Just my luck. I got everything off the old VB, removed it and opened the new VB box from Courtesy for the swap...The third solenoid (black) was completely broken off the body. It was just laying in the sealed bag...oh and look at the time... Courtesy is closed until Monday. Now my Max is going to me on jack stands until they send me a new one. I just hope they overnight it or something. Luckily I can sacrifice a few days without my car. Anyone ever have to deal with there customer service? They seem like a great dealership. Man I am bummed. Other than that, it has been a super easy job. The hardest part so far was removing the T40 bolt behind the ATF. I highly recommend having a few different socket extensions to use with the T40 bit. That is a tight space to work in. I will keep you all posted on the progress.

-Sarge

 

Hm, touch luck. Good you knew your ways around. Wonder what I'd have done if I had such a damaged part---with me thousands of miles away.

 

Thanks to all who replied in regards to the transmission questions. Great advice. I have decided to go with a Valve Body from Sunbelt. Going to have the dealer install it, will cost $190 for labor. Got tired of dealing with tranny shops. They would not give me a quote on the replacement. They would do everything but give me the information I wanted. Spoke with the service manager and he understands exactly what I am wanting so there is no confusion. Will probably get it done later this week hopefully. Thanks again!!

 

From everything that I have read, this is the way to go! $190 isn't bad for labor. Everywhere I called wanted closer to $400! Good luck, and keep us posted on your results, I am sure they will be what you are looking for!

 

I am not sure Costee, all I can do is wait until Monday. I remember reading another write up where someone was talking about having to install old parts with the new VB, but I think that was maybe for a non OEM one. For a split second I thought that was my issue, Then I seen the broken metal jagged area and knew I was screwed. Could always be worse.

 

I hope Courtsyparts would be courteous enough to do right in this matter. I got my vb from them.

 

Small update, Courtesy was real helpful. They even offered free 2 day shipping with some "talking to". Also they didn't have one at there location, so they are driving to another Nissan today to get it in there possession faster! UPS will be dropping by my house for the broken VB over the next few days and all I need to do is pack it back up. As of a few days ago, Nissan started doing a core charge for new VB's. Since my original order was before this new rule, they are paying for the core VB shipping cost. They told me Nissan is now charging them $200 if they don't get the core. IDK if I am loosing out by sending back the core or not. I was wondering what I would do with the old VB anyways...What did ya OEM guys do with your old one?

That is all that I have to report today.

 

Interesting, good development.
Hm, what did I do with my old vb? Maybe we need a new thread for this. Well my old vb is packed away in my garage with the carton of the new one. Honestly I don't know why I have kept it still. To wish that it'll become handy one day is to expect the new one to run into trouble for which the old might be useful. Dunno.
And why is Nissan interested in the original or bad cores? Is it to deny aftermarket makers who request for these cores some form of their sources. Or is it a strategy on the part of Nissan to turn them into cheap sources for the production of more vbs, especially for the 6th gen?
Oh, the shame of it. What happens to those of us well outside the US? The core charge will be forced down our throats *****-nilly.

 

That is a good point, I wonder if they are trying to limit 6 gen owners options when it comes to VB's. Making it so that they HAVE to go to Nissan only. That would be bad IMO because they failed to recall the crappy VB in the first place, they have no right to make that kind of move. Now if they are planing on making cheaper VB that come with some kind of warranty and cost a lot less then GREAT! I was also planing on keeping mine (Just in case) I think I will start a used VB thread. I am new to this, so lets see if I can figure out how to start a thread!

 

Good find..

 

I am going the OEM VB route. I am looking into buying this new gasket because the one I took off has a hairline crack on one side. I called auto parts stores and Nissan. No one could find this thing called a suction gasket. It is called something else? The gasket is shown in Scrui VB post. I am doing this swap tomorrow and really need this gasket. Thanks for the help.

