Transmission Troubles

[Ale]

My Situation: I have a mint 91 Pathfinder with an automatic transmission I bought last year with 106K on it. It now has 111K original km on it. The previous owner told me the transmission had been replaced at 65K. To my surprise , the transmission died on me yesterday - only 46,000km after the last one died. The car has been *very* lightly driven.

 

My Options: Nissan says it will cost me $3,000 to repair. My mechanic of choice recommends a local shop that can give me an aftermarket tranny for $2800. He also said that the aftermarket one has a better cooling pump that is more reliable. I also have a brother-in-law who is a mechanic and who has installed and rebuilt transmissions. He says he'll put it in for me if I can get the part - though he doesn't want to have to rebuild it himself if he can avoid it.

 

A couple of question...

 

1) is this a common problem with Pathfinders? Is there some other component that could be faulty thats causing the tranny to die in such a short period of time? I don't want to be offroading in the middle of nowhere a couple of years from now and have transmission #3 blow on me.

 

2) Is there some part that can be replaced, or some modification, or some aftermarket brand, or a combination of the above that will give me a reliable transmission? This is the kind of problem I can't afford to have happen to me out in the sticks.

 

I'm a little annoyed about having to spend 3K after such a short period of time and just as the summer is starting. Thats money I was going to spend on a lift and some 33" tires - instead I'm spending it just so the vehicle will run. I'm willing to shell it out to get it working, but I do not *ever* want to have to do this again for as long as I own the vehicle, and if that means I have to shell out a little extra now to get it done right, so be it.

 

Any advice would be very welcome.

 

Thanks,

AL

[hardwaretoad]

Well, being a manual tranny owner I can only guess, but it seems to me alot of the problems I've read here & other boards re: auto tranny failure, usually points to the stock oil cooler. Many have replaced theirs with an aftermarket one to correct the overheating problems, etc. That's assuming that yours was rebuilt correctly in the first place, of course.

 

Like I said, only speculation on my part, any auto owners feel free to chime in... :gossip:

[Ale]

Thanks, I've read a few comments about that and will definitely replace the stock oil cooler once I get the new transmission in. Does anyone know of any decent sources from which I can purchase a new or rebuilt tranny?

 

Thanks,

AL

[DJ Dank]

Well just looking through ebay, there are a couple of places that are selling remanufactured tranny's ...[edited] don't buy from that Phoenix place. I've read on 88's board about someone having major issues with them sending them a faulty tranny and then when they returned it, all they did was repaint it and send it back.

 

I just saw this auction...Tranny

 

$2800 is ALOT for me at least. I wouldn't be able to afford THAT right now! lol. But if it can give you that peace of mind....?

Edited June 20, 2005 by DJ Dank

[lgranch]

Lets start out by saying I know Nissan auto trannys well. I am not a big supporter of how well they run but.... So you said it died. Genereally a tranny will have symptoms before. Like reverse will fail, or one of the forward gears. Most of the time the failure is a solinoid failure not a clutch or pump failure. The pump is not the best design and it can fail, most of the time from heat. The biggest tranny cooler you can find will fix that in the future.

 

Not knowing what your problem is I'll assume that you have no forward gears. If you just lost reverse then you have a simple problem to fix. All of the soft and hard parts to fix the tranny will cost about $900. The single big ticket item is the converter. with almost all of the tranny failure that I have seen on Pathys there is no need to change the converter. You change the converter when there is metal in the fluid or there has been a vane failure in the converter.

 

The problem with buying a used tranny is that you do not know where it has been. Even a low mileage used tranny could have been used to haul a 6000 lb trailer without a cooler. This tranny will fail on you in a short time. I have to recommend either buy a rebuilt ot rebuild what you have. The problem with this is who is the rebuilder. Many, Many, Many shops cheat by just replacing the soft parts. This is wrong!!!!!!. Clutch, bands,pump, soliniods all have to be replaced. Someone who is good is worth the price, but how do you find the person???

