My auto box seems to be playing up recently - when I accelerate it has a bit of lag before the power kicks in.

Could it be that the torque convertor is slipping, or that something else is wrong??

Any ideas??

 

Jay

Sorry if I’m stating the obvious but have you checked the fluid level and condition of the fluid?

 

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Have checked the level of the fluid & it looks ok, how do I check the condition?

 

Cheers

 

Jay

Check the colour and smell. If it's very dark and smells burnt then it needs changing - pronto.

Smells burnt & is dark, how do I change it, what do I need to put in & how much do I need?

 

Jay

Bound to be covered here somewhere ...

 

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Z32 technical article index - 300zx.org.uk

Cheers mate, looks like a bitch of a job

 

Jay

Tranny oil shouldn't get burnt... may be worth checking the gearbox is OK. Assuming you're going to drain the tranny oil, may as well take the sump off and look for bits in it. Anything other than smooth oil suggests a problem and it may be worth having a specialist take a look - could save you lots of £££s in future. If you've got an older car the oil cooler is probably not up to the job. Later ones appear to have this fixed but I'm not sure when they were changed - other people on here (JeffTT, andyduff) know more about this than me. If you're anywhere near SE London then I'd strongly recommend Mister Transmission in Charlton (they're in Mellow Pages or yell.co.uk).

 

My oil looked fine on the dipstick (smelled fine too and the box's built-in diagnostics thought everything was OK) but the gearbox gave up last week. It was showing similar symptoms to yours for about a week then stopped working completely (no drive). Turns out the clutch plates on several of the disks had gone completely causing overheating and subsequent failure in may other parts. Filter was getting clogged up with large bits of clutch and the oil pressure dropped.

 

I've just spent £1500 having a full soft rebuild (clutches, pump, filter, torque converter, etc) so it's worth taking a bit of care to make sure the box is OK.

Jay I can only tell you my experience from a mechanic's perspective:

 

My gearbox messed about also (late change into 2nd etc). Fluid also dark and burnt smelling. Consequently I am becoming a (very) reluctant expert.

 

Cause of the failure was a blocked cooler in the radiator. Result is overheat of the trans fluid, which is one reason for it being dark and smelly (Is it sticky and teracle coloured?). I am informed that this is very common on the Nissans (I have a recomended auto specialist (Sussex Autos) who carry these boxes in stock despite the rarity of the vehicle - they will not guarentee any repair without a new radiator fitted).

 

If you want to learn from my expenditure - Check out that Radiator before it costs you thousands!!

 

The only other reason for dark smelly fluid is clutch slip (fluid smells more like burning brakes). (This is also major overhaul time!)

 

Good Luck.