2008 Altima 2.5 S wont accelerate LOTS OF CODES

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CampJack
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Aug 19, 2020 8:20 pm
Car: 2008 Altima 2.5 S

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Hi, my daughter just left for college a couple of weeks ago and during the 3 1/2 hour drive her car had acceleration issue 3 times. Her check engine light was on, she was going 40 to 50 mph and when she went to accelerate, she couldn't, the car decelerated and the speedometer needle started moving up and down quickly. She pulled over and turned off the car. This pattern repeated itself 3 times.

She went to Autozone and these are the codes that they pulled:
P0710
P0715
P0744
P1778
P2A00

We made an appointment at the local mechanic out there to have it checked. He said that the 02 sensor code was old but the others were recent. He cleared them and wants her to come back if the check engine light comes back on so he can check them again. He thinks that it may be the transmission. All of her driving is local and not at a high speed, so Im not sure if the problem will repeat itself. I dont know if distance or speed has anything to do with the problem.

She was supposed to check the transmission fluid before she took it in but could get the dipstick out. The mechanic forgot to check it so she is going back today for him to do that. I dont know if dirty or low trans fluid would throw those codes, but Im hoping. He also told us that the trans fluid should be changed every other oil change because its a CVT.

Im looking for any input that you all have. Hopefully the mechanic is honest, I did talk to several of them and read reviews but I have never had to deal with car issues from far away.

Thanks everyone. I have no mechanic experience really, so please use plain English when suggesting things lol


Thanks!


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PalmerWMD
Posts: 18383
Joined: Mon Apr 29, 2002 3:14 pm
Car: 2004 350Z

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Welcome to Nico! :yesnod

Your tech has a point about changing CVT fluid more frequently since they are sensitive to used-up fluid.
But every other oil change is bubkis.
I owned 2 CVT cars a Altima and a Maxima, loved them both and especially the mpgs.. CVT fluid interval I think is best at 30,000 miles... anything over 60,000 is asking for trouble IMO no matter what the manual says.

When was the tranny fluid done last?

From a glance, most (if not all) of those codes are transmission codes though.

The Altima as a whole is a reliable car with excellent mpg.., but the transmissions in many model years are a known weak spot.

Best case scenario: The ECU was putting the car in limp mode to protect the tranny since it saw very high tranny tempt readings.. hence the tranny tempt sensor codes.. ..
Worst case scenario: the heat cooked the tranny.. these transmissions are optimized for mpgs and some model years especially, got smaller ATF fluid pumps (to save on energy and mpgs) which in a hot american summer can cause problems... old CVT fluid aggravates this risk by a lot.

Hopefully is just IS the tranny temp sensor as some of the codes suggest... but it may not..
Get it to the most competent shop you have access to (as a misdiagnoses can cost real $$)

CampJack
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Aug 19, 2020 8:20 pm
Car: 2008 Altima 2.5 S

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Hi thanks for responding. It is unknown when the tranny fluid was last done. We bought the car a few months ago and it sat there for awhile since it took forever to get the title and plates in the mail(DMV was still closed). My daughters school is 3 1/2 hours away so I had to pick a mechanic from many Google searches and reviews.. I spoke to several mechanics and he seems knowledgeable and honest, I hope.

Update:
She did go back to have the transmission fluid checked. He said it was full but very dirty. He recommends us just changing it, not flushing it. and now he says do it every 3rd oil change.

As for the codes the only code that is left now is for the 02 sensor. He said last time he did not start the car, hes been short 2 mechanics, it was really busy and he apologized. He said that he would have started checking there had he started the car. Now that he started the car he heard that the exhaust was very loud and thinks there is an exhaust leak. We knew when we bought it that it was loud of course but the guy said he put holes in the muffler to make it sportier sounding. It made sense to us by the other upgrades he did with the car plus he was younger.

The mechanic said to start by having him look for the leak. He needs to see if it's before after the 02 sensor and said if it is after (I think he said after and not before) then it reduces the chance of having to replace the 02 sensor as well by 50%.

If there is a leak what do you think about using exhaust tape for a temporary fix? If the 02 sensor also needs to be replaced we may just sell the car for a loss rather than invest more.

He did say it must have gone in limp mode and that she can still drive it until she comes in but with the windows open. He said it probably will stall again so just pull over, turn it off and give it a few minutes again.

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PalmerWMD
Posts: 18383
Joined: Mon Apr 29, 2002 3:14 pm
Car: 2004 350Z

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O2 sensors go bad on any car above a certain amount of use.
I wouldnt sweat it.. Shouldnt cost the world either..
Plus you will struggle selling it with a code..

As for the tranny you might, emphasize might, have dodged a bullet.

if the seller intentionally damaged the muffler to make it sound "sportier' thats not a real good sign but it might explain the o2 sensor code by itself depending on where the leak is.

I dont have a warm and fuzzy on whats going on right now though.. are you saying the car is still in limp mode?
PS: Get that old CVT fluid out..

CampJack
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Aug 19, 2020 8:20 pm
Car: 2008 Altima 2.5 S

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She has only driven it locally around school since that happened. As of right now, it is not in limp mode. I'm wondering if that is something that happens at high speed and long drives because of the temperature. The most she has driven since then is 15 minutes at a time.

Yes we will change the trans fluid thank you. Her and I are up to doing it ourselves but since she's is so far away I can't help. Her school is also in a very bad area so I don't want her doing it herself either. Guess I'll have to pay the guy.

Hopefully it's because of the holes in the muffler!

What are:your thoughts on exhaust tape?

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PalmerWMD
Posts: 18383
Joined: Mon Apr 29, 2002 3:14 pm
Car: 2004 350Z

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CampJack wrote:
Mon Aug 24, 2020 9:04 am

What are:your thoughts on exhaust tape?
You are talking about the muffler putty tape right?
If the holes are small enough why not?

Worst case it lasts a couple days but its so cheap who cares..
Best case it could last weeks even months to muffle the noise..
And perhaps help your O2 sensor but ONLY if its in the right location to affect your O2 sensor though.. which we dont really know..

CampJack
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Aug 19, 2020 8:20 pm
Car: 2008 Altima 2.5 S

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Yes that is the tape. OK it's worth a try, thanks for all your help :)

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PalmerWMD
Posts: 18383
Joined: Mon Apr 29, 2002 3:14 pm
Car: 2004 350Z

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Be sure you give it plenty of time to cure after you put it on.
And the whole is not close to the xhaust manifolds right?
Dont want to risk sucking anything back into the engine from backpressure.
I wish I had a better pic of where your holes are


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