skibum Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 (edited) Last year about this time of year when it's cold in the morning a few times I noticed the tranny not figuring out which gear to switch into at highway speeds. Especially when easing off the accellerator i have to be patient because sometimes it hasn't locked into gear, if i push the accelerator the engine will rev freely. This only seems to happen in the first 20 minutes of driving. I'm just careful now and that seems to be working fine for the most part. I've also noticed that when the vehicle is cold it doesn't shift from first to second so smoothly but after it warms up it shifts fine. Sometime it just seems to be perfect for no reason at all. No problems when it's warmed up. but i don't drive it much at all anymore. it seems like the throttle is a bit sticky as well, maybe there's a throttle position sensor not working and messing up the tranny shifts? It's been a great vehicle for the past 10 years and I'm still on the original rotors and suspension components but i did have to replace a few things like a fuel filler hose and an expensive air flow sensor... the parts last much longer than any of my old Japanese made honda civics . I really can't believe how good this has been and that it's been 10 years. but... the tranny... How do i tell if it needs a rebuild or a TCM? It has 190k on it, but a tranny rebuild on this vehicle is probably worth more than the vehicle. should i take it to the dealer to diagnose this? I'm afraid i will get hosed seriously by my local dealer as they are prone to do. scott Edited November 14, 2011 by skibum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Towncivilian Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 (edited) The fuel filler tube was part of a recall, hope you didn't have to get that done yourself. As for the MAF sensor, I really hope you went with the $89 Maxima MAF instead of the $442 Pathfinder OEM part. Anyway, how's the transmission fluid look, is it red? Is the level correct (measure at operating temperature with the vehicle idling in Park after selecting every gear then returning to P)? Has the fluid been maintained frequently? Edited November 14, 2011 by Towncivilian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skibum Posted November 15, 2011 Author Share Posted November 15, 2011 The tranny fluid was changed at 100k and a few weeks ago at 190k, i had a garage with a proper pump do it ... they were the ones that were telling me about other pathfinder owners having the same cold tranny problems. I didn't stick religiously to the maintence schedule except for the belts, oil changes-synthetic only, plugs, coolant... the transfer cases are pretty bad right now and are in need of a fluid change but if the transmission is toast then I'm thinking I might retire this puppy, sad but true. the fuel filler was a recall but i did get hosed by the dealer on the MAF, i think they charged me extra to program it.. it seems like it's shifting much better now but i am being very gentle on it and not driving that much at all lately, today maybe 6 miles. yesterday 4 miles.. I looked at the manual for a TCM and didn't see this specifically named part, i saw a throttle sensor and a few other things... I guess what made be believe it was computer related was driving up long hills where it would shift down to keep up the speed but as i eased off the throttle at the top of the hill it wouldn't shift into the higher gear even if i modulated the gas pedal... but then it would almost clunk into gear. this didn't happen all the time, it was like the MAF where some days everthing is grand and the next day it's not... and then back to being ok... etc... so I'm thinking sensors and switches. I'm in no way a tranny expert. that sounds bad... and it's not an Eddy Murphy joke. I would say that cold it still tends to shift a bit clunky, revs a bit high at the shift point then grabs the next gear, warm temps it doesnt do this, it's actually very smooth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 That is kinda normal for these transmissions as they age. What you're describing is shift flare. Mine used to do it before I ran a seafoam trans-tune treatment, and flushed it myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skibum Posted November 16, 2011 Author Share Posted November 16, 2011 That is kinda normal for these transmissions as they age. What you're describing is shift flare. Mine used to do it before I ran a seafoam trans-tune treatment, and flushed it myself. This is great advice, and relatively inexpensive. Thanks! The seafoam on-line price is around $10. ... use half a can, drive around thru all the gears for 30 minutes then change the fluid using the other half of can to stay in the tranny to prevent varnish buildup and other problems.. Hopefully i can buy this in Canada. I've never changed tranny fluid myself, i've done oil changes and bled some brake lines, I'll assume i find the drain plug and let it fly after it's good n warm, not sure about filling it up to avoid problems with air, or bubbles but would assume air bubbles in transmissions are as bad as air bubbles in other hydralics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Towncivilian Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 A drain & fill will take about 4 quarts of ATF. Use a new crush washer (same as oil drain plug). Torque spec is 22 to 29 ft lbs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 This is great advice, and relatively inexpensive. Thanks! The seafoam on-line price is around $10. ... use half a can, drive around thru all the gears for 30 minutes then change the fluid using the other half of can to stay in the tranny to prevent varnish buildup and other problems.. Hopefully i can buy this in Canada. I've never changed tranny fluid myself, i've done oil changes and bled some brake lines, I'll assume i find the drain plug and let it fly after it's good n warm, not sure about filling it up to avoid problems with air, or bubbles but would assume air bubbles in transmissions are as bad as air bubbles in other hydralics. You can buy it at canadian tire, napa, or partsource I live in ottawa. I used a whole can with mine, but mine had quite a few issues. There have been a few documented successes with this product. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skibum Posted November 16, 2011 Author Share Posted November 16, 2011 You can buy it at canadian tire, napa, or partsource I live in ottawa. I used a whole can with mine, but mine had quite a few issues. There have been a few documented successes with this product. Adamzan, i just drove over to my Crappy Tire at Eglinton and Laird in Toronto and it wasn't there but other seafoam products were there. I will continue the search tomorrow, thanks for the advice! Towncivillian thanks for the Torque spec and crush washer tip. looking forward to getting this shift flare resolved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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