R34GT-X Autobox problems

[EddieR34GT-X]

Hi all,

My car has been in storage for more than a year so today i drove it again after all this time, so was happy as can be 🙂

I have a big problem now: I asked at the UK forum(back in 2021) which was the best oil to use for the autobox of 1999 (120000km), and they replied I should get me some Castrol Transmax ATF Z. We changed the oil in 2021, but then the problem started: after the flush/ oil change the autobox went into limp mode and it wouldn't go into 4th gear: because we didn't have time left I drove home and came back 2 weeks later, having driven only 150 km.We checked the oil but it smelt really burnt and the oil was pitch black after only 2 weeks.

After a long flush of the box (again new oil, this time no Castrol and €300.-) the box worked fine..... but after 2000 kilometers the automatic is playing up again: I can use the kick down but the car sometimes won't go to a higher gear or just revs up high like a CVT: so then at 100 km/hour the revs go to 4000rpm (sounds like second gear) and it doesn't accelerate anymore until i take my foot of the gas.The solution for now is to slow down, put it in "manual" and go to second gear and change gears in that way. Then at 100 km/hour it's driving ok and the kick-down works ......but it is not every time that this occurs, but it's frustrating.

We took down the oil pan and found a lot of "metal particles" at the magnet on the bottom of the pan.

Anyone got any idea or had the same problem?

All the info and idea on where to look is more then welcome

Thanx in advance! Cheers, Eddie

 

[r32-25t]

the uk forum told you the wrong oil to use and you’ve stuffed the clutches and bands in the transmission. You’ll need to remove the the transmission and have it rebuilt and when you put it back in use the correct oil 

[EddieR34GT-X]

Thanx for that quick respons, highly appreciated.

But serious? To bad then: i read their article on what to do to make the gear changes quicker for the autobox and they where all like "this mod is no problem and it works". Should have ordered an MV automatics brain to get it done.

Which transmission oil would you recommend and do you know if there's another way to make the autobox change quicker?

Edited April 6, 2023 by EddieR34GT-X

[Kinkstaah]

I'm not sure on the oil. I thought transmax Z (the auto variant) was entirely fine to use. I used it for many years. I remember its expensive price tag!

However:

What you are experiencing sounds a lot like me to what happened when my first NA box died. As above, it had disentegrated to the point where there was shit clogging the auto trans internal filter. After a little bit of time, it literally sinks back down to the bottom of the sump, and the auto can do it's job.

It is time to consider manual options for your GT-X. I cannot imagine finding another NA AWD R34 box in Europe is a simple thing to do.

Of course, take the box out and seeing what is going on will likely be what happens next. Maybe it's fine. I suspect it won't be. I obliterated my box which had a MV kit in it. The NA auto box is fundamentally shit.

[EddieR34GT-X]

Hi Kinkstaah,

Thanx for all the info you provided, highly appreciated 👌 The "going to manual" is not an option I had in mind as I have to drive an autobox because of a motorcycle incident some 28 years ago (damn, i'm getting old 😅). I found a company in the UK and they had a spare autobox with only 68000km on it and 3 months warrenty..... and at a good price, so I'm going to install it and drive a lot the comming 3 months.... which is great because the summer is comming 😎

I'll keep my fingers crossed it "survives" and "mind a little less" that the box is a "slow mover" on part of gearchange: by the way.... is there a reason why they state specifically the box is for a Neo NA or Neo GTT?  Can you install a GTT box on an NA or is it not a straight fit??

[Kinkstaah]

Thats the thing, and I hope you're pre-cognizantly done this right because...

The NA and GTT boxes have different electronics, the NA has an external transmission control unit, and the GTT has it built into the engine ECU.

But you have a GT-X, which has various GTT bits in a NA platform. (or at least a NA engine). Does it get the GTT gearbox? Does the GT-X only have GTT brakes? I'm not sure if this knowledge still exists, so you may find that the GTT box works perfectly, or is utterly unusable depending on these variables.

If you're morbidly curious you could check the build plate on the firewall. The GTT box is a RE401B, and the GT box is a RE401A, but that still doesn't actually say whether just swapping them in will work fine or not.

The summary I got from the auto transmission specialists who post-mortemmed my GT box and built a GTT box for me more or less said it was "Entirely different" inside, chalk and cheese/much stronger/not a suprise the GT box died, nothing was going to keep it alive, with no specific documentation. I could regugitate words from a decade ago. Bands? Planetary gears? Locking clutches? Supposedly all better.

It's what you want, but even the GTT box is a sad dissapointment. You could go nuts and install a BMW DCT in there if you want a decent Auto skyline, or burn the thing and buy an Auto Mustang 😛 (or any of the turbo euro cars with a DCT)

[EddieR34GT-X]

Hi Kinkstaah,

Thanks again for the amount of information! 👌

On part of GT-X having GTT parts: i don't know what it has extra over a GT, but it defo ain't got the GTT brakes 😅

I ordered a set of disks at DBA to do an upgrade..... but was "to dumb" to not measure them up before ordering at the local DBA distributor: too bad they won't take them back, so I now have a set of discs that won't fit: trying to sell them to someone in the Netherlands because shipping is like way to expensive.

I will install the autobox next week and have 3 months guaranty, so will be driving a lot to check out if something is "bad": i keep you posted about "my luck" or "un-luck" 🤣

Edited April 17, 2023 by EddieR34GT-X

[GTSBoy]

55 minutes ago, EddieR34GT-X said:

i don't know what it has extra over a GT,

LSD and turbo chassis rear suspension arms and shocks (ie, for style, not eyelet style). That's about it.

[EddieR34GT-X]

Thanx for the info: didn't know that because there is no extra aero on my car and already asked myself "what the X stood for" 😎

[EddieR34GT-X]

The old has gone out and the "new" went in: a big difference if you look at the overal state of the old- vs new autobox 😎

Very clean example and works like a charm 👌 It "shifts" a lot quicker and the box stays a lot cooler..... and the kickdown actually works 😅 Been out and about and had a couple of testdrives: the "manual" option reacts just as quick so i'm a happy chappy 😊 Thanx all for the help and info 👊