Rep Power: 309

I was driving today in my Maxima beater and all of the sudden on a down shift (Auto Tranny) it felt as if the tranny got stuck in nuetral and when I gave it gas it just revved up like it was in nuetral. I got nervous and pulled the car over, put it in park, let it sit for a little bit, put it back in D again and drove off as if nothing happened.

This happened a while ago already once but hasnt happened since so this 2nd time got me worried. The car is a 92 Maxima with 230k miles.... I knwo that he tranny has been rebuilt at least once by the previous owner but thats all.

Basically this happens when I let off the gas but not completley.... just let off at that moment when its supposed to downshift and when I give it gas to go again it just revs up like its in nuertal.

Also, I checked my tranny fluid and that ish was like black..... I'm thinking of flushing the tranny and maybe somethign that simple will solve the problem? Let me know guys, thanks.

 
Rep Power: 452

Moved to Mechanical Problems/Vehicle Issues and fix it forums.

 
Rep Power: 452

Now if the fluid is black, you need to change it for sure. that is most likely the reason it isnt shifting correctly. Just drain it and change it as normal. run it for a few minutes, then change it again. Do this a few times to make sure all fresh fluid goes in. That sure help.

 
Rep Power: 309

i remember when i just bought the car i asked my mechanic how much a flush is and he said its 75 bucks with the folter change and all. i'll let him do it tommorow.

i'm assuming that the fluid is very old and isnt taking heat away from everythign like it should and the tranny is over heating and not shifting correctly.

hopefully this is the issue.

 
Rep Power: 318

yeah, that sounds about right.... after the flush, make sure the new stuff doesn't turn black to quickly, if the oil has become saturated, there maybe some sludge build up inside that will need to be removed, just letting the new oil flow through should remove it slowly, but hopefully this hasn't happened.

 
Rep Power: 304

yup, sounds like your tranny is slipping. this same thing happened to my old '87 accord.
i'll give you a word of warning on the tranny fluid change... the fluid on my car wasnt changed for about 6 years. the fluid was still red, but darker, so i asked my mechanic to change the fluid. he told me that on japanese cars, especially hondas and toyotas (not sure about nissan) that if the fluid hasnt been changed in such a long time (as in my case) then dont change it at all. he said the reason was because all the crap in the old fluid actually kept the seals together or whatever. anyways, i didnt listen to him and told him to go ahead and do it. well, almost 3 months later, my tranny started to slip and completly died 3 days later. and thats how i got my civic.

 
Rep Power: 309

Well, I checked the tranny fluid levels like it said in the manual and it came up very short. On the dip stick it was about an inch short to where its actaully supposed to be.

Do you guys think I should just add more fluid in there?

 
Rep Power: 452

I would still change it if I were you. The fluid is supposed to be red, not black. Indicating you havent changed the fluid in awhile. But first check if you have any leaks, and if not, still change it. I bet your tranny is dieing for some fresh fluid.

 
Rep Power: 309

My neighbor recommended that I buy some Auto Tranny Treatment and put it in there first and it might pro long the life of it. I bought this Slick50 stuff which is sooooooo thick it took me like 15 minutes to pour in there. Hopefully that'll help a little.

 
Rep Power: 452

whatever you do to the tranny doesnt change the fact that your fluid is old and not doing its job. Adding a tranny treatment IMO wont help because the fluid is already contaminated. Why add a treatment to fluid that is old and nasty. the treatment will just soak up in the old fluid and then you basically waisted money on a tranny treatment. Like someone said previously, the fluid you have in now might be what is holding the seals together and what not, and changing it might not help, but since you are already having problems with it shifting and already determined that the fluid is black in color, changing it would be the first thing to do. If that doesnt help, then your tranny has problems and needs to be looked at. But you said your car has 250,000 miles on it, a rebuilt tranny might cost more then the cars worth. But if you like it and want to keep it, go ahead. But change the fluid and filter first, I bet that filter is so clogged and could also be the cause of why its shifting crappy. there is probably so much dirt and what not floating through the tranny.

 
Rep Power: 309

it slipped liek that twice but other then that it has been shifting smoothly and all. i dont want to risk changing the fluid and then having that cause a tranny failure like that dude above said.

i added in the treatment and the shifter felt a little smoother and the shifts became a little smoother also after about 20 mins of driving.

i think i'll just wait it out and see how it goes, if the tranny was going to go it'll go regarless of a fluid and dumping money into this car is a sin.

thanks for the advice though, i'll keep you guys updated.