When changing the tranny fluid on an automatic do I really need to replace the transmission filter each time? And is there any specific brand of gasket I should use?

 

The 4Gen automatic transmission does not have a true filter. It has only a screen, and that part never requires cleaning or replacement.

 

When I did mine at 60k I replaced the mesh wire filter and the transmission pan gasket all bought at the dealer. You could just clean and reuse the old filter. The old gasket on mine was still in very good condition, but then again my car was only about 2 years old at the time.

 

The normal ATF service for a Maxima does not call for a filter replacement. Usually a drain and refill only requires removing the ATF pan drain bolt.

To replace the filter, you need to drop the pan (like a dozen bolts) and then remove the filter from the valve body. It can be done, but I wouldn't do it too often (too messy). Perhaps every 60k, it wouldn't be a bad thing to do.

 

Okay I was just reading through the haynes and it said to do all that. One question though, on average, how much fluid is needed for a drain and refill? It says to measure the amount that you take out and out that amount back-in but I had no way to measure what amount came out so I refilled it with four quarts and I can't seem to get a good reading. From my stand point, the dipstick reads that it's still low. I planned on draining what I put in anyways because I'm switching to Synthetic. But before I drive it around to warm it up so I can drain and refill it again I want to make sure it's at the right level. I warmed the engine to operating temp and then cheked it with the motor running. That is right, right? There is no definition on the dipstick of a clear line to measure what level it is at. Does that make sense? It started raining anyway so I can't mess with it until tomorrow. I just want to make sure I have it right before I run it and then drain and refill it again. Damn I hate automatic trannies. I should have bought the 5 speed.

 

There WAY more than a dozen bolts that hold the pan on, WAY more.

 

Just changed my ATF this afternoon. Used the Drain and Fill method, 4 quarts to refill.

 

The ATF dipstick has two measuring points. One is the "cold" region, and the other is the "hot" region. It's clearly labeled on the dipstick.

 

The cold is on one side, the hot is on the other side.