like what the title says, Its done this mess before but only done it for a couple of times and then goes back to crusing normal. I'm quite scared i don't have money to put into this car right now but i need it and love it.

Driving home tonight crusing around 80 at 2600rpm back from school to my parents place for the weekend it will keep dropping out of overdrive.

a.) It will Drop out of overdrive
b.) tranny "P" light will go solid for 2 seconds
c.) blink maybe 13-16 times (Was trying to drive and having a hard time counting
d.) wait maybe 30seconds repeat at a.)

when it had done the dropping before I hadn't noticed the "P" light blinking but night it was dusk and fairly dim outside so it caought my eye. I have run the tranny diagnositic and it does the blinks straight through without pausing indicating alls good.

I drove in all 3 modes power, auto, and comfort would do the same thing. I also tried taking it out of overdrive and running 3rd gear at about 3800rpm but it would drop to 2nd then and thats scary to see needly jump to 5k but it didn't stay immediately slipped back. And also when i was nearing my house and down at speeds of 55 on highway near my house did the dropping and flashing, and so did barely running 30 or so through neighborhood. I assume flashing means need some kind of checkup? When i bought the car beginning of december the guy said he had just changed the tranny fluid. Its got a clean red color with a smooth texture and has plenty of fluid.

Most of the time the shifting is perfectly smooth and hardly noticeable, but other times there's a hard jerk not sure why it differs.

please advise if you've had simliar problems

 

Two things you should do.
1) check your tranny fluid, and if its old change it.
2) there are two bushings that tend to break and fall off, but the symptoms that your are having don't really make me think thats your problem. but anyway use the search feature to find out about the two tranny bushings.

 

The service manual refers to a couple possible causes for this problem.
1. A faulty revolution sensor
2. A/T Control Unit
3. The connector to the A/T Control Unit
With the symptoms you are stating I think it is electrical. The blinking "P" light is Self Diagnostics taking place. That usually takes a pretty extensive set of procedures to get into. That makes me think there is a bad connection to the A/T Control Unit or the unit is toast. I can send you the A/T Self Diagnostics if you like.

 

you to confused me at first.

I remember typing those details but at one point i lost my post and i must have for got to reinclude. I have the A/T transimision diagnostic that flashes like 10 times and it went through without holding on any beat.

Also i bought the car and the guy i got it from told me he had just changed the tranny fluid as one of the things he did when preping it for selling, along with some other things.

 

Sorry ... I missed that you had done the diag. Still say its gotta be electrical. Have you pulled and reseated the connector on the A/T control unit.

 

Hey, I have the exact same problem with my '92 SE. I talked to a guy on the NICO forum who is a Nissan tech in Rochester NY, and he found a service log about a similar problem that turned out to be the ignition coils going bad and causing electrical interference with the transmission. I haven't gotten this checked on my car yet, but I am hopeful that this is the problem because it is relatively cheap! Good luck, and please keep me updated if you figure it out.

 

I had this same exact problem when I was driving UP the Flagstaff mountain range in AZ on I-40 at 4am in -10*F weather while going 85mph. My thermostat was bad at the time and my temp guage needle was way below the C.

I had my car on CC and since 4th gear didn't have enough power to make it up the hill.. it would downshift into 3rd gear very violently and then immediatly shift back into 4th. All this happened very quickly. Then the P light would flash rapidly 16 times. My car did the same exact thing as you were describing the entire night of driving uphill.

When my car left those -10 degree temperatures in Flagstaff and started driving on flat ground again... I NEVER had this problem reoccur again. Very wierd.. I think it was the car getting too cold along with a bad thermostat stuck in the open position. I have had my car a year since that incident and it never occured again. I never could figure out what happened.

 

mm I'm assuming you don't mean the owners manual, but one of those big books for car repairs, i still need to get one, i had one for my cutlass[RIP] and my previous camry. I just got the car in december don't know much about where things are located like the A/T control unit....will investigate further thanks.

mmmm I hope its cheap too, im struggling through college and have yet to figure out where my funds for my last month of rent and summer rent is gonna come from . but I'm afraid this could be serious besides its not fun to drive home.

so A/T control unit and igition coils....will check these out thanks guys.

Aaron: mine was traveling in about 30-40C weather mostly flat going from Atlanta to Chattanooga, so its still chilly outside but not as bad as your condiditons....thanks for sharing though. although haveing the thermostat checked might not be a bad idea

 

The A/T Control unit is pretty much behind the ashtray. There are two side panels on either side of the center console... I think the one on the passenger side will give you access to the connector side of the A/T CU. The A/T CU sits on top of the ECU.

 

im having alot of the same problems. well it looks like i have some work to do in the am.