2002 Maxima time for an atf change

[asiancivicmaniac]

So I'm almost finished with the Auto-Rx run in the transmission of my Maxima and plan on changing out the fluid when I have spring break in a couple of weeks. I have a couple of questions.

First of all, I have never dropped a transmission pan before so what should I know? It has a drain plug so it'll probably be less messy. Also, I plan on flushing the fluid out through the return line, which I haven't done before either. No filter to change since it's just a screen. If I have trouble dropping the pan I just might do several drain-n-fills.

Now I'm trying to decide on fluid. Should I go with Dexron VI and do more frequent drain-n-fills afterwards or use a synthetic? How long can the synthetic be run before it needs changing?

If Dexron, which is the best bang for the buck? They're all pretty much the same thing right?

If synthetic, it will either be M1 or Amsoil depending on which I can get cheaper. M1 might win since I can get it locally and it may be cheaper than Amsoil.

 

[bepperb]

You have a replacement gasket for the tranny pan?

All I would point out is that you won't get all the old fluid out by dropping the pan. You'll get the same amount as if you just pulled the plug. If the filter isn't replaceable, all you'll be able to do by dropping the pan is to clean off the magnets, which may or may not be worth the effort. How many miles do you have?

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

80.5k miles. Got it used at 79k. I was thinking the same about the pan drop as well. Will cleaning the magnets be worth my effort? The filter is just a screen.

 

[VK56VD]

I have a '99 Maxima which I purchased with 103k miles from the original owner. I have never dropped the pan to clean off the screen and magnets as I hear they should not be too bad if the transmission is functioning properly. I have done many drain and refills with OEM Nissan Matic-D, Mobil1 ATF, and my last drain and refill was with Amsoil ATF.

I would suggest you do a cooler line flush by pushing in several qts. of the least expensive ATF first, followed by Amsoil ATF the rest way through. You should notice better shifting after completion.

Another option is to do several drain and refills with 100 miles in between each with something along the lines of Castrol MV formula and than do several drain and refills with Amsoil ATF or another quality synthetic of your choice.

 

[hate2work]

Much easier to just do the drain and refills. Dropping the pan is a PITA and messy as well. Always use a new gasket on the final refill.

I'm using the Amsoil fluid and it's working well for me. No need to drive 100 miles between each drain and refill, 3 or 4 miles is really all that's needed, making sure that you manually shift through all the gears.

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

Since the transmission is an auto wouldn't it shift through all the gears by itself?

Does anybody know what size the drain plug gasket is and can any typical washer be used or do I have to go to the dealer?

 

[hate2work]

Originally Posted By: asiancivicmaniac
Since the transmission is an auto wouldn't it shift through all the gears by itself?

Does anybody know what size the drain plug gasket is and can any typical washer be used or do I have to go to the dealer?


Yes, it should shift through the gears automatically. But it's still best to shift through them yourself as well.

Gaskets are available through the dealer or any auto parts store. Some of these require a "crush washer".

 

[unDummy]

If you drop the pan, you'll need new pan bolts. The bolts have a single use sealant on them. Or, you can clean/reuse them if you apply some ATF compatible thread sealer. Use a torque wrench.

I'm all for dropping the pan at 100k. So, if you want wait until 100k prior to getting your hands dirty, make sure the car is worth the 'elbow grease'.

When buying a used car, don't simple dump a ton of money into maintenance until you are sure the car is worth it. Look at all the other investments into your safety and reliability......

Change the oil&filter, do a single ATF drain/refill, siphon/refill the psf, change the thermostat and drain/refill the radiator, bleed the brakes, replace the fuel/air filters, spark plugs, belts.... budget tires/brakes/struts/axles...... etc as needed.

I'd drain/refill and flush it with the cheapest compatible ATF. If all feels well at 100k, drop the pan for inspection/cleaning, and flush with a quality synthetic. Interval depends on driving style.

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

Good suggestions.

Oil and filter was changed the next day after purchase and a bottle of Auto-Rx was added. Psf has been exchanged. Coolant replaced two weeks ago. Just put on new tires. I think the struts are still okay. Plan on bleeding the brakes during spring break. Cleaned the MAF. Air filter is good. New cabin air filter. Have a new o2 sensor waiting to go in. I think the brakes will last for a few thousand more miles. Have a new OEM pcv valve waiting to be changed. Anything else I'm missing?

