I recently bought an 07 Maxima SL with every single option with 150k for a great price, but it has issues. The main reason why i got it so cheap is because the cvt trans acts up from time to time especially when its cold like it is now. It be times I can drive the car and its no problems at all, shifts gear ratios perfectly, but it be times where it seems like it slips and can barely change gear ratios, but doesnt do it all the time, i did 2 drain and fills and I changed the external filter by the drivers side tire. The trans makes no noise at all and it goes into drive and reverse smooth and quietly. The last time i drove it a few days ago, it gave me problems changing gear ratios for like the first 20 minutes of driving and than it ran perfectly, i think im gonna replace the valve body and see if that solve my issues before i replace the cvt? Is this the right approach? Need someone to put me in the right direction, also, trans fluid is not burnt or discolored at all. Thanks.

 

Replacing the VB isn't a bad idea. But first, why not scan the transmission (TCM) for codes to see what's going on.

 

What do you mean by cold? Where do you live?

 

I meant the weather, Im in Chicago Illinois.

 

Taking it to a shop to have the tcm scanned was my next step, even though the service engine light isn’t illuminated.

 

Do you have a heated garage?

 

The SES light is concerned more with the ECM (Engine Control Module).

 

nope, its parked it the driveway behind the house, ill order an remanfactured vb and post the results when it gets here.

 

Thats exactly what I been reading, people have thrown transmission codes with no service engine light, I will post updates once I get the new vb on.

 

Okay...suspect you issue has to do with the ABS and the winter weather. I have gone through that issue. On some 07s, due to which manufacture Nissan sourced your car's rear knuckles from at that point in the year, moisture gets behind the rear hubs and does not drain properly. This takes time. I owned my car 5 years before it started acting up.

So, when the moisture freezes in the rear knuckles, it affects the ABS. When that happens, the car will not go out of CVT's 1st gear because the ABS is engaging, though there are no lights on the dash.

The "sniff" test is the leave the car in a heated garage for the night and then take it out for a drive. If it works fine, then it is mostly likely the rear ABS system being influenced by frozen moisture in the rear knuckles.

I went through this. My car (07) sat at the Dealership for four weeks, they replaced the CVT, and no change. This is not common, as I have alluded to, because the rear knuckles that were sourced by Nissan at the time of production for my car have this design flaw. Maybe that is your issue as well. Considering you have an 07, I would rule it out before messing with the CVT.

I have attached the TSB.

 

This is the fix...crazy.

 

Ok that makes sense, I have an failing wheel bearing on the rear drivers side aswell, its making noise. I’ll definitely look into that!

 

I have a couple of questions, will an off the ob2 code reader be able to read transmissions codes if there are any? And also, would new rear hub bearings and wheel sensors fix the abs issue? Or do I have to replace the whole knuckle?

 

I doubt the OB2 reader will read codes from the CVT. You might be able to get a temperature reading. As for legitimate CVT codes, I imagine you will probably need Nissan Consult software.

You shouldn't need new ABS sensors. I am still running the original factory ABS sensors on all four wheels. Just clean the knuckle and replace the bad rear wheel hub first. You'll then know where you stand. That said, they're cheap and easy to replace, so I would just replace both rear hubs.

 

True. However, some non-oem semi high-end scan tools can access and read the TCM.

 

After doing some searching around I found some non oem code readers that can read the tcm codes, Im going to order one from Amazon. I went out to the car a little earlier to drive around a bit before the storm thats coming in tomorrow, car held gear ratios and see like a slight slip for like the first 20 mins of just riding through the neighborhood, after that, it started doing it less and less and than it completely went away and its driving like a new cvt, smooth and quiet while switching gear ratios, its about 26 degrees today, this seem like a confusing issue to tackle, holding gears and slip while trans is cold, but gradually disappear and get better as you continue to drive🤷🏽🤷🏽, but Im gonna replace the rear hubs and valve body and than go from there.

 

I feel your pain. There is nothing worse than fighting a ghost.

At any rate, changing out the rear hubs will help on fuel savings/tire wear/noise.

Good luck and keep us in the loop.

