I have a 1996 Nissan maxima that I love owning, driving, and
maintaining.

I do not know how many miles are on the car as the odometer was
replaced about 6-7 years ago.

It has been at least 35k miles since I had the transmission serviced,
so I figure its time to do something.

The only tranny related problem is as follows;

When I first start the car, I shift it into reverse and back it out of
the driveway. No Problem.
When I put it in drive and gently step on the gas the car does not go
anywhere at first.
I need to shift in and out of drive and gently accelerate again to get
it to move.
Once on the road, it is 100% fine. It runs fine and shifts smoothly.
When I last had the transmission fluid drained and filled, I used the
good synthetic stuff. I check the fluid regularly and the color and
level are exactly where they need to be.

Is this an indication that my transmission is on its way out? Any
preventative maintenance I can do to extend transmission life at this
point?

The car has always been absolutely babied, always been driven VERY
gently. VERY, VERY gently.

I have been told that the problem described above might be a linkage
problem.

If you have any knowledge of this, please let me know.

I have read that this transmission has a 'valve upgrade' available.
Any knowledge on this?

When doing a routine 25k transmission service on this car, what is the
best way to go?

Just a drain and fill?

If a 'full flush' is advisable, how do I know the machine the shop
uses will have the best kind of fluid in it?

What is the most advisable type of fluid to use to maximize longevity
and reliability?

Any adivce on how to make this transmission last forever is greatly
appreciated.

Here are pictures of my beloved maxima that I want to last for the
rest of my life;
http://forums.maxima.org/members/tonyinclearwater-albums-clean-black-maxima.html

"TonyInClearwater" wrote: (clip) When I first start the car, (clip)I put it
in drive and gently step on the gas the car does not go anywhere at first. I
need to shift in and out of drive and gently accelerate again to get it to
move.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Have you ever seen the inside of an automatic transmission? Very
complicated. It would be nice for it to be a linkage problem, but I see
that as unlikely. Your transmission won't go into drive *when it's cold.*
It could be one of the pistons that's sticking, or any of a number of
things. Best to have a transmission shop look at it. Find one that has a
good reputation, or talk to your regular mechanic for a recommendation. A
good transmission specialist can probably diagnose it by driving the car.
Also, they can plug it into a computer and get a diagnosis. Stay away from
the big chains.

On Dec 7, 9:48*pm, TonyInClearwater <tonyinclearwa... (AT) yahoo (DOT) com>
wrote:

DO NOT flush. Drain and fill. Older trannies often fail after a flush.
Drain and fill will maximize (Excuse the pun the life of your older
tranny. An even better idea to make it last, keep the fluid as fresh
as possible. Instead of putting synthetic fluid in there, you might
try using regular tranny fluid and drain/fill once a year. The biggest
advantage of synthetic is longevity, and if you change the fluid
frequently, the synthetic advantage is wasted, so save some money.

I saw your pictures on Maxima.org. Did you know that the tail section
is not OEM? Your 96 Maxima has a 97-99 Tail section. I've always been
a big fan of the 97 thru 99 Look. Actually, I still think the 97-99
Maximas are the best looking Maxima ever, even when compared to the
new 2009, 300 HP Maxima.


Anyhow, enjoy the ride.

CD

On Dec 8, 10:09*am, codifus <codi... (AT) optonline (DOT) net> wrote:
Very observant. Yes, when I had the car painted I had the tail lights
replaced with the 1998 lights. I also had the GLE front spoiler
replaced with the spolier with the fog lights.

On Sun, 7 Dec 2008 18:48:22 -0800 (PST), TonyInClearwater
<tonyinclearwater (AT) yahoo (DOT) com> wrote:

Are you sure that synthetic fluid is made for your tranny?
I'd ask a dealer. Dont rely on what it says on the bottle. They just
want to make a sale, they dont care if it works or not.

I have been using Mobil 1 Synthetic oil in my 2000 Maxima since 55,000
miles. At 158,000, I changed to Amsoil inn my crankcase as well as
the tranny. It still runs great and shifts smoothly. What a great
car.

On Dec 9, 7:48*pm, Robert Black <blackstall... (AT) email (DOT) com> wrote:
Synthetic oils do everything thing that dino oils do, but better.
Compatibilty is not an issue.

CD

On Dec 8, 2:57*pm, TonyInClearwater <tonyinclearwa... (AT) yahoo (DOT) com>
wrote:
By the way, that valve body upgrade you see on maxima.org, is catered
to the performance oriented enthusiasts who want to make their tranny
shift faster. I'm not so sure it will enhance reliability of the
tranny, though.

CD

You probably did this already but I'm just going to suggest it
anyway. When you check your tranny fluid level, do you do it per the
FSM? Engine warm, at idle? I didn't know I had to check it that way
so my level was off. Luckily not by much so no problems from it. I
helped a friend drain and fill their Caravan but we didn't know it
also had to be checked when warm and at idle. The level was off and
kept slipping pretty bad. Fill up properly and no slippage.

I changed to Amsoil at around 40K. I flush my tranny by running the
engine method. I try to flush it every 30K. Over kill but I too like
the OP want my car to last forever. Now at 137K and the tranny still
shifts smooth.

I've read that the valve body upgrade extends a tranny's life.

Another thing that could help is put in an AT fluid cooler