Jesus! malfunctioning inhibitor switch

[willmoodom]

Man! every time i think this car is awesome, a part needs replacing and my enthusiasm turns to dread. not because it needs replacing, but because its a b**** to replace! lately Ive been tracking down a faulty shift pattern with the transmission. the shifts in "D" mode were due mostly to tps which Ive corrected. half throttle shifts are on point. Now WOT shifts were a bit wild and scary. Scary in the sense that i might blow my engine. installing the nico ecu along with the already installed 94 tcu -as advised by big Wes, cleared alot up and brought the redline down to earth. however, she still hangs a bit like she waiting for me to shift or let off the gas. i di the transmission diag. and got the "A/T CHECK" code which consists of inhibitor,1 position switch, kick down, closed throttle, and display. the last 3 have been eliminated and proven to work. As for the inhibitor and 1 position, add on the fact i found out from an earlier post these 2 switches are connected to the same fuse. i did a volt check according to the man. and could no get any numbers. theses 2 switches affect the transmission by not allowing manual shifting of the unit. a little while ago i got under the car to take a look and damn! almost required to remove the transmission to replace the inhibitor. Especially if there's any rust build up, like on my car. it almost appears that though the inhib. switch is outside the transmission, it may be connected to something inside the transmission. Can anyone confirm that? i say this because in the man it shows a oil seal on the nut you have to take off. and mine is rusted to the point that if attempted, 98% chance it wont be reusable. i haven't confirmed where the 1 position switch is located. talk about neglect. people just drove through salt and thought nothing of a good undercarriage bath. what i need is this:
is the inhibitor connected to anything inside the transmission? 1 position switch?
does anyone have a used one?
quicker way to replace?
if not connected to anything in the transmission, what signal is being sent to the tcu for gear selection?

[willmoodom]

found the 1 position switch, though most of the shifter is taken apart. no insight on the inhibitor switch?

[Infinitiguy19]

The inhibitor switch is not connected to anything inside the transmission mechanically.

How much is the switch new?

[willmoodom]

I don't know the price of the switch, but that's the least of my worry. The problem is taking it off without stripping or breaking other parts of the setup. Why they put this under the car uncovered exposed to water,salt,heat and everything else. Add on the fact Philip screws were used to attach the switch.

[Infinitiguy19]

Soak a paper towel in Evaporust and place said towel on the inhibitor switch (All rusted parts) over night.

http://www.evaporust.com/

Then use kroil to further loosen said switch.

http://www.kanolabs.com/

[Q451990]

Are you sure of your diagnosis? You can get an "AT Check" verdict if the transmission isn't fully warmed up... Same for the 1-2 manual switch... the TCU or ECU locks it out if the transmission isn't at operating temperature. I got a free warranty transmission because the service rep didn't know that... and in all honesty I didn't either at the time.

Heath

[willmoodom]

Are you sure of your diagnosis? You can get an "AT Check" verdict if the transmission isn't fully warmed up... Same for the 1-2 manual switch... the TCU or ECU locks it out if the transmission isn't at operating temperature. I got a free warranty transmission because the service rep didn't know that... and in all honesty I didn't either at the time.

Heath

Believe me. After a hour of driving with a few wot runs, the transmission temp was up if not beyond in that 90* weather. Stock transmission cooler isn't good for anything. No 1st or 2nd. On top of that, I think my fan clutch is toast. Yesterday I got engine temps of 201. Can't have that. But one thing at a time. I will take a second look at the 1 position switch.

[maxnix]

Must repair engine fan clutch. Be sure to check the blades.

Auxiliary ATF cooler is the way to go.

[yodawill2000]

I second the Aux cooler.
Its probably saving my butt in the 105ish degree temps we have down here right now.

[willmoodom]

as for the aux cooler, though ive read about the install, i dont remember. do you guys just eliminate the stock one or run them together? ive got a 96 fan clutch install, so i need to find another one of that year. over the weekend i had that s*** muffler on the end cutoff. man does it flow so much better and sounds good. with the mags that last owner put on, the sound is only a notch higher. most importantly, the hole after the precat at the flange is pushing out less air since removing that paper weight of a muffler. what is .65volts converted to temp? i believe thats what i was seeing from the transmission during my overheating sessions. also, where does one get the subframe collars from?

[Infinitiguy19]

.65 volts is 153*F but I am not sure the transmission temperature sensor is very accurate. I think it was put in there just so the Transmission Control Unit can tell when the fluid is warm and cold.

