5th Generation Maxima (2000-2003) Learn more about the 5th Generation Maxima, including the VQ30DE-K and VQ35DE engines.

TransGo Shift Kit

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Old 01-21-2009, 06:52 AM
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Originally Posted by Scottwax
I'd be leery of a $1600 rebuild. That seems about $500 or so lower than the going rate for a stock rebuild, let alone one with heavy duty clutch packs.

I will say that a properly built high performance automatic with heavy duty clutch packs and a properly programed valve body does give you really quick, tire chirping shifts. Had one built for my Chevelle and it stood up to a couple years of regular bracket racing as I went from the mid 14s to the high 12s as I continued to mod the engine and changed from 2.56 to 3.08 to finally 4.11 gears. Very consistant performance.
I've seen his work on a auto turbo supra. This is the only tranny guy I know that I've talked to on the phone with for about an hour discussing transmission problems for free..lol. He's a cool dude.
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Old 01-22-2009, 02:58 AM
  #42  
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The HKS ALC II might solve the tranny problems.....

After reading this thread, I thought about the HKS ALC II or Auto Line Controller used in my 300ZX. It is suppose to increase and controller the automatic transmissions line pressure for firmer shifts and improved performance. It really works well. If the HKS's ALC II was available for the 5th Gen Max, the problem might be solved. If enough people approach them with this, they might see the demand is worth the R & D and production? See link: http://www.hksusa.com/categories/?id=1959

Click this link: www.hksusa.com/forms/optin.asp

This might get HKS to produce an ALC II for the Maxima. I'd like to see this happen before I start having any transmission problems.

Plug-in interface with factory A/T Control Unit of the computer controlled automatic transmission on the ‘90-’96 Nissan 300ZX. The ALC II is designed to maintain constant line pressure within the transmission for consistent, crisp high performance shifting. Should the pressure begin to drop within the transmission, the ALC II will signal the factory A/T Control Unit to increase line pressure and maintain it at that level.

http://www.hksusa.com/images_products/S_1258.jpg


Last edited by RLStrick756; 01-22-2009 at 09:58 AM. Reason: The HKS ALC II Photo is needed to be inserted
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Old 01-22-2009, 06:45 AM
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Originally Posted by RLStrick756
After reading this thread, I thought about the HKS ALC II or Auto Line Controller used in my 300ZX. It is suppose to increase and controller the automatic transmissions line pressure for firmer shifts and improved performance. It really works well. If the HKS's ALC II was available for the 5th Gen Max, the problem might be solved. If enough people approach them with this, they might see the demand is work the R & D and production? See link: http://www.hksusa.com/categories/?id=1959

Click this link: http://www.hksusa.com/forms/optin.asp

This might get HKS to produce an ALC II for the Maxima. I'd like to see this happen before I start having any transmission problems.

The HKS ALC II has been developed as a plug-in interface with factory A/T Control Unit of the computer controlled automatic transmission on the ‘90-’96 Nissan 300ZX. The ALC II is designed to maintain constant line pressure within the transmission for consistent, crisp high performance shifting. Should the pressure begin to drop within the transmission, the ALC II will signal the factory A/T Control Unit to increase line pressure and maintain it at that level.
I tried that page you linked and when I hit "submit" I got this message:

ADODB.Command error '800a0d5d'

Application uses a value of the wrong type for the current operation.

/forms/optin.asp, line 155

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Old 01-22-2009, 07:00 AM
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seeing as we can do the drop resistor mod...why not just make it variable...if all you want to do is change the line pressure.
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Old 01-22-2009, 09:50 AM
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Originally Posted by Torgus
seeing as we can do the drop resistor mod...why not just make it variable...if all you want to do is change the line pressure.
Because you can't do variable resistance in place of the DR. There's a small tolerance of what it'll accept as far as resistance there, otherwise it'll just go for the harsh shifts.
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Old 01-22-2009, 10:33 AM
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ahh so it's all or nothing huh?
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Old 01-22-2009, 02:36 PM
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ALC II For 5th Gen Maxima

