# Changed Radiator and now the car won't shift!



## lugoismad (Apr 23, 2009)

The radiator in my wife's 89 Maxima had a leak, so I put a new one in yesterday.

I took it for a spin around the block, and it seemed fine. She called me at work later, and said the car wouldn't shift and was shaking really hard when it tried to.

I took a look at it this morning, and I I'd overfilled the transmission when I put some more ATF in to compensate for what was in the radiator when I removed the old one. I drained the extra fluid out, put it back together and took it for a drive.

At first it seemed fine, but within a minute, it started not wanting to shift again. Instead of shifting, the car would shudder and the RPM's would bounce up and down by about 250rpms or so.

So. It won't shift, but shifted just fine before the new radiator.
Fluid level is spot on. Fluid is pink and doesn't smell burnt.

Any ideas?


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## Outkast (Jan 29, 2006)

Was there any caps on the new radiator covering the inlets to the trans lines? It either isn't getting fliud to flow or the trans just died on you.


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## lugoismad (Apr 23, 2009)

Outkast said:


> Was there any caps on the new radiator covering the inlets to the trans lines? It either isn't getting fliud to flow or the trans just died on you.


I disconnected the lines at the radiator and checked and there is good flow.
I flushed the tranny by disconnecting it at the radiator and letting all the old fluid pump out and put new fluid in. I also put a quart of lucas tranny fix in there. 

I listed it on craigslist, I'll just sell it if the solution is a new transmission.


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## Outkast (Jan 29, 2006)

lugoismad said:


> I disconnected the lines at the radiator and checked and there is good flow.
> I flushed the tranny by disconnecting it at the radiator and letting all the old fluid pump out and put new fluid in. I also put a quart of lucas tranny fix in there.
> 
> I listed it on craigslist, I'll just sell it if the solution is a new transmission.


Doing that you most likely fried the solinoids. Bein' an old trans and run dry like that they might have just let go.


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## rogoman (Dec 16, 2004)

Here's what you should have done after installing a new radiator:
- Before starting the motor, disconnect the ATF lines at the tranny.
- Use a special A/T flushing fluid to flush out the lines and the radiator cooler.

There's a good chance some crap got into the A/T valve body.


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