Installing the aftermarket transmission cooler is very simple but make sure you do not put zip ties through the radiator. Get the biggest cooler you can afford. Zip tie it to the metal line part of the condenser or install it with a fan behind the front left of the bumper. I would go the latter if you have time and money on your side. Running the OEM transmission heater and the aftermarket cooler in line has been said to reduce back pressure (A good thing).

I hope you made some money off that muffler as its a mix of stainless steel. Why not find a nice exhaust (Whole if possible) de-rust it and paint it with some high heat paint and then throw it on. That would be one less problem to deal with.

I would sell those magnesium wheels too because they are known to catch fire and I am sure they are worth a pretty penny to those that risk their lives!

Sub frame collars can be found on Ebay...

[willmoodom]

magnesium? 1992 stock rims are made of magnesium? learn something every day. the exhaust system on my car is not stock. infact its a bunch of patchwork trash. my ownership has been nothing but repair this and that, that the last owner either neglected or threw together. but it's getting there. i was however attempting to purchase a used system, clean and install.

[Infinitiguy19]

I was kidding...I hear too many people say Mag wheels with out knowing what it means.

Doesn't your car have a Stillen spoiler? What other Stillen stuff does it have I wonder?

[willmoodom]

I was kidding...I hear too many people say Mag wheels with out knowing what it means.

Doesn't your car have a Stillen spoiler? What other Stillen stuff does it have I wonder?

and ofcourse i was being sarcastic
i dont believe anything else on the car is stillen but the spoiler, though the springs do appear to be stiffer.

[Q451990]

Installing the aftermarket transmission cooler is very simple but make sure you do not put zip ties through the radiator. Get the biggest cooler you can afford. Zip tie it to the metal line part of the condenser.

I don't know that I agree with this... I'd be concerned about the zip ties on the condenser tube rubbing a hole through the tube. I've seen this once on another car, and heard of it happening in residential a/c, where something like a wire or tube vibrates it's way through a pipe. A couple of bent fins on the radiator isn't going to do much in terms of reducing cooling ability... the airflow reduction from the cooler itself is more significant.

Heath

[Mikey_ZX]

The inhibitor switch is connected to the manual shaft, however it is modular from the outside, you have to disconnect the gear linkage and move the stem all the way forward to remove the inhibitor switch, also you have to follow the cord that connects to the inhibitor switch and disconnect it as well, in order to remove the entire unit. But what the inhibitor switch does is it moves a valve that shifts gears in the transmission, that manual shaft or valve is connected to the valve body. All it does is shift the transmission from P-R-N-D-D1-D2! When shifting in the valve body, of which the manual shaft is connected to, it will release fluid in areas of the transmission that need to be engaged! Also, I wasn't aware that we could use 94' TCU's for our 93 and below Q45 transmissions, last time I checked someone told me that the gear ratios were different, but not sure, never tried it before!

[willmoodom]

i believe Ive confirmed the inhibitor switch is shot. i did the volt test according to fsm, and i couldn't get any numbers. which all im looking for is battery voltage through out the shift range. however, the 1 position switch did give me the volts i was looking for when placed in the one position. does anyone have the part number to the inhibitor switch? i cant seem to bring it up on the infiniti dealer site.

[OwnerCS]

i had that bullsh*t muffler on the end cutoff. man does it flow so much better and sounds good. with the mags that last owner put on, the sound is only a notch higher. most importantly, the hole after the precat at the flange is pushing out less air since removing that paper weight of a muffler. what is .65volts converted to temp? i believe thats what i was seeing from the transmission during my overheating sessions. also, where does one get the subframe collars from?

I also went that route. It cost $65 for a shop to run the pipes and setup a bracket to use the original muffler hangers. It was in the fall of the year and the suitcase muffler was full of water.

[OwnerCS]

Before I forget, I'm running a 1st gear start TCU from a 94 model with a (two stage) NICO ECU. I think the 1st gear start TCU with the NICO ECU is a good combination.

You've got TCS - right?

[willmoodom]

Before I forget, I'm running a 1st gear start TCU from a 94 model with a (two stage) NICO ECU. I think the 1st gear start TCU with the NICO ECU is a good combination.

You've got TCS - right?

Yes, I also have the 94 Tcu and Nico 2stage ecu. I've only gotten glimpses of what this car can do. Still have alot of little things to clear up. It does seem the mechanics of the transmission is still good. I guess well see once I began driving it on the regular.

[willmoodom]

no one has the part number for the inhibitor switch?

[Infinitiguy19]

The dealer is closed so I could only come up with this: http://www.orderinfinitiparts.com/partl ... atalogid=0

I could have sworn you had a dealer parts program...?

[willmoodom]

cant get the damn thing to work. think im missing some pieces.

[Infinitiguy19]

Should be this part number: 31918-52X00-