RickSmith

Here is a list of Nissan parts used to change the CVT NS-3 fluid, filter and strainer on my 2016 Maxima. All parts were purchased at my local Nissan dealer.

Could I have saved a couple of bucks by ordering on line? Quite possibly, but it was easier picking everything up in one trip to the dealer.

31397-1XF0D Gasket-oil pan 1 each
31726-28X0A Filter Assembly-Oil Governor 1 each
31526-3VX0A Seal-O ring Filter cover seal 1 each
31728-29X0D Strainer assembly Oil Trans filter 1 each
11026-JA00A Washer-drain 1 each (Same gasket as oil drain plug)
Nissan CVT NS-3 Fluid 6 quarts

I bought 6 quarts of Nissan NS-3 CVT fluid, and used approx. 4.5 quarts to refill.

Under the hood, remove the CVT filler cap. You will see it is a little tricky to remove. You have to release a small tab holding it in place. Don't get frustrated, you will figure it out. Hey...if I can figure it out, so can you.

Save yourself some grief and aggravation by purchasing some of these push-pin retainers ahead of time, as you will break one or more of these during this job. Guaranteed. Cross my heart and hope to die. Seriously, these little guys will break. This is a set I purchased from Amazon...
Most auto parts stores have some assortment, but these are really handy, and I'm glad I bought this set.

The hardest part of the job is removing the plastic tray under the front of the car, push pin clips and phillips screws hold it on. Once that part is completed, the job is easy.. I used clean plastic 1 gallon milk jugs to drain the CVT fluid into...you will need 2 clean jugs to complete this task.

There is a drain plug on the bottom of the CVT pan, which has the same copper crush washer used on the oil drain plug...meaning it is hard to remove the crushed washer after you take off the drain plug. Make sure to use a new crush washer, as they have a list price of $0.32 each. You can afford it. Really. You shouldn't need a Gofundme account for this part.

After draining the fluid by taking the bolt out, reinstall the drain bolt...you don't have to fully tighten it... as now you will start taking out what seems like hundreds of bolts to take the CVT pan off. Try not to spill the fluid still in the pan...I drained it into a clean 1 gallon plastic milk jug using a large funnel.

The CVT pan gasket is metal, and is easily removed. Remove the bolts in the strainer assembly, and notice where a sensor attaches. Make sure the O-ring is removed with old gasket, as the new strainer comes with a new O-ring.

Let things drip for a short time, and install the new strainer by pushing...SOFTLY...into place. Make sure the O-ring gasket is in place. Your 1 gallon plastic milk jug may be full, so have the second clean jug handy.

Remove the three magnets from the CVT pan and clean them and the pan. Old rags and spray Brake Cleaner works wonders here. Reinstall the clean magnets in the same location in the pan. Re-install the pan by putting a few bolts in the corners, don't snug the bolts yet.

Now find the Filter Assembly, which is on the side of the CVT facing the engine, not facing the brake rotor. You will see a round housing with 3 visible bolts, the 4th is on top and can not be seen. It has to be removed and re-installed by feel. Remove the bolts, and have the drain jug handy as fluid drains out when you loosen the housing.

Remove the small round filter, making sure the innermost gasket is removed. Install the new filter, remove the Seal-O ring, and replace with new one. Do not over tighten the 4 bolts on the filter housing.

Install remaining bolts in CVT pan, again not over tightening the bolts.

Check to make sure that you have no bolts left over, and tighten the CVT pan drain bolt. Again, don't gorilla tighten it.

I carefully measured how much fluid came out, and it was 4 1/2 quarts. That is what I put in using a clean funnel thru the CVT opening under the hood. Re-install the cap, and it will 'click' into place.

Start the car and check for leaks. If no leaks, re-install the plastic pan, and tell yourself how smart you were for buying an assortment of push-pins, as you broke a few when you took them out...don't lie, I know you broke or lost some. Be honest... Pro Tip...do not pat your self on the back, as your hands are greasy. Verbal compliments are sufficient.

When you jack up your car to start this job, use a quality jack and jack stands. Safety first. No need for your coworkers and relatives to have a memorial service for you because the car fell on you. At the service I can hear Aunt Bertha say..."But he was saving money by changing the fluid instead of paying the dealer to do it." "Bless his heart."

My car is a 2016 with just shy of 40,000 miles. The magnets had the usual grey slime on them, and looking closely at the screen on the Strainer Assembly, some crud was visible. The fluid was darker than what went back in, but it did not smell bad.

I am an older guy, who does not hot rod the car. Does this need to be done at 40,000 miles? I doubt it but I feel better for doing it. I would say for the average car/driver, 60,000 miles would be a good number.

I have not driven the car enough to see if there is any improvement, as I was not noticing as problem before I did this.

Was it worth the $200.00 in parts to do this? The most expensive is the NS-3 fluid, at around $20.00 a quart. I wanted all OEM parts to prevent warranty hassles if CVT problems pop up later before the warranty expires.

It was worth it to me. I sleep better at night. I don't have to get up as often to visit the bathroom. Your results may vary.