 

I guess it is the GASKET OIL STRAINER with the part #31729-8Y000. Most people probably reused theirs. I did. Being too far away, I had no choice anyway
Check these:
http://www.nissanpartszone.com/Page_...mponentsNo=317
http://www.courtesyparts.com/maxima-...2732_2743.html

 

Thanks for the reply Costee. Reused? That being said. What do you think the odds of that hairline crack causing issues? It is so small that you can only tell when handling the gasket. Thanks again for the info.

 

That hairline crack is probably inconsequential. But if indeed you could get a new gasket, I think that would be preferable. The manual even suggested that the bolts should not be reused! Good thing is that the gasket is not expensive, and by installing a new one you rest assured that you had complied with the proper detail for a successful instal. Wish you the best whatever you decide.

 

Okay I NEED HELP ASAP!

I just finished installing the new VB. I double checked my work...Here is what is happening. I was trying to reprogram the computer and everything was going fine minus the expected hard shifts while the computer was learning the new VB. 1.5 miles into my trip I was going about 40. A VERY hard shift happened. Then the SES light came on. The max felt like it was stuck in a higher gear. I came home and went to the "Tiptronic" and it shows that the max is stuck in 5th gear, What do I do? I know the computer isn't gonna program itself while stuck in 5th and not shifting at all. Thank for the help guys and gals.

 

Update: I just came from my garage, started the Max, it now shows that it is in 1st gear. I don't want to drive it anymore until I figure out what happened earlier.

 

What's happening here? What do you mean by reprogramming the computer? What is meant by the computer learning the new vb? There's really no need for all this. So long as the vb is not defective and it is correctly installed it should be "kick and go."
So the SES light came on? What was the error code pulled. That should tell us where the problem lies. Indeed what was the original error code before the instal?

 

I never had a error code before or SES. On this other VB repair site the guy was talking about the ECU needing to reprogram itself after the new install, stating that the ECU was use to doing everything based off of the old VB, I haven't pulled the code yet. I don't have a OBD2 reader and haven't wanted to drive the Max anywhere. If it should be kick and go...it definitely wasn't on the first drive. Now that the Max is back in 1st gear I will drive it to a auto store for a code pull. I swear I did everything right on the install, and I don't want to take everything apart again if I don't have to and loose all that expensive matic-k. I guess I was hoping someone else had this issue and figured it out Thanks for the reply Costee, I can always rely on you!

 

Oh dear! In retrospect, it would appear that you already made a decision before reporting your problem to the house. I say this because I took it for granted that you had already diagnosed your vb bad before deciding to buy a new one. You didn't inform us of the symptoms you had before you concluded your vb was bad. Anyway, now that your SES light is on it is important that you have the code pulled before any further move. And may I advise that you buy a code reader? They are now commonplace.
PS. Could you give a background information on the problems you had with car that made you decide you needed a new vb.

 

Yeah I went off of my research for the new VB. Slight hard shifts when cold. After it warmed up I had the hard up and down shifts from 2-3 and 3-2 and sometimes 2-1. It would only hard shift after the car was at operating temp. This slowly got worse over the 1+ years I have owned the Max. Had 70,000 when I bought it, now it has about 83,000. There was never a code to pull. A few months ago Nissan "updated software" on the ecu and that fixed the issue for a few miles. Then back to normal. They recommended a new tranny for $3500. That was when I found this forum. I will go buy a reader tomorrow to pull the code. I drove it a few blocks today and it shifted decent (about 80% smoothe if 100% is feeling no shift) up until 3rd and never went to 4th. The RPMs were at about 2500 in 3rd. I didn't want to try to force it into 4th. I drove home and now I am here

 

Hm, clear enough. The only part of the story that I'm uncomfortable with is the fact that this problem has been on for over a year. In other words, I hope that the internal components of the tranny have not steadily gone bad, beyond a vb issue. What update Nissan performed on the ECU, I'll never know; if you ask me I'd say nothing useful. The good side now is that there is a code. Let's hear what you come up with.

