I just called my local independent mechanic, and he's saying $250 for a transmission flush using the Nissan fluid, and $55 for differential.

 

If only the AT had a trans oil cooler...that would make a DIY Flush possible. Since I don't have an AT I can't really help much to research the topic.

 

I am going to drain it next week. Too much snow right now and busy with work. Probably do one drain now then wait a week or two and do a second drain.

I don't have the owners manual with me right now..how many qts in the entire trans? Think its around 10-12?

 

My manuals don't mention how much ATF fluid it holds. I'll be springing for the flush in a couple of weeks.

 

My manual does not show capacities for ATF.

FSM does show 10.3 liter (10-7/8 US qt, 9-1/8 Imp qt) (reference value, use fluid level gauge to get closer estimates.)

I know ATF fluid change should be fairly easy, but am i the only one concerned about all the stuff the FSM recommends doing? Specifically, the need to use CONSULT to check proper temperatures before taking a reading from the fluid gauge?

 

That's why I'm just taking mine to a mechanic Plus, he can flush it, instead of just taking out a small portion.

But, if I wanted to do it manually, I would probably drain some ATF fluid, and measure how much was removed, via a cheap plastic container and masking tape, and then fill the new ATF to that same mark and pour it back in.

You could even wait for it to come to room temperature before marking to get the temperature the same as the replacement fluid.

 

The FSM does show the capacity is almost 11 qts so when you drain it from the pan and almost 5 qts comes out, you'll be replacing just about half of the fluid. Changing it again after a week or 2 would result in a "complete" flush of the system with traces of the old fluid still present. I was always told a complete flush was always a bad idea and keeping some of the old stuff in there was best. All I have been doing is doing drain and fills every once in a while to maintain a healthy blend of ATF (Only Nissan Matic S).

soundmike, I wouldn't worry too much about the checking the fluid gauge after the proper temperature. If you are replacing exactly how much is coming out then why would your fluid gauge be off due to temperature?

As far as taking your car to be flushed by a "mechanic", I don't think any mechanic would be following FSM or using CONSULT unless they worked at a dealer. So how different would it be in doing it yourself? Also, 5 out of 10 people I talk to in regards to power flushes have had major headaches afterwards.

 

From the reading I did yesterday about the power flushes, the only way it will make things worse is if your ATF fluid is already compromised and your tramission is on the way out. In those cases, for unknown reasons, replacing the ATF fluid will cause imminent failure.

Otherwise, they hook a machine up to your transmission, and run your car. The pressures your car normally generates pushes the old ATF into the machine, and the machine pushes in new fluid. So you're getting almost all of the old stuff out, versus continuously diluting the bad stuff.

I guess it would be comparable to saying you're only going to drain 2 quarts of oil, put two quarts back in, and then a month later, doing that again and thinking it's equivalent to draining it all and refilling it.

Yeah, it's better than nothing, but not equivalent to a full flush.

PS - here's a link to a vendor selling an ATF flushing machine, and a description:

http://www.transaction25.com/html/our_product.html

 

My only guess is if the transmission is burning up the fluid, like some VQ's do with oil, then it wouldn't be as accurate just going by how much came out. Then again, does ATF/MTF fluid burn-out on these cars anyway?

FWIW, my car was machine flushed early in its life. No problems at all.

 

My buddy at work is into cars. He did 2 transmission flushed in his truck and an evo...within a month both trannys went on him. He said he will never do a flush again and he gets better results when he doesn't even touch the fluid. As long as its the right color and smell, you are good to go is what he said so take it for what it's worth.


If its about 10 qts in there and i get 4-5 in a drain. Ill be happy and just do that for the time being.

 

EVO? WTF...

new auto evos using that SSD or w/e they call it are glass trans that you MUST use their fluids or it will break. So if he put anything other then OEM it the reason why its dead.

I've done drain and fills on all my cars. No issues. I've switched it up to using universals now. rather then OEM stuff, I have redline D4 in the T-case. M1 for the front/rear diffs. I used J-matic in the AT, i bought 12 used 4-5. I'm looking to unload it and go over to Amsoil or MAXLIFE. But if i cant unload it then i'll just use it.

Drain and fill is the way to go in almost all cases. Cheaper to do at home. No risk of something running dry with force pumps.

 

Is the flush for a 2007 the same process? not sure if the dipstick and drain plug are identical or not.

Is there a reason we can't use synthetic tranny fluid like Redline or Amsoil? thx

 

How long should i wait to do the second drain since it only does about 4 qts a drain


I only plan to do the simple drain rather than draining from radiator ect..will this be sufficient enough?

 

I did the second drain/refill after a week (about 400 miles). If you do this every 20-30k miles, two d/f's should be sufficient to keep the fluid fresh.

p.s. I drained a little over 5 qts on mine, with the front elevated about 6 inches. You can refer to my DIY here -- http://gshack.org/?p=276

 

Where did you get the washer? i need new washers as well for the diffs