So I got the cat job finished and van running well for a couple of days and just now on the way home from the lake there was a clunk noise underneath somewhere. No apparent or noticeable changes in performance. Just before I got to the driveway the CEL came on AGAIN! Then there was a lack of power as I turned into the drive. I shut it down and ran a scan and got P0705. Started it up and it ran okay going up the driveway. Is the tranny shot? I can't keep this thing on the road, getting to be too much might be time to move on. Any suggestions? I'm not going to drive it until I get some information on what's going on. I don't mind getting dirty but I enjoy driving once in awhile too!

P0705 is a Range Switch code. Given all the work you've done on it, I suspect the shift cable may be slightly out of adjustment. Or it could be a bad PNP/Range switch.

Man I'm glad to hear you're starting out with those two possibilities. I'll see what I can find in the service manual on the cable adjustment. Thanks

So the view shown for the cable adjustment states "with battery tray removed." Although not stated I assume the battery tray needs to be removed to get to the lock nut on the cable. And how can I measure 2.2 pounds of force that is to be applied to the cable. Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. If the shifter seems to be clicking into place with each selection should I still consider the cable adjustment a place to start, especially since it costs nothing. I did remove the battery tray when doing the cats so I could remove the radiator to get more access to the heat shield.

On a side note, after getting the work done on cats and car started up, the CD player showed up again and is working fine. Since it was when I previously disconnected the battery that it stopped working, is there anything that can be done before disconnecting the battery to prevent cd player from disappearing again?

They usually do that with diagrams just for clarity, but as tight as the engine box is on a Quest, it wouldn't surprise me if you do need to pop the tray. Trying to measure force is going to be tough, you're probably best off loosening the nut, put the trans in a "clicked" park position, put the shifter at the park stop and tighten it up. That will get it right about 98% of the time.

For the CD player, pop the fuse out before making any sparks at the battery terminals. Of course take the ground loose first, that's in the "always" department.

So start with the shifter in N? Then loosen nut, click arm on tranny to park click, put shifter into park, tighten nut?

Yep.

So I found out today that the shifter doesn't move when the battery is disconnected. I decided to order the switch. I can just get to the adjustment lockdown nut from below with the battery in the van. So it looks like the cable is attached to an arm which is attached to and pivots in the switch. If I can I think I will remove the arm with the cable attached, install the switch and then reattach the arm with the cable and go from there. I did remove the fuse for the cd player before disconnecting the battery.

Somewhere on the console forward of the shifter there will be a little pop-out "hatch" that allows insertion of a screwdriver to mechanically release the mechanism. It may have a "shift lock" label on the plug or the console. Here's what it looks like with the plug removed on my '04 Altima hoopty:

Duh, I'm coming from a long line of manual transmissions into this Quest. Thanks! Switch expected here on Wednesday.

Forgot to ask what is the possible source of the clunk noise I heard a few minutes before the CEL came on?

Sounds to me like the switch falsed to a lower gear and it made the tranny hiccup.

So I installed the switch today, haven't taken it out, that will be tomorrow. Question about the switch install. In the center of the switch where it sits on the small diameter shaft that comes up from the transmission there is a large nut that squeezes the switch onto the shaft. There are several tabs that can be bent in to hold that nut in place so it can't loosen. How tight should that nut be? I snugged it up gently. The arm that connects to the cable sits above this nut but doesn't touch it as it now sits on my install. I don't have a warm and fuzzy about this one.

As I recall it's a keyed shaft-and-sleeve setup, so none of it should need to be godzilla tight. But it's been ages since I had one of those off and I frankly don't recall it, so I'd check the ESM.

Park/Neutral Position (PNP) Switch Adjustment UCS002KT
1. Remove battery and bracket.
2. Remove cable from range lever.
3. Set range lever in neutral position.
4. Remove range lever and install alignment tool (J-45404).
5. Loosen park/neutral position (PNP) switch fixing bolts.
6. Adjust park/neutral position (PNP) switch so that alignment tool
(J-45404) pointer aligns with neutral base line on park/neutral
position (PNP) switch body.
7. Tighten park/neutral position (PNP) switch fixing bolts.
8. Reinstall range lever and cable.
9. Adjust control cable. Refer to AT-610, "Control Cable Adjustment"
.
10. Reinstall battery and bracket.
11. Check continuity of park/neutral position (PNP) switch. Refer to
AT-464, "Component Inspection"
So I don't see the torque spec for the 17mm nut I mentioned but finding this I now see what the etch lines on the switch are for. I don't have access to this pointer tool. And how do you set the range lever in neutral position. What do you suggest I do here? Should I not test drive the van until I somehow make this adjustment? Thanks

So I just bought an alignment tool on ebay $10 shipped should get it by next Monday. Am I okay to drive it if it seems to run okay or could I damage the transmission?

