Our 2002 GLE's auto has 69k of gentle miles. Wondering when should we get the tranny fluid serviced / changed ? Also, what should be part of this service ? Flush or drain and refill? What about tranny filter change ? Ideas ?

 

39k miles ago

 

never "flush" a auto tranny...or "power flush".

drop hte pan, change hte filter, and refill with new fluid.


flushing tends to stir up all the **** that has settled over the years and deposit it elsewear sometimes leading to tranny death.

and you should prolly go by the thing in the glove bax called hte "owners manual" they tend to have this information you seek.

HTH

 

Thanks for the info. Do I have a "sealed" tranny or do i have a dipstick for tranny ? If no dipstick, how to add new fluid ? Can I do the tranny drain and refill at home ? I do all routine oil changes etc myself without any trouble. Do I need more than just the drain pan and ability to unscrew the drain plug? I can always go pick up the filter etc from the dealer. And what type fluid do I need?

 

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=149056

From here:

http://forums.maxima.org/forumdisplay.php?f=70

 

This info you seek is in the manual. It tells you of the fluid to use, how much, where to fill, ect. But to be a nice guy as it is a Friday ill tell you.
You can fill up thru the dipstick (all autos have a dipstick whether a Nissan, Chevy or Yugo).
All you need is your regular drain pan and a tranny filter kit which includes...wait for it....... the filter and a gasket.
Tranny fluid is usually a pretty red color. You can use Nissan Matic "D" ATF, but Dextron III/Mercon ATF or equivalent may also be used.

Here is a nifty site http://autorepair.about.com/library/a/1i/bl664i.htm


I support Sooner

Puppetmaster, maybe this should be sticky for all new comers who have ?s on this event??

 

Open your messenger

 

Not the best advice...but true to some degree. If you haven't serviced your tranny in a long time (over 50K miles on regular ATF) then you should debate about flushing it. Probably would want to do a few consecutive fluid changes first before flushing.

If done at regular intervals flushing is the best way to service your tranny. This is after dropping the pan and cleaning out the magnets and screen.

 

First I would drop and clean the magnets, should have built up some grim since you are past the breakin (when I dropped at 60K there was some grime on the bottom of the pan and a lot on the magnets).

Replace gasket and flush via return line via the cooler (ther is a thread in the fluids section detailing exactly what u need to do to flush) with either synthetic (if you have deep pockets) or good blend multi-vehicle ATF like Pennzoil, Chevron (MerconV) etc.

Trust me u will love either of the above fluids which are far better than the DexronIII that is recommended both in shift quality and longer OCIs.

 

I change my fluid every 15k Nissan D Matic.

 

I wish to thank the academy for providing all this great info. I will get to work now. BTW, any online sources to buy tranny kit? As you can imagine, I am a newbie to this site.

 

Another question. The about.com link above tells us this tranny filter is "not accessible" whereas you folks have recommended I drop the pan and change the gasket and filter. Could you confirm ?

 

My friend there is no filter out there .. it is a metallic screen that does NOT need replacement. Just get the gasket from dealership and get the job done!!!

 

I'm planning on having mine done here shortly. I gotta get a new job first though. no money = no working on car.

 

Don't forget to purchase the tranny pan bolts as well. Unfortunately they are a one time use item...but some people have used them multiple times without issues. Just a question of if you want to risk that.

 

my max is now approaching 30k, 50 miles to go. wooot woot. anyway i checked the service msnual and it says to do a bunch of stuff.....including tranny fluid change.

my dad checked the fluid and its as clean as it was 29k ago, he argues that as long as the fluid is clean and pink/reddish u should never change it.....

what should i do???

i liv in sfl. out of everything listed in the 30k mile premium nissan maintenance, what is needed by the car???

my dad says half the things arent really necessary....but i wantedto kno what other max owners have done at 30k

 

Listen to your dad and save some $$$. I have over 80k on my max now and all I have been doing is oil change and tire rotation for maintenance. Go by the philosophy if it ain't broke don't fix it.

 

The first flush is needed at around 30K miles (u don't need to drop and clean the magnet until 100K) BECOZ there is fine grime floating in the fluid which needs to come out. ATF is a medium to carry the fine metal grime millions of time thro the tranny and TC.

I did my flush at 45K but then I didn't know how to flush... now I do, and recommend 30K.

 

read your owners manual. tranny flush every 30k.

 

Do what you want, but fluids, ATF in your case, lose their properties to protect against heat, friction, etc over time. A mechanic on here said that ATF loses its properties within like 30K miles or so, and regular influx of new fluid and doing away w/ the old fluid is enough to keep good protection...meaning CHANGE THE FLUID for $30-$50 or enjoy buying a tranny 'cause you didn't! If you're not one of those people who use, abuse, and sell their cars, then treat it right for yourself and the next guy who might buy it from you and change the fluid, please!