BIGIRISHSTL

I believe in another thread that amsoil does stand behind it. Several have used it already and there was a statement even in that thread that said it would keep warranties in place. Not sure of thread name but look around for it.

SR20Power

iTrader: (1)

My local Nissan dealer stated I need to change my Fluid at 60k at $170 for them to do it. I almost want to allow them to do incase something goes silly it is on them.. But then again I do have a CPO…..

Suggestions?

ThinBlue82

iTrader: (1)

$170 isnt bad actually for the peace of mind. If that includes everything I say go for it.

BIGIRISHSTL

That seems like a fair price considering car mechanics charge over a $100 an hour nowadays for labor plus the cost of draining and refilling with new expensive fluid. Plus it's on them if something goes wrong. Not a bad investment for clean smooth tranny!

ThinBlue82

iTrader: (1)

LMAO "Not a bad investment for [a] clean smooth tranny!" I bet!

Sorry, I will go put myself in timeout now.

BIGIRISHSTL

You got me ;-( I meant transgender transmission!!! I'm dumb

BIGIRISHSTL

Timeout lifted ;-) Nice catch Thinblue. That was a sentence fail!

SR20Power

iTrader: (1)

LMFAO… Irish I didn't know!!!!

Nitehawk11sv

Only took me 30 mins for my mechanic to drain and refill a quart at a time. Total cost:$75. Baby took almost 5 quarts and i have 2 left over.

Irish, Gives a whole new meaning to the word shimmy. Ok, timeout for me now.

Tadpole

Excellent write up! Thank you for the info OP

Michaeln91

Excellent write up! read how thorough it was and started feeling confident enough to do it.

One problem. I drained the cvt fluid and the new ns2 I bought at the dealership is green. Part numbers are slightly different as well. I'm in Canada is that a factor? And can I go ahead and use this?

Nissan Ns-2
p/n 99998-CVTNS2

The parts desk is closed until Saturday and I have a car with 1/2 cvt fluid. Please help!

Edit: some research in my 20 minutes of stressing out in my garage provided the details that cvt fluid is dyed green to avoid confusion with ATF. Just waiting for a fellow maxima owner to confirm for peace of mind.

dexcool

That is interesting bc i have 5 qts of NS-2 in the trunk waiting on a free moment to drain and fill. Thanks for the heads up (in disguise) even though i cant provide any useful insight considering this is my first Maxima (first CVT) and first time seeing the fluid will probably be in the morning.
For what its worth, being dyed green shouldnt hurt the chemical makeup of the fluid...

vball_max

iTrader: (5)

Question on this that I havent seen answered yet. The drain and fill apparently only replaced about 1/2 of the CVT fluid. Where is the rest of the fluid?

I was wondering if there is a way to drop a vacuum tube in somewhere to get more than 1/2 out. Just a thought.

Thanks.

dexcool

The rest of the fluid is in the internals of the transmission, i.e.: torque convertor.
You can always look up the capacity spec of the tranny to see how much is actually in the system.

Nitehawk11sv

This was talked about in this thread or another one not too long ago. The members who went to amsoil drained theirs completely with a tube sucker tool i think from online. The cvt takes like 10 quarts or around there, 4.5 for the refill. Im tired guys lol good night all.

Yass26

Thanks for the post. Doing this to mine soon before I hit 50k👍

michaelle8885

I plan on doing this on my own, I'll need to buy an oil pan, the rhino ramps, and the CVT fluid. I also want to start doing my own oil changes so the ramp and oil pan should come in good use.

Anyone have any positive/negative feedback on using the Valvoline CVT fluid? It's approved for NS2 CVT fluid and I want to save a few bucks per quart vs. the Nissan Fluid.

Great post and thanks!

jfl330

You can buy the NS2 online for $18-20/quart. You need 4.5, so you spend $90-100. I don't know how much less the Valvoline is, but in case Nissan doesn't honor a warranty as its not their fluid, it could cost you thousands.

For me, it's not worth the risk.

michaelle8885

I'm way out of warranty I believe, I'm at 120k and have had the car since the end of 08. Do not have extended warranty but of course I'm not saying I don't care anymore. Was just wondering if anyone had any input on the Valvoline CVT which is $9. Appreciate the reply though.

Richard66

My 2 cents is why risk the chance of failure by trying to save about 35 bucks, plus you get peace of mind with NS-2. There is no history on the reliability of it, regardless of what the manufacturers are saying of their CVT oil, as it is too new of a product.

Bificus99

Yeah agreed, just get the OEM ns2 fluid.

michaelle8885

thanks gents, i'll go ahead and use the Nissan NS2 fluid, local Nissan has it for $20.

MidnightMaxima_22

I'm at 90k and I'm about to do this for the first time

Is that bad??

LtLeary

Yes, you should scold yourself and sit in a corner for an hour!

Seriously though, depends on type of driving. The recommendation is every 60,000, but at least you are getting it done!

MidnightMaxima_22

Has anyone start to experience problems after changing your fluid??

PAC93to09

This, along with the DIY oil change thread, was super helpful, did both the CVT and oil today and saved myself a bunch of change!

