03 G35 sedan transmission fluid question

[pearlS13]

Hey guys, I will be doing a transmission service to my g35 (auto), basically just a fluid change and filter but I've got some questions. I found the transmission dip stick tube near the firewall, I took the 10mm bolt off but there is no dipstick to check the level? Also, Is this where the new fluid gets filled from or is there a bolt on the side of the transmission to fill it? As far a fluid goes, what would you guys recommend?

Thanks.

[kmech_7]

its a power induction system.....unless you got those tools at home, your screwed. YOU DONT NEED TO CHANGE THIS FLUID. its not a home fluid change.

[pearlS13]

So what your saying is you do not need to change your transmission fluid for the life of the car?

[kmech_7]

not unless you go over 100k. then do it once and do it again at 200k.

take it to a mechanic. ITS A FORCED INDUCTION FLUSH!!!

[mks8882]

Can you not just drop the pan and change the filter then refill through the reservoir under the hood? What is a "FORCED INDUCTION FLUSH"? Isn't that where they get all of the fluid out of the transmission and torque converter and refill? Just a regular transmission fluid replacement, not draining torque converter, can't be done like I said?

[pearlS13]

It would help if you ellaborate on what a FORCED INDUCTION FLUSH is and why the fluid can't be changed the traditional way??

[G_whizz]

Why is everyone YELLING??

[kmech_7]

a forced induction flush is when you fill it back through the drain plug. The reason for this is the only place to fill this would be at the dip-stick. there is no transmission cap. its not like oil..... STOP YELLING....MY EARS HURT!!!!!

[mks8882]

Ok so I have only had my G for a little over a week...let me make sure I'm getting this right...Is there no way to even check your transmission fluid??? I just looked under the hood and found nothing.
Modified by mks8882 at 7:30 PM 4/2/2007

[Triton3.5]

Its back there,,, just take the 10 mm bolt out and pull up on the round handle,,, however,, i do not know if engine in this car has to be running in park or neutral or engine off....to actually get the reading, or oil level...

[pearlS13]

Ok thanks for the explanation. Instead of filling it back through the drain plug, can't you just fill it from the dip stick tube in the engine bay?

[szh]

Folks, I strongly recommend a regular ATF flush periodically. Going for 100k or more miles without a change is just asking for trouble on these transmissions!

A simple pan drop and drain/refill will simply not remove enough of the old ATF to be good enough as a regular procedure.

I have pretty much the same transmission on my 2003 M45, and I do a flush every 30k miles to be darn sure of the longevity.

Filling is generally done through the dip stick location, not the drain ... here is the description for the M35 for example: zerothread/237186. Please get the G35 Service Manual to figure out if this is the same procedure for your car.

As far a fluid goes, what would you guys recommend?

WARNING: As far as I can remember, on the 2003+ G35 (automatic), you MUST use the Nissan Fluid J (or equivalent - which I do not know if it exists from other sources) to avoid having a failure for which Infiniti will not honor the warranty. If your transmission fails, it is an expensive replacement ... parts and labor could be $2500 to $3000 or more.

Use of Nissan Fluid J is explicitly mentioned, in bold text, in a number of places in the Owners Manual, Service Manual and even on a sticker inside the engine compartment ... look for it.

Z

[szh]

By the way, unless my memory of the transmission flush is failing me, the way to connect to the flushing machines is via the hoses that go to the radiator. Simpler to hook up there.

The flushing systems also move the gears through the cycles as the fluid is being put through the transmission ... this is important to get a proper change of the ATF. Else, you only get between 30% to 50% of the fluid swapped out.

This is described in the Service Manual. Please get it ... from http://www.nissan-techinfo.com/infiniti. Costs $20 for a one-day access to download all the PDF's for the Service Manual and the TSB's! Well worth it.

Z

[infinititech1]

get it done at the dealership...unless you have a transmission flush machine in ur garage. you MUST use matic J trans fluid...anything else will damage the transmission. i recommend doin it at least every 30k miles. and yes the flush is done with one of the two hoses connected to the bottom of the radiator

[infinititech1]

oh and with the dipstick. i guess infiniti was pretty strict with this...the dipstick is where u said but some of the g35's didn't come with a dipstick only a cap...therefore you HAVE to take it to the dealer because they have a special tool to check it which sucks. but most cars did come with a dipstick...and if yours didn't you can buy one...i think its like 40 bucks. to check it: run car in park until car is warm...remove dipstick and wipe clean...reinsert dipstick and pull back out.

[mks8882]

From what this says, it sounds like you could do it yourself by just putting the return hose in an oil pan and following these instructions, or is there something else?

[szh]

From what this says, it sounds like you could do it yourself by just putting the return hose in an oil pan and following these instructions, or is there something else?

As it says, this gets 30 to 50% of the old ATF out, but not all of it. It is far better to get a proper transmission flush, which puts the gears through cycles as the fluid is being exchanged. This makes the trapped ATF (inside the various fluid pathways) also get replaced.

Some of the extreme among us have double flushes on occasion. On my old Q45, I used relatively inexpensive ATF for the first flush, and then did a replacement using Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF. This takes twice as much ATF, but the labor cost is not as intensive, since the machine is already hooked up for the second flush.

I have not done that on my current M45, since it is still below 60k miles, and I cannot use Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF anyway (it is not Nissan Fluid J compatible).

Z