Nissan 370Z Forum - View Single Post - Transmission problem (?) after a transmission fluid change

EWarren · 07-16-2011, 02:03 PM

Hi everyone,

I had a transmission fluid change at my old dealership after I moved 50 miles north. All seemed fine after the fluid change (they insisted that I use Nissan's special transmission fluid) - I drove back north and parked the car without noticing any problems.

The next morning, I noticed that transmission appear to "locked up" for 2-3 seconds whenever I come to a full stop while on 2nd gear or above. I could feel the car downshift into the first gear, then it would come to a dead stop. I would press the gas pedal and the engine would rev up fine, but nothing happens even if I rev up to 4k rpm. The car sits perfectly still as if the wheels were bolted into the ground.

After 2-3 seconds, the Z jerks slightly and its power-train comes back alive (if press the gas pedal for the whole time or maintained a high RPM, the car would bolt forward like an arrow)

Then on the freeway, I had to brake really hard (60 mph to 0 all the way) to avoid running into a hazard. It became scary as I was stopped dead in the middle of the freeway for 3 seconds. The same thing happened - my Z shifted down to the 1st gear, followed by its drivetrain comes to a dead still. Pressing gas pedal did nothing, then the car comes back alive and I almost rammed into the car in front of me.

I contacted the dealership and they were concerned. I drove 50 miles down south the next day, met with the service foreman, and we did a road test. To my surprise, the problem never reared its ugly face. Everyone thought I was just a lying customer making stuff up, even I thought it was a one time thing and I was being too sensitive.

Drove the car up north. Went to bed. Woke up the next morning and it happened all over again. This makes me think the problem happens when something is cold. I know so little about transmission that I don't know where to begin. Web searches and forum searches didn't turn up anything specific (there are alot of cars that experiences jerkiness at stops, but mine stops dead for 2-3 seconds, and only when at decelerations that went down to the 1st gear)

Now I am trying to find a good local dealership, but I want to hear your thoughts on what causes this problem. That way even if the dealership says "oh everything is just fine", I can suggest them to look into something specific.

Thanks!

07-16-2011, 02:03 PM	#1 (permalink)
EWarren Base Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 6 Drives: 09 370z Automatic Rep Power: 13	Transmission problem (?) after a transmission fluid change Hi everyone, I had a transmission fluid change at my old dealership after I moved 50 miles north. All seemed fine after the fluid change (they insisted that I use Nissan's special transmission fluid) - I drove back north and parked the car without noticing any problems. The next morning, I noticed that transmission appear to "locked up" for 2-3 seconds whenever I come to a full stop while on 2nd gear or above. I could feel the car downshift into the first gear, then it would come to a dead stop. I would press the gas pedal and the engine would rev up fine, but nothing happens even if I rev up to 4k rpm. The car sits perfectly still as if the wheels were bolted into the ground. After 2-3 seconds, the Z jerks slightly and its power-train comes back alive (if press the gas pedal for the whole time or maintained a high RPM, the car would bolt forward like an arrow) Then on the freeway, I had to brake really hard (60 mph to 0 all the way) to avoid running into a hazard. It became scary as I was stopped dead in the middle of the freeway for 3 seconds. The same thing happened - my Z shifted down to the 1st gear, followed by its drivetrain comes to a dead still. Pressing gas pedal did nothing, then the car comes back alive and I almost rammed into the car in front of me. I contacted the dealership and they were concerned. I drove 50 miles down south the next day, met with the service foreman, and we did a road test. To my surprise, the problem never reared its ugly face. Everyone thought I was just a lying customer making stuff up, even I thought it was a one time thing and I was being too sensitive. Drove the car up north. Went to bed. Woke up the next morning and it happened all over again. This makes me think the problem happens when something is cold. I know so little about transmission that I don't know where to begin. Web searches and forum searches didn't turn up anything specific (there are alot of cars that experiences jerkiness at stops, but mine stops dead for 2-3 seconds, and only when at decelerations that went down to the 1st gear) Now I am trying to find a good local dealership, but I want to hear your thoughts on what causes this problem. That way even if the dealership says "oh everything is just fine", I can suggest them to look into something specific. Thanks!