How to change manual transmission fluid? Which fluid: GL-4 or GL-5? Best gear oil?
12-01-2009, 10:31 AM
#203
Newbie - Just Registered
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Bayonne
Posts: 12
BAD TRANSMISSION
ok guys i really need some help. i replaced mt clutch on my 2000 maxima and a week later my transmission broke down. i suspect that the mechanic that replaced the clutch did not change the transmission fluid.(not sure of this is something that has to be done when changing a clutch but it makes sense to change it since he is already in there.) i bieleve that the that tranny broke because it was not lubricated enough and i think this is the mechanic's fault and he should pay for a new transmission. am i right or wut? any input helps guys. also since he put the new clutch in my car would make a humming noise when i accelerate in any gear (similar to the noise a normal car would make when u accelerate in reverse). maybe this has something to do with it. i brought it back to check on the noise before the tranny went bad and the mechanic said everything was fine.
12-16-2009, 05:31 PM
#204
Wow thats a shame man... Honestly i just read through this thread last weekend because i need to change my transmission fluid, I have been having hard shifts( not going into gear smoothly,) feels like i hit somethign before it falls into the gear slot, but anyway, 2 years ago my passanger side axel went out so i swapped it and replaced the fluid that i lost with lucas 75/90 gear oil which was recommended by the guy at pepboys:/ about 6 month down the road my transmissions isb went out locking me out of 1st and 2nd gear... thus burning up my clutch. I then swapped out my transmission for a used 1 out of the junk yard with 66k miles on it and a stock replacement clutch. I again put in Lucas 75/90 gear oil but ever since i havnt had smooth shifting... Finally i read through this thread and saw that the GL-5 Rating on the oil isnt good for out transmissions and could be the reason why my last tranny went out and why this 1 isnt shifting smooth... So i went out in my garage and found a left over bottle of the gear oil and i saw that it was infact GL5 So thats when i went in and orderd the amsoil 75/90 gearoil with the GL 4 rating.. So this weekend ill be swapping it out.. Ill also be flushing it first with a cheaper gear oil just to flush most of it out.. so we'll see.. anyway heres a pic of my delivery 
02-22-2010, 07:17 AM
#206
Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Lewisburg, PA
Posts: 55
amsoil 75w90 GL-4 is well worth the money! i recently swapped out my gear oil and was surprised how much of a difference it made. i live in pa so my car sees all four seasons including large variations in temperature. I would recommend it to anyone. easily shifts into first on a cold morning. also enables high speed downshifting ... and of course i had to try that out. AMSOIL FTW!
02-22-2010, 07:22 AM
#207
Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Lewisburg, PA
Posts: 55
if you live somewhere near an A&A auto parts (i know they are in most of PA) you will find a nice selection of amsoil products. However they are not listed as a amsoil dealer on the company website. (probably because they didn't want to pay for the online recognition) on a side note, when i went to have my mechanic swap the fluid, he was skeptical why i choose such a good/expensive oil. mentioned how i was putting a "lot of money" into just a family sedan. i thought it was funny because once again, there are so many that don't give maximas the respect they deserve. He actually said to me, doesn't your car have over 100k??? i said yeah, and it's just getting broken in.
02-26-2010, 01:00 PM
#208
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: London, ON, Canada
Posts: 595
if you live somewhere near an A&A auto parts (i know they are in most of PA) you will find a nice selection of amsoil products. However they are not listed as a amsoil dealer on the company website. (probably because they didn't want to pay for the online recognition) on a side note, when i went to have my mechanic swap the fluid, he was skeptical why i choose such a good/expensive oil. mentioned how i was putting a "lot of money" into just a family sedan. i thought it was funny because once again, there are so many that don't give maximas the respect they deserve. He actually said to me, doesn't your car have over 100k??? i said yeah, and it's just getting broken in.
I'm just about to get back into a Nissan after many years of driving old beaters.
('02 SE 6MT with LSD) and I think I'm going to go with the Amsoil GL-4. (I have an Amsoil dealer close by) and that stuff performed so well in my old car (Amsoil, for manual trans again)
02-27-2010, 05:48 AM
#209
Maxima.org Sponsor and Donating Maxima.org Member
iTrader: (121)
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: San Antonio, TX
Posts: 2,325
A&A is not listed in the AMSOIL directory for one of two reasons: 1) Most likely they're not Dealer; rather, they're a Retail Account set up under another Dealer. Retail Accounts are not listed in AMSOIL's directory. 2) Only Dealers who are T-1 Certified (completed AMSOIL training) are included in the on-line directory...so if the owner of this store is in fact a registered dealer and not included in the Directory, that means they have not completed the training.
Please let me know if I can help...
Last edited by talkinghorse; 02-27-2010 at 06:13 AM.
08-11-2010, 06:46 PM
#210
I just purchased Amsoil 75w-90 GL4 from talkinghorse. My mechanic will be exchanging all my fluids tomorrow ... can't wait to "feel" the difference.
