uttadms31

Tranny fluid drain+fill worth it in my case?

Here's the rundown on my 1998 I30 w/ original tranny:
- 260k miles
- Tranny fluid only ever changed once - at 200k miles when it was black (flushed at dealer)
- Fluid still looks pink/red even after 60k miles since then
- Mostly highway driving; no tranny issues right now

Is it worth draining and filling my tranny fluid at this point with 260k miles on the car? I know the recommended interval is 60k miles but the car's driving good with clean looking fluid, and don't want to mess anything up at this point. Not sure what good I'd get out of changing the fluid vs the risk.

CS_AR

My questions is how long (years) and how far (miles) do you intend to keep and drive the car?

uttadms31

Oh I plan on driving it 'till it dies. Hopefully at least another couple years and the 300k club. I guess I didn't know if the fluid change was necessary since I'm doing almost all highway miles and the fluid still looks pinkish red with 60k since the last change. Never originally changed the fluid until 200k when it was black and never had any problems before or since then.

CS_AR

Do you change your own oil? To me changing ATF is easier than an oil and filter change. You just need a Nissan copper crush washer for the drain plug, a drain pan, funnel, and 5 quarts of Matic-D or equialent spec. When cleaning up a trans after a change interval like 60,000 miles, I drain and refill 4 times at roughly 200 mile intervals instead of a power flush. Just remember to keep from overfilling.

uttadms31

Yes I do oil changes and much of the work on it myself.

I cannot re-use the current drain plug?
The dealer had put synthetic fluid in there last flush...do I need to stick to synthetic again or can I mix with conventional?

CS_AR

I always reuse my drain plug. You just need a NEW copper crush washer. I get a 10 pack from the dealer.



If the dealer wasn't using Nissan Matic-D then it was most likely some type of Dexron / Mercon (Dex/Merc) multi-spec synthetic.

I would research the differences between Nissan Matic-D, Castrol Import Multi-vehicle (IMV) and Valvoline MaxLife ATF.

Personally I like Castrol IMV because it is easy to find in stores, reasonably priced, and exceeds the Japanese JASO-1A spec.

http://www.clubfrontier.org/forums/f...92/#post613928

uttadms31

Oh so I can put in any of those to mix with whatever's in the car right now regardless if it's synthetic or conventional?

I'll probably just measure how much drains out, then refill the same amount...how much typically will drain out at a time?

CS_AR

Since will be doing a drain and refill multiple times, the objective is to flush out the old and replace it with new. It won't hurt it. It would be nice to know what you have in the transmission if you like it and it has performed well for 60,000 miles. But without knowing we are just guessing.

Replacing the amount that drains out always works. IIRC it is about 4.5 quarts.. I just go by the dipstick when topping off after a fluid changes in case it was a bit low before I started and measuring the old fluid can get messy. I usually start checking the dipstick after adding 4 quarts to keep from overfilling.

maximaxi

I think it's worth changing the ATF, especially since it's so easy on these cars, given it has a drain plug.

You can use either synthetic or conventional ATF, but the synthetic does last longer. Plus, you can often get a good price on synthetic.

97_GXE

I changes my trans fluid and dropped the pan and cleaned the magnets and replaced the strainer. The filter is a screen and there were only a little dusting of metal flakes in the screen and the magnets were only slightly gummed up (though it looks so nasty when you wipe them, and the metal fragments turn back into sharp looking edges on their own. Gross! Lol)

Odd man out but I say don't change it! Nissan manual does not give ATF interval, only says inspect even for severe service. I use Vavoline MaxLife, however I can say after about 60,000 miles it does perform differently....but even after changing mine, my transmission solenoid is still acting up sometimes.

I would more recommend changing the ATF in your power steering reservoir than the transmission. Especially if the dealer already flushed it. People get too **** about these transmission flushes, but after having dropped my pan and all, it doesn't get dirty in there and the fluid keeps its properties for much longer than 60,000 miles. Couple times I've changed it early due to getting stuck in snow or having issues with engine overheating and simply did it for peace of mind.

By the way, this is coming from 352,000 miles. Usually, transmissions die because people shift from reverse to drive without allowing the car to come to a full stop. It's a naughty habit people have and it annoys the **** out of me. I hear people replacing trannies at 150,000 miles, while I've had cars last longer than 200 and 300,000 on original transmission. It's that one small error that kills the tranny. That and over/under filling...something that's easy to do when doing changes, which is why I tend to avoid it because it's too hard to know how much fluid has come out. 60,000 mile fluid does not kill transmissions.