I did my first auto trans fluid change today

Thanks to many of the folks right here on the org that helped by responding to my earlier post.

I own a 2001 maxima gle that just turned over 157K miles.

The previous owner had regularly done the trans fluid drain+fill at the dealership at every 30K miles.

When I bought the car last sep 07 with 126 K miles, I had the dealer do a trans drain + fill since the 120K had been missed. This time I decided to do it myself.

I stayed with non synthetic ATF. I basically jacked up the front end of the car and drained the trans fluid from under the car.

What I noticed was that the fluid was like a dark pink not black like the way the motor oil gets. There was no burnt smell from the outgoing fluid.

On measuring the fluid that drained out, I found that about 4.5 quarts drained out. So I put in 4.5 quarts of fresh fluid. I used shell atf dexronIII. I got it from Costco at $20 for 12 quarts. With pricing this low, I feel I can keep doing a drain and fill every 10K miles, since all it really takes is 5 quarts max.

I was initially thinking about flushing all the old fluid out by opening the fluid line, but I was unable to get some of the clips of the under shield out. So i decided not to force on them let alone break them.

I drove the car for a short time and I noticed the trans shifting much smoother. The 1-2 shift that had gotten a little stiff lately has become smooth again. Also, in recent weeks I had noticed the torque converter was a little slow in locking up at speeds between 40-50. After the oil change the torque converter is locking up much quicker i.e. earlier say at about 45 I would have to let go the pressure on the gas pedal a little to get the torque converter to engage, now it engages with no release of pressure . This maybe just weather coz we had a nice hot day after a few cold days. I dont know if that had to play in any way.

All in all I am rather impressed with the return to old performance.

I plan to check fluid in a about a day or 2 to confirm if I need to add more.

 

Tranny fluid is probably one of the most overlooked maintenance items for any car. It's very important you stay on top of this. It's very common for transmissions to shift more firm as the fluid breaks down. This is a good post. I hope it encourages more people to stay on top of their tranny fluid.

 

Just getting clean fluid in the tranny often helps improve shift feel.

Too bad they don't make shift kits for our cars like they do for domestics, so when you drop the pan for a filter change you can also install a shift kit. We have to remove the valve body and send it off somewhere.

Good to hear everything went smoothly.

 

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=208756

 

NMexMAX throws info out and

 

Bookmarked, thanks!

 

Tranny fluid changes are really overlooked. They can save you some change in the end..... Especially with our tranny's not being the strongest in the first place.

 

****, this is something i've always wanted to do but financial holds me down.
i bought mine in Dec 05, now Dec 07, i basically need to flush everything when it's summer, im kinda lazy right now so to speak but if you guys have a "working" link on how to do this stuff(tranny flush, cooling flush, etc.)please please and please shoot me the link, it'd be very much appreciated.

 

Put the car up on jack stands, place something to collect the oil tranny fluid under the car, unscrew the drain plug on transmission pad, let drain. Measure the amount of fluid that drained out and add that back in with new ATF.

That is a simple drain and fill and will replace about a 1/3rd of your transmission fluid. There are other methods that include removing the return line, starting the engine and filling with new ATF and pumping out the old until the return line is only pumping out clean ATF. You can also drop the pad, clean the magnets, screen, etc. Most lube goon places can do a full ATF flush for around $100-125 if you'd prefer to do that, but they will make you sign a waiver if you have a high mileage car (usually over 75,000 miles) in case you have any transmission problems after they do the flush.

The simple flush and fill is the easiest, maybe do it once a month until you have all new fluid in the transmission. If you haven't done it since you bought the car, financial straits or not, spend the $20 on ATF for at least a drain and fill. Better to spend $20 now than $2500 on a rebuild.

 

thanks for your input.
question however, which side would the drain bolt be at? passenger side i assume?

 

I haven't done mine yet (just bought the car a few weeks ago) but the transmission is on the driver's side.

