90 Maxima Transmission problems

Shifter bushings were an issue in that generation. It is - possible - that the D selection is a bit sloppy and the tranny is not actually in first gear every time you start out. Just a thought, although not an electrical reason. Try a search on shifter bushings in the 3rd Gen ('89-'94) forums and there should be some info. It is a relatively easy fix, and the nylon pieces are cheap, if that turns out to be the problem. Good luck. Bob

95 SE Auto 89 SE Auto traded 1/2 the time when starting cold transmission starts in 2nd gear. If you turn ignition off and restart, it will drive and shift perfectly. Problem will not usually occur again until car has sat for several hours. I'm thinking something electrical...sensor perhaps?? because of problem going away after restart. Any thoughts in advice would be apprecatied!! Thanks!!

Tom, When cold, mine does the exact same thing, except mine slips into gears, comes out of gear in 4th and when kicking down into 2nd from 4th. I'm pretty sure my seals are bad and possibly a shift solenoid, pressure control solenoid or a valve is bad. Does your power lamp flash 16 times when you restart? I still need to check my throttle position sensor to make sure it's sending a good signal. Is your tranny shifting properly when warmed up? These have a cold shifting bug and as they get older, it gets worse. Could be the sign of a tranny in need of a rebuild in the not so distant future.

Chris

90 & 94 GXE's

P.S. Bob, the bushing you mentioned is a small silicone "insulator" where the shift lever connects to the linkage. It's located above the cat. It should not be causing the symptom Tom is experiencing. Usually a bad insulator only causes the tranny to not immediately go into D when selected, but it will eventually go into D when the valve develops enough pressure to make it fall into gear.

Thanks, Chris, for the clarification. When I had the problem in my 89, it never did go into gear toward the end unless I jammed the lever into D to get the tranny going. Never had the patience to wait for any valves to develop pressure. If you ever backed out of my driveway, you'd probably do the same. I live on a busy street. Each time I'd back out, I'd hope to hell the thing would go into D with trucks bearing down on me! Still, I loved my 3rd gen. Too bad the car rusted off the engine..... Speaking of trannies, the auto in my 95 is a bit sketchy, but the car overall is ok. Trans does not properly surf between third and fourth around 35+/- mph whereas the tranny in the 89 was silky smooth going back and forth in that range. And, it doesn't downshift to first at anything more than zero mph, making those rolling stops a bit difficult to achieve in tight spots. Bob

pressure to

Chris,

I've never noticed the power lamp on restart. What does that indicate? I'll have to check.

Tom

If everything is ok electronically, it should come on for 2 seconds at startup and then go off. When you go into diagnostic mode, it will flash a number of times with a long flash in there somewhere to indicate if a certain sensor is bad. I think mine is flashing due to bad pressures in the valve body, worn valves or funky pressures being sensed in the solenoids. In a few weeks, I'll probably be having it rebuilt locally, or buy a rebuilt unit from

($825 + shipping) and put it in myself.

Chris

90 & 94 GXE's

Hi Chris,

does all the 90 GXE and GLE maxima have this problem?

bye Chris,

dan,

I missed your description of the transmission problem.

I have a 1990 Maxima GXE (for 14 years and 100,000 miles).

I never had a tranny problem but I changed the fluid about every 35,000 mis in normal Florida driving. Oh, yes. I did lose one of the lights on the power/comfort switch on the center console. That's about it.

My tranny problems began as a cold shift delay a couple years ago. But supposedly, alot of Maximas have that problem where they are sensitive to low temps and won't upshift into 3rd or 4th when it's in the 30's. But recently, it started slipping and reving and dropping into downshifts upon acceleration. I just got it back from the rebuilder this week and it had a burned/worn out band and clutches, some wear on the oil pump housing side walls, and the seals were leaking pressure. Basically, it was worn out!

Got it back this Tuesday and it shifts like a new car. Plano Automatic Transmissions, a local ATRA member shop here in north Dallas, replaced the torque conv, shift solenoids, seals, clutches, servo band, bell housing (oil pump housing) pinion bearing, rebuilt the valve body and put in an after-market shift kit recommended by ATRA. I saw all the replacement parts before he put it back together and it's not a job the novice should attempt. The whole job cost $1500 tax incl. and has a 12 mo/12000 mi warranty honored by any ATRA member shop nationwide. He also put in a new rear main seal on the motor since it was accessible. From what I could tell, this guy does quality work.

I'm still having a weird intermittant problem we have to work on. The day after getting it back, I started up in the morning in about 35 deg weather, put into gear and it started out in 2nd or 3rd- I couldn't tell which. Now, it did this before the rebuild so I think there's something electronic going on. After shutting the motor off and restarting, the power light flashed 16 times! Then it ran normally for 4 miles to the park-n-ride. The last 4 cold starts it started and ran normal. The shop is gonna check his MitchellOnline manual tomorrow and see if there's any mention of 16 flashes. I may just have to live w/ this and be careful not to run it if it starts in a high gear. It could hurt the converter or burn the clutches- I don't know and don't want to find out!

I'm open to any 3rd gen transmission discussions!

Chris

90 & 94 GXE's

95 GXE, my owners manual says that until the car has warmed up, it will not shift into fourth in cold weather. This behavious is normal. Currently -27 degrees C.

rtt