2k0to2k3

iTrader: (1)

so i owned car since 22k and only has 102k now. always had the transmission fluid changed at scheduled intervals and to be honest am a maintence freak all around. also i have never been one of those people that use the tranny as a brake so never any down shifting or not allowing it to fully stop before changing gears like in parking lot or something when going in reverse then some people as its still rolling backwards throw it into drive. never not me.

only thing i really do is gas it coming on and off highwa ramps but come on!! So then WTF!!!!!!!! was coming off the highway today and it was reving but not going anywhere? like i accidentally threw it in neutral or something. then once at light it seemed to only be able to get as high as 3rd gear then after a couple more lights it seemed unable to do even that and seemed to be stuck in first? 20 miles an hour and reving to 3 grand. seriously WTF!!!

i am baffled? no warning, never any grinding or skipping of gears or hard shifting etc. smooth as butter and so well maintained up until today i cant believe it!!!

will take to mechanic tomorrow but what do you guys suggest? rebuild mine that i have or salvage yard used one? im guessing a new one would be out of my price range so will probably stick to those two options for now. and what is the normal fair price for those two? this totally blows but thanks to any that can help

reminessin

damn that sucks because maximas are good on the tranny. my mother had a 94 maxima it had 160xxx on it and you can floor it from a stop and it works just like new no delay.....but damn homie i feel your pain

junk yard i would say or just get it rebuilt whichever is cheaper

DennisMik

iTrader: (2)

I had a 94 where the tranny blew up at 125K and again at 140K, but the second time was because the first rebuild didn't replace the parts he said he did. But to address 2k0to2k3 problem, there is a shift solenoid assembly in the tranny that could be bad, there is a transmission control module under the dash that could be bad as well as the basic transmission itself. You should get it diagnosed before you do anything.

2k0to2k3

iTrader: (1)

this is my third maxima and i never had any problems with any. im hoping something minor. thank you dennismik for very valuable info. i need to be armed when i take it somewhere with knowledge so they dont take advantage. any other specific terms or possible things it may be would be greatly appreciated

NissanTun3r

iTrader: (3)

my 2000 maxima's auto tranny is holding up fine...doesn't shift like butter or anything but should easily last another 40k miles without any problems...

BronxSleeperMax187

That really helps him fix his problem.......if the mech tells you its fried,I would look for A used one with low milege from A crashed maxima, I see alot of them going for 400 to 650 on craigslist.

xx1479

It could be your MAF.

denny_1986

iTrader: (1)

i personally wouldn't buy a used 5th gen tranny. If its toasted, get it rebuilt. But look into the MAF comment. It might be running under "limp mode". Do u have a CEL on?

2k0to2k3

iTrader: (1)

ok now this is weird. the maf was replaced by the daveb dealer one at 70k but thanks ill have mechanic look into that too. no codes were on dash yesterday or today but check this out, just went to move it since i parked it yesterday, sunday imediately when i couldnt go over 20mph. figured id limp her home so she didnt get towed cause was infront of a store. here is the weird part, No problem at all?????? shifted through every gear like it was just a bad dream? like i said fluid level perfect and is as pink as can be. took side streets most of way home then once really close got back on highway and hit it pretty hard coming on ramp. no problem at all shifted through all gears effortlessly? wtf but in a good way. guess ill take it to mechanic now just to make sure but wow this is really weird.

2k0to2k3

iTrader: (1)

yesterday it was so nice and i did just get her washed so you know, my max was so much faster after ha ha ha and i was beating on her pretty good but thats what she is set up for. just had full illumina set up installed and new 19's that are actually lighter than old 18's last week so you know was enjoying her. i seafoamed for third time since ownership the week of all the installs but never had a problem with that and changed oil right after as well.........thats the only variables i can think of, the seafoam and the fact that i was driving her harder than normal? think there is any velevance? again i followed instructions per the org on that seafoam treatment to the letter (1/3 through brake booster, 1/3 into gas tank, 1/3 in oil) and never had problems doing this before. thanks an insight greatly appreciated

2k0to2k3

iTrader: (1)

just got back from mechanic, not throwing any codes and shifting perfectly so no where to really go from here except to see if it happens again. he said it could be a multitude of things but since fine now just drive it. ill keep everyone posted if it comes back. praying it never does!!!!

foodmanry

iTrader: (15)

Not likely as the MAF will limit RPM's to around 2,000 or less.

Sounds like the solenoids need to be replaced. Those are a fairly easy DIY job. I'm just unsure of the cost. I think they are a couple hundred.

bgawad

iTrader: (8)

i have a 2000 maxima transmission off a tottaled one with 85000 miles pm me, also my cars at the shop so they can prob install it for you if your in the nj area

Rods03Max619

iTrader: (5)

Damn good to know you are running smooth again with no problems me I got like 138k on tranny but doing pretty good and pulling strong!!

Scottwax

iTrader: (8)

I'd look at the speed sensor, a few others have had weird on and off problems and that's what it turned out to be.

SmokinMax02

Your transmission is fine. You need to replace your Revolution speed sensor though.

