At 123k miles on an '02 Max, is it a good idea to...

1) Flush the transmission fluid? Or is a drain/refill more recommended?
2) Flush the power steering fluid? Or is a drain/refill more recommended?
3) Change from conventional to fully synthetic oil?
4) Clean the throttle body (scared I might get P0507 though)
5) Seafoam via a vacuum hose and/or gas tank and/or crankcase?
6) Clean the MAF.

The reason I ask is because sometimes I hear on a high-mileage engine, crap might be what's keeping the system intact.

 

1.just do it like if you going to chenge the oil
2.dont need to do anything about it
3.fully synthetic oil
4.dont f**k whit it
5.idk
6. same as # 5

or go to a mechanic and they ill do #1,#2 and #3 for you for like $80 $90 just tell then you whan your car fluids change and about 4,5,6 im sure someone here can help you

 

Don't do a transmission flush at 123k miles if you don't do them on a regular basis. You might cause unexpected problems with the transmission by removing some of the particles that have built up in there over time. A drain and fill would be your best bet. I also wouldn't advise changing your oil from conventional to synthetic, your engine might not like the change after running on conventional for so many miles.

 

yea ive heard to leave the conventional in there if you have had that in there for so long

I was going to switch to synthetic but was instructed by other mechanics and friends who work on cars to just leave in the regular motor oil

As far as the transmission flush...I had mine flushed 30k miles ago and im a little over due

 

Just do a drain and fill on the tranny, power steering would advise the same. From my experience if your car has been running on conventional then don't change, especially since your over 100k, just stick with conventional. The throttle body can be beneficial, although it can cause issues if done incorrectly. Seafoam would be nice to do, I usually do mine every 2 oil changes and it keeps it running in tip top form. MAF same advise as throttle body.

 

1)Yes but only if it has been done in the past regularly. A little over is fine, but if this is the original fluid, leave it alone. Not sure if this is a wives tale or not but If you dont change it after all those miles your transmission becomes dependent on the friction created with particles in the fluid. When you change the fluid, the transmission wont have the necessary friction to shift properly.

2) Sure why not. I dont think its ever been changed on mine, but it cant hurt.

3)Nope. Your engine might not be so willing to take synthetic after all those miles of conventional. Also at that kind of mileage I would suggest regularly checking your oil level. If its a VQ35 it might be an oil burner. Not a big deal unless you dont know about it and then run out of oil.

4)Will make the car run much smoother, but dont do it yourself. Take it to a mechanic and have them do it. that way if something is damaged, its their liability.

5) Sure

6)I would leave it alone unless your having problems. its easy enough to clean it, but if your not careful you can damage it.

 

1) Drain and refill (even if its still original)
2? Drain and refill
3) I would stick with conventional or go with a synthetic blend, probably stay away from fully synthetic unless car is in tip top shape. Up to you.
4) Clean it, but do it right, do NOT move the throttle plate, turn key to "on" position (not start) and have someone step on gas pedal while you clean it carefully.
5) Go ahead and seafoam it, I do mine once a year (I drive about 5-7k miles per year. (might also add some in the tank to clean the injectors a bit)
6) Yes but only with the specifically designed MAF cleaner (search for the thread about this topic).

 

Switching to synthetic oil would be help, seafoam def helps A LOT, cleaning the throttle body with THROTTLE BODY CLEANER would help, and doing a true tranny fluid flush would help(as in you drain the fluid, drop the pan, replace filter, put back together).

 

1. Drain and fill is fine, my car had 113, 987 miles on it when I bought it and the ATF was nearly black but did not have a burnt smell. Over the next few months, I did a drain and fill once a month. I now have 147,200 miles on my car and the transmission is fine.

I understand what Blitzfist is saying but if the transmission is so worn that friction material from the clutch packs floating around in the ATF keeps it shifting your transmission is on its last legs anyway.

2. I have never done a power steering flush on any car I have owned and even taking 4 of them past 200,000 miles, I never had an issue. Couldn't hurt but I've never seen any real proof you *have* to do it.

3. No idea what the previous owner used in my car but I switched to synthetic. My car doesn't use oil at the rate some other VQ35's do (about 1800 miles per quart) but it hasn't gotten worse since I bought the car. In addition, synthetic will better protect the car should you forget to check your oil and you are down a couple quarts.

