ATF fluid for 2003 Nissan Maxima

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Posted this on a Maxima forum but haven't got a response so i thought i would try here.

I have a 2003 Nissan Maxima with a 4 speed auto. I did a drain and fill today in which 4 quarts were drained then filled. In reading the Maxima.org forums it seems that the drain and fill method was the preferred as opposed to dropping the pan. I filled with Mobil 1 multi vehicle ATF which I believe is a synthetic blend. Checked the fluid and it looked pretty good. I would like to do another drain and fill just to be safe. My questions are:

How long should I wait to do another 4 quart drain and fill? Do others complete this all at the same time or do you wait a couple of weeks? Not sure if there are advantages to waiting or not.

After that drain and fill is completed how my miles can I go before draining and filling again? (basically what is the change interval)

Thanks for your insight.
 
Mobil no longer gives matic J/S recommendation on their ATF if I remeber correctly. What does your Nissan require?
 
Not an expert on this stuff so here is what I know:

Cut and Pasted from Service Manual for a 2003 Maxima

Automatic transaxle fluid
Nissan Matic “D” (Continental U.S. and
Alaska) or Canada NISSAN Automatic Transmission
Fluid*2



And here is a Cut and Paste from the Mobil Multi-vehicle ATF spec sheet:

Recommended by ExxonMobil for use in applications requiring Dexron III.

As well as the link to the actual spec sheet
http://www.mobil.com/USA-English/Lubes/PDS/NAUSENPVLMOMobil_Multi-vehicle_ATF.aspx

To me it would seem that the Mobil One Multi Vehicle ATF would meet the requirements for my Maxima, but like I said I am new to this stuff so am I missing anything?

Thanks
Jay
 
And here is the link to the Canadian Mobil One spec sheet for the Multi Vehicle ATF fluid

http://www.mobil.com/Canada-English-LCW/...hicle-atf.aspx#

And a cut and paste from it

Mobil Super Multi Vehicle ATF is recommended for the following applications:
Allison C-4
Caterpillar TO-2

Mobil Super Multi-Vehicle ATF is also suitable for use in automatic transmissions that specify the following requirements:
Audi G 052 025-A2, G 052 162-A1
BMW LA2634
LT 71141
ETL-7045E, ETL-8072B, N402
Ford MERCON*, MERCON LV
All 2005 and earlier GM vehicles (Mobil Super DEXRON-VI ATF is recommended for 2006 and newer GM vehicles)
Honda ATF-Z1*
Hyundai SP-II, SP-III
Idemitsu K17
JWS 3309
Kia SP-II, SP-III
MAN 339F, V1, V2, Z1, Z2, Z3
Mazda ATF-III, ATF-MV
Mercedes-Benz 236.1, 236.2, 236.5, 236.6, 236.7, 236.9
Mitsubishi Diamond SP-II, SP-III
Nissan Matic-D, Matic-J, Matic-K
Subaru ATF
Toyota T-III, T-IV
Voith 55.6335.XX (G607, G1363)
Volvo 97340
ZF TE-ML 03D, 04D, 09, 14A, 14B, 16L, 17C

* Not recommended for CVT applications, Mercon SP, Ford Type F.
 
I really don’t understand what Mobil did with the “suitable for” statements on their US spec sheet, did they really change the formula (doubtful) or did they just not want the legal exposure and liability of saying it was OK? I’m asking because I use it in my automatic transmission cars and I’ve gotten what I consider stellar results. I’m not inclined to change.

I’m good with the “suitable”, to me what that says is that they didn’t want to pay for the certification (or it is an old, expired cert). But to drop those statements completely is annoying. A read of the US spec sheet pretty much says it is only good for Dex III and Mercon V now, right?
 
I just find all of these specs. and suitable fors very confusing.

I actually forgot to cut and paste from the Nissan service manual the statement that Mercon IIi is suitable in Canada. Given this I think I am fine with Mobil One multi vehicle ATF in my application. So back to my original questions:

When should I do the next drain and fill to get more clean fluid in the transmission? ( capacity for transmission fluid is 12 quarts I believe).

How many miles would you run before draining and filling again. What change interval would you use?
 
I've got a 5th gen (yours is a 5.5). I did a drain and fill (previous owner did not do one in a while!) drove it for a week roughly 200-300km then dropped the pan, cleaned the 2 magnets and replaced the filter/strainer and bolted it back up with a gasket (there was no gasket originally).

On my next oil change (3 months later) I will do a drain and fill again with Maxlife ATF and use Lubegard Red and won't touch it for a year.
 
Thanks for the reply Mau
I am a little leary about dropping the pan etc given what I have read on Maxima.org so I might drain/fill with another 4 quarts and leave things alone at this point.

Jay
 
Originally Posted By: Jay845
Thanks for the reply Mau
I am a little leary about dropping the pan etc given what I have read on Maxima.org so I might drain/fill with another 4 quarts and leave things alone at this point.


I am also leary about dropping the pan. I just drain the four or so quarts and refill. Then add a bottle of Lubegard red for good measure.
 
Theres no issues in dropping the pan. Just a lot of bolts to undue and make sure you have newspaper/cardboard layed out so when the pan drops it won't splash transmission fluid all over the ground (no big deal anyways).

I just wanted to do it because the initial drain and fill came out a bit black so I knew it was not changed on time. So to see the conditions of the magnet and such it was dropped. There was quite a bit of crud but not as bad as I was expecting. 3 or 4 shop towels cleaned up the magnets and the entire pan.

I probably won't drop the pan for the rest of the car's life.
 
I would do a drain and refill 2 more times. I also have a Maxima that requires Matic-D. I have used in the past Matic-D a few times when I initially bought the car, then used Mobil1 ATF Full Synthetic and for the last 4-5 drain and refills have been using Amsoil ATF. A lot of people have had success with Maxlife which is available everywhere. You can also buy Matic S at Nissan which should be a synthetic blend and backwards compatible with Matic-D (nothing more than the regular Dex III from the past). If you want to spend a bit more, buy some Amsoil ATF which is a quality full synthetic and have ultimate protection.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Spartuss
I would do a drain and refill 2 more times. I also have a Maxima that requires Matic-D. I have used in the past Matic-D a few times when I initially bought the car, then used Mobil1 ATF Full Synthetic and for the last 4-5 drain and refills have been using Amsoil ATF. A lot of people have had success with Maxlife which is available everywhere. You can also buy Matic S at Nissan which should be a synthetic blend and backwards compatible with Matic-D (nothing more than the regular Dex III from the past). If you want to spend a bit more, buy some Amsoil ATF which is a quality full synthetic and have ultimate protection.


Thanks for the response. A couple of quick, and possibly dumb questions:

So is Matic-D just Nissan's version of Dex III?

Is it okay to use a Dex VI ATF in a Dex III spec transmission? I assume that a newer version is better and compatible with previous versions. Is this correct?

Thanks
Jay
 
Yes, Matic D was pretty much Dex III. I wouldn't use Dex VI in this application as I believe the viscosity is thinner. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong.

Use fluid that states compatible with Matic-D on the bottle. There are many choices. The ones I listed above are all excellent.
 
Spartuss is right on. Matic D is just Dexron III. That is why I asked earlier what your Nissan required. I know that Dex III will not work at all well in a Nissan that requires Matic J/S so I am loathe to use those "multiple spec " fluids that say OK for Matic D, J and S fluids. Just me.

BTW, the Mobil 1 ATF makes great PS fluid for Nissans.
 
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