Best oil for Nissan 5 speed transmission

[admzn]

I changed the oil almost 2 years ago in my 1995 Pathfinder to Redline MT90. I swear it made the transmission worse. It always felt a little notchy, but after that fluid was put in, I get a slight grinding in 2nd when cold. It is almost not drivable in the Canadian winters unless you let it run for 20 minutes. I was thinking about trying GM Syncromesh but wanted to get some input before I do. The fluid I took out came with the truck but it was nice and gold in colour when drained. I've put about 15,000km on the truck since.

 

[mx5miata]

If it always felt notchy maybe the tranny had problems to begin with? Draining the old fluid you removed all the dirt, contaminants and impurities that were acting as a cushion between the gears. Just a thought

 

[skyactiv]

The best fluid in my opinion is Fords Motorcraft XT-M5-QS. It is a 75W90 true PAO synthetic made in Germany
It's loved by Mazda Miata owners which has a RWD transmission. I have had it in my GTI since the 50K mark and now have 128K on my car.
ZERO 1 and 2 star reviews.

Read the reviews: https://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Ford-XT-M5-QS-Synthetic-Transmission/dp/B000NUES82

 

[admzn]

Originally Posted By: mx5miata
If it always felt notchy maybe the tranny had problems to begin with? Draining the old fluid you removed all the dirt, contaminants and impurities that were acting as a cushion between the gears. Just a thought

You're not wrong, but the old fluid didn't come out that dirty, and there was hardly anything on the magnet. One of those should have left it alone things, I guess?

Originally Posted By: skyactiv
The best fluid in my opinion is Fords Motorcraft XT-M5-QS. It is a 75W90 true PAO synthetic made in Germany
It's loved by Mazda Miata owners which has a RWD transmission. I have had it in my GTI since the 50K mark and now have 128K on my car.
ZERO 1 and 2 star reviews.

Read the reviews: https://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Ford-XT-M5-QS-Synthetic-Transmission/dp/B000NUES82


That looks very good. May have to pick some up.

 

[mx5miata]

I've always used Lucas products and know a mechanic that does as well. Check this out.

https://lucasoil.com/products/gear-oil/synthetic-gear-oil/lucas-sae-75w-90-synthetic-gear-oil

 

[skyactiv]

I suggest going to a local Ford dealer in person and seeing if they will give you garage pricing. I bought my fluid at Jim Keim, now Rousch Ford in Columbus, OH and they beat internet pricing when I asked.

 

[mx5miata]

I know that feeling of "should have been left alone" I thought I was some hero changing the diff fluid on my 98 F-150.

Followed everything OE spec called for. Pulled the cover drained down soaked just about every last drop up with clean rags and no lint was left behind sprayed down with brake cleaner let it thoroughly dry did a visual inspection, than refilled with 75w-140 full synthetic with "Ford" Friction modifier for the LSD. Never felt right afterwards.

I did it over with 85w-140 non synthetic and non Ford friction modifier - it felt better to me. maybe it was just mental thing. But too much effort and expense for a beater truck.

 

[mx5miata]

If I am right Gear oil doesn't contain detergents so I am not sure how much color change their should be in a closed system that doesn't burn or consume oil unless it leaks. should only gray in color from metal wear

 

[aquariuscsm]

I bet you have the same transmission as my 300ZX. Yes,they definitely feel notchy and "mechanical". Definitely not butter smooth like a FWD manual. I've switched between Amsoil MTG and Redline MT90. The Amsoil felt a little thinner,so maybe you could give that a try? MT90 shifts flawlessly in mine,no grinds whatsoever.

 

[IndyIan]

The transmission in my 03 tracker was a bit notchy going into second and I tried some GM synchro mesh in it. It didn't help much if at all and it was some ridiculous price from the local dealer. I think I tried some Amsoil 75W90 GL4 stuff after which was a bit better, and I think I just left it in there for 100k km and then got some quaker state gl4 75W90 and ran that until I got rid of it. It never really got much better or worse and since I wasn't racing it, an extra moment to shift wasn't a big deal.

