zevla21

When I was talkin to the guy I told him i wanted the latest version 8Y00C and he told me it just doesnt exist. I got the 8Y00B version. Might throw an external tranny cooler kit in it when I do the swap just for good measure

scrui

I didn't forget about your question, I just keep forgetting to look at the tag.

boatguy272

another question,,,,if I buy the max,,,,,and it does start acting up,,,,, will the new valve body fix it, or has the trans been hurt at that point?

edjose17

Scrui:
Do you plan to do an TCM initialize, as required by NTB08-064a after transmission replacement? If so, how much the dealer is charging you?

KevMaster

No problem....actually it does not matter now....04 to 06 maxima valve body is inter-changeable as long as tranny is 5AT.

KevMaster

Yeah I was told by one parts sales guy at one dealer......and I remember his words.....may be he was been informed wrong to begin with. 8Y00B is the latest version as of now.

scrui

I'm not swapping the transmission, just the valvebody. I will be installing the valve body myself.

scrui

I called that # everything nissan, as per my vin I still get 31705-8Y00A.
he explain to me that there is two 5sp that's why it's important you give them the vin#. one gets 8Y00A and the other 8Y00B. he also stated that they are the latest version.

KevMaster

That's weird because my OEM valve body is 8Y000 and I was offered both 8Y00A and 8Y00B for replacement. Not only by one dealer but by more than one dealers. Another fact is that 8Y000 valve body is now almost discontinued....

I know for the facts that maximas that were built between:
Jan-2004 to Aug-2005 = uses 8Y00B.
Aug-2004 to June-2006 = also uses 8Y00A
(Aug-2004 to Aug-2005 overlaps)
That means maxima's that were build between Aug-2004 to Aug-2005 uses either 8Y00A or 8Y00B depending on VIN.

You are right and one should absolute confirm before getting the new valve body version.

May be maxima's that were build between Aug-2003 to Dec-2003 (Yes they were the first batch build 6th gen maxima's) uses 8Y000 valve body and can be replaced with 8Y00A or 8Y00B. I am not sure but I was told yes. I would ask again if I have to buy new valve body regardless.

Good to know all this and thanks.

edjose17

According to nissanpartszone, with my car VIN, my 2005 3.5 5-speed auto Altima has the 8Y001 valvebody, and the updated part is 8Y00A. My car was built in Feb 2004.
Just a FYI.

Vinnietbird

I'm new here, and I'm in the same boat. My wife's '04 has the same shifting problems everyone else has. Is this Transgo shift kit something I can do myself? I haven't had any experience with Nissans, but have worked on cars for a lot of years. Is the kit the answer to fix the shifting issues, or do I need an entire valve body?

To be honest, I tried to read this whole thread, but after a while, it all runs together to me.

I'm just wanting to get her car running right. I appreciate any help, and your time.

KevMaster

If you ever come acrossed clossed body solenoids then that all it takes.

There are three solenoids in valve body. They all have color coaded connectors. You will require to open the end cap using drummer tool on all three solenoids. That where you will see spindles are getting stuck because of bore and top/bottom rubber seal. All you have too do is to clean the bore using drill bit, clean the solenoid really good from inside and then put the new cap back in using shop press tool. You also require to calibrate springs and nut on another side of solenoid. To do that you can either measure them before disassemble them or simple thumbs of rule is 4x1/2 turns on two big solenoids and 8 turns on small solenoids. Put all back together and that should do it. If you need to clean the whole valve body then there is lot more work needed.

I am thinking doing this myseld if I get hands on not workinig valve body. I can't work on mine because I must need car everyday.

Edit: You can even buy all 3 solenoids from valve body repair/build shops. They run anywhere between $250 to $400. Or you can go with transgo repair kit. That comes with all instruction however you will need gaskets on top of trango kit. I have transgo repair instruction if you need. Please PM me. My advise is to get either remanufactured valve body or new from dealer and swap that out at home. That will cost you about $1000 for everything.

