2005 Transmission Questions....Symptoms...What to look for??

[gilldawg79]

New to the forum and just happened to run across all the bad news relating to the Transmission issues of the 2005-2006 Pathy's. I almost threw up reading them and can't help but wonder if it has happended and or is going to happen, or if there is any way to prevent it from happening. According to what I've read, the Transmission cooler is inside the radiator and it fails mixing fluids and wrecking the Tranny.

Questions:

* Is there some way to diagnose this early?
* Does the radiator fail (crack, leak, etc.,) What color should the antifreeze be? Green?
*Is there some kind of test I can run on my antifreeze to determine if it has potentially mixed with tranny fluid?
*What color will it be if its mixed? Green+red=Yellow?
* Wouldn't my engine run a little hotter if it was trying to cool from Anti-Freeze mixed with oil?
*Does the transmission show any signs of damage (Leaks, Cracks, Etc...)?
*Are there any correlations of 2005 Pathy's VIN's to the screwed up Radiators?

As of this point I have visually inspected the radiator (No Leaks)
Transmission does not appear to have any leaks
Antifreeze is kind of a Forest green and doesn't seem to be oily and smells like antifreeze

I am sick to my stomach on this issue being that it is almost paid for and out of warranty. I have read about people by-passing the Tranny cooler. Is that an ok idea? Should I add another one external to the Radiator? What should I do preventive wise to eliminate this potential time bomb from exploding? I live in Alabama and don't know if this is a regional problem or what. Has that been determined? Is there a Class Action Law Suit in the makings?

Any help, advice would be greatly appreciated. Nissan ought to step up to the plate on this issue. Screwed up design causing tranny's to fail over a simple concept is terrible. I'm not in the position to be dishing out $6K+ for a new tranny.....

Thanks in advance!

Jimmy

[eieio]

Welcome To The Forum

Questions:

* Is there some way to diagnose this early?
no
* Does the radiator fail (crack, leak, etc.,)
What color should the antifreeze be? Green?
internally. OEM antifreeze is green.
*Is there some kind of test I can run on my antifreeze to determine if it has potentially mixed with tranny fluid?
probably, but by the time it's determined to be contaminated, it's probably too late to prevent damage
*What color will it be if its mixed? Green+red=Yellow?
reportedly, the coolant may look normal, but the transmission fluid will have a "strawberry milkshake" appearance.
*Wouldn't my engine run a little hotter if it was trying to cool from Anti-Freeze mixed with oil?
maybe
*Does the transmission show any signs of damage (Leaks, Cracks, Etc...)?
fluid discoloration from contamination
*Are there any correlations of 2005 Pathy's VIN's to the screwed up Radiators?
not to my knowledge
As of this point I have visually inspected the radiator (No Leaks)
leakage will be internal, therefore, not visible
Transmission does not appear to have any leaks
good
Antifreeze is kind of a Forest green and doesn't seem to be oily and smells like antifreeze
good
I have read about people by-passing the Tranny cooler. Is that an ok idea?
both of mine are by-passed, i can't imagine taking a chance on this issue.
Should I add another one external to the Radiator?
there is already an external transmission cooler

This is a long thread, but full of good information:
http://www.thenissanpath.com/viewtopic.php?t=2139

Jimmy

[Tech]

Just be safe and do the bypass. If it leaks, you may have strawberry milkshake trans fluid and clean coolant, or muddy coolant and clean trans, or bad both. You may experience a "washboard" sensation while driving on smooth roads and may have an altered shift schedule.

Red + green = brown (yellow's a primary color)

If you do the mod, clean the left over fluid out of the rad.

[gilldawg79]

If IT has happened......Wouldn't the transmission fluid mix with the antifreeze and cause discoloration? I My antifreeze is Neon green with no opacity (clear).....However, I just checked my ATF from the dipstick and on a white cloth it is tinted red, but not as red as power steering fluid.

I hope I don't have it

[eieio]

If IT has happened......Wouldn't the transmission fluid mix with the antifreeze and cause discoloration? I My antifreeze is Neon green with no opacity (clear).....However, I just checked my ATF from the dipstick and on a white cloth it is tinted red, but not as red as power steering fluid.

