how to add differential fluid?

Post by **Pathfinder995** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 2:57 pm

Okay, last week I asked about changing the differential--based on the Hayne's manual it doesn't seem hard at all, but they recommend that when you put the new fluid in you use a squeeze bottle or something like that? What do y'all use to put the new fluid in and where can I get whatever tool it is?

Post by **fueler** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 3:14 pm

The recommended Diff fluid is Pennzoil 80w90. It already comes in a squeeze bottle. Isnt that easy?? Its $3 a bottle at auto parts stores, and the same stuff is $10 a bottle at the dealership! You dont need any special tools. Your regular 1/2" socket driver or breaker bar is the tool to use (the square thing that you normally put a socket on) My only advice is make sure you open the fill plug first and the drain plug second - imagine if you did the drain plug, drained it, and then couldnt open the fill plug (the nuts are seized on there pretty tight) I had to use a breaker bar and it was still hard, i was scared that i was gonna strip the bolt

Post by **jbriner1** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 10:37 am

I just did this and it's absolutely worth the 5-10$ for a small transfer pump. You probably won't be able to get that bottle up to the fill plug and dump/squeeze the contents in. I just used the pump w/ hose extensions that come w/ it and t was a breeze. You don't get all of the contents out this way, but you can just transfer what's left into the next bottle you put in. Also, don't forget to put the limited slip differential additive in the diffs with the new fluid. I called my dealer and they told me front and rear diff's both get the LSD additive, when the guys at autozone told me only the back. One little tip... I cut the nipple entirely off the bottle of gear oil and the hose for my pump fit very snugly into the hole.... that way it didn't slip out while I was maneuvering the hoses under the vehicle and when the nearly empty bottle got light and tipped over, the oil didn't run out all over the place. Have fun. PS, My dealer also told me 75W90 for the gear oil in NC....just FYI

Post by **bmlawless** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 1:43 pm

My service manual for 1997-2000 doesn't differentiate between front and rear differential fluids. Here's what it says on recommended fluids for front and rear:

This is the process that it gives to identify a limited slip diff:LIMITED-SLIP DIFFERENTIAL GEARI. Use only approved limited-slip differential gear oil.

I. Limited-slip differential identification.1. Lift both rear wheels off the ground.2. Turn one rear wheel by hand.3. If both rear wheels turn in the same direction simultaneously,vehicle is equipped with limited-slip differential.

Post by **jimmyzzer** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 2:17 pm

http://www.harborfreight.com/c...93477

Post by **jbriner1** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 3:25 pm

that's a nice pump.... the one I have I bought at autozone and it has a in and out hose line so you don't have to fill it and then squirt it out and repeat.... just drop one hose in the bottle, put the other end where you want it to go and pump the heck out of it....this part of the thread can only go downhill so......My manual says 80w-90, but like I said the dealer said 75w-90... I went with what they said and I don't think it will make that much of a difference... this vehicle is my wife's DD so it dosen't get roughed up too much.oh, by the way, my rear diff had a bright orange sticker on it that said LSD OIL....here's your sign... the front didn't have it, but as directed by my dealer, I added it.

Post by **fueler** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 3:52 pm

i dont know what kind of dealer would give you wrong info like that The recommended Pennzoil gear fluid is already LSD approved (like the Nissan technical manual states, as well as the bottle) , any "LSD additives" would only be a waste of time and possibly even compromise the diff...

Post by **jbriner1** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 3:57 pm

duly noted..... next time I change it, I will go by the manual that I downloaded off this site....and I never found a particular brand recommended.... where did you get that information?

thanks for the input

Post by **tmorgan4** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 4:02 pm

Open the MA section of the manual.

Post by **jbriner1** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 4:09 pm

yep, looking at it now, and it says nothing about a brand...it does recommend 80w90, but if you look at page 13 of the MA section, 75w-90 is okay and gives an acceptable outside temp range. I thinks this is kind of a moot argument as of this point in time, and the gear oil that I purchased did not have the LSD additive so I had to add it. Point is I suppose it depends on what section of the country you live in and the temp ranges you would expect. anyway... I bought our 01 pathy used and I don't think the diff's had ever been changed so they have got to be a hell of a lot happier now than with that old oil in it even if it's low weight is 5 too light.

Post by **NCturbo75** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 4:34 pm

fueler wrote:Its $3 a bottle at auto parts stores, and the same stuff is $10 a bottle at the dealership! I had to use a breaker bar and it was still hard, i was scared that i was gonna strip the bolt

That's a major mark-up right there.

I have worked on Honda's and they have the same type of drain plug. You will more than likely break the socket/wrench before stripping the square-shaped plug.

Post by **gwhunt23** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 8:52 am

Here's the three easiest methods if you're wondering whether or not your QX4 has a limited slip differential (LSD):

1. Open the hood, look on the passenger side firewall for a sliver plaque with transmission information. If there is a "V" prior to model numbers, you have a LSD. If not, no LSD.

