Guest gonefishin Posted December 4, 2003 Share Posted December 4, 2003 1996 Nissan Pathfinder LE,3.3L, 4Spd 4WD AT I'm experiencing a hard shift going from 1st into 2nd gear, especially at low speeds (5-10mph). It's not quite a loud clunck but it's noticeable from the cabin in the form of a small jolt rather than any kind of noise. Other gears appear to shift smoothly, up and down. Can this be adjusted out in the throttle body area or otherwise? Or is this purely electronically controlled and there is no adjustment? I would appreciate any sound advice. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blizzardking Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 First, get your tranny oil service done. Two, reset or have your Computer reset. What you are describing is a very common thing. It happens! And it will most commonly happen within the first 5-10 minutes of vehicle operation, also climate plays a factor. If these suggestions are of no help, then if you cant live with it, Hello Nissan or tranny shop. I wouldnt worry about it to much though. I have seen this in almost all automatic Vehicles. Even the 03's. Had a buddy return his rig back after a few days. He thought he needed a new tranny so soon, Dealer says have a seat in the waiting room. An hour later wallah, reset the computer all set sir.........Hope this helps take care........"Also they reffered to it as slamming gears". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blizzardking Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 Oh yeah, by the way these are not the only things that can be causing this. There may be other factors involved. U-joints, gears, etc........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Chrislrob Posted December 9, 2003 Share Posted December 9, 2003 Interesting comment, Blizzardking. I had the same question on my newly bought 1997. How much to get the "computer reset"? Thanks for the info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blizzardking Posted December 9, 2003 Share Posted December 9, 2003 That depends on the shop you deal with's labor rate or they may even have a flat rate for such a task, I would say a half hour labor cost. Also you might have some other options. On some Pathfinders you get access to the Computer and can read codes off it and it allows for you to follow some steps and be able to reset the computer. On my 95 I have this access, not sure about your 97, would have to have someone else answer that one. One more way to do this is by removing the Battery cables for about a half hour, after that reinstall them and start her up. This will clear or reset the computer, once you start her up you will notice she may idle a little different then before probably rev a little higher till she adjusts. You will have to drive her a short while to get the comp to make the tranny shifting adjustments, almost like a re programming. So there it is, but dont always put all your chips on this sollution, it could be disapointing. But it could also mean the answer. Sometimes, with so many Systems dependant on the computer, things can start to bug out, thats when you might have to help her along by bringing her back to default. Hope this Helps.............oh one more thing, I do remember the reaction my Pathy had after the ecu reset, the Check engine light came on for the first 15 seconds on initial start up (first time ever) but quickly went away................ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denisb Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 Just to add my 2 cents worth, if you reset your computer by dissconecting your battery, and you don't want to wait as long for your computer to reset, tap your brakes when the battery cable is off. This will get rid of any voltage that has been stored in your system therefore errasing the memory in your computer causing it to reset or relearn itself. Also I should add this will only work if your computer has no backup battery.....I haven't heard of any manifacturer having any on their vehicles computer yet but who knows?????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joehurdler Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 Ok, so I'm glad to see I am not the only one experiencing this issue. I got a 2003 Pathy LE with only 15,000 miles on it and it does the same exact thing. Now I wouldn't say it's a very extremely bad hard shift or jerky shift; however it is definetely noticeable shift between 1st in 2nd, where as there is a very SEAMLESS and UNOTICEABLE shift between all other gears. Basicallly, it stays in first as its revving up, then I feel a thump and my body will notice a shift in motion as it shifts into 2nd. Although, it does not do this when shifting between other gears. In fact, it's almost seamless when shifting between other gears. Is this what you folks are experiencing? Also, that method of reseting the computer; is that the same way the dealer service people do it, or do they use some other method? Thanks, Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vengeful Posted October 21, 2004 Share Posted October 21, 2004 This is a very common 'issue' (more appropriately, quirk) with Pathfinders, if you could even call it that (an issue). I've had the hard 1-2 shift since day one, and haven't had any problems arise because of it in over 45,000 miles of ownership. I have discovered that if you run 1st gear out a little higher, to 15-20mph, it will shift very smoothly, however, at 5-10mph, like in stop-and-go traffic, it shifts hard. Best thing you can do to prevent problems is to make sure your tranny fluid is the right type and at the right level, too much or too little, or the wrong kind can cause serious problems. You also want to make sure your tranny is getting efficiently cooled, addition of an external transmission cooler will definitely help in this area (Large transmission cooler at Advance is $48, and you can install it yourself quite easily, just watch out for tranny fluid, and don't forget to account for the extra capacity in the cooler.) HTS... The dealers use an OBD2 device that will read the ECU Fault codes, clear them, and reset the ECU. You can purchase a basic one at any major auto parts store for about $150. