scotty64

hi, new here with a question about my 4 speed auto transmission in a 99 build A33 maxima (RHD version). it is an RE4F04B type transmission with a 2nd gear shifting issue.recently i did some work on my car but not transmission related. the following day i use the car which i now have a 2nd gear selection issue. what the auto box does is basically hold in first gear until i either back off the throttle or hold a steady pedal. then it will change out of 1st gear and straight into 3rd bypassing 2nd gear altogether even manually shifting the gear lever into 2nd feels like all i have is a neutral gear,rev it a bit and nothing happens. when the auto downshifts its the same no 2nd gear.there is no selection slip between gears prior to what my problem is now. i checked the oil and it needed to be changed as it was a dark colour like a brownish colour. it didnt smell "burnt".i have since changed the transmission fluid except for what was in the torque converter and added an additive to help with friction and heat. i have replaced the filter, it wasnt too bad, not really dirty or clogged up, the transmission pan had what looked like grey mud accumulated around the base of the magnets, oil did have some metal like particles in it.magnets themselves had an accumulation of metallic particles, to me it didnt look too bad for a transmission that has done 330,000 + km's.i cleaned out the pan and magnets. all reassembled with no leaks from the pan. shift issue still exists as mentioned.i have a cheap obd2 scan tool, it picked up 2 fault codes it could not read them or erase them. no big deal old school way disconnect battery for a period of time to clear codes, shift issue is still present. my question is could the shift solenoid for 2nd gear selection have gone bad literally overnight, i have no CEL light on dash. i doubt its a mounting issue as i cant see any engine/transmission movement when free revving the engine without load in park or neutral nor does it have the usual "banging" noises for torn/broken engine/transmission mounts. one thing i have done to make it an easier car to drive is adjust the throttle position sensor so that it will not hold in first gear for as long. idle has only changed minimal from this adjustment(only did this to improve drive ability while i have this issue.) when i drive under normal acceleration 1st gear will hold to around 3500-4000 rpm before it shifts into 3rd, with the throttle position adjustment i made this has dropped down to around 3000 rpm with a not as harsh upshift into 3rd.i have searched everywhere i can think of to find an answer but what i have found where mainly flaring issues, i found 1 video on youtube that showed what my transmission was doing, he stated that both input and output "speed" sensors where changed out and problem solved. my transmission has only 1 of those sensors located at the rear of the transmission, i could not find any other sensors relating to speed/ turbine, sorry for the long winded post, thought i would put up as much upfront info as possible. any help or direction is greatly appreciated.

update:
i have purchased a better OBD reader and found 2 stored codes one is P1320 which is a misfire( i can feel it on idle, probably a coil not far off failing), the other code is P0325 which is for knock sensor which is apparently common on 5 th gen models. cannot find any codes from the transmission for my shifting issue. 2 codes i have would mainly involve acceleration and fuel economy.i cant see how these 2 codes can cause a transmission to not select 2nd gear in upshifts. also paid more attention to the transmission downshifting, it does go through the 2nd gear cycle but its like its in neutral. i also noted that it will go into overdrive when its selected but as soon as i add any power it drops out which it never did before unless it was hard acceleration like overtaking another car or climbing hills .my hunch is possibly the solenoid for 2nd/4th gear had failed, looks like an easy enough change out without removing the valve body as there is a reasonable amount of room to get to the securing bolts for the solenoid assembly.

Child_uv_KoRn

iTrader: (7)

Probably a solenoid. 2nd gear seems to be the common one to give issue.

scotty64

thanks, its what i was thinking as so many various nissan models with this gearbox have issues, strange how it failed almost instantly,there were probably some signs of imminent failure that is didn't notice. should only be a couple of hours work to change out solenoid pack.i have already checked which plug for the solenoid harness mine is a square plug and others have the round 7 pin plug.

scotty64

ordered a solenoid pack wont be here for about another week( in oz nothing is in stock) when solenoids arrive i will post pics of the process. i have done a filter and oil change on tranny already and checked out how much clearance around the solenoids. looks like it can be done without removing the valve body. i have also noticed there are 2 types of harness plugs for this transmission, mine has the square plug there is another round 7 pin plug for the same solenoid pack, no sure if this is year of manufacture related.

