Rainman1

Don't forget the Matic K (atf). You don't want them to put any other type in there after the repair. Doubt they will go to Nissan to get any. Just make sure that's what goes back in it.

moudmah1

thanks again for your help, it is really appreciated
there is no harbor freigbt in my city but I found a good deal for a torque wrench at 50$, it was 150$ so I save 100$, it is a medium model in inch pound but I've readed somewhere in this thread 120inch pound = 10 ft pound so its ok

thats a good idea to remove the rtv of the vb rim, I will do the same

Rainman1

Yep, that was one of my post, correct on the inch pounds to foot pounds.

Destroyer711

What a difference a day makes!! Yesterday, during my approx. 35 minute commute home from work my car was at its worse! Today, the install was completed and then test driven for the relearn; during my drive home the tranny shifted like butter. I will say that I will need new motor mounts because the violent shifting I've put the engine through for the past 12-14 months of figuring out what to do are evident. All totalled I spent $209 for the solenoids, $29 for 4 qts. of ATF (I researched a lot and decided to go with a different ATF versus Nissan's "recommended" ATF) and $140 for labor equals $378!


Again, I cannot express my appreciation for the folks here on the board who through their own trial and error helped me and so many others. Not only have you saved me potentially thousands of dollars but I believe this rostra will be long term versus a new VB, tranny, or the other option that appears to not have been too reliable.

po8pimp

Sounds great. I do however need to mention that the transmission holds 7 3/4 quarts of Matic K ATF3. So right now you have two different fluids in there. I personally have had experience with the off brand Nissan uses, the brand the Trans shop uses, and Matic K. I will only use Matic K, for some reason it just works better. The stuff Nissan tries to use they call the "All encompassing" does not work as good as the Matic K.

cclemen333

Folks, my Maxima now has 8,000 miles on her after I installed the TransGo Kit. I want to note the shifting is still smooth but this is a shift kit. I have concluded this kit is one that tunes the shift points at higher RPMs than a stock transmission for performance. If you want a closer to stock "fix" you may want to consider the valve body change or solendoid upgrade. I don't know what they do to those but the TransGo kit is not a stock feel.
It is working.

Rainman1

Couldn't agree with po8pimp more.
Mixture of the atf's are probably worse on your trans than going totally with non Matic K in it. If it were mine I'd at least be draining, (probably flushing also) then refilling with (only) your choice of atf. You got it shifting great again, is it worth chancing causing possibly worse problems (to the trans itself).

Rubberbiscuit

Complete noob here and a respectful "howdy" to all you pioneers of the truth on the Maxima trans issues.

I just bought a 2005 with 47K miles. With all the guys I work with saying Nissan is bulletproof when I saw this car for low $$ I just jumped on it without doing allot of investigation. (shame on me)

My 05 was owned by grandma and I bet never saw any high-revs AND I also live in a cold "Frozen Tundra" state. So I assume the insides of my tranny are the best they can be for the age.

My question => What is the best preventative maintenance I should do at this point? A trans cooler with the Matic K top-off and just wait for my first sign of bad shifting to order my Rostra upgrade?

(if "yes" to the external cooler then what is the best one?)

Thanks in advance

Rainman1

No need to be shamed, sounds like you got a good deal. The shifting issues (when they arise) are a minor fix now. Several years ago would be a different story (more costly).

Probably the best, easiest and most economical choice would be to drain, flush and refill the transmission with Matic K. If you do that you could prevent the shifting issues from ever showing up. Wish I would have done mine more often, but will be from now on (every 30K or so).
The trans cooler couldn't hurt but may not be necessary. My 06 came with it installed from the factory (bought mine new) but didn't stop the shifting issues from showing up (and it wasn't ever raced or abused).
Keep the Matic K changed and see how it goes.

Rubberbiscuit

So there is no worries about trans flushes dislodging particulate and causing more problem than it's worth?? (another thing I have been led to believe by many folks)

KevMaster

@Rubberbiscuit

Just do drain and refill to be on safe side. I felt first hard shift at around 120k or somewhere like that. From that point I am doing drain and refill every year or when I hit 12k-15k miles mark. Lately I am using another car and my maxima is kind of second car that I drive here and there. I am at 165k miles mark and haven't seen tranny issue got any worse knock on wood.