 

I just done my flushes in October...
Tranny flush, Coolant flush, Power-steering flush. I think the previous owner was as lazy as you.

 

will be doing this tommorow!!

 

follow my write up to do your flush.. good luck

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

 

not that im lazy, it's tough to do any work on the car when it's -15C to -25C, not to mention when it's Jan and Feb -35C to -45C!!

can you tell me where the drain bolts are for all the flushes? so i can take a good care of mine when it's warmer.

 

difficult to see but......this is the best pic I have when I did my flush

 

your ninja edit skills are impressive....

 

I was trying to reply with the pic but I was using the the wrong location of the jpeg... that's why.. had to change it.... but you like it... my ninja edit skills....

 

it's easy to find... just get under the car, find the transmission (the other huge solid piece of metal besides the engine) and the drain bolt is on the bottom of it.. it's a big bolt.. like 17mm or 19mm.. towards the front on the drivers side

 

Scottwax TransGo makes a 2 kits, a shift kit and a reprogramming kit, I have built 2 VBs with the reprogramming kit and I'm working on an extended review with pics that I will post hopefully soon, I will say that the reprogramming kit will chirp every gear at full throttle and with regular driving it only shifts fast without jarring like the drop resistor mod, its basically shifts firmer the more throttle you apply. I bought a new LSD tranny and had it built as well, so I have an extra VB that I may build and sell. If you have any questions, just ask. Here's a few pics.

VB in pieces.



Open Differential vs. LSD.

 

i had mine done today by my mechanic. He first sucked out the fluid from the dip stick and then opened up the bolt off the pan. Wonder why he sucked out the fluid from the dip stick vs just dropping the bolt. Took about 4 liters to fill it back up.
any chance of something getting harmed by sucking the fluid out the dipstick?

 

Looks much more involved than installing a shift kit in a TH350 though...I put them in my Chevelle and a 455 Cutlass I had. Seperate the VB, remove a few check *****, replace a spring or two and swap out the original separator plate then bolt everything back together. Did the Chevelle with the tranny in the car, took a bath in ATF when I seperated the VB. Transmission was out with the Cutlass (original one failed) and it was much easier to install the shift kit that way.

I took a look at the Trango site, which transmission do we have?

EDIT: is this the correct one? RE4FO4B?

 

Yes, RE4F04B. Its easy to remove and install the VB, the kit takes a few hours. It is more than worth it though.

 

Definitely look into it then, the price for the kit was $120 and includes a video covering the installation.

So no problem doing the install with the transmission in the car?

 

No problem, just remove pan and the VB will simply unbolt from the tranny.
You don't get a video, at least I didn't with the 2 kits I got.

 

Question.

I bought my 02 Auto aprrox. over a year ago and have tried calling dealers around my neighborhood to see if any of them had done a tranny flush or something on the car but haven't been able to track anything down. I currently have 85kon the car right and bought the car with 68k. I'm skeptical of doing a full flush with cleaning the magnet and replacing the filter since I don't know what kind of work was done or not. I have checked the drain bolt to see if it has any marks of removal and can actually notice someone might have opened it. I really want to do the flush since I like to keep the tranny clean. What should I do. Just a drain and fill or is there anyway to determine if I can actually do a full flush?

 

Not to offend, but your question has LOTS of info about it in the forums.
However, start w/ a drain&fill and go from there. You'll get a good idea really fast as to how old the fluid is. Your mileage is not that high where it will give you problems. You may have to do multiple drain/fills over a period of a few days/weeks -OR- research the tranny return line method and do a flush that way. In either event, you should research on here since most if not all of your questions on doing this will be already answered.

I hope this helps.

Either spend your time researching the process or pay someone to do it. Don't be afraid to DIY. I was at first, but it sure is easy.
You can do it.

 

Just a little bit . You didnt drill yours out a little more scott?

