Transmission Lag Please Help
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 28
Transmission Lag Please Help
Problem of a 1998 Maxima and I30 as taken from the FreshAlloy forums.
Hey everyone, I have been puzzled at something that I have noticed. I'm sorry for being old by starting a post about outdated vehicles but, is it me, or does the Infiniti I30 feel faster than the Maxima? Ever since the Infiniti I30 made its debut in 1996 it has always been ranked better by J.D. Power and other reviewers. Does anyone know what makes the Infiniti so much more superior to the Maxima? Why do I have to hold on to dear life when I floor an Infiniti I30 and wonder when I floor a Maxima? Both cars being of the year 1998. I have a very keen sense of cars, and the Infiniti I30 just feels so much more powerful than the Maxima. What I don't get is that they both have the same motor, the same transmission, and almost the same design. I have tried doing serious research on this and I really cannot turn anything up. Both engines are rated at 190 HP with 205 lbs. ft. of torque.
I bought the car with 28,096 miles. From the first day I noticed that the car had this annoying lag when the accelerator was pressed, like if it was lacking horsepower. Very noticeable when compared to that of an Infiniti I30. I took it back to the dealer with the complaint and as always, they could not find anything wrong.
I tell you, I mashed the gas pedal of a 1998 Infiniti I30 with 82,000 miles the other day and that thing almost burned a hole in the ground. Its pickup was instantaneous while the pickup in my Maxima comes a little while after the gas pedal is pressed down hard. I always use premium gas so I know that isn't the culprit, considering the fact that I use BP/Amoco gas, supposedly rated #1 by Driven Magazine.
I tell you, the Infiniti peels out like a racing horse after the first whip while my Maxima needs to feel the pain of a second whip to get going with no peel out. I don't want to smoke out but, I just wonder about the performance factor at hand.
I changed my spark plugs thinking that it would increase my engine's output but still nothing. However, the car burns fuel cleaner and idles like heaven when in park. Though I get some little jumps when I let the car idle while in drive, and those little jumps bring down the RPM's a bit, something that it never used to do before. I am thinking that it could be the ignition coils losing their impedance over time but that would be a costly mistake if that wasn't the problem. Does anyone here have a 1997 through 1999 Infiniti I30? Could you or anyone in this forum please tell me what ignition coils the car uses? My car uses Hanshin ignition coils. I was doing some research of the Hanshin company and I got leads that they were Korean. I don't mean to be rude or sound racist but, Korean and Japanese technology doesn't mix. Nissan sells ignition coils from Hanshin and surprisingly enough, Mitsubishi. I could use some help here people, any kind of info would be most very appreciated. Thank you.
Hey everyone, I have been puzzled at something that I have noticed. I'm sorry for being old by starting a post about outdated vehicles but, is it me, or does the Infiniti I30 feel faster than the Maxima? Ever since the Infiniti I30 made its debut in 1996 it has always been ranked better by J.D. Power and other reviewers. Does anyone know what makes the Infiniti so much more superior to the Maxima? Why do I have to hold on to dear life when I floor an Infiniti I30 and wonder when I floor a Maxima? Both cars being of the year 1998. I have a very keen sense of cars, and the Infiniti I30 just feels so much more powerful than the Maxima. What I don't get is that they both have the same motor, the same transmission, and almost the same design. I have tried doing serious research on this and I really cannot turn anything up. Both engines are rated at 190 HP with 205 lbs. ft. of torque.
I bought the car with 28,096 miles. From the first day I noticed that the car had this annoying lag when the accelerator was pressed, like if it was lacking horsepower. Very noticeable when compared to that of an Infiniti I30. I took it back to the dealer with the complaint and as always, they could not find anything wrong.
I tell you, I mashed the gas pedal of a 1998 Infiniti I30 with 82,000 miles the other day and that thing almost burned a hole in the ground. Its pickup was instantaneous while the pickup in my Maxima comes a little while after the gas pedal is pressed down hard. I always use premium gas so I know that isn't the culprit, considering the fact that I use BP/Amoco gas, supposedly rated #1 by Driven Magazine.
I tell you, the Infiniti peels out like a racing horse after the first whip while my Maxima needs to feel the pain of a second whip to get going with no peel out. I don't want to smoke out but, I just wonder about the performance factor at hand.
I changed my spark plugs thinking that it would increase my engine's output but still nothing. However, the car burns fuel cleaner and idles like heaven when in park. Though I get some little jumps when I let the car idle while in drive, and those little jumps bring down the RPM's a bit, something that it never used to do before. I am thinking that it could be the ignition coils losing their impedance over time but that would be a costly mistake if that wasn't the problem. Does anyone here have a 1997 through 1999 Infiniti I30? Could you or anyone in this forum please tell me what ignition coils the car uses? My car uses Hanshin ignition coils. I was doing some research of the Hanshin company and I got leads that they were Korean. I don't mean to be rude or sound racist but, Korean and Japanese technology doesn't mix. Nissan sells ignition coils from Hanshin and surprisingly enough, Mitsubishi. I could use some help here people, any kind of info would be most very appreciated. Thank you.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 28
My car doesn't have variable valve timing unlike the I30. No wonder the I30 has the better performing engine.
The 1998 Infiniti I30 and 1998 Nissan Maxima have essentially identical drivetrains (or so Nissan has reported). Your car may need an ECU reset, a new throttle position sensor, a new knock sensor, or something else-- the latter two parts can degrade with age and cause performance degradation (the MAF can fail as well, but it usually totally ups and dies...). If both vehicles are automatics, the automatic transmission may also need a fluid flush or something else.
Also, your throttle cable may have too much slack in it. Check it and see if it needs adjustment.
Variable valve timing was not implemented until the MY2000 cars, if I recall correctly.
As the I30 is also a smidgen heavier, it shouldn't be actually be faster-- it should actually be a smidgen slower. The difference between a "strong" stock VQ30DE and a "weak" one is only 3-6fwhp/3-6fwtq anyway, if your car is a weaker example and the I30 a stronger one... but still, 6hp shouldn't be headsnapping or anything.
Quite clearly, your butt-dyno is miscalibrated.
(rolling burnouts in 1st gear are possible in just about every stock VQ30DE powered car I've driven...)
Thank you for the suggestions Brian. I changed the fluid of my automatic transmission long before it hit 30,000 miles. Your other points are logical but, how do I convince the Nissan dealer to do an ECU reset, or check the aforementioned without giving me the run around? Sometimes I hate those Nissan guys. I will definitely take everything that you mentioned under serious consideration and bring them to a different dealer's attention. The Bergenfield Nissan in N.J. has top technicians and I feel confident that they can fix that A/T lag, but I am afraid that I will be taken for a ride. This would be a good time to learn the gift of gab. Thanks again for your post Brianw.
The 1998 Infiniti I30 and 1998 Nissan Maxima have essentially identical drivetrains (or so Nissan has reported). Your car may need an ECU reset, a new throttle position sensor, a new knock sensor, or something else-- the latter two parts can degrade with age and cause performance degradation (the MAF can fail as well, but it usually totally ups and dies...). If both vehicles are automatics, the automatic transmission may also need a fluid flush or something else.