It's fine as long as the adjustment is close. The worst that will happen is another P0705, it won't hurt anything.

Backed it up and the CEL came on immediately, went into limp mode. Hopefully it's the alignment of the switch but I'm not feeling good on this one for no specific reason. It could also be the cable adjustment I didn't mess with that. When the adjustment tool arrives, now maybe on Friday, I will give that a try and set the cable adjustment as suggested. I'm a little leery of clicking thru the range of selections right on the transmission, not sure of best method to do that. Turned full clockwise is Park, correct, and then in order like on the shifter moving CCW? If the valve body is bad would there be other codes?

It wouldn't be throwing a Range Switch code over a VB problem unless something in the shuttle was broken, you'd be getting hydraulic codes. If something was broken in the shuttle valve it wouldn't be shifting. It's just mis-adjusted.

As usual VStar650CL is right on. Once I adjusted the switch rotation with the nifty special transmission tool all is well. I also adjusted the cable. The switch had to be rotated to its slot limit to get a dead on alignment. I could have filed the slots for more rotation but it wasn't necessary. Maybe the tool isn't exact, maybe the switch was off. I didn't compare old and new mounting slots before install. I was in panic mode when I first started van, the CEL light was on. I cleared it and all seems fine, it is gone, driven it a few times. Also in low gear selection I don't believe there was a symbol on display prior to new switch install, now there is a 3. That seems odd, D and 3.

I believe Low only kills the overdrive. I'm pretty sure little or nothing in the Nissan line ever had a PRND321.

Two years down the road and I got the P0705 code again and limp mode. I had replaced the neutral safety switch two years ago and adjusted it with the pointer adjustment tool. Yesterday after I got the code and limped the van into a parking space I turned it off, went into the house, came out and started the van and it shifted fine. I ordered another switch today to have on hand but otherwise I don't know how to proceed. I'm thinking that I should check the cable adjustment?

I'd also check the cable itself, maybe it's deteriorated and starting to stretch. Those switches aren't known for being serial-failers, in general they rarely fail at all.

I drove the Quest on about a 100 mile round trip today, to Trader Joe's. No issues. My driveway is on a hill. I usually stop near the bottom of the drive to open the gate, then sometimes continue straight up the drive to park by the house or sometimes stop again at the bottom to close the gate. I'm not in the habit of using the ebrake. I am now training myself to use it, trying to avoid having the van lurch from the transmission slipping or whatever causes it to "clunk." That is what happened on the latest throwing of the P0705 code. Also when I checked the tranny oil cold it was at the minimum mark so I added some fluid yesterday. Low fluid I assume would throw a different code though I haven't looked into that yet.

I am asking advice on how to best launch from park with ebrake on going up a hill to avoid stress on components. A little late in the game for this but it's what I am addressing. Today I kept my right foot on the brake pedal while I released the ebrake with my left foot. I then put my left foot on the brake pedal and shifted into D and slowly applied gas pedal as I released brake pedal with left foot. It was awkward because I'm new at it but I think it may be useful. I will not be stopping to close the gate, I'll walk back down after I park at the top of the hill. I want to inspect the cable and maybe adjust it . I am returning the switch I bought when it gets here, it wasn't the one I wanted but it was supposed to be next day delivery with Prime. So much for that.

Juicing the Torque Converter a little bit so the whole weight of the vehicle isn't on the parking pawl is a good idea on any steep hill. In the hospital parking lot when getting the wife's scrips, I often have to park nose down on about a 17~18% grade. What I do is apply the parking brake before I put it in Park to keep the load off the pawl. Then, leaving, I put the car in R and gas it just enough to hold the hill before releasing the brake to back out. I'm a lefty braker anyway, so there's nothing awkward about it for me.

That said, if your Quest threw the P0705 after a "clunk" then I wonder if you don't have a bad motor mount that's letting the whole drivetrain wander around.