The ALC II would be the ideal because it interfaces with the main ECU.
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Old 02-10-2009, 09:24 AM
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hmm search landed me here. Basically im having the same problem. I experience late 1st gear shifts all the time. Today was the first time i experienced jerky shifts from 2-3 and 3-4 gears. The rpm jumped a thousand revolutions.... i only have 62K miles on my 01 max....love this car but now regretting buying it...
Just curious, (and im a noob) why are manual tranny guys having late shift issues? I thought this problem was exclusive to ATs only....
On the other hand a lot of guys here have high millage and their car is still in good driving condition...just wondering if this problem is merely an inconvenience and doesn't really harm the tranny (provided that you don't floor it every time you step in the car)
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Old 02-10-2009, 09:48 AM
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I don't think anyone is this thread has a manual transmission since it is about shift kits.
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Old 02-10-2009, 09:58 AM
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lol for some reason i though u did
anywayz u said u had 143K miles on your tranny....is this the original tranny? How long have u had this car and did u experience these late shifts when u got the car? 143K is pretty good if its the original tranny. If it goes another 30K or so then i believe it has done its job...
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Old 02-10-2009, 10:51 AM
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Originally Posted by denny_1986
lol for some reason i though u did
anywayz u said u had 143K miles on your tranny....is this the original tranny? How long have u had this car and did u experience these late shifts when u got the car? 143K is pretty good if its the original tranny. If it goes another 30K or so then i believe it has done its job...
Original transmission as far as I know since I bought the car used with 113,897 miles on it. Just passed 145,000 this morning. The only shift problem is when the engine is cold and the 2-3 shift is really soft or slips 100-200 rpms. If I lift slightly before the upshift, no problems. Once the car is fully warmed up, it shifts fast.
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Old 02-10-2009, 01:13 PM
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yea same here. I actually dont feel any 2nd or 3rd gear shocks if i stay around 2000RPMs. But when i accelrate a little faster, the car is slow to respond and just suddenly takes off as if i was flooring it....
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Old 02-10-2009, 01:27 PM
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Originally Posted by denny_1986
yea same here. I actually dont feel any 2nd or 3rd gear shocks if i stay around 2000RPMs. But when i accelrate a little faster, the car is slow to respond and just suddenly takes off as if i was flooring it....

it's called an auto taking time before it downshifts. sucks. a shiftkit will drastically improve this tho.
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Old 02-10-2009, 01:33 PM
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u mean upshifting?
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Old 02-10-2009, 08:31 PM
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Originally Posted by denny_1986
u mean upshifting?
It will improve both up and down shifts.
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Old 02-10-2009, 08:46 PM
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Originally Posted by Scottwax
It will improve both up and down shifts.


I concur.
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Old 02-10-2009, 08:57 PM
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So if i were to get the HD2 kit from transgo, i could put it in myself having only minimal experience? i want to get this, but i dont wana pay some one to do it, i am pretty mechanically enclined, just unsure?
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Old 02-11-2009, 06:44 AM
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Originally Posted by Nightrunner01
So if i were to get the HD2 kit from transgo, i could put it in myself having only minimal experience? i want to get this, but i dont wana pay some one to do it, i am pretty mechanically enclined, just unsure?

it's not hard to redo/rework a VB as much as you have to be very careful and precise. replacing a VB is easy.
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Old 02-11-2009, 06:49 AM
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Originally Posted by Nightrunner01
So if i were to get the HD2 kit from transgo, i could put it in myself having only minimal experience? i want to get this, but i dont wana pay some one to do it, i am pretty mechanically enclined, just unsure?
From what I read on TransGo's site, the shift kit comes with both written instructions and a DVD that shows the installation.
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Old 02-11-2009, 07:58 AM
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how much is it again? if anyone isn't confident doing it just ship it to me w/ you VB. i'll do it for a nominal fee.
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Old 02-20-2009, 10:43 AM
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shift kit is going in leo's car tomorrow. will let u know how that turns out.

i see on the site it has..."no tools needed" <----lie..lol!!! u will need a drill to make the holes in the vb bigger.
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Old 02-20-2009, 03:22 PM
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Originally Posted by VqMoNsTeR
shift kit is going in leo's car tomorrow. will let u know how that turns out.

