I put my max in to get the transmissions swapped out...when they drained the tranny fluid out of it, they said there was coolant/ antifreeze in with it.
How the hell can that get into the transmission? I didn't know that coolant lines ran down into the transmission. Any comments?

 

Coolant lines don't run into the tranny. However tranny fluid is ran thru the radiator to cool the fluid. Likely one of the fluid lines is crack in the radiator. Is there ATF in your coolant?

S

 

I don't know if there is ATF in my tranny fluid, it's in a transmission shop now...they are taking out the transmission as we speak.

I just hope is is only a line and nothing major...I do have a spare rad laying around if needed....i hope not tho...

 

No, I don't think you understood me clearly. If you take off your radiator cap, do you see ATF (tranny fluid) in the radiator? If so, likely you will need to replace your radiator (because likely the tranny cooling line is cracked) and flush the coolant out of the motor too.

S

 

well like i said, my car is in a transmission shop now...i've looked in the radiator before and never seen any tranny fluid, probably cause in the past 2 weeks i've put about 10L of it in the transmission due to a leak. (bad diff bearings) hence getting the tranny swapped. I do have a spare radiator but if one of the tranny lines is cracked then couldn't they just do a flush, replace the line, and problem fixed?

 

As far as I'm aware of the line that chould be broke might be inside the radiator. Not exactly a serviceable part.

S

 

i didn't know they were IN the radiator....but like i said, i have an extra rad...i never had any leaking coming from the rad b4...it always seemed to come from the axel seal and then drop down onto the flex pipe causing smoke and an awful smell...there has been steaming coming from under the hood though..but i just thought that was the steam from the burning tranny fluid from the flex pipe...buddy at the tranny shop said that coolant kills transmissions

 

the people at the tranny shop said they had to let go of the control arms, found antifreeze in the transmission fluid and no kidding, like 5 hours after they had lifted the car up, they only just now have the tranny out of the car...this is rediculous...i could have done it quicker than this...good luck gettin any money outta me if they are taking they're sweet time at it...I have a spare key

 

Me thinks you need to find another mechanic.

 

5 hours to drop the trans (especially for a shop with lifts and trans jacks)?

 

tell me about it. I know for a fact I could do it in under 2 with no experience and just jack stands and a hydraulic jack. This is the 1st time i ever went to a transmission shop, so if they overcharge me, i'll tell them all of this, and show them that i do indeed have a spare key to just take my car and well see what happends from there...they quoted between 4 and 500. I'm goin to be severly pissed if i get a bill for more than that.

They called and told me about a possible hairline crack in the transmission line and thats how the coolant got into the tranny fluid. So either replace the rad, or get a small cooler for the tarnny. I told them I have a spare rad and then they went on to tell me that i can tack on an additional hour and a half for that. Bahhahahaa....i took that spare tranny out of another max in literally 5 mins...this is rediculous...I hate to rant but i needed to tell someone...i'll let you know how it goes tomorrow...
Thanks for the input

Sean

 

I think you'll need to replace the radiator regardless. If you get a tranny cooler, it just means that coolant can now leak into the 'made vacant' lines and out that way. Since you have the spare, put it in.

As for the shop, I can have the tranny out and a new one back in like 3-4 hours without power tools or a lift...so that's pretty freakin lame.

Good luck either way.

S

 

I would start out with the radiator for sure...much cheaper

 

Either way please replace your radiator and flush the system. It may be that the transmission cooler inside the radiator leaked and made the transmission heat up to the point of cracking. ie. boiling water into the transmission would do it.

 

yea, i'm going to replace the rad myself when i get her back. Nothing much to that really...off the topof your head, does anyone know the amount of tranny fluid that goes into the tranny? in Liters? I tokk my spare key with me just in case :P so we'll see...it's 9 in the morning here right now so i'm going to wait till about lunch time or so to give them a call..thanks by's

 

so....i got my car back....
1st - O.D light is flashing/ don't know if it works yet or not...
2nd - STILL leaking a bit of fluid...it's dropping down on the flex pipe...could this be the hairline crack in the line that causing the coolant getting into my tranny fluid?
3rd - the shifter is REALLY hard to change gear(from park to drive/reverse or reverse to drive/ neutral)....and it doesn't seem to stay in gear well...was going home and going up a hill it slipped back into neutral...the shifter and transmission did.....i'm not happy at all....
Ohh yeah, did i mention i got charged for 10 hours labour and afetr everything was said and done, it cost me $720 canadian?!?!? I'm going to work monday and dropping it off there and getting it FIXED (under warrenty) or i'll go the suing root..this is bull...i just wanted my car to stop knocking when shifting. It stopped the knock, but it revs up high between 1st and second gear, still leaks like i said, od light is blinking, AND when i go to start it, i have to messs with the shifter to make sure it is fully in park or it won't start...what a pain in the a$$

sorry for ranting but i half had a bad feeling about these guys after i dropped it off..and now look...i'm going to swap the rad tomorrow morning. Can a 5 speed rad fit into an auto?...thats what i'm swapping with...isn't there tranny lines running into it?

thanks orgers...wouldn't know what i'd do without you

 

The manual radator will not work with the automatic's radiator because the manuals Is not made to cool the auto tranny,The lines run through the radator to cool the tranny down. You will have to get a radiator that will cool the tranny down and the tranny lines run through the radiator. Get the shop to fic the car or your going to sue there pants off.

