Hey guys, a while ago my car started acting funny. In third gear arounc 60-70km/h I would step on the gas, and no power. Then after a while my 3rd gear stopped working. Then 4th gear. I only get 1st and second gear and I have brought it to 5+ different shops and they have scanned it and no codes show up.

If i am in drive, say going around 60, i am in 2nd gear and my RPM's are around 3500. Now, if i take my foot off the gas the RPM's drop to 750-1000 and I only can accellerate if i bring them back up to 3500 and it will "connect" back up and go faster.

If i stay in 2nd gear i get power no matter what, even if i take my foot off the gas my RPM's stay where they are.

I took it to a tranny shop and they said that the fluid was brown and burnt and needed a rebuild. I drive it on the highway to school around 4000-4500 rpm's in 2nd gear and i dont have money to replace the transmission.

This has been going on for 5 months now and I check the transmission fluid every week and its pink and is perfectly fine so its clear the shop had no idea what was wrong and tried to take advantage of me.


Recently i have been researching some problems and came across the throttle position sensor. I bought a voltmeter, measured it to be

0.23 volts with no throttle
3.8 volts at wide open throttle

I also measured the resistance of the same terminals and found
0.3 kohms no throttle
1.2 kohms wide open throttle

Ive already had it replaced and it did nothing but i am pretty sure these values are bad and the shop just used my old one and didnt replace anything (ripping me off)

Is it worth it to buy one for 100 bucks from napa and replace it myself? what do you guys think?

thanks!

kyle

Is the fluid pink, or red? Pink indicates water entry, which is very bad.

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.



The fluid should be red, and not smell burnt.

If the fluid is brown or black or smells burnt, you should perform a transmission fluid exchange.

You will need:

• 12 to 15 quarts of automatic transmission fluid, preferably Nissan Matic D
• A clear gallon jug, something like an empty milk jug
• Another large container to store used fluid for disposal

1. Disconnect the transmission cooler return line and secure it in a collection bucket such as a clear gallon milk jug. This will be the hose on the passenger side of the vehicle; disconnect the end leading towards the transmission.
2. Have a helper start the car while you watch the bucket - once it's half full (2 quarts), yell for the helper to stop the engine.
3. Add 2 quarts of ATF through the transmission dipstick.
4. Drain collection jug into larger jug (i.e. a Disposoil - these only hold 10 quarts though in my experience, so have something else to hold the last 5 quarts).
5. Repeat steps 2-4 until you're out of ATF.
6. Check fluid for proper level (see the next question and answer for details), and recycle the old ATF. Any place that takes used oil will likely recycle ATF.

The fluid is redish pink im pretty sure its fine thats the first thing the shops checked although the transmission shop lied to my face and told me it was burnt and brown and i needed a $3000 rebuild.

You don't need a rebuild necessarily. You should try a full fluid exchange as I suggested, especially if you don't know if the fluid has been previously serviced.

I guess thats an option, its just i have been driving it like this for 4-5 months and it kinda seems like its and electriacl/computer or sensor issue

Just an observation, but it sounds an awful lot like your transmission is toast.
Going on past experience, no third or fourth gear is more than just a sensor problem. Good luck.

It tries to shift into third but just goes back to 2nd

Yeah particularly the fact that it tries to but kicks back down is not good.

What stumps me is that it throws no check transmission codes.

Stupid question, but try manually shifting through the gears. 1, 2, D.

I'm not super familiar with this transmission (yet ) but I know nearly all have a "shift selector" sensor, that tells the transmission what gear you have selected. I wonder if it thinks you are in 2 and not D.

But, you said you lost 3rd before losing 4th. Which is odd, and again, leads me to believe your transmission problems are far beyond any electrical issue, especially the theory I talked about above with the selector switch or even a linkage issue.

Try manually shifting it, but I doubt that will produce the results I'm looking for.

I also recommend the Transmission Cooler Line ATF change. Fresh fluid will help to diagnose issues as you move forward.

Have tried shifting manually but it doesn't work. Maybe should get the fluid flushed because more than one of you suggested it

Yeah it's something that I would recommend too.... Make sure to post up your results...

for sure, im taking it to the dealer today for an hour for them to look at it first... this form is legit and i would love to help anyone else out with the same problem

so their $8000 scanner picked up some sort of solenoid that is dead inside the tranny..... a shift solenoid perhaps also the TPS was not adjusted properly. They reccomended replacing the tranny

Did you end up changing the transmission or how else was the issue fixed?
I have a pathfinder 2000 SE A/T and same thing happened to me . The transmission mechanic said that the A/T position sensor broke down and needs to be replaced. I haven't got a call yet to go and pick up the vehicle yet, but I am curious to know what was the solution to your vehicle!

My problem ended up being caused by a blown Throttle Position Sensor (TPS), which crippled my SUV thinking the Transmission has gone!

sonanio wrote:My problem ended up being caused by a blown Throttle Position Sensor (TPS), which crippled my SUV thinking the Transmission has gone!

Hi,
What was the transmission doing exactly before you fixed it?
Thanks

Well I replaced my TCC its not too hard but very messy. It took me about couple hours to replace the sensor and changed the tranny oil, gasket and TCC sensor.

Here is my write up with photos and how too...

Hope this helps.

2002-2wd-pathfinder-with-p0744-ses-and- ... 07566.html

Pathfinder2002 wrote:Well I replaced my TCC its not too hard but very messy. It took me about couple hours to replace the sensor and changed the tranny oil, gasket and TCC sensor.

Here is my write up with photos and how too...

Hope this helps.

2002-2wd-pathfinder-with-p0744-ses-and- ... 07566.html

Hi,

Was your transmission shifting into 3rd and O/D at all before you replaced the TCC ?

Thanks.

Well the TCC solenoid fixed the P0744 problem. The pathfinder pulled P0744 error code. Also the car would hesitate to shift from 3rd to overdrive. It was a noticeable issue when driving around 55-65mph. Ok going over 65mph and below 55mph. If you have TPS which ncaadfinder mentioned you might have that type of problem. Thats a quick fix and $30 part. I would try to replace that part first.

Ok, thx for letting me know.

I have a 2000 Pathfinder LE 4WD with A/T.
Recently the transmission began shifting back and forth even on flat land as if it were hunting the right gear.
I had the "computer codes cleared" even though there were none.
Changed fluids and filters too. (144K miles).
Drove fine, perfect for 6 weeks, took back, no codes, but cleared the computer codes or something like that, drove fine on a 400 mile trip.
Last week, same thing.
Any ideas?