My 2004 Nissan Sentra has a hard shift when cold from first to second. I looked for technical service bulletin & found 3 NTB04035, 05001 & 08049 but unless you are a dealer you cannot read these.

SOURCE: 2003 nissan sentra gxe trouble shifting into 2nd

Hi. The Nissan has been known to have issues with the stock solenoids that are installed by the factory. The transmission also has a OD shift solenoid as well. I would do two things. ONe, check the fluid level if you can. It shouldn't be caped with a plug but, some models have sealed transmissions. If your model has a dip stick, please check the level of the transmission fluid. If the level is ok, i would drop the pan and check the solenoids to make sure that they are working properly. while the pan is dropped, It will be good to visually inspect the bottom of the pan for metal fragments and discolored fluid.If you see anything not normal like black fluid or metal small fragments, this will not be normal. Although, the shift patterns of this model are quite unusual, I would recommend using the instructions above to make sure that this transmission is not malfunctioning.


please rate and have a great weekend..

SOURCE: 1994 nissan sentra shifting hard

change fluid in trans add lucas for trannys let me know if theres metal in the pan or if you have trouble tell fixya bout me ok

SOURCE: COLD START ROUGH IDLE

I hate to be the barer of bad news, but may be the head gasket.

My car started with rough idle. Then very hard to start in cold weather. Next started overheating, but no output from heater. Trickling sound from behind dash board. Overflow bottle overflowing.......

I replaced the water pump, radiator cap, thermostat, coolant, fan belts, power flushed the system. Nothing worked. Some research gave me the answer.

The head gasket leak was allowing exhaust gases to enter the cooling system, displacing the coolant. After use, as engine cools, coolant is sucked back into the system and coolant seeps into the cylinder. This gets worse over time.

First thing you'll notice is the rough idle as the spark plug burns off the coolant in the cylinder. (This is especially true at low temperatures.) If it is the head gasket, the other symptoms will follow as time goes by.

SOURCE: 04 nissan sentra shifting hard

Do you have a CVT? (Continuosly Variable Transmission) I doubt that you do so if you dont, nissans are known to have hard shift into second gear you mean.(Once the car moves, its already in first gear) so if it shifts fine into other gears, I wouldnt worry too much unless it gets worse.

SOURCE: service engine code P0302 2000 nissan sentra

I would check that spark plug, and have that coil checked or replaced. Also check for any vacuum hose leaks in the area of the cylinder.