I have a 2000 SE. About a month ago I was going about 40mph @2500rpm on the highway. I then had some room and gunned it, slamming on the gas. The rpm’s jumped up to 6000 and I could hear the engine crank it up. The problem is the car did not really accelerate to reflect the jump in RPM. It was stuck at 40mph or so…..car didn’t move at all/too much.

Anyone have an idea of where/why the engine rev’s up but no acceleration? This has happened about two other times since...

I have AUTO Transmission

 

If it's an Auto, it's a tranny problem, if it's a MT, it's the clutch.

 

i am going to go ahead and guess it is an auto.

Have you checked the level and color of your fluid lately?

 

No. How would I check. Sounds expensive already! Its a auto trans. Damn this car has really hit the wall around 95k mi. I swear I just want to put a brick on the pedal and let it jump off a pier.

 

If in first gear you accelerate all the way through the rpm range and it feels like it loses power at or around 3K rpms, its a MAF...

 

... more explaination of the problem can get better answers.. search MAF,.. 90$ part that takes 10 mins to install and solves all your problems,.. been there in my old 2k max...

 

the trannies on these cars don't go that often unless abused. Most times its a TCM causing problems. Jime beats on a STOCK auto tranny daily and pulls 10.8 in th 1/4. I manual shift my tranny day in and day out at 150k miles it still is running strong.

 

there should be a dipstick in your engine compartment, i dont know what color it is but i know the one for the oil is yellow and is to the left side of the engine. The transmission fluid one should be a similar bright color and on the right side of the engine.

When you pull the stick out the fluid should be redish, if it is brown it needs changing. I know a lot of people on there have had problems with their auto's quitting when they changed their fluid, i haven't read too much into this because i have a manual but maybe someone can ring in on this or you can do a little searching on the subject.

Sounds like it might be a maf problem anyway, do you have any codes?

 

had the exact same problem. i cleaned my MAF sensor and it helped, I also dude a seafoam. then it came back and i got a code. O2 sensor. soooo i think that's the problem for me. but do the 1st 2 as a quick cheaper fix. o2 sensor cost me 153 (OEM)

 

I put in a new MAF back in march. Its been fine since. The only thing I have done recently is a oil change and a new air filter...

 

This is not an MAF issue. It's a slipping clutch issue, either because of worn clutch material or a band issue or a hydraulic issue. You did get the kickdown as commanded by you, so the "electronic" part of the system worked and the engine did produce the power to "overcome" the clutch. As mentioned, check the fluid level first. If it's in the ballpark then get someone to drop the pan and see how much metal/friction material (shrapnel) is in there. "Excessive" amounts probably means that it's a basic worn clutch/band issue and a replacment tranny would be in order. If it's not "excessive" then as past history shows, it may be a solenoid (leaky), or something as simple as an old "nipped" "O"ring, causing a hydaulic leak. An honest? shop should be able to sort this out for you.

 

tranny issue. The a/t on these cars are ****, it's a known fact. Your probably going to need a rebuild or a new one, but it's probably worth it in a maxima. Engine will last forever, tranny and sensors just won't. What you experienced was more then likely a slip in the gears.

 

I'll agree the electronics in the tranny aren't the greatest (but they just do fine and there are solutions for it), which causes most of the problems most of the time, as far as everything else goes these trannies are actually pretty solid.

Manual guys have their fair share of tranny problems as well, no tranny is perfect.

 

lol whats the roll eyes about? look at how many bad auto trannys there are on this board. I'm one who has had slipping issues, it's a pain bro.

 

It's probably tranny sensor going If you take it to nissan and have them do a tranny inspection it was like 10 dollars that's how much i paid at the dealership and didnt have anything else done.

 

10 bucks for a tranny inspection if very very good. I had a few people wanting 100 to crack that bad boy open.

 

manual tranny guys have the same problems, you just hear more about the autos cause their are more in the market, only ~10% maxima's produced each year are manuals.

Don't take it the wrong way, read what added as an edit.

Jime has a completely stock auto tranny and he has yet to replace it and he just ran a 10.8 (spraying on the 1/4). He's the one who really convinced me (along with NMexMax) to stay auto. My tranny is beaten daily and treated like a manual, I had slipping issues but I did some maintenance and its fine now. The best for these trannies is a tranny cooler, its $50 and a good mod.

