SKYRockerr

When to do it? and is it worth doing it myself... and offcourse what's the best type of oil should i put in?


tranny warranty expires at 60K

6SpeedTA95

I wouldn't do a typical fluid change I would find a shop that can actually FLUSH then entire system. After all the auto tranny problems I had in the past I started having my family do full flushes every 20k miles and guess what, NO ONE has had a transmission problem since they started doing it every 20k or so.

maximaownsyou

eh 20k? no need for flush just do 2-3 drain/refills with 5 minute car idle time in between, especially if you are going to synthetic. i put royal purple in my car and it runs great. very very easy to do yourself. 14mm ( i believe ) bolt under the tranny pan to drain.. and funnel in the tranny dipstick tube up top to refill.

6SpeedTA95

I think its recommended by most manufacturers to do a fluid change every 25 or 30k. I have them do it every 20 and do a flush and the only person to have problems was my brother because he hadn't done anything in about 65,000 miles. I realize doing it every 20k is a lot but I'd rather spend 50 bucks on a flush than 1000 bucks on a new transmission.

orlnd0

just drop the pan and do a regular flush if it still looks like trans fluid, if its brown, you may need a full flush, but this could be the sign of a greater problem, the clutch packs going bad. Maxima trannys aren't the best so be careful.

UGAd13

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/335521/3

also check the fluids & lube section

DAP

I was told with a tranny flush the machine is supposed to clean the filter so it doesn't need replacing. Any truth to this claim?

maximaownsyou

there isnt a filter its a metal screen. no need for replacing anyways

Digger01

Well i changed my fluid the other day. I dropped the pan and then pumped out the rest into a jug, using 2-3 qt intervals. I have a 100k and perform full flushes every 15K with Mobile 1.

It was easy, after draining the 4 quarts from the pan i removed the pan or it fell down on its own without any warning, made a mess (kept track of bolts) cleaned those magnets (covered thick with metal particles). Then after putting the pan on i filled with about 4 quarts and proceeded with the flush by taking the tranny return hose and sticking it into a milk jug. Took out 2 qts at a time, all the while replacing what came out until i got to 12 quarts. Then i had a beer and kissed my wife like the instructions stated

I change the atf every 15k and my fluid was a little darker than the new stuff. I couldnt determine the color difference towards the end so i just stopped at 12 quarts.

wanaMax

I too did my own tranny flush with 106,000 miles. I am the second owner so i dont know if it was done before?? but the fluid looked just like it did out of the bottle, (it was very clean) but I still did it. it is real easy to do, just check the stickies or or do a search, there are a few write ups on how it is done.

upstatemax

iTrader: (15)

Its time for mine to be done again... I am going to try it myself this time, I have always taken it to the dealer for this.

maximaownsyou

nah dont worry very easy. im tellin u.. with a metal piece instead of a filter resulting in nothing to be changed why drop the pan? ull barely get more dropping the pan than you will letting it drain for a good hour. no need to get a 1/4 quart more out if its gonna cost you hours and hours more work.

Digger01

Well I always do my own flushes, but this time I wanted to clean the magnets. The two donut shaped magnets were covered ... maybe a 1/8 thick of metal paste. There are 21 bolts and a gaskett, with air tools its easy to take off but then when your go to replace the pan I had 1 big question?

What do you torque those 21 bolts to?????????

I tampered with a couple before i took it apart with my torque wrench and tried to set it at what they were originally. My wrench didnt even show numbers at this point! I figure it was about 15-20 lbs of torque. Any clarification on this would be of great help. Otherwise, the low pressure change in the sticky is fine and thats the way I will go with my next change

foodmanry

iTrader: (15)

That sounds correct...I looked through the Maxima service manual and couldn't find the specifics, but from what I remember it is around 15 to 20 ft. lbs. The drain plug is specified at 22 to 29 ft. lbs.

EDIT: In looking closer at the manual I see that it states 61-78 inch pounds, or 7-9 newton-meters. This converts to approximately 5-7 foot-pounds.

Lontar1

iTrader: (5)

follow my signature.....

carsarecool

iTrader: (1)

Waaiiiit a sec... i thought on all autos you had to drop the pan completely and have the fluid just fall on you? Thats why its easier getting it done? So theirs a drain plug on autos for just the drain/refill OR you can drop the pan and change the filter too? I'll just look at the stickies, funny you guys said somehting though i changed my 5spd oil a few months ago and my friend with a 97 auto asked if i wanted to help him do his tomorrow and i told him itd be too big of a job to do in the garage

Flip94ta

Not all autos have drainplugs, actually most dont. Nissan was trying to tell us something when put one in our cars. As for filters I think company's starting doing away with them in the 90's.

