Imax00

Hey, i recently took my 00(auto) maxima for an engine flush and the guy told me that my tranny oil needs to be changed.

I dont know if i should change it because last time someone told me it needed to be changed i took it to the dealer to do that last year
and they told me that they dont just change it they flush the whole transmission and they change it. So i let the dealer do it and within a week the tranny was shot. I had to take it back to them for a rebuild wich cost alot of money (about 1600). That was last yr august, so today the guy tells me it needs to be changed so my question is, is their a difference between flushing the transmission and just changing the fluid??

I want to change it because the tranny is shifting hard out of first gear.
I had taken it back to the dealer and they told me it wasnt the transmission
and that something was wrong with my ecu. so when i take the car up to about 4 rpms it kinda stalls for a second and switches hard.
Also do you guys recommend that i change the ecu, how much is that gonna cost?

VaporHead

Flushing and changing trans fluid is the same process. they hook up there machine to your in/out transmission lines to your radiator and while they flush in new fluid, your old fluid is removed. Pretty easy process actually. Not sure about your stalling, but it will do that if your tranny is not downshifting correctly. I think there was a TSB for this. Something to do with the solenoid or something on the transmission.

jvienneau

I doubt it's the ecu. It's more likely the trans or a wiring problem. If the temp sensor isn't reading properly for instance, it can do that. I'd take it to a good trans shop and have them diagnose it. Does the fluid smell burned?

Mints33

iTrader: (5)

Not on my Nissan, but the last car, a grand prix, I had the dealer change the transmission fluid, however the next day I went to check the fluid level, to my surprise, they forgot to fill it with new fluid. It was just a drain and fill, wasn't a flush. Dealers w/ good service shops are HARD to come by!!

Imax00

would it hurt to maybe to just add some fluid inside mixed with the old without draining anything?
Also it a myth i was reading something in a AAA magazine that if you dont change the tranny fluid after a long time that after you finally do change it it goes bad.
How often is a transmission fluid change recommended?

thanks alot for your input i am just trying to take care of my car properly and everyones .2 helps

OC guy

iTrader: (7)

i do the flush every after 30,000k i think its reccomended every after 60k but to be on the safe side you must get it flushed at every 30k. i use penzoil dexron III which is reccomended by pepboys. i dont take my car to stupid dealers just to get ripped off, all my servicing get done at pepboys. when you do the transmission flush make sure to get the radiator flush at the same time cuz coolant flush is recomended every after 30k as well as tranny flush. and yes if you never had the tranny flushed before you dont have to worry about flushing it anymore...........you can just go ahead for drain and fill. as i said flushing tranny is being on a safe side and it extend the life of your transmission.....just my 10cent!!!

Mints33

iTrader: (5)

If you're low on transmission fluid, it doesn't hurt to fill her up, but don't overfill her. Make sure you check the levels before adding.

Yes, I've heard from mechanics that if you have high miles on your car, and have never changed your transmission fluid, to not change it at all. Something to do with the old fluid building up in the gears, and new fluid will clean that away causing slippage. Someone correct me here if that's incorrect.

Transmission fluid I would probably flush it every 2 years.

Mints33

iTrader: (5)

I'll be doing my transmission flush next week sometime after all my parts get here. I don't take it to the dealer or any one for simple things like that. The dealer will eat you alive, and I don't really trust a lot of service shops anymore. Too many horror stories.

My freakin dealer wanted 49.95 for a battery/alternator test -- it's FREE at Autozone. Geeshh!!