98 altima GXE transmission

Thanks Steve, The car has 70,000 km on it. Thats about 44,000 miles. I bought the car with about 30,000 km. To the best of my knowledge the fluid has not been changed. I will look into it. Thanks.

Also, if you change the fluid yourself, check the pans magnet for excessive metal shavings. Dark gooey (clutch shavings) are not uncommon but a heavy amount can indicate a problem with the transmission. Also don't forget to clean or replace the filter. I've been told that the filter is not available from Nissan, as they recommend the cleaning.

If the fluid change does not seem to solve the problem, there is most likely a problem with your #1-2 accumulator. The accumulator is a piston device with a spring behind it that absorbs the initial force of the hydraulic (tranny) fluid in the transmission as it applied the gears. Sometimes the spring can get week and cause a hard shift for a particular gear. The accumulator can be replaced individually if need be. I can't recall if it's accessible with the tranny in car, but I think it is.

I do not think I will be changing any fluids myself. I'd love to, but I'll let someone else and keep my hands clean. My mechanic days are over.

Now THIS sounds like what I was thinking of to begin with. It does feel like something that is supposed to "absorb" a shock isn't doing so the majority of the time. I have heard of a "kit" (altima auto-tranny) for a hard 1-2 shift. Does this describe my problem??

Thanks for your tips.

Waz

i had the same problem - check your timing, mine was off by 20 degrees, mechanic turned it 19 and now car runs great

Tux,

I have the same problem with my altim 95 and was wondering if the problem was fixed adn how?

Please help.

Thanks,

John

Sounds like it may be your shift-solenoid-A or your line pressure solenoid. You'll have to drop the pan to get to them to check. Nissan may or may not sell them individually anymore. I think they come as an assembly ($80 by itself compared to $400 as an assembly).