still having transmission overflows

[SUB ZERO CAR FANATIC]

CAPTAINLUIGI, i talked to BRANDON atBorn Again Transmission! He wasnt really familiar with the Q45 he said,but he talked to me for a few minutes then put someone else on the phonewho did'nt know much more.

Between the both of them all i really gathered is that they think itsounds like the torque converter is not holding the 3 quarts offluid like it should for some unknown reason,therefore whenmotor is shut off,shortly thereafter the fluid drains intotranny pan and there is too much in pan because oftorque converter not holding fluid, so it comes out of filltube cause there is no where else to go besidesout transmission seals.

They didnt say why torque converter is not holding fluid,they did state it might be because of something todo with the valve body.

Again, this is all a guesstimate!!

They told me to bring it in and they would give me a freediagnosis and check out. Im kinda scared to take it to themif they arent familiar with Q45'S!!!

I know they know more than i do. Im not ashamed to saythat my knowledge is very limited when it comes to transmission work.

All i can say is that when it sits a few days after running it fluid buildsup in transmission fill tube, i suck it out, come back a few days later andfill tube is full again!! I HAVE KNOW IDEA WHATS WRONG.

Q45 TECH, CAN YOU PLEASE ADVISE OR SHED SOME LIGHT.HAVE YOU EVER SEEN THIS BEFORE?THANKS

[qship96]

Didnt you just PAY for a transmission rebuild? If so, why not make the rebuilder sort this issue out for you?

[captainluigi]

I never meant to imply that a laying on of hands would take place. Only that they would give you an HONEST evaluation based on previous experience & training. Just a couple of straight shooters that have nothing to gain. They would not attempt to work on your slushbox if you had asked them. Indeed if I have missed the post where you state that you paid for a rebuild previously I would not have pointed you in the direction I did. If that is the case then by all means consult with the re-builders. I admit to knowing less than nothing(-0-) about AT's. I'll go out on that proverbial limb & guess a valve is hanging up. All in the name of an ''interestig problem''.

Have you tried searching other auto trans sites? Costs 0$.BLUK!

[Q45tech]

The RE4R03A is almost identical to The RE4R01A used in 300zx and J30 and RWD Pathfinder and V6 Nissan pickups. If you can rebuild the lighter duty unit you can rebuild the Q unit................takes about 2 hours longer due to more tiny parts but a stronger clone.

[maxnix]

Well, at least this is another great testimony to Nissan remanufactured RE4.

Almost everyone that get a rebuild elsewhere or especially a used one ends up spending more for less.

It's great when someone actually reads the previous posts and considers the balance of the evidence and it's weight in the board's recommendations.

[SUB ZERO CAR FANATIC]

I never meant to imply that a laying on of hands would take place. Only that they would give you an HONEST evaluation based on previous experience & training. Just a couple of straight shooters that have nothing to gain. They would not attempt to work on your slushbox if you had asked them. Indeed if I have missed the post where you state that you paid for a rebuild previously I would not have pointed you in the direction I did. If that is the case then by all means consult with the re-builders. I admit to knowing less than nothing(-0-) about AT's. I'll go out on that proverbial limb & guess a valve is hanging up. All in the name of an ''interestig problem''.

THANKS for your wonderful and posotive support. you said they wouldnt have looked at my slush box!!!!!i thought thats what transmission shops do, but im young and not as experienced so what do i know!!! to be completely honest with you, RICKwould have looked at it for me any day of the week!!!!!!!!

Have you tried searching other auto trans sites? Costs 0$.

BLUK!

[SUB ZERO CAR FANATIC]

Q45 Tech, can you please give me a simple straight foward answeron the problem im having, no one seems to really know.

I know there is not a 100% for sure answer without lookingat it or checking it out some way, if you could give meyour experinced opinion on the transmission issuethen maybe i will know what direction to go orwhat steps i should take to try and correctthe problem at hand.

If it is in fact the torque converter not holding the 3 quarts likeit's supposed to thats making the transmission fluid overflowout of transmission fill tube, how do i resolve this problem?How do i know for sure this is the problem?What else could make fluid flow out fill tube?

In your opinion, do you think the torque converter not holding the fluidis the reason for overflow?Have you ever seen this happen before?

Thanks alot for your time and help i always value youropinion and advice, you are great at what you do!

