Hi Guys,

I want to change the ATF for my 97 Maxima and has been looking for a place who could give me that "vacuum pull" to drain all of the oil out from the pan.

I will be switching to Amsoil this summer, but so far, no places that I know of would do the job (suck all the oil out, and put the new Amsoil).

Every places that I contacted (Penske, etc.) could do the job, BUT only and ONLY IF they put their oil in. I am not allowed to bring mine (they say, it might not be compatible with the auto trans).



So.... for those who change their conventional ATF to Amsoil/Synthetic, where do you guys get it done? Or, would it be better (and probably more cost-effective) for me to bring it to Penske, let them add their oil, and then change it to Amsoil Synthetic during drain/refill for each 5k?

Also, I heard that I need to put some "oil additives" to the trans, drive it for about 30 miles or so (or 30 minutes engine run), before putting the Amsoil synthetic since Amsoil synthetic is not fully compatible with the conventional oil.

Is this true?

I am open to suggestions.....

 

why do you HAVE TO have amsoil ATF? I got mine done at JiffyLube. 30,000 miles later, I think my ATF is still ok, because it's still pink.

 

...but I want to get as much life as I could from the tranny. I bought my car used at 89k back in July 2001, and now it's at 112k. The auto tranny usually has a useful life of around 140k-150k, but it might help if synthetic oil is being used.

I will search for Jiffy lube in the area. Unfortunately, I live in Milwaukee, WI and it's kinda hard to find a "trustworthy" place..if you know what I mean...

 

You might want to scroll down the sticky
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?threadid=100060 for bill's comments concerning flushing the ATF vs the drain & fill method.

 

...and it seemed that Bill had gone the second route, drain and refill the ATF until all ATF has been converted to synthetic.

There are some independent Amsoil dealer in the group (iwannabmw, for example), and I read from the threads that Amsoil has that "mysterious liquid" that will flush the whole system before changing it to synthetic (you would want to put that in your tranny dipstick, drive it for 30 minutes or so, and then bring your car in to change the oil).

If you change from conventional directly to synthetic, the conventional oil will form sludge and it's bad for the tranny. That's why I am hoping to get the Trans-tech service from Penske, and directly change the oil from conventional to synthetic.

I am still searching for a place who could do a direct conversion from conventional to ATF (even though I have to shell about 4 more quart to compensate for the oil loss in the vacuum process). I personally think that this is more efficient rather than constantly draining and refilling the oil every weekend until the complete conversion is done.

Thanks for pointing the thing out, though!

 

A few things:
Amsoil ATF is fully compatible with the conventional ATF, you will not have any issues with sludge building up. If you drain and replace the ATF once you will not flush all the old ATF out the first time. This is why you either should do a Trans-tech type service or the several weekend drain and fill method.

That mystery liquid you reffered to is, I'm assuming, the engine flush. This product is for the engine's lubrication system, and as far as I know, NOT for use in the transmission. I'm not aware of any product that flushes the tranny in a similar method that Amsoil has available, but I may be wrong.

If it were my car, I would either do the drain and fill method multiple times or have the service done on it. I wouldn't mess around with any additives for the transmission.

 

Mark,

Thank you for your post.... I always thought the "flush" thing is for the ATF, since I was under the impression that the Amsoil engine oil is fully compatible with conventional oil.

I stand corrected with your info. It's probably not a good idea to read on Maxima.org while working with people watching on your back.

In this case, I think I will visit Penske by May this year, and order some oil from you before that time.

Thank you!

 

you can do it yourself. first drain and fill atf in pan. then by disconnecting the return hose to the atf sump, start engine and pump out atf (about 3 quarts. then fill 3 quarts through the dipstick. do this process twice and you've sucessfully changed your dino atf to synthetic atf. granted this process isn't as complete as the flush, but is just as effective. saves some $$$ too. with the money saved buy yourself good atf, i went with redline d4.

 

No problem.

Just to clarify things for others on this board, Amsoil's oil is fully compatible with conventional oil too. The engine flush is recommended in higer mileage cars that have been run on conventional oil or cars that have been somewhat neglected. This will help to flush out some of the gunk/sludge in the crankcase so you can enjoy the full benefits of the oil right away. Nothing scary will happen to your engine if you do not use this product before adding Amsoil.

 

Ardika,

I am an Amsoil dealer too, have been studying the subject very hard fot the past 4 years, and agree 100% with Iavnabmw's comments. I also like Bill's drain and fill method if you cannot find a place to do the flush and then the Amsoil fill. You should be able to find a place though.

Second, Amsoil's Engine Flush is not recommended in the tranny and by no means should anyone drive with engine flush in the crankcase. The stuff is designed to thin the oil and loosen old sludge. Not only do you weaken the oil by using it, you purposefully stir up the dirt which further weaken's the oils lubrication properties. Personally, I don't recommend the engine flush.

Good luck,

Don

 

Hi Don,

Thanks for your reply. Yes, I just re-read the post and you both are correct, the flush is for the engine...not the tranny. Spoke to the Nissan dealer today, only to find out that they only do drain-and-fill, not the trans-tech service kinda thing from Penske/Jiffy Lube.

They even said that the trans-tech is bad for the tranny since the dirt might get stuck between the gears. Although I agree with this, but back home I know that auto tranny should be serviced with vacuum equipment every 20000km.

I am still searching to do a direct swap from conventional to synthetic though, it's just that I had just moved to Milwaukee so I am not familiar with the places just yet (read: trustworthy places with great mechanics)...down to something like changing my tires setup.

Best regards,

Armand