Digger01

Damn Foodmanry whoa, thats low! I couldnt get a good reading off my torque wrench that day. I will jack it up and go over those bolts again, Ill have to take a closer look at that wrench while Im at it.

Lets give credit to Lontar for those great pictures!
Thanks

foodmanry

iTrader: (15)

Yeah..now I remember when I dropped the pan I couldn't use the torque wrench I had (lowest setting 20 ft. pounds) so I did them all by hand. I haven't had any issues and its well over 60K miles. Hell I haven't even drained my fluid. 60,000 miles with Modil 1 synthetic, a stage II VB mod, and a tranny cooler and never better....

Gapp

iTrader: (3)

How are you liking that Stage II VB mod?

foodmanry

iTrader: (15)

I like it all fine. I really only got the VB mod to prolong the life of the tranny, but the quicker shifting is a nice side benefit. Really you don't feel it jerk too hard unless you are WOT, and even then I am so used to it I don't notice unless a passenger says something.

Gapp

iTrader: (3)

i'm thinking of sending mine down to get modded. What kind of cost before shipping did you pay?

Sorry to hijack!!

Love_00_Max

What is this "Stage II VB mod" -- is it some aftermaket VB or an upgraded VB with "correctly working soleniods".

I bet my 2K soleniod pack needs replacement, similar to the coil pack and Nissan wounldn't even ack there is an issue!!!

djchinky

iTrader: (3)

I think 20k miles sounds about right cuase i would do it every 30-40KM.. I just recently changed all my fluids (tranny, brake, power steering, oil, coolant) .. for my tranny fluid i used Royal Purple.. my buddies buddy that works on cars for drag racing say its really good better than redline.. and it was pretty cheap.. so far seems good to me

foodmanry

iTrader: (15)

Don't really remember...I got it when it was a group deal. I think I paid around $350.

foodmanry

iTrader: (15)

It's an upgraded valvebody. Basically some parts are changed out to make it shift faster. It does not include new solenoids. Those are replaced separately. If you think you have solenoid issues then just replace those and see how your tranny reacts.

tisucka

Im thinking of doing the COMPLETE flush myself. My car has 106,000 mi and im a 2nd owner so i have no clue if it was done before. If say it wasnt done before, could changing it cause damage?? Also how do you guys clean the metal stuff around the magnets ( just with your hands)?

Love_00_Max

I would go ahead and do a flush -- peace of mind. I used Chevron DexronIII(H) when I did a flush, here in CA at Costco we get a case for $15, lucky for us!!!. It is definetly a DIY job and there are many threads on flushes in the Fluids section for your reference. Good luck, it sure will make your car happy!!!

Gapp

iTrader: (3)

It's actually really easy to do w/ reg hand tools. Give it a shot. I followed the how-to's and it only took me 35-40 mins. (10 of that was cleaning up my driveway after taking the hose off of the radiator nipple-oops!)

zylon

I took mine to the delears for tranny flush. rides soooooooo smooth now, its excellent. sorta costy though.. i think i paid $120. but eh, im a student with no garage to do it myself so i paid the price. ofcourse they used stock fluid w/e that is ...

Love_00_Max

I hope you meant stock fluid is NissanMaticD right!!!
What does the worksheet from the dealer say -- xxQ of what, NissanMaticD/OTC DexronIII?

ICULookN

iTrader: (3)

Ok guys I'm a little unsure here, just want to make sure: On lontar's writeup, he states to unplug the hose and put it into a plastic container. My question, is old tranny fluid suppose to be flushed into the container or what? And what royal purple atf to use?

T4Turtle

So you are able to get all the fluid out of the torque convertor without using a mochine to flush it?

Love_00_Max

Well not so easy, getting old fluid between the gears needs a little more than what is in the How-To's in the fluid section. This is how I did my last flush, getting better at it everytime .....

1) Drain via tranny bolt and you will get out 4Q rougly. Put back bolt onto the pan.
2) Fill in fresh ATF thro the fill tube.
3) Disconnet the return line from the radiator back to tranny and point it to an empty can.
4) Engage e-brake and have someone start the car and move to R wait 10sec, then N 10 sec, D 10sec, D1 10sec and finally D2 10secs and then back to Park. Run the car till there are air-bubbles from the return line. Stop car, by now you would have drained 3-4Q into can.
5) Fill in fresh ATF thro the fill tube.
6) Repeat step 4.
7) Repeat above procedure till 10-12Q (a case has been used up) is collected.

Enjoy!!!