Yes I added transtune thinking it may help cleaning clogged solenoids. I am not sure if the transtune worked or simply drain and refill is helping. Either way $40-$50 a year for drain and refill is way much better than expensive repair. I hardly see hard shift from P to D to R or other way around. Yes I do get little delay in shifting from 2 to 3 but only if I drive like grandma.

Rubberbiscuit

Thanks Rainman & Kev -

That's what I will do (drain & fill back up with Matic K every year).

I will search for any threads here now on best drain/fill tricks (if there are any - as I still am just learning this car - that the wife LOVES - gave it to her for xmas)

sdyccyb

I did the Transgo kit fix 18 months ago on 04 Quest SE RE5F22a, and have driven 12K miles since. Before the repair I drained and refilled with Castrol Dextron VI completely, 3~4 times in one month. I paid $6 per quart for Dextron VI after coupon but now the price is higher. I'll probably go with Matic K.

Right now after 12K miles on Transgo kit, I am considering to replace with Rostra solenoids. My car still shifts fine, but there is a minor bang between P and R. It's reasonable to assume a Transgo fix may not last as long as an OEM solenoid. The mechanism leading to the obstruction in the solenoids is still there, and the press-in cap might not withstand too many pressure changes.
It's nice to see Rostra solenoids being available for sale, and they also seem to deliver very good results based on your experiences. I am considering to buy one set now and change it when the whether is warmer.

ONE QUESTION: do you know if Rostra solenoids come with a stainless steel tube, or a teflon tube? I saw someone stating the new OEM solenoids came with stainless steel IIRC.

Rainman1

ONE QUESTION: do you know if Rostra solenoids come with a stainless steel tube, or a teflon tube? I saw someone stating the new OEM solenoids came with stainless steel IIRC.


Not sure on that. I'm sure if you contacted Rostra they could tell you.


Added:
Check out the Rostra video on post #1235 (on page 31). May help you on the Rostras.
As for the new OEM solenoids, don't know.

JerryCoy

Hello all,
I’m new to the forum and I have been reading this post for a little while. Just bought a 2004 Maxima with 104K on it. Since me and “Murphy” are so close I figured I would do my research to see what are the common problems on the car. I have not been having any shifting problems so I was glad that I was good to go for at least a little while. I have had a few things come up in the past few days that I figured I would share, hopefully without boring everyone. While it might not apply to everyone it might apply to a few.
So the story starts.
Added cold air and cat back, everything went fine and the car had a little more pep. I didn’t get a car fax on the car but I knew the previous owner was a female (yes I know not all female drivers are bad, just going by the X though) so I figured I would start going through the car. First thing first, clean the throttle bode and MAF, went and bought Throttle body cleaner and MAF cleaner. Took off the intake and removed the MAF. Cleaned both and let them dry. After putting them all back together and starting the car, I get a 0507 error (rpm higher than expected) Did the research and found out our cars being FBW don’t like having the MAF sensor and throttle bodies cleaned. Easy fix, do the pedal dance and reset the Air mixture. The RMP’s were a little high (1100ish) before I started the pedal dance. Did the relearn a couple of times, and finally got the RPM’s to around 900. I figured I would go with that and see if the CEL would go off. Took the car for a drive and now I was having the erratic shifts in all gears, the worst was the down shifting when coming to a stop. 2nd to 1st would spike to 4K+. Being the first time around this block I figured the car just needed to relearn it’s shifting pattern. After a couple of days the shifting had not improved at all. Knowing that I didn’t have any of these problems before I did the reset, I hit Google again and found another video showing how to reset the RPM’s. These steps were close to what I had done earlier but not the same. So I went through the steps and the first time around I got my RPM’s down to 600 (where it is supposed to be). So I took her for a drive and now everything is back to normal. No erratic shifts up or down.
I will drive her a couple more days to make sure, but it does seem that you can mess up the shifting and fix it without even having a transmission problem. I told you me and misters Murphy are close.

Brian66062

Does anybody know which linear solenoid (i.e. SLU, SLS, or SLT) is the main culprit for the R to D hard bang? I put in the Transgo kit about 20M ago and this is the only problem to return. I've found a place to buy the individual solenoids and want to start with only replacing that solenoid. Car now has 190M and I want to limit cost as I hope to not own it much longer.

Thanks!!

Rainman1

Do you mean 20 miles are 20 K (20,000) miles ago? That's what I'm assuming you meant.

Post #1253 has a link to Rostra. Click the link and the second page should have the info on which solenoid is which.

