is about $1,800 there and another $375 if the torque converter needs to be replaced. He did state that the tranny fluid was very hot and smelled like it was about to burn and at the point of breaking down. Since I have owned the car the tranny fluid has been changed twice so with only 75,000 miles on the car something does not add up.

Ok there is the situation, the questions.

Do you know if you can drop the pan in the tranny without having to remove the transmission? I would assume you can but I have never had to deal with a imports tranny before.

Can there just be an adjustment made on the tranny if the whole thing does not need to be re-built? I thought that you could make transmission band adjustments.

Has this happened to anyone else?

Any other constructive thoughts or suggestions?


Thanks!
Ryan

sounds like a TCM..... over $450 will solve your problem.. I have the same problem but no $$ to fix it .. yet..

Is this primarily a problem when the engine/tranny are cold? Several people have mentioned slippage when it is cold that goes away when the transmission fully warms up or the weather itself gets warmer. There is even a mention in the ATF thread in the Fluids forum where someone said he was having slippage problems on cold days after he added a transmission cooler-and his car only had 15,000 on it.

Have you checked the fluid yourself? A burnt ATF odor is pretty distinctive, especially if you know what good ATF smells like. If the fluid is just dirty but smells good, I'd do a couple drain and fills and see if that takes care of the problem. Could just be really dirty ATF.

I wouldn't trust AAMCO in a million years. BBB, Consumer Reports and other consumer advocy groups routinely slam AAMCO for their business practices, same with Cottman Transmission.

First thing I would do if the transmission fluid does have a burnt smell and you are sure it needs a rebuild, is try and source a low mileage used transmission. Make sure they allow you to drop the pan or at least drain some ATF so you can make sure it is red and smells like reasonably fresh ATF. I went through a 1 year ordeal with the transmission in my old Accord when I had it rebuilt. Took a full year and 45 days of car rental during that time to finally get it fixed right...and 18 months later, the torque converter came apart. Ugh. Ended up tossing in a used transmission out of a newer Accord and the final two years I had the car were completely trouble free.

Two good threads about this in the A32 section (and you use the same trans, so relevant).

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=550966
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=550862

Same problem, really....huh....if you have AIM would you mind giving me a shout I would like to pick your brain. I am heading to bed here then I am leaving in the morning until Saturday night so I could chat with you then.

AIM = PaulieWalnuts447

Thank you,

Ozz

Oh and what is a TCM?

Transmission Control Module, I think. Basically, it is the computer for the tranny.

This is happening all the time it does not matter if it is warm or cold.
I have smelled the tranny fluid and you can tell its nearing the end of its life but it does not smell burnt or that varnish smell. In addition now today there have been 3 times when I am stopped at a stop light and I hit the gas and you can hear the engine rev but then about 3 second later the tranny kicks in. No Effing clue.

Thanks for that info, I have heard several things about AAMCO but I sure felt like I was in good hands at the one I was at today.

I am going to look into used trannys on Monday. Any ideas on places to look for them online?

try simple thing like flush your tranny then decide something more serious.

known problem

TCM

call Dave B

Who is Dave B and where do I get his phone number?

Seriously, it's in the stickies.

You read the stickies, then you post.

1-888-254-6060.

Yup, I have the exact same thing with an auto tranny! =( It usually happens around 30-35 mph about the same RPM as you described. I had it for about a year right now =( didn't get to fix it yet. Thinking about taking it to the shop next week to check out what that is.

BTW it only happens when I accelerate slowly...if I accelerate quick (or if I floor it) it shifts normal without reving up the engine through all the gears.... wierd!

Then I'd definitey suspect the TCM, seems like it isn't telling the transmission the proper line pressure for a no slip part throttle shift.

Thanks a lot, I'll keep that in mind!

The two tranny threads in the stickies are busted so no need to be a dink.

Nice edit.

I don't recall saying ANYTHING about trans posts in the stickies. What I do recall is you asking the following well-covered question:

Did you ask for posts about transaxles in the stickies? I think not.

