Would I have to get this from Nissan or is there somewhere else it is available?

ATF is available locally (other than from the Dealer)...you just have to make sure you purchase the correct fluid for it. What year is your car?

So I shouldn't use the Mobil1 Mercon fluid? Or is it safe?

Mercon is listed as an alternative fluid for an '01 Maxima, and you should be able to safely use Mobil 1 ATF as an alternative to a fluid labeled as meeting Nissan-matic-D (such as OEM fluid or AMSOIL).

From the Mobil 1 web site, Mobil 1 synthetic ATF is recommended for use in vehicles specifying: Dexron III, Dexron IIIE, Dexron III-H, Mercon, Mercon V

Potato, I don't think a coincidence would happen like that. Every mechanic I've spoken to in the last week has told me that they've experienced many customers making changes to the tranny, then sometime soon after they get problems. They said this is usually on high mileage cars though.

Nobody can say when or if, but I wonder if it's possible it got used to a certain fluid, then when you changed it completely it shocked the system.

I'm not taking any chances so I went to the dealership and bought the genuine ATF they use P/N#99998-71050. I'm probably a fool paying just for re-labled quakerstate, but I notice the price is not that much more. Also with the brake fluid - I just picked up the genuine Nissan part...why take a chance for such minimal gains. This generic stuff probably wouldn't do for most of you guys with your SUPER maxima's, but for a regular car to get from A to B, I can't afford for the tranny to just blow. The price of chicken is rising too fast.

I think I'd suspect the process used to service the transmission rather than the fluid itself.

I don't know how many miles ptatohed has on the vehicle, but he did say the mechanic performed a "fluid exchange". Typically this process involves pumping out the old fluid and replacing it with new. The Filter Manufacturer's Council has reported an increasing number of transmission failures after a total evacuation service is performed without removing/cleaning the pan and replacing the filter. Most failures, after an evacuation service, have occured on high-mileage cars that have not been serviced in some time. One reason for the reported failures is that the sludge and dirt build-up within the transmission will not be completely removed by the service. The fresh fluid (with it's fresh detergent package) will begin to wash the inside of the transmission and eventually the filter may become more clogged than it was before the service. The clogged filter restricts oil flow, and the transmission fails.

If you choose the evacuation method on a high mileage car, I would recommend you drop the pan and replace the screen/filter if it's accessible...in severe cases, you may have to replace the filter again in a few weeks to remove the deposits washed away by the fresh fluid.

To prevent this from happening, service the transmission on regular basis; use good fluid; and stick with Nissan's recommended service procedure which is the Drain and Refill method.

Nissan doesn't make oil, but they do establish specifications for fluids used in their components. Obviously the fluids and lubricants sold under the OEM name are made by a company who manufacturers lubricants. While the OEM-branded lubes do meet the required specifications, there are others out there that do the same...and some other products may even offer better performance. The OEMs also make a pretty healthy profit on their own branded lubricants.

Just like the service classification and viscosity of motor oil or gear oil they recommend, Nissan requires certain properties in their ATF. So as long as the fluid you use meets or exceeds that stated spec, you're fine. In the case of the AMSOIL ATF Chernmax wanted to use, it meets or exceeds Nissan-D, J and K specifications and is labeled as such. So there is absolutely no need to use the OEM fluid unless you just want to.

Horse - thanks for the post this explanation helps.

I'll report to you tommorow through my other post with some questions, i'm too tired now we've been doing the car work for the last 9 hrs. I observed and watched my friend attempt his 93 Buick Century first.

I helped him labeling the screws to keep track - 19 in total. I can say that when we opened the drain plug, barely anything came out, less than .1 of a quart. So then he started loosening all the bolts holding the pan. It started raining quickly out the bolts, like 5 quarts started pouring out through each bolt hole as he loosened them.

He removed the pan and it started spilling out missing our big catch basin, onto his garage floor.

There was alot of fine metal sludge on top of some square bit of metal - maybe it was a magnet but it looked like a pad. He's cleaning it now, then I left.

One question is: What we did tonight, is this a complete evacuation service since he dumped the entire pan, or just a TRUE drain & refill.

Goodnight.

I've never seen a GM car with a transmission drain plug...typically the pans are solid and you have to start by loosening the bolts on one side and hope to catch the fluid as it spills out...these cars are not designed to be easily serviced...it's a mess. Some GM cars have a bolt on the side of the transmission that is used to check the fluid level...they don't have traditional dipsticks on the transmissions...perhaps is that what you're talking about?

A trick I have learned when servicing these cars is to use a mighty-vac oil suction tool...I suck out as much oil as I can thru the dipstick tube/fill port and then drop the pan...makes it a whole-lot easier and cleaner.

The pad you refer to is the magnet, and what he did was a drain/refill, (because the total system was not flushed).