SUBZEROCARFANATIC

[Q45tech]

The torque convertor has an inlet and outlet for ATF and is fulled up by AT pump and kept full by AT pump.

Never seen one spit out unless it was over filled.

A good test is to drain the pan cold if ~~ 3 quarts come out level is ~~ ok.

A pure guess might be that the in rad heat exchanger is more restrictive than normal and it reverse burps the TC when shiut off just a theory of what might occur.

A BG machine ATF exchange which takes more than 3.5 minutes might confirm bad pump, internal leaks or restrictive cooler.

Never seen this before unless just overfilled.

[bullittandy]

The previous post by Tech was excellent and a fine example of how good Nico can be.

I'm going to add some non-mechanical ideas b/c it seems that you're going crazy trying to figure this out. I think I remember you saying that you drove the car and it drives fine and the transmission shifts correctly?

Is this correct?

If so, then I think you run yourself dizzy and have overlooked something very simple-like its over-filled.

Kind of like the time when I was restoring a 1955 Chevy 210 Post and when I hooked up the electrical system the dome light came on. I was convinced that I had a wire short b/c I hadn't verified the condition of the dome light wire before I had the headliner installed (headliner was stapled and glued in-not coming out).

I went to sleep irriated and frustrated but woke up at 4 am remembering that the dome light switch was on the the headlight-maybe it was "on"?

Yep, the dome light came on b/c the switch was on -not b/c of a wire short etc etc etc.

Good luck,

[SUB ZERO CAR FANATIC]

Thank you for your suggestions!

[bullittandy]

Thank you for your suggestions!

I think this is sarcasm, am I right? I think you also were sarcastic with the Capt as well, is that also correct?

My point, (which I was trying to subtle and polite about) is that your judgment appears to be impaired around this problem and that you might "start from scratch." I was also trying to show you some sympathy since we've all been stuck on a problem before that seems impossible.

I asked you a question that you didn't answer, Does the car drive and the transmission shift?

[RAP]

Quote from above: They told me to bring it in and they would give me a freediagnosis and check out. Im kinda scared to take it to themif they arent familiar with Q45'S!!!

Been following your story. But they are familiar with transmissions in general which is better than trying to find out what is wrong by posting questions here. I will venture a guess, here, and state that there are probably no more than 2 "TWO" guys, here, that have actually had their hands inside of your type transmission and 1 "ONE" of them is suspect so...

This story is a classic about someone buying the wrong car. I don't know much about Alaska except that it's cold, a lot, but if these Q45 cars are not found up there much then there will not be much experience with them obviously.

The actual paper edition of MY 2000 Q45 FSM has 283 pages devoted to the automatic transmission and is very technical and not for the faint of heart or the casual DIY'er, for sure.

Now if you have lotsa bucks......

Jack

[captainluigi]

Chris, taje a deep breath. Everyone here is on YOUR side, not the trans side Why would we take the time otherwise?

My reference to your slushbox was not a derogatory. It's a euphenism for ALL A/Ts.

What I meant by saying Brandon would not work on your A/t (slushbox)was that he stated he had never been in a RE4 & thought better just to listen & give the best opinion possible with his knowledge. Few techs of any profession enjoy going in where others haven tread.

All of us who DIY have had probs that made our brain hemorage..I have no idea the resources @ your disposal. If you haven't re-started from a base line by now perhaps that could be of help.

[SUB ZERO CAR FANATIC]

I think this is sarcasm, am I right? I think you also were sarcastic with the Capt as well, is that also correct?

My point, (which I was trying to subtle and polite about) is that your judgment appears to be impaired around this problem and that you might "start from scratch." I was also trying to show you some sympathy since we've all been stuck on a problem before that seems impossible.

I asked you a question that you didn't answer, Does the car drive and the transmission shift?

Bullittandy........ i very much appreciate your insight,ideas,etc.,as i do to everyone here who has helped and gave me advice or triedto help at least. I was not being sarcastic towards you at all sorry itcame out that way, your always very courteous and helpful here onnico about any discussion or topic, and try to help others when you can.

I would never be un appreciative to someone trying to help me,so i apologize if it seemed that way! Im just kinda down in the dumps withmy Q.

I have had her for over 2 years, ive been restoring the interiorand mechanical aspects of the car for about 2 years.Ive really been waiting for a long time for the day to hear it runand be able to drive it, its been a long time coming!!

