QuestionQUESTION: Hello sir, my wife was driving our Nissan Bluebird which has a CA18 engine coupled to an automatic transmission. Suddenly she felt a weakness in the car and so pulled to the side and called me. When i got their, i found the engine runs beautifully but when i engaged the gear nothing happend, and the car started rolling backwards since it was on a slight incline. So i thought low fluid level and even though after checking it was ok, and clean i decided to add a litter. Still i got no drive and so towed it home. It sounds ok, no funny noise just little buzzing which has always been their. A friend suggested the filter could be clogged and so we opened the top pan since it has none at the bottom. Inside is a huge shiny aluminum plate with some wires but nothing like a gauze filter. Am not sure to open the plate because it looks very well secured with lots of shiny bolts, like a precision job.
What could have suddenly gone wrong is my question? Am really hoping its a filter but where do i find it on this car?
Thank you very much,
David.
ANSWER: David,
It sounds like the torque converter is blown. This is the vicous coupling that connects the engine to the transmission. The internals are welded and have probably broken inside disconnecting the two. I say this since the transmission is clean inside and you have no gears. This is not a filter problem so put it back together. Nissan uses screens and not polyester filters so it would not be plugged. Have a shop check the torque converter. The transmission will have to come out to accomplish this.
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QUESTION: Thank you Mr Von for your kind assistance.
What could have caused this? I know my wife is the kind of driver who keep tapping the accelerator pedal to regulate their speed as opposed to holding it at a steady position, and so would this on/of type of driving contribute? Could it happen again?
I found the type of transmission fitted, its RL4F02A.
Thank you very much,
David.
ANSWER: David,
Nothing your wife or you did to cause this. They just tend to break after so many miles. South Africa is the closest place to get a rebuilt or used transmission from what I have seen on the web. New Zealand has some good prices for used units. Check around and you could get a used transmission with a warranty for a decent price. I do not know if you have rebuilders in your area. A torque converter is a couple of hundred U.S. dollars as is a rebuild kit. Right now, the only thing that I would think needing replacement is the torque converter so you could just change out that and see if you get lucky. But, if not you get to pull the transmission twice. Once for the torque converter and another time if anything is slipping after the fact.
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QUESTION: Hello.
Thank you for all your help. We pulled out the transmission (boy is it heavy!) and had a look. I was advised to replace the pump because one of the retainer rings was broken, but i decided to replace the whole unit.
I got a good used one, it runs along ok and so am happy :)
Am told to flush the new fluid after 100kms of running, it makes good sense in the long run.
What a wondering, what is the recommended idle speed for the engine and how can i adjust it? This is an old car, no rev counter on the dash. Is their a way to connect a meter to the ignition system and get a reading?
The engine is CA18, fitted to RU12 body. Although its a 4cylinder, it runs on plugs. Is the idle speed critical to the overall running and performance of the transmission, vis-a-vis the vehicle in general?
Thank you,
David
AnswerDavid,
There is an air bleed screw on the intake that allows for the idle to be set. Opposite side of the throttle body. Turn in small increments. A quarter of a turn can bump the idle a hundred RPMS. You can use a tach and hook it to the test leads on the coil. If it were me I would set the brake and put the car in drive and just increase the idle to where it does not stumble at idle. Make sure the car is warm and the headlights or other assessories that draw power are on so you have a good set. I am happy for you that you found a good transmission and all is well. I love used parts for the cost effectivness and that you saved a good part from being thrown away. Good luck with a great car and many more years of happy driving.