2. Find some dirt or gravel. In 2WD, punch the gas. Look back at your tracks. If you have 2 skid marks, you have a LSD. If only one skid mark, you don't have a LSD. If no skid marks, you didn't hit the gas hard enough!

3. Finally you can look for the orange "LSD Oil" sticker on the differential itself. Use the above two tests if you're like me and think the sticker could have been rubbed off over the years.

Post by **Pathfinder995** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 1:37 am

Ok - this is all great information and I think I'm ready to go. Last question - how much fluid do i need? The Haynes manual says fill until it starts to come out of the fill plug area...but how many quarts/pints is that going to be. I'm trying to order 80w90 Amsoil product but I need to know how much to get.

-Jeff

Post by **tmorgan4** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 1:52 am

For future reference, the MA section of the FSM lists all the fluid specs and amounts.

The front differential requires 1.85 liters, rear takes 2.8 liters.

Post by **bmlawless** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 1:38 pm

jbriner1 wrote:duly noted..... next time I change it, I will go by the manual that I downloaded off this site....and I never found a particular brand recommended.... where did you get that information?

thanks for the input

Where do we have manuals on this site? I looked but didn't find them.

Post by **gwhunt23** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 4:33 pm

Pathfinder995 wrote:Ok - this is all great information and I think I'm ready to go. Last question - how much fluid do i need? The Haynes manual says fill until it starts to come out of the fill plug area...but how many quarts/pints is that going to be. I'm trying to order 80w90 Amsoil product but I need to know how much to get.

-Jeff

If you don't have a transfer pump, buy an extra quart of gear oil. With the way things are positioned down there, you can only get about half out of a 1qt squeeze bottle. Just keep refilling the bottles that are half used up and you'll eventually get the differential filled. Don't worry about exact measurements either - once fluid starts coming out of the fill plug she's full!

Post by **Pathfinder995** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 10:19 am

Well, I changed it today. Got some Amsoil 80w90 synthetic severe gear lube and used a funnel at an angle to put the stuff in--worked like a charm but now my garage smells like old differential fluid! Anyway, thanks everybody for the tips - worked great.

Post by **tmorgan4** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 5:41 am

Nicoclub.com/FSM

Post by **jbriner1** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 3:55 pm

unfortunately, I don't remember... I was going thru many threads and ran across a post for the '01 and '01.5 manuals....I would be happy to get them to you if you are interested.. sorry so long to reply.

Post by **Pathfinder995** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 8:31 am

Okay, so I was getting my tranny flushed today and talking Amsoil with a service tech. I told him I had put 80w90 in the differential and he said that was correct but I needed to add a conditioner/additive specifically for limited slip differentials? I never heard that anywhere - I thought I could just drain the old fluid, add the Amsoil 80w90 severe gear and be on with it. It's running fine - anyone have any advice?

Post by **fueler** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 8:54 am

That depends - do you even have the rear LSD? Most Pathfinders don't. If you do, you'll have a small orange sticker on the rear differential housing that says LSD. If the sticker has fallen off, the only way to tell is either your dealer records, or by jacking the rear up, spin a wheel and see how the other behaves Most good diff fluids are already LSD approved.... The pennzoil 80w-90 i use, they sell it at my Nissan dealer and its already LSD ready

Post by **xnapajx** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 4:12 pm

I switched out both front and rear differential oil last weekend. My QX4 is at 140K now and I think the last differential service was around 60K. The car feels much smoother after the oil change. I got Mobil 1 75w80 as it's the only one that auto store had in stock.

Does anyone knows what oil is used for the transfer case? The manual shows Nissan Matic "D" or Nissan Automatic Transmission Fluid. The dealerships around me doens't carry any oil in bottles. Can I just replace it with Mobil 1 transmission oil? I know that my 4runner takes the same gear oil for its transfer case as differentials.

Another question, my tire are spining a little in reverse if I push hard; I'm not sure whether it was like that before I changed the oil. It won't spin in forward. Is it normal? Thanks!

Post by **Issac** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 6:54 pm

Harbor Freight pump works great but this job is always messy.

Add your additive to one of your quarts of gear oil prior.

Limited Slip requires additive. Few products have additive in them. Royal Purple makes a nice gear oil-syn, with the additive.

"Approved for limited slip top off", and "limited slip approved", does not mean ideal for limited slip.

Turns out if not ideal, tires will not fully engage. Meaning you will have one wheel drive partially unless you have the additive, or "Gear Oil With Limited Slip Additive".

I have read use the least additive you need, and I believe noise and traction are the clues. I even had to add a tad of additive to my Royal Purple to get full traction out of both.

Transfer case oil is gear oil on mine, not Dextron. Read your owners manual. I used Amsoil there(no limited slip needed). Seems my economy might have gone up with the diffs and transfer going to synthetic. Seems to be a trend.