So I then told you where to find said information, even gave it to you:

To which you unjustly responded:

They may be 'busted', but if you actually READ the top of the sticky, in massive, red lettering, you'd know how to fix them.

Here, let me refresh your memory:

Therefore, if you follow their instructions (and I just checked all 4 trans links in the first post, they all work if you s/show/old...) you'll get the correct post.

Seriously, reading comprehension > you.

LOL, aight man. Thanks for that info.

how funny, mines do it the very opposite, if i floor it, then the car will drag my shift... and what i mean, is that it will take an extra second or two to fully shift, and only when its extremely cold(today), it will rev high right before it shifts

Seems to be a common problem with Maxima automatics-must be why in the shop manual they say to make sure the transmission is at full operating temperature before doing any diagnostic testing. Maybe cold weather soft or slipping shifts are more common than Nissan wants to admit and then have to replace transmissions.

Seems like everyone who complains about the cold weather shifts say it shifts just fine when warmed up fully.

yep, my 4th gen tranny started leaking, last winter, and was iffy throughout then ran fine the upcoming spring, and i can see it happening again with my 5th gen...

Welp just got her home from the dealership and it is the valve body that needs to be replaced. $1250 for parts and labor. Also the belts need to be replaced at a cost of $165. YAY!!

It would be cheaper to find a low mileage used transmission.

My car was and still is doing the EXACT same thing as yours. I took it to Nissan they said the front pump in my transmission is going out and that the transmission needed replaced. They quoted $3200 to do it. I went on line and i am picking up my transmission today for $450.00 its a used one with 23xxx miles on it. I have a local guy doing my install for $325.00

Mine did that on the 1 -2, changed the VB, hasn't returned since.

I am so damn confused I do not know what to do. Part of me wants to just get it fixed and be done with it but the other part says get a new tranny.

I found one online with 42,000 miles for $800 but have not gotten a quote on what it would cost to install it yet.

If its about $1200 for each which should I do and why? The dealership wants $840 for the part but I can get it from Dave B for $675 which is a nice little savings.

Well ****, just got a call from a guy in NC that has a used tranny with 20,000 miles for $650. Thats the same cost as the damn part that I need.

what color is ur car? what rims? looks beautiful

my tranny seems very ok in cold weather. unlike the CD player which needs to be warm up by the heater..

I go that route then, you get a transmission with 50,000 less miles wear on it than the one you have now-which no doubt has a lot more wear in it due to the slippage eating away at the clutch packs.

If the TCM failed a few years back would that eventually lead to a bigger problem down the road......say like banging into gear and a high pitch whistling noise during take off?

All of the problems above you guys are encountering I have and for a few years now. It has escalated within the last 6-8 months with the description above.I am very close to ordering a used tranny but I don't want to overlook any underlying issues as well. Any help?

i had a bad TCM on my 00...my tranny had to be replaced.

get it replaced!!!

If it makes the tranny slip, then yes. Slipping adds heat and wears out the clutch packs and eventually there is too much wear for the transmission to work. The faster you take care of a slipping problem, the less damage it will do.

i have a 2k2 with 73k. had the transmission replaced at the dealer a week ago for it slipping from 2 to 3. now i have it slipping from 1 to 2.... so i took it in again today and they are going to look at it again... they said i might need another trans... i'll keep you guys updated.

new trans #2 coming next wed....

So if I want to reprogram my TCM so it wouldn't rew up from 2nd to 3rd where do I get this done? The dealer only??

a TCM can not be reprogrammed...it is preloaded with all the values.

Jason are you saying this is not fixable? I though that this can be corrected. Some guys from the previous posts here said it can be fixed "seems like it isn't telling the transmission the proper line pressure for a no slip part throttle shift" ..."will cost around $450 to get this fixed"..
Hmmmmmm.... so how do I fix this?

if there is a problem with the TCM, you have to replace it.