Hey guys, i needed some help. besides the TC, i own a 2001 nissan altima with 93,000 miles on it. for about 2 monhts, my transmission has been having trouble shifting into the last gear and its gettin worse. I have to let the car warm up for at least 10 minutes so it would shift correctly. if i dont, the last gear or overdrive? doesnt' shift and the engine runs at lik 3000 RPM's at 60MPH. Can any1 tell me what the problem might be and what has to be done to the transmission to fix it and how much would it cost approximately?

I know its the wrong forum, but i didn't kno what else to ask

Thanks

 

hey no problem.. sure some will yell about sending it to another forum, but i'll answer your question..

It sounds like to me your synchronizer on the 5th gear is hanging up.. If you've checked the linkage and it's not binding, it could also be that the shift rod (it's like a large U that moves the gear inside the trans housing) internally for 5th gear that is not moving freely.. And once the transmission warms up, then it frees itself..

So it could be either of those two things.. how much to fix it? Well a shift lever for 5th gear could run about $50 and to install it, they'd need to take your transmission out, replace it and put the transmission back in.. Depending on how bad that is to do, labor intensive.. could cost $200-300, depending on labor rates.. And I would get a good shop to do it, like a good dealer.. So that you could hold them to a warranty of their work.. Not saying to go to the cheapest person because of price, because sometimes you just get what you pay for.. you know what i mean..

now you didn't mention if it's a manual or an automatic.. the above paragraph is for a manual transmission..

If it's an automatic, then it could be the torque converter or a shifter solenoid sticking.. and again about the same price range could be more for an automatic (more stuff to fix).. but probably around the $200-300 mark.. cheaper than a whole new transmission.. you could also do a search at a local dealer for any TSB (service bulletins) on your car to see if this is a known problem.. if nissan knew about it, you can get them to pay (goodwill warranty) half or all of it.. just be nice that's IF it was a known issue an a tsb was issued..


hope i could help ya out..

 

sounds to me like a faulty valve in the valve body

try some google searches...there are a lot of ppl out there with similar problems

 

Auto or manual? My friend had the low pressure hose or something bind up and the car shifted late. You might not notice it so much in city driving though. That was in an auto.

 

i have an automatic transmission, the problem doesn't occur during city driving, as i don't go above 40-50 MPH, the last gear only needs to fall above 50-60 MPH. as I do Highway driving. If its cold, that last gear does not shift, and the RPM' stay high. Who should i show this problem to? a Nissan dealer or a local shop?

thanks

 

I know the tC doesn't shift into its top gear on the auto because the engine is warming up, it's designed that way.. unsure of the nissan doing this as well..

But it could be the valve body or the shift solenoid for that top gear.. I'd say do a little more research on nissan forums.. people might be able to tell you if it's a common problem..

 

Good point my Saturn did the same thing. After a few minutes it warms up and works like normal.