The Service Manager at my dealer said they never replace the filter assembly, which seems strange to me. I guess all they do is remove the drain bolt and refill the CVT with new fluid, and charge you a couple hundred bucks.

I plan to drain the fluid again at 60,000 miles, which for me will be in about 2 years. I feel it is cheap preventive maintenance.

Nmax5150

Its a simple 30 min job.. All you need is the o ring gasket.. drain and fill uses about 4.5 Quarts..... Don't need Nissan fluid.. All Cvt fluid is compatable.. Nissan does NOT make their own fluid.
You are wasting your money buying Nissan fluid...
I run Redline CVT fluid.. Don't need jack stands.. takes 30 min.. If you must change the filter,,, add another 10 min.
Total cost with filter and fluid is under $100..
If you spent more than that. You got ripped off.

Steptide

I'm not saying you're wrong, but I've heard conflicting stories regarding which cvt fluid to use. I've heard people using the wrong fluid and their cvt's going at 60 or 70 thousand miles

me9798

Please elaborate on your statement when you say, "All CVT fluid is compatible". I'm a Mechanical Engineer and I'd like to know where you found this data.

compyelc4

RickSmith, I could have sworn I sent out a kudo for your very nice write-up about changing out our CVT fluid. It freakin' disappeared so here it is again. Thank you very much for the time, detail, and humor you used in the procedure you wrote. Extremely well done. And you know, I could not find one reference to the Owner's Manual in your entire discourse. :-)

Nmax5150

I have worked on Nissan's for years... Talked with Engineers would built the cars... Its a market ploy... It gets people who do not know anything about cars, to feel warm and fuzzy
about buying something that says Nissan on it.. Nissan, or any other auto manufacture does NOT make their own stuff..
I have owed over 50 cars and work on my own stuff.. I have never used a Manufacture oil or fluid and never had a problem.
All aftermarket oils and fluids meet the manufacture guidelines.. If they did not, they would all be out of business.
Most of the time of a engine failure or trans. its user error.
I see it all the time in the Automotive business.. There are many stupid people in this world.. which is good, because I make a great
living.. lol..

compyelc4

Well, there ya' go. Say NMax, if my trans were to go out, for whatever reason, is there any way in hell that a Nissan engineer could find out I was not using Nissan N3? grade trans oil, other than the receipts I would have to provide them for warranty work for such a big deal? And would I have had to use Nissan oil to keep warranty from being voided? Would they care?

Nmax5150

No.. they will not test the fluid... If your car is still under 3 36 or Powertrain.. of have a CPO warranty and the Cvt lays down..
Guess what? It will be covered.... Receipts will help.. Shows you have been maintaining your car...
Dealers gripe about Warranty work when a person never goes to them for Maint , then shows up right before the warranty expires and wants
a free $6000 CVT. .. Good luck with that..lol...

RickSmith

How much did you spend on Red Line 30804 Non-Slip CVT fluid?

You are a better man than I if you can slither under your car and remove the push pins to get the belly pan off with out using a jack, jack stands or a lift...then remove the CVT pan and strainer, remove the small filter, clean up everything, put it back together, install fluid and be done in 30 to 40 minutes.

Quite frankly, I wish it were that easy and quick for me.

compyelc4

I have a lift. Would make this a piece of cake. Oil and filter takes what, 15 minutes? with one.

Nmax5150

Yes a lift would be so much easier.. But my garage is Ac and the shop is not.. lol....

Nmax5150

5 qts.. around $60 shipped..
I have been working with cars for years.. I have found ways to make it simple.. ..
Keep in mind Nissan only requires you to check fluid at certain intervals.. not change it... Check the deterioration count with a scan tool to verify.
CVT fluid is Green and has the worst smell ever.. Its worse than gear oil.. Lol..

EnduroDad2k

Thanks for the instructions! I took the challenge this afternoon on my 2016 and it all went smoothly.

Here's what I purchased:

• Filter, strainer, strainer-seal, crush washers from partsfornissan.com: $75 (I got a couple extra washers/seals)
• Plastic fastener assortment from amazon: $15 (great advice! I needed 'em)
• 6 quarts NS3 from ebay: $77

Some observations:

• @RickSmith was right, the hardest part is removing/installing that massive plastic shield, many fasteners lost in the battle.
• I supplemented Rick's instructions with the two YouTube videos linked below.
• I used a level to adjust jacks on the center flat frame beam under the car.
• Torque values I used: Drain bolt 25 ft-lbs, overflow drain bolt 89 in-lbs, strainer 70 in-lbs, oil pan bolts 70 in-lbs.
• There's a bolt-pattern for torquing down the oil pan, attached one from an Altima below, should be the same minus 1 bolt.
• The top bolt on the filter cover is in a tricky spot, took some acrobatics.
• Total oil drained: Just shy of 5 quarts (incl filter/pan).

