Some FYI for owners with tranny hesitation.

[InfiNissan Lover]

Dear Freshalloy members,

After owning a tranny hesitant 1998 Nissan Maxima for the past 2 years I have been told by other Maxima & I30 owners that they too experience the same hesitation problems.

This hesitation is EXTREMELY annoying and can be dangerous at times. I think I have debunked the mystery of this phenomenon through a recent article regarding the same hesitation problems that are now plaguing the Lexus ES 330 and other Toyota models.

The article is as follows:

Saturday, February 05, 2005

By Don Hammonds, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration plans to look into a transmission hesitation problem in certain Lexus and Toyota models to determine whether to go forward with a full investigation.

The decision comes on the heels of two stories in the Post-Gazette in December. The newspaper initially wrote about problems McMurray resident Timothy W. Farabaugh said he was having with his 2004 Lexus ES330, and followed that up with similar stories from other owners of five-speed Lexus and Toyota models. There have been no reports of accidents because of the problem, but the high volume of e-mails and telephone calls prompted by the stories warrant referral of the matter to agency investigators, NHTSA spokeswoman Liz Neblett said yesterday.

She cautioned such a move does not mean that the agency would launch a formal investigation. The hesitation problems have been reported by owners of Lexus ES330 models made between 2002 and 2004 the Toyota Camry and Highlander and other Toyota and upscale Lexus brand models equipped with the same five-speed automatics.

A search of NHTSA records and interviews with Consumer Reports magazine also show owners of other car makes are suffering from the same hesitation problem, including BMW's 3 Series, Ford Explorers and Escapes, and Dodge Durango 4x4.

David Champion, senior director of Consumer Reports' Auto Test Center in Connecticut, said the magazine's testers have encountered the same problems in the Audi A6 2.7T, the Audi Allroad, the Mazda6 equipped with the V-6 engine, and the Volkswagen Jetta 1.8T.

Spokespersons for those companies could not be reached for comment.

What makes the issue perplexing is that no two models of a given car brand may have the same problem. Some owners of the makes involved say they've noticed nothing, while others will say the problem is chronic.

One Lexus dealer, for instance, has said he was able to duplicate the problem only on a few of the cars on his lot, while many others didn't have the problem at all.

The problem involves the transmission gearbox electronic control unit and the engine management control unit, Champion said.

"It's the way in which the transmission gearbox electronic control unit talks to the engine management control unit. The integration of the two systems will allow the transmission to function in the right gear and the engine to provide the power instantaneously in a smooth fashion," he said.

"When you accelerate, the gearbox may change down a gear or find the right gear, and to make the transmission takeoff a smooth one, it retards the ignition to reduce engine power. Unfortunately, while the control unit works out what it's supposed to be doing, you're putting your foot on the accelerator. It can lose its way and doesn't energize the engine and transmission quickly enough," he said.

The best thing for people who are encountering problems to do is take the issue up with their dealership first, Champion said. "Have them reprogram your engine control unit and see if that fixes the problem to your satisfaction. If not, go back and complain again," he said.

But it may be that no fix will completely eliminate the problem. That's what apparently has happened with Toyota and Lexus cars so far, though company officials have said repeatedly that they are aware of the problem and are looking for permanent fixes.

-END-

So, you see dear members? This is a chronic problem not just found in our cars. Mind you, the key word here being problem, because yes, it is a problem. Whether it is a major one is really up to the automaker to decide, but speaking from my almost getting rear ended almost 3 times because of this damn hesitation problem then yeah, it is a majorly serious problem to me.

Above article taken from http://www.postgazette.com/pg/05036/453222.stm

[skoobahead]

Actually the issue on the Toyota's is completely different. The Toyota/Lexus issue is related to the electronic throttle. I beleive your 98 still uses a cable.

[psriniv]

I have an 98 I30t with the same problem. No fix so ever.
How do we stirr up a storm with this issue and bring nissan also into the picture.

[InfiNissan Lover]

Actually the issue on the Toyota's is completely different. The Toyota/Lexus issue is related to the electronic throttle. I beleive your 98 still uses a cable.