Not sure I would just change only 1 though for several reasons: How (will) the Rostra solenoid work with the others...
If you are already having issues with the transgo fix it's only a matter of time that the others start acting up.
Then: you'll have to reopen the system and waste expensive Matic K multiple times... Having to do the same work multiple times...
May cost you a little more up front but may be well worth it in the end to do all 3 with the Rostra set and be done with it. Just my thoughts.



Also, if you're trying to get away as cheap as possible:
Did you do the transgo kit yourself are you took it to a mechanic to have it done?
Reason I ask is if you done it, just go back in and take the solenoids out and clean them out again (with the drill bit).
The caps should be able to be removed and repressed back on (no new parts needed). That way the only money you'll spend is on some Matic K and RTV sealant. (if you wanna be cheap catch your old Matic K in a clean pan and reuse it).

Brian66062

Thanks Rainman. Yes I meant 20,000 miles. In my line of work we use M to represent thousand.

A little more info on my adventures with this tranny. I put the original transgo kit in about 60K ago myself. Only did the solenoid clean-up with the drill bit and new caps without removing the valve body. Was too scared to remove the VB to put in the new solenoid relay sleeve & plunger valve and LRC sleeve & valve.

Tranny worked great. About 20K ago new symptoms developed. Hard bang 1-2 shift, 2-3 shift where car felt like it was bogging down prior to shift, and after about 30 seconds of driving above 45 mph it would lock into 5th gear. Downshifting prior to 5th gear lock was erratic but not that bad. Only way to get out of 5th was to turn car completely off. I don't remember if it was doing R-D delayed bang. Due to different symptoms I thought tranny was toast. Talked to local shop and he thought it probably was too.

Decided to check the solenoids just in case. Glad I did. Cap on black (SLU) solenoid had come off. Pulled out all three, blue and green rattled when shook, so i re-installed cap on black and put them back in. FYI. When I did the initial kit, I missed the step to grind the bump off the end of the connectors. That bump now catches on the lip of the new caps making removal of the connectors a real pain. Anyway, problem solved and tranny worked great again.

A couple of weeks ago, R-D delayed hard engagement started. Then Wednesday of this week the same symptoms of the cap coming off returned. Remembered seeing on interwebs while researching parts for daughters mercury cougar a place that sold linear solenoids. Found A&Reds in Kansas City and they had them in stock and I could by them individually for $73 each and I wouldn't have to wait on shipping. Took the day off Friday and just replaced the black solenoid. All problems resolved except the R-D delayed shift. From Rostra instructions it looks like blue (SLT) solenoid controls the R-D engagement. It is not as harsh so I think I will let it go for a while and replace both the blue & green in a couple of weeks.

When I'm back in it, should I put in the remaining parts from transgo kit? Can these be installed with VB still in tranny? If not, can the VB be removed while tranny is still in the car?

Rainman1

I remember someone saying that they used a little loctite on the outer rim before putting the caps on when they did their Transgo kit. Probably would help keep them from coming off.

Stuck in 5th gear is known as limp mode and is definitely due to the solenoids (in our case).

When I did my Rostra set (all 3 solenoids) that's all I replaced. They didn't come with those other parts that the Transgo kit does.
A set of Rostras (all 3) cost me $209 delivered. Rostra calibrates them as a set.

Not 100% sure on the extra parts that come with the transgo kit but I believe you have to pull the VB in order to install them. Yes, you can remove the VB from the transmission (transmission still on car). Then you get into VB gaskets needing to be replaced (or trying to save the old one(s)). Kinda why I did the Rostra kit on mine.

If you just want to get it going good enough with spending the least amount of money, I'd reclean your solenoids like you did originally. Make sure to do a good job on them. Loctite those caps on. Fill it with new Matic K.

Also, read post #1301. There is a pic of the solenoids and a tip that may help you be able to disconnect the electrical connections on them a little easier.