Also, your throttle cable may have too much slack in it. Check it and see if it needs adjustment.
Variable valve timing was not implemented until the MY2000 cars, if I recall correctly.
As the I30 is also a smidgen heavier, it shouldn't be actually be faster-- it should actually be a smidgen slower. The difference between a "strong" stock VQ30DE and a "weak" one is only 3-6fwhp/3-6fwtq anyway, if your car is a weaker example and the I30 a stronger one... but still, 6hp shouldn't be headsnapping or anything.
Quite clearly, your butt-dyno is miscalibrated.
(rolling burnouts in 1st gear are possible in just about every stock VQ30DE powered car I've driven...)
Thank you for the suggestions Brian. I changed the fluid of my automatic transmission long before it hit 30,000 miles. Your other points are logical but, how do I convince the Nissan dealer to do an ECU reset, or check the aforementioned without giving me the run around? Sometimes I hate those Nissan guys. I will definitely take everything that you mentioned under serious consideration and bring them to a different dealer's attention. The Bergenfield Nissan in N.J. has top technicians and I feel confident that they can fix that A/T lag, but I am afraid that I will be taken for a ride. This would be a good time to learn the gift of gab. Thanks again for your post Brianw.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 28
Finally I see someone on FA with this problem.
But my problem is exactly identical but its on a 98I30. The car has low miles. Bought it from an infiniti dealer late 2001 w/27000 miles on it. I have this exact identical problem on the I30.
Got a tranny flush done, ecu reset (infact a new ecu was put in, which made it worse and got the old one put back in) throttle body cleaned, TPS adjusted.
But the service guys have no clue. THey finally say that all I30's drive like this (bull). Sent a feedback to Infiniti consumer affairs, but no point.
Q45tech over here at FA suggested a probable tranny replacement. But the service people say the diagnostics do not indicate a tranny malfunction. But Q45tech feels it is a tranny malfunction which is not sendign a fault code. I felt so helpless and the cold attitude of infiniti consumer affairs really ****ed me off. I sent a writted letter to them,and got a phone call. The lady went on to say that the service dept can do nothing about it sine, there was no fault code for them to work with. (WHY MAKE SOMETHING WHICH CAN'T BE FIXED). Will never buy an infiniti again. I'm just hoping the tranny dies soon, as my warranty expires in september 2004.
Could you please elaborate a little more about the problem you are having psriniv? I heard that the '98 Maximas and I30s had an open campaign or a TSB for the A/T solenoid. About my car, it performs great, but from zero to say, twenty miles an hour it feels "tired". And I mean tired because I remember when I first drove this kind of Maxima back in '95. If I just even played with the gas pedal a little bit that thing was already peeling out. We need to get to the bottom of this problem, for performance sake.
Your description of TIRED fits perfectly. Only when the car goes below 20 and then has to move up, the lag is definitive. THe car feels lazy to move and then on pushing the gas pedal it jolts forward with a definite lag. THis problem is not very prominent when you start from a stop. It comes in when you slow down to turn or slow down in traffic and have to move again. It justs makes me mad to drive it. It has spoilt my driving habits. Has made me an aggressive driver. Thats the only way one can overcome the lag. The TSB on the tranny solenoid, I talked to the service morons (I'm so mad at them for not helping me out in this situation). THey say only if the solenoid is faulty they'd replace it. They probably want it to die before they think about replacing it. Everyone talks about great customer satisfaction and customer service. But the actual customer service should help in situations like this and not in serving coffee and donuts.
What bothers me most is the cold attitude of infiniti corporate towards this issue. I'm going to rip them off a letter again and see what response I get.
InfiNissan Lover
I have one more question for you.
Does your car, just before it comes to a stop, feels like it's letting go of a gear or something of the sort. Do you feel a prominent jerk (kind of mild). If yes, we have the exact same problem.
Yes, my car does that too. I feel it as if it is going from 2nd gear to first. Yes, a mild jerk. It appears that we both have the same problem. I am surprised that it is on your Infiniti I30 considering how much more well built that car is over the Maxima.
I am going to a great Nissan dealer tomorrow (02-07-2004) and I will tell them about the A/T lag. I will report everything that they tell me back to you in hope of a possible solution towards this annoyance.
I tell you, I needed to merge into another lane quickly today and the car didn't want to do it. I almost got taken by a truck...LoL! I feel that this problem rests with the transmission, because I doubt that a lag like this would come from the engine. Good thing I didn't change my ignition coils, that would have been costly.
Also psriniv, my car loses speed upon going down a slight hill. For example, I take the Throgs Neck Bridge towards the NYC borough of Queens for work every day. Towards the end of the bridge there is a little hill going down. I usually let my car "glide" down hills without pressing the gas pedal to conserve fuel, but I actually have to give it gas or else the car will slow down heavily. I couldn't really test to see how slow of a speed the car would go down to because other cars would tailgate me and then I'd have to speed up. But anyway, I am convinced that we both have the same problem, and like I mentioned before, the dealer in Bergenfield N.J. called Fisher Nissan is pretty good with diagnosing hard to detect problems that other Nissan dealers can't seem to find. I hope they can find and fix this A/T problem. They might even have to order a whole new A/T unit, but it would be under warranty anyway.
I will post here again on Saturday (02-07-2004) evening with the results from my N.J. Nissan dealer.
But my problem is exactly identical but its on a 98I30. The car has low miles. Bought it from an infiniti dealer late 2001 w/27000 miles on it. I have this exact identical problem on the I30.
Got a tranny flush done, ecu reset (infact a new ecu was put in, which made it worse and got the old one put back in) throttle body cleaned, TPS adjusted.
But the service guys have no clue. THey finally say that all I30's drive like this (bull). Sent a feedback to Infiniti consumer affairs, but no point.
Q45tech over here at FA suggested a probable tranny replacement. But the service people say the diagnostics do not indicate a tranny malfunction. But Q45tech feels it is a tranny malfunction which is not sendign a fault code. I felt so helpless and the cold attitude of infiniti consumer affairs really ****ed me off. I sent a writted letter to them,and got a phone call. The lady went on to say that the service dept can do nothing about it sine, there was no fault code for them to work with. (WHY MAKE SOMETHING WHICH CAN'T BE FIXED). Will never buy an infiniti again. I'm just hoping the tranny dies soon, as my warranty expires in september 2004.
Could you please elaborate a little more about the problem you are having psriniv? I heard that the '98 Maximas and I30s had an open campaign or a TSB for the A/T solenoid. About my car, it performs great, but from zero to say, twenty miles an hour it feels "tired". And I mean tired because I remember when I first drove this kind of Maxima back in '95. If I just even played with the gas pedal a little bit that thing was already peeling out. We need to get to the bottom of this problem, for performance sake.
