# HELP: 93 Altima, 73k , weird trans shifting



## fleshka (Aug 4, 2005)

*HELP: 93 Altima, 73k , weird trans shifting TRANSMISSION PROBLEM*

hey guys I am new here. I posted in this thread I wasnt sure if it was to go to general or not. 

Nissan Altima
1993
4 cyl, 2.4L engine
GXE
Only 73,000 miles

Now here is the Kicker: The transmission is being weird.

the trans won't shift into gear until the RPM gets high. Sometimes it doesnt shift until i just give it a min and lay off the gas pedal then it goes into gear. It has been doing this for a long time now (Since October 2004.) Sometimes I would shut the car off and restart and the problem would seem corrected. Other times I would let the car heat up for 10 minutes and it would be ok. Seems to be better on different days.

I got out of work one day and suddenly my car wouldnt switch out of 1st gear. I freaked out. Then it would shift, but VERY hard. I went to an AAMCO, the guy was like the computer is fine and it looks like it is an internal mechanical problem. He said it gonna need to be rebuilt. He then told me not to get the fluid flushed and changed which people would suggest because the car would run fine for a few days and then it would lock up. I said no thanks and drove it home carefully. It has been parked in my driveway for 3 months now untouched because I dont know what to do.

When I changed the CV axles, some trans fluid came out because of the pulling out of the axle and I went to a Meineke and they put some fluid in.

I read about this Nissanmatic C Transmission Fluid, but nobody can find it and seems to not know what is the deal. Please offer me your advice and if you have experienced this problem. Thanks guys.

http://www.nissanforums.com/showthread.php?t=101137

i posted in that thread I didnt want to repost the same but get some attention to the thread. please help. thank you.


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## fleshka (Aug 4, 2005)

nobody? all i know is that nissan are known for problematic transmissions.


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## erik2282 (May 17, 2005)

the same thing was happening to my chevy s10 truck. I just changed out the tranny fluid and filter since I hadnt done it in a long time and the problem went away. Do they have that nissan tranny fluid at the dealer?


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## fleshka (Aug 4, 2005)

erik2282 said:


> the same thing was happening to my chevy s10 truck. I just changed out the tranny fluid and filter since I hadnt done it in a long time and the problem went away. Do they have that nissan tranny fluid at the dealer?



nope they dont, already checked. Also, i took the car for a spin the other night, it wont go into 3rd gear now.


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## nissantek (Aug 11, 2005)

If I am thinking right there might be a trans solenoid recall, but not sure of the years it covers. I will check tomorrow at work.


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## fleshka (Aug 4, 2005)

nissantek said:


> If I am thinking right there might be a trans solenoid recall, but not sure of the years it covers. I will check tomorrow at work.



thanks man. please let me know if you find anything out. if there is a recall, what do i do?


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## fleshka (Aug 4, 2005)

erik2282 said:


> the same thing was happening to my chevy s10 truck. I just changed out the tranny fluid and filter since I hadnt done it in a long time and the problem went away. Do they have that nissan tranny fluid at the dealer?



yes they actually do have some, the nissanmatic D formula when I called. the guy at the nissan place said he never heard of Nissanmatic C but they do have D. what should I do?


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## nissantek (Aug 11, 2005)

no trans. recalls sorry, later year. You want to run matic D in your car and if you know of any place that has flush machine I would recommend that to start with . Have you checked for any codes, like TPS or any trans codes?


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## fleshka (Aug 4, 2005)

nissantek said:


> no trans. recalls sorry, later year. You want to run matic D in your car and if you know of any place that has flush machine I would recommend that to start with . Have you checked for any codes, like TPS or any trans codes?


i do not have the capabilities to check for codes on my car unfortunately. any suggestion?


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## Yagaman (Aug 13, 2005)

*Tranys are fickle*

Automatic transmissions can be very frustrating. Especially if you don't understand how yours works. Let's look at the top reason why it won't shift into gears: Not enough pressure in the hydraulic control lines. This could be caused by several things. 

1. If your trany is mechanically falling apart, enough small particles can clog your trany's filter, thus preventing enough fluid to pass through to the control veins to allow proper operation of the shifting devices (hence hard shifting or no shifting). Parking your car for a while will allow the debris to settle and allow normal (or semi normal) operation until you drive it enough for it to get clogged again. Solution? Put about 1/4 quart semi-warm sample of your trany's fluid in a glass container and let it sit overnight. If there is debris in your fluid, you will see it settle to the bottom. If you have any doubts about how much is too much sentiment, take it to a trany mechanic. The quick fix is to change your filter and fluid, but if you have mechanical failure, this will only allow your trany to continue to eat itself (clutches, belts, or gears). I changed the trany fluid and filter in an old Grand Am and it cured the problem of having to wait several minutes before it would go into gear when I put it in drive while it was cold.

2. Hydraulic pump failing. If the pump can not put enough pressure into the control lines, it will not shift properly/at all. A mechanic may be able to test the amount of pressure your pump is supplying (depending on your model) without dissasembling your trany.

3. Solenoid valve sticking or failing. This could be a difficult one because different tranys have different valves. But basically, you will have a several valves that open and close to allow your bands and discs to engage/disengage to give you your different combinations for your gears (first through fifth and reverse). If any of these valves are failing or sticking, you will have shiffting problems. Since these valves are inside your trany it is difficult to troubleshoot. Sometimes a computer scanner can read faults with these solenoids.

4. Modulator valve failing. (If you have one) The modulator sensor/valve takes the speed of your vehicle and turns it into line pressure. When you have enough line pressure your trany shifts to the next gear. Shifting is retarded by allowing throttle position or engine vacuum to increase the pressure required for each gear, thus allowing you to stay in a gear longer (higher speeds) before sifting up. If your modulator valve is not working correctly, it can cause low control line pressure and poor shifting.