I have had great results with amsoil oils in motorcycle applications. Both of my CBR's shifted really smooth after doing a simple amsoil oil change.
I have had great results with amsoil oils in motorcycle applications. Both of my CBR's shifted really smooth after doing a simple amsoil oil change.
09-16-2010, 10:38 AM
#212
Im planning on changing the clutch , but i dont want to change the trans fluid,
cuz it dosent have 2 years yet since i changed it (redline gl4), is it really necessary to drain the oil, or will it drip ? or what ?
cuz it dosent have 2 years yet since i changed it (redline gl4), is it really necessary to drain the oil, or will it drip ? or what ?
09-16-2010, 10:41 AM
#213
When you remove the axles, it will leak out. Just catch it in a clean container and put it back in.
12-18-2010, 07:14 AM
#215
Maxima.org Sponsor and Donating Maxima.org Member
iTrader: (121)
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: San Antonio, TX
Posts: 2,325
You're currently using the best fluid for this purpose.
03-03-2011, 10:09 PM
#217
Ive tried amsoil,redline mt-90,and royal purple in the past year and a half and the absolute best so far is the redline mt-85,even took awaay my third gear crunch.all the other ones suck when its below 40 degrees or so.
11-17-2011, 10:48 AM
#219
I've got 36,000 miles on my Redline MT-90 now. Shifting has been great, though below 45 degrees it's noticeably notchier (I have a short-throw shifter FYI). Last winter I started the car a couple of times when outside temp was -18°F and shifting just sucked (no surprise). I had to double-clutch at times while the car warmed up. I suspect no gear oil will give smooth shifting at that temp while protecting at more normal temps.
In any case, I think I've noticed a slight deterioration in shifting even in warm weather. I recently looked at the tranny and saw a thin film of oil running along the bottom seam. No droplets or anything, just a slight greasy look. This seems to be a common issue with synthetic oils and seals. I wanted to check the tranny fluid level but didn't have time or the tools to remove the rusty 1/2" drive screw.
Should I go ahead and just replace the fluid with fresh MT-90 or Amsoil GL-4 , or should I check the fluid level and top it off if necessary, then change after 60K on the old oil? It took me 7.5 years to put on those 36K miles, if that matters for oil life.
In any case, I think I've noticed a slight deterioration in shifting even in warm weather. I recently looked at the tranny and saw a thin film of oil running along the bottom seam. No droplets or anything, just a slight greasy look. This seems to be a common issue with synthetic oils and seals. I wanted to check the tranny fluid level but didn't have time or the tools to remove the rusty 1/2" drive screw.
Should I go ahead and just replace the fluid with fresh MT-90 or Amsoil GL-4 , or should I check the fluid level and top it off if necessary, then change after 60K on the old oil? It took me 7.5 years to put on those 36K miles, if that matters for oil life.
Last edited by VQuick; 11-17-2011 at 10:52 AM.
11-17-2011, 01:55 PM
#220
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado
Posts: 1,994
^^ You should just go ahead and change the fluid. I think that Nissan recommends changing at about 30 K miles or so. But with synthetic it should be able to go past that mileage.
I have about 40 K miles on the Amsoil fluid in my 6-speed, and will likely change it next spring when it gets a little warmer.
I have about 40 K miles on the Amsoil fluid in my 6-speed, and will likely change it next spring when it gets a little warmer.
Last edited by SilverMax_04; 11-20-2011 at 12:03 PM.
11-18-2011, 08:04 PM
#221
I've got 36,000 miles on my Redline MT-90 now. Shifting has been great, though below 45 degrees it's noticeably notchier (I have a short-throw shifter FYI). Last winter I started the car a couple of times when outside temp was -18°F and shifting just sucked (no surprise). I had to double-clutch at times while the car warmed up. I suspect no gear oil will give smooth shifting at that temp while protecting at more normal temps.
In any case, I think I've noticed a slight deterioration in shifting even in warm weather. I recently looked at the tranny and saw a thin film of oil running along the bottom seam. No droplets or anything, just a slight greasy look. This seems to be a common issue with synthetic oils and seals. I wanted to check the tranny fluid level but didn't have time or the tools to remove the rusty 1/2" drive screw.
Should I go ahead and just replace the fluid with fresh MT-90 or Amsoil GL-4 , or should I check the fluid level and top it off if necessary, then change after 60K on the old oil? It took me 7.5 years to put on those 36K miles, if that matters for oil life.
In any case, I think I've noticed a slight deterioration in shifting even in warm weather. I recently looked at the tranny and saw a thin film of oil running along the bottom seam. No droplets or anything, just a slight greasy look. This seems to be a common issue with synthetic oils and seals. I wanted to check the tranny fluid level but didn't have time or the tools to remove the rusty 1/2" drive screw.
Should I go ahead and just replace the fluid with fresh MT-90 or Amsoil GL-4 , or should I check the fluid level and top it off if necessary, then change after 60K on the old oil? It took me 7.5 years to put on those 36K miles, if that matters for oil life.
