Need transmission for 94 Q45

[94q45t]

My car has 165,000 miles, I bought it with 70K on the clock, and it has been trouble free, $0 repair cost...until today. It started with a loud hum (like a PS pump with low fluid), then the engine started free wheeling. At first the car would pick up speed gradually, and the transmission shifted without drama. Within a couple of miles, the 1-2 shift would set the engine free. Reverse (in fact all gears) engage, but the engine just spins. Fluid levels actually are higher than they should be, so I suspect a bad pump.

Assume this means a new/rebuild trans. Any suggestions, ideas, experiences with this? My concern is that this is expensive enough that it may be better just to replace the car, though I really like this one (I've had several).

Thanks!
Phil

[OwnerCS]

Sorry to hear about the trouble. Where are you located?

[94q45t]

Atlanta

[OwnerCS]

There should be plenty of used transmissions (with warranty) at the Atlanta salvage yards. Granted there will be a cost to change, but you are in one of the best locations for used Q45 parts.

[94q45t]

Thanks.
I've found some but with 100K+ miles. Some other forum posts suggest that the expected life for this unit is between 140K and 180K miles. At this point, I'm considering rebuilding mine. I have a spare car, so can afford some downtime. Was hoping there might be a reliable source for a reman trans, but these are proving hard to find. Plenty of ads, not a lot of stock.

[OwnerCS]

Thanks.
I've found some but with 100K+ miles. Some other forum posts suggest that the expected life for this unit is between 140K and 180K miles. At this point, I'm considering rebuilding mine. I have a spare car, so can afford some downtime. Was hoping there might be a reliable source for a reman trans, but these are proving hard to find. Plenty of ads, not a lot of stock.

Contact Pat Barrett (owner) LevelTen at the link below to get a quote for rebuilding your transmission. Tell him the guys at NICO sent you.

http://www.levelten.com/

[Q451990]

It might be worth calling T3. In the past they have bought parts cars and stashed them around the property on S. Cobb... they'd also be a good option for having them do the swap - new, used, rebuilt or otherwise. http://www.t3atlanta.com/

Heath

[94q45t]

Thanks! I had completely forgotten about T3. Used to use them for my old (now wrecked) T model. However, I did find a highly recommended company on Memorial Drive in Stone Mountain, GA (American Transmission). Owner drives older luxury sedans himself and understands them. He is very reasonable on a rebuild.

[Q451990]

Rebuilds, other than from Level 10, have not been particularly successful on the Q. Your guy may be great though... but in most instances a rebuild hasn't been a good long term solution.

Heath

[94q45t]

Everett has a good reputation, especially with old Jaguars. Can't imagine anything worse. He said the issue is that most rebuilds replace the soft parts (which are intended to wear), but do not inspect the hard parts and replace as needed. If you don;t do that, it'll fail again.

Thanks!

[maxnix]

Rebuilds, other than from Level 10, have not been particularly successful on the Q. Your guy may be great though... but in most instances a rebuild hasn't been a good long term solution.

Heath

Even Level 10 has had problems on this and other forums. Nissan remanufactured ones are your best bet. Most shops don't rebuild everything like Nissan. Should last at least 180K with B&M ATF cooler and mechanical exchanges of ATF every 24K - 50K depending on severity of use. Pan drops and filter, O ring, gasket and one time use bolt replacement when exchanging the fluid.

[94q45t]

thanks. What does a reman cost typically?

[maxnix]

thanks. What does a reman cost typically?

In the old days, about $1900 after core return. Now, call www.infinitipartsusa.com to find out.

I have a 60K one in my car but I can't get it out due to lack of time and facilities.

[94q45t]

Hello, everyone, and Happy New Year. Just wanted to provide some feedback.

The answer to the problem was "all of the above". There was no single cause of the vibration. It seems the car, which has never had any major work, has aged as a system. When we bothered a major chunk, the transmission, it messed up the karma. As it turned out, the Harmonic balancer was bad, but also the idler pulleys. Together they were chewing up one of the belts. Next, the trans mount made a HUGE difference. Though we had replaced the original (which showed no signs of fatigue) we did so with a used one (also showing no signs). On a lark, we replaced that with a new one - Shazam! Still need to dive under the plenum for other reasons, but it's a smooth running car at the moment. One other thing: we created a bit of a revolt at local dealers since all of them had defective harmonic balancers. Nissan took note and sped one to me without the threatened weeks delay.

Again, thank you all for your help.