Your description of TIRED fits perfectly. Only when the car goes below 20 and then has to move up, the lag is definitive. THe car feels lazy to move and then on pushing the gas pedal it jolts forward with a definite lag. THis problem is not very prominent when you start from a stop. It comes in when you slow down to turn or slow down in traffic and have to move again. It justs makes me mad to drive it. It has spoilt my driving habits. Has made me an aggressive driver. Thats the only way one can overcome the lag. The TSB on the tranny solenoid, I talked to the service morons (I'm so mad at them for not helping me out in this situation). THey say only if the solenoid is faulty they'd replace it. They probably want it to die before they think about replacing it. Everyone talks about great customer satisfaction and customer service. But the actual customer service should help in situations like this and not in serving coffee and donuts.
What bothers me most is the cold attitude of infiniti corporate towards this issue. I'm going to rip them off a letter again and see what response I get.
InfiNissan Lover
I have one more question for you.
Does your car, just before it comes to a stop, feels like it's letting go of a gear or something of the sort. Do you feel a prominent jerk (kind of mild). If yes, we have the exact same problem.
Yes, my car does that too. I feel it as if it is going from 2nd gear to first. Yes, a mild jerk. It appears that we both have the same problem. I am surprised that it is on your Infiniti I30 considering how much more well built that car is over the Maxima.
I am going to a great Nissan dealer tomorrow (02-07-2004) and I will tell them about the A/T lag. I will report everything that they tell me back to you in hope of a possible solution towards this annoyance.
I tell you, I needed to merge into another lane quickly today and the car didn't want to do it. I almost got taken by a truck...LoL! I feel that this problem rests with the transmission, because I doubt that a lag like this would come from the engine. Good thing I didn't change my ignition coils, that would have been costly.
Also psriniv, my car loses speed upon going down a slight hill. For example, I take the Throgs Neck Bridge towards the NYC borough of Queens for work every day. Towards the end of the bridge there is a little hill going down. I usually let my car "glide" down hills without pressing the gas pedal to conserve fuel, but I actually have to give it gas or else the car will slow down heavily. I couldn't really test to see how slow of a speed the car would go down to because other cars would tailgate me and then I'd have to speed up. But anyway, I am convinced that we both have the same problem, and like I mentioned before, the dealer in Bergenfield N.J. called Fisher Nissan is pretty good with diagnosing hard to detect problems that other Nissan dealers can't seem to find. I hope they can find and fix this A/T problem. They might even have to order a whole new A/T unit, but it would be under warranty anyway.
I will post here again on Saturday (02-07-2004) evening with the results from my N.J. Nissan dealer.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 28
Well, I'm back from the Nissan dealer. Since it is Saturday they told me to come back on a weekday. I don't know if I can, but I explained the A/T lag to the technician and he told me that there is probably nothing that he can do as far as that A/T lag is concerned. Determined to find out the source of this problem, I took the car to a place called, "Masters Transmissions". The guy took the car around for a test drive and almost ejaculated in his pants from the experience. He said, "OH OH!! The car is good...GOOD!" I was like...okay, fine, thank you. BUT! I then took the car to a Lee Myles Transmission place and there was this young guy there. Obviously experienced with Maximas since there was an orange modded up 2000 SE in the garage. I told him about the lag my car has and we took it for a test drive. He then asked me how to recreate the problem. I told him that the car hesitates when the gas pedal is pressed while it is rolling. He then said, "No, the car is fine". It was then that I got mad and assumed that since he was young, he had to of known about the famous Maxima peel out from a dead stop. I don't even do this in my car, but I was desperate for someone to acknowledge the car's lagging condition and my sanity. So, I told him, "Come to a complete stop on a dry street, now, FLOOR IT!" He did it and to my surprise he put that ewww face. He said, "Yo, this car is not supposed to perform like this" he then insulted my car when he said that it doesn't have any *****. I was so relieved to finally find someone that had a clue of what I was talking about. He told me that he wanted to do a diagnostic test on it but since it was $75 I declined the very generous offer. Besides, why should I have to pay for anything when the car is still under warranty? Nissan needs to stand behind its products and not give its customers the run around when a potential problem is eminent.
Anyway, now that I have a sure fire way for the folks at Nissan to test the performance of my car, I am going to take it back to them and ask them to perform the same hard acceleration from a dead stop test. If they say that this car is supposed to perform like this and then send me on my way, you will definitely see me on the news sometime that month. I will contact everyone from Consumer Affairs to the Better Business Bureau about my problem.
It is so frustrating to have a Maxima with such sporty vigorous potential act like a car that is down to its last cylinder. I need to see this car perform the way it should. The smart thing to do is to trade it in for a different Maxima but, I don't have the money or the heart to do it. I love this Maxima that I have now, and the last thing on my mind is a trade in at only 32,667 miles.
I'll keep trying psriniv but, it might take some time to find out exactly what is wrong. I'll keep posting up here when I find out more info and after I take the car to the Nissan dealer sometime next week.
Man, it is 1 o'clock in the morning, but I had to get up and write this. I was thinking about this transmission problem all day long. I began to compare the car to the human body and came to an interesting hypothesis. Since I bought the car, which is a '98 that had 28,096 miles, it must have been sitting somewhere for a very long time. Because lets face it, a 1998 car should have about 75,000 miles on it if it was run under normal conditions of 15,000 miles per year.
The fact: If a human body stays dormant for a long period of time, what happens? The answer...muscle atrophy.
My hypothesis: If a car stays dormant for a very long time, things don't work like they used to. Hence, an atrophy of some sort happens.
I don't know but, I keep getting this weird notion that the problem would be with the automatic transmission's valve body. It is probably the only thing that would suffer the most from a long period of inactivity. Do I sound logical?
After a day of careful studying, and noting that: the valve body of a transmission, or control valve, is the central nerve system that tells the transmission what to do, at what time. It contains springs, valves, and many fluid passages that are critical to the proper operation of the transmission.
I hope that this could be a possible solution to the problem. Damn, and my car looks so good too. It is the Sage Mist Green color and everyone compliments its looks.
Q45tech or anyone else, please help me out.
Oh no, I'm hurting now.
The only TSB that comes close to our problem psriniv is NTB9811A.
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/pr...sb/results.cfm
Post Extras:
InfiNissan Lover
Nissan Enthusiast
Reged: 04/11/01
Posts: 52
Loc: New York, N.Y.,USA
Re: In Need Of Some Desperate Help!!!
#67672717 - 02/08/04 09:23 PM Edit Reply Quote
Why would a dead MAF sensor cause my car to hesitate Brianw?
What does a Mass AirFlow sensor really do?
Post Extras:
InfiNissan Lover
Nissan Enthusiast
Reged: 04/11/01
Posts: 52
Loc: New York, N.Y.,USA
Re: In Need Of Some Desperate Help!!!
#67672744 - 02/08/04 09:43 PM Edit Reply Quote
I got this information off of http://www.usatransdoctor.com/foreignnissan.htm#RE4F02A
RE4F02A / RE4F03A / RE4F04A
"The transmissions above are front wheel drive 4 speed automatic transmissions. They are computer controlled. Common symptoms are transmission shifting erratic, slipping or not shifting at all. Also the check engine light can come on.
External sensors like the throttle position sensor, vehicle speed sensor inhibitor switch quite often go bad, causing these symptoms. Always run a self diagnostic check first to see if a sensor is causing your problem. Check the shift solenoids that attach to the valve body, sometimes they can go bad."
