The bad: I bought my PF knowing it had a tranny problem. The good: I paid $450 for it and the engine runs nice and strong.
Once I started to try and diagnose the problem, the first thing I found was that the A/T seemed to be quite a bit overfilled assuming I am checking it correctly for this vehicle: Engine running, Tranny hot, in Park, on level ground.
From what I can find in my Owners Manual as well as some online research, my Pathfinder is in limp-home (fail-safe) mode. The sypmtoms listed for this mode in my Owners Manual (and on AllDATA): "No Reverse and stays in 3rd regardless whether the shifter is in D, 2 or 1." I drove it twenty miles or so and other than the lack of shifting it seemed to run out real smooth and quiet, with all the power I could ask for once it was up to the normal RPM range for 3rd gear.
I have done the initial "Self-diagnosis mode" steps to try and get it out of "limp-home" when and if there are no component failures involved, but that didn't work.Then, I also noticed yesterday that it is in 3rd even when the shifter is in N and I began to suspect the shift linkage may have had a component failure or be out of adjustment so tomorrow I was planning go through the steps of visual inspection and going through the steps of adjusting the shift linkage turnbuckle to see if that might help.
My newest problem: Today I decided to start out by doing a simple drain and fill on the tranny since the fluid was pretty dirty. From what I have found through googling etc, the consensus seems to be that the drain and fill should only take 4qts of Dexron III. When I drained it though, I got out over 6 quarts. Then when I added the new fluid and it took 4qts to get it to the normal cold range (this was prior to running the engine at all though). It was getting dark so I just had time to start and run it for 30sec or so and put the shifter through each position, but now to my extreme frustration, the rig wouldn't even try to move (BTW, no drop in RPMs on the tach either when shifting out of Park and into any gear) so I just shut it down. Finally, I did a quick initial re-check on the fluid level (but without the engine idling though, dang it) and it was minimally (about 1/4") over the cold line. Though I really hated to quit at that point was really starting to get dark out, so I decided to pick up my tools and wrap things up for the day.
Now what keeps running through my mind is the fact that it was running fine, though admittedly only in 3rd gear regardless of the shifter position (except for Park and Reverse) before I dumped the old fluid, and now I have nothing. Since I did dump about 6qts and only replaced 4 (supposedly what it should take), and also since I last checked the fluid level with the engine off, I am wondering now if I warm it up in the morning and check it warmed up and running at an idle, if it would possibly read low and need more added once the fluid starts circulating through the tranny.
Now, I know to some this may all seem like TMI, but I had a tech tell me years ago that he hated it when ppl would bring him a rig and tell him 'it's broke' instead of giving him some detail on what it was and wasn't doing when their problems began.
Anyone with personal experience with these issues and willing to help would sure be appreciated.Thanks in advance.
Kind Regards, Russ
Once I started to try and diagnose the problem, the first thing I found was that the A/T seemed to be quite a bit overfilled assuming I am checking it correctly for this vehicle: Engine running, Tranny hot, in Park, on level ground.
From what I can find in my Owners Manual as well as some online research, my Pathfinder is in limp-home (fail-safe) mode. The sypmtoms listed for this mode in my Owners Manual (and on AllDATA): "No Reverse and stays in 3rd regardless whether the shifter is in D, 2 or 1." I drove it twenty miles or so and other than the lack of shifting it seemed to run out real smooth and quiet, with all the power I could ask for once it was up to the normal RPM range for 3rd gear.
I have done the initial "Self-diagnosis mode" steps to try and get it out of "limp-home" when and if there are no component failures involved, but that didn't work.Then, I also noticed yesterday that it is in 3rd even when the shifter is in N and I began to suspect the shift linkage may have had a component failure or be out of adjustment so tomorrow I was planning go through the steps of visual inspection and going through the steps of adjusting the shift linkage turnbuckle to see if that might help.
My newest problem: Today I decided to start out by doing a simple drain and fill on the tranny since the fluid was pretty dirty. From what I have found through googling etc, the consensus seems to be that the drain and fill should only take 4qts of Dexron III. When I drained it though, I got out over 6 quarts. Then when I added the new fluid and it took 4qts to get it to the normal cold range (this was prior to running the engine at all though). It was getting dark so I just had time to start and run it for 30sec or so and put the shifter through each position, but now to my extreme frustration, the rig wouldn't even try to move (BTW, no drop in RPMs on the tach either when shifting out of Park and into any gear) so I just shut it down. Finally, I did a quick initial re-check on the fluid level (but without the engine idling though, dang it) and it was minimally (about 1/4") over the cold line. Though I really hated to quit at that point was really starting to get dark out, so I decided to pick up my tools and wrap things up for the day.
Now what keeps running through my mind is the fact that it was running fine, though admittedly only in 3rd gear regardless of the shifter position (except for Park and Reverse) before I dumped the old fluid, and now I have nothing. Since I did dump about 6qts and only replaced 4 (supposedly what it should take), and also since I last checked the fluid level with the engine off, I am wondering now if I warm it up in the morning and check it warmed up and running at an idle, if it would possibly read low and need more added once the fluid starts circulating through the tranny.
Now, I know to some this may all seem like TMI, but I had a tech tell me years ago that he hated it when ppl would bring him a rig and tell him 'it's broke' instead of giving him some detail on what it was and wasn't doing when their problems began.
Anyone with personal experience with these issues and willing to help would sure be appreciated.Thanks in advance.
Kind Regards, Russ