Auto. Trans will not shift above 2nd

[ronniels]

I have looked and looked and could no find a topic covering this.Trans goes in to 1st and reverse no prob.No slipping, feels good, but will shift form 1st to 2nd and that's it.

Any suggestions?

1991 Z32 Auto. N/A

[clickdoc]

This happened to mine auto -- new trans will be needed i think -- i went to a manual swap after that

[Nagalf]

Yea I got the same problem. been trying to swap my transmission for a while now.

[ronniels]

Is the manual swap much of a pain?

[Nagalf]

Its not that hard of a job if ur mechanicly inclined.. but I rather have it done at a shop. Simply to have the car lifted when taking the exhaust off..

[goyal99]

I posted the same problem on a '90 N/A a while back and the solution is either rebuild your transmission (expensive) or get a used low-mileage Auto transmission, if you can find one.....

I went with the 2nd option and I replaced the transmission in an afternoon....So far so good....I don't expect it to last forever because those early Auto trannies are CRAP... but it will do for now.

My opinion is NOT to bother with the transmission conversion to manual....it's a pain and expensive to do and it does NOT "feel" right, if it's done by an amateur backyard mechanic....If you REALLY want a manual car then look around for the right one and sell yours!

Good luck

[ZFever_Hooked]

start with the onboard diagnostic test outlined in the field service manual and see what that tells you. section AT page 45

http://www.300zx-twinturbo.com/cgi-bin/manual.cgi

[ronniels]

Thanks, awesom resource.Anyway, I tried it, I do not have a light tat says A/T but ave the O/D off light there is a blank one that goes off after about 2 seconds from turning ignition on.Either way, when I do the test at the end where I depress the accelerator nothing happens. That light does not come back on.Am I even looking a the correct light?Nothing else goes out with ignition on.

Thnks!

[mtcookson]

My opinion is NOT to bother with the transmission conversion to manual....it's a pain and expensive to do and it does NOT "feel" right, if it's done by an amateur backyard mechanic....If you REALLY want a manual car then look around for the right one and sell yours!

I disagree. I did a manual transmission conversion on a car that never even came with a manual transmission (Infiniti M30) and it works great and makes the car so much more fun to drive.

The most important part is to gather all of the parts needed before the swap. Transmission, MT brake pedal, clutch pedal and clutch master and slave cylinder, flywheel, clutch, throwout bearing, pilot bushing, driveshaft (I would immediately upgrade to a one piece).

For the clutch lines I would definitely get a braided line for the slave cylinder and I would take this excellent opportunity to run your own line directly from the master cylinder down to the braided line at the slave cylinder. This gives you a direct line between the master and slave unlike with the stock 5-speeds that have a damper between them. This will give you better pedal feel.

You will likely have to do some wiring to get the reverse lights hooked up, and to wire the clutch pedal safety switch so that the car won't start until the pedal is fully pressed. This is also a good opportunity to wire in the neutral sensor to that safety switch. The 5-speed actually has a neutral sensor that could be hooked up to the pedal's switch so that if you're in neutral you can start the car without pressing the clutch pedal and if you're in gear you have to press the pedal, which would be a handy feature.

As far as expense, you can keep all of the expenses low by getting stock/used parts and if you have the extra money I would put it into aftermarket parts for some of it, like flywheel and driveshaft. If you're N/A you should be able to settle for a stock type clutch, which should be relatively inexpensive.

While you're doing the swap, it would also be a very, very good opportunity to replace the rear main seal. I would not finish the swap without replacing it just so that you don't have to worry about it for a very long time.

[ronniels]

Any ideas?No flashes..I do not have a A/T light. I do have a blank yellow light just above the O/D Off light that goes out after about 2 seconds.I have tried the diagnostic procedure a dozen times now with zero results.Any suggestions?And no, I am not conerting to a 5 speed, I am working on an automatic.I even have a spare functioning trans to harvest solenoids, etc. out of.Thanks!