I just had the transmission solenoid pack on my 1994 J30 replaced because it was stuck in third gear. It's shifting fine now, but when the car is cold it takes a few miles of freeway driving for the torque converter to finally engage.
Can someone give me an idea on where to start looking?
Strange Torque Converter Lock-up Behavior
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yodawill2000
- Posts: 3888
- Joined: Thu Mar 24, 2005 4:10 pm
- Car: 94 Infiniti J30
- Location: Grand Prairie TEXAS
Re: Strange Torque Converter Lock-up Behavior
That's pretty much normal.
The transmission has to reach a certain temp before lock up occurs I believe.
The transmission has to reach a certain temp before lock up occurs I believe.
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driverdriver
- Posts: 3397
- Joined: Fri Aug 01, 2003 10:36 am
- Car: NICO's longtime resident Canuck!!!
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Re: Strange Torque Converter Lock-up Behavior
Yoda said it right!
The transmission has behaved that way since the car was new. It takes a bit more longer in colder weather to smooth itself out.
The transmission has behaved that way since the car was new. It takes a bit more longer in colder weather to smooth itself out.
Re: Strange Torque Converter Lock-up Behavior
Thanks; I never would have suspected that. Sometimes even though the transmission and engine are both at operating temperature, the lock-up never occurs during freeway driving. This hasn't been happening very often but It's very annoying when this quirky issue surfaces. Any ideas on this?
The check engine light has been on and I checked the code (32: EGR Function); the non-lockup occurred when I was driving the car on the freeway at highway speed and the check engine light had been off for the duration the car was driven. I don't see these two issues being related but then again I'm not an Infiniti technician.
The check engine light has been on and I checked the code (32: EGR Function); the non-lockup occurred when I was driving the car on the freeway at highway speed and the check engine light had been off for the duration the car was driven. I don't see these two issues being related but then again I'm not an Infiniti technician.
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joshuaas1093
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Fri Feb 21, 2014 1:26 pm
- Car: 1997 Infiniti J30t
Re: Strange Torque Converter Lock-up Behavior
I have a 1997 Infiniti J30t with the exact same issue. I've even let it warm up a bit and still takes a few miles of driving before lock up occurs. I have a check light on as well, I think it read a code similar to yours. Except when I had mine actually diagnosed, they said it's my IACV. Which would explain the stalling it does. But my lock up torque acts a little more weird than yours. When I'm on the hwy and I'm going at speeds of 40 mph and above, and I completely let my foot off the accelerator to slow down in traffic, when I press the accelerator again, my car for whatever reason engages lock up every single time before it will increase speed again. And it only does it
when I'm going 40mph and above. The second it slows down to 39mph and below, it won't do it. When it does this, it feels like a little jerk or something of that sort. Nothing horrible, no thud or anything like that. Can't tell if it feels more like slipping or how exactly to describe it. But the transmission fluid has been changed, filter kit, all of that. And besides this little qwerk, it couldn't shift any better. Doesn't slip or anything like that. For 195,000 miles, this transmission feels too good for it to fall victim to transmission failure. I'm hoping this is just how the transmission is supposed to shift and that other people have experienced the same thing on their J30 without any major issues. Thank you all for your help.
when I'm going 40mph and above. The second it slows down to 39mph and below, it won't do it. When it does this, it feels like a little jerk or something of that sort. Nothing horrible, no thud or anything like that. Can't tell if it feels more like slipping or how exactly to describe it. But the transmission fluid has been changed, filter kit, all of that. And besides this little qwerk, it couldn't shift any better. Doesn't slip or anything like that. For 195,000 miles, this transmission feels too good for it to fall victim to transmission failure. I'm hoping this is just how the transmission is supposed to shift and that other people have experienced the same thing on their J30 without any major issues. Thank you all for your help.
Re: Strange Torque Converter Lock-up Behavior
My original post is 3 years old, and I got rid of the car over a year ago. I sold it when it was somewhere around 233,000 miles, and the lady I sold it to got it over 240k. It ended up in a parking lot and got towed away, and is now in a salvage yard. As to your problem, I wouldn't trust any mechanic's opinion on it being the IACV. Go get second, third, forth, fifth, and sixth opinions, and/or diagnose it yourself. Usually when a mechanic diagnoses an electrical problem, it means that's the part that doesn't need to be replaced (with exception to some decent mechanics).
How do you know that what you're feeling isn't the car in a lower gear than it should be? The torque converter is supposed to lock up over 50 MPH or so only when it's at or near operating temperature; the fact that it isn't locking up at lower speeds is normal, regardless of operating temperature. Sometimes the torque converter on my J30 would never lock up, and it had something to do with the computer not seeing that it was at operating temperature. I'm not sure what sensor controls that, but it was probably going bad. If what you're saying is true, pertaining to the torque converter locking up over 40 MPH only when releasing your foot off the accelerator pedal, that's not normal. Are you saying it never locks up at all? The torque converter engagement is supposed to feel like a little jerk, but so slight that most non-mechanical people wouldn't notice it. It's not supposed to slip (in the conventional terminology) whatsoever. The RE4R01A has a turbine revolution sensor which not all transmissions have, and that makes shifting extremely smooth; it's supposed to slip a tiny bit.
From your description, this is not how the transmission is supposed to shift. I've talked to mechanics that I know about Jatco transmissions, and they all say that they are some of the best transmissions made -- bullet proof, reliable, dependable, durable. The J30 has some weak spots such as weird styling and a lack of headroom for taller people, but the transmission and engine were its strong point.
How do you know that what you're feeling isn't the car in a lower gear than it should be? The torque converter is supposed to lock up over 50 MPH or so only when it's at or near operating temperature; the fact that it isn't locking up at lower speeds is normal, regardless of operating temperature. Sometimes the torque converter on my J30 would never lock up, and it had something to do with the computer not seeing that it was at operating temperature. I'm not sure what sensor controls that, but it was probably going bad. If what you're saying is true, pertaining to the torque converter locking up over 40 MPH only when releasing your foot off the accelerator pedal, that's not normal. Are you saying it never locks up at all? The torque converter engagement is supposed to feel like a little jerk, but so slight that most non-mechanical people wouldn't notice it. It's not supposed to slip (in the conventional terminology) whatsoever. The RE4R01A has a turbine revolution sensor which not all transmissions have, and that makes shifting extremely smooth; it's supposed to slip a tiny bit.
From your description, this is not how the transmission is supposed to shift. I've talked to mechanics that I know about Jatco transmissions, and they all say that they are some of the best transmissions made -- bullet proof, reliable, dependable, durable. The J30 has some weak spots such as weird styling and a lack of headroom for taller people, but the transmission and engine were its strong point.