# 05' Transmission problems?



## jamm2277 (Sep 6, 2009)

I have a concern about the transmission of my 05' Maxima. It had been feeling as though it was slipping between 1st and 3rd gears. It would shift very hard after hitting 4500-5000 rpms. It got to the point where after initially hitting 5th gear it would stick in 5th gear even at a dead stop. The only way to get it to return to 1st gear was to turn off the engine. I took it in to a few places and they all suggested a new tranny. I flushed the tranny fluid about 6 months ago and it only helped a slight bit. The weird thing is that the problem has gotten much better in the last couple of weeks, it doesn't shift hard, nor does it stick in 5th anymore regardless how hard I drive it. I still feel the acceleration is still very sluggish but it isn't nearly as frustrating to drive. I was thinking it might be something associated with the computers rather than mechanical considering a mechanical problem wouldn't improve over time. If anyone has any insight or advice, or even a similar problem and their solutions it would be a big help. Please educate me on what it could be, Thanks!


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## bschanz (Oct 6, 2009)

you need to pull the trans pan and see if there is any metal debris. also, pull the dipstick and smell the fluid. if there is metal debris or burned smell fromthe fluid, that tranny might be smoked. how many miles on the car and has a trans flush ever been performed prior to the one you did in the spring. need some more information here. old post, so maybe you got it fixed. 
ben


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## macakin (Nov 6, 2003)

Old thread but this just happened to my SL yesterday !! I'm going to try to flush it at least 2 times, so maybe flush it this weeks and then do it again in two more weeks, see if that helps


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## PbLead (Aug 8, 2009)

If it doesn't fix it or it comes back, it means tranny replacement. The correct fix is actually to replace the valve body and torque converter. But the cost of those two items and the labor is actually more than a complete install of a factory reman tranny.


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## TW_Pathy_97 (Oct 25, 2009)

PbLead said:


> the cost of those two items and the labor is actually more than a complete install of a factory reman tranny.


what is the parts & labor cost of a factory reman tranny?


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

A lot of those 5-spd. AT's are fixed by replacing the valve body, alone. This is a pretty old thread. Prices will vary depending where you live for a transmission replacement. Your best bed would be to call your local dealer for a quote. You could also try this site: 

Auto Repair Estimates - Get Honest Car Repair Costs


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## TW_Pathy_97 (Oct 25, 2009)

Thanks, What is the approx parts cost and how much labour to change the valve body ? Are you suggesting to replace the transmission over repairing it ?

I am trying to find out what others have paid to fix the problem and the website doesn't work where I live.


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

I'm not suggesting anything. It's a well-known problem that the valve bodies cause a lot of problems on the Nissan 5-spd. A/T FWD; I believe the problem is they warp over time, which results in shifting issues. You can Google-search and find a lot of information on the web about them. A Nissan reman. trans runs about $3500-$3700 just for the trans, plus fluid and labor. Just the valve body from Nissan runs about $1100, plus fluid, gaskets and labor, which is far less than replacing the whole transmission. Remanufactured valve bodies run in the $350-$650 range. I don't have a labor guide for the times, but the valve body takes about 3 hours to replace, +/-. To replace the transmission, the subframe has to be removed to access the trans, so labor will be much higher. I'll guess labor time is around 8-10 hours, but, that's just a guess. But labor times vary depending where you live, so what labor costs are in, for example, Mississippi, will be far lower than, say, New York or California. It would probably be worth taking the vehicle to a reputable transmission shop familiar with the problems of the Nissan RE5F22A model transmissions.


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## TW_Pathy_97 (Oct 25, 2009)

smj999smj said:


> It would probably be worth taking the vehicle to a reputable transmission shop familiar with the problems of the Nissan RE5F22A model transmissions.


Thanks that is exactly what I was looking for a good rough estimate of the options and I will do that


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