2000 Nissan GXE

Reader Question: I own a 2000 Nissan GXE. It will not shift out of third gear. The car is not overheating at all.

Do you know what might be wrong with it? Do you know how much it would cost to repair?

Gene

Hi Gene,

I am sorry for the delay, as I have been swamped with e-mail questions lately. I am assuming this is an automatic transmission. I would check the transmission fluid and make sure it is clean, smells clean, and is at the proper fill level.

If the fluid is brown/black and smells like an old BBQ pit…you probably have internal transmission failure. I am not a transmission mechanic, we send our customers to a local transmission shop.

But, there is not much that you can adjust or work on externally of a transmission, so if the fluid is full it will probably require a transmission shop to remove the transmission pan or the transmission itself for testing and repair. You might just have an electronic problem and one of the solenoids inside has failed and can be replaced without total transmission removal.

I would talk to your regular mechanic and ask them for a recommendation of an honest transmission shop if they do not do that kind of work in house. Even some dealerships sub out their transmission work, so make sure you ask before you just assume they do it there.

You will probably just be paying an up charge for them to make a phone call and sub out the job. I am really not sure about costs, an overhaul could cost you $1500+ and if this were a GM vehicle I would suspect an electronic solenoid replacement would be about $450.

Here is an article about transmission shops, which might come in handy.

How to Select a Transmission Repair Shop

Keep me posted, will ya? Your “fix” might help the next guy with the same problem.

Blessings,
Austin Davis