This morning my car slipped for the first time from second into third. I just had the fluid changed two days ago, so im hoping that there was maybe a clog or something from the old fluid. It did it on my way to work and on my way home, but Ive been driving around since then and I can't get the problem to replicate. any ideas?

 

My SHO use to do it once in a while. To be quite honest, it was completely random.

 

Welcome to the club. Mine does it when it's cold out most of the time. Tranny flush does nothing.

I would change out your tranny solenoids (in the pan).

 

Seems very typical of our transmissions, either a very soft or an actual slip on the 2-3 shift when cold. Someone even mentioned the problem after installing a transmission cooler and his car only had 15,000 miles on it.

Looking over the FSM, it appears to be a valve body issue if your fluid is still red and doesn't smell burnt. A month or so ago, there was a thread about a Transgo Shift Kit install that eliminated the slip, which further suggests it is a valve body issue. The FSM also states that any diagnosis be done with the transmission at full operating temperature, at which point the problem goes away. Sounds like an 'out' to me.

 

So I guess this is common I just feared that I might need a rebuild which I honestly can't afford at this time. This shift kit seems like something I might eventually want as the cold weather is coming. How much is it to install one of these. It seems like you have to rip apart the transmission to install it which means it could be top $$

 

Scott is on the right track. If you rebuild your valve body, it will delay a tranny rebuild. It slips because of leaking seals which means a tranny rebuild most of the time.

My tranny has been doing the same thing for over a year when the whether is cold. When it's hot out, I don't notice it at all.

 

Shift kit is $120 or so.

http://www.transgoperformance.com/nissan.htm

http://www.transgoperformance.com/faq.html

The FAQ says 3 hour install, so probably in the $240-300 range at most shops. $1200 for a new valve body from Nissan, $400-600 for a used transmission not including installation so it appears the shift kit is by far the best value. Plus, based on shift kits I've installed in TH-350 transmissions, it greatly improves shift feel and quickness.

 

I had a problem like that with a 2000 Max i had.. i changed the shift solenoids and it went away... but im not a big auto guys so

 

okay well do you think i'll be all right if I just leave the tranny as is. I mean, it just does it when the engine is cold, once its at operating temp no more slip. It's not a big deal to me, I just don't want ignoring this to lead to bigger problems.

 

Blitz, like I said before, I've had the same problem for over a year now and it stills drives fine. When you get the cash, replace the solenoids and think about rebuilding the valve body. There is a place out of NY that rebuilds them, I forget the name....something like MAxTuning or something.

Your transmission will most likely need a rebuild sometime, when is that time...who knows.

 

alright thanks for the info. My birthday is coming soon so maybe I should do the 12 year child thing to do and have a party to make some cash Also Christmas is coming. my tranny decided to have issues at a good time. Maybe for now i'll invest in an auto start so my car can warm its self up before I get into it so I wont feel the slip.

 

i was also thinking if my tranny was that bad wouldn't it throw off the a/t light on my dash?

 

Nope. It would throw the light if there is electrical problems, not mechanical.

 

alright well after it doing it everytime after a cold start, I took it over to a local tranny shop. Told me it's an internal problem and they would have to open up the tranny for $325 just to check it out. I brought up the shift kit and he said that it could fix it, but it's a 10 hour job to install that so labor would be around $1000...doesn't sound right to me. Does anyone know of any trusty transmission shops within Rockland NY?

 

10 hour install is BS. Transgo says 3 hours.

 

that's what I thought. Anyone reccomend a good place In new York to do the rebuild

 

Look for an independent shop that has experience in high performance transmissions, they should be well aware of the ins and outs of shift kit installation. Stay away from the chains like AAMCO (All Automatics Must Come Out), they are franchised shops that will tell you that your transmission needs a rebuild whether it does or not.

 

It's fine man. My I35 does it too and I've had Infiniti look at it at least a half a dozen times; they assure me it's perfectly okay. They referred to it as perhaps getting a little "lazy", but I have been ASSURED that this is nothing to be concerned over.

