Nissan Repair: nissan maxima 1993 j30, nissan maxima, transmission doctor

Question
Hello mate, I have a 1993 nissan maxima j30 with the 4speed auto and vg30 engine. The car has no drive at all yet you can just tell its trying to engage reverse and drive when selected, also the car will not roll backwards in neutral only forwards. Seems like a tranny diff problem?? Maybe lack of fluid pressure...also the key won't come out of the ignition either. Cheers paul

Answer
Hi there, lift both front wheels off the ground. Whit the gear selector in neutral, rotate manually the right wheel, (passenger side) forward. Observe the left wheel, it should move in the opposite direction. Then, rotate the right wheel again backwards and the left one should rotate again in the opposite direction. If this test is positive, then the differential is okay. If it's negative, then the diff. is damaged. Lower the left wheel only on the ground. Try to rotate the right wheel again. It should not turn. If it does, then it's a differential problem, although this is very rare and I'm afraid that the tranny is damaged instead which is more common. Make sure that the gear selector linkages are in place and function normally and freely. If they are, you will need to see a transmission doctor.
Now the key. I do not know if the non USA models have a key release button but if they do that seems to be the problem. Try to remove the key while you are moving the steering wheel left and right. It is possible that the tranny is not completely in the park selection and thus preventing the key to come out of the ign. switch.
I hope this helps.