Weird hesitation then surge

[jmann]

This has only happened once while I was driving it today, but a couple of times while my wife was driving it. Every time the roads were wet if that makes a difference. When making a right turn, after releasing the brake and pushing the accelerator, at first it just seemed to hesitate and then the power comes on strong enough to lose traction on the back. Of course when this happens the traction control light comes on briefly. My EX35 is AWD with 67300 miles on it. Has anyone experienced anything like this? Does this sound like a transmission problem or VDC/traction control issue?

[ArmedAviator]

How's the transmission fluid level?

Has anything been serviced recently?

[jmann]

I had the transmission, front and rear diffs and the transfer case all serviced at around 50k. The radiator was just recently replaced, I believe there are lines in the radiator for the transmission but don't quote me on that.

[NJGuy]

The transmission fluid does run through the radiator.
Since the radiator was replaced recently, the tech may not have topped off any transmission fluid that came out of it. It might have lost just enough fluid to get the transmission to hesitate a bit in the scenarios you have reported.

Infiniti removed the transmission dipstick after 2009, so topping off the fluid isn't easy to do. You may want to go back to where you got the repair done and see if they'll address the issue.

[jmann]

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll run it up to the dealership where the work was done in the morning and have them check it.

[AWGD8]

You seem like a bit aggressive on the turn and I feel like the VSD is kicking in, (it limits the gas pedal input until the car is straight- happened to me very often in a bit aggressive turn with snow on the road) Were you punching the gas throttle after the turn (car is parallel to the road ,exiting a turn or within the turning radius)

Although , the EX is RWD bias, it is a bit front heavy and tends to understeer , front push out sideways 45 degrees in a 90 degree road intersection. To avoid understeer, brake in a straight line and estimate what your tire is capable of handling wet roads. If it bites hard , I brake early and turn late... ( kinda want to oversteer it a bit on a turn)

The wet road is a give away. Turn off your VSD and see if it happens again on wet roads. Just for once, just try it and compare vsd on and off. I really never like driving the EX35 in D mode though. I like driving my EX35 in manual mode (M) since it keeps my rhythm on par with driving manual. So If I have to drive manual ( test driving a manual car) the rhythm is still there. ( you could feel when to shift)

I think you need to check your tires first..

[jmann]

As suggested, it was almost a quart low. The problem has not repeated itself.

[XavieraWu]

I was at a stop and situation and allegedly bumped an infinity in bumper to bumper....2 km hr. we took pictures and no visible damage. he alleges/driver that I should pay $950 but body shop he went to on Toryork says $750 all in. I told him to get another estimate and that I will meet him at the bodyshop and he claims he doesn't have much time. this is a week later! Am I being scammed and how do I prove it. He also mentioned that there "could be undercarriage damage because it happened to him before".

[AWGD8]

double post.

[AWGD8]

As suggested, it was almost a quart low. The problem has not repeated itself.

I have an 2008 EX35 AWD with dipstick to check for ATF level. I did flush the ATF via oil pan bolt and the return line. I did post that procedure here long time ago. I was about 3 to 4 quarts ATF low and never had this issue of surging or hesitation as you described.

Prior to flushing my ATF on my own, I did service the car through a dealership and the receipt says they removed and refill 4 quarts of ATF. I realized that they only removed it and never replaced since I was very meticulous measuring what came out out of my transmission when I was flushing it my own. I was about 3.5-4 quarts short when I fill it up with ATF.

Have you driven it again in the rain?

[ArmedAviator]

I realized that they only removed it and never replaced since I was very meticulous measuring what came out out of my transmission when I was flushing it my own. I was about 3.5-4 quarts short when I fill it up with ATF.

If true, it's amazing that your transmission clutches aren't shiny, bare pieces of metal. 3 quarts low can be catastrophic in any automatic transmission as they are quite intolerant of over and under filling.

However, a single quart low may be a stretch to explain the OPs issues. Usually a quart low would not lead to noticeable issues or just issues when the fluid is cold (and more dense).

VSD may be the cause but I think unlikely. Maybe a problem with the transfer case/ATESSA system?

[jmann]

For me it only did it 3 times, all when the vehicle hadn't been warmed up yet, and only when turning. I have been taking turns pretty aggressively since they topped it off to try and duplicate the problem, tried again this morning when cool and it seems to be back to normal. If it does it again I will follow up here.