granturissimus

In the owners manual it just says to inspect every 15K miles. Do I eventually need to change it?

What do I need to inspect for? Dark fluid color?

Turbobink

iTrader: (2)

Change it ... every 30K miles.

Perhaps not full "replacement" but at least drain and refill every 30K miles.

maximaxi

Yes, it does need to be changed periodically. I think Nissan's recommendation is every 60k.

Changing the transmission fluid is very easy on these cars, since it has a drain plug. It's a 10mm allen hole.

Crusher103

iTrader: (10)

maxima297

granturissimus

The Maxima owners manual says only to change it if towing a trailer or driving on rough or muddy roads, so I'm wondering if I never do any of those if I still need to change it.

JvG

Transmission fluid can break down over time. Overheating a car will degrade the atf considerably.

At the very least learn what color and smell new transmission fluid is. Compare that to yours. Brownish or blackish fluid is bad to very bad. So is a burnt smell.

In general, changing the fluid will help the expensive transmission live a longer life.

I have a 5 speed, so I don't know what the auto trans on on our cars looks like. If it has a drain plug, changing fluid will be much like changing engine oil.

Draining a transmission pan only seems to remove a third of what is in there. In other cars ive had, I have drained both the engine oil and the trans fluid.
So I drain both a second and third time when it is time to change the oil again.

Some folks never change the transmission fluid till the transmission acts up. Then they change or flush the fluid too late. Then they blame the new fluid for ruining the transmission.

Turbobink

iTrader: (2)

It appears that notwithstanding the advice and recommendations you've read here, you're still looking for reasons not to perform this basic maintenance task.

Bottom line:

If you give at least 2 sh**s about your car, change it.

If you don't, don't and take your lumps.

max ride 41

iTrader: (4)

yes, change it, check it after you've driven the car a few miles and warmed up and in park while the car's running. if you've never changed it, then just drain the front ( about 5 quarts ) run for 2 weeks and do that again. never flush your transmission, it destroys the solenoids in the transmission. use only nissan matic-d transmission fluid.

wdornbach

Hey guys, sorry to hijack this thread.

Re: servicing the auto trans - Is there a filter/should I drop the pan?

I just bought a 98 SE, 100k miles. Some rust in the quarters & lower radiator mount (typical) but overall in very good condition. Trans fluid is red/ clean / smells good. Previous owner had it since 40k and he said he took it to the dealer regularly for service. I'm trying to get the service records but figured I'll do the right thing and service the trans regardless. (just drain & refil, NOT flushing)

Thanks

jholley

iTrader: (13)

There is no filter within the AT but a metal screen that doesn't need replacement. If the fluid has been recently changed then let it be.

wdornbach

Thanks for the info re: screen. Hoping I can get the service records. Agreed, won't change if it was recently done.

granturissimus

Then why does the Nissan manual say to change it only if you tow or drive on rough roads?

CS_AR

How many miles do you have on the transmission?

How many times has the transmission fluid been changed?

About 7 years ago, I bought a used Nissan product with 115,000 miles on the odometer. I knew the previous owner and have all of the service records since the car was new. This was a Texas car that had been driven on I-30 or I-35 for most of its life. No extreme towing or heavy use in the first 115,000 miles.

While the car had been serviced at the dealer until I bought it, I could not find any documentation to indicate the transmission fluid had been changed. So I drained the transmission fluid and removed the pan to change the internal screen filter. The screen was ok.

However, I did find some sludge in the bottom of the transmission fluid pan below. There was some amount of sludge. Not horribly bad, but some that you can see below.





A few months later, one of more clutches came apart along with the torque converter self destructing that send shrapnel through the planetary gears. When that happens the transmission "locks up" like it is in park and you cannot move the car without it the wheels skidding.

When this happened I was on an interstate highway exit. I'm lucky that it didn't happen when I was on the interstate. I might not be here to tell about it.

Here's the inside of a transmission with all of the clutches that allow the transmission to automatically shift. I think that automatic transmission clutches like the ones in the picture below should be operating in clean fluid.



So because the previous owner didn't understand the importance of changing the transmission fluid, I got to purchase a freshly rebuilt transmission. Actually it's the one in this picture.

So what's a couple thousand bucks for a transmission job anyway? So no big deal.. Right?



Here's a picture of some Nissan Matic-S transmission fluid after the first change at approximately 18,000 miles (on the left) compared to new fluid on the right.

When I checked the fluid color on a white paper towel, it looked fine. It was only when you look at used fluid through a glass compared to new fluid when you can see the particulate matter that starts building inside the transmission.

Historically I've changed transmission fluid somewhere between 25,000 to 30,000 miles and never experienced any type of problem. It wasn't until I bought a used vehicle where the transmission fluid had not been regularly changed did I start to experience problems.



Personally, I do a transmission drain and refill every other oil change. That is at roughly 10,000 mile intervals. Five quarts of transmission fluid and a copper crush washer can be purchased for roughly $30. That is actually less than 5 quarts of a good synthetic oil and a filter. Replacing a transmission is a BIG deal.

jholley

iTrader: (13)

I fully change all 10 quarts every 20,000 miles. After draining 5 quarts from the pan I then do the non-pressurized flush by disconnecting the return line cooler hose connected from the RAD to the AT. When I threw in a new RAD last spring I also replaced the 5/16" ATF cooler hoses and their 4 clamps. Next flush will be easier with these new clamps and hoses.

Castrol part synthetic ATF is high quality and has come down in price over the years. With the VB modification I did 8 years ago and changing ATF as needed the RE4F04A might outlast the VQ30DE.

CS_AR

We're on the same track JH. Actually, I had bought a ball valve and T coupling that I planned to put in the return cooler hose on the G50. Then I could pump in fluid while opening the valve to allow the old fluid to escape through the valve at a controlled output level. About that time I discovered the Mityvac 7400 fluid extractor worked great on that car so I never went forward with the line modification. I might look into using that valve on the 98 model at some point.

SneakyBastard

Damn, CS... Do you take pictures of EVERYTHING??? lol!

I'm glad you do, though!!
Nice replies, guys. Makes me re-evaluate my own maintenance intervals....

max ride 41

iTrader: (4)

tranny fluid really doesn't need changing but every 60,000 miles per the fsm and my experience. the shop that did 2 replacement trannys on the max says leave it alone, and i agree with that. the more you keep introducing new fluid to the solenoids, the more chance you have of taking off the coating that the trans fluid has protected them with. my .02c