What's The Best Way To Change Automatic Transmission Fluid?
 

I have a 2000 Maxima SE Automatic
What's the best way to get the old fluid out and put fresh fluid in?
Is it possible to get all the old fluid out?
Your Help Is Appreciated
Thanks,
Coen

It is only possible to get all of the old fluid out if you have a machine hooked up to your car. You can only drain what's in your pan and filter as a DIYer. If you want a complete fluid change, you will have to take your car to a good shop that has the flushing machine.

If ya got less than 20k remove the large hex plug on the pan. You will get about 5.5-6 qts out. If 30k or so go to a good tranny shop and get the full change screen/filter service.
$95-150 aprox

I have 60k on my car and would like to perform the service on my car myself.
How many quarts of transmission fluid does the car hold?
If I remove the pan and clean the screen and install a new filter sholud I repeat the procedure after a couple thousand miles to get the rest out.
thanks,
coen

draining will typically only remove between 4 and 5 quarts. you can stretch it a bit more if you drop the pan. i know its only a quart difference but just trying to be as accurate as possible. the rest of the fluid is in the torque converter and cannot be removed unless hooked to a machine as mentioned earlier. you can also remove the line from the radiator that acts as a cooler leading to the tranny and allow 2 quarts at time to fill a bottle. then refill the 2 you took out and repeat 4 times. edit-just saw a new post. ive been lead to believe the tranny capacity is 9 quarts, hence a drain and refill will remove half at around 4.5 quarts.
i did 3 drain and refills with mobil 1. on the last one, i dropped the pan and cleaned the magnets and the screen. there is no tranny filter, just the screen.

for howto, see post #23, near bottom of the page
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....8&page=1&pp=30



sloppymax,

The bolts holding your screen, was one of them reversed, showing the nut instead of the bolt?


say when
SHIFT_woosh

Woosh is right, that is the best way.

Hey Sloppymax
How did I get 5.5 qts out. Measured with a new bucket that looked like the markings were pretty accurate. Also put the 5.5 back in and the level was right at the mark. I did have the passenger side jacked up (for tire rotation) Is it possible i drained more out of the cooler having that side up?