 

[NormanBuntz]

In my last Alfa Romeo, I had the occasional but classic 2nd gear synchro crunch with the factory fill gear oil from Italy. Switched to Shell Spirax Synthetic, and the crunch disappeared.

 

[FowVay]

The newer vehicles use a 75W-85 GL-4 gearbox fluid. Nissan went with the lower viscosity fluid to try to improve the notchy shifting. It may have been an improvement but they still shift horribly.

Motul makes a 75W-85 gear oil that they claim is specifically designed for Nissan. I am going to try it at my 50,000 mile interval. I presently have Ravenol 75W-85 in my gearbox but it was no improvement over the factory fill fluid.

If interested try searching for Motul Motylgear 75W-85 gl-4/5.

 

[admzn]

Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
I bet you have the same transmission as my 300ZX. Yes,they definitely feel notchy and "mechanical". Definitely not butter smooth like a FWD manual. I've switched between Amsoil MTG and Redline MT90. The Amsoil felt a little thinner,so maybe you could give that a try? MT90 shifts flawlessly in mine,no grinds whatsoever.
\

Yeah, is it the FS5R30a. I found an invoice in the glovebox from the previous owner showing they had it changed at a shop, unfortunately all it says is 75w90 lol.

Thanks for the input, will likely go with the Ford fluid or the Motul, whichever I get a better price on.

Originally Posted By: FowVay
The newer vehicles use a 75W-85 GL-4 gearbox fluid. Nissan went with the lower viscosity fluid to try to improve the notchy shifting. It may have been an improvement but they still shift horribly.

Motul makes a 75W-85 gear oil that they claim is specifically designed for Nissan. I am going to try it at my 50,000 mile interval. I presently have Ravenol 75W-85 in my gearbox but it was no improvement over the factory fill fluid.

If interested try searching for Motul Motylgear 75W-85 gl-4/5.



That looks promising!

 

[admzn]

Ended up going with Motul 75w85. I brought it to a Mr Lube and had them change it, since I'm leaving for the weekend and had no time. So far it is much improved. The place I got the oil from, the guy had a 300zx, and he said the MT90 didn't do his transmission any favors either.

The most noticeable difference is that on my morning commute it does not grind going into 2nd gear. I didn't think it would be this noticeable. I've only put about 30km on it since. Colour me impressed!

There is a service bulletin on these trucks where the transmission was under filled from the factory due to a incorrectly placed fill plug. I brought the TSB with me, and they had to jack the truck up on one side to get all 5.1L in. Previously I just removed the shifter and filled from there, but whatever works lol.

 

[A_Harman]

Originally Posted By: AdamZ
Ended up going with Motul 75w85. I brought it to a Mr Lube and had them change it, since I'm leaving for the weekend and had no time. So far it is much improved. The place I got the oil from, the guy had a 300zx, and he said the MT90 didn't do his transmission any favors either.

The most noticeable difference is that on my morning commute it does not grind going into 2nd gear. I didn't think it would be this noticeable. I've only put about 30km on it since. Colour me impressed!

There is a service bulletin on these trucks where the transmission was under filled from the factory due to a incorrectly placed fill plug. I brought the TSB with me, and they had to jack the truck up on one side to get all 5.1L in. Previously I just removed the shifter and filled from there, but whatever works lol.


The oil Redline recommends for Nissan manual transmissions is MT85. It's not the viscosity that's important, it is the friction modifier used that increases friction so the synchronizer grabs.

https://www.redlineoil.com/mt-85-75w85-gl-4-gear-oil

 

[zeng]

Originally Posted By: A_Harman


The oil Redline recommends for Nissan manual transmissions is MT85. It's not the viscosity that's important, it is the friction modifier used that increases friction so the synchronizer grabs.

https://www.redlineoil.com/mt-85-75w85-gl-4-gear-oil

+1.
The desired ratio of static coefficients of friction to dynamic COF within a system is evasive,variable as operating conditions varies within the transmission.