# Is It My Tranny, Clogged Fuel Injectors Or Something Else?



## phreesoal (Apr 28, 2005)

On my '93 Maxima GXE Automatic, I've started experiencing problems with acceleration after my car sits unused for about 24 hours. It happened again today, as I did not use the car since Friday. 

I was on my way down the road and the car reved up to 4,000 RPMs before it went from 1st to 2nd gear. I pushed the gear shift from D, to 2 to 1, then back to D. It still was sluggish then it caught up and seemed to drive fine. I was only in it about 10 mins to go to work. Again, this only seems to happen after the car has sat for hours at a time unused. But, when I'm stopping, parking & driving for short periods of time, this does not seem to occur.

I sometimes have to put my shifter in 2 then nudge it back up to "D" (drive) for it to be properly in drive. It's been this way since I got it from the old owner.

Any idea on what's causing this? I'm hoping it's not my tranny going bad but be brutally honest. I have not had any work done on my tranny but the previous owner had the tranny replaced twice. Also, I have not had the tranny fluid replaced yet.

Thanks....


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## Luba (Aug 22, 2005)

I have on going issues with the fuel injectors had some of them already replaced. Car chugg chuggs a lot if I don't put fuel injector cleaner in with every tank of gas.

I'd def change the tranny fluid, not that expensive


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## GRNMAXDMON (Jan 18, 2005)

do u feel a slight hesitation when this happens cuz if u do it might be ur O2 Sensor and hopefully not ur not tranny but go ahead and do a tranny flush.


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## phreesoal (Apr 28, 2005)

Appreciate the quick responses!

Yes, I do feel hesitation at times and I noticed tonight when going to lunch, it will sometimes play "catch up" when I accelerate. Not as bad as earlier where it revved at 4k, but it'll revved slightly higher than normal then smooth out. I also feel and hear a "thump" when that happens.

I'll get the trans fluid replaced this week.

PS


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## phreesoal (Apr 28, 2005)

Hopefully today I'll have a chance to get the tranny checked, as I believe that's what's acting up.

Earlier yesterday, I put some STP Fuel Injection Cleaner in my tank. It was still not smoothly going into 2nd gear from 1st.

Later that night, going into 2nd gear was worse - the thump was louder and harder when kicking to 2nd. So, I'm quite concerned

I usually leave my A/T switch on POWER and the changing gears remained to be a hard transition.

However, when I set my A/T swith to COMFORT, going from 1st to 2nd gear was quite smooth.

Could it be that setting (POWER) has gone bad within the transmission itself? Why would the COMFORT position be smoother when changing gears? Is this a common issue?

Hopefully keeping it in COMFORT will buy me some time to get it checked out.

PS


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## phreesoal (Apr 28, 2005)

Well, according to Goodyear mechanics today, my tranny fluid looks good and is full, does not appear to be dirty.

However, they said it appears my tranny is going bad. I found some used trannies online ranging $550 - $900. Haven't contacted any junk yards yet.

*Anyone have any advice on looking at a used/rebuilt transmission or should I put the money into another car?*

I haven't had this car 6 mos yet and needing something to last me at LEAST 2-3 years but I honestly don't want a car note, nor to spend more than $4000 on a used car. Perhaps I should've paid more attention to the seller saying he's replaced the tranny twice already.

*Let me ask out of curiousity - could my problem be a transmission computer (aka "TCM-shift computer) and not the transmission itself? Should I have a Nissan service center take a look? Is this trans going bad problem quite common with these cars?*

Thanks and await the responses...

PS


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## Matt93SE (Sep 17, 2003)

yes, these cars are known to have weak transmissions.

you might in fact try replacing the computer. see if you can find someone locally that's got one and willing to let you swap computers and see what happens.. I have seen it cause your symptoms to happen.

I've also seen it becaused by worn clutch bands in the transmission (the common failure in these cars). nissan tried to make a smooth, soft shift in them, but the way they do that is to have the transmission in two gears and once, slowly shifting the power transmitted from one clutch band/gear set to the other. so that nice smooth shift is what eats away at the trnasmission!


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## phreesoal (Apr 28, 2005)

Matt,

I'll give the computer test a shot. Is that something I can disconnect and reconnect myself, or does a trained person need to?