Vinnietbird

Thanks for the info. Another valve body may be the way we have to go with this. I have learned to hate the car. I loved it when we got it, good looking car, all the options, black with tinted widows....but this transmission has ruined it for me.

Vinnietbird

KevMaster, how hard is it to remove the valve body myself? I think we're either going to get the TransGo kit (and have it installed in the valve body) or get the latest version of the Nissan kit. Thanks again for your time.

KevMaster

If you have an access to the shop lift then it's not that bad. If car is parked on ground then it's not going to be that easy. I have never removed the valve body from transmission, never needed. One of the member "scrui" suppose to do this work during this week-end so let's see if he can tell something.

scrui

My brother and I are going to do the valve body swap on Tuesday. going to take pics and also film. I don't have a lift, but I'm going to put the front wheels on ramps, I should have the front end up about 3 feet.

scrui

UPDATE 4/19:
Installation complete, my Brother, my Son, and I completed installation of new valve body yesterday( Monday). Let me just start by saying it was exciting and scary making the swap. It took us all day because we went very slow and took some breaks. Finally this morning I was able to test out the car and let me just say, it's shifting like butter and more power on acceleration. I'm so relieved everything well and no issues after installation. I will have more info on how to remove and install the valve body. Also I will have pics.
PS: I will be leaving after this post with the kids for a long test drive, I will answer all questions later today.

KevMaster

Awesome...........waiting for your work steps and pictures though....

zevla21

I put my new valve body in on Friday, took about 2 hrs and 4 quarts of Matic k. Didnt have a lift, just jacked the car up for access from the bottom and also pulled the battery so I could get at it from the top. The colors for the wires were different on the old and new valve body so check that, but other than that its pretty straight forward. So far ive put about 150 miles on it and its been like new. Gonna partial flush it again then hopefully be done with it for a while.

scrui

Update:

Again drove the car all afternoon with no issues, transmission is flawless. Tomorrow I will put a guide together.

Vinnietbird

scrui....how hard was it to pull the valve body? I've pulled the one from my Thunderbird's AOD (drop the pan and there it is. A few bolts later it's out), but I'm still new to these cars. I plan on ordering the shift kit from Transgo (seems from what I read that it's a great alternative to a new valve body). I found a tranny shop in town that has been around for years and said he'd install the kit for somewhere between $150 and $200.00. I had planned on removing the valve body myself and also re-installing it. Thanks for any info you can give.

scrui

I guess the hardest part about taking out the valve was making sure you take out the correct bolts. I used the Maxima's service manual to guide me some what. I also had a problem disconnecting the wires from the selonoids, other than that it was fine. The key to get access to the cover is to take out the battery and the battery's base. This will give you access from the top and the rest from underneath the car.
Note: very important when you pull out the valve to small washers will fall off, make sure when installing new valve you put those two washers in first, use a little vasoline to make them stick while you bolt on new valve.

Thought about transgo kit, but places around here wanted 500 to 650 to install with no garantee.

KevMaster

These are the bolts that holds valve body in transmission unit.
X, Y, and Z are different size of bolts in pair.

DMAXI06

I really want to do this..

scrui

The left bottom two holes have bolts with cover, you will need to remove those also. I will show you a picture tomorrow of all the bolts in position.

hstead

Fellas, I am new here and can use some help. I have an 04 5-speed that has had the shift problem for a long time. I ran across this site researching the problem because everyone around here wanted to replace the transmissions. Well, I have now taken the car to a really good transmission shop where the guy has been doing nothing but trannys for 30 years. However, he has not ran into a Maxima yet like this.

I told him I wanted to have him install the Transgo Kit as that is what it appeared would be the fix from what I have read on this site. He had some questions about installation etc so he called his long time supplier. His supplier is telling him that the Transgo Kit will not fix my problem that I need to send my valve body off for a rebuild for $1200. He is saying that the supplier says that if my valve body is worn at all, the Transgo Kit will not fix it. He will put the kit in for $300, but he is recommending the rebuild because he says once he installs the Transgo, it cannot be rebuilt correctly later. Is that true?

