max ride 41

iTrader: (4)

reason i ask is that the reverse gear is shuttering in reverse and no noticeable problems in the drive gears. only when cold or after sitting for awhile does it do this, so i took it in to a good trans shop.

this guy did the trans thats in the car now, and he tells me the trans is going south and reverse and drive gears are stuttering. i punched it after warming her up and she took off like a rocket as always, reverse gear worked fine as well.

so, i was thinking about changing the atf, and adding lubeguard or lucas to see if the problem goes away for awhile or alltogether. like or dislike lubeguard, lucas, sucess stories.

trans still works 100% after warming up and no codes. fluids not burnt, but is over 2 years old and looks a little worn with about 25,000 miles on it. opinions please, thanks

EDIT: its an auto and has about 160,000-to 170ish on it, second trans i put in. first one made it to 180,000

chrome91

iTrader: (1)

sure theres not a vacuum leak or something sounds like its more of a engine problem than a reverse gear problem

max ride 41

iTrader: (4)

i don't think so. but 2 of the motor mounts middle and front center need to be changed. i think he would've told me if the trans mount was bad. whats going to cause the engine to stutter in reverse and not going foward??? i DO however have and exhaust leak. the y-pipe has a nice hole in it, any chance that could slow it down?

ShocknAwe

iTrader: (3)

uneven wear on the gear is a possibility. If the gear isn't set in place right it will wear unevenly/faster and develop problems. Purely a guess but if the builder didnt do it right, it is very possible

max ride 41

iTrader: (4)

ahhh, i forgot to mention it was a used trans out of a salvage yard. not 100% sure if it was rebuilt or not. i don't think so though.

ShocknAwe

iTrader: (3)

then uneven wear is unlikely. Hard to say, I would trust the transmission shop. After all, it is their business. If it is just a cold issue then perhaps switch through the all of the gears a few times before putting it in reverse. Get the fluid moving around a bit.

max ride 41

iTrader: (4)

does that actually work?? i noticed the guy did tighten up the shifter as it was loose when i took it into him. how long to warm her up before i take off in the morning? i usually wait about 4 to 5 minutes.

Crusher103

iTrader: (10)

Don't touch that fluid unless that is your last ditch effort and your ready to replace that Trans. That's if you haven't been regular with you fluid changes.

dwapenyi

iTrader: (3)

You can change the tranny fluid. DONT FLUSH though. Drop the old fluid, measure how much came out, replace with same amount of new fluid thru dipstick.

Given that the tranny fluid is only 2 years old, it may not help though.

What are your driving habits? Is the car still rolling slightly in reverse when you go from R to D? If so, that hurts the tranny over time.

max ride 41

iTrader: (4)

i aint gonna lie, i drive maxy hard and put her into the stable wet. i usually let her warm up the first few miles before i step on the gas though. i always put into reverse slow, that's why i'm kinda confused on this issue. i could understand 1st and or 2nd gear slipping, that's what the original trans did. this makes no sense to me. i'm thinkin about changing the front 5 quarts and adding lucas, maybe. i'm going to check fluid tomorrow and see if i missed something here. i'll let you guys know

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

When does the ****ter happen, when you initially put it in R or when younstep on the gas in R?

max ride 41

iTrader: (4)

usually first thing in the morning when she's cold or after sitting for awhile like it did this weekend. otherwise i punched it 2 times last night and she was responsive and no slips at all. reverse works if i baby it, i have a y-pipe leak and i think that's not helping but should'nt make a difference. o, and when i give it gas she just shakes like she's cold.

DennisMik

iTrader: (2)

Having put in a used trans and not knowing the mileage it had leaves a lot of questions unanswered about the health of that trans. I have to be pessimistic on this situation.

What I personally think is that the trans needs a good flush to get rid of the varnish that is building up and making the valves and solenoids stick. But if you do a transmission flush - good bye tranny. You're damned if you do, you're damned if you don't.

Too bad Nissan doesn't make a decent transmission.

CS_AR

+1 For using a non-flush approach. When I first rescued my I30 with ~225,000 from the crusher back in 2010, the transmission fluid looked like dirty motor oil. I remember some strange shifts and mild shuttering.

To DWA's point, I just replaced the fluid I could drain out. I did some research and found Castrol Import Multi-Vehicle ATF was developed with Nissan and other Japanese manufacturers to meet the JASO-1A spec. Also I know it would take several fluid changes over the next couple of months to get the transmission cleaned up -- so I figured IMV would be moderately priced fluid to run through the transmission to clean out the old fluid.

After the first change, I started noticing improvement. A couple of weeks later I changed it again. I could tell I was making continued progress with the slow change process. I think it took 4 or 5 changes to eventually the transmission cleaned up. The gradual change approach worked for the I30. Today I have over ~260,000 on the I30 with no transmission problems. I keep an eye on transmission fluid and change it once a year to keep it running clean.

maxinout93

Im confused, some people are saying its ok to change the transmission fluid, and others are saying no to do it, Which one is it?

CS_AR

I believe the other member's recommendation for "not flushing" means avoid taking the car to a quick lube or shop that uses an automatic "flushing machine".

A flushing machine, as I understand it, will remove and replace nearly ALL of the transmission fluid in one big blast. The approach I've used on an older neglected transmission is to gradually change the fluid by draining it from the transmission pan then refilling the volume (usually 4 to 5 quarts) that was drained. I've seen cases of a "power flush" type fluid replacement just speeding up eventual failure on an older neglected transmission. I'm sure other here have seen problems occur after a "power flush" on an older transmission.

