The pan unbolts from the bottom, but as was pointed out, you need a new gasket when you put it back.

As to "would that be good enough?" -- the answer to that is up to you. If you think that changing between 25% and 50% (not certain of the exact percentage) of the trannie fluid is good enough, then for you it is. For me, I would want to change as much as possible of this old fluid. But then I own a 6-speed (dealer tried hard to sell me a 5-speed automatic) and I can drain almost all of the fluid out of my trannie if I let it drain overnight in my garage -- which I did almost 2 years ago at about 30 K miles.

 

My 5AT does not have a pan under the tranny. The pan/cover is on the side. The drain plug is located at the lowest point. That is why the 5AT needs a power flush in order to replace ALL the oil.

 

Yup, 5AT's don't have a pan to drop. The gears sit in the oil bath. Nissan sells a flushing kit for about $35. Maybe I'll give it a try.

 

I had a 95 max last year with 120k miles then did a flush at a dealership a week later my transmission gave out. Now my wife has a Mits Montero with 95k miles and mechanic recommended a flush but i don't want the same think to happen with my max.

 

So main points...

-Manual trans=drain, drop pan, clean/replace filter, new seal for pan, put back in, and fill it right up-all by yourself

-Automatic-pretty much have to go to stealership to get it done "right?"

Correct?

 

There is no pan and no filter in the 6-speed manual transmission. Only a drain bolt and a fill bolt. (It drains better if both bolts are removed.) There are seals on both of those bolts, but if you remove them carefully, they are reusable. Check out the stickies in the Fluids and Lubes section of this site. There is a link there to a posting with description and prictures of this operation. With that site and the proper tools, this is a snap of a job.

It is probably obvious to you that I don't have a 5AT trans and was speaking generically about dropping the trannie pan. I wonder if the side pan on this trans needs to be removed to clean the screen inside that "strains" the trannie fluid?

 

Incorrect, reread post #18

 

Chernmax, did you get the filter cleaned or replaced?

I spoke to my dude and he told me that you have to open the case?? to replace the filter and not just drop the pan.

he told me that only in a 4 speed auto you can just drop the pan and change the filter which is $3.00 and the gasket is $3.00.

Can you confirm?

 

damn it! lol I just want to make my auto trans last LONG! What do I need to do that is the best for it?!

 

so our trannies suck? :-( i spent a lot of dough in cash (6 months of work) to pay for my car in full. I'm wicked bummed now!

 

I hear you, I felt like somebody punched me in the face last weekend too.

 

Not sure what he dropped to gain access, however he brought the filter in for me to see and surprisingly he said it was still very clean. I have a 5AT and this was my first AT fluid change as part of my 30K maintenance...

 

I don't think our tranneys suck, I actually think they are better than most out of every vehicle on the market today. How does Nissan get away with having one of the 10 best engines in the world the last 11 out of 13 years only to marry it to a ****ty tranney, I disagree. Your tranney will treat you the same way you treat it, proper warm ups and driving and follow a good maintenance plan. Every type of vehicle has had a tranney issue, with the Max, I just don't feel it's the norm... Just my .02

 

The last statement came after my recent visit to a tranny part wholesaler (I maintain their network and PCs) and is based on the fact that they sell high volume of parts for this tranny vs. other trannies. The time I had conversation with the sales guy there a person was picking up a valve body and bunch of other things for 5Speed AT.

 

That of course applies to any tranny and is 100% TRUE

 

I do city driving, stop and go. This is considered driving under 'severe conditions'. For this reason, I do my maintenance more aggressively/frequently. Oil is cheap. Labor is not. That is why I change my tranny oil every two years.

My 2007 Consumer Reports shows NISSAN having very reliable transmissions, engines, cooling, drive systems, etc. Stop worrying.

The fact that a parts supplier may be selling a lot of 5AT valve body or o-rings is not a scientific analysis. Maybe he is the only one with 5AT parts. Maybe he can't tell a 4AT from 5AT? I am curious who buys those parts? Maybe AAMCO and co. are charging for tranny rebuild and only replacing the valve body? I have seen a few tranny TSB's where one of the ECU is reprogrammed and maybe that's the real fix?

How long has the 5AT been around?