 

well i can't sue them yet....i told them to not change the rad cause i had one...are you sure that a 5 speed rad won't work in an auto? Doesn't the 5 speed tranny need cooling down as well??

 

There are two hoses from your auto transmission that connect to the radiator - the ATF circulates through the rad and is returned back to the tranny to help cool the transmission. What he's saying is that if you get a radiator for a 5 speed maxima, these hoses won't have anywhere to connect. You have to get a radiator for / from an auto.

 

DING-DING-DING WE HAVE A WINNER.

 

well wicked.....i'll see what i can do

 

If you want to use a 5-speed radiator, you'll need to buy a seperate tranny cooler.

S

 

picked up a rad today for $50...I do now however have a 5 speed rad for sale, 5 speed ECU, and a MAF sensor..lol...gonna put the rad in tomorrow morning if the weather holds.

 

Agreed, 5 hours is a bit much. I had never done a job on the level of that before, and just me in my garage I had mine out in half that time. And that was taking my time too. An experienced mechanic who knows what he is doing with the proper tools and experience should be able to do that in about an hour or two tops.

 

yea...i'm goin back monday...this is bull$hit...the bill said 10 hours labour...and all of these things are wrong now that wern't wrong before

 

i put the new rad in, it leaked out of one of the transmission hoses going into the rad, so i fixed that, and now it won't even start at all...i'm so mad i could crush that car.

 

so I got the code Crank Postion Sensor....if that sensor was shot, would that cause the car to crank and not start up?

 

Which one?

But yes, it could. Given that you've just been working in the area, make sure your CKPS POS is plugged in. It's mounted on the upper oil pan, right next to the bellhousing.

 

inever unplugged it...so i know it is pluged in...but the code was there...i checked the one in front of the motor...but the other one ( the one you are talking about) is down within the belts right? Next to one of the pullies?

 

No, the one underneath the crank pulley is the CKPS REF. I'm talking about the CKPS POS, this one:
Which code did you get? That'll tell you which sensor to check...

 

not to sure....0905 i think...

 

You checked the code but you don't know what code it is?

0905 is CKPS POS, which is the one you were just working near. Take it out, check for damage. Test the sensor per the FSM, try a new sensor if you have one laying around.

FWIW, you say you've had the CKPS POS code for a while now with no issues - http://forums.maxima.org/4th-generat...led-codes.html

Have you ever attempted to resolve this code before, or were you just ignoring it?

 

i pulled the codes a nice while ago now...i just never got around to getting the sensor looked at...I don't have the FSM...but i do have the haynes manuel...maybe the proper voltages are in there.
The plug looked clean and in good shape...Couldn't it be the other one? Would it cause the cranking but no start?

 

They could both cause crank and no start. You can get the FSM from the link in my sig.

It could be the other one, but since you (apparently, no one knows for sure) have the code for the CKPS POS, you might as well check that first. Or, you could just pull and test them both if you wanted.

 

to test, i only need a voltmeter right? or an ohm meter

 

Do you not have a multimeter? Don't think I've seen standalone volt or ohm meters in years.

 

no i do not have any meters at all...nor do i know where get a loan of one...I guess it is something i should invest in...when i get some money...that tranny job cost me a fortune. As for the sensors, is it the male or the female portion of the plug that actually has the sensor in it? Or is it both? To take it out of my parts car and place it into the busted one, i'm going to have to cut and splice the wires since they run into the main harness...does this sound right??

 

It's just so weird...I'm hoping thats it's just a coincident that i had the CPS (POS) code before and the car started fine. I got the tranny replaced, it started VERY hard for 2 days after that, and then after i replaced my rad, it wouldn't start up at all. One of the hoses bringing tranny fluid into the rad wasn't on quite tight and it spit tranny fluid everywhere upon start up, then bogged out and died. It never started after that. Could that have completely fouled up that CPS on the bell housing ? I'm going to go have a look today but i need it out of my friends garage, not to mention I need a car for work. A bad knock sensor wouldn't cause no starting as in looooonnnnng cranking but no start would it? I'm stumped...this sensor is the only thing i can think of...maybe the tranny people knocked it whe they were putting my new tranny in...
Help

 

No, the harness plugs into the sensor, you don't have to cut anything. Just "plug & play". The sensor is secured by two small bolts. Remove the bolts, unplug it and you have the sensor in your hands.

 

thanks..that goes for both correct? Is it also called the "crankshaft position sensor?