 

Okay the verdict is in...I had 3 codes pulled. I don't know much about codes, but I guess all 3 were in different status. Here is what the codes say.

Definition:

Solenoid valve "c" stuck on
Probable cause:
1-Transmission hydraulic control fault
2-Shift solenoid valve C faulty

Now I had no codes with the old VB or any issues except the hard shifts when hot and soft shifts when cold.

Nissan sent me the first 8Y00B OEM VB and it was damaged when I got it from UPS. I called and they 2 day airmailed out another one. They didn't have one at there location, so they drove to they closest Nissan shop to pick up the 2nd VB. I opened this new package which was packed NICE. The only weird thing was that the plastic sealing the 2nd VB was open. I am assuming that they opened to before shipping to inspect it for damage. I would hope that they wouldn't send me a returned VB to keep me happy. So do you guys think that I did something bad with the install? The VB came complete with all the solenoids installed. All I had to do was swap the old for the new. Double checked the wires, made sure the shift lever was in place, bolted everything back on, no leaks and put 3.5 quarts of Nissan matic-k in. The only thing I could think of that wasn't so good was keeping the Max on jack stands for 2 days with the front axle hanging by its weight. Probably not recommended, but IDK how that would cause the issues I am having. Thanks for the answers and feel free so ask questions. I check this forum hourly.

Also While driving to get the code pulled today it shifted 1-3 kind of rough and eventually would get to 4th after staying in 3rd (2500 rpm for close to a minute) but it would shifted to 4th wildly. Like a hard shift...but different. Once I left the auto store after the code was pulled the Max started, RPMs dropped and it almost died. Then the RPMs went back to normal and I drove home. Still with the same kind of shifting.

 

Just not too tidy. I presume they gave you 8Y000B still.
As for the codes, could you get the real figures and not the description. You say three codes, but it seems you have one described here.
Is your SES light still on?

 

8Y00B is what the invoice said, is there any way to tell by looking at the VB? I will look at what they printed off to see if there are numbers on it. What kind of number am I looking for? As far as 3 codes, I am just going off of what the auto guy told me. Yes the SES is still on.

 

Tell him to give you the figures. Or, I'm afraid, you'll have to buy your own scanner to check.

 

I have my own scanner coming in the mail today, but good news. I found the code. P0762 I also found this interesting site about the code. http://nissanhelp.com/diy/obd_codes/p0762.html Give it a read and let me know what you think. Thanks for the help Costee.

 

Good. This effectively rules out your vb. So it seems you have connection problems. The factory service manual simply says
1.Harness or connectors (The signal circuit is open or shorted.)
2.ECM.
This is also consistent with what the code site says. I think you should direct you repairs accordingly. I'm no auto electrician, so I'd be less useful here
PS. I just wonder whether this was not the original issue with the car.

 

Yeah that is what I was reading. Is there a service manual for this Max online? I would really like to know which solenoid is "C" I am half tempted to drop and drain the VB again to triple check my work. Do you think I could get a super clean container and reuse the drained matic k? Or do I just bite the bullet and buy more of this liquid gold?

 

I'm not sure I understand what you're referring to as solenoid "c". Anyway here we go try this:
http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/maxima/

 

Thanks Costee, ya got me going in the right direction. This is what I have found so far. http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/Maxima/2004/AT.pdf Once this PDF is open go to page AT-423, it talks about code P0762 (the code I got pulled) Solenoid valve C stuck on. It states that it is in fail safe mode 2 also ECM restricts engine torque to prevent the clutch from slipping. Then on the next page AT-424 it talks about all the fail safe modes... This is where I get confused. Does anyone on this forum know what all these fail safes are talking about? I am not a noob when it comes to working on vehicles, but this is way above my head. I have tried to post all the info one needs to look at what I was reading. Hope y'all can help me. Please read my previous posts about how my Max has been driving/running/shifting lately.

