hellfyre

If you do the drain and fill:
First time = 45% new stuff
Second time = 70% new
Third time = 83%
Fourth time = 90%
Fifth = 95%
Sixth time = 97%

Just finished mine today. I unplugged the wrong end of the cooler return line. Only managed to splash .6 quarts.

t0mmyr

i still dont understand the flush process, i have my pan off, and fluid drained from it, just got a new screen and gasket 2 minutes ago, car is on the lift...

do i disconnect a hose and start the car with the pan off? or put the pan on, fill with 5? quarts, disconnect the hose, turn car on and it will drain out of hose? then what do i do? while it drains continue to add more oil to engine tube up top?"?? how much, im confused, im not even sure if i want to flush my fluid i was just gonna drain a qt cause it seemed to high every time i checked it but when i removed the bolt the bolt when flying and i drained to much so i decided to take the pan off then and clean it and refil it, can i just refil it without flush or is it that much better?

hellfyre

NOOO..

I assume this is where you are now:
Pan has been drained, dropped and cleaned.

Next take of the filter/screen/mesh and install the new one (or clean the old one and reuse it). Then install the pan with a new gasket on top to the tranny. You still shouldn't be touching the hose. With the pan re-installed, fill in as much tranny fluid as you drained, i.e. if you drained 4.5 quarts at the beginning then add in 4.5 quarts via the tranny oil dip stick.

Wait for a few minutes (i gave it 10 minutes) to let the fluid drop into the tranny pan. You still haven't touched any hose yet.

So now you have completed this much: draining the pan, dropping the pan, cleaning the pan, installing the new gasket on to the pan, dropping the filter, installing a new filter, putting the pan back on to the tranny and then filling in new liquid (AFTER ALL THIS) -> then disconnect the cooler return line hose from the tranny end and point it to a collection container. It is ideal if you can read the amount of fluid in the container.

So now that you have the hose disconnected and aimed into the collection vessel, its time to turn on the car. BUT BEFORE YOU TURN ON THE CAR, make sure you have tranny fluid ready to pour in via the dip stick as soon as you start the car. So ideally it would proceed like this, you turn on the car, and fluid starts gushing out of the hose into your collection vessel and at the same time you are pouring NEW fluid via dipstick. You will not be able to pour in as fast as it drains. So after 5.5 ish quarts is in the collection vessel, turn off the engine. Keep adding tranny fluid via dipstick until you have replaced the amount of fluid you have drained via the hose. If you turn the car off with 5.5 quarts in the container, then i think around .5 quarts more will come out after you turn off the car.
Put the hose back on and you should be done.


So you have completed the flush. You replaced 4.5 quarts after re-installing the pan and another 5.5-6 quarts after flushing the old fluid through the hose.

t0mmyr

ok this is very helpful thanks, so far i have dropped the pan, and the screen, put a new on one, new gasket and put the pan back up with threadlocker on all the outer bolts.... i dont know how much fluid was drained when i emptied ti cause i only planned on empting 1qt but it got out of control so i let it all dump into our funnel drain thing...

so im gonna go with your recommendation right now and add 4.5 qts trans fluid from the dipstick. let it sit for about 10 minutes then check level on stick.........then i have to disconnect which line? you said cooler return line hose from the tranny end, is that the one marked Return Line disconnected from radiator in the first pic on the first page of this thread? i havent found this line yet, do i have to remove plastic sheilds to get to it?........im gonna have 5 -6 qts ready to pour in while i remote start my car from the front, (i dont have to put it in drive or anything do i? can i leave it in park while it spews out? does this sound good? can you give me a little more advise which hose to disconnect, i have about 10 minutes or so till i check this post again, thanks alot

t0mmyr

oh and another thing, im looking around my shop for empty bottles and i don't have anything that will help me judge 5.5quarts, whats the equivelent of this? i suck at math

i have empty 1gallon bottle, empty 2 gallon gas tank, empty 2gallon 8oz tank, and empty 5 gallon jugs what equals 5.5qt?

hellfyre

You will have to take of that plastic shield in front of the tranny pan to see the hose. I think there are six bolts and they are 10mm too. There are 2 hoses. One connects to the tranny near a big bolt and the other is the cooler return line which is the hose about the first hose.
It is shown here:
http://www.greghome.com/images/Maxim...urnLineOff.jpg
That the line you need to disconnect. I disconnected it exactly as shown in the picture and had the fluid splash everywhere. Instead you have to disconnect the end that is connected to the tranny and not the radiator. The fluid comes out of the radiator end. I hope i am right one all of this. TOday is the second day and everything seems fine.