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ Dank Posted October 22, 2004 Share Posted October 22, 2004 Yup, I had that problem until I got my tranny flushed and filled. That put an end to the hard shifting unless of course the engine is cold, then you'll always experience harder shifting than a warmed engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewisnc100 Posted October 22, 2004 Share Posted October 22, 2004 Why would you reset the computer, there was nothing in the original post about fault codes so there is nothing to reset. If you are trying to clear the sensor memory for some reason you'll have to disconnect the battery but I don't see the benefit in this case. If you are trying to clear codes that weren't in the post you can use the OBDII reader as mentioned or you can use the diagnostic mode selector screw on your PCM, very easy to display and clear error codes with this. But again it doesn't sound like you have anything to clear so I wouldn't worry about it. I agree with the previous post on the hard shift, my 97 has had the same shift you describe since I bought it new in 10/96. But still not a bad idea to get new fluid in there, drain the pan and refill, drive to let it mix and repeat. You'll get 4-4.25 qts per drain out of the 9 total, 4 drain and fills and you have 90% new ATF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joehurdler Posted October 23, 2004 Share Posted October 23, 2004 Alrighty, so I took my pathy to the dealer's service department, and as usual; they plugged it into their little magic 8 ball of a code reader. Turns out the code is coming back saying that the "Transmission Valve body" is bad. Luckily it's still under warranty. They ordered the parts and it should be arriving sometime mid next week. The vehicle is still drivevable with modest hard shifting; so I decided to drive the pathy home and bring it back next week when the part arrives. Once they put that in, I'll let you folks know how that goes. Later, Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big_johnson Posted October 24, 2004 Share Posted October 24, 2004 hmm, glad I drive a manual tranny (sorry, I'm bored and what better way to rub it in) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Todd S Posted October 26, 2004 Share Posted October 26, 2004 When cold, I notice a kind of after-stoping "thunk"... Happens when coming to stop at a light -- happens worse when it's a faster stop. Kind of like it's dropping hard into neutral. Related? '97 auto, 2wd, w/ 85K on it. Don't notice it much (if at all) when the truck has warmed up. Time for tranny fluid/differential fluid change? What's the average (non-dealer) mechanic charge for this fluid swap? TIA, -Todd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lbinh Posted October 28, 2004 Share Posted October 28, 2004 Try replacing with Sythetic ATF. I did and it shifts a lot smoother than with conventional ATF. I used Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF for '01 LE. 25K miles so far and no problems at all. Check out previous tranny posts for DIY directions. ATF change and PCM reset and it will be like a new/better transmission. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joehurdler Posted November 5, 2004 Share Posted November 5, 2004 Ok, so I just got back my pathy on Monday from the dealer service department. They diagnosed the hard shifting problem to be the "Transmission Valve Body" or "trans valve assem". I can pull up the part number if you folks are interested. Anyhow, they replaced it and now the shifting is like butter. So yeah, if any of you folks are experiencing the hard shifts from 1-2 and maybe even a little from 2-3, get that checked out. Mine was under warranty so everything was taken care of. Later, Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joehurdler Posted November 11, 2004 Share Posted November 11, 2004 Unfortunately, the problem has returned! After the repair 2 weeks ago, I thought the problem was fixed! Apparently not! Hard shifting continues from 1-2, then also noticeable from 2nd to 3rd. From 1-2, it feels like a slight kick in the seat, and from 2nd to 3rd it feels like it hesitates then shifts. So during that 2nd to 3rd, you feel yourself bob back and forth. I'll keep ya folks up to date on this as I plan on taking it back to the dealer. Although, if anyone has any clue as to whats going on, all info is appreciated! Later, Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
findmypath Posted November 13, 2004 Share Posted November 13, 2004 I have the same symptom with the hard shifting, but I will take in for service and see what they have to say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thunderca Posted August 21, 2005 Share Posted August 21, 2005 I have 98 Pathfinder. I experience the same problem with hard shift from 1 to 2 gear when driving slowly from the first day I got my pathfinder (sept 1998). I told the dealer about the hard shift before they said it is fine. I had my computer reset numerious time and it never made a different. I have over 144000km on my pathfinder now. I think this is normal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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