Easy fix. Call DaveB, $130 shipped.

http://forums.maxima.org/5th-generat...ed-sensor.html

And here's the how to and location of the sensor....

http://picasaweb.google.com/cefiro.calsonic/P0720VSS#

Good luck.

IHAVEA2KMAXIMA

iTrader: (7)

+1 on the speed sensor. Look into that before you get it rebuilt.

SoonerFan

iTrader: (5)

may be a bad TCM...known problem on the 2000 auto

jmaxx2k

I agree on the revolution sensor. DaveB hooked me up with one and I never had a problem since. My car was doing the same thing at around the 100k mile mark. I would drive on the interstate everything was good, once I got into town it was like the car was dropping into neutral. I did have a CEL for O2 sensor, my master mechanic friend found that one. At the same time, I believe there was another code attached to that CEL for the speed sensor and so I changed it (the one with the gear on it for $50, kept my old one), Autozone guys came across the second code btw. One CEL two codes. After replacing that speed sensor the car went back to it's old ways, called DaveB and after a couple simple questions he came to the conclusion that it was the revolution sensor. It's real easy to change, I think it requires taking off the driver side wheel and a 10mm socket. It's right there, 10 minute job, max. Don't forget the jackstands.

2k0to2k3

iTrader: (1)

wow and you guys after all these years still amaze me with the wealth of knowledge and willingness to share! i just came on here to find this thread i started to say it happened again and saw all these posts about revelotion speed sensor. thank you!!!

for a while now, about a year total, i had intermitent problem of my rpm's idling too high sometimes. not when shifting but just when i would put it in gear with foot on brake and head out it would be normal, 1 rpm range then somewhere in between driving id make a stop or pull up to light and it would feel like i was driving with too feet and the rpm's would be closer to 2 rpm as if i were gassing it.

well im crazy about upkeep and maintenance and love my max!!! but since i could never get it to do it while at mechanic and was not throwing codes, i just dealt with it. The fix? very easy, put it in park and shut the car off for like 10 sec, restart and would idle normal.

well when the trans did this again tonight on a major highway again (reving but not going anywhere then once stopped wont get out of first gear) i just exited and immediately came to a light, turned the max off for 10 sec and restarted and sure enough it was as if i dreamed i blew my tranny and it never happened. shifted normally the rest of way.

i was gonna come on here and say it had to be something computer type related since restarting was resetting it and fixing it but should have checked back on here earlier as it sounds to me you guys already figured what three diferent mechanics have not been able to! cant thank enough and will call dave b monday and square this away! ahhhh what a relief!!!! thanks again guys!!!

Love_00_Max

I would start with revolution sensor. First off clean it and put it back, it is on the tranny, just have to take off the driver side wheel and you will find it. If it doesn't fix the problem, buy a new one and put it on.

If that didnt fix it, I would prepare for dropping the pan and replace the soleniod pack (this is an expensive part costing > $400). Replace magenets and put OEM gasket, you can reuse the bolts on the pan.

120K miles is too young for a tranny to fail if you say it was maintained and not abused. Don't think of a rebuild till u have exhaused all options.

2k0to2k3

iTrader: (1)

thanks for the insight called dave b today but he was not in so ill try again tomorrow and yeah it only has 100k on it not even 120 and has been very well taken care of and spent its whole life garaged when not in use and trans fluid is as pink as can be, at perfect level, (does not burn or leak anything anywhere in the car), and has never slipped or hard shifted or given any problems what so ever up until this so im really leaning towards and hoping just the revolution sensor. will talk to dave b more about it tomorrow. thanks again

maximal01

yep it sucks either way

2k0to2k3

iTrader: (1)

well i changed it last week and its a totally different feel for the better!!! i take back saying my car shifted great until the reving rpm's. actually it shifted like **** compared to how well its shifting now. guess it happened so slowly i didnt realize it. but yes it seems it was the sensor and i have not had the reving problem and its shifting and down shifting so much better now. i only wish i knew it was that part sooner so i could have changed it sooner. i mean $130 for what feels like a brand new tranny, i would have changed it just because as a part of maintenance had i known it even existed. hopefully this thread will help many fellow orgers in the future. thanks guys

Nelsito65

Thank you for the update. Glad you've got your baby back with a tranny in much better shape.

Love_00_Max

Happy for you that you didn't go about dumping the vehicle or looking for a new tranny. Trust me if you are on PM schedule, the tranny will last for a very long time.

I am still surprised the VSS failed on you with just 100K on it.

Max2k1Driver

I'm having a similar problem to what you were experiencing 2K0to2K3. The original problem was random but recently is happening more often, especially after driving in stop & go traffic on hot days (also pulling a P0720 code). After reading about how you replaced the Rev Speed Sensor to fix it I was hoping for the same success, but unfortunately something unexpected happened. After I replaced the Rev Sensor the problem immediately occurred and would not go away. I put the old Sensor back in and the problem went away. Anyone got any ideas?

Love_00_Max

Fill in the important details, mileage, kind of driver (abusive/otherwise), maintainence sch, when the problem originally popped and what corrective actions were taken, any mods/changes etc...

sup_mario

That really sucks man. I think you should have change your tranny.