I didn't run through the gears since I did not remember it and don't know if you need to run through them.


1 US gallon = 4 US quart
8 US fluid ounces = 0.25 US quart (I think this is the "oz" you have)
You can just do it with the 1 gallon bottle. you can drain 4 and then 1.5 or 3 and 2.5.

sorry for the delay.. I was chaning my brake pads and bleeding the brake lines.

t0mmyr

well i disconnected the hose connected to the radiator, of course i thought when i turned the car on it was gonna come out the hose but my mistake switched it on, big mess, liquid came shooting out of radiator, lol. quickly shut off car and attached another hose to the radiated, drained about 1 and a half gallons of the fluid coming out as my friend poured in 5-6 quarts, shut it off and finished putting the last quart in, im just finishing up some electrical work i had to do and i have it running for about 5 minutes to check the cold temp, hopefully its right on the line then i can drive it for a while and check the hot temp....man it feels like i wasted so much atf fluid today, it was relatively clean i think it had all its oils changed before i bought the car, o well...i hope the gear shifts smoother than before cause it had way too much oil before

t0mmyr

oh ya i wanted to ask, do i check the cold and hot fluid level when the car is running or shut off the car before i check the level>?

alexthedroog

I just bought a 98 maxima se with 148,000 on it..the previous owner was a sales person so she put alot miles on it. I had it checked out by a mechanic and he said if the AT fluid hadnt been changed then don't...it could mess up the tranny. Is this true?

Love_00_Max

What I would do if there is so many miles on it is start with draining 2 quarts and filling in cheap DexronIII ATF. I would do this atleast 4 times over 6 months and determine the tranny is not shocked with this "new" fluid and its detergents. After that I would go with an Auto-RX cleaning (cleans all the valve body and soleniod assembly of the gunk etc) and then flush the tranny with new good ATF after cleaning the magents by dropping the pan.

In short you need to be nice with the fluid changes since there is so many miles on the car, don't shock the tranny by being hasty with the ATF drain and fills. Take your time and space out the drain and fills, before the final flush.

alexthedroog

thanx...the manuel says to use Nissan Matic D ATF.... is that necessary or just a "keep it in the family" scheme

cam_honestiam

iTrader: (2)

I found this article, and it helped me:

http://www.trustmymechanic.com/transslip.html

"If your vehicle has high mileage (> 80,000 miles) and the transmission has not been maintained, I would not recommend replacing the fluid and filter. The fluid that has been in the transmission all this time has become dirty and gritty. This gritty fluid is actually providing needed friction for the worn internal parts of the transmission. Changing the fluid and replacing the filter would remove this friction that the internal transmission parts have become dependent on. If you have not been regularly maintaining the transmission throughout the life of the car, you might actually be doing more harm than good if you replace the transmission fluid at this point. For example, putting new clean slick transmission fluid in an older high mileage vehicle could cause the transmission to slip.

If you are not experiencing a problem, have over 80,000 miles on your car, and have not kept up regular maintenance on the transmission, my advice would be to leave the transmission fluid and filter alone. If you are experiencing a transmission problem like those listed above, seek the advice of a qualified transmission shop before allowing your regular mechanic to service the transmission.

I learned about this problem several years ago...the hard way. We had two cars in our shop with these "minor" transmission symptoms that I have listed above, and both of them had to be towed out to the transmission shop after servicing. The old fluid was gritty due to metal shavings caused by normal internal wear and tear on the transmission clutches and was acting like liquid sandpaper. This "sandpaper" was producing the friction needed for the transmission to pull itself. When we changed the filter and replaced the old fluid with new fluid, the clutches inside the transmission had nothing to grab on to. Sometimes even the best of us learn lessons the hard (and expensive) way."

blackpearle

Just did a flush and fill on my I35. It has 59K highway miles, the fluid didn't look too bad, it was a little dark, but not bad. Re-filled it with Mobil 1 synthetic ATF, 4 quarts was perfect. I must say, I can tell that the shifts are better. I'll probably drop the pan next time, clean it out, and add another 4 or so quarts of Mobil 1.

CRiME

iTrader: (21)

Well i just did this today and thought i would post a basic recap of my experience, in case anyone else is considering doing this and looking for other people's end results.

First of all, thanks for the writeup and all of the helpful followups. I did it the lazy way; I didn't drop the pan, because i took it to a lube place a few months ago and figured the screen and magnet should still be in decent shape.