Curious...when speaking of "high mileage" and tranny fluid changes, what is that mileage? 125K+? 150K?

Been thinking of maybe going amsoil in the tranny. Got 88K on her right now, changed it (drain/fills) at like 55K or so, and then 2-3x more since then when using a little of the AutoRx. It may have been changed before I got it, but not sure...I got it at 53K or so. Is it really something to consider at this point or just stay w/ dino? I use the Castrol Import ATF right now.

Based on what you're saying, I honestly don't believe you would have any issues with AMSOIL. It sounds like the car has been well maintained and you are currently using a syn fluid...88K is not high mileage; especially not since you've been maintaining it well. Pls send me a PM if you'd like a quote on the oil.

Yes, I have tried to the best of my ability! to take care of the car. Runs great, pulls strong as best as I can tell...no mechanic here, but it seems to go just fine.

I may be mistaken, but for the life of me I never thought castrol import ATF was syn fluid...am I wrong? Been thinking of switching to amsoil because it is synth and would reduce maint time and wear and heat (the biggie).

If it's the Castrol Import Multi-Vehicle ATF you are using, it's listed as a synthetic blend. I have no idea as to the percentage of synthetic content. As you know, AMSOIL is a true synthetic formulation.

If I went amsoil, what would be the cheapest change route? Would I have to do it via tranny line? Seems like a few drain/fills would get kinda costly to purge the current fluid out. How much of the "old" (mine isn't old, just diff fluid) could remain?

I have a 95 SE and want to change the tranny fluid.
I went down to the dealer since the owner's manual had no info only Nissan ATF... The guys there were no help... They did not even carry the stuff for sale.

Anyone know what I could use?
Dexron III stuff?

this might help.

Help 1

Help 2

I didnt read them, so im not sure if they'd be any help to you but good luck!

What size allen wrench do you need on a 2004 Maxima to drain the transmission fluid?
How much fluid in quarts will come out with the car on ramps, and does more come out with the car hot? (I'm an hour away from a Nissan dealer wan't to make sure I get enough fluid.)

Are there any aftermarket alternatives to run in the Nissan CVT transmissions that anyone knows of?

For Transmissions, I would use the Genuine Nissan ATF as called for in your owners manual, if you use something other and your tranny has problems, you may void the warranty. Motor oil is a different subject. Just my .02

My o4 says 7.4 quarts. by your #'s so far is this the total fill or just the drain and fill. I am contemplating the screen replacement/magnet cleaning now . Will be using amsoil; 61k miles-never changed that I know of.

Since you say the amt is from your manual, it should be TOTAL amount.

My '00 takes, I believe, 10qts and approx 1/2 of that comes out during just a drain. If your '04 takes 7 qts or so, then my guess is about half would come out during a drain. If it were me, just buy 9qts to make sure you have enough and take the rest back or save for later. You might only really need 4qts, but dont risk it. Just buy extra.

The capacity is from Amsoils site. doesn't specify which one-drain or pan.

The capacity listed in AMSOIL's Application Guide is the total capacity of the transmission. You'll drain/replace less than that amount by doing a typical drain and refill service.

Capacities listed for my 4th and 5th gen cars is around 10 quarts, and I have replaced as much as 5.5 quarts when servicing...the amount that comes out depends on several factors including temperature of the oil and the length of time you let it drain.

You defintitely won't use the 7+ quarts when servicing...just guessing, but 5 quarts should be enough...of course it would be better to have more than you need on-hand, than not enough. Servicing it now will give you a good idea as to how much fluid you will need for future servicings. I would recommend that if you do a drain/refill, that you repeat the process in the near future to raise the concentration of AMSOIL in they system. So if you have any oil left over from this servicing, you can use it the next time you service it.

I know this may have been discussed in the older posts, but I have a few questions:

How can I tell if my tranny fluid is syn. tranny fluid? I'm just not sure how you can tell. I had a talk to a mechanic that I talk to just to get some quick answer, well I asked him what would happen if I change my tranny fluid from a cheap fluid to sny., he told me it might over heat. I have more than 190k, so I dont want anything that major to happen.

Also, if I find out that the recent owners of my Maxima used the really cheap kinda of AT fluid, what would really happen if I change it to sny? It shifts hard through 1-2 and sometimes through 3rd would the special fluid fix the hard shift?

Ok, last question, whats the best automatic transmission fluid for high milage cars like mine? What did you use (if you have a high milage car around 190k)?

Thanks.

You can't tell if it's petroleum or synthetic based fluid by looking at it. I'm not sure even a typical oil analysis would reveal the composition since most oil analyses show physical properties and contaminant levels. It could take some sort of special chemical analysis to determine whether the basestock is petroleum or synthetic.