I'm just concerned about leaving dirty fluid in the transmission and figured that doubling the price of regular atf that I can put in a synthetic. I don't think I will bother with a pan drop and just flush it through the cooling return line. I think this car will run quite a bit longer. Engine is smooth and the transmission is good with the exception of the common hard shift between 1-2. Smooths out after heating up.

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

So I did a cooler return line flush. Glad I did because the fluid was really dark.

I did one drain and fill with ST Dexron III just to dilute the nasty stuff and then I drove the car for about 200 miles and then I did another drain and fill then flushed it. I used Amsoil ATF. Figured might as well. With new fluid the transmission shifts smoother. I wonder how old was the stuff that was in it. Wouldn't be surprised if it was the original fluid.

So how many miles can I leave the Amsoil in there before I do a drain and fill or flush? The capacity is 9 qts and about 4 qts come out of the drain plug.

 

[Al]

Originally Posted By: asiancivicmaniac

So how many miles can I leave the Amsoil in there before I do a drain and fill or flush? The capacity is 9 qts and about 4 qts come out of the drain plug.

I can tell you that Nissan Trannies are hard on oil. I personally do a drain and fill every 10 to 15K miles. I have 106,000 miles on my Nissan Sentra and not a hint of problems with the auto-tranny. I have never removed the pan nor done a flush. I would consider a used oil analysis.

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

I was doing frequent drain and fills when I had the Civic.

But the current Amsoil fill costed $80 so draining even every 15k is not feasible. And I thought Amsoil would have a longer service period. It claims to be more heat resistant than conventional base fluid. Maybe a drain and fill every 25-30k miles or a full flush every 50-60k miles?

 

[Donald]

Amsoil has a normal service life of 100K and 50K severe. That assumes you did a complete flush and the transmission is in good shape. Then how to maintain?

If you install a filter like a Magnefine, then I would go to 50K and do a UOA and see how much longer to go.

If you have no filter (other than the one in the transmission) then I would consider doing a drain and refill every 20K to remove some ATF with wear metals and freshen things up.

I think a Magnefine filter is more cost effective.

You just do not want to go 100K miles building up wear metals even if the ATF can handle it.

 

[1993_VG30E_GXE]

When you did the flush through the AT Cooler line, does it get the remaining Walmart fluid out of the Torque Converter?

I'm wondering if it's OK to mix the Walmart with the Amsoil synthetic....since some of the Walmart stuff is bound to be trapped in there somewhere right?

 

[qship1996]

On my Q45, I perform 4-5 drain fills to effectivly replace 85-88% of the Redline D4 ATF every 25,000 miles at a cost of aprox. $8.00 x 18 quarts= $144.00......cheap in my book to extend the life of a $4,000 transmission. Seems to be effective, as my original transmission is operating like new at 226,000 miles{and the q45 is known to have short tranny life, many dont make it to 100k}

 

[MaximaGuy]

I have dropped the pan and cleaned the magnets 2 times. The first time at around 60K and on OEM ATF there was a lot of grime and the magnets had collected quite a bit.

Then again I dropped at around 120K becoz I screweed up the first time by taking short cuts with the gasket (it was cork craaap), replaced gasket with OEM gasket and replaced the magnets.

The magnets had hardly anything collected since the last cleaning. All throughtout from 60K miles I have used non-OEM ATF and the tranny is quite happy with 30K return line flushes. The last time I flushed I used Castrol MV Import ATF and have had no issues.

I personally would recommend dropping and cleaning and replacing the magnets. I re-used the bolts and didn't have to apply any sealant, no leaks whatsoever, but using a sealant is strongly recommended.

Hope my post was some help.

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

Originally Posted By: 1993_VG30E_GXE
When you did the flush through the AT Cooler line, does it get the remaining Walmart fluid out of the Torque Converter?

I'm wondering if it's OK to mix the Walmart with the Amsoil synthetic....since some of the Walmart stuff is bound to be trapped in there somewhere right?



Sorry, I don't know about the torque converter. The initial couple of quarts that came out of the radiator were really dark. It must have came from somewhere. I think it's perfectly fine for the Walmart ATF to mix with the Amsoil since there probably wasn't that much left. One thing I will do next time though is take the hose off of the transmission instead of the radiator. I made a big mess.