Has anyone ran across a situation where the Transgo Kit was not the fix because their valve body had too much wear?

Thanks. Heath

Vinnietbird

Scrui....KevMaster...Thanks a lot. I appreciate the time and help. pics make me a lot more confident with this. I need to save some money where I can on this. I just do not have $7-800.00 for a valve body right now, but the car needs help.

scrui

How to change a Valve Body

Lift the front end of the car about two feet, high enough for you to get underneath and have
easy access. I used ramps. Please make sure car is lifted safely so there's no serious injuries.

Drain oil from transmission, use allan key to remove plug


Remove battery & battery plate. You will be able to see the upper bolts.


Also remove this bracket.


Now you are ready to start unbolting cover, but first spray Torx bolts with WD40, wait a few minutes before loosen them. The manual tells you not to reuse them,
well let me tell you they cost $8 each at Nissan, I reused them. I cleaned them up with wire brush and break fluid cleaner.
Tip: A couple of the bottom ones were a little more worn from the weather, so when reinstalling put them on top.


Remove cover bolts first. (this cover has a gasket that's very brittle, it will most likely brake if you try to handle it. Tip have a new one on hand when reinstalling).


I strongly recommend having a second person working with you, one can be underneath the car and the other on top.
I had more then one person working with me so we chose to unbolt first then to disconnect wires, if you are by yourself then I would recommend disconnecting before unbolting them just like on the service manual.
From underneath take out bottom and center bolts first, then from the top take out upper bolts, be sure to hold on to valve. You will notice they are not to tight,
remember this when reinstalling not to over tighten them, if you have a tork wrench better for you. I didn't have one so i just used same pressure to tighten them.
Once you pull the valve out, two small washers will either fall off or stay behind. from my photo one fell right away and the other eventually fell off also. these two washers were in excellent condition, so i reused them. In order for these two washers to stay up use vasoline when you reinstalling new valve body.



Here you will start to disconnect all the wires from the selonoids, the S1 - S5 were easy to disconnect, but the PS1 - PS3 were a pain to disconnect.
All the connectors are color coded and measure to length. when you reconnect them it's hard to make a mistake.



Remove bolt from sensor.


Installing new valve;
Place two washers with a bit of vasoline on them back first, then
while holding control valve assembly, connect the parking lock rod sub assembly to manual valve lever sub assembly. Then make sure you put the right bolts were they belong,
(what I did was, as I took one out I placed them on a towel picturing the valve, this made it easy to reinstall in order).
Don't over tight them, remember how they felt when you took them out.
Connect all the wires, again they are color coded and measured to length, but be carefull ok. Make sure they are all connected.


Follow these instructions to put cover back.


wait an 1 hr for RTV silicone to cure before putting new oil.
I lost 3 1/2 qts of matic k oil, so i replaced 3 1/2 qts of new matic k oil.
check for leaks, tighten accordandly.

Good luck.

KevMaster

This will be handy....great job scrui.....thanks.

Edit: Hey scrui, can you please do me a favor? Can you please read of the casting number out of old valve body? It suppose to sat like version A, B, or C and also something like 9168 on one corner. If you can get all numbers from it that would be awesome. Thanks man!

ATCzero

Guys, im in a bad spot. I had all the problems with the shifting with my 04 se. I read these forums and decided that id call courtesy nissan and get the upgraded part (8y00A) from them. I found a local mechanic that agreed to do the install. He called me after the install and said it was done but shifting very hard. When i went to drive to see for myself, i shifed to reverse and the car went forward! Same in nuetral. Evidently the valves are stuck? Now the mechanic wants to put the old vb back on tomorrow because he thinks the new part is bad.

Is this a defective part? Or a crappy mechanic?

I write this post while waiting for a ride home from the shop. Any help is appreciated!!

scrui

I'll get it tomorrow.

scrui

I doubt it very much the part is defective. He probably switched a wire. please have him check everything twice. print out the pics I posted. make sure the washers were install, make sure the rod was installed correctly. he needs to redo it. we checked everything twice and cut once.

my car is shifting flawlessly, I wish you the same.