You SEE! Shift solenoids CAN go bad. What the fork is Nissan doing when they say that nothing is wrong?
Post Extras:
brianw
Nissan Addict
Reged: 04/09/00
Posts: 179
Loc: Los Angeles, CA
Re: In Need Of Some Desperate Help!!!
#67672764 - 02/08/04 09:58 PM Edit Reply Quote
Yes, shift solenoids can and do go bad.
Check the factory service manual.
Regarding the mass airflow sensor, it determines how much air the engine is ingesting, compensating for temperature and feeds it to the ECU so the proper air/fuel ratio can be calculated and delivered. I do not specifically think it is your problem.
I would check shift solenoids first, then your throttle position sensor (TPS is page EC-128 in the `97 Maxima factory service manual. vbxmaxima.8m.com might have info on this as a standard fix...) Shift solenoids are page AT-117 in the same manual...
As the link you posted suggests first, check the TPS first. This is the easier item to check, not to mention a lot cheaper.
Anyway, now that I have a sure fire way for the folks at Nissan to test the performance of my car, I am going to take it back to them and ask them to perform the same hard acceleration from a dead stop test. If they say that this car is supposed to perform like this and then send me on my way, you will definitely see me on the news sometime that month. I will contact everyone from Consumer Affairs to the Better Business Bureau about my problem.
It is so frustrating to have a Maxima with such sporty vigorous potential act like a car that is down to its last cylinder. I need to see this car perform the way it should. The smart thing to do is to trade it in for a different Maxima but, I don't have the money or the heart to do it. I love this Maxima that I have now, and the last thing on my mind is a trade in at only 32,667 miles.
I'll keep trying psriniv but, it might take some time to find out exactly what is wrong. I'll keep posting up here when I find out more info and after I take the car to the Nissan dealer sometime next week.
Man, it is 1 o'clock in the morning, but I had to get up and write this. I was thinking about this transmission problem all day long. I began to compare the car to the human body and came to an interesting hypothesis. Since I bought the car, which is a '98 that had 28,096 miles, it must have been sitting somewhere for a very long time. Because lets face it, a 1998 car should have about 75,000 miles on it if it was run under normal conditions of 15,000 miles per year.
The fact: If a human body stays dormant for a long period of time, what happens? The answer...muscle atrophy.
My hypothesis: If a car stays dormant for a very long time, things don't work like they used to. Hence, an atrophy of some sort happens.
I don't know but, I keep getting this weird notion that the problem would be with the automatic transmission's valve body. It is probably the only thing that would suffer the most from a long period of inactivity. Do I sound logical?
After a day of careful studying, and noting that: the valve body of a transmission, or control valve, is the central nerve system that tells the transmission what to do, at what time. It contains springs, valves, and many fluid passages that are critical to the proper operation of the transmission.
I hope that this could be a possible solution to the problem. Damn, and my car looks so good too. It is the Sage Mist Green color and everyone compliments its looks.
Q45tech or anyone else, please help me out.
Oh no, I'm hurting now.
The only TSB that comes close to our problem psriniv is NTB9811A.
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/pr...sb/results.cfm
Post Extras:
InfiNissan Lover
Nissan Enthusiast
Reged: 04/11/01
Posts: 52
Loc: New York, N.Y.,USA
Re: In Need Of Some Desperate Help!!!
#67672717 - 02/08/04 09:23 PM Edit Reply Quote
Why would a dead MAF sensor cause my car to hesitate Brianw?
What does a Mass AirFlow sensor really do?
Post Extras:
InfiNissan Lover
Nissan Enthusiast
Reged: 04/11/01
Posts: 52
Loc: New York, N.Y.,USA
Re: In Need Of Some Desperate Help!!!
#67672744 - 02/08/04 09:43 PM Edit Reply Quote
I got this information off of http://www.usatransdoctor.com/foreignnissan.htm#RE4F02A
RE4F02A / RE4F03A / RE4F04A
"The transmissions above are front wheel drive 4 speed automatic transmissions. They are computer controlled. Common symptoms are transmission shifting erratic, slipping or not shifting at all. Also the check engine light can come on.
External sensors like the throttle position sensor, vehicle speed sensor inhibitor switch quite often go bad, causing these symptoms. Always run a self diagnostic check first to see if a sensor is causing your problem. Check the shift solenoids that attach to the valve body, sometimes they can go bad."
You SEE! Shift solenoids CAN go bad. What the fork is Nissan doing when they say that nothing is wrong?
Post Extras:
brianw
Nissan Addict
Reged: 04/09/00
Posts: 179
Loc: Los Angeles, CA
Re: In Need Of Some Desperate Help!!!
#67672764 - 02/08/04 09:58 PM Edit Reply Quote
Yes, shift solenoids can and do go bad.
Check the factory service manual.
Regarding the mass airflow sensor, it determines how much air the engine is ingesting, compensating for temperature and feeds it to the ECU so the proper air/fuel ratio can be calculated and delivered. I do not specifically think it is your problem.
I would check shift solenoids first, then your throttle position sensor (TPS is page EC-128 in the `97 Maxima factory service manual. vbxmaxima.8m.com might have info on this as a standard fix...) Shift solenoids are page AT-117 in the same manual...
As the link you posted suggests first, check the TPS first. This is the easier item to check, not to mention a lot cheaper.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 28
http://forums.freshalloy.com/ubbthre...b=5&o=&fpart=1
Post Extras:
psriniv
Nissan Enthusiast
Reged: 02/03/03
Posts: 91
Loc: Richmond, VA
Re: In Need Of Some Desperate Help!!!
#67673168 - 02/09/04 11:04 AM Edit Reply Quote
http://forums.freshalloy.com/ubbthre...b=5&o=&fpart=1
Post Extras:
psriniv
Nissan Enthusiast
Reged: 02/03/03
Posts: 91
Loc: Richmond, VA
Re: In Need Of Some Desperate Help!!!
#67673178 - 02/09/04 11:12 AM Edit Reply Quote
Hey,
I have the exact same problems as you've described. Lots of factors coincide too.
I bought my car in dec 2001. It's a 98 model w/27k miles on it. About 3 year old car when I'd bought it. One would normally expect for it to have atleast 35-40k miles. carfax check revealed that it left the last owners hand sometime during august 2001 w/22k miles. It was a bank repo in august 2001. I guess my car has also been sitting somewhere in a lethargic state.
I tried convincing these guys (service guys) that it needs a new tranny. THe worst part is the service guy finally gave up and told me he was going to order a new tranny, but the tech who works on the car says NO, nissan wouldn't let them do it. God only knows what connection or authority these guys have over each other. The tech has been with this infiniti dealer for about 5 years now. I also found one thread some where, its probably in the one above this, where a guy took his car to a tranny shop and put it on a diagnostic m/c revealing a slippage of a gear, whcih is not felt outside but causes the lag.
Please do let me know further developments. I got a my front brakes done last month, and now there is a sickening vibration in the steering, which slowing down to a stop or at sppeds above 60mph. I need to take it back to them to have alook at it.