Purestock240

Hey everyone, new here. I'm very mechanical inclined im just not a tranny expert and this is my first automatic car. I just bought an 04 executive edition 3.5se. it has the shift problem only when its warmed up. it engages really bad into drive and has on a few occasions popped out of gear when letting off from 30-20ish, i've never had the issue of being stuck in 5th though.

this seems like the solenoid issue. also the fluid is a darker colour its not red like I would think. theres no metal in it though its clean. what colour should the fluid be and what fluid should I put in it? heard the 4matic nissan is the best

Will the rostra solenoids fix these issues?

also its -20 degrees celcius here for the last month and probably the next. is the issue going to get worse as it warms up outside?

firewall

Good afternoon everyone,

I was just wondering if someone could post a quick reply of what the best solution now is. I had the tranny problem around 2 years ago, and installed the Transgo shift kit, which indeed solved the problem. Now 2 years later, the problem is back. Not as bad as it used to be perhaps, but getting there.

I see a lot of people talking about the Rostra Solenoids install. Is this the way to go now? I know very little about mechanic, therefore if someone could just point me in the right direction (as in buy this, this and that and get it installed to solve the problem) it would be truly appreciated.

And by the way, don't want to look at getting a rebuilt valve body, planning on selling the car in 6-12 months, want to keep it as low cost as possible.

Thanks guys (and gals)!

Rainman1

It's going to get worse the more you use it, regardless of the temp. Hotter temps may increase the symptoms.

Rainman1

Did you change the atf since you had the Transgo kit installed? How many miles did you put on the car since you installed the Transgo kit?

Purestock240

thanks for the input, last question.

seeing as im in canada its a little more difficult to get parts. is this is proper solenoids?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AW55-50-AW55-51-Linear-Solenoid-Kit-3-Pieces-2003-and-UP-55-50-55-51-/350874757217?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Model%3AMaxima&hash=item51b1c3e861&vxp=mtr

Rainman1

Purestock240 that's the ones you'll need.
The picture they used is actually (used) OE solenoids, not Rostras.
But I'm sure you'll receive new Rostras. (I just spotted it and thought it was bit funny).

Here's a pic of an OE and a Rostra side by side.

Rainman1

Bought mine from this company for $209 shipped. Now they have them for $200 shipped. Not sure if that's free shipped to Canada though.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AW55-50SN-55-51SN-AF33-NEW-LINEAR-SOLENOID-KIT-ROSTRA-EQUINOX-MAXIMA-VOLVO-99404-/200924711248?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2ec80bc950&vxp=mtr

Kryogen

Um, so to sum it up, if you have shifting issues from the tranny, it's motsly just those 3 solenoids that you need? So that transgo kit is now kind of useless to get?
(regular drain and fill solved all my issues 100K miles ago, but just wondering)

Rainman1

What the Transgo kit does is rebuild those 3 solenoids (the cars original ones). They get grime or grit in them and stop functioning smoothly. They won't open/close properly hendering the Matic K from getting where it needs to be. The rebuild or clean or whatever one would call it makes the problem with them go away. How long, who knows. Probably varies by each car. Mileage, how it's driven, where it's driven... would probably vary the results on how well and how long the Transgo kit would last.

One can still do the Transgo kit fix (rebuild/clean their original solenoids and reinstall them), or buy Rostra's set of 3 better designed solenoids and install them. They've improved the design in hopes to keep the solenoids from getting dirty and sticking basically.

If you got away with only having to drain and refill to fix the issue congrats! Some have not had that success. Wish I would have done regular drain and fills every 30K miles since I bought it new but I didn't. You can bet that I will be from now till I no longer have it though. But thankfully all I had to replace was 3 solenoids and was able to do the work myself, instead of replacing a complete tranny or valve body.

added: Hope you're still doing those regular drain/refills and hope it hasn't been 100K miles since the last one.

Kryogen

I started 3x at 35K miles when I got the car, then 1x 1 month later, and have been doing it once a year since then. Completely solved the issues (got it early enough).

Why not just remove and clean the original solenoids then instead of replacing? And then keeping the fluid fresh?

Rainman1

Replacing with a better design that prevents them from getting dirty would even be better. Transgo hit cost aprox 100 bucks, Rostra set aprox 200 bucks (not counting Matic K on either fix). The same process of work has to be done for both fixes. Actually more on the Transgo, grinding the ends off.
It's up to the individual basically on which way to go.

Seems like you used a whole lot of very expensive Matic K (10 bucks a qt at best, 40 bucks every drain/fill). I count 16 qts if i'm figuring correctly (160 bucks). New Rostras 200 bucks + 4 qts Matic K.
I'd prefer to eliminate the suspect problematic parts for good.

Trust me, now that I realize the issues with these tranny's, I will be keeping the Matic K fresh.