scotty64

i have been away for a month, solenoid pack arrived the day before i left. i plan to change the solenoid pack this week now i am back home. i will take photos and do a bit of a write up for the process and add it here when i am done. hopefully this may help others who need a bit of guidance when attempting the change themselves.

scotty64

done he solenoid change today, thought i could do it without removing the valvebody, no chance there is clearance around the solenoids but 2 bolts at the top of the solenoids are not accessible. 1 bolt is behind the gear selector linkage, the other is above the 4 solenoids together but access to that is restricted by the solenoids in the middle, i took photos at various points of doing everything. will do a write up later when i get some more time. to do this in total was a 4hr job for me as i dont have access to a hoist or have car ramps, after all the work done and everything reassembled gear selection works as per normal but on taking it for a test drive still no second gear. my problem is elsewhere within the transmission or electrical relating to 2nd gear. when manually select 2nd gear while driving there is no momentum from the transmission, i can rev it up without any slippage and feels like it is in neutral, so back to guessing what it could be, could be a shot transmission but i never had any gear selection slippage or any other noticeable problems.

User1

Time to check the harness. Did you bench test the old solenoid?

scotty64

have not tested old solenoid pack, I did find one of the electrical connectors extremely loose on one solenoid.didnt think of checking the harness for any broken wires or high resistance.saw on the 4th gen threads on resetting the shift control module for the A32 series,might try that sometime this week, I would assume the process would be the same on the A33.doing the solenoid change was a good experience as I managed to have everything go back where it should,i try to stay away from touching auto's.

User1

First step in the FSM is always a harness/circuit check.

Child_uv_KoRn

iTrader: (7)

That's unfortunate. Solenoids are such a common problem on 4th/5th gens (relatively speaking).

scotty64

i did a very simple power test for the solenoid pack i removed, 3 out of the 4 work. the solenoid that does not work has a grey wire running to it. the red,green and blue wired solenoids do open and close using a simple power and earth test. i did not check the re manufactured solenoid pack before i installed it.now i am kicking myself hoping the re manufactured pack does not have a faulty solenoid.i am not sure if i can test the solenoid function through the harness plug on the transmission. maybe i still have the same issue with a faulty re manufactured solenoid pack. if i cant test through the harness the only other easy option is to drop the pan and test from the internal harness. oh the pain of being an idiot and forgetting 1 simple process before installation.

User1

Negative. You just learned a lesson that will save you countless headaches in the future. The painful mistakes always have a good ROI.

User1

And which gear of the 4 did not work?

scotty64

2nd gear is the one that the transmission skips

Child_uv_KoRn

iTrader: (7)

You mean not to buy an auto? lol

User1

Nah, I love my slushbox. bugs worked out, no issues at 130k. Now if only I could hold WOT through gears 1 and 2 without my god forsaken high rpm knock I'd be happy. Nisformance doesn't want to dyno it and suggested mail-in, and Moncef at Admintuning said mail-in is pointless and to bring the car to his dyno. Not sure what the hell to do at this point. Pull a yard computer and see if anything changes.

Child_uv_KoRn

iTrader: (7)

Install 1 step colder plugs, clean pistons, verify AFR with wideband. Mid-high rpm timing is wayyyy too low stock to cause knock with proper fuel and AFR. Now, if you're using 87 octane, it's not cold and your KS isn't working, then yeah lol

User1

Wideband logging is next on the list. A definitive diagnosis/rule out. I have only run 93 octane. KS is new OEM. Plugs are new OEM. Colder plugs is a band aid.

Edit: You know what, I completely forgot about the KS bypass I made. I'll toss that in tomorrow and see if anything changes.

User1

I called 6 shops here in Tampa and no one would touch my stock ECU. Maybe I'll call back and see it they'll put it on a dyno just for numbers and AFR, no tuning.

Child_uv_KoRn

iTrader: (7)

If you don't want to drop the **** again right now to check the wires, then you could snag another TCM and see what it does. If it doesn't work, then you know there must be a wiring problem.

User1

Drop what? What does the TCM have to do with knock? The transmission is perfect. And wiring problem with what?