My car has 130k. I started by buying 11 quarts of Mobil1 synthetic ATF from Autozone (picked up one extra just in case, never a bad idea). This came up to about $70.

I disconnected the return line as pictured, and as others have said, once the car was started, ATF was shooting everywhere from my radiator. I think the only thing that should be made more clear in the picture is that the ATF will come out from the radiator, and not from that hose (although common sense should have hinted to me that since it's a "return" line, it must be "returning" the atf from the radiator to the tranny. lol. ). Instead, i disconnected the other hose, and ran that into a 1gal milk container. In retrospect, I should have disconnected the return line directly from the tranny to remove any old fluid from the rad as well, but as they say, hindsight is 20/20.

Once I ran the other hose into the container, I started the car, and it began to fill up quickly. My ATF was horrible, almost brown. As it drained, I ran through the gears, and began to refill the tranny with fresh fluid. Once the jug was full, I shut the car off. After re-adding a total of 4quarts (since the jug of old fluid filled up faster than I could refill the tranny with fresh fluid), i grabbed another jug, and started the car again. Same deal here, ran through all gears while the jug filled up, and added ATF. Jug filled up, shut the car off, then once I completed the addition of 4quarts, I placed another empty jug under the hose and started the car again. At this point, the fluid that was being released was markedly brighter (basically the same color as the fresh ATF), so I knew that the flush was working. I continued running through the gears. This time, I shut the car off when the jug was half full with old ATF. Since this gave me roughly 2 quarts, I re added a total of 2 quarts.

I reattached the hose, started it again, checked for leaks, and all was good. After cleaning up the huge mess from the fluid spewing onto the tranny and what not, I put back the splash shields. I started the car again, and let it run for a few minutes to heat up. Then I shut it off, and checked the fluid level. It needed a little more ATF (probably from all of the fluid that i lost on the street during the surprise blast), so I added half of a quart (buying the extra bottle paid off in the end).

I drove around, and the difference is like night and day. No slipping, no thumping, no . My only regret is failing to have done this sooner. My 1-2 shift has smoothed out considerably, and the slight bump that I was getting from 2-3 has been eliminated; things just generally feel better. For all of you guys who are apprehensive about doing this, I really think that you have nothing to lose. It was so easy, and if you're feeling lazy, you don't even have to drop the pan.

Thanks again for all of the information. The $20 that I spent in donating to this site is probably the best $20 that I've spent in a while, because within the 9 months that I've owned this car, this place has saved me so much money on mechanics, and I know so much more about my car from reading, searching, etc. GL to all.

02maxxxSE

iTrader: (6)

I had a local shop do my ATF and all he used was 4 quarts. He told me that a full flush is "definately not needed until 100k miles." My max has 68. He used OEM Nissan fluid.

Any truth to this? Or should I do a complete flush soon?

thelastz28

Does anyone have any pictures on how to drain the trans fluid and drop the oil pan to change the "filter". Thanks guys. I have a 3.0L '87.

knapp9

iTrader: (1)

Try this link...

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/335521/3

!PrjctMax!

iTrader: (38)

I've scrolled through the comments and haven't seen anything about 6th gen auto. fluid. I'm assuming that the trans might/would be different than other Max's. So main question being, what kind of fluid could you put in for quicker shifts but still keep safety of the trans in mind, and how often should you change your trans fluid?

Thanks
Dan

VQ30GTR

I disagree with the dealer's contentions. I had a flush performed at 30k. Then about 18k later I dropped the pan. It was nasty on the bottom of that pan; metal shavings everywhere. A flush probably is effective elsewhere in the transmission, but only a true cleaning is achieved when dropping the pan and doing it yourself.[/QUOTE]

Now if you go and have a tranny flush, will all of those metal shavings just get blown into every little spot in your tranny possible? Most shops I asked, said tranny flush is not a good idea for this reason.

pulsar_man

thanks guys for info

pulsar_man

tanks for info

tyler5

can anyone please give me the nissan oem codes for all the parts necessary for the transmission oil change? i'm from Europe, if it makes any difference.