BTW, I have lots of friends who work there, so I know they're not just blowing smoke up my a$$ not wanting to do any work. It's fine.

 

It's fine man. My I35 does it too and I've had Infiniti look at it at least a half a dozen times; they assure me it's perfectly okay. They referred to it as perhaps getting a little "lazy", but I have been ASSURED that this is nothing to be concerned over.

BTW, I have lots of friends who work there, so I know they're not just blowing smoke up my a$$ not wanting to do any work. It's fine.

 

Mine has a real soft 2-3 shift (occasionally flares around 100-200 rpm first shift or two) when cold, been that way since I bought the car 24,000 miles ago. I have noticed no worsening of the condition, or a burnt smell when I change my ATF.

The FSM for our cars says to check for proper shifting with the transmission fully warmed up so it seems to me they realize there is a cold shift problem.

Still, I am considering the Transgo Shift Kit since I like faster shifts with less overlap.

 

i have noticed this very same issue on cold mornings aswell, glad to see im not alone and seems to be a common issue.

 

sounds more assuring that a lot of peole have this but I'm wondeing if this is a consistant issue with everyone like mine is. This happens everytime my engine cools down and will do it until it reaches regular operating temp

 

Hmmm...for me it's the exact opposite. For about a year until this past summer my trans would slip if I'm on the road more than 1 hour, in stop and go traffic or aggressive driving(daytime only). The hot weather late spring into early summer didn't help at all, but I'm looking forward to the cooler weather in the coming months. This past July since I put in my trans oil cooler, slipping has been far less frequent. When the trans started to slip, it was because I was way overdue for my first trans flush. Now I regularly monitor the color and fluid level and I change the fluid every six months or if the fluid starts to turn color. For me, I'm thinking if the addition of the trans cooler lowered the frequency of slipping, then my radiator wasn't cooling the trans fluid enough and could be going. I already purchased a Koyo radiator from the GD so I'm curious to see if the trans would slip thereafter.

It's interesting that you have to really warm up the engine to prevent slipping while I have to make sure my trans fluid stays cool to prevent slipping.

 

yeah that is weird that you have it hot and i have it cold....what wonderful transmissions we all have In the shop again for another opinion

 

To each thier own, but it sounds like yours does exactly what mine does, and if so, all I can say is that you'll be throwing money down the drain having it fixed. I mean, if you wanna pay $2000 just to fix that little slip when the engine is cold, fine, but I can almost guarantee that you'll be LONNNNG rid of that car before that tranny issue affects driveability.

Don't worry about it!

Remember, Infiniti has checked it out, thier best techs (and I have several close friends who work there), and they ASSURE me that the car is fine and the tranny is rock solid. Plus my car has 111k on it; so it's not like they don't want to do warranty work.

 

alright well im not looking to do a rebuild by any means. I'm going to let it go until the tranny stops shifting period. the reason why I took it to another mechanic to have it checked out is just to see what he said after looking through the car.(he did a 50 point inspection today) said everything looks great but my secondary cat(already knew that) He also said that a big factor for the slipping is when I had my fluid changed it was overfilled about 2 and a half quarts which was putting additional pressure on the seals causing them to leak. he removed the fluid and viola, no more slip as of today

 

Okay well remember, don't believe what jo-shmoe from some crappy tranny shop says. Most places are total rip offs; like they'll tell someone that the little "bump" when you put it in drive is the tranny going out, and some people will believe it. If your car has the same issue as mine, and it sounds like it, you're totally fine man. I trust my Infiniti dealer 100%, and they are the ONLY ones that actually know anything about these cars.

 

Slipping when the transmission is fully warmed up unfortunately often turns out to be the clutch packs.

 

I second that. AAMCO sucks *****. My 98 Grand Cherokee would stall every time I put it into reverse. I went to AAMCO, and they explained that I would need an overhaul. So I took it to this place called TransMedic instead, and when I told them what was wrong with it, they said it was probably just the crank sensor (I believe thats what they told me). Fortunately, that is what it turned out to be.