The main addition to RickSmith's instructions - After filling fluid, I warmed up the car for 10 minutes and shifted through the gears. Then while the car was running I removed the overflow bolt and added approx 1/2 quart more fluid and watched the drain, then waited until the draining fluid slowed to a tiny trickle before replacing the bolt. It takes a while.

edit: there’s a more accurate fluid level method here:
https://maxima.org/forums/8th-genera...uid-level.html

I realize there are some folks like to run the car for a few days then drain/fill again, but I'm satisfied getting around 5 quarts of new fluid in there. I recently purchased the car with 94k on the clock with 2 previous CVT fluid changes at 30k and 68k from the dealer.

The only hiccup was that one of the 19 drain pan threaded holes was stripped, I was wondering why it was looser than the others when taking off the pan. I managed to clean out the threads with a tap and used a new bolt which held 70 in-lbs torque, I threw some loc-tite in there for good measure. Lame move by the dealer who left a stripped bolt in there.

Be gentle tightening since most of these bolts are threaded into soft aluminum.

It was a fun challenge but unless you enjoy a messy operation probably better left to a shop. The quotes I got from my local dealers didn't include a filter change, and one dealer tried to convince me there was no filter for the CVT fluid, so I decided to just do it myself.

Video 1:

Video 2:

robtroxel

Great write up on this. Thanks

RickSmith

Thanks for posting the write up and videos.

compyelc4

Hey there fellow Max lover. It was very nice of you to send us this write-up. Very factual, detailed, and to the point. Many thanks. I'll save your procedure for my '17 trans fluid change. I'm sure it will help many other DIY'ers as well. Happy motoring.

angecorrado

[QUOTE=RickSmith;9225481]Here is a list of Nissan parts used to change the CVT NS-3 fluid, filter and strainer on my 2016 Maxima. All parts were purchased at my local Nissan dealer.

Thanks for taking the time to post this level of details.

Les7311

Scribed

sschumer

How often would you guys recommend the CVT fluid (and filter) be changed? Is it 60,000 **or** 5 years, whichever comes first? My 2018 Maxima is 5 years old, just hit 30,000 miles, and my dealer is recommending the CVT fluid/filter be changed. Any idea too what this should cost? Thanks in advance!

Polarisdb

According to the manual from my 2016 SV:

I was quoted ~$300 parts (12 quarts of CVT fluid) and labor from a local Nissan dealer last year.

Les7311

My change schedule is 30k miles…

it’s a simple DIY and not having to drop the underliner all the way… remove the rear pins for the liner to slope to the rear

place your catch pan, and pull drain plug.

use a cloth to slow down the oil-gush

spray liner down w brake cleaner and button back up

sschumer

Polarisdb, Les7311, thank you!

DK SPL Audio

I was looking into part 31728-29X0D (strainer) and it only has two bolts and says it does not fit my VIN. The part I was redirected to was the 31728-29X0A but that is discontinued and can no longer be purchased. Did others run into this? Can the current replacement 31728-29X0D with two bolts be used?

DK SPL Audio

I tackled this last weekend...concerning the strainer question I posed, 31728-29X0A is indeed very different from 31728-29X0D. I was able to get it to fit but required some tweaks. 31728-29X0A has 3 bolts and 31728-29X0D only has two. The bolt closest to the o-ring portion of the strainer was mounted on a bracket (A and 1 below). The bracket and bolt were removed completely, it would have blocked 31728-29X0D from sitting flush. The lower left bolt was also removed, again, it would have prevented the strainer from sitting flush. The upper left bolt was replaced when the old strainer was removed. It was not just a through bolt but seemed to hold part of the control valve together.

Now, the two bolts that 31728-29X0D uses, one is the bolt that mounts the sensor bracket. The other bolt was part of the CVT control valve. Neither of these were used for 31728-29X0A mounting. I just removed the bolts, installed 31728-29X0D and torqued back down to 70 in-lbs.

compyelc4

Thank you for the detailed update. Question: Was the old strained plugged up? Did you find any metal shavings in the old fluid or pan?

DK SPL Audio

It was dark colored, but I could still see the mesh just fine. No metal pieces were found. The magnets had a thin layer of metallic sludge on them. I was surprised how clean it was for 102,000. I am the 2nd owner and do not think the fluid was changed until I got it, around 75k.

compyelc4

It sounds like you did well.

robtroxel

Thanks for sharing this. Bet you do not lead foot from stop signs

DK SPL Audio

95% of the time, you are correct. However, as mentioned, I bought the car with 75k on it so who knows about the previous owner.

me9798

For the first time, my dealer agreed to change my CVT filter and strainer along with my CVT fluid change (previously, they said it's not part of normal maintenance for the CVT). I have 155K miles. When they finally did this, the car now gets up to 4 mpg more than it did before (on approx. 50mi highway stints). I just got 34.5 mpg for the first time in years. So this was my 3rd time changing the CVT fluid, but the first time for the filter and strainer. Takes off like a rocket now too.

robtroxel

Thanks for reporting back. The strainer service is a big deal and worth the trouble.

me9798

Interesting...I didn't know about the strainer (or that there even was one).