Crusher103

iTrader: (10)

It depends on the history of the transmission of it was maintained regularly then you can flush it service it whatever but if it's been 100k and you haven't touched it ever.....yea don't bother servicing it flushing, whatever. It will go in 2 days I've seen this happen countless times. Just run it until it eventually goes.

The problem is most people don't have the skill or know how to replace Trans fluid once the Trans has become dependent on that fluid so it's better just to leave it be.

dwapenyi

iTrader: (3)

Of course that's true. But, if you randomly take a sample of 20 drivers on the street, how many of them will have maintained their cars regularly, especially with regards to tranny fluid changes?


If you can change your oil then, using the non-flush method, you change change the tranny fluid. It's not rocket science. Drop the old fluid, in with the new. In terms of expense you only buy the fluid and DIY. Whats that? $25?
So you spend $25 to potentially extend the life of your old tranny. Since the transmission is one of the most expensive components in your car to replace, on the order of $1000, then $25 to get a bit more life out of it is a drop in the bucket.

It's worth a try and it will not make the situation worse.

Forgive me...I get a little passionate at times

Crusher103

iTrader: (10)

The reasons i saw dont do it is because yes that very fluid change speeds up the process of breaking a trans making things WORSE. It will take it from something that will probably take 2 years to break to less than a week. Fluid change not a flush, change. If your trans is on the way out then go for it but be prepared with that 12-1500 you will need to fix the transmission behind that fluid change.

Sometimes you luck out. I have a BMW with a ZF trans in it. Stupidly expensive transmission i had to do a fluid and filter swap at 120K. The car now has 140K with out a peep from the transmissions, some people like myself have stories like that. Then there are other like coming from my friend with a LS400 that had 160K on it, trans was perfect shifted perfectly made no odd noises or operation, he decided to change his fluid, got the fluid from lexus and everything......Yea 1st he lost reverse. Next it was 1st gear then 2nd gear then 3rd gear all that was in 3 days. He needed a new trans.

That's the reason i say just leave it be unless its going out and you are prepared to replace it because most likely things will go wrong.

dwapenyi

iTrader: (3)

I don't doubt what you saw, but I still find that story very hard to believe. I can't help but think that the dealer may have given him the wrong fluid. Or how was the fluid change done? By him? Someone else?

Also, I've done the fluid change for friends and family. None of them had dying trannies, just not so responsive ones. The car refused to downshift unless you absolutely floored it, then it would downshift and launch hard. The fluid change brought the tranny back to life. Mild throttle input would cause a gentle downshift and make driving the car more lively. On my ex-wife's Altima, she thought I put in a new engine and tranny.

max ride 41

iTrader: (4)

i used an aftermarket trans fluid that was supposedly "like" nissan matic-d last time it was done. now my reverse is shuddering but forward drive gears react fine except 1st to 2nd slow shift sometimes. a guy at nissan said the matic-d fluid helps with cold starts by better lubricating the valve body and solenoids. so, i was going to do a drain and fill at the dealership and have them do a new screen and clean the valve body with new pan gasket. it just started doing the reverse shudder last week, it does it when its warm though as well. when i accelarated the car to a stop and then stepped on reverse it shuddered really hard. my trans guy says its the trans and just to replace it, i just thought i'd try the tranny service, ( no flush ) and see if i can freshen up the trans and maybe eliminate the reverse problem. opinions, thanks

dwapenyi

iTrader: (3)

Is that fluid at least Dexron III compatible? Maybe this is your issue right here.

max ride 41

iTrader: (4)

it was with an additive added to it to make it like the nissan fluid. jiffy lube did a trans fluid exchange and replaced the front 9 quarts and it ran fine.

dwapenyi

iTrader: (3)

Jiffy lube fluid expertise and additives throw huge red flags in my mind.

Just get some Dexron III fluid and replace it.

max ride 41

iTrader: (4)

update, i'm just going to drive this trans until i lose reverse altogether and then replace it. weird when it gets warmed up for a while all the gears are perfect. i was told not to change fluid, or f with the filter or valve body cause you can kill the trans immediately doing that and i'm taking that advice.

Quickywd01

iTrader: (16)

Let me know when it blows up. I have that new trans with your name on it.

Amerikaner83

iTrader: (17)

You already changed fluid....if you change it back at a real trans shop they will do it right (no power flush bullshtt) and you'll be FINE.

I had a shop do the fluid exchange in my wife's 97 Outback with 210k, no issues. Still have the car at 245K now.

Did the fluid exchange on my Maxima at 141K when I first got her, no issues at 166K now.

Had it done to my 97 pontiac with 195K (bought it at 80K and never got it done until 195) and it's still running strong.




It's the methodology of how it's done that will kill your trans. Power flush, additives? BAD

Drop pan and refill? GOOD Fluid Exchange? GOOD.

max ride 41

iTrader: (4)

well, i got a low mileage trans today for 430.00 shipped to my door. sorry quicky, i needed a local trans and something cheap. got a 90 day warranty and i'm sure at 90,000 it'll run fine. goes in next friday.

The Wizard

iTrader: (43)

hmmmm...if you were willing to get a new tranny so quickly, I'm surprised you wouldn't at least try a simple drain and refill with the correct Nissan Matic D fluid first. Much cheaper and easier option.

max ride 41

iTrader: (4)

this is'nt my first auto trans to go bad, that's why i know the symptoms of a failing trans plus my trans guy said it's going south and i trust him. drain and fill would'nt have fixed the issue as the fluid that's in there is up to level and not burnt, plus i took off to go out sunday and first gear bucked hard and almost did'nt grab. i have a good feeling the way i drive and the age of the trans that's it's on its way out.