Post Extras:
InfiNissan Lover
Nissan Enthusiast
Reged: 04/11/01
Posts: 52
Loc: New York, N.Y.,USA
Re: In Need Of Some Desperate Help!!!
#67673777 - 02/09/04 08:13 PM Edit Reply Quote
Psriniv, try this, because this is what I am going to do. Sit with the technician and have him or her come to a dead stop on a dry street. Tell the technician to floor it so that he or she can better acknowledge the lag. Now have them take any other 1997 through 1999 Maxima or I30 in your case that they have on their lot. Allow the car to warm up, and have them do the same thing. I bet you any amount of money that they will notice a huge difference. It just might even be the kind of sign that they need in order to properly diagnose the problem.
Since the I30 and the Maxima are such heavily sensored vehicles, the problem may not even rest in the tranny at all, but in the Ignition coils or some valve in the engine. I am just as frustrated as you and I am very close to trading in this car for a different one. Even though I wouldn't be able to afford it but, I want a healthy Maxima, no matter what the cost.
Post Extras:
Misfit
Nissan Master Addict
Reged: 07/09/03
Posts: 366
Loc: Ontario Canada
Re: In Need Of Some Desperate Help!!!
#67674445 - 02/10/04 12:50 PM Edit Reply Quote
I agree that it could be electronic - my 00 I30 does not behave regularly like that - hover it has done it several times. In my case it would not happen from a dead stop, but if I braked fairly heavily & then hit the gas (like what happens when braking for a red light & it finally turns green...)
--------------------
Infiniti driver formerly known as eye30....
Post Extras:
dklanecky1
Nissan Master Addict
Reged: 03/18/02
Posts: 379
Loc: SE Wisconsin
Re: In Need Of Some Desperate Help!!!
#67675617 - 02/11/04 02:17 PM Edit Reply Quote
Here's a link to a lot of TSB's. Maybe one will help you out?
http://maxima.theowensfamily.com/tsb...Years&tsb=none
It's not my site, but it is a pretty impressive collection of Maxima TSB's from over the years.
--------------------
03Murano SE With all the options including Nav and XM
Post Extras:
InfiNissan Lover
Nissan Enthusiast
Reged: 04/11/01
Posts: 52
Loc: New York, N.Y.,USA
Re: In Need Of Some Desperate Help!!!
#67675926 - 02/11/04 05:53 PM Edit Reply Quote
Thank you dklanecky1 and everyone else for such warm gestures of help. I took the car to the Nissan dealer early this morning and was later told that the car had bad ignition coils. A technician changed them and test drove the car. The tech guy claims that the car drives beautiful now. That he floored it and the car was much quicker, I shall have to see about that. I can't wait to see if that was the problem from the beginning.
Wow, could bad ignition coils really make the transmission's response suffer? With so many sensors and electronics this 1998 Maxima has, hey, anything is possible...right?
For all of your information, I just want to state everyone that my car actually had bad ignition coils, but yet the car did not have a check engine light on...very strange huh? Just goes to show you that your gut feeling is 99.9% correct most of the time.
Psriniv, did the technicians check your car's ignition coils & spark plugs? The manual does suggest to change the spark plugs and check the ignition coils every 60,000 miles OR 48 months, whichever comes first I am sure. And even though the manual says to change the spark plugs only at the 60,000 mile interval, you can expect a loss of performance from worn out ignition coils and spark plugs due to age. By the way, my ignition coils were of the Hanshin brand. Nissan stated that under normal driving conditions, these OEM ignition coils perform the best. Anyway, I will pick up the car sometime this week and I'll post up the results.
Post Extras:
psriniv
Nissan Enthusiast
Reged: 02/03/03
Posts: 91
Loc: Richmond, VA
Re: In Need Of Some Desperate Help!!!
#67676445 - 02/12/04 07:19 AM Edit Reply Quote
Hi infinissanlover,
pretty surprising that bad ignition coils could intervene in tranny performance. I'll now nned to talk to my service guys about the ignition coils. First thing that comes to my mind is check engine light. i did experience one thing, just one time. THe car would'nt start. Battery tested fine and everyhting else checked out fine. But when you turn the key it wouldn't start. i was close to calling AAA to get it towed to the infiniti dealer, but just for the heck of it decided to press the brakes and move the tranny into drive and back into park. when i did this the car started fine. I did mention about this to the service guy, but he said, if something like that should go wrong, the check engine light would come on.
I dont think the ignition coils were checked, but I got a 30k mile service done last year and the spark plugs had been replaced.
keep me posted on the developments on your car. your search for a solution has been very helpful. I actually gave up on these guys and was making up my mind to trade the car in. Been thinking about trading it in for something else for the past 6 months. THe car is so nice, except for this problem, it'd take a lot of heart to trade it. Mine is a I30t and it's handling is awesome, beats my 2003 I35.
Post Extras:
InfiNissan Lover
Nissan Enthusiast
Reged: 04/11/01
Posts: 52
Loc: New York, N.Y.,USA
Re: In Need Of Some Desperate Help!!!
#67677179 - 02/12/04 07:05 PM Edit Reply Quote
Dear psriniv:
Hang in there man, I have great news. Remember when I posted before that I was going to make the dealer test drive my car and then another Maxima? Well, I just came back from the dealer. Man, I wish you could have been there to see the look on the salesman's face after the two Maxima comparisons. We test drove my Maxima and then the other one. He couldn't believe it, he was dumbfounded, and he agreed to have their top senior technician do the same test drive to the two cars to figure out the problem. I feel so so relieved. Now the dealer knows my knowledge of the car. Psriniv let me tell you, I fell in love with the Maxima all over again. The other one I test drove was a 1999 GXE.
My hard acceleration from a dead stop test on a dry road revealed a huge difference, just like I told you. My Maxima just accelerated with its same lazy self while the 1999 Maxima GXE smoked out...ohhhh it gave me a whoo thing! The salesperson was sitting right next to me and he was like WHOA!!!
I need to keep in contact with you personally. My e-mail address is Maximan06@cs.com. I also need a detailed list of everything you did to the car to try to fix this problem.
You came to the right guy and the right place for help, and I know how frustrated you feel. But you don't have to feel so helpless, I will get to the bottom of our problem, but only as far as Nissan allows me to, which I am sure will be until it is fixed.
Anyway, I can't wait to get my car running like that 1999 GXE. I imagine the Maximas of the guys who modify their cars for added horsepower. Ohhhh, I fell in love with the Maxima again, I knew she was there. Wow, just in time for Valentine's Day!
Have faith psriniv, I am almost there. By the way, the best way to diagnose your problem is the hard acceleration from a dead stop test on a dry road...trust me on this one. Let me reiterate, I WISH YOU COULD HAVE SEEN THE LOOK ON MY SALESPERSON'S FACE! He thought that because I am a young 26 year old individual that I wouldn't know anything about cars. Well guess what? I have studied the Maxima for over 5 years now, ever since it came out with that gem of an engine back in 1995.
So don't worry psriniv, I will report EVERYTHING back to you. I am really close to our problem's solution. I will also contact Nissan and have them establish an open campaign or a TSB for our problem.
