I only changed the fluid once and its time I did it again. The last time, I couldnt remove the filter, the bolt holding it in place wouldnt come out. It just loosened and spun in place, so I tightened it back up and left it. It seemed fine. Should I be concerned about replacing the filter, its just a screen and it seemed to be clean at the time? And is the only fluid recommended, the OEM from the dealer, its like $8 a quart if I remember correctly. Or is there an alternative on the fluid. The last question is the gasket. I got the gasket at Autozone and the brand is Felpro. It was a little thick and spongy. So when I tighten the bolts, the gasket seemed to squish out at the points where the bolts are. So the points between the bolts might be wider, and I dunno if I warped the pan or not. What is the OEM gaskets like?

 

Mine did that too. I wound up taking the filter back to autozone. People use mobile1 synthetic more than they use Nissan. Just remember to tighten the bolts on opposite ends of the pan. You will have to recheck again to make sure they are taunt.

 

you're supposed to leave it (the screen) alone.

Mobil 1 atf is the hot ticket.

 

I've never dropped the pan , only have done drain and fill about every 30 k.
I used the nissan fluid once (1st time) ($5.00 qt. at the time) every time since then
I've used cheapest I could find -typically 89 cent Wolf's Head. 236,000 miles -original tranny -no problems.