shift_love Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 so heres the deal, on my 2001 r50 a/t, in cold weather my transmission slips pretty bad between gears if ive got my foot in it, slips kinda inbetween gears with normal driving...so question 1. is this normal behavior for our trannies to act like this? when it was still summer it didnt really act like this so i dont know if its just a temperature thing, i used to have a vg33e frontier that had like 295k miles on it before my pathfinder and it didnt do any of these things ever but it had head problems and would randomly overheat so i traded it to a dealer for the r50 and made like 2k off of it... next question, if i need a new tranny are the 4wd and 2wd trannies the same with the exception of the tail extention, like, could i take the tail extention off a 2wd tranny and bolt a transfer case to a 2wd tranny visa versa third and last question, do we have any other options for transmissions from other vehicles for r50's equipped with vq's, i searched and ive found a couple things but they all pertained to the vg33e pathfinders being able to use xterra and frontier trannys... so if yall have some sweet info for me to go over or know where i can find such info let me know... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shift_love Posted January 19, 2012 Author Share Posted January 19, 2012 forgot to add, that i did a drain and refill with nissan matic d the other day and it still has the same symptoms...dont think i overfilled it either, let it drain while i replaced my plugs, could overfilling it cause the same symptoms? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1994SEV6 Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 This seems this is a fairly common situation with these transmissions. It's not normal activity by any means, but I think I've heard this exact same scenario about 4 other times and I've only been a member for a few months. Because R50s got the VQ about 3 years before the frontier and Xterra, the R50 trans is pretty unique to itself. The trans in the R50 is different, so if you do have to replace it, those aren't candidates. Common advice is to check your trans cooler. It might be iced over or obstructed somehow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 I recall reading about an upgraded transmission controller to fix this shift flare problem. The transmission is actually the same as the one in the xterra, but the bell housing is different to match the vq35. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Towncivilian Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 (edited) See NTB01-055a - 2001 PATHFINDER AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION 1-2 OR 2-3 SHIFT FLARE. See if the symptoms mentioned apply to you. I assume the fluid is red and smells fine since you just did a drain & fill. Ever did a pan drop? Are you checking the transmission fluid level properly? This is the correct process: 1. Drive around for 10 minutes in the city after the transmission is at operating temperature. 2. Park on a level surface and apply the parking brake. 3. With P selected, shift through every gear and return to P. 4. Pull the transmission dipstick with the engine idling, wipe it clean, reinsert it completely, and read the level. It must be within the notched area labeled "HOT". Check for fluid contamination after wiping on a paper towel. @1944SEV6: The OP most likely doesn't have an auxiliary oil-to-air cooler; only certain 1996-1998 models had those. The stock cooler is the tube at the bottom of the radiator as on WD21s. Edited January 19, 2012 by Towncivilian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SchizophrenicMC Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 The transmission is actually the same as the one in the xterra, but the bell housing is different to match the vq35. I saw the comment about it having a unique tranny and I thought "That's not how Nissan does it..." Famously, Nissan used the same transmission on JDM, USDM, and Euro Spec models of the S13 and S14 through their entire production, despite there being 4 different engines used among them. Different bellhousings, same trannies. Furthermore, all S13 and S14 bellhousings are compatible with the smaller late-model S12 71C transmission (which had the same gear ratios, but a shorter tailshaft), and vice versa. Nissan likes parts-sharing, so there's a good chance, any Nissan you own, you'll be able to find parts from at least one other model. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1994SEV6 Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 (edited) I recall reading about an upgraded transmission controller to fix this shift flare problem. The transmission is actually the same as the one in the xterra, but the bell housing is different to match the vq35. I know they aren't like trying to use a Ford Probe trans in a Nissan Titan or something. Nothing extreme like that. But I did think they were more different than the bell housings. When I made my transmission thread I specifically asked if I could use an R50 trans and the answer was a firm no. @1944SEV6: The OP most likely doesn't have an auxiliary oil-to-air cooler; only certain 1996-1998 models had those. The stock cooler is the tube at the bottom of the radiator as on WD21s. Really? A tube? That's weird. My truck actually has a 2nd radiator. I know it's not it's not a radiator, but I thought it was until I looked more closely. Are you saying the stock on WD21s an R50s is just a straight tube? I saw the comment about it having a unique tranny and I thought "That's not how Nissan does it..." They do have some oddballs sometimes. Q45..cough cough. Edited January 19, 2012 by 1994SEV6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Towncivilian Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 (edited) Same thing on WD21s. The "second radiator" is the A/C condenser. Edited January 19, 2012 by Towncivilian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1994SEV6 Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 ohhh!!! that makes so much more sense. eek. It's looking pretty beat up. I was just going to leave it since I thought it was a trans cooler. Might wanna replace it now. Hmmm in that case, having an aftermarket trans cooler might get sticky. Trans cooler in front of A/C condenser in front of radiator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 I know they aren't like trying to use a Ford Probe trans in a Nissan Titan or something. Nothing extreme like that. But I did think they were more different than the bell housings. When I made my transmission thread I specifically asked if I could use an R50 trans and the answer was a firm no. Really? A tube? That's weird. My truck actually has a 2nd radiator. I know it's not it's not a radiator, but I thought it was until I looked more closely. Are you saying the stock on WD21s an R50s is just a straight tube? They do have some oddballs sometimes. Q45..cough cough. That 2nd radiator is your A/C condenser. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shift_love Posted January 19, 2012 Author Share Posted January 19, 2012 lol geez on the condensor talk anyways, yea i actually drained a couple quarts out of it the other night so i could make sure the fluid level was exact, but its still doing it this morning, although it seemed a little better today than it was yesterday... but how about the whole tail shaft extention between the 2wd and 4wd, will they cross over? that would make things a hell of a lot easier Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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