I was all excited to hear it run when i cranked it for the first timesince ive owned it, and i couldnt wait to drive it.Ive never drove a Q45 before, drove a J30t one time for a test driveand loved it!! So you can imagine the disappointment after spending2 years on a car, refreshed motor,refreshed transmission, several other things replaced cleaned and tested just to get it all put together andexpect not to have any problems since all major componets were rebuilt,then have this happen.

To answer your question, yes.... it runs damn good,transmission shifts fine.i dont have plates, registration, insurance yet, so i have only drove it in my neighborhood.

I havent had the car over 40 mph probably because i livedown a rough dirt road with little straight-aways to getup very much speed.

its not over full i drained it and got 3 quarts from pan.

The transmission system completely empty holds 11. something quartsaccording to FSM, ive only got about 9 or 10 quarts i think,ill double check that and get back to you.

[SUB ZERO CAR FANATIC]

Chris, taje a deep breath. Everyone here is on YOUR side, not the trans side Why would we take the time otherwise?

My reference to your slushbox was not a derogatory. It's a euphenism for ALL A/Ts.

What I meant by saying Brandon would not work on your A/t (slushbox)was that he stated he had never been in a RE4 & thought better just to listen & give the best opinion possible with his knowledge. Few techs of any profession enjoy going in where others haven tread.

All of us who DIY have had probs that made our brain hemorage..I have no idea the resources @ your disposal. If you haven't re-started from a base line by now perhaps that could be of help.

I know you werent being derogatory Capt.Sorry i was on the defense so much my friend, no harm meant!!I guess its kinda upsetting to think of somethingbeing a slush after alot of time and money being dumped into it.

I knew it was going to be expensive fixing the Q up, so itwasnt like it was a surprise,i just expected everything to be working properly after buying a rebuilt transmission.

What really sucks is it came with a 12 month /12000 mile warrantywell its been shortly over that and i just finished installing it.i got hurt and was in the hospital a while and it put me behindneedless to say. i appreciate your time and efforts capt, thanks alotmy friend!!

[Haitian_King]

Been following your story. But they are familiar with transmissions in general which is better than trying to find out what is wrong by posting questions here. I will venture a guess, here, and state that there are probably no more than 2 "TWO" guys, here, that have actually had their hands inside of your type transmission and 1 "ONE" of them is suspect so...

Jack

You know, I've come to that same conclusion too. I hear (or read) a lot of boasting, but I haven't seen much showing and proving.

But enough of that.

Chris. I really hope you get the problem sorted out. I'm having transmission problems myself. Acting up again, shifting weird. MUCH nicer than when it was really misbehaving, but not the silky smooth shifting when I first got it back from the shop. It's leaking somewhere again. I had it up on ramps and I was able to rule out the engine.

Good luck on getting yours done. You have the patience of a saint. 2 years restoring the Q? Wow.

[SUB ZERO CAR FANATIC]

You know, I've come to that same conclusion too. I hear (or read) a lot of boasting, but I haven't seen much showing and proving.

But enough of that.

Chris. I really hope you get the problem sorted out. I'm having transmission problems myself. Acting up again, shifting weird. MUCH nicer than when it was really misbehaving, but not the silky smooth shifting when I first got it back from the shop. It's leaking somewhere again. I had it up on ramps and I was able to rule out the engine.

Good luck on getting yours done. You have the patience of a saint. 2 years restoring the Q? Wow.

Haitian.... yeah it takes patience for the Q, but it takes more timeand money than anything! Im disabled, thanks to the helicoptercrash back in JUNE of 1993.

I was actually the passenger of a MVA first, i was in suchcritical condition they airlifted me with a medi-vac helicopterit crashed on the way to the hospital, leaving me paralizedfrom the waste down and many serious internal injuriesincluding a ruptured spleen, 12 broke ribs,ruptured appendix, etc. etc

It left me confined to a wheelchair for nearly 2 yearswith every specialist and neurologist telling me iwill never walk again, and if i do it will be withthe aid of a walker or braces or some other contraption.

I told them i would walk again and it would be by myown means, not with any braces or any thing else!

After 4 months of living in a therapy assisted living quartersi pushed myself to the limits everyday for 5 hrs out of a 8hour day and i proved them all wrong.

