Hi all,

I am sitting at about 3500 mile since getting car back after putting a salvage transmission with 40K miles in my 2010 with 150K. So, I have put 3500 miles on the new (used) transmission. All has gone well except yesterday. Firstly, it's had a knock that has progressively worsened with time - it's the same knock that the car had even with previous transmission, only it was extremely quiet when I got the car back and has progressively gotten louder (in any gear, at idle or when torque converter isn't locked). THEN yesterday, the stupid thing began shifting really rough (between R and D) - like it felt like a manual transmission when you pop the clutch. THEN the check engine light came on and I would shift into R, it died, restart and shift to D and it died, restart and shift to R, it died, etc. Shifting into gear felt exactly like putting a manual into gear and popping the clutch out - engine immediately stalled and died. Pulled a code P1740 - which is lock-up select solenoid valve. The problem seems electrical in nature. I let it sit for about 10 minutes and decided to try and pull the car around to a location that would be a little easier to get it out on a trailer. Parked, went in to my appointment, came out an hour later, drove 1 1/2 hrs home (this was yesterday). I drove it about another 1 1/2 hrs today, reset the code and it's acted fine since then with no new codes.

Becoming more distrustful of this vehicle as time passes...

At least I have the valve body that came out of my old one with all the solenoids if needed. Dunno...fluid level good, looks good, no odd noises, drives fine when at speed, good power. I've redlined it twice in that time passing heavy traffic on interstate and it definitely has a bit more of a whine than I'm used to with the last one.

Anyone know any specifics of the P1740? I have the FSM, but hoping I can actually get to that solenoid and replace only it...

 

Looks like a common issue with torque converter lockup. I hope that is all it is. Do you have any leftover parts from the swap to pick from?

On a side note, did you confirm your knock is gone?

 

You keep having all these issues with the transmission. I feel bad for you man.

I have decided to keep my car....daughter really likes it.

 

good luck with this bro. After al that grief and work want to see you win!

 

Thanks all! Pulled the pan down yesterday to inspect. Fluid looks good, magnets only had a very light film of deposits, so nothing is obviously chewing itself up in there. I did find an odd little plastic piece laying in the pan...about 2mm irregularblack hard plastic. Who knows what it was or where it came from. Had 2 qts remaining new fluid from the 10 i gave shop. Put that in and replaced the rest with what I drained out. Also replaced filter and found that the trans is leaking fluid at the bellhousing. Input shaft seal i am sure. Slow leak fortunately (for now).

I have narrowed down the rough shifting to times when the trans is hot. The hotter it gets, the rougher it shifts in/out of gear. When cold or not hot hot, it is butter smooth in and out of gear. However if I tax the transmission at all (highway speeds followed by heavy stop n go traffic) it will start acting up. Very heavy thunk when shifting in or out of D or R, worse with R. Seems like one of the clutch packs in there is grabbing when it gets hot. Makes me wonder if the Amsoil CVT fluid is to blame.

 

I would replace the fluid with NS-2 to see what happens. If the rough shifting goes away you probably didn't damage anything.

 

Since you were wondering if the Amsoil cvt fluid is to blame, I have to assume that you used Amsoil in your first cvt. If you did at what milage did you change over to Amsoil and what was the milage and the time frame at failure?


Two cvt's with problems running Amsoil one has to wonder.

 

Yup. All good suggestions. I ran only Nissan NS-2 in the prior transmission. The Amsoil CVT fluid went into the new (used) one. The stupid car nearly left me stranded (and blocking a very long line of people at a construction site). I had to essentially rev it in neutral and do a neutron-drop, barked the tires real good, to get going again.

I drove straight to a Honda dealership and traded that sucker in. Gone. Shockingly, they offered me $7000 on trade-in, which was fair considering there were problems with the car (but they never mentioned it, to my surprise). I'm really shocked the car made it out of the parking lot for the appraisal, honestly.

However, I am a new owner of a Honda Accord Coupe EX-L V6 (automatic), which they sold to me for invoice pricing of $26,500 (MSRP is $32,xxx I believe). It was a good deal and hopefully more reliable than the Nissan. Cheaper, nice, faster, and about 6mpg better than that Maxima - win win, for me.

