Hello all. 2 days ago I purchased my first Maxima. After reading all of the reviews, I wondered how I could possibly go wrong. But, after only 2 days I have had 2 pretty good sized problems. 1) I was stuck at an intersection because I could not get the 5 speed transmission in gear. The clutch was all the way to the floor but the gearbox would not let the shifter into any gear. The car stalled and I was stuck. Eventually, I reached down and the saw that the clutch was stuck in all the way depressed. I have no idea why it would stall if the clutch was all the way in. I pulled it back up with my hand and I was fine to drive again. I do, however, have some difficulties changing gears. It's not a smooth transition EVER. The shifter always seems to get stuck or the gates seem shut whenever I try to downshift. For instance, I can't go from 3rd gear to 2nd gear when I'm going over 25 miles per hour? I traded in my Toyota Celica which shifted incredibly smooth. Maybe it's just because it's a different engine and manufacturer. Does this sound like a problem that any of you have ever seen? 2) I was driving home from work today and the check engine light came on. I love the car and I love the deal I got on it. I don't want to have to return it but I can't continue to have problems. Any suggestions? Thanks.

Rob

 

it shouldnt feel like that at all - maybe you need a new clutch?

 

I hate the 5 speed manual transmission of the 4 gen. They have a tendency to eat the differential carrier bearings. Anyway, for your stuck situation, check the slave cylinder to make sure theres fluid in it, and check the hose running to the clutch release fork mechanism, make sure theres no leaks. I'd get the clutch system flushed and replace the tranny fluid with Amsoil or Redline synthetic.

 

Not that it's of much use, but I have a 97' SE 5spd with 70k on original clutch. No problems other than standard wear. Although, I think I read something, way back, about the 96' SE's having clutch issues, so I am guessing that they may have changed things slightly from year to year.

 

It's at the dealership now. I haven't heard back from them. Is this something I should request to have the transmission replaced? As you can probably tell, I'm not very mechanically inclined. I just want my Maxima to shift smoother and run like it should. The warranty only goes for a few months and I don't want them to do a "quick-fix" to mask the problems until the warranty is up. Any suggestions? Thanks.

 

If your clutch gets stuck to the floor, there is no pressure in the system. So that seems to me that it would be like shifting through gears without pressing the clutch down. you probably have a leak

 

I heard back from the dealership finally. They said they drove it and could not find anything wrong with it. I told them that it's not a smooth transition from gear to gear, and that it's really hard to downshift ALL the time. I get a workout trying to shift because I have to pop it into gear. He said that the synchros in all maximas are really "slow" and that's why the gates won't open. I need to gas it, shift to neutral, wait a second, and then I can shift it into gear. This sounds ridiculous to me. These are suppose to be sporty cars. Who ever heard of waiting in neutral before shifting? They're sending it to a transmission specialist tomorrow but they think he's going to say the same thing. Do you think I'm getting the runaround here?

 

It shouldn't do that at all. You have a gooey clutch. My friend with a '95 SE 5spd Max w/110k miles on the original clutch shifts soft and smooth with none of your problems.

I suggest you get it looked at by AAMCO. How many miles on your car? Maybe it's time for a new clutch. And shifter.

I suggest also getting a short throw shifter since the Max's stock one is rather large. Pacesetter makes quality ones that are also adjustable in height and reduce throws by 80%. Unfortunatally they are all sold out at the moment.

 

Your friendly dealer is full of sh**. Shift to neutral, wait and then down or upshift. Either these so-called experts don't know there own cars or are just trying to get rid of you. I really don't understand. If it's faulty you would assume they would want to charge you an f-ing fortune to fix it.

 

You may just need to change fluid.. There is an article about GL4 / GL5 where the 5 lets your syncros spin to fast and makes it harder to shift.. Most people have had luck w/ redline fluid fixing these issues.

 

At first I thought you were talking to me since you quoted my paragraphs

 

I am assuming Maxima has hydraulic clutch. Make sure you have enough fluid in your system. Even if you do, bleed it and get fresh fluid in the system. Also get some new gear oil, upgrade it red-line if you could.

 

It has about 89,000 miles on it..........I just bought it 2 days ago so it's still under warranty. Any idea if most dealerships will accept oppinions from AAMCO? I have a feeling they just don't want to fix it. But if I could prove that something is wrong, I guess they'd have no choice.

How much are the short throw shifters going for? Any idea how much something like that costs to install? Thanks.

Rob

 

Hey Rob,

Your clutch should be fine with only 89k on it. Maybe it was beaten on before by the previous owner however? I think Nissan is bullsh!ting you..your the customer.. if something feels wrong then they need to fix it for you.