Child_uv_KoRn

iTrader: (7)

You're not OP! lol

User1

Now THAT makes sense! Sorry about that, OP, kinda went off on my own there

freezer

You need a Tactrix OP2 and to do some logging if you want to get any idea of what the ECU is picking up for knock detection. Probability of seeing any changes with a different ECU is very low

User1

Thanks for the info. I looked into some systems and they approach the cost of a dyno session, so I'm inclined to spend the money on a tool that I can keep and will be valuable for monitoring the car rather than a one-time drop for a datasheet.

cdoublejj

there's 1 guy in the whole world who will touch Maxima's he IS THE reason there is even any tuning software profiles out there. binary tuning. Did any one verify the new coil pack wasn't ****ed up too? Sometimes the cylinders and plates inside the solenoid get chuffed up. Also it's not just the solenoids but, also springs and ***** in the valve body too, well that and the actuator but, wiring is a common place to start. Bad wiring can ruin a tranny. that's my 2 cents

scotty64

I got underneath my old donkey and access the external wiring harness for the transmission.unplugged it and access to the terminals was easy, did a simple power test on the solenoids and yes this pack I installed has a dead one( so much for remanufactured was probably on old unit cleaned up but not tested).nissan australia wants $845 aud for a new set but no stock here,has to come out of japan mim 3 week delivery time.ebay is full on chinese cheap junk. contacted a few transmission repair shops, prices range from $627 - $687.I can get the solenoid pack from impex japan for $ 305 approx delivered.just need to confirm with them the plug type which I do know.I hate using nissan australia as they charge rediculous prices.it is cheaper for me to source parts from japan or the US including freight and exchange rates. the remark.of going off topic, doesn't matter we are all here for chat and help.

Child_uv_KoRn

iTrader: (7)

JFC. What about ROSTRA 529040 aka transmaxx? Or Intermotor TCS321? The first one is inexpensive. You can even just buy the individual solenoids for 20 USD plus shipping (I think they're the same as the 5 speed).

Rostra says they're manufactured in the US.

User1

That sucks. I can source in-state, complete, sub 150k mi transmissions all day here in Florida for around $250 bux a pop.

Pay some bogan in Foster's and he'll have one on your front porch by morning.

scotty64

there is a few rostra distributors here but none have replied to emails so far.I use to work for vehicle importers back in the 90's. I know how much used engines and gearboxes cost even today and iknow howmuch they are sold retail here.most cars in wrecking yards are high mileage like my car, not sure how much a used gearbox would cost from wreckers.bribe someone with fosters lol I would get shot, anyone in oz drinks fosters there usually tourists lol. fosters is australian for horse **** lmao.

scotty64

good to see you have some knowledge of aussie slang. bogan is similar to what you call rednecks lol

User1

He's bogan, it's a good deal!

User1

Too bad you weren't on the eastern bloc, toss a Gopnik a bottle of stoli and he'll bring you the whole car lol

scotty64

lol... gotta love the humour on here, makes it a better forum.

User1

Haha, cheer up! We'll get you runnin again

scotty64

lol celebrity bogans, they still have teeth lmao. my ****box is still running, just skips 2nd gear.got a month to sort it out before registration renewal is up

User1

Child says individual solenoids are available, so wouldn't that mean they can be replaced individually? You have two sets, just pop a working solenoid from the old assembly in place of the faulty noid in the new set?

scotty64

not available here individually in oz the nanny state, would be quicker replacing the whole set as its the same amount of work to remove then is there is the fun of removing the wiring with pin intact from the connector.

User1

This ebay listing indicates compatibility with Altimas and Maximas all the way from '93 to '06 if that helps broaden the availability for you. Looks like anything that ran RE4F04A

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Rostra-5290...-/112672441527

scotty64

i have the RE4FO4B transmission which is similar externally but some internals are different. the solenoid block that i have are like what is on this ebay link. but most of these are probably the cheap chinese stuff. i bout a chinese no name brand VSS and the plastic on it had swollen up from the heat of the transmission.i am leaning more towards buying a complete set out of japan through impex japan website.

https://www.ebay.com.au/p/18005698498?iid=293067264580&chn=ps&norover=1&mkev t=1&mkrid=705-139619-5960-0&mkcid=2&itemid=293067264580&targetid=53789027630 2&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9071849&poi=&campa ignid=7787616405&mkgroupid=81220430546&rlsatarget= aud-692203741102la-537890276302&abcId=578876&merchantid=7364522&gclid =EAIaIQobChMIhrzpkObF5QIVlCQrCh2bYAAeEAQYAyABEgKzv _D_BwE