QuestionHi. I have a 95 Altima (automatic). odometer reads 76K - arguable. don't understand too much about transmission, but I'll try to give you all the clues:
One morning, without any strange signs in previous drives, I got in the car and it wasn't right - feels like it was full of water at low speeds, accelerates like a heap of lead from a standstill (highway acceleration not so terrible). I think its stuck in one gear (perhaps 3rd), but does reverse properly so I am able to drive it as usual. I can tell its not working right on the highway, RPMs do not act normal - plus I'm only getting 20 mpg.
If i'm driving at 40 mph I can shift down to 2nd and 1st manually with the shifter and it does nothing at all. Obviously tried this first from idle, still no difference
checked the fluid.
I doubt its related but i have an electrical short somewhere so tail lights don't work, nor do dash lights (fuse catches fire and melts upon replacement)
The car has spent considerable time "sitting" in Massachusetts (includes winter) and also in South Carolina.
second time i started it up, check engine light came on so I
took it to my buddy and he ran computer and said there was a knock sensor and 2 transmission codes on there. i didn't get the codes from him (bad i know)...he had the attitude that if it was the transmission i should just forget it and drive it into the ground or sell it for parts - so I took that at face value although he didn't seem to know what the codes represented off hand - was in a hurry
So i have the following questions:
1. I read another one of your responses to a problem that sounded similar. You mentioned a "safe mode". does this sound like safe mode, and if so is it actually safe to drive it like this besides the acceleration prob? - I have been doing so for 2 mos.- will it blow up/break at random?
2. Is there such a thing as a minor transmission problem? like <500$ "minor"?
3. that place cottman's that you recommend - would they charge only labor to take a transmission out of another car (i bring) and replace mine with that one? will any place do that? how many hours of work do u estimate that removal/replacement would be? i just feel like i could find one cheaper than they do online...
thank you so much for any advice you might have - this is one hell of a service you are doing here!!! i've been trying to get on the radio show "car talk" all month to no avail.
i love this car and want to rescue it, but I am an extremely poor grad student!!
AnswerShaina,
The transmission locks itself in third gear to keep from hurting it when the computer finds a problem. You probably have a defective servo in the transmission or a bad sensor and that made the computer lock the transmission in safety mode. Take it to Cottman or the dealer to get the transmission code diagnosed. Email me back with what they tell you. It could be as cheap as a couple of hundred bucks or a complete rebuild depending on what the cause of the code is.
