How To: Change Transmission Oil/Filter/Pan Gasket

[Empty V]

How to: Change Transmission Fluid and Filter on a Pathfinder / QX4

[slickroger]

Nice

Now we need a 4WD Transfer Fluid write up




Modified by slickroger at 1:58 PM 12/7/2009

[Pwnin O'Brien]

Excellent write up and great pictures!

Now we need a 4WD write up

Isn't it the same process?

[alexf20c]

yes it's the same process. maybe he meant a 4WD conversion? lol

[GRNMACHINE]

Fantastic Write Up Empty--great pics!!! Nice Job. Why the 4 Nissan dealers I called didnt offer performing trans fluid changes this way, leads me to believe -- they make more money by flushing.... You did it the Right Way!!

[e2xx33]

doing the tran

Nice

Now we need a 4WD Transfer Fluid write up



Modified by slickroger at 1:58 PM 12/7/2009

doing the transfer case is really simple compared to dropping the AT pan. there is a drain plug on the front of the transfer case. Use a 3/8" ratchet to remove it and let all the fluid drain out. The fill plug is on the rear of the transfer case. Fill it with ATF until it starts to drip out of the fill hole. The process is similar to changing the differential gear oil. Also, be sure the vehicle is parked on a level surface.
Modified by e2xx33 at 4:36 PM 12/7/2009

[Empty V]

...Also, be sure the vehicle is parked on a level surface.

This reminded me of something I forgot to mention. Using the ramps is great because it helps in draining the ATF which leaves less in the pan for when you drop it.

Billy

[longhornsqx4]

Te fill hole bites my a** to, takes so damn long to pour 8 liters of fluid into that 3/8" hole

And I had to spend an hour finding a funnel that would fit in that stupid thing

How much did the filter and gasket run??

[Empty V]

Te fill hole bites my a** to, takes so damn long to pour 8 liters of fluid into that 3/8" hole

And I had to spend an hour finding a funnel that would fit in that stupid thing

How much did the filter and gasket run??

I was able to pour about a quart every 10-15 seconds, I picked up a small funnel from home depot that fit right in the tube. Here's where I bought my filter/gasket kit which was only $16.99 + shipping and shipped out the day after Thanksgiving. Transmission Filter/Gasket Kit from StockWiseAuto Their customer service was great and responded within minutes of sending an email.

Billy

[GRNMACHINE]

That is a darn good price! They expensive part was the Royal Purple! Heh Heh. Re: xfer case, I agree with e2, yes it is simple! Billy--I had those same ramps sitting around for about 7 years--I couldnt use them with my wide wheels/tires so I set them in front of the house for "goodwill". They were gone in about 30 minutes, now that the stocker wheels/tires on back I realize they would work just fine..... Oh well, I rarely do work on the trucks in the winter. Nice paintjob.

[01silvapathy]

Question, I am looking to do this tomorrow on my 01 auto, but its a 4wd, no difference though just a diff gasket. But I was wondering about these steps

Step 12: Start the vehicle, set the parking brake and rev it to a high idle(do not race) for a short timeStep 13: While in park shift through all of the gears and rev around 2000-2500RPM

How do you shift through the gears while in park? lol do you just mean have in up on jack stands and let it run through the gears? I dont have a set of jack stands I was just going to crawl under and do it. Is it alright to just sit in neutral and rev it for awhile and let it roll back and forth in N then drive it? Also I heard that once you get around 100k miles, if u do this new oil has a tendancy to not be able to circulate because the pump is worn out? Is this true, something to worry about? Thanks for the advise!

[Empty V]

Question, I am looking to do this tomorrow on my 01 auto, but its a 4wd, no difference though just a diff gasket. But I was wondering about these steps

Step 12: Start the vehicle, set the parking brake and rev it to a high idle(do not race) for a short timeStep 13: With the parking brake applied, shift through all of the gears and rev around 2000-2500RPM

How do you shift through the gears while in park? lol do you just mean have in up on jack stands and let it run through the gears? I dont have a set of jack stands I was just going to crawl under and do it. Is it alright to just sit in neutral and rev it for awhile and let it roll back and forth in N then drive it? Also I heard that once you get around 100k miles, if u do this new oil has a tendancy to not be able to circulate because the pump is worn out? Is this true, something to worry about? Thanks for the advise!

Sorry about that I just fixed it. I can't see how a new filter will restrict the flow of oil. If anything I would think that it would increase the flow rate, but I'm not a professional. I did this to my car @ approximately 200K miles. Right now my trans is being rebuilt but it was for an issue I had before I did this. I was hoping that the fluid change would fix my issue but it didn't. It did help a little though. I'll get into details of the problem when I find out exactly what was wrong with it, I should be getting it back tomorrow.

Billy

[ARKQX33V6]

Refilling the transmission through the dip stick is tedious for me. So I rig up a suspended 1 gallon container with a clear plastic line from the bottom of the suspended bucket to the dip tube. Pour in the correct quantity of Dexron 111 and while it fills the transmission I start working on other things.

For the transfer case I found a quart sized syringe that allows me to suck up the Dexron 111 and inject it into the fill hole.

Changing coolant every 2 years is a piece of cake, drain the coolant via the lower rad connector and open just 1 vent tube at the high side then premix a 60/40 mix of antifreeze to water and when it is installed it further mixes with the remaining coolant to a 55/45 mix and is good for -50 C. It's the inhibitors more than the low freezing point that I want.

Every 2 years the QX4 gets all new fluids, everywhere, at 13 years old it still runs like new.

[Ammi]

Did it few weeks ago. Follow this guide and you can't screw up

[Towncivilian]

Awesome guide man! I'll be sure to follow it soon!