Love_00_Max

Fool--- don't jump to conclusions!!!

Max2k1Driver

My bad, I should have put more info in that post. My car has 154,000 mi on it. I wouldn't say I'm an abusive driver, but I have a "four-door sports car" so naturally I like to put my foot to the pedal sometimes. Maintenance has been done regularly. The first time I experienced the problem was last spring. The car wouldn't shift out of 1st, like 2k0to2k3 experienced. I stopped the car and turned it off for few minutes. After I started it again and drove off, the problem was gone. It didn't return until maybe 3 or 4 months later. Same as the first time, turning off the car for a few minutes resolved the problem. A few months went by and it happened again. This time though it took a longer cool down before the problem went away. I never got a CEL during or after those events. About 3 months ago I had the car in the shop for an unrelated repair and the technician said he noticed that the car was pulling a P0720 code and that the speedometer wasn't correctly reading the speed below 25mph (something that I hadn't noticed before). I did some research on the Org and found out that the code could be caused by a bad Rev Speed Sensor. I also came across some threads, such as this one, that described the exact same problem I was having. Over the last 2 months the problem has returned and has happened at least once a week. If its hot outside and i'm in stop & go traffic for an extended period of time, the problem is almost guaranteed to occur. Based on some info i found in a thread about the problem, I decided to first try cleaning the Sensor's connectors and the harness that goes to it with electrical cleaner. The problem didn't occur for a few days so I thought the cleaning had worked. But then it came back so I ordered a replacement Sensor from RockAuto. I put it on and experienced what my earlier post described. I'm not for sure if the new Sensor was defective out the box or if there's some deeper problem that I haven't come across a solution for in the forum or elsewhere yet. I was hoping one of you guys might have a suggestion as to what to try next.

pomps

check this for your possible fix,

http://forums.nicoclub.com/strange-t...g-t349433.html

Love_00_Max

Max2k1Driver: I would recommend a pan drop and understand what is cooking there. Take some pictures and report back. Use OEM gasket.

RedBeauty84ZX

This is a fairly common problem on 5th gen auto transmissions.

Max2k1Driver

@pomps - Thanks for the link. I checked it out but it seems the people posting on there that had the original problem were able to change the sensor and it fixed their problem, which unfortunately in my case replacing the sensor made it worse. I'm wondering if the new sensor I got is defective or if the problem is actually in the harness or wiring.

@Love 00 Max - I'll try to do that and get back with ya'll on what I find after dropping the pan. Its going to be a little while before I'll be able to do that though. Thanks for the suggestion.

@RedBeauty84ZX - Based on what I've been reading around the org and the web, ya the original problem that 2k0to2k3 and I experienced does seem to be a common one. Have you come across any info on where the problem got worse after replacing the sensor?

pomps

was the sensor brand new from the dealer ? was your trans opened and inspected and ok ? i would check the solenoids and Trans control module - could be those also. good luck --

Love_00_Max

After installing the new VSS did you wipe the TCM to reset it. Disconnect the battery overnight.

BTW why are u delaying the pan drop, it is better to understand what is cooking in there like metal particles sooner than later. Also do a pain drain/fill, may be the ATF is burnt with the harsh shifting.

Max2k1Driver

@pomps--The Sensor was brand new from RockAuto. As for the transmission itself, no I haven't had it opened and inspected. I didn't have that done since the problem I was having was just like the problem that 2k0to2k3 and other org members experienced which was resolved by replacing the Sensor. Add in the code I was getting, I went down the "replace the sensor" road first. What's involved with checking the Solenoids and TCM?

@Love 00 Max--I didn't wipe the TCM to reset it after installing the new Sensor because I don't know how to do that. Will disconnecting the Battery over night do that or is more involved? I did disconnect the Battery for about an hour, but I'm guessing that wasn't long enough. It sounds like I need to replace the Sensor again but this time do the things you suggested. I can do that this weekend. As for dropping the pan, I'm not delaying doing it. I've never done that before and though its probably not that hard to do, I'm waiting till one of my more mechanically knowledgeable friends is available to assist in doing it. I will report back after the drop has been done.

pomps

i dont know how you would check the TCM - i replaced mine. replaced solenoids also. it could be a combo of those creating the problem. oh and i think someone also said it but when / if you replace the TCM or sensor - leave your battery disconnected overnight.

I think you need to drop your pan and check the magnet inside the pan to see if there are fragments....and to change your trans filter and oil ( and check the gasket condition ).

kdarcangelis870

My 00 was doing the same exact thing about a year ago. I would be driving down the interstate at 70 then get off at an exit, make a complete stop somewhere, and it wouldn't shift out of first or would bang into gear between shifts. It happened very occasionally for a few months then it finally got worse and threw a code, P0720, Revolution Sensor. Quick and easy 130 dollar fix, no ecu wiping required. If the new sensor still does not work, I do recall there being a TSB awhile back about the wiring harness becoming dislodged or something, so you may want to check for continuity with on that harness. If its anything intermittent your transmission internals are likely just fine. Its more than likely an electrical problem.