 

So earlier today I was out driving, I was playing around with manual mode amd paying attention to what gear ration it was in, i notice that when it would what i thought was a slip, it actually downshifted back to first gear on its own and that would cause it to rev up. So pretty much if im driving im regular drive mode, I’ll notice it shift to the next ratio around 17mph give or take, and than out of nowhere it would downshift on its own back to first gear. So it seems like it has a mind of its own at times when up/down shifting, does this definitely seem like an valve body issue? Also maybe because of the freezing cold snowy weather we been having, brake, abs, tcs and slips lights are all on, but we’re warming back up to the high 40s and 50s in a couple of days, so we should see if the car does better in warmer weather like it normally does.

 

Omg!!! I pulled the abs fuse and it runs perfectly now!!!

 

I would have never thought to pull the abs fuse until I was driving earlier in manual mode and notice how erratic and random it would downshift on its own, than i just read an older thread where a guy with an 07 Max aswell was having my exact same issues to a T was recommended to pull the abs fuse to rule out an abs issue and his car worked after that, i pulled it out and it’s running perfect at the moment, would it harm the car if i drove without abs fuse for roughly a week until i fix the actual abs issue? Im gonna grab a scanner that can point me in the right directions, but i do know for a fact i have a bad wheel bearing in the rear.

 

Glad to hear you have some direction and it is the ABS. You're on your way. Congrats.

 

Quick question unrelated to my abs issue, I just had an oem spoiler installed and Im trying to gind out which wires are for the 3rd brake light so i can splice into there, which color wire(s) are for the 3rd bake light? Thanks.

 

I don't see it. You're gonna have to break out the multi-meter.

 

I ended splicing into the 3rd brake light wiring and complete removed it from the car because i did t want 2 third brake lights, now i just gotta get the cover for the hole thats back there, thanks.

 

The rear wheel bearings finally arrived in the mail and I’m getting the put on tomorrow. So to fix this abs issue, I basically just clean the sensor and knuckles? Need to know what to tell the mechanic thats doing the work, thanks.

 

I'll get the TSB. Email, or give, that to the tech.

 

Here they are.

 

Thanks, I’ll be sure to tell him to grind the knotch in the hole while doing this job.

 

Update… I got the rear wheel bearings put on, and the noise is gone and it’s riding quiet now, they cleaned the knuckle and abs sensor, but i still have an issue, the brake, abs, slip and tcs lights all come on as soon as i get to around 10 mph. Shortly after leaving the shop, the battery light flashed on the dash but went off right away, i drove 30 miles back with no issue, later that afternoon i get into my car to make a store run, the battery lights was on, and it would disappear briefly if i revved the motor, on the way home, she died on the highway, so im assuming my alternator failed, i got it towed home, it will start up but the battery light is still on, so I guess im looking at an alternator replacement sometime this week, after I just had the rear bearings put on, it rides much smoother and quieter though.

 

I was left stranded on the side of the highway, the battery light has never came on before today, the car will still start as of now but i dont know how long it will stay running, Im gonna replace the alternator sometime this week, fix one issue and something else pop up, definitely ruined my saturday night, I’ll keep this thread updated, thanks for all the help.

 

Sorry to hear/see that. Yeah, these cars, past 10 years old, is a war with lots of little battles. Stuff just starts to wear out. Get that alternator checked out. It might just be a bad wire or, like ya said, a replacement. Jason (https://www.my4dsc.com/jason-lyrics-...6thgen-maxima/) affectionately referred to his car the gold-digger. Recently, I am also inclined to do the same thing. That all being said, I am glad to hear you've won one battle. Those new rear bearings should help with fuel economy, brake wear and tire wear, which means you should break even.

 

I may have had early warning signs that the alternator was failing, i drove the car for nearly a month and even with the rear abs problem, the abs lights, tcs lights, and brakes never came on,”. Than one day, they all started coming on as soon as I pulled out the driveway, and that was right before i pulled the abs fuse to allow me to drive. Im guessing, the alternator have been putting out lower volts than it should have been for the last month or so which caused all the abs lights, tcs lights and slips light to illuminate but not low enough voltage to illuminate the battery light, and than last Saturday the alternator was damn near at the end of its life so it finally illuminated the battery light? Lol im just guess here, but reading through older threads seems like this could be the case here im having, someone please get back to me, thanks. But nonetheless, i have an alternator and new belt on the way.

 

Update, finally got around to having the new alternator installed, cars back running good and smooth now, in the morning, im gonna put the abs fuse back in, maybe since a new alternator is in the car, all the abs light will be out now, ill update in the am.