Takes forever for it to shift from 1-2, 2-3 flares up like crazy and it only wants to drive in 3rd

Obviously I am no expert but it def sounds/feels like my tranny and in 3 yrs of having this car this the 1st time where it is just not fun to drive

I found a used auto trans for $350 w/50,000 (allegedly)on carparts.com

b4 I put the next trans in I wan't to add a trans cooler and transgo stage2 shift kit, will this extend the life to my future trans?

I would like to know if there is anything I can do to make my car shift better in the meantime or just tuff it out until the new one comes? Thanx in advance

 

Miles/year?

Same thing happened to my 4th gen, same exact thing. get a new tranny, it will only get worse.

http://forums.maxima.org/4th-generat...could-end.html

 

info would be nice right? sry, it's a 2002 w/almost 150,000 on the life clock

I noticed you are AT as well (btw nice #'s), what have u done if anything to beef up ya trans?

And if it happened to ya 4th gen then you know how stupid my car is driving right now lmao

 

You can always get it rebuilt with a "X" year/"X" miles warranty. I had one in my old Tahoe that was 3yr/100K miles. Had it rebuilt 2 times after that, eventually I just sold it.

 

The 2-3 flare when cold is a well known 5.5 gen automatic transmission issue. If you don't drive with a light foot in the winter until the transmission fluid warms up, it can flare pretty bad and eventually all the friction material in the clutch packs wears away. Noticed it with mine just after buying it in November of 2007 when it finally got cold that year. Had just under 114,000 miles on it at the time. Apparently the culprit is the valve body, assuming the transmission shifts properly when warmed up and the fluid is pink/red and doesn't have a burnt smell. My solution so far has been to ease up on the gas just prior to the 2-3 shift when the car is cold and I am now just past 180,000 miles and it shifts great when the weather is warm or once the car warms up when it is cold out. Not knowing how the original owner dealt with the issue, I don't know how much excessive wear they may have put on the clutch packs but 180,000 miles out of anyone's automatic isn't too bad.

If you catch the problem early enough so that the 2-3 clutch packs don't have excessive wear, either a new valve body (at $1200 or so installed) or the Transgo shift kit seem to fix the problem. I'd say in your case, with the problems in the other gears as well, a low mileage used transmission is your best (and most economical) bet. I'm not sure I would trust anyone to rebuild an import transmission, been there, done that and it wasn't pretty. My Honda was back and forth between my house and the transmission shop for nearly a year before they sort of got it right, then another trip back after they got a new manager and a rebuilder who told me the used transmission they claimed they rebuilt (after totally screwing up the first one and ruining it) had never been apart and still had the writing on it from the wrecking yard the shop got it from. They did a good job rebuilding that transmission, worked fine until the torque converter let loose. Ended up getting a newer, low mileage used transmission and between myself and the next two owners, the used transmission is working flawlessly.

I would get the used transmission and drive it around a month or two first before installing a shift kit or a transmission cooler. You want to make sure it is working properly before you do anything that might give the shop that does the work an excuse to void the warranty should any issues come up soon after they install it. If it is working fine after a month or two, and the transmission fluid is still red and smells new, go ahead and get a cooler and a shift kit.

 

sounds more like a TQ convertor...

 

$1200 installed? Cripes, you can get a new one for 400, and install shouldn't take more than a couple of hours of your time, or a shop would charge 2.5 hours. 1200$ is highway robbery.

 

My 2000 Maxima 156k mi does the same, holds out the RPM's under hard throttle conditions,the RPM's raise but the shift never comes, happens 1-2 mostly or when kicking down hard on the highway Ive been told TCM and or Solenoids , or clutch packs, seems to me like valve body/solenoid electronic type problem, @ shops here on Long Island said $400 to install TransGo kit (supplied by me) but no guarantee/and they dont wont warranty it,nor do they think it will help/I think it will basewd on the posts I've read/In response to the other posts /things are way more expensive here on Long Island,NY as opposed to other parts of the country ie: South or the West!!! I would love to solve these mystery tranny shift problems ,cause my car runs so good and strong --Help

 

I had a tranny problem mine 140k and A/T thought the tranny was done for had no reverse for a couple hrs it would rev and when hit about 2k rpm it would barely start going took it to the shop since check engine light finally came on and did a tranny flush and now so far so good and back to pushing it!! Good Luck on whatever you do!!

 

I also need a new tranny too.

 

My transmission was having similar problems. When I started the car every morning, I would have a hard time shifting gears. I would be at traffic lights with cars behind me and I felt like I was in second gear and the car did not want to accelerate forward but eventually the car did move. After a few minutes the car would warm up and be at normal operating temperature. Then the transmission would run fine after that but it still continues to hang in third gear not wanting to go into fourth only times. Otherwise the transmission runs fine. I am not too sure what the problem is but I drove about 200 miles the other day in different vehicle to pick up a used transmission with 70k miles on it. Not sure if its worth putting in yet unless its soon to die.