PS


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## Matt93SE (Sep 17, 2003)

anybody can change the TCU. it's a bit of a pain to get to, but you can change it with just basic hand tools.
disconnect the battery for abotu 10 min before pulling it just to be safe and make sure no stray signals do anything while you're connecting.
then just swap the computers. don't even have to mount it completely back in the car to get it running and test.


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## phreesoal (Apr 28, 2005)

Matt,

I haven't gotten the opportunity to try out a TCU yet and the car has worsened with the last 24 hrs. What's awfully confusing is that the car got worse with the way it's driving & not shifting gears well after putting in the fuel injector cleaner. But I guess it's coincidental. I thought at one point I got a hold of some bad gas.

At this point, I need to get it to a trans specialist immediately, and will take it to one in about 6-7 hrs this morning. 

Tonight, the car sputtered and ran very rough while in drive but on brakes - it also had a bit of a loud hum. I shifted to 2 and 1 from drive and the car ran even rougher and it cut off. It did that twice (with cutting off when going into 2, then 1 from drive) but cranked right back up. 

I then tried pulling off and the car was trying to cut off yet again & skipping, until I gave it more gas than normal to come out of a stopped position. It then ran. 

I drove it for about 15 mins after that ordeal and it seemed to smooth out. So here again, this problem is at its worse when the car has sat for hours off and cranked up.

Then, the longer I drive it, it seems to smooth out with shifting gears. I don't trust it though and if my problem is the tranny and not the computer (because I'll ask them about that computer today), then I may need to part with the vehicle. I don't want to constantly deal with this, given this is common for this model.

PS


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## DonaldHays (Jul 22, 2004)

Common for the 89-91 maxima's yes from all I have read. not so common for the 93-94 Maxima's unless they have been beat and ridden hard and not taken care of as they changed the design and made them stronger in 92 and 94's I know for sure. 

How well did you know the last owner or owners? Just asking as you really don’t know most people you buy a car from unless they are a family friend and you have ridden with them on several occasions. The past owner/owners might have beat and drove your car to death and neglected the trans and now your felling the effect of this and after you have the issues fixed if it is the trans you issues will most likely be resolved unless you drive it real hard or beat it a lot while driving the car, otherwise you could always sell the car with a possible bad transmission (I paid 400.00 for my 94 with a blown fuel pump fuse and it has 82k on it now) its not perfect but no one really wants to buy a car that needs a major repair, and you could sell it take a kick on the price you sell it from and maybe get a decent car to replace it with or maybe end up with another automobile with problem's. 

Buying a used car of any kind and for the most part taking it to places to have it checked isn’t all that effect its like playing with a loaded gun unless you know the whole history and seen the car thru the years and seen how it was driven and taken care of. 

Its a toss up on risk fixing it having a sharp car that possible would last 300k plus or more or selling it and hopping to get a semi decent price and the hopes of not getting into another car that needs major repairs and then having lost money on the Maxima to only loose more to fix the 2nd replacement car 


Donnie H.


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## phreesoal (Apr 28, 2005)

Hi Donald,

You're right, buying any used car can be a bad situation for anyone to deal with. I will say, when I've sold my two MBs in the past 3 years, I was frank and upfront about everything wrong with it as much as I was about everything good with it. I even typed up bullet lists of this info because people should know what they are buying. Just my personal belief. Unfortunately, we can't except everyone to be honest. I did not know my previous owner, I found his car on a popular online used car site.

I did some scouting today for someone who could possibly rebuild my trans for much less than $1500. I also looked at some other used cars & could only wonder, if I'm buying something that'll have something expensive go bad with a year. It's really got me with a bad outlook on cars period, because there are brand new cars that go bad sooner than expected as well.

What I have to mention again though about my transmission situation is this - when it warms up, I do not have any problems with shifting at all in drive or reverse. 

For example, I had the car out for about 6 hrs today and after the 1st 30 mins to an hour of driving it, you would never know it there was a tranmission problem. I put it on the highway and drove 60+ miles today, no problem whatsoever. Let me mention that I put it on the highway about 2 hrs after I had been driving stop & go around town.

But, when I try driving it immediately after it has sat at least 2-10 hrs (or more), I have all the hiccups with shifting into 1st & 2nd gear to the point the car runs rough & will shut off if I'm on brakes in "drive." I have to throw in neutral to prevent the cutting off. That just started 2 days ago.

