04max-28

UPDATE: successful transgo shift kit install. just got back from the shop and took (maxibella) on the highway. Smooth shifting thru all gears, even downshifting i didnt feel the banging. i even felt more acceleration and better response on tiptronic mode. i was skeptic when i first started reading the posts from this transgo kit, but i RECOMMEND it*
thanks again for the info everyone provided on this thread.

twashi43

Update:I pulled out the valve body today;off to Valve Body Builders it goes.I will keep you posted.
Update#2:Got the valve body back cleaned up everything now its back in the car.My fingers are crossed,give you the outcome tomorrow!!
Update#3:Shifts better than new.Carlos from Valve Body Builders is very knowledgeable on these valve bodies.No more delay in reverse,no bang in drive, no more hard shifts.The best decision I made was to send complete vb out to them.

05vegasmax

Looks like I need a full rebuild w/sonnax updated valve body for 1460. I should have it back next week. Im pretty sure they screwed up, but I am getting a stellar deal with a new torque converter, bands, etc. I get a 12month warranty as well.

noxe2

So if I understand properly, since Valvle Body Builders use a different internals it should fix the problem just as good as the Transgo kit?

If the answer is yes I will try this instead of the transgo since my Max 2005 5sp since I have 250 000km on it.

Thanks for the help.

05vegasmax

Got my Max back from the shop on Friday and made a trip to riverside cali on Saturday. My car is much quicker and the shifts are firm and quick. My 3rd gear can be have a delay when cold. But the shifts are getting better as the programming is learned and the new clutch packs break in. My Valve body was reworked with sonnax and new parts from Valve body pros.

Picodroid

Hey everyone!

Just registered to see what this trans problem is all about. I don't yet have a Maxima but I'm pretty much set on buying a used one because they seem to be the best deal when it comes to cars in the 04-06 range in terms of ride, power, interior, and style.

I'm a Nissan fan, but it seems like they're really leaving their customers screwed over here. Sad to see, especially since it's such a widespread issue. And I'm even more surprised I never heard of this until I started researching the car to buy it.

Now... these reports of transmission issues worry me. I definitely am going with an automatic Maxima when I get one. But I'm curious... is this issue with both the 4 speed and the 5-speed auto with auto-manual mode? Or is it limited to one or the other?
If it's just the 5 speed that has the issues I'm more than willing to take the 4-speed to avoid transmission issues, even though having an extra gear would be nice since I'd be doing a lot of 45mph-80mph driving in steady traffic for the most part.

Aside from that, from my understanding it's not the entire internals of the trans (gears or clutches or what ever are in autos, not exactly sure on the terms) but the parts that control the shifting are at fault for these issues?

Thanks for any help here, guys.

Batmobile

Ughh so i started my journey yesterday on this, after investing a couple of hours reading over and over i called a shop out here in ca called transmission specialist in santa ana. Spoke to the owner name was ed sounded like he tried this already and was not assuring me it would work. Simply wanted to go thru my entire trans and buy a nisssan dealer valve body cuz allegedly thats what he did and worked fine. He pulled out his old vb and said he tried shift kit and no hope even went to nissan to have ecu programmed and nothing, im already loosing hope and feel like i should just sell the car, he told me he would do kit for 550 installed and if it failed he would just charge kit for 200 and 350 credi towards going his route...

04max-28

BATMOBILE i think you should go for it, i was skeptic at first but i installed it and its working 100%. if u really like your max then do it, if not sell it. this kit is the most affordable way to go, if it doesn't work then i'd sell the car. Good Luck with that,, and let us kno what u decided to do.

Nightscape

I've read this thread probably 3 times now and finally decided I'm going to go for the transgo shift kit route. Called my local transtar and they had both the gasket and kit in stock. Picked up both for $93.34. Now I just have to find the right shop that will do this for me without messing up the transmission.

I have almost the exact same problems as everyone else. 5sp '06 with 65,000miles. Drives fine when cold but after 20-30 minutes of stop and go driving and heating up, the tranny acts up from 1-2, 2-3 up shifts and downshift bangs. The R-D & D-R shift lag with a nice BANG at the end as well.

Anyway, is there anyone who had this successfully installed around the LA city or North Orange County area? Can anyone recommend or know of a shop in the area that has successfully done this?

mmercedeez

I have to change CPS's too when repairing the timing chain? UGH.

My newly acquired friend (tech who installed transgo kit) is charging me about $700ish to replace the timing chain + guides etc. He never mentioned CPS's when he went through the list of parts he would need for the repair.