Goodbye Nissan...

Thanks everyone for your support and help with all my problems. I'll be popping in from time to time. Otherwise, with good maintenance and treating it nicely, I'm resetting my goal for 300,000mi on this Honda. We'll see how it goes...

 

I believe that the Honda Accord Coupe EX-L V6 has a CVT. I would have thought you would want to avoid another car with a CVT? Best of luck regardless.

 

Why did you keep redlining it?........ You redlined the 1st one and this new (used junkyard) one... I doub't I've ever redlined mine in the 30000 miles i put on it. As a matter fact I don't think i've ever redlined a car.... Good luck with the Honda.

 

Best of luck with the new car!

 

Best of luck to you! Your insight will surely be missed in the org. Nice choice in cars....I am considering getting the sedan sport for the misses. On a side note, my daily driver is a 2000 Accord V6 sedan with 307k on the motor and trans! So with care I am sure you can reach 300k in your new ride! Best of luck to you and thanks for the exhaust!!

 

Firstly, the Accord 4-cylinder models do have a CVT. And I won't own another CVT after this ordeal. The V6 models have a traditional 6-spd automatic. Fortunately, most of the solenoids and such are external outside the transmission for easier service (hopefully won't have any issues, though).

And punching the gas every once in a while shouldn't cause a transmission to explode. Actually, the original CVT held up pretty well considering. But sitting at redline anytime you need the power to pass on the highway can't be good on the engine or transmission. I just think it's a design that wears faster by it's nature. So, I politely excused myself from that design. The Accord is better suited for me anyhow - I don't need something as large as the Maxima, the fuel economy is a lot better in the Accord and the package on the EX-L is a bit more upscale / tuned into the business user. The text/email feature on the Honda is something I'll use frequently whereas the Maxima didn't offer anything like that. I'm sure the new ones offer that option, but Nissan never entered my mind when considering a new car purchase. This whole experience just left a bad taste in my mouth and I'm done with Nissan.

Thinblue82 - thanks for the encouragement. Been a rough go for the past 3 months. GREAT to hear about your Accord with those miles. That's my goal for this one. I want at least 300K mi with no major mechanical failures and I'll be a happy camper. Whereas I don't have it in writing, so it likely means squat, the dealership said if I keep documentation of all services performed by an ASE-certified mechanic, then the car has a lifetime powertrain warranty. I'll note hold my breath on that one, though.

 

Is it really faster? I ask Because it's roughly the same weight as the max but with 12 less hp.

 

Eh - I dunno. I've punched it once from a stop and I'd almost guarantee it quicker off the line. Top end - dunno, haven't beat on it and don't plan to. We'll say this - it FEELS equally as fast if not faster.

It's a super nice car, though and a little more my style for what I wanted.

The coolest darn thing - riding through town, this car has VCM (variable cylinder management) - and my understanding is that it deactivates 2 or 3 cylinders (dunno which). Either way - at light throttle, even down to 25-30mph, you can actually hear and feel it cutting cylinders. Wicked cool thing, it is. LOL. Consistently averaging 27-28mpg and solid 32 on the highway. Much easier on gas...I'll take the 12 less hp for that...

 

Interesting, that vcm feature was only in the sedans for the longest.

 

Yup. That's ultimately what sold me on the auto. The manual averages 29mpg hwy and does not have VCM. The auto gets VCM and 32mpg hwy. I saw a solid 32mpg hwy yesterday going easy on it and I suspect that will get better with time as the engine breaks in. Hoping at least. It's definitely a pretty frugal engine for the power it has. It sort of feels and sounds like a low rumble at 25-35mph - well, like a 3-cylinder engine spinning at 1200rpm (I guess it shuts off 3 cylinders...maybe only 2...dunno). Add a little throttle and it's back to all 6 cylinders. Neat stuff...

 

I'm glad you were able to get into a new car. Happy for you buddy .

 

I really like those coupes. Looked long and hard for a manual that was low miles. The EX-L is a nice interior option too. Let me know how you like it after some miles accumulate.

