Last night I had an appointment to get my tranny fluid changed. I remember seeing on in the owner's manual to get the fluid changed. I also recall a thread on this site mentioning to get the ATF flushed. When I got to the dealership, the service guy checked my mileage (30,400 miles) and told me it was not necessary. He mentioned that the AT transmission is completely enclosed (no dipstick) and the only time you'll need to change the J-matic is when I get a brand new transmission. He said they can still flush it if I want, but it'd be a waste of money. I then called my buddy who helped me with a lot of mods on my car and he agreed with what the service guy said, so I skipped it. Which is good news, cause that saves me $$$.

Just thought I should pass that along. Looks like it does not really need to be flushed (unless you get some kind of tranny upgrade of course).

 

Not completely true.

There is a dipstick.... between the firewall and engine towards the battery. Yes you have to use J-Matic. There is also a transmission drain plug under the car.

I have changed my ATF twice already and I am at 41K. The fluid is red(new). The fluid that came out of my car is very dark red.

 

Seriously, I would change it at 30k. The tranny is probably the highest wear item so its cheap insurance.

 

nope... the engine is....

 

HAHA i guess he is right on this, but how many engines just go like that? Not many....anyways yes get it flushed dont have them just put ned fluid in to fill it up. Make sure that it is the factory fluid cause other fluids can void your warranty. I didnt change my AT fluid until 60K miles and the people said there were hardly any metal shavings in the fluid and that everything was ok...so i guess you dont have to change it at 30K miles its just recomended.

 

+1......cheap insurance.....
C.

 

True. I should have said the tranny is the weakest link in most powertrains

 

ATF like motor oil will break down.

And yes, it DOES have a tranny dip stick.

I personally would just do a simple drain and refill every 10-15k miles. Easy to do and not expensive at all.

 

I do mine every 15K...I drive hard and know better...

 

ye he is rite dirrectly in the middle behind the block.. held in by a 10m bolt...

 

Funny thread.

Dipstick. My 03 auto sedan does NOT have a stick. Just a cap. I wish I had one. Can I just order one?

And if the fluid is inspected and deemed okay, a drain/fill is okay. VS a complete flush. Do a drain/fill every 15-20k and your tranny will be fine.

If you inspect it and it's burnt or dark, then maybe a full flush is in order.

So the real answer is "it depends".

 

If ATF has a burnt smell to it and close to a brown color, it means it too late.

Fluids like you engine oil or atf also acts as a cooling agent. burnt AFT means

burnt clutches = slips. On ATF always use OEM products every 10k -20k mile

depending on your driving style. On BMW and Merc that uses lifetime fluids

DO NOT CHANGE CAUSE THOSE FLUID DO LAST A LIFE TIME + they are like 17

-20 bucks a quart. Drain and fill does probably gets out 50%-70% of you ATF

because you still have ATF in your Torque convertor so you just mixing your

old with the new which in result your just wasting your money. Make sure

you bring your own OEM ATF if your taking you car in for a flush. Most places

just fill your cars with Dextron 3 without even checking what type of fluids

your car needs. Also I would take the pan off to see if there is any metal

shaving on the bottem of the pan at high milage. This would tell you if it's

time to trade in the car or get a new tranny.

 

Jeff, the dipsticks go in all G's and M's north of the border. If you've got a parts guy who owes you a favour, get him to order one from a Nissan/Infiniti dealership in Canada. Cost: about $20. USD.

C.

 

Should not be taking your car to "most places". Go to Nissan or an Infiniti dealer or an independent mechanic who specializes in Nissan. Or DIY.
Why take a chance on all the other things they probably don't know.

 

Same here, I change tranny and differential every 15000