I was going to change my 5spd trans fluid, but I couldn't get the drain screw off. It is on sooooo tight. Which makes me wonder if I have the correct drain plug....is it the screw on the way bottom or could it be the bolt 2 or 3 inches south-west of the filler plug?

 

I'm about to attempt this soon also as I just bought Redline fluid (expensive stuff!). There are directions on Andi's Maxima Website telling you how to change the fluid and providing verbal descriptions of the drain plug(s). There may be a link form this site. Good luck.

 

If I reacall correctly it was very tight and hard to get to when I did it.

Again, if I recall it is on the passenger side of the tranny about half way back.

 

I just checked the Steve Cutchen page (thatnks kratz74) and it says it's a bolt on the right...hmmm...well i'll check tomorrow. If anyone knows any easy way to identify the bolt, reply.

 

MacGyver: I just put Redline in my Transmission 2 weeks ago. I found the fill plug, but I had a hell of a time finding the drain plug. Ironically the drain plug is the bolt that is above and to the right of the fill plug. Go figure. I called Courtesy and talked with someone who didn't seem to be too familiar with our car. He sent me a fax and it said the drain plug was on the passenger side of the car. I believe the drain plug was either 10mm or 12mm. Once you pop it off let your tranny drain thoroughly before putting in your new fluid. I noticed a difference right when I got in the car, and it's been good ever since
Hope that helped.
-hype

 

If you've tried everything and still can't get it off. Take it to the dealership and they should doit for free.

 

the drain plug can't be above the fill plug....

 

Ok so you're right I guess I spent too long under my car the day I drained the fluid. The drain plug is down and to the right of the fill. I still think I'm right about it being a 10mm or 12mm bolt, and it looks different than your average bolt.

Hope that helps this time.
-hype

 

Did you guys use a hand pump or something to get the new fluid in the tranny?

 

It's easier to do it with a funnel with a tube attached.

 

The funnel is a good idea, but I didn't have one handy, so I'm glad the bottles come designed to be poured. I put my car on ramps and put the neck of the bottle into the fill and squeezed all the fluid into the tranny I could. I did this with all my bottles and poured the remain contents together to make one final, full bottle. It's not the easiest thing to do but it works
-hype

 

do you have a 5spd? does the drain bolt have a 9 on it? And how much fluid did you use to fill it back up?

 

Ummmm I remember a bolt with a 9 on it, but I dont remember if its the drain bolt. The bolt is odd looking, and is up and to the right of the fill bolt. I bought 5 quarts of fluid, and ended up using a little more than 4.
-hype

 

The drain plug is horizontal, low on the transaxle case near the engine, and near the shifter boot. It is fairly small and looks like an ordinary bolt. There's a good diagram of the drain plug location in Chilton on page 1-40.

The fill plug is on the side of the transaxle housing nearest the front of the car. It is fairly large and has a square recess. The tool to remove it is an ordinary 1/2-inch ratchet wrench, with no socket fitted.

The gear lube will drain faster if you remove the fill plug and the drain plug. You may find it convenient to use a funnel and a short length of plastic tubing fitted to the funnel spout. Position the funnel in the engine compartment, near the battery. Route the plastic tubing into the fill port. Add gear lube until it begins to overflow. Nissan recommends API GL-4 SAE 80W-90 gear lube. The capacity of the 5-speed is 4.5 - 4.8 liters.

 

I haven't gotten a chance to check it out again, but i just want to make sure i know where it is before i bring it up on the jacks again.

I have a haynes manual, not chiltons....haynes just says "remove the drain plug" no pictures.

So, Daniel, does the drain bolt have a '9' on it? It is like 2-3 inches down and to your right (with feet sticking out the front of the car)

 

Go to
http://integra.vtec.net/geeser/megam...fluid_page.gif

 

I just did it this weekend. The drain bolt is near the rear of the tranny and just in front of the accordian shaped shift lever. It is a "sleeper" bolt in that it doesn't look like a drain bolt. They're a little tough to get off. I thought geting the fill/check plug was harder! This fluid change is worth it. My car drove like it was 80 today and it was only 8 this am!

 

I did it too....a spring and a small ball bearing came out with the drain bolt. Normal or bad?

 

Are you serious? I would have the transmission checked out right away!

 

The bad news.
The spring and ball are part of a detent mechanism. This is what gives you that "click in" feeling when you engage a gear. It is also what keeps the transmission in the selected gear until you deliberately shift to a different gear. Apparently you removed a detent bolt when you intended to remove the drain plug.

The good news.
If you reassembled the detent correctly (ball, then spring, then bolt) everything will work normally. If your transmission shifts right and "feels" right, no harm was done. However, you may have drained only some of the gear lube and might want to re-do the job.

 

Thank you Dan! That last post was scraing the hell out of me. I got no ball/spring popping out and thought "uh oh" when I saw that post. Well if the tranny were to fail b/c of the improper bolt removal, insurance may cover the tranny failure.

 

I'm glad I was wrong in this case.

 

Well....i did accidently took out the wrong bolt in the first place.....but it was a 12mm facing strait up on the back (long story why i took that one out) Anyway, when i took that out, nothing came out....there was no trans fluid...it was dry and a little rusty. I cursed and put it back in fine. So i took off the other bolt (what i believed to be the drian bolt) and out poped a spring, then a ball baring.

I put the ball in, then the spring, then the bolt and tightened it back up. I filled the fluid, then put that plug back and drove it around. It drove fine and has been fine...no check engine light, no unusual noises, feels fine when i shift...a little better lubricated.

So, I guess i removed the detent bolt instead....that seemed like it must be the drain bolt....where is the drain bolt in relation to the detent bolt?

All in all it was a major pain the *** and next time it goes to the dealer for a drain/fill.

 

I can't answer that because I don't know which detent bolt you removed.
There are three of them:
- 1st, neutral, 2nd
- 3rd, neutral, 4th
- 5th, neutral, reverse

For a diagram of the 5-speed fill and drain plug locations, go to http://integra.vtec.net/geeser/megam...fluid_page.gif