Unfortunately it seems that your Transmission Filter/Gasket Kit is unavailable on Amazon now, Empty V. Have any other suggestions of where to purchase a kit?

[Ammi]

I bought mine from AdvanceAuto w/ all the fluids using 40% off coupon

[Empty V]

Empty V,

Thanks for your contribution to NICOclub, it hasn't gone unnoticed! Because of the depth of description, value of information, and overall helpfulness of your post we've decided to convert it into an article on NICOclub.com! You can view it directly by clicking here.

Thanks again!

Sweet! BTW if you check out our "How To:" sticky at the top there's a bunch of other really well done walkthroughs that other members have done.

[Empty V]

Awesome guide man! I'll be sure to follow it soon!

Unfortunately it seems that your Transmission Filter/Gasket Kit is unavailable on Amazon now, Empty V. Have any other suggestions of where to purchase a kit?

I buy lots of stuff from Parts Geek They have gasket/filter kits for around $22. Everything always arrives fast and they have some of the best pricing.

[PJT]

Rock Auto (rockauto.com) has the same gasket and filter kit available. Their prices are competitive as well. Here's a 5% discount code that expires Jan 02, 2011 - 42474413495367.

"Using Your Discount Code

Enter the code above in the "How did you hear about us" line of the shopping cart. If you are using our traditional HTML catalog, please click the "Apply" button to the right of the field. Your discount will automatically appear, subtracted from your order total.

Please note: We sometimes get calls from people who put the word "discount" in front of their code and do not get the discount. Please enter ONLY the discount code, no other words or numbers.

The discount takes 5% off our already-low prices. There's no limit on order size or the number of orders. Use the code for your next order, and share the code with friends, neighbors, relatives, the guy at the corner garage--anyone you know who works on cars or trucks.

This discount code expires on January 2, 2011; so don't wait! "

As with the others, great write-up. And, I'm going to follow it when I my stuff arrives.

[CanuckQx4]

Is the MAX ATF fluid very expensive?? Any gains over conventional over the counter ATF fluid?? If its priced like other RoyalP products... I cant see 8 quarts being under $100

[GoldenR50]

Is the MAX ATF fluid very expensive?? Any gains over conventional over the counter ATF fluid?? If its priced like other RoyalP products... I cant see 8 quarts being under $100

yes max ATF is very expensive....roughly $12 a QT. when i change my ATF at 100k KM, i will use canadian tire brand (motomaster) DEXRON III ATF....as the manual says to use Nissan Matic "D" or DEXRON III as the equivalent.... at $4 per QT...it's worth it.

[CanuckQx4]

Ive read that Walmart's Supertech Dexron III ATF is rebadged higher end atf fluid (I forget which brand was mentionned)

Was just curious if the RP was THAT much better

This is the stuff your going to try??
http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/4 ... RRWidgetID

[GoldenR50]

no idea if RP MAX is worth the price but on a personal level, i don't think it's worth it (but that's just me).

i've just done some research on wal-mart supertech D3 ATF...it might be a rebadge of Warren Oil's Coastal DexMerc which is D3 oil. or made by Quaker State. Who knows...it probably varies as Wal-Mart would likely just offer the contract to the lowest priced supplier.

And yes, that's what I will buy...but I suppose I will check out wal-mart to see if their's is any cheaper...the Moto oil was on sale for buy 1 get 1 50% off so we'll see.

[Towncivilian]

Yeah, I really don't feel like spending $13/qt for 7 quarts of Royal Purple ATF @ Advance Auto Parts. Anybody recommend a cheaper alternative? My Pathy stays on the pavement, so probably anything would work I'd imagine... I read through the member recommended fluids/filters thread but the names don't mean much to me. Mobil 1 ATF is $9 a bottle which is still a hefty sum for fluids in my opinion. I could buy two one-gallon jugs of Dexron fluid at AAP; would I notice any difference between a higher priced fluid and this?

I bought the filter/gasket kit Empty V recommended from partsgeek.com tonight, thanks!

[wilantonio]

Hi Empty V,
Great write up man. I changed the transmission oil, filter, and pan gasket on my 2003 Pathfinder LE yesterday. I followed all your steps and found the finish line without a hitch. This is coming from a person who never attempted an oil change till yesterday aswell.
I'm pretty handy and am not afraid of trying new things. I do a lot of work on my house but never attempted anything on a car. That is until I called my mechanic and told me he would charge me around 600 beans to change the aforementioned items as well as flush my engine. I ended up doing that myself too, with the seafoam write I found here aswell. This is a great resource.
I will try to do my brakes next. I'm sue i can count on you guys for that.
Wil

[WPGQX4]

I'm the kind of person that would spend the extra money for the best oil possible for the transmission. Heat build up kills a transmission. So any synthetic oil is going to keep that temp down better than conventional atf. I would spend the extra money for the peace of mind.

[Empty V]

I'm the kind of person that would spend the extra money for the best oil possible for the transmission. Heat build up kills a transmission. So any synthetic oil is going to keep that temp down better than conventional atf. I would spend the extra money for the peace of mind.

+1. My theory is if you put in better fluids things will last longer. I'm not a mechanic and probably waste money on fluids that are just as good as the generic wallmart stuff. But for $30 more it's cheap insurance.

[kkamakasi]

How much ATF fluid should I put in? I know it says to put in as much as it came out but how in the world am I supposed to measure that? I don't want to have to go collecting water bottles...

[kkamakasi]

bump for answer

[Towncivilian]

I went to my local Nissan dealership and bought 18 self-sealing pan bolts. Do these look right? I expected them to be longer.







@kkamakasi: buy one of those clear buckets with measuring markers and put in exactly how much you emptied. Or add 6 (?) quarts and then check the level using the dipstick and add more as required.