Neptune97

Did some maintenance on the Maxima yesterday...plugs, fuel filter, oil, transaxle oil...The plugs and fuel filter replacement seemed to help bogging/lurching in 1st gear a lot. I replaced the transaxle oil with Red Line MT-90. I noticed as I was draining the old oil that it looked brand new (71k miles on the car). Oh well, hopefully I'll see a difference during the winter.

My question: I'm planning on having the clutch replaced in about 6 months. Is this something that can be done without draining the transaxle oil, or did I just waste $45? Would the guys at shop look at me strange if I asked them to save and reuse the oil when they're replacing the clutch?

Mishmosh

iTrader: (3)

Unfortunately, you will need to drain the transmission completely for a clutch job. Not too sure about saving the MTL after it's been in but I suppose it would be OK, provided it were filtered for large particles.

Daniel B. Martin

Replacing the clutch requires removing the transaxle from the vehicle. The usual practice is to drain the tranny before removing it. The axle shafts must be removed before the tranny is removed. When the axle shaft is removed tranny lubricant will leak out.

Asking the shop to reuse the drained fluid is not foolish, considering the value of the synthetic product. However, you are counting on them to use a clean drain pan. In most shops the drain pans are somewhat short of pristine.

I have heard of, but never used, inexpensive plastic dummy axle stubs. As soon as the axle is pulled the dummy is inserted in its place. This allows removal of the tranny without draining the lube. A few ounces of lube will be lost unless the technician is really fast with the dummy stub.