Shifting gears on my 1990 Sentra is really loose. It can be bumped out of gear really easily while you're driving (thankfully this has only happened once into neutral), and sometimes it won't start because the car doesn't know it's in park. I have to hold it tight up into park while I start sometimes (but not always) to get it to start. What could this be, and would it be expensive to fix? If so, I'll just deal with it, because the car isn't worth putting much money into, but if it's pretty cheap or I can do it myself, I'll do it. I like the little guy, so if I can I'd like to keep running it. Other than this it runs good and gets me to work. Thanks for any help!
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GA15e/i...HotShot Header, Eurocam, some upgrades for the tunes, and a Whole Lotta Go-Jo. Coming soon... Suspension work... and more Go-Jo
Location: Baltimore (only for school, really from NJ)
Posts: 158
The #1 cause of most automatic transmission failures: fluid. You hope that this is all it is. Check the fluid. If the fluid level is OK, check the fluid quality. Usually fluid does not have to be changed for about 100k. Check underneath the car for any leaks especially under the transmission pan. If the filter and gasket have not been changed, the gasket can become very worn. Hopefully thats all. You can do a filter/fluid change yourself (just be careful about the bolts on the pan), or you can have a transmission shop do it for about $80. I am pretty sure most filter packages come with a new gasket. Hopefully the problem is fluid related.
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93 Sentra E, came with nothing but power steering...
KYB AGX struts, Hyperco Gen 2 springs, Ebay FSTB, lots of 89 gas and TLC :)
Shifting gears on my 1990 Sentra is really loose. It can be bumped out of gear really easily while you're driving (thankfully this has only happened once into neutral), and sometimes it won't start because the car doesn't know it's in park. I have to hold it tight up into park while I start sometimes (but not always) to get it to start. What could this be, and would it be expensive to fix? If so, I'll just deal with it, because the car isn't worth putting much money into, but if it's pretty cheap or I can do it myself, I'll do it. I like the little guy, so if I can I'd like to keep running it. Other than this it runs good and gets me to work. Thanks for any help!
It sound like you have something that is worn out or broken in your shifter assembly itself. I would start by removing your console and taking a look at the shifter mechanism. They are not that complicated. I should be easy enough to remove. I would think that you should be able to get the whole assembly from the junk yard for next to nothing.
Check your shift linkage where it bolts to the transmission, too. Put the lever firmly into Park, then loosen the bolt where the cable meets the transmission lever (On the transmission itself). Put the transmission lever full into the "Park" and retighten the bolt, hopefully that should help some.
As far as fluid: Don't buy the 100K hubris. Replace every 30K. Fluid is cheaper than a tranny shop.
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Later, taters; Off to a better place. Catch me there!
Ends up, my battery connector was cracked and I hadn't noticed it, which is why sometimes it wouldn't start. It had nothing to do with the gears. It's still loose and bumped out of gear easily, but I'll live with that and just not bump it
Linear Mode