i see on the site it has..."no tools needed" <----lie..lol!!! u will need a drill to make the holes in the vb bigger.
waiting, if it works, I'm gonna do mine pretty soon.
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Old 02-20-2009, 04:18 PM
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Originally Posted by jasonmax
waiting, if it works, I'm gonna do mine pretty soon.
Same here. Not sure if I will do the installation myself or find a shop that specializes in high performance transmissions.
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Old 02-20-2009, 08:22 PM
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i installed a transgo kit on my old 4th gen which is still running strong today. i took my time because i had never installed one before but it went smoothly. for the price its a great mod, no regrets on it.
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Old 02-22-2009, 03:26 PM
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transgo kit was installed. everything works great. every gear is firm but 1-2 is probably the firmest out of all of them. no more slow shifting, delayed shifting or failure to go into overdrive. havent driven it hard yet but will let u know how it goes when i do.

it took the tech about 4-5 hours to do.
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Old 02-22-2009, 03:28 PM
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Originally Posted by Scottwax
Same here. Not sure if I will do the installation myself or find a shop that specializes in high performance transmissions.
i think u should find a shop that can do it. those 3 layers of the VB can be tough and if u drop one of those little ***** on the ground.....ur tranny is screwed without it.
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Old 02-22-2009, 03:37 PM
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Originally Posted by VqMoNsTeR
transgo kit was installed. everything works great. every gear is firm but 1-2 is probably the firmest out of all of them. no more slow shifting, delayed shifting or failure to go into overdrive. havent driven it hard yet but will let u know how it goes when i do.

it took the tech about 4-5 hours to do.
where did you have it done, what ATF did they use? cost?

I want my 1-2 to be firm, so I can floor it without concern.

Last edited by jasonmax; 02-22-2009 at 03:40 PM.
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Old 02-22-2009, 04:49 PM
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Originally Posted by VqMoNsTeR
i think u should find a shop that can do it. those 3 layers of the VB can be tough and if u drop one of those little ***** on the ground.....ur tranny is screwed without it.
When I put the shift kits in the TH350 in my Chevelle (twice because I got a new transmission) and my Cutlass, you only reused one of the four check *****. When I put the shift kit in the Cutlass, the tranmission was out of the car, so much easier to do it that way!
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Old 02-22-2009, 05:01 PM
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Originally Posted by Scottwax
Original transmission as far as I know since I bought the car used with 113,897 miles on it. Just passed 145,000 this morning. The only shift problem is when the engine is cold and the 2-3 shift is really soft or slips 100-200 rpms. If I lift slightly before the upshift, no problems. Once the car is fully warmed up, it shifts fast.
it seems my 2-3 shift slip is a bit different then yours. When the engine is cold and I try to let it shift past 2k rpms as normal, it will slip, but not slightly. It will actually feel like the car was thrown into neutral for a second, the rpms flare up, then it shifts. I got pretty good at avoiding it(maybe it slips once every other month now), but im still concerned.
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Old 02-22-2009, 05:44 PM
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Originally Posted by Blitzfist
it seems my 2-3 shift slip is a bit different then yours. When the engine is cold and I try to let it shift past 2k rpms as normal, it will slip, but not slightly. It will actually feel like the car was thrown into neutral for a second, the rpms flare up, then it shifts. I got pretty good at avoiding it(maybe it slips once every other month now), but im still concerned.
Sounds like yours is worse than mine then. Mine will slip at the most about 200 rpms although it usually just feels mushy, but if I let off just before I know it is going to shift, no slip and the shift has decent firmness.
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Old 02-23-2009, 10:36 AM
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Originally Posted by jasonmax
where did you have it done, what ATF did they use? cost?