04max-28

thanks mmercerdeez! yea i put mines on tiptronic mode on the highway and it feels greatt!! wanna race?...jejej j/k. Replying to (phips25) i have a month and a half with the kit installed and no problems what so ever. i would recommend it for your car. let us know what's your outcome and goodluck!

beE1stMax

My car jerks when i switch from Parking to Reverse, and viceversa. Also, when it reaches 20MPH, it jerks a lil. I'm afraid this going to get worst as more miles is put to the car. Will this kit solve my problem?

2004-85K auto transmission

beE1stMax

Hey! It seems like you know about cars. I NEED HELP. I just got a maxima. IT WAS A BAD MISTAKE. I'm trying to save it! (lol) So here is my problems:
1. When i hit 20MPH, the car jerks a lil. Not to crazy. It jerks heavily when i'm accelerating very slowly.
2. The car jerks when i switch gears: R to P and viceversa. It also makes a noice.
3. The car makes a weird noice (fart noice). When i turn on the car and drive.

SAVE MY MAX!!

barrynyc

The transmission guy who is working on my car has installed the Transgo shift kit. Also changed the fluid. But now states the car is banging into gear. I have not driven it yet. I was not able to get to the shop before it closed. I will go by and drive it tom. Has anyone come across this issue when installing the shift kit. To those who have been successful with the shift kit, is there any small detail that was not given. Thanks for any info, insight.

Maxus '99, I was there, were you?

SuperMario

max44, I live in South FL also in Broward County, so most likely I will go to ATF to fix this problem. Who was your contact at ATF? I would like to give my car to this person since they know already what's the exact issue.

Also, I do have one more issue which is when going from 1st gear into 2nd gear and also as most of you have mentioned 2 - 3 gears and the R - D and D - R issues everyone has.

Does the Transgo shift kit also fix the 1 - 2 problem? It jerks the car quite hard at this point.

cdc

Has anyone in the Sacramento CA area done this? I am trying to fix the problem not just a bandaid. I have read that this transmission is listed as a Aisin Warner AW-55-50SN and used in Saturn, Volvo, Saab etc and although they have some small differences the problems seems to be the same. I was able to find more resources with the Aisin p/n.

beE1stMax

Good to hear! I know you definately feel a relief. I having some problems with my tranny too. When I switch to reverse, it has a delay and jerks. Also, when i hit 20MPH it jerks very lil. It calm down when i did a tranny flush. It help me out alot. you think the transgo performance shift kits will help me with the reverse shift and the jerks im gettin at 20MPH??

beE1stMax

Nice to hear!! Did you have a automatically tranny? did you change the valve body?

barrynyc

Ok...I was able to drive the car on Sat am. Each gear engages with a bang. To that end, took the car to the dealer.

twashi43

Check and see what codes are present.I just went through the same problems.I had P1800 and P0780.

NYCMAXIMA

hey guys, i have a 05 max. i'm in the bronx and i have had no luck finding a place to install the kit. i have collected all the parts needed (the kit, matic k, and gasket). i took my car to a shop in brooklyn called cenco transmission. they told me over the fone that they would have no problem installing the kit. they have had the car for a week but they say that their builder did not want to install the kit because it might do more damage. i will be picking up my car tomorrow so that i can continue searching for a place that will intall the kit correctly. if anyone has found a place in the city that can do this install please let me know. i'm dying to drive my max again.

barrynyc

No Codes...

barrynyc

Post # 307

A successful rebuild was done by the garage for one on the guys on the board.

"JMR garage and its located @ 214 N fehr Way Bayshore, NY 11706. its by the L.I.E here's the number 631-940-3638, give them a call"

po8pimp

had this kit installed a while ago and still shifts like butter. I think this is the best investment I have made in this car.

NYCMAXIMA

Hey guys, just got my car back after installing the shift kit. Sad to say, but i still got the same symptoms. The guy who installed it wants to open up the tranny to try and tell exactly what is wrong with it and how much i need to spend. Gonna have to wait a couple of weeks since i've been putting all my extra dough into this. I guess i'm just gonna heave to go with a full rebuild eventually. Lets just say that The love i had for my max is fading fast.......

NYCMAXIMA

One more thing. The mechanic saved my old tranny fluid to show me that it was very black like coffie. He thinks i might also have worn out clutch pads and maybe a bad tourqe converter. Any oppinions or feed back are always welcome.

barrynyc

After a failed shift kit installation, (each gear was engaging with a hard thud) I took the car to the dealer (yes). Three days, new re-manufactured transmission and $3200 later, the car is shifting like new. No slipping or delays. Firm 1st and 2nd with much better acceleration on the highway. I have only driven car for about 6 miles so far.
Ran out of patience and time trying to fix the tranny issues. Will give another update on Sat.

