Hey guys, my '02 I35 tranny has been slipping from 2-3. I've read up on here about others with the 5.5 gen who have had similar problems. I was starting to think that maybe it was time to have the tranny looked at/fixed, but now that it's hot outside, it's fine. Can anyone help explain this? Even when it is cold outside, eventually the powertrain will heat up to "normal operating temperature", so why would the outside temperature make a difference? I'm sort of confused. It's *fine* now. I used to have to baby it while driving so it wouldn't slip, but it's perfectly fine now. What gives?

 

Pretty typical, my car has been doing it since I got it. Put 37,000 miles on my car and it hasn't worsened. Apparently it is a valve body issue, probably an internal leak that bleeds down line pressure until the transmission warms up. Based on what I read in the FSM, "perform tests when transmission is at normal operating temperature", Nissan knows there is an issue and is trying to cover their butt on this.

Those who have installed the TransGo shift kit say that it cures the cold weather shift slip/softness. I plan on getting the kit installed before this coming winter.

 

Thanks for responding. It is annoying, but as long as I am not going to have to spend 2k+ for a new transmission, I can live with it. In other words, knowing that it's just an issue these cars face and not an impending transmission failure, it's fine. I did take it into Infiniti several times and they assure me that it's okay..it just is annoying feathering it when it's cold outside. But since it's summer again, I don't have to deal with it for at least 6 months.

But I'm curious, could you tell me more about this shift kit? Is it expensive? How hard to install?

 

I had the same issue, the 2-3 slip is caused by bad clutch seals causing a drop pressure and thus the slip. I tried installing a Transgo kit, and it was money well wasted and didn't solve my problem. I ended up buying a low mileage tranny from the junk yard, replaced the seals for good measure and threw it on the car. Problem solved.

 

You are the first I've heard say the shift kit didn't help.

 

A shift kit isn't gonna help if the clutch seals are fried. If you have a faulty VB, it'll help but it's still a bandaid solution.

 

i kind of had the same problem in the winter but now that its warmer outside, it shifts relatively better.....

 

i had mine do the 2-3 shift when cold and eventually the tranny just went. My fluid was burnt and it was a pretty horrid slip. When it was above 50 degrees out it would not slip, but I guess the winter finally took it out.

 

Since the ATF is red and doesn't smell burnt, odds are it is a VB issue and not the clutch packs.

Not sure what you mean by clutch seals, each gear has a clutch pack that consists of clutches and metal rings.

 

My '02 Maxima does the same thing from 2-3 in the winter time. Is this something I should be terribly worried about? My Maxima has 72,000 on it and has been running great so far. Now that the wamr months are here, the slippage is almost non-existant. Is it something I can just deal with or is there a fix my mechanic can work on? Also, how often should I be changing the transmission fluid. I am not really able to do it myself, so it it something worth going to the dealer over? I have not done a transmission fluid flush before, so I am thinking it is something I should do soon.

 

Those metal rings are also known as seals. Somehow they shrink or wear away with extreme heat, and the tranny can't hold line pressure anymore.

 

i had the same problem the it eventualy lead to the tranny locking itself in what i think was 4th it only cost me $390 for a used tranny with 68k and a 6 month waranty and $300 to have it put it so its nowhere neer $2000 to have a tranny done

 

Read the 2nd post in this thread.

 

wat if you have a tranny leak... mine has been leaking and im wondering how can i get this fixed