I want my 1-2 to be firm, so I can floor it without concern.
Hill's Garage in Brooklyn, MD. They specialize in Nissans and Infinitis. He has done about 5 on the z's and g35. The max was the first FWD he's done and he did an excellent job.

the labor was $375 and fluid was about $45. They use Valvoline Synthetic ATF. I've always used Mobil 1 synthetic ATF but I let him try the valvoline and so far so good. He did point out that there was a tiny hint of copper flakes in the bottom of the pan. He said it coulda came from 2 places in the tranny, the bearings behind the planetary gears or inside the torque converter (i think). since it wasnt alot he said i may be in good shape.
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Old 02-23-2009, 10:43 AM
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Originally Posted by Blitzfist
it seems my 2-3 shift slip is a bit different then yours. When the engine is cold and I try to let it shift past 2k rpms as normal, it will slip, but not slightly. It will actually feel like the car was thrown into neutral for a second, the rpms flare up, then it shifts. I got pretty good at avoiding it(maybe it slips once every other month now), but im still concerned.
the 1-2 shift was slow as hell. not like it was in neutral...but more like a loss in power....like it was struggling to shift. sometimes my 2-3 would slip about 200 rpm...but only when the 1-2 shift was really slow. at wot the 1-2 would be delayed and sometimes be hard, then 2-3 would bump redline....and 3 wouldnt shift into 4th until later. during heavy driving for long periods of time when fluid is hot, sometimes the car would not go into 4th at all, even if i manually shifted.

all those problems are GONE!!!!
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Old 02-23-2009, 10:45 AM
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Originally Posted by Scottwax
When I put the shift kits in the TH350 in my Chevelle (twice because I got a new transmission) and my Cutlass, you only reused one of the four check *****. When I put the shift kit in the Cutlass, the tranmission was out of the car, so much easier to do it that way!
why didnt u just take the VB out and put it on the new one???
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Old 02-23-2009, 02:23 PM
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Originally Posted by VqMoNsTeR
why didnt u just take the VB out and put it on the new one???
First transmission that went out was trashed, I didn't want to use anything that was on it-converter fried, lots of crap went through the whole transmission. Besides, shift kits for that transmission are $35.
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Old 03-01-2009, 11:27 AM
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Seems Summit has the kit for a tad cheaper:

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...rsview=sku&Ns=

Looks like i'm gonna purchase it. I'm gonna review the DVD and instructions to see if it's something i can handle before I contract the job to someone else.
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Old 03-01-2009, 01:09 PM
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Just wanted to post an update since I started this thread but didn't follow up. I never got the shift kit because I'm also having a timing chain issue . I have a feeling that the tensioners and timing chain are going to need replaced, and I know that will cost a lot of labor $. So basically I am going to put my transmission issue on hold until I can get this timing chain noise fixed. The timing chain noise is a lot more annoying to me than a slipping 2nd - 3rd shift right now...
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Old 03-01-2009, 02:44 PM
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Thanks for the link to summit racing, i think im going to get this done this summer. i just unplugged my drop resistor yesterday and it feels like a completely different car... from what i remember trying to drop my valve body a few years ago, there was a bolt that i couldn't get undone and it kept spinning. Does anyone know what i'm talking about?
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Old 03-01-2009, 03:07 PM
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so I was searching but I didn't find anything on it anymore. Don is not making his VB mods anymore and what about maximumtuning.net? Sry for kind of threadjacking, but it is relevant to VB mods so...
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Old 03-01-2009, 04:30 PM
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Originally Posted by sublime258
Just wanted to post an update since I started this thread but didn't follow up. I never got the shift kit because I'm also having a timing chain issue . I have a feeling that the tensioners and timing chain are going to need replaced, and I know that will cost a lot of labor $. So basically I am going to put my transmission issue on hold until I can get this timing chain noise fixed. The timing chain noise is a lot more annoying to me than a slipping 2nd - 3rd shift right now...
not timing .....u mean drive belt???
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Old 03-01-2009, 04:32 PM
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Originally Posted by fishpony
Thanks for the link to summit racing, i think im going to get this done this summer. i just unplugged my drop resistor yesterday and it feels like a completely different car... from what i remember trying to drop my valve body a few years ago, there was a bolt that i couldn't get undone and it kept spinning. Does anyone know what i'm talking about?
seems like the bolt is stripped!
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