Nothing beats pure will power, the good lord on yourside and the will to live and be a part of society again!!

Anyway enough about me, i could write a book about my experience.

My point was......... since ive become dis-abled i have moretime on my hands than ever, alot less money but plentyof time, so i spend it doing what i love best, tinkering with cars!!

Im not as fast i used to be but, whose looking anyway!I do it to keep my mind and hands busy.A idle mind is a devil's workshop, cant have that can we!!

My Q was a disaster when i got it, its BLACK EMERALD exterior with EGGSHELL-WHITE interior is a beautifulcolor scheme but the white was hell to get clean,it was so dirty it looked black.

If i could post some pictures here id show you how it looks now,big, big change!!! have a good one Haitian King

[Haitian_King]

Haitian.... yeah it takes patience for the Q, but it takes more timeand money than anything! Im disabled, thanks to the helicoptercrash back in JUNE of 1993.

I was actually the passenger of a MVA first, i was in suchcritical condition they airlifted me with a medi-vac helicopterit crashed on the way to the hospital, leaving me paralizedfrom the waste down and many serious internal injuriesincluding a ruptured spleen, 12 broke ribs,ruptured appendix, etc. etc

It left me confined to a wheelchair for nearly 2 yearswith every specialist and neurologist telling me iwill never walk again, and if i do it will be withthe aid of a walker or braces or some other contraption.

I told them i would walk again and it would be by myown means, not with any braces or any thing else!

After 4 months of living in a therapy assisted living quartersi pushed myself to the limits everyday for 5 hrs out of a 8hour day and i proved them all wrong.

Nothing beats pure will power, the good lord on yourside and the will to live and be a part of society again!!

Anyway enough about me, i could write a book about my experience.

My point was......... since ive become dis-abled i have moretime on my hands than ever, alot less money but plentyof time, so i spend it doing what i love best, tinkering with cars!!

Im not as fast i used to be but, whose looking anyway!I do it to keep my mind and hands busy.A idle mind is a devil's workshop, cant have that can we!!

My Q was a disaster when i got it, its BLACK EMERALD exterior with EGGSHELL-WHITE interior is a beautifulcolor scheme but the white was hell to get clean,it was so dirty it looked black.

If i could post some pictures here id show you how it looks now,big, big change!!! have a good one Haitian King

Wow. Thanks Chris for sharing.

If this story didn't touch/inspire anyone else on the board, it's possible that the unaffected person is not in possession of a working soul.

I'd love to see the Q.

[bullittandy]

Thanks for the history.

There are only two things that could be wrong (short of something really weird), overfilled transmission or a blockage in the transmission cooler lines.

I've got the answer.

You have a transmission that is shifting fine, appears to have a problem and you have no warranty.

Drive it, you've got nothing to lose, the only possible solution is to remove the transmission (which sucks) and fix it or drive it until it breaks and then remove the transmission and fix it (which sucks).

[oldmako]

Sub,

I am jumping in here very very late in the game but I have an excellent reason. That reason is that I know shinola about slushboxes.

Let's follow Andy's above post for a sec and see if perhaps you've tried the following.

How about removing both trans cooler lines and sticking them in a bucket (not that bucket stuff again...just a bucket) Have homeboy watch the two lines as someone fires the engine up. Methinks that ONE of the two ought to pump out a steady stream of ATF. If in your case NEITHER one does than perhaps you have a clog/kink etc somewhere which causes normal hyd psi build up and to vacate the jizz up and out of the filler tube?

Just as thought as you seem stumped. Something has to be pushing that fluid right?

Please excuse my ignorance if this idea has already been floated and shot down. I am really good with marine tex, jb weld, duct tape and wire coat hangers. Back to the peanut gallery.Good luck.

[maxnix]

I will venture a guess, here, and state that there are probably no more than 2 "TWO" guys, here, that have actually had their hands inside of your type transmission and 1 "ONE" of them is suspect so...

I'd say you are one or two guys optimistic. A couple of people have been inside, but no one Ican think of has the expertise nor the facility to rebuild one as well as Nissan, hence..........

[SUB ZERO CAR FANATIC]

Just thought you guys would like a odd story about why imdisabled and dont work.