NYCMAXIMA

(Deep Breath)...Ok, so it's day 3. my wife picked me up from work and i must say that the car is shifting a lot better now. i still get some jerking when i'm chasing lights (slowing down almost to a full stop then hitting the gas hard), and a little jerk when going from reverse to drive. keep in mind that my wife had been driving the car around all day. She said that the car had been shifting fine. i would say that so far the kit has gotten me about an 80% improvement. i'm gonna try another drain and fill of the tranny fluid in a couple of weeks. i guess at least now the car is a lot easier to drive and hopefully this can hold me over till i can get enough money together for a full rebuild. i think if i would have cought the problem sooner it might have worked a lot better. next i have to figure out why the car squeaks every time it shifts and whenever i hit a bump. i will post another update in a few more days.

po8pimp

The shift kit either was installed incorrectly or they forgot to flush out all the fluid. If your trans was cooled by the radiator, and they didn't flush correctly, then that would mean there could be particles lodged or left in the radiator. you have to flush the radiator a certain way to get everything out. I had that done and the external cooler installed and everything is working great from day one. hopefully everything passes through and sticks to the magnet inside the pan. I say give it a week and check the fluid. if it is bad, then go to Nissan and get it flushed. Not a fan of flushing the system but better than doing a complete rebuild.

NYCMAXIMA

i will have to try the flush in like a week. but i'm kind of tired of just throwing money at this problem. the car is very drivable for the time being so i think i'm just gonna have to hope that the "bandaid" holds till i get the cash for the rebuild. today i drove it again and the jerking seems to be happening less, but today it jerked a couple of times when i hit the gas after coasting at like 30-40. rpm went up high fast then it caught the gear. not bang but a jerk. any ideas?

po8pimp

If you have the kit installed, I think you should maybe take it to Nissan and see if there is a program update for the TCM. That might smooth things out if you never had it updated. It only takes them a few minutes to see if there is an update for your car.

Nightscape

Just got my car back from the shop and I haven't had such a sigh of relief in a long time. The car was basically undrivable before unless they were really short trips.
Car is shifting like butter through all gears and acceleration has improved greatly.
Those of you guys who are still considering getting this done, do it now. Just make sure you find a VERY good shop to get it done at. $450 dollars later, I couldn't be happier.
Transgo Shift Kit- $84 from transtar
Valve Body Gasket- $10 from transtar
6qts of K-matic from Nissan- $55 (discount ordering it through a friend's shop)

Nightscape

2nd Update- Not so good.

So, after the kit install, the car runs perfectly fine through all gears. No more bangs, shift shocks or R-D bang, but I am getting a SES Light. The light came on only after I got onto the freeway and got into cruising speed. The tranny went into limp mode and got stuck in 5th. I turned the engine off once I got off the freeway and turned it back on, and the tranny shifted perfectly normal but with the SES still on. It only goes into limp mode if I start cruising in 5th gear. I'm getting a code P0744 which has to do with the torque converter. Any idea what could be going on???

gyayo2012

what if the tranny dosent move at all after jerking for 2 yrs,, what then?????????? rebuild, shift kit, valve body? or 2k on a used trans thats gonna do the same thing...?

yoshiki2

is this kit suitable for a 2006 maxima se 5 Speed automatic? or just manual?

Nightscape

I have a 2006 auto and have the shift kit. Everyone here that has it installed is for the automatic transmission issue.

yoshiki2

thx 4 the answer.. ill try it next week.. and I'll just drop it at any hispanic shop..

Nightscape

I wouldn't do that if I were you. This kit install is pretty intricate and you should probably take it to a highly qualified transmission shop or better yet, a shop that does high performance applications for transmissions.

ElJefe134

I just picked up my 2004 Maxima SE from the mechanic after having the Transgo kit installed. I have only driven it about 10 miles, but it drives and shifts like new. He also found the negative battery connection at the transmission was broken off and the front motor mount is toast. Charged me $280 labor to rebuild the valve body. The shift kit and the gasket set ran me $130.00.
I highly recommend this kit. Very happy right now.

po8pimp

http://www.canobd2.com/DtcLibrary/De...ssan&Dtc=P0744 It is a servo valve solenoid code. They installed the kit wrong. Take it back before you damage the whole transmission. They should have some warrenty on their work. Trust me when I say the kit is not the issue.