trans slips please help

[mjjstang]

Hi I just got my s13 delivered yesterday and the guy said the trans is messed up. I took it for a drive and drove nice for a few minutes. Then the Automatic transmission will slip and will stay in im guessing 2nd because I can go about 20 mph with the needle down in the 2000s. could this be 1st or second gear. Nonetheless I am wondering what could be causing this problem. When it slips i have to turn the car off for a minute and then it will go back to normal. when I got home it reaked of trans fluid also. im guessing its not computer related because that shouldnt cause the smell. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[mrmephistopheles]

try changing your trans fluid
sounds like you got low and your trans fluid burnt
you may need a new torque converter at this point.

[mjjstang]

Thanks. how could I check to be sure that the convertor is bad. Anybody else have any ideas of what is wrong. Could I need a rebuild or could it be something with the computer part, because my moms caravan has similar problems and they told her that she needs some type of new module of some sort. Thanks alot.

[mjjstang]

I checked the fluid and it is a little darker than my other car but it doesnt look terribly brown. Also the fluid is full. That would probably mean the fluid isnt bad right. So would it deffinitly be a new converter that I need. I would hate to buy a new tranny to find out that I could have spent hundreds less to fix it. Thanks if anybody can help me.

[crioten]

make sure that it isnt just regular tranny fluid...you need to use automatic tranny fluid. correct me if im wrong but the viscosities are different and so are their boiling points...

this may cause your problem, empty out all the tranny fluid, and fill with ATF

plus, there might be metal shavings in the tranny fluid, so it couldnt hurt to drain it...

-glen

[mjjstang]

Yes but the fluid looks fine. Red fluid is for auto trans's. But why would the car smell of trans fluid after a couple of minutes of driving. what could the problem be, its not something permanent like broken parts because it works fine for a while then slips but If I turn the car off and then back on, the trans works good. then the problems start back up after a while. It seems like something that after a while messes up then needs to be reset. Does anybody know what I mean. Somebody out there must know what the problem is. Thanks.

[jy116]

I got the exact same prob, maybe worse! No smell though... here's my post from NICO Mechanic section:

CAR: 1991 240sx, base model, 96k miles, just purchased, so dunno much else. Ran fine for about a month, then one day Im in stop and go traffic and hear some low pitch grinding sound. I pull over to see if theres a rock in my caliper or something, but nothing. Sounded like an exhaust leak or something from middle-bottom of the car.
I drive onto a side street and totally lose DRIVE, reverse, 1, 2... the car is basically not repoding to gas pedal [engine revs, but car wont move]. I turn the car off, wait for it to cool off a bit, and turn it on again. I can drive for 10 seconds, some slight grinding noise, then it's as if Im in neutral again.

I'm guessing the torque converter is broken somehow? Fluid is fine. It's been a month or so, and I still start the car up, drive a few seconds then the usual no DRIVE. then I push it back into a parking space.

I'm currently looking for any spare auto trans from 89-94 240sx [free to $100]. My firend will install for $200, and I'm sure thats cheaper than AT rebuild, or TC replacement...

*I did search and the results brought me to automatic trans that wont shift. Mine wont DRIVE at all! Big difference!*

Any info is greatly appreciated!

http://forums.nicoclub.com/zerothread/198200

*Sweet, I jsut saved some storage space on Zilvia server! Thanks for posting this title thread!

[street_white180sx]

hey guys i am a trans specialist to ford not nissan but maybe i can help a lil bit. if it was the converter u wudnt get no gears because i will not drive the pumps properly meaning no line pressure hence no gear appiclation same thing if the pump failed. now from wha i am gathering u are having a flare in second u need to find a book on the shift patterns and find out what is applied in second gear which clutch packs etc etc. i am willin to help once i have sum info on what is applied. but from what i am hearing u may need to go in the transmission. u may have a clutch pack or bad piston that is no more good. because from what i am hearin when the tranny is cool it is fine but once it warms up it slips signs of a bad piston in the clutch pack drum. also when u see the fluid is really really brown or black thas signs of burnt clutches and steels and changin fluid will only make it worse at that point maybe to the point that the car will not shift at all.

[street_white180sx]

jy116 your converter is definately gone that or the pump but from what u explained i experience this one day on a test drive on a f150 and began to make like a grinding noise before i knew it the car couldnt move. the converter was chewed to hell and back. once the converter is gone u get no fluid pressure which means u cant shift and u cannot apply any gear. also sumtimes when the converter is gone the vehicle will stall when u try to put it in gear.

[kandyflip445]

To check a converter you can do a converter stall test. Also look for leaks around the bellhousing. If it's a sticking check valve or piston usually a good tranny flush will make it like new.

[jy116]

Originally Posted by kandyflip445

To check a converter you can do a converter stall test. Also look for leaks around the bellhousing. If it's a sticking check valve or piston usually a good tranny flush will make it like new.

Good info, thanks! For ppl who are curious:

TORQUE CONVERTER STALL TEST

A "stall test" can be used on many transmissions to check its ability to hold torque and the operation of the converter one-way clutch. Some manufacturers don't recommend using a stall test because it stresses the transmission, so if you use this procedure, don't do it for more than five seconds at a time.

Before conducting a stall test, check the fluid level and condition. Chock the wheels and set the parking brake. Start the engine and place the transmission in drive while holding the brake pedal under firm pressure so the vehicle doesn't move. Then push the accelerator to the floor while holding the brakes on. Note the maximum rpm that the engine reaches. This is the stall speed. If it is lower than specifications, the torque converter one-way clutch is slipping. If the stall speed is higher than specifications, the transmission is slipping. Possible causes include a low fluid level, restricted fluid filter, a sticking pressure regulator valve, slipping clutches, bands, shaft splines or one-way clutch.

http://www.aa1car.com/library/2003/ic60340.htm

Sounds violent, but Im guessing my car wont do anything = bad TC. It's not leaking, so must be something w/ internal fluid transfer/pump?... Either way, Il probly going to look for a 5spd/SR person who doesnt want the AT, Ill pay a 12 pack... firm haha

[redsuns3838]

a new tranny is only like 100 especially for an auto.
just throwing it out there.

[kandyflip445]

Make sure you run the car at idle for a little bit after doing this to give the tranny a chance to cool down a little.