I hope I don't have it

i doubt that you would see much discoloration in the coolant.
might be hard to detect on the dipstick.........
when doing the by-pass, you will get a good look at a small sample of the trans fluid.
you'll know!

[gilldawg79]

Will it be or should it be clear, or if contaminated will it be milky hence the milkshake look?

[eieio]

it should be clear with a reddish tint.
if contaminated, yes, the "milky, milkshake look."
which by-pass method will you be doing?

[gilldawg79]

Assuming I have read all this correctly, I will be disconnecting the two hoses on the bottom of the radiator and connecting them wit a barbed fitting to potentially put it back together if nothing is wrong. However, I believe there is a problem, but I won't know until I disconnect the cooler. If I leave the cooler ports open and it's bad it should leak coolant, correct? My fluid is clear with a red tint, but nowhere near the color of power steering fluid.

[eieio]

This is much easier, and you don't have to buy anything or cut anything!

just did the bypass. easier done than describing it. but I did not use any additional parts. no coupler, no hose clamp (reuse original), no zip tie.

you have 2 hoses -
hose A - from external transmission cooler to radiator (passenger side)
hose B - from radiator (driver side) to engine block.


take hose A off radiator (passenger side) and plug into engine block
take hose B off engine block and plug into radiator (passenger side), forming a loop within.

reuse all the old hose and clamp. length is perfect.

Before


After

[/quote]

[eieio]

However, I believe there is a problem, but I won't know until I disconnect the cooler. If I leave the cooler ports open and it's bad it should leak coolant, correct? My fluid is clear with a red tint, but nowhere near the color of power steering fluid.

Why do you believe there is a problem?
The Trans Oil & Power Steering Fluids may not necessarily look alike!
I don't know that you'd see any coolant coming from the ports. The "tell tale" sign of contaminated trans oil is the "Strawberry Milkshake" appearance. It's very obvious. You'll know it if you see it.

[gilldawg79]

Truck has a slight shimmy. Tires are balanced. Shifting seems fine. Changing in and out of gears are fine. Although, about 2 mos. ago I had to change u joint. Seems odd to change one of those with only 80,000 miles. Changed it out and problem went away. About a week or ago the truck had a shimmy and it still did it even when shifted into neutral at around 55-60 mph. When u joint was bad it quit shimmying. So, a week or two ago when I tried that, I figured it would be the tires out of balance. Had those rotated and balanced and I still have a shimmy. That's when I started reading and discovered all this info. Like I said, fluid is clear, but it's cold, so I really don't know what I am going to see. Wouldn't my level be high as well? I am going to run it and check again. It is clear though. On dipstick anyways.

[gilldawg79]

This is much easier, and you don't have to buy anything or cut anything!

just did the bypass. easier done than describing it. but I did not use any additional parts. no coupler, no hose clamp (reuse original), no zip tie.

you have 2 hoses -
hose A - from external transmission cooler to radiator (passenger side)
hose B - from radiator (driver side) to engine block.


take hose A off radiator (passenger side) and plug into engine block
take hose B off engine block and plug into radiator (passenger side), forming a loop within.

Which side on the radiator is the inlet of the suspect cooler? The passenger side?

reuse all the old hose and clamp. length is perfect.

Before


After

[/quote]

[eieio]

Which side on the radiator is the inlet of the suspect cooler? The passenger side?

I'm not sure, you'd have to look at a flow chart (might be in the service manual).
P.S. I had a hard time finding your question, as it was buried in the text of the quoted post!

[gilldawg79]

Took it for a 6-8 mile spin. Shimmy starts around 40 and becomes a little loud hum at around 65-70. Not major at all though. Still feels more like a tire thing. Checked tranny fluid when I returned and it was clear orangy red. More like the color of cherry 7 up. I checked it several times and the singular drop I get off of diostick is clear. There isn't anything milky about it.

BTW, what color is the j matic fluid. Is it more like cherry 7 up or strawberry syrup?

[eieio]

Can't say that i've compared the three!