I have seen quite a few posts on Nissan trans problems. Well here’s a
tip (Sequential steps) to help you prevent future problems.

How many of you don’t use your parking brake, including 5sp manual?
Have you ever put your car in park on a hill and found the gearshift
hard to pull or heard a loud popping noise when you did get it in
gear?

Okay, here’s my sequential steps (I’ve had over ten cars and never
lost a trans)

1. If this is your 1st time getting in the car set the parking brake.
Start the car then move the shifter to neutral. Your parking brake
should hold the vehicle and keep it from rolling if on a slope. If
your parking brake doesn’t hold, guess what?

2. For automatics ONLY, put the gearshift in park. Turn off the
engine. If you set the parking brake first, before putting the
gearshift in park the weight of the vehicle will be supported by your
brakes and NOT your transmission.

3. For sticks, leave gearshift in neutral and the parking brake set,
turn off the engine. The more times you put 2000 plus pounds of weight
on your gears and clutch pressure plate, the faster you’ll wear them
out.

I’m sure for some this may be learning to do something new, but it’s
not that hard. This is simple and can save you a lot of trans
headaches, especially if your vehicle is relatively new.

For some this may be advise too late in coming, but I hope it helps
someone out there.

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SETITOFF wrote:

<snip>

You mean there are people out there who use the engine compression to
hold the car still while parked? Surely the car gently crawls down the
slope as the engine leaks compressin past the valves or rings?

Nowt so queer as folks.

Andy

in article 42376656$0$10951$cc9e4d1f (AT) news-text (DOT) dial.pipex.com, Andy Champ at
no.way (AT) nospam (DOT) com wrote on 3/15/05 2:49 PM:

Yeah, that's why I put change in the next meter downhill from where I park,
too!

-jeff

Putting the parking brake on will not "save" or make you automatic tranny
last longer.


When an automatic is put in park the transmission uses a mechanical method
to lock the input shaft.

It is called the parking pawl, the parking pawl gear is a square toothed
gear located just before the final drive gear set (on a FWD car),and a
mechanically actuated arm that comes down into one of the recesses in the
parking gear, the reason the car may roll a few inches when putting it into
park is because the arm has hit a high spot on the gear and needs to advance
a bit before locking.

also the reason the trans is hard to get into gear while parked on a hill is
because the parking system has pressure on it because it is holding the
car's weight.



"SETITOFF" <UseLinkToEmail (AT) AutoForumz (DOT) com> wrote

"Jeff Olsen" wrote:
You got me on that one...I had 1 too many Hennesseys when I wrote that


Bottom line, don’t use your trans to hold the weight of your car, use
your parking brake.

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"NissTech2" wrote:
If you think my suggestion is a waste of space then never mind, but if
you think it has some validity, start practicing it.

If I have put something out that keeps a mechanic from making some
money, so be it. They’ll always be able to make a paycheck one way or
the other.

"SETITOFF" <UseLinkToEmail (AT) AutoForumz (DOT) com> wrote

This alone won't prevent all transmission problems but I'm sure it helps. I
do, however have a few points to mention. Letting the brake or the
transmission alone hold the vehicle is a bad idea. I've had a 5-speed creep
on me and had a Ford automatic pop out of park and cross a busy street
backwards. Use them both but set the brake first. The exception is in
freezing weather. It is not uncommon to have a parking brake freeze in Ohio.

Chris

"Chris" <cjohnson1379nospam (AT) earthlink (DOT) net> wrote

use a parking brake!
That's what it is there for, "parking". I know some of you call it an
"emergency brake", but FFS, try stopping in a hurry by using it?
When you park, use it. Simple. Whether you car has MT or AT, what harm can
it do? (unless you live in Ohio :-))

Greg.

Greg wrote:
Not just Ohio. I had a handbrake (as we call it) freeze on me in
England once. The old-style Mini has a cable operated handbrake, and
the cables are underneath the rear swinging arms - just where all the
slush splashes.

That's once, and I've been driving over 25 years!

Andy

I have been using the parking brake on every car, van or SUV I had in the
last 40 years every time every season and living in the north east.