So, once again, I need a detailed list of everything you did to the car to try to correct the transmission lag, and I also need an e-mail address that you check regularly. Unless you prefer to stay in contact through the FreshAlloy forums.
By the way, got 6 new Hanshin ignition coils and NGK spark plugs. The result - NO DIFFERENCE! Lag is still there.
Post Extras:
InfiNissan Lover
Nissan Enthusiast
Reged: 04/11/01
Posts: 52
Loc: New York, N.Y.,USA
Re: In Need Of Some Desperate Help!!!
#67677246 - 02/12/04 08:27 PM Edit Reply Quote
I forgot to mention that my car has 32,700 miles while the other Maxima had 48,700 something miles. Would you all believe me if I told you that the salesperson actually told me that the Maxima has a sensor that records your driving habits? If you are an old man driver (like me) and never race your car, then the car will get lazy. If you are a spirited one then the car will be spirited as well.
Can every one say Moo? That was serious B.S.
Post Extras:
psriniv
Nissan Enthusiast
Reged: 02/03/03
Posts: 91
Loc: Richmond, VA
Re: In Need Of Some Desperate Help!!!
#67677727 - 02/13/04 01:36 PM Edit Reply Quote
Thanks so much for all your input towards this problem. In my case the service people were useless. I have the same problems of acceleration from stop.
things that the service guys have looked into:
tranny function, TPS voltage (they say it check out fine, but I have personally not seent he graphing output, which they are supposed to do), throttle body cleaning, ECU/ECM replacement, which made it worse and they had to put my old ECU/ECM back in.
This whole process took about 4-5 months and finally no solution. I received a mailer from infiniti regarding the service experience, I sent out a full 2 page letter stating my horrfying experience (If I may call it so). Got an email from someone at infiniti asking for dealer name and miles on the car and was later followed up by a phone call. THe lady said she's going to talk to the service people and get back to me again, which ofcourse, never happened. i'll wait for what they've done for your car to make it better and armed with your input I'll get back to my dealer again.
Post Extras:
InfiNissan Lover
Nissan Enthusiast
Reged: 04/11/01
Posts: 52
Loc: New York, N.Y.,USA
Re: In Need Of Some Desperate Help!!!
#67677977 - 02/13/04 06:25 PM Edit Reply Quote
No problem psriniv, believe me, I have the same exact problem as you, and I am losing sleep over it. I find myself browsing the Internet in desperate search of an answer.
Is that all the service guys did to the car? You know something, my transmission shifts really good despite the lag, but oh how much better it would be without the lag.
I could have sworn something told me (probably in a dream) that the problem is a defective valve body from factory. I used to be a parking attendant, and every now and then I would drive "weak" Maximas. I feel that there are probably 10 out of 100,000 Maximas out there with this transmission lag. And since most people never drive one Maxima after another, they will never notice the difference.
I tell you this much, I will not stop until this problem is solved.
By the way, the Maxima's transmission model is RE4F04.
Post Extras:
InfiNissan Lover
Nissan Enthusiast
Reged: 04/11/01
Posts: 52
Loc: New York, N.Y.,USA
Re: In Need Of Some Desperate Help!!!
#67677989 - 02/13/04 06:42 PM Edit Reply Quote
NTB90009
This bulletin provides Service Information if you experience a Drop in Hydraulic Control Pressure after a vehicle with an Automatic Transmission has Reached Operating Temperature. This Pressure Drop is Caused by Foreign Material Clogging the Transmission's Filter Screen.
NTB00056
Whenever an automatic transmission (A/T) is repaired, overhauled, or replaced, the A/T oil cooler mounted in the radiator must be inspected and cleaned. Metal debris and friction material, if present, can become trapped in the A/T oil cooler and may build up as transmission fluid enters the Cooler Inlet. This debris can contaminate the newly serviced transmission. In severe cases this debris can block or restrict the flow of transmission fluid/oil. In either case, failure of the newly serviced A/T may result. It will be necessary to back flush the cooler through the Cooler Outlet in order to flush out any built up debris. See this bulletin for further detail.
NTB96110
The RE4F04A and RE4F04V A/T are equipped with five solenoid valves as shown in this bulletin. This bulletin contains a Service Procedure on how to replace the solenoid valve assembly.
NTB96007
Debris from a worn differential pinion mate shaft can cause: - Slipping on acceleration - Hesitation and/or stalling when cold - Abnormal noise coming from the transmission while driving Applied transmissions built prior to #4Y22962 or #8Z53044
I really don't know if these apply to our vehicle; being the fact that I just searched for RE4F04 on Google. But some come pretty close to our problem with a very logical explanation.
Post Extras:
psriniv
Nissan Enthusiast
Reged: 02/03/03
Posts: 91
Loc: Richmond, VA
Re: In Need Of Some Desperate Help!!!
#67678339 - 02/14/04 07:41 AM Edit Reply Quote
Infinissanlover,
Went through my service records and found this,
NTB96110
The RE4F04A and RE4F04V A/T are equipped with five solenoid valves as shown in this bulletin. This bulletin contains a Service Procedure on how to replace the solenoid valve assembly.
These solenoid valves were replaced and did not make any difference.
Actually after they did this, I was trying to talk to them into replacing my tranny. I'm driving it real harsh these days hoping the tranny will give out before september. I do have a zero deductible extended warranty for another 4 years, during which time if the tranny fails they'd have to replace it, but one loses the pleasure of driving such a nice car with a spirited engine.
Post Extras:
psriniv
Nissan Enthusiast
Reged: 02/03/03
Posts: 91
Loc: Richmond, VA
Re: In Need Of Some Desperate Help!!!
#67673168 - 02/09/04 11:04 AM Edit Reply Quote
http://forums.freshalloy.com/ubbthre...b=5&o=&fpart=1
Post Extras:
psriniv
Nissan Enthusiast
Reged: 02/03/03
Posts: 91
Loc: Richmond, VA
Re: In Need Of Some Desperate Help!!!
#67673178 - 02/09/04 11:12 AM Edit Reply Quote
Hey,
I have the exact same problems as you've described. Lots of factors coincide too.
I bought my car in dec 2001. It's a 98 model w/27k miles on it. About 3 year old car when I'd bought it. One would normally expect for it to have atleast 35-40k miles. carfax check revealed that it left the last owners hand sometime during august 2001 w/22k miles. It was a bank repo in august 2001. I guess my car has also been sitting somewhere in a lethargic state.
I tried convincing these guys (service guys) that it needs a new tranny. THe worst part is the service guy finally gave up and told me he was going to order a new tranny, but the tech who works on the car says NO, nissan wouldn't let them do it. God only knows what connection or authority these guys have over each other. The tech has been with this infiniti dealer for about 5 years now. I also found one thread some where, its probably in the one above this, where a guy took his car to a tranny shop and put it on a diagnostic m/c revealing a slippage of a gear, whcih is not felt outside but causes the lag.
Please do let me know further developments. I got a my front brakes done last month, and now there is a sickening vibration in the steering, which slowing down to a stop or at sppeds above 60mph. I need to take it back to them to have alook at it.