 

oh boy, VCM huh? I am guessing you did not read about Honda settling class action law suit on VCM then? Its a biggest piece of **** ever. Aside
from consuming oil and fouling spark plugs prematurely, there is no benefit. In order to compensate for constant deactivation, the car uses two "active" engine mounts (front and back) that wear out excessively and cost $500 a pop. This creates shudder and feeling of underpowered car.
Anyway, best advise I can give you is to buy a VCM muzzler pronto and forget about it.
My other car is 05 Ody vcm disabled by home made harness.
Hit me up if you need more details.

I think you might have the VCM-3 engine. Most of the problems happened to VCM-2 (3-4-6 cylinder engine), but drivability and engine mount issues will always remain.
Good luck
Max

 

VCM is awful. I couldn't agree with your post more. Honda does not fix anything without a class action lawsuit. I get quite a bit of mail from a person called "settlement administrator".

Honda loves to force owners to purchase an oil consumption test as a first step. Anything below 1 quart per 1,000 miles is considered totally normal, which is absurd.

 

If what you're saying is true then the guy can't catch a break. Just left a car for transmission problems and now he's stepping into bed with a car company that has had class action lawsuits on their automatic transmissions as well as their engine now?

Yeah I'm not the biggest fan of CVT but unless it's was an 08 TL TypeS or the new NSX, you'd never catch me in a Honda.

No hate just live in a area (which seems to be a lot of areas) with riced out Hondas the have fart can mufflers so it's hard for me to ever consider something that these ricers have tarnished.

 

one does not have to go too far, just google VCM lawsuit.
Here is the detailed link for you
http://settlement-claims.com/enginemisfire/

Again, I repeat that the issues in the lawsuit effect only VCM-2 engines, but I think VCM-3 has not been out long enough to figure if there are new/existing issues effecting it. The problem with VCM is overengineering the car to save 1mpg. Most people, given a choice, would opt for more robust car vs hypothetical fuel economy.

I have seen the problems with VCM-2 first hand. My cousin's Pilot and friends Ody both had oil consumption and engine misfire.

 

Talk about not catching a break...yup! More reasons than two. Thanks for the consideration. Yeah - I did some more research and mine is a 3-phase VCM. It fluctuates between 6, 4 and 3 cylinder modes, depending on load and rpm, gear, etc. I would truly hope that Honda has fixed this issue. They apparently tried a software update initially, which was unsuccessful and I am truly hoping they have resolved this issue. However, thinking in retrospect, I will be sending oil analyses off. As long as there is no added wear to the engine, I'm okay with more frequent spark plug changes (assuming it isn't extraordinarily excessive) and adding oil between changes - which NEVER happened with the Nissan. Thinking in terms of overall cost and playing on the conservative side, the car is rated for and truly does deliver 32mpg HWY (which is all I do), so we will say 30mpg. Price of fuel is $2.20/gal here, so we will say $3.00/gal.

At that rate, it will cost me $0.10/mile for fuel. Add in the extra $8 for a quart of oil every 1000 miles ($0.008...ok round up...$0.01/mile) and $30 for spark plugs every 10,000 miles ($0.0003/mile) - that comes to a total of $0.10 + $0.01 + $0.0003 per mile - so, $0.1103/mile. The Nissan ate up $0.14/mile for fuel alone. The Honda's cost is less / mile and will still add up over time (I'll do service myself, so no labor factored in).