5. Pressure regulator. Some tranys have pressure regulators installed to regulate the amount of control line pressure. Sometimes the electronics that are supposed to help control these regulators will act up and cause troubles. Some electronic controlled tranys will receive input from your car's computer telling it how to control line pressure and shift points. A computer scan can sometimes pick up on this problem as well.

Well, that's about all I got. Hope it helps. You can learn alot about how a trany works on How Stuff Works .com (they have some really cool moving illustrations)


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## fleshka (Aug 4, 2005)

wow man!!!!!

4. Modulator valve failing. (If you have one) The modulator sensor/valve takes the speed of your vehicle and turns it into line pressure. When you have enough line pressure your trany shifts to the next gear. Shifting is retarded by allowing throttle position or engine vacuum to increase the pressure required for each gear, thus allowing you to stay in a gear longer (higher speeds) before sifting up. If your modulator valve is not working correctly, it can cause low control line pressure and poor shifting.

this sounds like my problem or how it started. also, the car stauled before out of nowhere. at first iwas like hmmm maybe it the sparks and not enough fuel who knows. but my car was shifting at higher rpm so it seemed like there was a problem w/ the tranny making it to the right speed. 

how should i go about attacking this issue? a lot of the mechanics here are real dirtbags and it is incredibly hard to find an honest one. should i go to the dealer? i am praying i dont spend a shitload.


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## Yagaman (Aug 13, 2005)

In my experience dealers can be as bad as the average bad mechanic. If they don't have the staff to give you the right answer they will go with, "your trany needs to be rebuilt or a new one installed." If the dealer is properly staffed (and they are not overwhelmed by backlogs of work) they can be a great source for the right solution. If you don't know of any good trany mechanics in town (or have friends that have had good success) then the dealer is at least someone that has to keep up a better reputation. Also, try looking around for info on good/bad mechanics in places like your city's BBB or Chamber of Commerce.


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## fleshka (Aug 4, 2005)

Yagaman said:


> In my experience dealers can be as bad as the average bad mechanic. If they don't have the staff to give you the right answer they will go with, "your trany needs to be rebuilt or a new one installed." If the dealer is properly staffed (and they are not overwhelmed by backlogs of work) they can be a great source for the right solution. If you don't know of any good trany mechanics in town (or have friends that have had good success) then the dealer is at least someone that has to keep up a better reputation. Also, try looking around for info on good/bad mechanics in places like your city's BBB or Chamber of Commerce.



thanks yagaman. i am going to take a look around. this is a real pain in the ass. if i only had the money to get a new car lol.


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## fleshka (Aug 4, 2005)

so today, i went to a local shop that been in business for about 27 years. the owner went out w/ my car with me. he said if you need to change the filter b/c of debris in there then your trans will be already shot.

after driving it, he said leave it here and drop the keys off. in the morning i will hook a computer up to it. it could be a number of things and the computer should give an error code. said it could be the solenoids. i guess we will find out.


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## fleshka (Aug 4, 2005)

the 2nd transmission place i went to checked it out with all the probelms. they drove it with me. he hooked it up to a computer and there were no error codes and the computer is reading correctly.

i dont know what to do at this point cause looks like im gonna have to rebuild this POS.


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## fleshka (Aug 4, 2005)

what should I expect to pay for a transmisison rebuild?


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## Yagaman (Aug 13, 2005)

A rebuild is normally based on three things. 1. the cost for taking out your trany and putting it back in. 2. The cost of the actual parts it's gonna take to fix it once you get it apart and see what is really wrong. 3. the cost for the mechanic that actually does the rebuild.

The best shops won't give you a total price before they get your tranny out and take a good look at what is going wrong. You should be able to get the price on removal and re-install along with labor for assembly of the new parts. If you can find a shop that dyno tests before re-installing, that's a plus (it saves time on having to remove it again if there are any problems or adjustments needed after the rebuild).

I paid $1600 for a rebuild on a 94 Pontiac (planetary gear assembly ate itself) then I stumbled upon a rebuild (and tested) used trany for $850. Add $150 to $200 for shipping and another $250 to install it and I could have still saved $400 and allot of time. I found the absolute cheapest way was to gamble with a used trany from the junk yard, but it is always a gamble that could end up costing more in labor.

Remember to compare warranties and BBB listings as well. Have fun!


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## fleshka (Aug 4, 2005)

Yagaman said:


> A rebuild is normally based on three things. 1. the cost for taking out your trany and putting it back in. 2. The cost of the actual parts it's gonna take to fix it once you get it apart and see what is really wrong. 3. the cost for the mechanic that actually does the rebuild.
> 
> The best shops won't give you a total price before they get your tranny out and take a good look at what is going wrong. You should be able to get the price on removal and re-install along with labor for assembly of the new parts. If you can find a shop that dyno tests before re-installing, that's a plus (it saves time on having to remove it again if there are any problems or adjustments needed after the rebuild).
> 
> ...



where could i find a tranny?


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## erik2282 (May 17, 2005)

i bought an auto tranny for my 97 Altima at a salvage yard for 400 bucks, its been in the car since March and no problems, except for the pan gasket leaking, but thats a easy and cheap fix....


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## Yagaman (Aug 13, 2005)

Local salvage yards are a good source (especially because you won't have to pay for shipping). If you can't find a match locally, look for them online. A quick search for "rebuilt transmission" will give you allot to look at. I don't have any experience with them, but I know a few people that have had some success going that route.


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## fleshka (Aug 4, 2005)

problem is getting the transmission into the car when you get it from the salvage yard. here people want to charge about 800 to install a trans not counting the cost of one.


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