2003 Pathfinder Transmission Died

[jscricca]

I should have seen the signs coming but today the transmission finally died. Over the last couple weeks we had the A/T Oil light come on randomly and thought nothing of it since we were driving in the snow and the car drove fine. My wife drives the car and reported twice that it wouldn't shift into OD or 4th. Today it finally stopped shifting into OD or reverse and is making terrible sounds according to her.



A few Google and forum searches showed this is a known and somewhat common problem. I guess something clogs the cooler which contaminates the clutch packs. The only real fix is a rebuilt or new transmission.


We have recently put $1500 into the SUV with new tires/lift last week, new plugs, belts, valve cover gaskets, and a few other goodies. It only has 120k miles on it and is overall in great shape. This thing has CELs ever other week and drive me nuts, but I love the thing.



Who here has replaced the transmission on the R50? What did you pay and did you have it rebuilt or replaced?

We want to set a maximum of $3k for a repair and received a quote for $2700. If the shop can do it for under $3k I think we will bite the bullet and run this SUV into the ground over the next few years.

Please share any advice and information regarding transmission issues on your R50.

[macgiver]

mac,I will comment on the shop estimate , and your willingness to fix it if you feel "worth-it", cause I don't know much about the particular vehicle. That $ 2700 seems in the ballpark ,below your max - get a "Cap" on that price though, and if so solid warranty . I've seen , me, 3yr & 24kmi my case , and I paid $2800 back in2006.Sounds like trans is DONE and I would pay that to get it rebuilt or is it an R & R replacement ? Same deal.

[yeldogt]

My memory was the light was "temp" ... not oil level. Did you check the level while any of this was going on ?

Transmissions fail -- but the R50 has no record of early failures ... there is a flare TSB for some.

The age of all the R50's makes it unlikely finding a suitable low mile used transmission -- but, it possible. A nice rust free R50 in good cosmetic shape is with fixing. Last I check a full rebuild was in the $2500 range. Make sure they flush the cooling lines.

As far as the CEL -- do you have a scanner? I have had three R50's and they don't have any more incidence of CEL vs other makes. There are a few items that do go on the R50 .... O2's -- vent valves etc.

[jscricca]

Thanks for the replies. We ended up getting a quote for $2700 which includes new clutches, seals, and even the gear assembly. A rebuilt or remanufactured transmission would likely be just as good but cost more. At least we know everything but the housing and electronics are new.

There is a 2 year 24k warranty for piece of mind. They offered to replace the RMS for just the cost of parts too.

I'd normally advocate for getting something newer, but I've sunk some money and love into this thing. Once we replace the front brakes, I think we can easily go another 60k miles with just oil changes.

[nickelghandi]

Late to the party here, but that seems a little low for an estimate. CI had mine done in 2016 and it was closer to $4,000. A rebuilt or remanufactured transmission would be BETTER but it would cost more. Good thing it comes with the warranty though.

They had better do the RMS while they are in there because if replacing the transmission, they pretty much have to do the RMS anyway. Their "offer" isn't really an offer because the cost of parts is the only cost to them and they are selling you the gasket at a marked up price. They will be doing it anyway, but because it is a nearly equally labor intensive job, they are trying to sell you on the idea that you are getting a good deal.

I went for a good, used transmission with lower miles (60k to my 140k) that the shop I had do the work rebuilt for me rather than rebuild my shattered one. That's right; it had no problems, but I had them rebuild it anyway. The cost difference was like $400 and was done at my request rather than their offer, so I went for it for the lower mileage.

Make sure you get that warranty in writing and signed by the owner, manager, or whomever has the authority to do so. Also make sure it covers parts and labor and not just the parts.

Make sure you get a warranty on the RMS as well. They are proned to leaking after replacement if not seated exactly right and that is not a fun leak to live with. Just shy of a year after my transmission replacement, my RMS started leaking. They replaced it covering both parts and labor.

This is not an expense you want to have twice on one vehicle within 100k miles, so make sure you take care to protect yourself.

You'll go another 60k with oil changes, sensors, CV axles, wheel cylinders, and some other stuff but it won't kill you and shouldn't hit you all at once. Vehicles take time and money to keep running.

yeldogt is right. Transmissions do fail, but R50s aren't known for blowing them. Heat and improper maintenance will kill anything with moving parts. The coolers on these do not fail often. The R51s had some known transmission fluid cooler failures that allowed engine coolant into the transmission which kills them very quickly.

It is not necessary, but I bypassed the transmission fluid cooler attached to the radiator in favor of one added to the front of the radiator. This does mean that the transmission takes longer to warm up and you have to baby it a bit for the first 5 or so miles when it is cold. Adding one in line with the existing cooler is a better idea.

What killed yours was likely heavy towing or improper maintenance by the previous owner or even yourself if it had not been maintained before you got it, and you towed even a little. These vehicles can hit 300k and even higher mileage if taken care of properly.

If I were you I would add to the mechanic's list to change the transfer case and rear differential fluid as well. Your failing transmission is indicative of some heavy drive train abuse or neglect.

Lastly make sure they flush out all of the transmission fluid lines to remove any metal fragments and debris that might remain from when your transmission imploded.

[PathyPop]

I've thought about bypassing the radiator cooler myself, but it seems to never be a problem with the R50. Still transmission problems scare me more than engine problems. I told my son since his alternator is original it will fail soon and we might pull the radiator since it is hard to get at, and then put in a new radiator* since they are <$100. That's how much I fear h20 in the trans fluid. I had it happen in my Saab costing $3k.

I see RockAuto has a re manufactured for $1700, but then you need to add shipping and core return. Still I can see a shop getting an equal or better deal and adding $1k labor gets you there. Or a little more if 4x4.

* when did radiators get so cheap? Last one I had to buy was for a Z car years ago, over $300 I recall. Maybe it was brass, or not made in China?

[nickelghandi]

It really isn't a big problem on these vehicles, but I just don't like the idea of having two fluids that absolutely need to be kept separate running so close to each other under pressure.

Radiators can be had for pretty cheap, but to get OEM or similar quality it's still $200-$300.