The REAL problem is that I drove the vehicle for a solid hour on the way to an appointment today, noticed my left pinky toe was numb - as in asleep and could have cut it off and not felt it. Had done some research last night and lots of complaints about seat discomfort. I had a 1.5hr drive to my appointment, a break out of car, another 1 hr drive to next destination, another 2 hr break out of car, then back in car to home for a 2 hr drive. My left foot feels like it is on fire. I am a 33 year old male, 5'11", 200 lbs, average build, no medical history and certainly no back problems. The driver's seat on this car has some kind of vexing pressure point that numbs the sciatic nerve on my left side. Nevermind the left pinky toe, even after going to Wal-Mart, purchasing a $25 gel-padded seat cushion (wallie world quality stuff, I know...) I have pins-and-needles in my left foot still. Left buttock, left thigh, left calf and left foot pain, numbness, tingling and pain. This car is horrific for anyone who wants to drive it more than 30 minutes. Like...literally terrible. I posted complaints on the NHTSA website and the carcomplaints.com website today - have NEVER complained about a car. My left lateral foot is still tingling and my left buttcheek still aching. Apparently, it is a common complaint about Honda Accords. I saw complaints before buying the vehicle, but after a 30 minute test-drive, I thought "yep, those people are idiots - this is the one". There were several complaints I ran across about "how can I drive with numb feet". I thought to myself..."BS". As clearly and truly as I can say it, it is NOT BS. I have no clue what I'm going to do now. I guess go to a good physical therapist and see if they can recommend a good orthotic seat cushion because I just can't do my job with this car. Over an hour in the car is torture...literally. I have no idea how I will survive 3500 miles / month in this thing. It's fun, but it is awfully damn painful. Again....FUN car, but way more painful that expected.

Word to the wise - insist on test-driving the vehicle for at least half a day...a mistake I won't make again because I'm stuck with it now. BTW...the Nissan sound system is so much better than the Honda (even though it has a "subwoofer"). Bit of buyer's remorse going on here...

 

Man! That sucks....My sister was car shopping last year. The Accord was one car she was considering. I remember telling her to rent an Accord because of the complaints I had heard about the seats. That way she could have the car for much longer than a regular test drive to see if it would be ok for her. She ended up getting a four cylinder Camry, big change from her E550.

 

holly crap, VCM is the least of your issues. Good luck buddy. It actually took me a while to get comfortable with Maxima seat, but its a-ok now.
As far as Honda VCM, no they did not fix anything. They tried software upgrades, but as far as I understand the issue is that oil blows by rings on deactivated engines. The dealers fix for misfire is to first replace the 4 plugs, if that does not fix it, then do a ring job. The problem is not bad engine wear, the problem is oil consumption, spark plug fouling on the 4 cylinders with deactivation (due to oil), and engine mounts wear.
So do yourself a favor, if you gonna keep the car, google VCM muzzler,
a guy in Canada makes a plug and play harness that will deactivate VCM (by fooling engine about coolant temperature). You will not notice and fuel economy drop and will have an engine that runs as it should without VCM garbage. Install is 1 min, completely plug and play and reversible for dealer
visits.

There is a lesson to be learned for everybody here. I also typically pick the car on their looks and test drive becomes a 10min perfunctory affair.....
good luck
Max

 

If you have the EX-L V6, do this mod immediately! I wonder why Honda did not enable this from the factory.

 

Damn man that really is unfortunate. I hope everything works out for you. I mean when I look at the new Accord vs the new Altima I always preferred the look of the new Accord better. I was in a 2013 for a month last year and I gotta tell you I loved it. It was very comfortable but I did realize that the Accord has better interior.

This makes sense though because the Accord is the last step before an Acura but the Altima is not so in essence the Accord competes with both the Altima and Maxima to a slightly lesser extent.

Like I mentioned before, I love Nisssn but I am not a big fan of the CVT so I want to test drive the new Maxima but I don't think for my next car I'd be getting a CVT equipped tranny.

In regards to what your were saying earlier, I'm 22 at 6'0" and 210lbs so we'd probably have the same discomfort in that car.

Good luck with everything man and don't forget to stop by the forums When you can.

 

To me thats just ridiculous... a cylinder cant shut down, you can only cut fuel and spark to it which to me just makes less cylinders fight harder to make the same power as more and i dont even wanna think about what damage its doing to your internals...

 

Yo dude i test drove a 14 maxi a cpl weeks ago, the cvt is smooth and sorta just "goes with the flow" and dont forget about slappin to sport shift which is always butter smooth with nissan so you get the best of both worlds

 

heavy hits when you shift can be related to the motor and trans mounts moving or needing to be replaced! It helped me tremendously!