4. There is a thread about cleaning it, this is the post you need:

Someone else did a write-up that says to secure the gas pedal fully floored: http://forums.maxima.org/6848584-post28.html

Unplug the MAF connector
Remove an intake/air cleaner assembly from the TB
Turn ignition switch "on" (don't start the engine)
Put transmission on any gear (6 MT)
Floor the accelerator and secure it somehow at this position (I usually push it with a long wooden stick and hang on to a metallic frame of the bottom of the driver seat)
Now you get the throttle fully open and can start cleaning TB and butterfly valve.
Use dedicated TB cleaner (AutoZone ~$3). Spray, let it soak, wipe with a soft cotton rag. Don't use a paper as its' tiny abrasive particles can damage the special coating inside of TB. Do it several times till it's clean.
Use toothbrush to reach dip areas
Don't apply any significant force to the butterfly valve to avoid damaging the servo motor (important!)
When all done you may get some MAF related code, just erase it. Also, you'll get higher idle due to the better air flow (around 700 - 750 RPM). You can live with it or perform an idle relearn procedure. However, driving in this condition I noticed, the pinging that my car usually emits is completely gone.

I paid my mechanic to do it. Not sure if he used something to floor the throttle but he says the way to keep from messinig up a DBW throttle body is to make sure the key is in the "run" position before moving the throttle plate. He charged me $42 so that was worth having someone else mess with it.

5. If you have the typical light pinging at part throttle between 1700-2000 rpm, Seafoam would be a good idea, should dislodge some of the carbon build-up on the pistons that create hot spots and higher compression that can lead to pinging.

6. You should clean your MAF using CRC MAF Sensor Cleaner every time your change your air filter. Since I have a K&N, I clean mine about every 5000 miles.

 

I wouldn't go to a full synthetic, but I use Valvoline Maxlife synthetic blend in all my cars over 75K. My S10 has 224k on the original motor and doesn;t leak or burn a drop.

I wouldn't flush the tranny. If the fluid doesn't smell burnt and still has a red tint, you should be ok with a simple drain and fill. Might want to look into some Lucus transmission additive as well.

Seafoam is great stuff. I use it once or year. Some say it hurts plugs, sensors and what not, but i've always had good luck with it. I could tell a huge difference the first time I used it, but after that, it's just spring cleaning.

I would leave the MAF work to the professionals.

The PS flush is preference, but I've never done it on any vehicle and I've had many vehicles over 2ooK with no PS issues.

 

I searched around but i could not find the write up on how to do the Seafoam cleaning on the 5.5 engine.
Can someone post the steps?

Thank you!

 

Well, my transmission fluid is kind of burnt and is brownish but it still shifts okay. I just wanted to know the best course of action so that I don't reduce it's life unnecessarily.

Guess I'll leave the PS fluid alone....not experiencing any problems.

Oil, guess I'll stick with conventional. I just like synthetic 'cause I don't have to change it as often.

MAF, seafoam, TB cleaning: You guys will probably laugh but I only found out that the car did NOT have an air filter in it until after I test drove it. Apparently the previous owner had a K&N and took it with him. I put one in as soon as I could, but there's no telling how much dirt probably got through....which is why seafoam/TB/MAF cleaning might be advantageous to me. However, I've heard of spark plugs & O2 sensors getting fouled after seafoaming and the fact that it has >100k miles and probably on original sensors could increase that risk. Then I've also read on here of MAF sensors failing after cleaning.

I get some pinging when I turn off the car. I use 93-octange Shell all the time. Seafoam will fix that?

 

http://forums.maxima.org/fluids-lubr...2-seafoam.html

Found this by accident. Most times when clicking a link on a old thread you searched for, some unrelated thread pops up.

 

DIDNT HAVE AN AIR FILTER IN IT?!?!?! I would def bring it to the attention of whoever sold you the vehicle because that can be wicked dangerous. Not only does a filter protect your engine from particles entering it, it stops the engine from backfiring....lucky your car didnt catch on fire....

 

Would a seafoam application be a good enough cleansing for not running an air filter? Or what more would you guys do?

 

The danger from ingesting unfiltered air is the potential damage to the pistons, rings and cylinder walls due to excess dirt particles entering the combustion chamber. You can't undo that chemically.

As long as your car isn't burning oil excessively (Nissan considers more than a quart per 1000 miles excessive), you ought to be okay.

 

Doesn't seem like I'm losing any engine oil at all, though I've only put on about 1k miles since buying the car. In case of a burnt ATF, what would be the best recommendation:

1. Complete drain & fill via radiator hose method

2. Complete drain & fill via dropping the pan & gasket/screen replacements

3. Continued partial drain & fills like explained by Scottwax.

Also, though I consistently use 93-octane gas and have even done a Brake-Booster Seafoam & gas tank Chevron Techron application, I still have some pinging when I cut off the car. Any idea on how to resolve?