Post Extras:
InfiNissan Lover
Nissan Enthusiast
Reged: 04/11/01
Posts: 52
Loc: New York, N.Y.,USA
Re: In Need Of Some Desperate Help!!!
#67673777 - 02/09/04 08:13 PM Edit Reply Quote
Psriniv, try this, because this is what I am going to do. Sit with the technician and have him or her come to a dead stop on a dry street. Tell the technician to floor it so that he or she can better acknowledge the lag. Now have them take any other 1997 through 1999 Maxima or I30 in your case that they have on their lot. Allow the car to warm up, and have them do the same thing. I bet you any amount of money that they will notice a huge difference. It just might even be the kind of sign that they need in order to properly diagnose the problem.
Since the I30 and the Maxima are such heavily sensored vehicles, the problem may not even rest in the tranny at all, but in the Ignition coils or some valve in the engine. I am just as frustrated as you and I am very close to trading in this car for a different one. Even though I wouldn't be able to afford it but, I want a healthy Maxima, no matter what the cost.
Post Extras:
Misfit
Nissan Master Addict
Reged: 07/09/03
Posts: 366
Loc: Ontario Canada
Re: In Need Of Some Desperate Help!!!
#67674445 - 02/10/04 12:50 PM Edit Reply Quote
I agree that it could be electronic - my 00 I30 does not behave regularly like that - hover it has done it several times. In my case it would not happen from a dead stop, but if I braked fairly heavily & then hit the gas (like what happens when braking for a red light & it finally turns green...)
--------------------
Infiniti driver formerly known as eye30....
Post Extras:
dklanecky1
Nissan Master Addict
Reged: 03/18/02
Posts: 379
Loc: SE Wisconsin
Re: In Need Of Some Desperate Help!!!
#67675617 - 02/11/04 02:17 PM Edit Reply Quote
Here's a link to a lot of TSB's. Maybe one will help you out?
http://maxima.theowensfamily.com/tsb...Years&tsb=none
It's not my site, but it is a pretty impressive collection of Maxima TSB's from over the years.
--------------------
03Murano SE With all the options including Nav and XM
Post Extras:
InfiNissan Lover
Nissan Enthusiast
Reged: 04/11/01
Posts: 52
Loc: New York, N.Y.,USA
Re: In Need Of Some Desperate Help!!!
#67675926 - 02/11/04 05:53 PM Edit Reply Quote
Thank you dklanecky1 and everyone else for such warm gestures of help. I took the car to the Nissan dealer early this morning and was later told that the car had bad ignition coils. A technician changed them and test drove the car. The tech guy claims that the car drives beautiful now. That he floored it and the car was much quicker, I shall have to see about that. I can't wait to see if that was the problem from the beginning.
Wow, could bad ignition coils really make the transmission's response suffer? With so many sensors and electronics this 1998 Maxima has, hey, anything is possible...right?
For all of your information, I just want to state everyone that my car actually had bad ignition coils, but yet the car did not have a check engine light on...very strange huh? Just goes to show you that your gut feeling is 99.9% correct most of the time.
Psriniv, did the technicians check your car's ignition coils & spark plugs? The manual does suggest to change the spark plugs and check the ignition coils every 60,000 miles OR 48 months, whichever comes first I am sure. And even though the manual says to change the spark plugs only at the 60,000 mile interval, you can expect a loss of performance from worn out ignition coils and spark plugs due to age. By the way, my ignition coils were of the Hanshin brand. Nissan stated that under normal driving conditions, these OEM ignition coils perform the best. Anyway, I will pick up the car sometime this week and I'll post up the results.
Post Extras:
psriniv
Nissan Enthusiast
Reged: 02/03/03
Posts: 91
Loc: Richmond, VA
Re: In Need Of Some Desperate Help!!!
#67676445 - 02/12/04 07:19 AM Edit Reply Quote
Hi infinissanlover,
pretty surprising that bad ignition coils could intervene in tranny performance. I'll now nned to talk to my service guys about the ignition coils. First thing that comes to my mind is check engine light. i did experience one thing, just one time. THe car would'nt start. Battery tested fine and everyhting else checked out fine. But when you turn the key it wouldn't start. i was close to calling AAA to get it towed to the infiniti dealer, but just for the heck of it decided to press the brakes and move the tranny into drive and back into park. when i did this the car started fine. I did mention about this to the service guy, but he said, if something like that should go wrong, the check engine light would come on.
I dont think the ignition coils were checked, but I got a 30k mile service done last year and the spark plugs had been replaced.
keep me posted on the developments on your car. your search for a solution has been very helpful. I actually gave up on these guys and was making up my mind to trade the car in. Been thinking about trading it in for something else for the past 6 months. THe car is so nice, except for this problem, it'd take a lot of heart to trade it. Mine is a I30t and it's handling is awesome, beats my 2003 I35.
Post Extras:
InfiNissan Lover
Nissan Enthusiast
Reged: 04/11/01
Posts: 52
Loc: New York, N.Y.,USA
Re: In Need Of Some Desperate Help!!!
#67677179 - 02/12/04 07:05 PM Edit Reply Quote
Dear psriniv:
Hang in there man, I have great news. Remember when I posted before that I was going to make the dealer test drive my car and then another Maxima? Well, I just came back from the dealer. Man, I wish you could have been there to see the look on the salesman's face after the two Maxima comparisons. We test drove my Maxima and then the other one. He couldn't believe it, he was dumbfounded, and he agreed to have their top senior technician do the same test drive to the two cars to figure out the problem. I feel so so relieved. Now the dealer knows my knowledge of the car. Psriniv let me tell you, I fell in love with the Maxima all over again. The other one I test drove was a 1999 GXE.
My hard acceleration from a dead stop test on a dry road revealed a huge difference, just like I told you. My Maxima just accelerated with its same lazy self while the 1999 Maxima GXE smoked out...ohhhh it gave me a whoo thing! The salesperson was sitting right next to me and he was like WHOA!!!
I need to keep in contact with you personally. My e-mail address is Maximan06@cs.com. I also need a detailed list of everything you did to the car to try to fix this problem.
You came to the right guy and the right place for help, and I know how frustrated you feel. But you don't have to feel so helpless, I will get to the bottom of our problem, but only as far as Nissan allows me to, which I am sure will be until it is fixed.
Anyway, I can't wait to get my car running like that 1999 GXE. I imagine the Maximas of the guys who modify their cars for added horsepower. Ohhhh, I fell in love with the Maxima again, I knew she was there. Wow, just in time for Valentine's Day!
Have faith psriniv, I am almost there. By the way, the best way to diagnose your problem is the hard acceleration from a dead stop test on a dry road...trust me on this one. Let me reiterate, I WISH YOU COULD HAVE SEEN THE LOOK ON MY SALESPERSON'S FACE! He thought that because I am a young 26 year old individual that I wouldn't know anything about cars. Well guess what? I have studied the Maxima for over 5 years now, ever since it came out with that gem of an engine back in 1995.
So don't worry psriniv, I will report EVERYTHING back to you. I am really close to our problem's solution. I will also contact Nissan and have them establish an open campaign or a TSB for our problem.