If the transmission has been properly maintained up until now, you shouldn't have any problems in servicing it. I would recommend doing a drain and refill on the transmission (and doing it a few times over the next several months) versus a complete fluid exchange...people have had issues after doing complete fluid swaps on high mileage units, but I have never heard of any problems with partial fluid exchange via drain and refill. I don't know how switching to a syn fluid would cause the transmission to overheat unless the transmission had been neglected until now and the detergency of fresh fluid combined with a complete fluid exchange cleaned existing deposits and happened to clog the filter screen. I think if you do a drain and refill, you'll be fine.

Some people have reported an improvement in shifting with fresh fluid, but many of these cars suffer from a hard 1-2 shift...some amount of this is characteristic of the model

I've not had any issues converting cars with over 100K to AMSOIL synthetic, but I have never converted one with nearly 200K. I would think any fresh fluid would be an improvement.

Again, I recommend a drain and refill versus a complete fluid exchange

Wow! Thanks talkinghorse! I'm going to drain my trans. fluid once it gets warmer, and do it every couple months, or every month. How long should I wait till the tranny fluid is completely changed?

One last question, would it damage the tranny or the fluid if I switch to sny.? I think I'll go down the cheap route, and buy regualar fluid, but just for the future.

do u guys recommend dropping the tranny fuild on a 98 i30t with 185,000 miles, every mechanic ive asked said the risks associated with it are too great but i feel first gear kickin hard

It depends entirely on what kind of care it has had up until now. If it's been serviced regularly, then there should be no problem. If it's been neglected you could possibly have an issue...if you do decide to service it, and to minimize any potential for issues, I would recommend a drain/refill versus a complete fluid swap.

When you do a cooling line flush to Amsoil, is it a good idea to flush to a good color with regular atf, then pure in the amsoil? Cause amsoil is expensive, would like to save a few bucks.

Rob, if I understand your question correctly I think you are asking if you should/could flush your system with petroleum atf before flushing with AMSOIL. You could certainly do that if you wanted to; however, the purpose of the cooling line flush is to rid the system of all the fluid and replace it with fresh...a total fluid exchange. I would think if you flushed it with fresh petroleum atf before installing AMSOIL, it would be difficult to see any (positive) change in color when you repeated the process with AMSOIL. Also, by performing the process twice, you would actually be spending more money. The capacity of your transmission is the capacity...if you do a total fluid exchange via the transmission cooling line you're not going to save anything by doing it twice. Let me know if I missed your point.

I don't know what I was thinking.

Maybe sticker shock was clouding my mind.

Would it be better to stick the return line into a vat of the fluid, and the exiting from the tranny into a container?

Recommend you refill thru the dipstick tube. There's a good description of the process (with pics) in this Sticky.

Cool. Do you know off hand how fast the engine pumps 4 quarts out?

Pretty darn quick...it's a start and stop process. Check after 15 seconds or so and add fresh fluid. Repeat the process until it comes out clean and/or until you have replaced the capacity of the transmission.

For my wallets sake, what is the minimum quarts that will do a complete flush with that method?

$10 a pop hurts

The 4th and 5th Gen cars typically hold 10 qts. Capacity on the later cars is a little less. What is the model year of your car?

95

My reference guide shows total ATF capacity on the '95 model to be 9 quarts, so you'll need at least that amount if you intend to do a complete flush.

$100 is a lot for a flush. I wonder if I could get away with doing some premium dino atf.

If your objective is to minimize cost, then of course a good petroleum-based ATF will work. Keep in mind, however, that your savings will not be "$100"...the savings will be the difference between the cost of the synthetic fluid and the petroleum...so you might save half buying commercial off the shelf petroleum atf. Service live on a product like AMSOIL ATF is about three times that of petroleum fluid so while the initial cost will be more for the synthetic, the total life-cycle cost will probably work out to be less...and then there's the performance and reliability/longevity factor the synthetic fluid provides. I don't know the history of your vehicle, and don't know how much longer you intend to keep it; however, I suspect that since its nearly 15 years old that it has a lot of miles on it. That being the case, and if your objective is to maintain the vehicle at the least possible cost, then petroleum atf will work. What's been used in the transmission until now?

Im gonna pu the car on saturday. It is a 95 with 112k miles. Drives out fantastic. Im sure regular tranny fluid.

Im planning on keeping the car for a long time since it has many more miles ahead of it.

But the plan is to get all the fluids done, because I believe the economy is fixing to implode.

I am going mobil 1 synthetic for the engine. Havent decided yet if it will be regular 5w30 or 10w30 high mileage. Opinion?

I do figure that this will be the last time I get the opportunity to change any fluids, unless I stock some away somewheres. So synthetic all the way if possible.

My budget is getting very tight, since Im buying other provisions like food and other items. (No I am not kidding about the economy going down).