maximadriver

I went to have my oil changed last month and was told my transmission fluid (I have an automatic) also needed to be changed. I checked the stick and sure enough, it's very dark, almost black. So I decided to take it in today and have it done. I was told there will be no warranty on the service because if the fluid has never been changed, the new fluid could break up gunk around the seals and cause leaks. Basically the same thing that can happen when switching a high mileage car to Synthetic. I've owned the car since 88k and it's now got right under 110k. I'm not sure what to do. I just spent a little over $1,200 in suspension repairs, starter replacement, and other odds and ends. I can't afford transmission problems anytime soon. I was told to take it into a transmission specialist to have it inspected.

Is it possible for a transmission specialist to check the seals without removing/dissasemballing the transmission?

Could anything inside the transmission break from the fluid change if it has any gunk buildup?

Has anyone changed their transmission fluid for the first time after 100k miles, have there been any problems? (Please let me know if you have and there haven't been any problems)

Again this is an automatic transmission... Thanks...

Nismo

iTrader: (18)

what can happen sometimes is that particles that break off the clutches may get flushed around and possible end up in parts like the valve body and may jam up valves in the valvebody.

nadir_s

daaaaaaaaaaaaamn, no tranny oil change for the past 100k miles?! Do you know that there are more moving parts in a transmission than an engine??

Well, changing to synthetic is probably not a good idea because it's thin and it may seep through IF you have leaks. When changing an auto tranny oil, there's an oil pan so that the seals around there shouldn't be too hard to fix actually. You can do it yourself for sure. There will also be a filter you can change when you drop the tranny oil pan. You can search to find the "how-to" for changing that.

Your primary concern is that the reason you change tranny oil is because metal shavings/dust whatever, gets built up and eventually damages the whole transmission. If you aren't having problems now, I think you should be fine. Just change the tranny oil and I'm sure you will feel a much smoother acceleration and ride.

If you are concerned about major leaks that are blocked by gunk or whatever, you should'nt have to worry much because it becomes a problem when you get the tranny FLUSHED... you're just changin the tranny oil so it should be fine. Good luck

maximadriver

Heh... I just never checked the fluid when I bought the car. I was told it was given a full tune up and axle replacements right before I bought it. I should have checked it though because an axle broke on me just last month. I figured I would be fine buying the car through a dealer friend of mine.
That's what I'm thinking... There is not a single problem with it right now. Maybe a slight lag in downshifting and some strange shift logic (I think that's more fault of the shift programming than anything else), but no RPM jumps, no strange noises, and not a drop leaking.
I was going to get it completely flushed. I would think that would be the best way to get out all the bits of metal and such that could junk up the valvebody. What I was thinking is drain the entire fluid from the transmission, then fill it with new fluid. Run it around for a few hours, then drain it again with a magnet in the fluid that's draining. Then fill it again, and repeat at least one more time. That should get the shavings out and show me exactly what's floating around in there. What do you guys think?

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

Search on here for transimssion flushing. There is a great thread with specific instructions on how to do it yourself. Get a new gasket from Nissan, drain and drop the pan. There are magnets in the bottom that I'm sure will be full of a metallic sludge. Clean them off, clean the bottom of the pan, replace the gasket and put the pan back up. Now your nice and clean. Then refill the tranny with approx 4 qts. and proceed to flush the rest of the system clean. It's really easy to do once you find the thread. It involves taking one hose off the stock tranny cooler which goes into your radiator. Have a buddy handy to help you with while you pump out the fluid. It's pumped out when you start the car.

Don't worry about tranny problems after you change the fluid, thats just a myth. Get that old fluid out of there.

If your not 100% sure you can do the complete service yourself, most Nissan dealers will do it for you for about 100 bucks. It's money well spent.