Very nice write-up! Thank you.

 

Hello all, got a 2008 G35x not to long ago. I took the car for an engine oil change, while servicing, the guy checked the transmission fluid and the oil it's brown. car just hit the 49k mile mark.

My question is, is this normal? Or is it supposed to be red like every ATF? Unfortunately I don't have the service record for the car so I don't know when it was replaced.

Thanks for the help.

 

the recommended drain and fill interval is 30,000miles under the premium service plan. If the fluid truly is brownish then it might be because it was driven hard at times and never changed at 30k which could explain it. Just get it done by dealership for a flush ~16qt to cycle or do a drain and fill ~3-4qts and then do another one after 3-4k miles to help freshen the fluid some more

New fluid will be red like ATF and not brown and use only Nissan Matic-S for warranty reasons that can be found on everythingg35.com for about $8/qt.

 

Great, thank you very much for your info. I'll take it to the dealer and have it done. Don't think that jiffy lube will have that kind of oil.

 

^ yes, plz do NOT use jiffy for AT service and try to use matic-s for piece of mind, you can buy the fluid online and take it in and just pay for the flush service which would be much cheaper cause most dealership sells matic-s for almost double($12-16/qt.) the online price(~$8-9)

 

Want to do a full drain flush and refill (about 12 quarts).

Seems like most of you guys are just draining about 4 quarts then refilling.

I guess what I'm not understanding is are you intentionally only draining 4 quarts then stopping? Or is 4 quarts all that can be drained from the drain plug? Would further steps be required to get the rest of the fluid out?

thanks in advance.

 

When you drain from the pan ONLY about 4.75qts comes out. In order for you to drain it all, you will need to disconnect one of the oil cooler lines and run the car to drain the rest. You will also need a 2nd person to fill while its draining. You will notice when clean fluid starts to come out. Shut off car and fill.

 

Awesome exactly what I was looking for. Tinkered around with cars for a long time, just never had the courage to touch the transmission.

thanks

 

Maintenance guide does now show ATS & differential flush until 120K?!

 

Have you actually done this on a G35 successfully? Or is this general info from other experience?

I do not know for a fact that you can not do this as you describe it, so bear with me if this is unfounded, but it concerned me when you said "Shut off car and FILL", as in ... the tranny wasn't kept full as you were pumping out from the opened line

That seems potentially problematic in the event that there's any possible starvation issues going on. I do not know the circuit path of fluid from the tranny as it runs to/from the cooler. Does it simply return after cooling and then dump directly into the pan, or does the cooling loop happen 'mid-cycle' where-after it goes on through other hydraulic circuits before returning to the pan??? If that were the case, you can see the potential starvation threat presented if the fluid is not returned to complete those circuits and is instead dumped directly into the pan through the dipstick tube.

I know some of the pros use machines that intercept the fluid flowing through an external line and then inject a like amount back into the closed system so the system never runs low and it measures exactly what came out and what went back in. (BMW and their ZF transmissions come to mind)

Maybe that's all overkill, and perhaps I'm over thinking it, but these trannys are expensive and, as it would sure hurt for someone find out the hard way, can you verify that you're sure this is perfectly safe for the tranny the way you've described it?

 

I had my wifes Tranny flushed with a system that draws out the old and at same time fills with new fluid, as stated Nissan Matic-S fluid was used for warranty purpose.

If I was too go the route off just draining I would do that and within an oil change I would return to do another drain that way you have replaced about 8 quarts of the 12-13. My wifes car had a full flush done at approx 30K miles and we will leave it in until 60 and do a full flush again. Since it is an 08 AWD we also did the differential and transaxel service as well as oil and radiator flush, brake pads and new rotors w fluid recently as well as power steering fluid.

Keep your fluids clean they are the life of your car

 

i just did it myself... nothing hard about it.

if you can do an oil change you can do a tranny drain and fill.

STEPS:
Heat the car up (drive it)

it's a (I believe) 19mm bolt in the middle of the car (underneath). Drain it.

Fill through the dip stick plug in the back of the engine with a long funnel.

Heat the car up and check your level.

Its a joke how easy it is.

 

Sorry to bring back an old thread but the Infiniti Service Manual says to "replace" transmission fluid at 30k. For those of us that are doing it at home does that mean we need to just change it once (4 +/- quarts) or several times (10 +/- quarts)?

 

I just did a drain and fill @ 35500 miles on my 08 sedan AT. I did this with a lift so it wasn't tough. I drained it, filled it with 3 qt. and started the car, ran it thru the gears (which can only be park, neutral, and drive 1st gear) and checked the level after 5 mins and filled almost another quart. 3.75 qt. total

 

First off, if you look closer, you'll see that the tranny service at 30K miles is for the "premium" maintenance schedule, not schedule 1 or 2, and is NOT required to maintain warranty coverage. That being said, replacing all the fluid outright is a difficult proposition for the average DIY'er, so more frequent "refreshes" of the fluid is preferable. Actually, that is exactly what most dealerships will do too, they will not typically replace all the fluid, they will simply drain the pan and refill it at 30K intervals. Usually, this amounts to somewhere around 4 quarts (+/-). WHen I did it, i was able to drain about 4-1/3 quarts, so I had to buy 5 quarts to refill.

If you choose, you can go further and repeat the process over and over again, getting closer and closer to a complete replacement, but due to the simple dilution method involved, you will go through a great deal of fluid for proportionately smaller and smaller improvements in purity. Ultimately, you will always have some older fluid remaining and therefore a compromise is inevitable. Unless you open a line in the circuit of the fluid path and intercept 100% of the old fluid as it passes while simultaneously replentishing new fluid into the returning path, you are going to waste a lot of expensive fluid. Even the dealerships are reluctant to use that method, instead preferring to just do the periodic (30K) drain and refill that you can do (just as well) at home.

SO, bottom line is, DON'T BOTHER with more than just draining the pan and refilling what you took out; so long as you do it at 30K intervals, you'll be fine.

Tip:
To get the most fluid to drain out of the pan, after draining what comes out initially, you can get a bit more to flow out if you tilt your car from side-to-side and front-to-back by jacking it accordingly and letting it sit in those positions for a while. I gained another 1/2 to 2/3 quart that way. Also, make sure to consider temperature when you measure the fluid you took out. Replacing hot/warm fluid with the same amount of cold fluid will result in overfilling the transmission. Let it cool first if you want a more accurate measurement.