 

The big cost in tranny repair on the pathy is the removal and re-install. This can cost almost $1000 at some shops. So the way to really save money is remove the tranny yourself and then have someone reliable rebuild it.

 

For a reverse problem, you drain the fluid or have the tranny flushed. There is a very good diagnosis posted on this forum on how to determine what is wrong. Then just repair that part only. Most of this can be done without removing the tranny.

 

Just remember if the guy doing the work says rebuild before it is torn apart, walk away. This includes the dealers. As for Phoenix they do ok work at low prices, but they can try to cut corners on the unusual trannys. Please note that all 90 to 95 trannys are not made the same. you may have to swap computers also.

 

Finnaly depending on where you are located I have an untested 91 tranny. I am interested either in getting rid of it or having a "bad" tranny to make one good one. Trannys are too heavy to ship.

[88pathoffroad]

They're heavy, but you can put it on a pallet, wrap it in Saran Warp and tag it, then a motor carrier can ship it for pretty cheap. It's just a PITA to transport it both to and from the trucking company.

[Ale]

Hi, thanks for the replies. I am located in Vancouver Canada.

 

There were no warnings such as slippage or difficulty with certain gears. One moment it was driving just fine, next thing I know I hear a soft 'clunk' and it's like I'm in neutral

and no gears work. I rolled to a stop and that's it... I tried 1, 2, 4L, etc... nothing.

 

Is there a way to tell what shape a used transmission is in without completely taking it apart? e.g. you mentioned metal in the fluid, etc. I'll try the diagnostics you mentioned. I think I found them all.

 

I'm in the process of phoning all the local wreckers to see if they have anything in stock. Apparently the place my mechanic recommended for $2800 charges only $1800 foer the rebuild itself - so I can save $1000 by removing and reinstalling the unit myself. At least that's a less-expensive option than the $2800-$3000 I was looking at before.

 

Still doing research...

 

Thanks Again.

AL

[Trainman]

Ale,

 

For future when you get the new tranny in: I live in Merritt at 600m elevation. It is a climb to 1,200 (Vancouver), 1,400 (Kamloops) or 1,700m (Kelowna) to get out of here. My mechanic says the biggest problem they see with vehicles coming from the coast is, you guessed it, auto transmission failures, even on nearly new vehicles. Reason? People put them in Drive and well, just drive. Most newer trannies are overdrive in Drive and letting the computer try to figure out when to downshift on hills like the Snowshed or Brenda Mines (out of Kelowna) just means lots of burnt-out transmissions. On steep hills, take it out of overdrive. My '02 has an easy to use button on the side of the shifter that I use a lot around here.

[Ale]

Thanks Trainman. Truth is I always have overdrive off unless I'm on the highway and doing 80km/h or better. Doing so drops the revs and I figure it puts less strain on the motor. As soon as I hit the exit ramp, or otherwise start to drop my speed, it goes off again.

 

Unfortunately the previous owner put 40K on the transmission before I got it and I have no way of knowing how she drove it. When the transmission died, I wondered if the OD might have been responsible. Judging from your comments, it sounds likely.

 

Pity... Oh well, you learn something new every day. I'll continue to use the OD sparingly.

 

Thanks,

AL

[Ale]

Well, I'm getting the tranny rebuilt by a local outfit and I'm going to remove it and reinstall it myself. From any of you who have done this before, do you have any recommendations regarding any additional modifications I should make while I'm in there? I'm putting in an aftermarket cooler - any recommendations for the brand? Any other suggested improvements related to the transmission to lessen the likelihood of this happening again?

 

Thanks,

AL

[derogate]

hey there guys, I'm from vancouver too! good to see some local guys around. You're right about those hills the coquihalla. I make that trip about once a month to visit family and friends in kelowna, and i've only done two round trips thus far with the Pathfinder, but i think its already starting to take its toll. I sometimes notice a little bit of slippage while at higher speeds with the OD on. I try not to use it as much as possible but i'm pretty sure thats where most of the problems start from.