MidnightMaxima_22

Doing mine

manilakid3

5 quarts should be enough to drain and fill. But I wouldn't trust Ebay for anything fluid. You never know where they got it from.

Also, I read somewhere there is a transmission filter.

Hurricane05

Hey All:


Some more info from another person who changed their CVT fluid. This was a fluid change, not a flush. About 4.25 qts. I don't beat on this car, but I do hit the gas now and then to feel that 290 HP. Overall this car is in very good condition. I'm the original owner.

1. 2011 Maxima, 44,200 miles. Did this on 9 April 2016
2. No CVT issues that I've noticed, just felt like changing the fluid.
3. Used Genuine Nissan Fluid 999MP-NS200P Continuously Variable Transmission Fluid - $17/qt. from Amazon. Free shipping.
4. Could not get a clear fluid level reading while the car was running and in park. The reading was clear when the engine was not running. The level was near the top of the two notches on the dip stick.
5. The dip stick was not all that hard to get off. Just push the black plastic tab with a screwdriver, and pull up firmly. The O-ring makes it a good fit so it takes a little muscle. I replaced the dip stick with the lock mechanism 180 degrees from the original position. It's not going anywhere and I change my own oil, so shouldn't have a problem with anyone pouring oil into it.
6. The metal tube near the top of the dip stick locking mechanism had lots of corrosion on it. Looks like they spot welded a metal locking tab onto the tube and there's some kind of reaction going on there. I took a wire toothbrush to it an oiled it up good for now.
7. Only slightly jacked up the car with my OTC floor jack, then put a jack stand at it's lowest setting under the frame around the front of the engine.
8. 10mm hex wrench (Allen key) for drain plug. It has an O-ring on it, it looked in decent shape when I looked it over, so didn't replace it. Didn't have an O-ring to use if I wanted to replace it anyway!
9. As mentioned by others, the fluid will come out in large qty due to large drain plug, so have a big drain pan. I used a large oil drain pan, plastic, with a pouring spout. I poured the old fluid back into the new fluid containers using a long skinny funnel. Came to just about 4.25 quarts.
10. Refilled with 4.25 qts.
11. Fluid that came out was kind of brownish, but didn't look terrible. The new fluid is a clear light green.
12. I can't say that I feel any difference in the CVT now, but I can say that it's not any worse! I know there's at least 5 more qts of fluid that didn't get changed, but I change my engine oil twice a year, so going to change out 4.25 qts of CVT fluid once a year going forward.
13. This is an easy job, especially while you have the car up for an engine oil/filter change anyway.
14. I have a few photos if anyone's interested. Not sure how to post them here.
Mike

2young2retire

Super easy to do, easier to do than an oil change. The fluid was darker than I would have expected. Took almost 5 quarts to refill. '09 with 90000 miles.

Hurricane05

2young2retire, do you feel any difference? I was hoping that maybe there would be a little less vibration coming from the CVT at lower speeds. Can't say I've noticed any difference.

2young2retire

No difference really. I haven't put that many miles on it since the change so the jury is still out. I'll report back after a thousand or so miles. I guess the piece of mind is worth the price, i'm going to do the drain and refill on my wifes Murano the next oil change at 70000 miles.

FYI for those that are planning to have it done at the dealer. Save the money you would pay them for the labor and buy a set of Rhino Ramps and a large oil change pan. The job is super easy and when it is over you will still have the ramps and the pan.

brichi

I just did mine, so easy, Grabbed 5 quarts of Valvoline CVT, drained and filled, took 30 minutes. so easy and dealer wanted like $349 to do it,

glockedc

how many miles are on your car? The reason the dealer charges so much is because they use genuine Nissan cvt fluid. Have to use that or it voids the extended warranty I believe.

brichi

I have 54K on it, I didn't know you HAD to use the original, I was at a local shop and just bought 5 quarts to change quick, a lot of threads i read just said Valvoline NS-2 is fine

glockedc

hopefully someone else more knowledgable can come here and help! Just what I've read a few places so I was sure to use the Nissan fluid in mine.

brichi

I would love to hear also from some people that have more knowledge in it

i didn't even think it mattered, I bought what they had, Valvoline is a reputable brand so i cant see how it would matter, Nissan probably uses valvoline and changes the bottle to charge more, LOL

LtLeary

I tell my team often that "just because you can do a thing doesn't mean you should." Yes, the "specs" are the same, but it is like changing have your oil out with 2 quarts of mobile one and two quarts of penzoil, it is not considered good practice.

Remember, a drain and fill only replaces about half of the fluid. Had you replaced all 11 quarts with valvoline, nobody would blink an eye, but with only replacing half, well I can only say that I personally would not do it.

ThinBlue82

iTrader: (1)

Agreed. A rather risky move involving such an expensive part. No one would care if you were feeling adventurous with something cheap like new light bulbs or something but a CVT?? Which isn't serviceable by nissans standards...very bold my friend. Suerte mi amigo!

brichi

I bought Nissan CVT and drained and filled again to be safe