Im pretty damn certain its not too full, ive drained it twice andgot the same amount both times(about 3 quarts)Ihave only put 9 or 10 quarts in a completely drained system.(transmission was completely empty when delivered to me afterrebuild,im assuming, 2nd transmission lines were all cleaned and flushedto make sure there was no blockage,3rd Radiator was cleaned and flushed thoroughly tomake sure of no blockage, and all inlets and outlets onradiator where transmission lines were cleaned and flushed and blownthrough as well, fluid flows through well)

So the heat exchanger is not plugged up id saybecause i can blow through it and fluid flowsthrough it well.

I would rule out overfull and plugged heat exchanger.only thing i can say is if the torque converter is notholding the 3 quarts that it should then that wouldmake sense why the transmission fill tube is over flowing, transmission pan is designed to hold 3 quarts anything more than that will either go out transmission sealsor the fill tube.The torque converter holds 3 quarts also, i dont know howmuch its not holding, if thats the case, but if it is then idsay thats why the fill tube is over flowing, i donthowever, know why the torqueconverter is not holdingthe 3 quarts it should!

Im not sure if im correct or not but this is what it lookslike and the local transmission shop thinks the same.who knows!!!!

[RAP]

I'd say you are one or two guys optimistic. A couple of people have been inside, but no one Ican think of has the expertise nor the facility to rebuild one as well as Nissan, hence..........

I spent a little time reading the BOOK trying to figure out why the trans in question is not holding the fluid in the converter and that is probably what is happening here.

There are seals/o rings around the shaft that are probably worn a bit and allowing the converter to drain back into the rear part of the trans. Possibly the pump only can be removed and those seals/o rings could be changed without going too deep into the main box. The book does not address the problem that is presented here.

In any event for anyone to really be able to repair/overhaul one of these transmissions would require lotsa study. Man, all those little bitty parts... I would like to dismantle one just to have a look see but they are not readily available around here. In fact the whole car is not plentiful around here.

If mine went belly up I would simply buy the OEM rebuilt and be done, if I wanted to keep the car running.

Jack

[Q45tech]

Amazing how a US factory filled with Tennesseans can totally rebuild a JATCO transmission when they have every single part at their disposal and do it 8 hours per day and use a transmission dyno on everyone to check the quality of their work............................all for about $1500 cost to dealer. All trannies get new valvle body from Japan and a rebuilt torque Convertor with fresh lock up clutches, solenoids and fins.

Don't confuse Joe's transmission and lawn mower repair where he slaps in a $299 kit of soft parts and doesn't have access to any hard parts or rebuilt valve bodies or new cases AND FOR SURE doesn't have a transmission dyno set up to test JATCO exclusively for a quality repair.

Be sure to ask how much a new valve body and torque convertor will add to repair at Joe's.

[bullittandy]

You're thinking too much again. LOL

If the torque converter were not holding fluid then the car wouldn't move-its that simple.

[SUB ZERO CAR FANATIC]

You're thinking too much again. LOL

If the torque converter were not holding fluid then the car wouldn't move-its that simple.

Andy my friend i dont think you read some of the previous post,i know its holding fluid when the cars running, the fluid does not overflowwhen its running Andy, only when its sitting. The car has not been crankedin a week and the past 3 to 4 days the towel i keep wrapped around thefill tube was absolutely soaked with transmission fluid, i had to pull it out andput another towell around it. only when the car sits does it overflow.

[Haitian_King]

Andy my friend i dont think you read some of the previous post,i know its holding fluid when the cars running, the fluid does not overflowwhen its running Andy, only when its sitting. The car has not been crankedin a week and the past 3 to 4 days the towel i keep wrapped around thefill tube was absolutely soaked with transmission fluid, i had to pull it out andput another towell around it. only when the car sits does it overflow.

That is weird.

Why the hell does it keep overflowing cold?

[SUB ZERO CAR FANATIC]

That is weird.

Why the hell does it keep overflowing cold?

I wish i knew the answer to that Haitian, i would be a happy camper!!Its odd that i have a problem that nobody else has seen before!

[bullittandy]

Don't add any fluid, just let it burp fluid until it stops-no matter how long it takes. I really think this is not some weird problem that nobody has encountered but rather a simple addition problem-there's too much fluid.

[maxnix]

Didn't Dennis mention a seal between the TC and planetaries? There must be some mechanism to keep the ATF in the TC so it won't partially filled.

Just thinking out loud.