2002 I35 no reverse stuck in 3rd? HELP

[imadork8317]

So the subject says it all, my 2002 Infiniti I35 with 150,000 miles on it is stuck in limp/safe mode, or so it seems from what i have read so far. It have been slipping and kicking every now and then, but then once i got off the highway on my way to starbucks before work, it seems like it was not as powerfull as before, when i came out from starbucks, reverse didn't work. was able to drive it to work, and had our fleet tech take a look at it. he checked the fluid, a little low but not too much to cause concern, no burnt smell. He disconnected the battery, to try to reset it, but still nothing worked.

So i know im gonna have to take it in but i have few questions
1. can i drive it 40 miles to get it to my local shop from my work?
2. does this sound like an electrical issue or mechanical?
3. best place for parts if it needs a rebuild?

I am located in San Jose, CA.

Any help would be much appreciated, thank you

[MinisterofDOOM]

Limp mode shouldn't cause reverse to stop working.

The transmission actually has a self-diagnostic mode, which uses the "AT CHECK" light at the lower right corner of the instrument cluster to flash numeric trouble codes. You can find the procedure for triggering the self-diagnostic mode on page 51 here. The following few pages have translations for the flashed codes.

That should give you a better idea of what's causing the "limp mode" operation (if that is indeed what's going on) and whether it's safe to drive. If it's just a sensor problem, you should be fine driving the car even in limp mode. I've done so with my Q45 in the past when trying to diagnose a similar issue.

Slipping and reverse not working has me worried that it's more than just a sensor or electronic issue, though. I'd definitely start with the self-diagnostic to see what you can learn. If you can't get the self-diagnostic to work right, I would head to an autoparts store and see if they can find any codes with their scanner. Transmission trouble codes should show up if any are present. Then you can use the same PDF I linked above to translate and diagnose.

[imadork8317]

Limp mode shouldn't cause reverse to stop working.

The transmission actually has a self-diagnostic mode, which uses the "AT CHECK" light at the lower right corner of the instrument cluster to flash numeric trouble codes. You can find the procedure for triggering the self-diagnostic mode on page 51 here. The following few pages have translations for the flashed codes.

That should give you a better idea of what's causing the "limp mode" operation (if that is indeed what's going on) and whether it's safe to drive. If it's just a sensor problem, you should be fine driving the car even in limp mode. I've done so with my Q45 in the past when trying to diagnose a similar issue.

Slipping and reverse not working has me worried that it's more than just a sensor or electronic issue, though. I'd definitely start with the self-diagnostic to see what you can learn. If you can't get the self-diagnostic to work right, I would head to an autoparts store and see if they can find any codes with their scanner. Transmission trouble codes should show up if any are present. Then you can use the same PDF I linked above to translate and diagnose.

Thanks Minister i will def try that out today, thanks for the tip.

[boost_boy]

So the subject says it all, my 2002 Infiniti I35 with 150,000 miles on it is stuck in limp/safe mode, or so it seems from what i have read so far. It have been slipping and kicking every now and then, but then once i got off the highway on my way to starbucks before work, it seems like it was not as powerfull as before, when i came out from starbucks, reverse didn't work. was able to drive it to work, and had our fleet tech take a look at it. he checked the fluid, a little low but not too much to cause concern, no burnt smell. He disconnected the battery, to try to reset it, but still nothing worked.

So i know im gonna have to take it in but i have few questions
1. can i drive it 40 miles to get it to my local shop from my work?
2. does this sound like an electrical issue or mechanical?
3. best place for parts if it needs a rebuild?

I am located in San Jose, CA.

Any help would be much appreciated, thank you

Dude, Your problem is simple: Your shift solenoids have gone with the wind and needs to be changed. If you're not mechanically inclined, they are going to rape you. The part itself is around $275-$400 and it requires you drop the guts of your transmission to get to the solenoids. I've been where you've been. The car starts off really slow and the engine is revving hard and you're only going around 70-80mph. It's a PITA and if you don't have the expertise to do it, pay someone to do it.