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I went for a highway cruise tonight, and my car wasn’t acting strange during the first 30 miles. I came to a stop sign and then my car died. I restarted it and it died again once I put it back into drive. I restarted it, kept the revs at 1500 and put it into drive. It lurched (as it would) and struggled to keep itself going but I was able to get it home. I put it in neutral at stops and built the rpms up when I needed to go. So far idle looks steady in neutral and park, but putting it in reverse or drive causes the rpms to dip to 500, the engine shudders, and it either saves itself or dies. I linked a video and when I put it in reverse you can hear a high pitched whining/scraping noise. Torque converter going out? I’m actually kind of hoping it’s a trans issue an engine issue. That would give me an excuse to finally do the VR trans swap I’ve been wanting to do
The car has 107k on it and the last trans fluid change was at 74k. I dropped the engine oil pan yesterday just to check for any metal fragments and didn’t find anything.
I’m pricing used VR transmissions and valve body components for my current trans, since from what I’ve heard it would have to be swapped into the new trans. Before I pull the plug on anything though I’m going to get a few opinions about the overall health of the power train, and get everything sorted out at once.
the swap is mostly straight forward. The bell housing has to be ported to relocate the crank position sensor. The bell housing adds extra length to the transmission so the mount has to be moved back about 1-2 inches. the driveshaft on the sedan can be reused without modifying it but it is a very tight fit.
The valve body from the G is a direct fit. The VR valve body can be used. But it would have to be reprogrammed to the ecu is the most common reason I see people who have done the swap reuse their original valve body.
Eventually I’m going to get the car NA tuned and maybe go FI, so in my case I think the VR transmission swap is a better option instead of dropping 5-10k on a new oem trans or sending it out to get built. It appears most of the weak points in the VQ variant have been resolved in the VR. Larger torque converter, and better and more clutches.
Scanned the car today and code P1815-00 and B210E-00 popped up. I’m not sure how relevant the first code it is to the issue I’m having since from what I’ve found that code is related to the switches in the shifter for manual mode. Does anyone know if this could be the source of the issue and/or if it could be caused by something else? The second code is described ‘starter relay off.’
The car has been sitting for a while and now it has thrown P0603 (Keep Alive Memory error) and MIL is on. The battery was disconnected for a few days so it hasn’t had time to complete a drive cycle but no other codes have come up. I also removed the headlights to polish them up and when I reinstalled them the side marker and drl no longer turn on.
I’m still planning on doing the VR trans swap, even if my trans ends up not being the root cause of the issues.
The car has been sitting for a while and now it has thrown P0603 (Keep Alive Memory error) and MIL is on. The battery was disconnected for a few days so it hasn’t had time to complete a drive cycle but no other codes have come up. I also removed the headlights to polish them up and when I reinstalled them the side marker and drl no longer turn on.
I’m still planning on doing the VR trans swap, even if my trans ends up not being the root cause of the issues.
They even sell a custom length driveshaft to complete it. The driveshaft is by Power Train Industries which in my experience can't build a good driveshaft, but for this application maybe its good.
They even sell a custom length driveshaft to complete it. The driveshaft is by Power Train Industries which in my experience can't build a good driveshaft, but for this application maybe its good.
this is good! Thanks. I’ve decided to go the extra mile and plan on adding a CSF radiator, trans/engine mounts, inline trans cooler, differential cooler system, rear control arms, and replacing some things that need to be like tie rods, wheel bearings, and a few miscellaneous items. If anyone’s has any recommendations for any of these lmk.
Interested in knowing how the package from Godzilla Raceworks comes together as this path will likely become increasingly popular as many of the R710E model (G) transmission grow old and are swapped with the newer JR711 (Q).
In the back of my mind, I am wondering what the 5AT guys will eventually do. Not much has been discussed, that I have found anyway, on whether the Q's 7AT will work on those who have the 5AT.
My '08 with barely 116k miles is just fine. At the frequency and manner that I drive it will likely outlive me. But for others... Just a curiosity.
Last edited by ILM-NC G37S; 06-09-2023 at 10:56 AM.
Those transmissions are definitely getting up there in age. I owned a 2004.5 G35S for about 7 years (car would be almost 20 year old next year) and don't recall the transmission being something people talked about as problematic.
I recall when I moved to the 7AT/2013, the transmission felt so much better when pushed compared to the 5AT. It struggled to find the right gear at lower speeds, especially in hilly areas, but a few ECU flashes later it seemed more agreeable.
A 7AT from a Q in a G35 would be an interesting project.
Any ideas if a trans dipstick from a 5at g37 could be fitted to the VR trans? I know the dipstick will fit a 7at g37 but I’ve no idea if it would fit the VR since it would be moved back by the bell housing.
04-16-2023, 12:28 AM