 

Hi there,

What I would start with is a simple drain and fill. Regular drain and fills say every 20K miles would keep you going fine. ATF is cheap. I paid $20 for 12 quarts at costco.

Buy yourself about 10-12 quarts of ATF of your choice.

Jack up the front of the car and drain the trans fluid.

Now, make sure you check the total amount that comes out. In my case it was 4 quarts and 800 ml, i.e. almost 5 quarts.

Bolt on the drain plug and lower the car.

The car will easily take in 4 quarts. So, add in 4 quarts through the transmission fluid level check port. It is small so you will need a funnel, $1.49 for 4 at your local harbor freight.

Now check the fluid level using the cold side of the check stick. You should be between the min and max level.

Next start the car and let idle for about 5-10 min or take a short drive around your block to warm up the car.

Check the fluid level again, this time using the HOT indicator on the check stick. Remember to check the level with the car at idle i.e. engine on. Top off if required.

In my case even thought I drained almost 5 quarts when adding the fluid back in I have only added 4 full quarts and about 400ml of new fluid. Actually even with that I am slightly over the max fill line on the check stick. This means the last time, the dealer overfilled the transmission with almost 500ml of ATF.

For the next few days keep a check on the fluid levels, I have not noticed the need to add anymore but check just to be on the safe side.

Also, my car has 157K on it and I know for sure the pan has not been dropped on it. I did not drop the pan or clean the screen and magnets. I may do it if I notice a leak around the gasket at some point. As long as you know you are gentle on the car your transmission will be fine.(Atleast I hope with regular fluid drain + fills).

Hope this helps.

 

i'm not sure why check the total amount that comes out?
dont i just have to fill up where it suppose to be?
sorry, not a max expert

 

Thanks for pointing this out.

I personally like to measure outgoing oil during oil changes just to make sure I know how much was in there.

This step may well be skipped.

Point noted!

 

any feedback on sucking it out the dipstick?

 

The tube just sits in the pan, nothing can get harmed.

 

Thank you I was just worried that it might damage the filter if its down enough

 

The filter is bolted to the VB and is not exposed.

 

Nah, just followed the directions. Used the street/strip instructions instead of the race only instructions on the Chevelle and Cutlass. Firm fast shifts at part throttle and rubber on the 1-2 (plus 2-3 in the Chevelle when I switched to 4.11s) on full throttle shifts. Hopefully it will do the same with the Maxima whenever I get around to installing one.

 

is dexron III what nissan uses in the bottles it sells as well?

 

If the fluid level was correct before draining the ATF, then knowing how much came out makes refilling pretty much a no-brainer.

============

I went ahead and did the drain and refill on my car today. You don't even have to raise the car, just turn the tires all the way left. 19mm socket on the drain plug, let drain, wipe down drain plug area, replace and retighten drain plug, refill. Honestly, it took about as long to make sure I had the right amount of ATF in it as it took to drain out the old fluid and refill it! Seriously, it is stupid easy to do. Only thing easier to do on a 5.5 gen Maxima is changing the air filter.

The old ATF was pretty dirty, in fact, it was dark brown but it still smelled like ATF. No burnt odor at all. Just under 4 quarts came out and the same amount filled it to the proper level. Since the fluid was so dirty, I'll probably do a flush and fill again...maybe twice in the next week or so. Definitely shifts smoother at low rpms and shifts have a more positive, quick feel at higher rpms.

All in all, well worth the $9.83 for the gallon of Penzoil Dexron-III/Mercon ATF (which is what is recommended as a substitute for the Nissan ATF in the owner's manual) and about 15 minutes of time.

 

glad to know u had a similar experience.

I'm thinking, with the price of ATF so cheap, I might as well do it every 20-25K instead of even waiting the whole 30K!

 

Scottwax,

Have u done any suspension mods?

I have illuminas and H&R's on mine and I had to jack up the front to get the oil out.

Maybe due to the angle I got the 4 quarts and 800ml out. The tilt may have helped get more fluid out.