In order to clean the original solenoids (properly) you have to grind off the ends to remover the inner parts, then with the proper size reamer (drill bit) you ream the grit out. The Transgo kit is nothing more than 3 caps that you put back on the original solenoids that the ends were ground off of. Also a couple of small parts that go on the valve body (not sure where or for what. I didn't put them on and my issue was fixed without those small parts. So not sure if they are really needed).

Good to hear of your success, lets me know I will certainly be changing my Matick K regularly. With the new designed Rostra solenoids in there I may be able to go longer between changes.

jahannah

2004 Maxima with RE5F22A transmission. A question for those of you who performed the replacement using the Rostra solenoids. I have had the same problems as everyone else, but I could drive for 15-20 minutes before the problem became so severe that the TCM would put the car in limp mode.

Last Sunday, I swapped out the three linear solenoids with the Rostra set. I rotated them correctly per the instructions and used the included bracket. It took me a while, but I got it done with no leaks.

The problem now is that I get a P0745 code (Line Pressure Control Solenoid malfunction (I think "A")) immediately upon cranking the car. Looking at the service guide on this code, it appears it could be fluid low, fluid dirty, bad TCM, bad solenoid, etc. Fluid is relatively clean and topped off.

I reset the SES and the code triggers again within 2 seconds of restarting the car. Did I nick or crimp a wire in the valve body? Did the linear solenoid problem hide a line pressure solenoid problem? Are these other solenoids bad now? Anybody have any suggested fixes?

I should add that I took it to my local dealership (I know, I know, stupid), who first suggested replacing the transmission, followed by replacing the valve body after I complained. One diagnostic fee down the drain. Oh, but they did come up with $1600 in other things that I could fix. SMH.

po8pimp

To be honest, if it was going into limp mode then it could have just been the Camshaft Position Sensors. I think the best thing to do is open it back up and check that you didn't mess something up. Check the wires and the connection points. Test the solenoids to make sure they are good. I would venture to say when you open it up, the problem will be obvious. Also don't forget to check your transmission grounding strap. It won't fix this problem, however is often forgotten about. Once you find your problem and fix it, then clear the codes. If you still get put into limp mode, check out the Camshaft Position Sensors.

po8pimp

Those small parts you are talking about are to replace the teflon coated parts that come with the original VB. The Teflon when it heats up, flakes off and causes parts to stick and that can't happen in a system like this that needs those parts moving. I replaced all those moving parts with Sonnax parts. Much better material and quality.

Rainman1

Thanks, that's good to know in case I have to deal with them later on (hope not).

Rainman1

jahannah, are you 100% sure you connected each solenoids electrical connection back where it originally was? If you open the system check that out.

Where did you buy your set of Rostra solenoids from?

jahannah

Thanks for the suggestion about the CPS. I replaced one of those a while back, but then I got the CPS code. I am afraid I will have to open it up and check the connectors. I hope it is just a loose or frayed wire. I will check the ground strap for the transmission as well.

jahannah

I took the solenoids out one at a time to make sure that I did not mix up any of the connectors. Black to black, green to green, blue to blue. Also, I followed the instructions from Rostra on how to rotate the solenoids. In fact, I think the solenoid grooves, in conjunction with the brackets, prevent installation in the wrong direction.

I bought the solenoids from cascadetransmissionparts on ebay. They were the same kit that you had purchased from ebay, so I think I have the right set.

Rainman1

That's good then. I did it the same way to prevent me from crossing wires.
I would have to agree with you, I don't think it's possible to install them without them being rotated the proper direction due to the bracket mating up with the grooves in the solenoids.

I'm sure you have the correct set, was just wondering in the unlikely event that you received a bad solenoid(s). po8pimp mentioned testing them (I'm not sure how that's done though).
May give Rostra a call directly and ask them if it's possible that one of their solenoids could be bad or if they've ever had one returned? (with moving parts anythings possible).

I'd gather as much info as possible before opening the system up again.
Keep us updated on what you find out.

kennywilliams

jahannah,

Make sure that you didn't overtighten the screw on the bracket that came with the kit. I noticed that the OEM solenoid in that position had movement before I removed it. When I replaced it with the Rostra solenoid, I noticed there was no movement; I had tightened the screw too much. So I re-torqued the screw so the Rostra solenoid had the same movement as the OEM.

jahannah

Thanks for the tip. I may have overtorqued it. Which solenoid was it?