Dasyce

iTrader: (3)

Here’s a question, is it bad to change the ATF too often, like do a simple drain and refill every 7500 miles?

edjose17

Here is a link from the Nissanclub forums, apparently AMSOIL has recommended their universal ATF to be compatible with Nissan MAtic D, J and K.
http://www.nissanclub.com/forums/200...ny-owners.html

q45Owner

I hope everyone is checking the tranny fluid level when the car is at operating temperature, parked on a level surface, in "P" while the engine is running. That is the main difference b/w tranny and motor oil level checks, you need the car running when checking tranny fluid levels.

scott_gunn

I'm having trouble getting the one nut off to drop the transmission screen. I'm using a ratchet and it just keeps spinning as if I needed to hold the other side of it somehow. Of course it was the very last one I tried - all of the bolts came out no problem.

Is there a trick to getting the nut off?

scott_gunn

Nevermind - I searched some more and found out that you have to hold the end of the nut with some pliers - so I did that but deformed the threads just enough so that it wouldn't spin freely off the end but once it got that far down there was no room to grab the nut.

Oh well, the rest of the flush went fine. The old fluid looked pretty good, the magnets were covered in fine shavings so I cleaned them off and I got 10 quarts of Amsoil in there now and a new gasket (the old one was slowly leaking all around).

Thanks for all the info in this thread. It is great!

eilison

Just did the ATF change the past weekend!
DIY is fun!
The result is impressive. The ride really is smoother and quiter now.
Thanks to this great thread! I can't do it without all the discussions.

just my two cents:
This link is pretty good(with pic):
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/335521/3

another good pic:
http://www.greghome.com/images/Maxim...urnLineOff.jpg
However, please DO NOT disconnect your hose as it is shown on pic AND hook up the hose with your jug! This has been pointed out earlier at this thread. This link actually showed the process of installing a cooler, not an ATF change. Basically, the fluid flows back from radiator to tranny--hence it is called 'return line'--

http://www.greghome.com/images/Maxim...annyLines1.jpg

so the fluid flows out of radiator. If you disconnect hose this way and do not take care of the radiator outlet, the fluid would gush out of radiator when you'd turn on the engine--it'd be pretty ugly :-(

In fact, I found it hard to disconnect the hose at the tranny end before I disconnected it from radiator end and hooked up a 1/2'' vinyl clear tube(got it from Homedepot for $3) to the radiator end to a milk jug.

Materials: (I live in sourthern california)
Wasn't able to get any Amsoil(It isn't on the mass market )
Got Mobile 1 Synthetic ATF for $5.94/quart at Walmart. Autozone carries it for $6.29/quart

hope it helps!
eilison

chernmax

iTrader: (15)

Great write up and nice pic's on your web site. I took my car to a transmission place today for my 30K service. The guy did an awesome job, NO power flush machine because IMO, they do not effectively clean your transmission. He dropped the pan, cleaned the screen, magnets, changed the gasket and O-ring and used (ordered from the dealer) Genuine Nissan ATF Type "K" like called for in my owners manual. Reused all the bolts because they were still in great shape and bolt changing is recommended but not required.

I thought about using AMSOL, however since it's not recommended to change all the transmission fluid, I did not want to mix two brands. Anyway the Nissan Warning is pretty big in the owners manual so I went with it!!!

Anyway, once complete the tranny felt smooth and responsive with no slippage...

normkit108

anyone know where one can buy the Genuine Nissan ATF Type D for cheap? thanks.

Love_00_Max

Instead of buying a blend OEM fluid, I would go with a good Multi-Vehicle ATF, Mercon V (dual speced to DexronIII) or better syn ATF.

shurik

iTrader: (6)

Hey guys I have a question! What kind of tranny oil is not recommened for our car? I've heard that regular A/T oil should be good, but to stay away from Dextron?
I've had a tranny flush and had it all changed like 3 month ago! Don't know what oil they used but my tranny seems like is messing up now! If I go there with my own oil they'll still probably use thiers and keep mine insead! What should I do???

alexthedroog

thanx much...this eases my mind..

SmurfLeech

I have to wonder about the article (http://www.trustmymechanic.com/transslip.html), though. Sure you could leave your transmission fluid unchanged, but how much more damage will be done to your transmission by not changing the fluid? The gears and other parts will continue to wear down and then you'll have to replace those parts in the transmission. Worse yet, the whole transmission.

MichMaxFan

Could somebody help on these prices?....

Local dealer: $23 gasket only
Online: $13 gasket only
NAPA, Advance, etc: approx $4 for gasket only
Autozone: $23 gasket & screen.

Since I had my fluid (only a drain & "filter") changed and the pan dropped at the tranny shop 12,000miles ago (60K then, 72K on car now) I shouldn't need the screen, right? And, why such the diff in gasket prices?? Do you get what you pay for or is there rip-off going on?