Yes skooba, you are right, my car still uses a cable throttle. It would be cool if there was a mod to transform it into a drive-by-wire.

[InfiNissan Lover]

I have a 98 I30t with the same problem. No fix what so ever.
How do we stir up a storm with this issue and also bring Nissan into the picture?

Hey Psriniv. Yes, I remember that you have that I30t. I always think about you when I inquire about this situation with mechanics. One mechanic told me that it could have been bad shift logic, or faulty/sloppy programming of the TCM. The only remedy would be to reprogram the TCM (which can't be done on 97-98 Maximas & I30s) or change the tranny.

One Maxima owner told me that a ground kit vastly improved the situation and a valve body recalibration kit practically eliminated it. But that is not good enough for me since these two mods together would run me about $450.

I was looking to buy a 2004 I35 since it is a dressed up Maxima. I found three I35s at a dealer. One has 200 miles, the other has 290 miles, and the last one has 1,290 miles. They were going to let me take one of these cars for $26,500. Do you or anyone else here think that the price they have is a good deal? It will be sold as a new car with the new car warranty that would begin the moment I drive it off their lot. I find that price to be too high considering that the 2004 I35 will be 1 1/2 years old in December.

But then I would trade my hesitant Maxima for a "new" I35 with (hopefully) no problems and a kick in the pants type of acceleration. My car still has a lot of life left in it at only 48,000 miles and ridiculous preventative maintenance on my part (oil changes every 2,000 miles or two months for example; freaking car purrs, I swear!), but I have to say that I am not totally satisfied with it. Not to mention that I always had a crush on the I35.

[brianw]

Yes skooba, you are right, my car still uses a cable throttle. It would be cool if there was a mod to transform it into a drive-by-wire.

Actually, most makers' early drive-by-wire implementations sucked. Replicating the feel of cable tension and the corresponding 1:1 pedal travel/throttle body opening was not high on the priority list for anyone's first generation implementations. I would avoid it.

[InfiNissan Lover]

Thank you for the info Brianw. What do you think about that deal I was getting for a 2004 I35?

[psriniv]

InfiNissan Lover

You should be able to do better than 26500 on the I35's.

I bought a 2004 I35 in September 2004(after I lost my 2003 I35-flood damage at 14k miles on it) for $27000

This included the trunk mat, splash guards, cold weather pkg and the spoiler. I believe the cold weather pkg was about $600 and the spoiler another $500 (option)

But the car is sweet. I bought it new with about 6 miles on the odo.

THey will probably sell the cars to you as new, since they have not been registered yet. But the one with 1000+ miles, I'm not sure how they could sell it as new. THey probably used it as a service loaner. Check out edmunds forums for the I35 prices paid. Prople have paid as low as $25k for a brand new one.

[InfiNissan Lover]

Hey Psriniv, thank you for the heads up. I actually think that I got a deal for $26,000. The reason why I don't try to shoot too low is because I don't want them to lose interest in my offer. I am sure that I am not the only one looking for I35s. Not to mention that I will be getting rid of my 1998 Nissan Maxima with its transmission B.S. and other quirks that it is starting to have. My warranty on the Maxima has already expired, and guess what? The tranny is now making a funny cricket noise.

The dealer is willing to give me $5,800 for my 1998 Maxima (I know it's a jip but you know how dealers are), but I think I can round them off to at least $6,000. All in all, I really hope that God will finally allow me to shine in this aspect of my life. I am not: a womanizer, a thief, a con artist, a deadbeat, nor a parasite. I worked really hard for everything I have ever had, and I still continue to do so.

I know that a car isn't everything in the world. But when you are so single that you can actually be a mascot for Kraft's singles cheese, and so upset that you could cry all day, then a car that puts a Kool-Aid smile on my face is much appreciated.

[Misfit]

I had the tranny hesitation (2000 I30) Mass Air Flow Sensor replaced - hesitation is gone completely ......

The bad news ---- in Canada the part alone is 600 clams ....