I took it to a trans specialist on Thurs morning and he asked if I had ever had any engine problems or have seen the engine light. I was perfectly honest and said no, never. This specialist said I had terrible slipping in reverse when he test drove it. However, when he asked me to ride with him to demo the reverse slipping, it did not do it again after multiple attempts. He admitted being puzzled. His offer was to take the entire trans apart for $350 to find the problem and said I should expect to pay $1500-$1600 for a complete rebuild, in which the $350 would go towards that price. Then comes the question, if I rebuild it, can it fail again?

I won't bite my tongue in saying, that seems a lot to pay just for a diagnosis and $1500 is making me want to put that towards a slightly newer (and hopefully better condition) car.

And let me mention this again too - this issue seemed to get worse with the shifting after I added FUEL INJECTION CLEANER!!! Go figure. I still search for an affordable fix but one that I won't be facing again in another 4 mos.

A friend told me to let the car warm up about 5-10 mins and see if this shifting issue happens as badly as when I start it and immediately drive. I'll be trying this tomorrow. Hopefully this can buy me another week or two. 

PS


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## DonaldHays (Jul 22, 2004)

When the Trans went out on my 300ZX it did nothing as you have just spoke of. all it started doing at first was shifting at a higher rpm (normal floored would have been 6k say and that was a redline after it started going bad it would go up to 6500 and some times 7k before it changed when you was on it) I was stubborn and didn’t want to spend the 1700 to have the trans fixed and drove the car off and on till it just had to be fixed as it had no gears but reverse and 1 and 2nd gear. 2 weeks after getting it back the TQ converter failed (under service contract however) (found out around 5 months later my rad. Was trashed and that’s what had friend my trans as the car was running far hotter than the gauge was showing) that’s why the TQ went bad after the rebuild also. They pulled the car in and installed a new one, car was fine for maybe a few weeks and then when you would roll up to a stop sign the car would buck and act crazy as if it was a 5 speed and would stall out at times (This was the Torque converter lock up solenoid) that had went bad after that part was replaced the car had no other issues with the trans so far (rebuild was at 125K and is right close to 200K on the car now)

Two keys for keeping the trans going well make sure the cooling system in your car is working right if not you will fry the transmission every time (hotter the car runs the shorter the life of the Tran since its cooled by the radiator) have the trans serviced every 30k at least. For safe sake add a aftermarket trans cooler to make sure the trans stays cool, you don’t want it too cool tho since it has to be so warm to work right in the first place. 

My advice for you like I did with my Z31 (300zx) take the car to Nissan tell them the car is running ruff and you need to have it checked out over the entire whole car. They will charge you something like 70-100 but you will know everything that’s wrong with the car from tie-rods to the muffler tips having a small rust spot on them 

my 88 Maxima acted crazy when the fuel pump started going bad on it at times it would down shift to 2nd gear while going 75 on the freeway. Mine only acted crazy after the car was warm however so doubt that might be it. 

Nissan wanted 3499.00 and some change plus tax to fix my Trans replace a tie rod and to do the T-belt service and the CHTS and the tps and to replace a few vacuum lines and replace my radiator hoses. 

Keep your fingers crossed, maybe Nissan will tell you it needs a new CHTS (coolant head temp sensor or maybe a TPS or a mass air flow sensor.) Just remain calm and think of the best when you drop it off and don’t direct them into the Trans direction as I have seen people do this before then they had the work done and it was something really small and they wasted a lot of money. After Nissan has finished with the car make the choice to either have them fix it (if its small and cheap for the fix only) 2nd look for other Nissan Infiniti drivers in your area and ask and speak to them to see who they have work on there cars if its not the dealership is how I have found a lot of places that are a lot better than factory dealers and a lot cheaper also. Or maybe sell the car if worse comes to worse and you don’t want to deal with it anymore.

Good luck, keep your head up and let us know

Donnie H.


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## phreesoal (Apr 28, 2005)

Wow, thanks for sharing your stories Don! I will take your advice and have Nissan service look at it without giving any indication of a problem at all.

I'll post back on what I find out and keep my fingers crossed. 

This community is great with helping those like me and I'm thankful of that.