Sounds like your main seal is leaking, which is fairly common.
11-19-2011, 09:32 AM
#222
I know my main engine seal is leaking because I've been slowly losing oil since I switched to synthetic engine oil. Is the main seal directly between the engine and tranny? Sort of ashamed I don't know, but I've never removed my tranny. Anyway, If you are suggesting that what I'm seeing on the tranny is engine oil rather than gear oil, that is significant.
I just noticed that Redline is making MT-85 now, which is in between MT-90 and MTL (which is 70W80), and they specifically recommend it for the VQ. Looking at the specs, it has significantly lower viscosity than MT-90, and all its specs seem closer to MTL than MT-90. Interesting. I bet it will give much better performance in colder temperatures, and since it's at Nissan's spec, I would presume it is plenty thick to protect at normal operating temperatures.
http://www.redlineoil.com/product.aspx?pid=140&pcid=7
Amsoil 75W90 GL-4 synthetic gear oil appears to have viscosity in between Redline MT-85 and MT-90, for what its worth. So MTL > MT-85 > Amsoil > MT-90. (This is ignoring other properties of the oils, of course.)
I just noticed that Redline is making MT-85 now, which is in between MT-90 and MTL (which is 70W80), and they specifically recommend it for the VQ. Looking at the specs, it has significantly lower viscosity than MT-90, and all its specs seem closer to MTL than MT-90. Interesting. I bet it will give much better performance in colder temperatures, and since it's at Nissan's spec, I would presume it is plenty thick to protect at normal operating temperatures.
http://www.redlineoil.com/product.aspx?pid=140&pcid=7
Amsoil 75W90 GL-4 synthetic gear oil appears to have viscosity in between Redline MT-85 and MT-90, for what its worth. So MTL > MT-85 > Amsoil > MT-90. (This is ignoring other properties of the oils, of course.)
11-19-2011, 09:42 AM
#223
Just bumping this up. This is post #25 in this thread, from 2004:
I've used Redline MT-90 and Amsoil Series 2000 Synthetic 75W-90 Gear Lube and the Amsoil is superior to Redline MT-90 in all weather conditions. I live in Southern California and it can get well over 100 degrees in the summertime to 15-20 degrees in the mountains during wintertime. With Redline in my gearbox, there is an improvement vs. factory fill gear lube however on cold mornings it can still be very notchy/difficult to shift. Sometimes it may take 5-10 minutes of driving to eliminate the notchiness.
With Amsoil the shifter slips into any gear ALL THE TIME. I can shift into first gear in cold mornings above 15mph w/ ease. In fact w/ my B&M short shifter and Amsoil the gearbox shifts smoother than Redline w/ the stock shifter in all climates. I still have one unopened bottle of Redline MT-90 sitting in my storage room collecting dust and cobweb.
With Amsoil the shifter slips into any gear ALL THE TIME. I can shift into first gear in cold mornings above 15mph w/ ease. In fact w/ my B&M short shifter and Amsoil the gearbox shifts smoother than Redline w/ the stock shifter in all climates. I still have one unopened bottle of Redline MT-90 sitting in my storage room collecting dust and cobweb.
11-19-2011, 11:55 AM
#224
[QUOTE=VQuick;8275548]I know my main engine seal is leaking because I've been slowly losing oil since I switched to synthetic engine oil. Is the main seal directly between the engine and tranny? Sort of ashamed I don't know, but I've never removed my tranny. Anyway, If you are suggesting that what I'm seeing on the tranny is engine oil rather than gear oil, that is significant.
/QUOTE]
Ashamed to admit that I don't know either, but I believe that the main seal is between the motor and tranny and that what you are seeing is motor oil.
Just my off the cuff guess, certainly recommend that you ask somebody more qualified than myself.
Edit: Google "what is a main seal in an engine" and you'll probably find most of your answers there.
/QUOTE]
Ashamed to admit that I don't know either, but I believe that the main seal is between the motor and tranny and that what you are seeing is motor oil.
Just my off the cuff guess, certainly recommend that you ask somebody more qualified than myself.
Edit: Google "what is a main seal in an engine" and you'll probably find most of your answers there.
Last edited by Rich96; 11-19-2011 at 11:58 AM.
03-25-2013, 04:58 AM
#226
how much redline is needed to fully change the fluids? Didn't catch that number reading thru the thread
Mine took 3.5 quarts before it started leaking out. I guess the last owner NEVER checked the fluid... EEEEK
Mine took 3.5 quarts before it started leaking out. I guess the last owner NEVER checked the fluid... EEEEK
Last edited by agentrice; 03-25-2013 at 06:56 PM.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
CorollaULEV
7th Generation Maxima (2009-2015)
30
08-09-2021 08:11 PM
MAXSE5SPD
Other For Sale/Wanted
2
08-23-2015 12:06 PM
ffcbairn
Maximas for Sale / Wanted
1
08-16-2015 09:29 PM
