'89 Maxima Problem - My car shifts roughly, and I can't stand it!

[Ryan]

I haven an Automatic '98 Maxima, and whenever I am accelerating, it's gears shift really roughly. Ever people riding with me can feel it. And when I shift from Park to Drive or Reverse, the car kinda jumps when it shifts gears. It's not much of a problem, but it's more of an annoyance. How can I fix it?

 

[N8Magic]

Have you had the transmission fluid changed? If not, that would be a good place to start...

 

[fastz28]

<< Have you had the transmission fluid changed? If not, that would be a good place to start... >>



Yep, check the x-mission fluid, should be pink.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Maybe you got one of the ultrs-rare Maximas with a Honda tranny. (Honda automatics are notorious for shifting hard.) N8Magic has a good first step though. Have the tranny fluid changed.

ZV

 

[mAdD INDIAN]

Maximas in general have weak automatic transimissions. They are not strong enough the handle the power that the engine produces. You prolly feel a little jerk when coming to a stop right? Or when you are rolling at about 5mph and then you suddenly accelerate?? That's normal. One of the best mods to a auto Maxima would be getting a Hayden Transmission Cooler. It does help and prolonge the life of the tranny. Also check out Maxima.org Forums. They can be of more help to you than I can ever be.

 

[toant103]

yeah, even the new honda can't shift smooth. what's up with that

 

[SuperTool]

Maybe you have a Valve Body mod, and you don't even know it
I have a VB mod to make my Maxima shift quicker and rougher. Makes it faster It chirps the wheels sometimes shifting to 2nd. Not bad for an auto.
Anyways, Maximas shift hard stock. Especially not warmed up. It's not a Camry, so don't expect it to shift like one. It's designed to go fast, not soothe your rear end The engine has more juice than the tranny can handle smoothly.
Anyways, if I were you, I would get a tranny flush, and put some synthetic ATF in there. Also, get a hayden transmission cooler. It takes about 1 hr to install, and it might save you $$$ in tranny repairs, especially if you like to drive hard.

 

[Viperoni]

Besides that, your car is getting older, and it will start shifting a bit harder. Sometimes I can get my boat (86 parisienne) to shift seamlessly, but usually I can feel the shift....then again it is shifting into 250lb/ft of torque @ 2400rpm
Maybe try some Duralube tranny treatment? I used it a while back and I think it made the shifting a bit quicker.....but I can't remember if it got smoother.

 

[RGN]

I think its common for Max trans from the early third gens to develop problems around 130,000 miles. If your near there, just change the fluid and hope for the best.

 

[WickedMotorcar]

All the Nissan fanboys on this forum must have an answer. I mean, they all know everything there is about cars.

 

[RGN]

<< All the Nissan fanboys on this forum must have an answer. I mean, they all know everything there is about cars. >>



What the fvck kind of p0st was that? Do you own a Maxima? Do you have _any_ experience with car repairs?

I bet not, in fact your probably a Honda fanboy.

 

[Zenmervolt]

<< yeah, even the new honda can't shift smooth. what's up with that >>

Smooth = slow. It's simply a matter of design, some go for smoothness, while some prefer to set things up for firmer shifting. Personally I prefer a firmer setup, but that's purely subjective.

ZV

 

[b0mbrman]

<< I haven an Automatic '98 Maxima, and whenever I am accelerating, it's gears shift really roughly. Ever people riding with me can feel it. And when I shift from Park to Drive or Reverse, the car kinda jumps when it shifts gears. It's not much of a problem, but it's more of an annoyance. How can I fix it? >>



Sorry, there's no way to fix it... I had a '91 Max. A great car except for the transmission problem. I started talking to other people on this 3rd-gen Maxima discussion board and found that it's a pretty common problem with our cars.

 

[d33pt]

i can attest to weak trannies in maximas too.. my 91 had to have two tranny rebuilds.. one because the radiator leaked water into the tranny tho..

 

[indd]

if you're hitting around 100k on a 3rd gen maxima, it's about time.. I just had the transmission rebuilt in my '94 at 105k miles.

for forums, check out:
3rd generation forum page

and the 3rd generation forums at:
forums at maxima.org

had a transmission cooler (I'm paranoid now) put in at the same time according to one of the 3rd gen faq's at the maxima.org forum, and the everything runs great now..

oh, btw.. if you decide to change the transmission fluid, I personally had a bad experience with it. Me and my friend drained the transmission fluid and poured it into a 2liter coke bottle. It looked like Coke! I don't think the previous owner ever had the fluid changed (I've had the car since May last year). So we changed out the transmission fluid. Afterwards, the car started to slip. I asked some of the guys at a transmission shop, and they suggested that you don't change the transmission fluid out completely when it is PURE BLACK. Apparently, when the fluid is black, it has worn down and it's a lot thinner than brand new fluid. So when I put in the new ones, it put a lot of wear and tear on the transmission trying to adjust to the thicker fluid. Anyway, he told me to just take out part of the fluid instead of doing it all at once.

I don't know too much about cars, but it all seems to make sense to me. Anyone else have any similar experiences?

indd