PS


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## phreesoal (Apr 28, 2005)

Wanted to give another update til I can get my car to Nissan Service:

I warmed it up again this morning for 10 min before driving and watched the temp gauge carefully. It was idling a little high while warming and the temp gauge moved from past the "C" to approximately two notches above the half way point. This is the point where the temp gauge stopped moving. The idling decreased somewhat.

I drove the car approx 8 mins (to work) and it stayed at that tem (halfway point). The car did not rev high again, but I it did not act as bad as it had last week with no warm up. It kicked hard into 1st gear once and again into 2nd, then it did not kick hard any more. 

According to my car manual, *normal* operating temp is about 3/4's past the "C" level indicator (I'm not sure what the actual degrees are). Again, my temp gauge sat at a couple of notches above the midway point.

*Therefore, I want to ask anyone who knows, does this indicate my car is running hotter than it should? *

Looking at the gauge indication in the manual and what my car actually shows would indicate that I AM running hot. But, given this is 12 year standards I'm following, I wasn't sure if what the manual shows still applies.

PS


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## DonaldHays (Jul 22, 2004)

shouldnt read over the half way mark unless its really hot and lots of stop and go traffic or unless you have something starting to give (or thats what i have always heard on that one) 

The car is 12 years old yes, but I have a 99 sentra and it has around 167k on it and it dont even get to the half way mark and my 94 Maxima never gets to the half way mark even driving hard in the wonderful oklahoma temos (83k almost on the maxima now) but in theory from all I have heard that unless the gauge is like one mark from being on the hot red line spot the car isnt running hot (I disagree with that) as I was told my 300zx was fine when in fact it wasnt and it had a toasted rad. 

My theory is half way or a little under (too far under can be bad also as the car never gets warm as it should and it dont run right then also) 

Get the rad. flushed and redone if you dont know when it was last done (if its bad that will show it for sure) the 300zx didnt make it thru the being redone part as it was too weak so I had to get a new one.


let us know

Donnie H.


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## phreesoal (Apr 28, 2005)

As promised, I'm posting back on what I found out yesterday (Friday) as to what is wrong with my car. It was either take it to Nissan service at $70 or a well-known Nissan specialist in town who are praised for their work and have them diagnose the issue at the same price. I chose the specialist, as my friend recommended them - he's used them faithfully in maintaining his 300z. However, they are known to be on the high end for repairs. 

What the specialist found were the following:

-No transmission problems
-Need new motor mounts 
-Need new timing belt (was last replaced in '98)
-Need new water pump
-Need new tensioner
-Need new belts
-Need new shifter bushings

Their price to do all of the work with parts is approx $1,391 ($680 for the timing belt, water pump, belts and tensioner; $620 for the motor mounts, shifter bushings; then add 7% tax). They said the shifter bushings being worn is why I'm having the sluggishness when driving it immediately from a long sit, vs letting it warm up. Oh, and they didn't charge me for this diagnosis!

The car is still being sluggish when I don't warm it but NOTHING NEAR as bad as it was week before last when I used the fuel inj cleaner. When it warms up, it drives just fine.

I asked them what's the most important issue(s) I should fix first, they recommended the timing belt.

Now that all of this has been discovered, do any of you guys here recommend getting more prices around town for labor and I scout for my own parts? Did their price appear on the high end as people have told me? Should the timing belt remain of the utmost importance?

Thanks,

PS


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## alexnds (Oct 1, 2005)

*keeping things cool*



phreesoal said:


> Wanted to give another update til I can get my car to Nissan Service:
> 
> I warmed it up again this morning for 10 min before driving and watched the temp gauge carefully. It was idling a little high while warming and the temp gauge moved from past the "C" to approximately two notches above the half way point. This is the point where the temp gauge stopped moving. The idling decreased somewhat.
> 
> ...


Two suggestions a) install a small trans cooler in series with your radiator. It will keep the temp cooler by about 70 degrees F. Heat is the enemy. change trans fluid, and with the auxilliary cooler, you'll gain about an extra quart of fluid. b) check the sensor near your MAF. It determines idle speed and also help control timing. It might be putting in more timing than needed, and misreading things, causing some of your symptoms. I don't know what it called exactly, but it's not the thermostat I'm talking about, sensor, but not far from it.


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