So, once again, I need a detailed list of everything you did to the car to try to correct the transmission lag, and I also need an e-mail address that you check regularly. Unless you prefer to stay in contact through the FreshAlloy forums.
By the way, got 6 new Hanshin ignition coils and NGK spark plugs. The result - NO DIFFERENCE! Lag is still there.
Post Extras:
InfiNissan Lover
Nissan Enthusiast
Reged: 04/11/01
Posts: 52
Loc: New York, N.Y.,USA
Re: In Need Of Some Desperate Help!!!
#67677246 - 02/12/04 08:27 PM Edit Reply Quote
I forgot to mention that my car has 32,700 miles while the other Maxima had 48,700 something miles. Would you all believe me if I told you that the salesperson actually told me that the Maxima has a sensor that records your driving habits? If you are an old man driver (like me) and never race your car, then the car will get lazy. If you are a spirited one then the car will be spirited as well.
Can every one say Moo? That was serious B.S.
Post Extras:
psriniv
Nissan Enthusiast
Reged: 02/03/03
Posts: 91
Loc: Richmond, VA
Re: In Need Of Some Desperate Help!!!
#67677727 - 02/13/04 01:36 PM Edit Reply Quote
Thanks so much for all your input towards this problem. In my case the service people were useless. I have the same problems of acceleration from stop.
things that the service guys have looked into:
tranny function, TPS voltage (they say it check out fine, but I have personally not seent he graphing output, which they are supposed to do), throttle body cleaning, ECU/ECM replacement, which made it worse and they had to put my old ECU/ECM back in.
This whole process took about 4-5 months and finally no solution. I received a mailer from infiniti regarding the service experience, I sent out a full 2 page letter stating my horrfying experience (If I may call it so). Got an email from someone at infiniti asking for dealer name and miles on the car and was later followed up by a phone call. THe lady said she's going to talk to the service people and get back to me again, which ofcourse, never happened. i'll wait for what they've done for your car to make it better and armed with your input I'll get back to my dealer again.
Post Extras:
InfiNissan Lover
Nissan Enthusiast
Reged: 04/11/01
Posts: 52
Loc: New York, N.Y.,USA
Re: In Need Of Some Desperate Help!!!
#67677977 - 02/13/04 06:25 PM Edit Reply Quote
No problem psriniv, believe me, I have the same exact problem as you, and I am losing sleep over it. I find myself browsing the Internet in desperate search of an answer.
Is that all the service guys did to the car? You know something, my transmission shifts really good despite the lag, but oh how much better it would be without the lag.
I could have sworn something told me (probably in a dream) that the problem is a defective valve body from factory. I used to be a parking attendant, and every now and then I would drive "weak" Maximas. I feel that there are probably 10 out of 100,000 Maximas out there with this transmission lag. And since most people never drive one Maxima after another, they will never notice the difference.
I tell you this much, I will not stop until this problem is solved.
By the way, the Maxima's transmission model is RE4F04.
Post Extras:
InfiNissan Lover
Nissan Enthusiast
Reged: 04/11/01
Posts: 52
Loc: New York, N.Y.,USA
Re: In Need Of Some Desperate Help!!!
#67677989 - 02/13/04 06:42 PM Edit Reply Quote
NTB90009
This bulletin provides Service Information if you experience a Drop in Hydraulic Control Pressure after a vehicle with an Automatic Transmission has Reached Operating Temperature. This Pressure Drop is Caused by Foreign Material Clogging the Transmission's Filter Screen.
NTB00056
Whenever an automatic transmission (A/T) is repaired, overhauled, or replaced, the A/T oil cooler mounted in the radiator must be inspected and cleaned. Metal debris and friction material, if present, can become trapped in the A/T oil cooler and may build up as transmission fluid enters the Cooler Inlet. This debris can contaminate the newly serviced transmission. In severe cases this debris can block or restrict the flow of transmission fluid/oil. In either case, failure of the newly serviced A/T may result. It will be necessary to back flush the cooler through the Cooler Outlet in order to flush out any built up debris. See this bulletin for further detail.
NTB96110
The RE4F04A and RE4F04V A/T are equipped with five solenoid valves as shown in this bulletin. This bulletin contains a Service Procedure on how to replace the solenoid valve assembly.
NTB96007
Debris from a worn differential pinion mate shaft can cause: - Slipping on acceleration - Hesitation and/or stalling when cold - Abnormal noise coming from the transmission while driving Applied transmissions built prior to #4Y22962 or #8Z53044
I really don't know if these apply to our vehicle; being the fact that I just searched for RE4F04 on Google. But some come pretty close to our problem with a very logical explanation.
Post Extras:
psriniv
Nissan Enthusiast
Reged: 02/03/03
Posts: 91
Loc: Richmond, VA
Re: In Need Of Some Desperate Help!!!
#67678339 - 02/14/04 07:41 AM Edit Reply Quote
Infinissanlover,
Went through my service records and found this,
NTB96110
The RE4F04A and RE4F04V A/T are equipped with five solenoid valves as shown in this bulletin. This bulletin contains a Service Procedure on how to replace the solenoid valve assembly.
These solenoid valves were replaced and did not make any difference.
Actually after they did this, I was trying to talk to them into replacing my tranny. I'm driving it real harsh these days hoping the tranny will give out before september. I do have a zero deductible extended warranty for another 4 years, during which time if the tranny fails they'd have to replace it, but one loses the pleasure of driving such a nice car with a spirited engine.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 28
So, what you have just read was a whole thread from a FreshAlloy forum. If anyone here, at Maxima.org has any clue as to what could be wrong with this 1998 Maxima and I30t please please please e-mail me at Maximan06@cs.com, thank you.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 28
It appears that lots of individuals are having problems with this transmission lag. People, I just want to say that this lag is NOT normal. There is something wrong with some Maximas and their transmissions. My guess is that some sensor of the sort came out faulty from factory. Ladies and Gentlemen, I almost lost my life because of this lag, and I am not going to stop until I find the cause behind it.
How IT almost happened: I was driving in heavy traffic one day, right. I wanted to merge into the next lane. I saw a car pass with an opening between it and a truck. I decided to take it, then the lag happened, car didn't want to go. That big truck almost hit me, it was a good thing he had good brakes.
Fellas, I really need help in trying to fix this transmission lag.
I suggest that the rest of you who are having this lag stay tuned to this thread because I AM going to find the answer to this problem. This lag is a lot more noticeable on automatics than on manuals. I want to thank you all for responding so quickly, please be safe driving out there.
How IT almost happened: I was driving in heavy traffic one day, right. I wanted to merge into the next lane. I saw a car pass with an opening between it and a truck. I decided to take it, then the lag happened, car didn't want to go. That big truck almost hit me, it was a good thing he had good brakes.
Fellas, I really need help in trying to fix this transmission lag.
I suggest that the rest of you who are having this lag stay tuned to this thread because I AM going to find the answer to this problem. This lag is a lot more noticeable on automatics than on manuals. I want to thank you all for responding so quickly, please be safe driving out there.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
My Coffee
New Member Introductions
15
Jun 6, 2017 02:01 PM
Pied
4th Generation Maxima (1995-1999)
0
Sep 26, 2015 03:29 PM