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97 Nissan Altima RPMs too high


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bankshot
Novice

Jul 13, 2009, 10:38 AM

Post #1 of 5 (5005 views)
97 Nissan Altima RPMs too high Sign In

I have a 97 Altima with auto transmission. 128K miles. Over the past 6 months the RPMs have been inconsistent at higher speeds. Use to be that at 55 mph it would be about 1800-2000 RPM when the overdrive kicked in. Now it is at 2500 RPM at 55 mph and the overdrive is kicked in (it is still doing 3 shifts and then shifting to overdrive as it always did). Problem is that at 65 mph it is at 3000 RPM and to sustain that on a climb, it goes to over 3500+ RPM for extended time and overheats the engine. I have cleaned the throttle body thoroughly, had the transmission checked and all looks good there, also had the computer codes checked for any errors even though the check engine light is not on. No error codes in the computer. My friend who has done some mechanic work thinks the torque converter is not working correctly and thinks it might just be a sensor not working correctly to kick it in appropriately. Any ideas on this? The Nissan dealer wants $95 to diagnose it and I'm not too confident they'll figure it out either.


Loren Champlain Sr
Veteran / Moderator
Loren Champlain Sr profile image

Jul 13, 2009, 10:41 AM

Post #2 of 5 (5002 views)
Re: 97 Nissan Altima RPMs too high Sign In

bankshot; I'd agree with your friend. Doesn't sound like it is actually going into lock up. But, as far as the overheating, it shouldn't be getting hot at only 3000 rpm.
Loren
SW Washington


bankshot
Novice

Jul 13, 2009, 10:46 AM

Post #3 of 5 (5001 views)
Re: 97 Nissan Altima RPMs too high Sign In

It doesn't overheat at 3000 rpm, only when I have a long climb at 65 mph plus and try to sustain that and it gets to 3500 rpm or higher for quite some time, then it overheats.


Loren Champlain Sr
Veteran / Moderator
Loren Champlain Sr profile image

Jul 13, 2009, 10:50 AM

Post #4 of 5 (4998 views)
Re: 97 Nissan Altima RPMs too high Sign In

bankshot; Still shouldn't be overheating. I'd address the transmission problem, first, but you may be having cooling system issues as well that weren't apparent before. With the symptoms, the radiator, water pump, and thermostat would be suspect.
Loren
SW Washington


wsmith82
New User

Aug 18, 2009, 10:05 AM

Post #5 of 5 (4898 views)
Re: 97 Nissan Altima RPMs too high Sign In

bankshot,

lets start with your shifting issue - this could be a number of things

1. Loose slip rings on tranny - easy way to check this is to start the car up after it's cooled down to 70 degrees F or below. if the car seems to require more throttle to move the same distance as when it's warm then you will need to have the tranny dropped and have the slip rings tightened/replaced (about $1k at cottman).
2. Transmission overheating - as with all things, heat is your enemy, ESPECIALLY with transmissions. you may want to look into an aftermarket transmission oil cooler, JCWhitney sells them online for around $50 and takes about 45 min to an hour to install.
3. Bad sensor or solenoid - usually shows with ECM error codes, but may need to drop the tranny to verify. this could include a bad solenoid or just a bad wire to it.


Now, to touch on your overheating issue. The transmission could be causing the problem. When your tranny isn't running correctly, it gets hot. This can than put a strain on your engine by trying to pull too much power, which ultimately overheats it. Engines are pretty basic things and when they overheat it can only be from so many issues. They are: Bad water pump, missing belts, clogged/cracked radiator, clogged coolant lines, blown head gasket, bad thermostat, or BAD TRANSMISSION.

The good news is these are all easy to test. If your car is losing coolant than it's a bad water pump, radiator, or head gasket. If your not leaking fluid but overheating, it could be a missing water pump belt, clogged radiator/coolant lines, stuck thermostat, or a bad tranny.

obviously, start with the cheaper things and work your way up.






 
 
 






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