I want to put in some AutoRx and then, possibly, switch to Amsol, but not sure if it is such a good idea at 72K miles. Any thoughts?

Also, some on the .org have replaced the 21 bolts, others not. If I use Permatex #3 that someone said he used, any chance of it coming off the bolts into tranny? Just wanna be careful on how this pan is sealed up after I remove it (I got a small area beginning to leak) and not let any foreign material get in there.

Thks in advance.

knapp9

iTrader: (1)

The difference in gasket prices is interesting. I don't know what the difference in quality among all them would be, but I can tell you generally that Nissan parts tend to be better than average quality. My impression of Nissan tanny gaskets (I've bought 2) are that they are thin, but tough little gaskets. If the $13 "online" gasket is Nissan brand, I'd suggest that one is the best buy. Assuming your tranny shop mechanic cleaned the pan when he dropped it 12K miles ago, normally I'd say not to bother dropping the pan again. Just do a drain and refill. But in this case you got a small leak developing which is disappointing considering the recent fluid change. That could be due to a lack of sealant on the bolts, but I'd be more suspicious of the gasket. Hope your mechanic put a new one on 12K ago??? As a result I would drop the pan the next time you change the fluid and replace the gasket just to be on the safe side. Otherwise I'd just do the drain and refill and keep the leak on "watch" for a while longer. I'm not a fan of Auro Rx in trannys, but that's just me. Good luck.

MichMaxFan

knapp9,

I was thinking along the $13 for the gasket as well. It was at Nissanpartscheap.com but I have not checked shipping costs, etc nor Dave B. to really see if it's worth messing w/ to save a few bucks or not.

Why are you not a fan of Rx in trannys? Just curious and learning. I am a bit hesitant since there is no filter to catch any grime that is released in the cleaning process, so I am still deciding but leaning towards it based upon other's recommendations. Not sure...

Also, about the tranny bolts...just smear on some Permatex #3 on them? Any other suggestions on sealing them up?

Thks.

knapp9

iTrader: (1)

DaveB? That changes everything. Order from him. I've ordered from DaveB myself. He is good, and I found his prices to be extremely competitive...extremely! I'd bet he will be close enough to that $13 Nissanpartscheap.com price that his customer service is well worth the little difference. You may want to take advantage of it all by adding in a few other items you were "thinking" about but not quite ready to order...extra oil filters, new radiator cap, etc...to make an order for just the gasket worthwhile if need be.

Permatex #3 is probably a-ok. Put it clsoe to the base of the screws so it seals by the pan/gasket.

I've used AutoRx in engines and think it does a good job in that environment. A tranny however is different in that it is generally sealed and not susceptable to combustion byproducts (acid, etc.) and gasoline. A tranny is also more difficult to thoroughly flush than what you get with an engine oil drain. You can use it if you want. It probably does no harm. I just don't think it does much good in a tranny. Others may disagree.

MichMaxFan

Thanks very much for the info...yes, I have bought from Dave B. before & LOTS of savings (MAF, plugs, belts, 6 coils). Still gotta somehow get the power steering belt on! Had to stop at the alternator belt 'cause it seemed awfully hard to get to..

Anyway, do you suggest any Dextron III fluid in lieu of the Nissan D-matic or Amsoil that might be savings and yet not junk fluid? It seems as though some on BITOG site use fluids loosely, but I don't see that these tranny's are anything to play with and save $10-$20 and toast a trans. Since I'll need 12-15 qts to change it out (if I use cooler line method - more if I drain/fill) I don't know for sure about $9-$10/qt of the Amsoil....(although I WANT it!)....

knapp9

iTrader: (1)

Check your owners manual for the fluid capacity. Oddly enought, both my '01 Maxima V6 and '01 Altima 4 cyl. use 10 quarts total. I am of the camp that believes any name brand Dextron III fluid is perfectly good. I've used Pennzoil ATF in both my Nissan cars for years. I wouldn't hesitate to use Castrol, Valvoline, Chevron, AAMCO, or any other readilty available D3 ATF either. I tried Mobil 1 ATF for awhile, but couldn't tell a bit of difference and decided not to waste the $$$. Many on this site swear by Amsoil ATF and I have no doubt is a very good synthetic fluid, but I do not use it personally even though I do use Amsoil motor oil in the Maxima.

Pick a drain/flush OCI...15K or 30K miles you're comfortable with, find a fluid brand you like, and sleep well at night. Periodic maintenance is the key to long tranny life. Other "finetunings" are nice, but not critical.