Vinnietbird

Awesome write up !!! Thanks a lot. I'll be using this as reference. material. Hopefully I'll be ordering the shift kit and gasket soon and getting this car as it should be. The wife will be very happy.

ATCzero

scrui,

Thanks for the info. I went to the shop this morning and dropped off your post with pics and descriptions at 7am this morning. I called at 3 to find out the progress.

They back tracked and started over. The same problem occurred, So they put in the old vb. Still the same problem occurred. The car just won't go into gear anymore. Also, during slow driving, the tech say it sounds like the car is trying to go into 2 gears at once. Now they think its a bad transmission control module but they're going to do a diagnostic tomorrow to find out.. Thats a new part to the tune of $550 from nissan.

This problem was not there when I dropped the car off!!

I called Nissan and they said they'd be more than happy to help me out with this issue, but I'm already $1000 deep in this problem. I'm sure Nissan would get it done fast and correct... Not sure where to go from here. Any suggestions?

scrui

Sorry to hear you are having issues. Makes you think if you did it yourself would you have the same problem. I'm just a backyard weekend mechanic, so I couldn't tell exactly what's wrong, but someting tells me they miised something. How isn't the old working.
Did they disconnect battery?
Did they hook the rod first before bolting down valve?

How bad was your shifting previously?.

-AoW-JP

My second MAX first one was a 98 and now an 05. I love both of them but there won't be a 3rd. Both cars needed trannys. The 98 went at 60k and the 05 at 90k. I have a GM TH400 for 30 years now and it still rips all 3 gears. Hey Nissan get it right or do right by the consumer or be prepared to see more like me. Someone who's in search of his next car that's going to be worth the money.

160 Swiftly

Just went my first week with my new rebuild. I just lost 3rd gear and took her to the transmission guy in the area. I suggested the transgo shift kit that is posted everywhere. Bad thing is since i lost 3rd gear, i needed the master rebuild instead of the shift kit. Long story short, the shift kit is part of the master rebuild kit. I have never loved my car as much as i do now!! Sharp quick shifts, no gear slams!

So here is where i plug my transmission guy -
Acme Transmission
Worcester, MA (central MA)
Spoke with Mark.
Great bunch of guys. I told him i was referred by mmmercedez (forum member) and he knew exactly what i was talking about. BIIIG love to Acme Trans, Maxima.org and mmmercedez for all the help with everything.

+100!!!

LiquidIce

iTrader: (1)

Thats great to hear yours is workin out for you.. I have yet to do the shift kit but I live in Framingham and DJ in Worcester almost every weekend. I'll be sure to give this guy a ring and let him know you referred me. I need to get my shift kit installed. I haven't lost any gears or had any really bad shifting since my last drain/fill or anything but I want to do it as more of a preventative maintenance..

KevMaster

They want $1000 or more for shift kit install.....or at least that's what they told me. Unless they drop down the price, you better look for new valve body or level10 option. Nothing against their work but they charge the same money to install shift kit what it would cost for new valve body or remanufactured valve body from professional valve buider shops. Also transgo is hit or miss depending on how good it was installed and you get no warranty or low level warranty. I am just adding my 2 cents....

LiquidIce

iTrader: (1)

Hey KevMaster thanks for the tip.. Jeeze $1000 no thanks! For that price I'll install my own valve body and enjoy a case of beer.. lol Since you mentioned Worcester I was actually their yesterday to get my whole suspension redone.. Had all these projects ready to go..

New:
Springs (Progress)
Struts (KYB all around)
Rotors
Pads
Endlinks
bushings
mounts and boots

Car rides better than brand new.. but not to get too off topic I got all my work done at Workster Autoworks My friend owns the shop. Ask for Danny and tell em LiquidIce sent ya. Best prices in Worcester if you need anything at all done. They did an above and beyond job. Check em out if your interested.

https://www.facebook.com/worksterautoworks