When doing Transfer, you can jack up one side to get more oil out. 2 comes out and I believe there are 4 in there. i got out 3.

Post by **Pathfinder995** » Sat Mar 08, 2008 1:12 am

Issac - I used Amsoil 80w90 in my Pathy and it did say "limited slip approved" or whatever. I have changed it twice to try and flush out all the old stuff - it runs fine but I never used the additive and I do have a LSD. Any advice--should I put the additive in or is the Amsoil sufficient?

-Jeff

Post by **Issac** » Sat Mar 08, 2008 5:35 am

I think the amsoil is good enough in itself from what I read. I just read up a lot on this with trucks and found that there are varying degrees of if it is working. One man had a truck that made no noise on Mobil 1 and yet he would burn rubber with his right tire only. So it was not effectively engaging.

I thought mine was perfect with Royal Purple, because it has additive, but the other day I had right side wheel in snow and it was not engaging well.

So I added some of a tube of LSD additive, and no joke it seemed to dig both.

or you can just use dealer stuff. But I want SYN.

So see if both wheels dig, not just noise and binding is the way to know, and then you have your answer if it needs more.

But don't dump in a whole tube of the stuff into Premium quality Amsoil I wouldn't think it needs it all.

Post by **Chuck Tribolet** » Sat May 26, 2012 10:12 am

The FSM says an LSD needs "Use only LSD gear oil API GL-5 andSAE 80W-90*4 approved for Nissan
LSD" and there's a foot note that says "Contact a NISSAN dealer for a list of approved oils"

Does anybody have a list of the Nissan-approved LSD oils?

And is the front diff is NOT LSD, right?

Post by **Towncivilian** » Sat May 26, 2012 11:58 am

You can use pretty much any fluid as long as it's GL-5 rated. I'd go with a synthetic 75W-90 GL-5 rated fluid in both diffs. Typically they already have a sufficient amount of limited slip additive already blended in; this will be stated on the bottle. As far as I know, the R200 front diff is not LSD.

Post by **00pathyse** » Thu Oct 25, 2012 4:08 pm

Towncivilian wrote:You can use pretty much any fluid as long as it's GL-5 rated. I'd go with a synthetic 75W-90 GL-5 rated fluid in both diffs. Typically they already have a sufficient amount of limited slip additive already blended in; this will be stated on the bottle. As far as I know, the R200 front diff is not LSD.

Had my back wheels off today changing out the rear shocks and noticed a sticker on top of the rear diff that says "USE ONLY LSD OIL". I did not realize my Pathfinder had an LSD! I changed out the rear diff oil about 10k miles ago with Motomaster API GL-5 Extreme Pressure SAE 85w-140 oil. I did not add any additives. Am I screwed?

Post by **Towncivilian** » Fri Oct 26, 2012 11:23 pm

Most gear oils already have LS additive. If your diff doesn't chatter on turns (drive a figure eight and find out) you're fine.

Why 85W-140?

Post by **00pathyse** » Sat Oct 27, 2012 7:17 am

Thanks Town. I have never noticed any chatter whatsoever. The bottle only says can be used for all hypoid gears- I guess LSD is covered with that statement even though it doesnt specifically state LSD.

I remember when I was looking for gear oil that was the only one I could find and someone told me 85w140 would be fine. Though I read somewhere that its only good between temps of -10c to 30c or (14f - 86f). It goes below -10 here in the winter, but it doesnt make sense that canadian tire would offer oil that are only good for the summers.

how to add differential fluid?

how to add differential fluid?

Re: how to add differential fluid? (Pathfinder995)

Re: how to add differential fluid? (Pathfinder995)

Re: how to add differential fluid? (jbriner1)

Re: how to add differential fluid? (Pathfinder995)

Re: how to add differential fluid? (jimmyzzer)

Re: how to add differential fluid? (jbriner1)

Re: how to add differential fluid? (fueler)

Re: how to add differential fluid? (jbriner1)

Re: how to add differential fluid? (tmorgan4)

Re: how to add differential fluid? (fueler)

Re: (gwhunt23)

Re: (Pathfinder995)

Re: how to add differential fluid? (jbriner1)

Re: (tmorgan4)

Re: (gwhunt23)

Re: how to add differential fluid? (bmlawless)

Re: how to add differential fluid? (bmlawless)

Re: how to add differential fluid? (Pathfinder995)

Re: how to add differential fluid? (Pathfinder995)

Re: how to add differential fluid? (fueler)

Re: how to add differential fluid? (xnapajx)

Re: how to add differential fluid? (Issac)

Re: how to add differential fluid? (Pathfinder995)

Re: how to add differential fluid?

Re: how to add differential fluid?

Re: how to add differential fluid?

Re: how to add differential fluid?

Re: how to add differential fluid?

Nissan Forums

Infiniti Forums

Datsun Forums

Technical Forums

Classifieds / Marketplace

Nissan Motorsports

General Forums