Now given I did buy another auto tranny, that I will tear apart just to have the gears specially done for other reasons. Our auto trannies are pretty good when you think about it, these kind of threads only pop up about once or twice a month and compare that to how many members are on this forum, I think the odds are pretty good that these trannies are well built.

 

I was surprised to it was the nissan dealership he said 9.95 and I was like what 99.95 he was like no 9.95 i was like oh and my cousin and the service guy were crackin up.

 

Like whoa!

 

no no like woah i just cant tell a story properly.

 

no I understood it....after I read it a couple times

try it like this

I was surprised to it was the nissan dealership
Service tech: "thats 9.95"
Me: "what 99.95?"
ST: "no 9.95"
Me (surprised): "oh"

my cousin and the service guy busted out laughing.

 

now thats the story

 

It’s an AUTO Tranny

If it is the tranny that needs rebuilding, I think I’m done with this car. I bought the car used 2 ½ years ago for $10k. It now has 102K miles on it and I still owe about $6,000 on the loan. I’ve also probably poured at least $3k in repairs/maintenance since I’ve bought it. In the next few weeks I will need to get new brake pads all around and two new front tires. At least $1k I’m thinking.

If I have to pay $2-3k on a new/rebuilt tranny: I’m done. For the first two years I looked at my car with affection, now each time I see it in a parking lot it’s a white elephant (its a white SE….get it….um yeah.)

What would you do?

 

well here was my theory. If you get another car, odds are your going to have to wind up putting a couple thousands in repairs anyway, regardless if its a honda, nissan, or ford. I would keep the car you have especially the way the economy is. the transmission will be well worth it. you can also run down your transmission for a while longer. Just use it until you have the money for a rebuild.

Now, to the other ops, sometimes I don't realize how much miles my car really has. its a 110k and actually thats a long time for a tranny to last. My friend had a Ford explorer that needed a new tranny at 35,000. that's a poorly made transmission. So somewhat I do take back what I said about the tranny, but still it's an annoying issue to have being that some maxs make it up to 200,000 with no problems like this.

 

I had a 90 model max done the same thing I replaced the solinoid pack in the trans and done great till the day I sold it

I now have a 95 SE Max down here in the south its one of those katrina cars lol ( katrina flooded it) had 63000 miles when I got it just after the storm now has 95000miles (trans had been full of water also) But no problems so far

But on the 2K like he said drop the pan if nothing abnormal is found I would replaced the solinonoid pack in the trans (around $150) I'm guessing by the last one I bought

 

You DO NOT need a new tranny. Its a $120 revolution speed sensor (part number 31935-8E006), and its a 15 min fix even for a noob. Easier than an oil change. I have a 2000 se with a/t also. If everything else is pretty normal, no slipping gears...etc, and if it goes back to normal for a while after you turn the engine off then 99.9 that thats it. It is a common problem for this year max. Will post again shortly to tell you how to replace.

 

Sorry dude, wife had dinner ready. Look there's alot of good info on these forums, you just have to sort thru some of the bad info to get to it. My max started doing the same thing at around 105k. The tranny seemed fine until one day i was driving along and bam, it was like the tranny slipped into a lower gear or something but without the right amount of acceleration. Pulled over turned it off and when i turned it back on it was back to normal. However, after that it would periodically do it again. For me the SES light also came on and I got the p0720 code when I took it to Auto Zone. The o/d off light also flashed on start-up. This may or may not be happening to you, but i'm sure enough that this is your problem that i'm going to take the time to tell you how to replace the part. You need a phillips head and a 10mm socket and a wratchet.
1. Jack up the front driver's side of the car (after loosening lug nuts on front driver's side wheel).
2. Remove the wheel.
3. Remove the lower splash guard (it's secured by 2 phillips screws and 1 or 2 10mm bolts.
4. Locate the old sensor. It will be right in front of your face. It's a small black piece with a wire connector on it located on the driver's side lower transmission. It is secured by one 10mm bolt.
5. Remove the 10mm bolt and pull out the sensor (it may take a smart tug).
6. Plug the new one in (you'll feel it pop in place) and replace the 10mm bolt.
7. Put it all back together and voila!