 

Oops! I got this wrong. I was actually checking P0726, instead of P0762. Sorry about that. But going by this code, I'm afraid there's still a problem with the vb. Just what is happening? I think you have to recheck the connections in the vb.

 

Oops! I got this wrong. I was actually checking P0726, instead of P0762. Sorry about that. But going by this code, I'm afraid there's still a problem with the vb. Just what is happening? I think you have to recheck the connections in the vb.

 

Yeah that is what I am going to do. I am going to recheck my work. Go back through the steps...if it is nothing I did I will call Nissan back and tell them that the VB they sent is throwing a code. I am now really suspicious that the plastic was open on the 2nd VB they sent me...it makes me think that they sent me a returned one or something like that. I will keep y'all posted.

 

Here was the problem. http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/m...semblypic4.png
There are 5 Shift solenoid valves A,B,C,D,E and 3 Pressure control solenoid valves A,B,C
The code P0762 was saying that (shift solenoid valve "c" was stuck on). After researching where these valves were, I undid all my VB work and took apart the shift solenoid "c" on the SECOND VB that courtesy Nissan sent me to find that this valve was broken!!!! I went to the FIRST VB They sent me (which came broken on arrival as well) and swapped the broken "c" valve for the non broken valve. Put everything back together and the Max shifts like butter!!! I finally have it running great! NOW here is the bone that I have to pick....I understand that crap happens when shipping sometimes and stuff gets broken. But twice? The first VB that they mailed me had a Pressure Control Valve that was snapped off, the second had a broken shift solenoid valve, the damage looked more like some failure than something caused by getting tossed around by UPS... They said that they opened the 2nd VB before shipping to make sure nothing was broken, but I think that they send me a returned "2nd" VB that someone else already had issues with. For almost $1000 I should not have had to pick and pull parts from two supposedly new OEM VB's to make one work. I am very upset with Courtesy Nissan. I was going to send them my old VB core for being great with fixing 1st VB issue...but now I am keeping it since I ordered the VB before the new core charge rule that they made...That being said, it is hard to be upset when I have a beautifully shifting Maxima now!

 

Real tough luck you had there pal (I recall wishing you the best of luck at the outset!) Courtesy Nissan was certainly shoddy. Their negligence made complex what was supposed to be an easy and smooth process. Now, sit and enjoy the Max to the max.

 

That is the plan Costee, I am going to go for a drive today....BECAUSE I CAN! Thank you for all of your help! I hope to see you around the forum in the near future. Take care and have a blessed day!

 

Im kind of in the same situation as u. I bought a 2005 max and started having shifting problems a few days lata. Dealer told me that the jerking I was feeling was from brakes locking up. WRONG! I tried draining and filling the trans and it helped alittle but then the hard shift from 1st to 2nd and back started again. Took it to the trans shop and they said the valve body, motor mounts need replacing. Basically trans rebuild. I have barely drove the car since buying it. Now it sits in a trans shop waiting on my ext warranty company to give the ok.

 

Lets pray that your warranty covers this. Are you only having hard shifts from 1-2? I know that the motor mounts can cause issues. What are the specs on your Max? If you are having the same issues as everyone else then the VB is most likely the issue. But if your warranty is gonna fix everything for ya then GREAT! Just make sure that they put on a new OEM VB. I had issues with the shipping of my VB. But once all the kinks were worked out it was a simple install. I have put almost 200 miles on the new VB with no issues! The Max shifts smooth!!!

 

Has anyone noticed a vibration or perhaps slipping after replacing the CV boot? The funny think is it seems to have gon away after a few trips. The axel was removed during the replacment. I am thinking i will retorqe the axle. Any Idea what it would be? S

 

my 05 just came up P0726 and P0340, goes from P to R or D with a huge jolting bang and no power.. assuming P0726 is connected to faulty valve body ?? and P0340 is camshaft position sensor ??