Screw what Nissan thinks...take your car into AAMCO to get the tranny evaluated. There is nothing illigal or wrong w/that. Free estimates..

the STS's (short throw shifters) range from about $50-100. Pacesetter's is about $55-65. OBX and Stillen's shifters are good, but the height cannot be adjusted.

 

Actually, when I say dealer, I mean the used car dealership I bought it from (not Nissan). It's a fairly large dealership in the Buffalo, NY area. They have a service center and it is them that is saying there is no problem. I figure that if they refuse to believe something is wrong, I will pay a few bucks and have Nissan tell me what is wrong. Then take the estimate back to used car dealership. I have a 6 month powertrain warranty so I would think they'd be obligated to do something then. Have you ever had an experience like this before?

Also, any idea how much it costs to install the STS's? Thanks Craig.

Rob

 

Few people on this board had this problem. Its your cutch cylinder. Just like in brakes with master cylinder. Get it checked out in few places and come back to them.

 

Well, the dealer finally got back to me after taking it to a transmission specialist. They said (in a very unsure voice) "we think it's your clutch". So anyway, they're waiting for approval from the sales department (which I don't really understand. Why do they need approval from them? Warranty stuff? Does anyone know if the clutch is typically covered under a powertrain warranty?). Anyway, they said it would take a day or day and half. I'm so sick of driving the minivan loaner around so I hope they get their sh** together soon. Does anyone think replacing the clutch will do the trick? Thanks.

Rob

 

Well, after a full week of driving a piece of crap minivan loaner, I finally got my Max back. They replaced the clutch, and said they had to "adjust" the slave cylinder. Anyway, whatever they did, it worked. Shifting is smooth and fast. I love drivin' my Max. Thanks for all of your help guys.

Rob

 

Dang I wish I would have seen this thread earlier ! I had the exact same problem for months!!

I know its too late now but here are some tips just in case the didnt fix it:

Check the 1) Master Cylinder every so often to make sure it still has fluid and does not go down. (Right beside the Brake Master and behind the left strut tower)
2)Clutch line attached to the bell housing to make sure its not "sweating" from leaking fluid.
3)Check the slave cylinder to see if there are any leaks there too.

Make sure the master cylinder is not preloaded, and conversely, not too loose...

It make be fixed for now... but that's what I thought when AAMCO charged me 400 bucks saying they fixed the entire hydraulic portion of the clutch. 2 months later, same problem. Long story short they lied to me about fixing the slave cylinder and I fixed it myself....For 8 BUCKS !!!!

Sorry for the long post but I had tons of trouble with the whole situation and if I had just gotten under the hood myself, I could have saved a ton of money.

PS. if they just "tweaked" the slave cylinder I doubt that will fix your problem. The grommet on my was going out and sometimes it worked, sometimes not. 8 bucks for a rebuild kit is unbeatable, especially when it can paralyze your whole car!!

 

Oh and motorvate.ca has some good info on this too if you want some pics

 

Thanks Danielsan, things went pretty well while driving around today. (although when I really push the car to 5500 rpms or higher, then try to change gears, it seems as though there is some slippage. Did you find this problem?) Also, my check engine light came on today. They said they figured it had something to do with the transmission because it went off after fixing the clutch. Well, 3 days later and it's back on. Any advice? If you can't tell already, I'm not too mechanically inclined. I have no idea how to check anything under the hood. For all I know, they didn't even replace the clutch!! Although, things seem to be much better than before. Thanks for the advice.

Rob

 

The slippage may be OK. I found when I had the stock clutch, when running hard, shifting engagements would be a bit soft b/c the clutch would struggle to deal with the torque of the motor.

As for the check engine light, you can pull the code yourself. Look it up in the FAQs on this forum.

DW

 

My Clutch is at that point now. Where it slips under a hard shift and doesnt want to grab.

However, I did have the same problem when I tried to adjust the master cylinder so the pedal would catch further from the floor.
I fixed it by turning the screw on the master cylinder and backing off the catch point. Maybe your fix will be as easy as that.

With the CEL, that sounds like a different problem altogether. I dont know of any sensors attached to the hydraulic or clutch parts. Well, I haven't actually checked though. I would definitely suggest checking it yourself rather than paying someone to turn a screw.

 

If you read reviews for 95-96 maxima they say that there is some clutch slippage so i guess its ok for your model year. When it wears out just get ACT clutch with street preassure plate. Good luck.

you could pull the check engine code yourself. Look for stickies on this board.