 

an alternative would be a 5-speed swap, i know in some vehicles its not too bad, anyone know if its been done to a pathy?

 

Wasn't there also a friction addative you can add to your tranny oil to prevent tranny splippage once it has started? anyone know what that product is?

Edited June 22, 2005 by derogate

[mws]

"Rebuilding" an automatic seems to be one of the less predictable repairs. Sometimes they come out great and run for years, way too often they don't. Very complex little buggers that are asked to do a lot under tough conditions. Some designs are more successfully "rebuildable" than others.

 

IMHO, the best bet is to find a relatively low mileage wrecked truck that had a great functioning transmission at the time of it's death and swap it. You can usually find complete trucks for less than a rebuilt tranny...

 

Personally, I still prefer sticks (since I do not live in a city with traffic jams!) Right now, my nephew and I are in the middle of converting his VW Eurovan from auto to 5 speed. The auto died, and the history of rebuild reliability on these trannies is horrible. He had it rebuilt once, died again 20K later. Got all of the necessary parts (we hope) from a low mileage wrecked 5 speed for less than another rebuild.

[mws]

Well, I'm getting the tranny rebuilt by a local outfit and I'm going to remove it and reinstall it myself. From any of you who have done this before, do you have any recommendations regarding any additional modifications I should make while I'm in there? I'm putting in an aftermarket cooler - any recommendations for the brand? Any other suggested improvements related to the transmission to lessen the likelihood of this happening again?

 

Thanks,

AL

HEAT is the number one enemy of automatics!

 

While you have the tranny out, install a temp gage sending unit in the pan (braze, weld, or JB weld a bung if there is not one)and install a gage. I used an Autometer electric gage and am impressed.

If you see temps over 250 in the pan on a regular basis or ever over 275 or so, do something quickly or start saving for another tranny.

I ended up with 3 (yup, 3!) auxiliary coolers on my tow van to keep temps under control while pulling our travel trailer and motorcycles up the steeper grades on the way to some of our favorite playgrounds. The engine puts out over 450 lb-ft, which really works the tranny hard. $300 worth of coolers hurt, but that is much better than $3000 worth of tranny... This is an extreme example, but it illustrates that different applications may require equipment beyond what the factory installed.

[mws]

Oh, and as far as brand of cooler, I've heard there are basically only two manufacturers in north america - one that makes the tube and thin fin style, and one that makes the plate style. And then many companies buy from them and private label them.

 

I greatly prefer the plate style. Much more durable, and seem to work better as well. B&M is the most popular company to buy from. Summit Racing is where I got mine.

 

When you install, make sure the outlet is near the top so any air that gets in the system self purges.

[Ale]

"Rebuilding" an automatic seems to be one of the less predictable repairs. Sometimes they come out great and run for years, way too often they don't. Very complex little buggers that are asked to do a lot under tough conditions. Some designs are more successfully "rebuildable" than others.

 

IMHO, the best bet is to find a relatively low mileage wrecked truck that had a great functioning transmission at the time of it's death and swap it. You can usually find complete trucks for less than a rebuilt tranny...

 

Personally, I still prefer sticks (since I do not live in a city with traffic jams!) Right now, my nephew and I are in the middle of converting his VW Eurovan from auto to 5 speed. The auto died, and the history of rebuild reliability on these trannies is horrible. He had it rebuilt once, died again 20K later. Got all of the necessary parts (we hope) from a low mileage wrecked 5 speed for less than another rebuild.

I checked out all the local wreckers. Only one had a pathy of the right age, and they were asking $1250 for the transmission. Considering that I can get mine rebuilt for about $1800, and that includes an aftermarket cooler and a warranty it seems like a better bet - especially since I'd be taking my chances with the condition of the used tranny.

AL