# 2000 Frontier Transmission Slipping



## nis (Jul 18, 2011)

I have a 2000 Frontier SE V6 with an Automatic Transmission and 140,000 miles. When I accelerate from a dead stop the tranny appears to be slipping when going from 1st to 2nd gear. There is also a whining sound as this is occuring. The whining sound goes away after the shift. After it engages into 2nd gear everything seams fine. This only happens between 1st and 2nd gear.

I am also hearing what sounds like a pulley grinding or rattling sound while i'm at idle in park and it sounds louder if I shift to drive. This sound appears to be getting louder by the day and so is the trans slipping problem.

At highway speeds everything seems fine and cannot hear any noise and no slipping either.

I have changed the tranny fluid at 50m and at 25m thereafter. The fluid is bright red.

I have removed all of the belts and checked that all of the tensioners and related components that are driven by the belts were ok, even the timing tensioner. All appear to be ok.

Just looking for an approach to take from here. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Dave


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

Sounds like a bad trans. The appropriate course of action to prove that it is would be to install pressure gauges and perform a line pressure and stall test, followed by removal of the pan to inspect for debris, such as bits of silver or brass particles.


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## nis (Jul 18, 2011)

Sounds more serious than I thought. For something like this do you think going to the dealership is the best course or local shop?

I called Nissan and they said $80 to diagnose problem.

Thanks.


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

If you have a reputable transmission shop, that might be a more cost efficient route. Key word: "reputable."


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## nis (Jul 18, 2011)

I will need to ask around to see who is "reputable". I looked at some reviews and they are all over the place. Someone say great things about one place and then someone else saids that their horrible. I usually do all my mechanical work except for the big stuff so I need to look at my options here... This one is beyond my scope.


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## SPEEDO (Jun 9, 2003)

I found a re-man oem trans online for $1750 + core, its something you can use as a base price for a replacement anyway


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## nis (Jul 18, 2011)

Finally figured it out. There were two parts that were bad. The Water Pump was making all that noise and not the pulleys. The Fan Clutch was the culprit for the whining sound and slippage. I replaced both and the problem is corrected. Still scratching my head as to why the fan clutch made it feel like my tranny was slipping. Runs good and strong again.


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