 

smoketheresfire: Your issue and zoutv's issue are completely different. Your's is consistant with the speed sensor causing the problem, verified by the SES and OD light and the associated fault code. The system detected the fault. The system get's "confused" because of the sensor issue and the shifting becomes erratic. zoutv didn't get any SES or OD light (at least he hasn't mentioned them) and the tranny actually downshifted normally when he tromped on it, but there was a clutch/band/servo problem. And the TCM never detected a fault because as far as it was concerned, there wasn't one.

 

Sampson: A lot of people jump right on mechanical problems when someone has a tranny issue. You see a lot of doom and gloom "you need a new tranny" talk on issues that are clearly electronic (MAF, TCM, rev counter, etc). Mechanical problems are usually chronic, starting minor and progressively getting worse. When an otherwise normal tranny suddenly begins behaving erratically I would look at electronics first. Basically, we need more info from zoutv for a certain diagnosis, but what he describes sounds exactly like my car felt. We don't have enough info to say that our issues are completely different. That said, maybe you're right, you sound very knowledgeable, and if there are no codes (latent or otherwise) I would be less sure of my diagnosis. I would just hate to see this guy spend a bunch of money or get a new car over an easy 120 dollar fix.

 

My car still does this infrequently.. I decided to try the transgo shift kit to firm up the shifts and hopefully fix the problem.. The car shifts under normal accelleration perfect.. No problems ever.. When I stomp on the gas, the response sometimes is a RPM shift W/O a pull from the car.. Almost a disengaged feeling.. If you backoff the accellerator, the car catches and pulls like it should.. I'm going to work my way from cheapest fix to the solenoids being the last straw.. I might also go through all the reset procedures in case the throttle is somehow not in sync with the TCM.. Keep testing out the issue Zoutv and give more precise info on when the problem happens and under what circumstances. Its the only way to rule out certain parts not causing the issue.

 

Installing a trans oil cooler on my 01 decreased the frequency of slipping. Trans slipping only occurs if I'm on road for about an hour is heavy stop and go traffic. Maybe less if I drive the car really hard. Yesterday my trans slipped on my way home. Had to make a stop at the market, but we I got back on the road, the trans was normal all the way home.

 

If turning off the car returns the tranny function to normal, it's almost definitely electrical. Is the ses (Service Engine Soon) light on?

 

a little of topic, but just so you know, a bad knock sensor really wont give you much worse MPG. i got 23-25 with a bad knock sensor...and now i got 25-26....well not anymore, my tranny blew up. waiting on a LSD

 

Yes it's on but it's that damn P0420! Before I installed the trans cooler, I would turn off the car, and start it up and it would still slip. That's why I stop the car for 5-10 mins. If you think it's electrical, can you elaborate more. Are we talking the TCM and/or the trans solenoid malfunctioning?

 

If it's just the p0420, it sounds more like tcm or solenoids (although Sampson sounds like a better person to make that call). If you have to wait 5-10 min before the tranny will operate normally, I doubt we have the same problem. Mine had all the classic RSS symptoms and you only had to turn the car off then back on.

The catch with the tcm is that although it's an easy job to replace, it is kind of expensive and it may not fix the problem. I'd have to be pretty damn sure I had an otherwise solid tranny before I invested in that.

God I hate auto trannies.

 

the solenoid that activates the 00vi needs to be fixed

 

I have a 2000 Maxima With very simular issues. After reading through this forum I have took out the MAF sensor and cleaned it. My car accelerates very slowly. After lots of research I think it comes down to it either being The MAF sensor or the speed sensor. I read online that if you unplug the MAF sensor and it begins to drive properly that it is to blame. But I tried it and my car would die when idling. Leads me to suspect Speed sensor. This YouTube video is exactly how my car drives.. It may look like its a tranny issue but it isn't... Help PLZ!!

 

That is the signature effect of a faulty MAF my friend. I think by now, all the old timers, have dealt with that situation...

 

even if when I take the sensor out the car drives worse?

 

Can't speak for everyone else, but my 5th gen sure as hell did......