2016 Quest, preparing for CVT fluid drain/fill.

[PoMansVan]

Since my 2016 Quest spent it's first year and 32K miles in rental service, I'm preparing to do a drain/fill on the CVT. The unit has a capped fill tube, a drain plug and a level check plug. MAN did I have a hard time getting that stupid locking cap off the "dipstick" tube!! I read what ever tutorials I could find online and used a tiny flat-head screwdriver. Problem was, it STILL would only wiggle a little. There's not a lot of access to this area on the quest either, making it a joy. I wound up chewing up my hands a bit and broke one of my ultra-high quality Harbor Freight Tools picks, but I eventually got the fill tube cap off. The O-ring seal on the cap was sticking, which I believe was the problem all along. I lubed that sucker with some Sil-Glyde. Now to mail-order some Nissan CVT NS-3. I'm guessing I need anywhere from 3-5qts. Plan to order 5-6qts.

[PoMansVan]

Just finished swapping out 4qts of NS-3 CVT fluid from my 2016 Nissan Quest @ 33K miles. What drained out was pretty much black, but no particles or metallic sheen to it. This task is easier than an engine oil change on this van. There's an easily accessible drain plug, a level check plug and a "fluid charging pipe" (AKA- disptick tube) up top. Same setup on all late model Pathfinders and Muranos AFAIK. It took me just a few minutes to complete. There's enough room underneath that you don't need ramps, etc. I drained/filled it cold. I pulled the level check plug first to see how full it was and was surprised at the amount that came out cold. Maybe close to a 1/2qt? The level check plug has an O-ring seal, where the drain plug has a copper crush washer. I didn't replace either given they are basically new. This fluid is THIN. Like brake fluid thin. It also has pretty much no odor, which is a welcome change. I was bracing for a Maxlife-like ATF stink (yuck). Nothing. The new stuff is windshield washer fluid blue. We'll see how it goes and I'll probably get 2 more quarts and do another drain/fill sometime in the not so distant future.

I purchased my Nissan NS-3 CVT juice from eBay. 6qts shipped for $70.

This forum seems pretty much dead, but I hope the above helps someone out. I'd recommend a fluid swap at the 30-36K mile mark.

[PoMansVan]

The pic below is a sample of the CVT fluid from my 2016 Nissan Quest at 33K miles. The new Nissan NS-3 CVT fluid is a bright blue. I didn't want to waste any of the new liquid gold for a pic.

[PoMansVan]

Word to the wise. If you want to do 2 drain/fills, you need 8qts, but the most cost effective route currently is to mail order 6qts at a time. I initially mailed ordered a 6 pack of quarts for $70 shipped. My plan was to use the two left over quarts and get two more quarts from my dealer for my second drain/fill. The dealer wants $19.99 for one quart of NS-3! No way I'm giving them $40+ tax for two quarts so I mail-ordered another 6qts for $70 all-in. LOL. Now I've got enough for 3 drain/fills. Best price I've found online for 6qts of NS-3 is ~$70, where a case is ~$150. Dealer retail is almost twice that.

[PoMansVan]

I did the second 4qt drain/fill on my 2016 Quest today. Basically the factory CVT fluid came out black @ 33K miles. The first drain/fill drained out a dark greenish color, then today after checking proper level after the 2nd drain/fill, the fluid is a nice bright blue. Total cost was $98 for 8qts of Nissan NS-3 off eBay. From now on, I'll probably do one 4qt D/F per year.

[blade007]

Thanks for the post. I had mines changed at the dealer and it was not as expensive and I thought. Cost $150 with oil. The transmission oils on the older quest are more expensive.

[spamcop01]

Thanks PoMansVan! Do you have any pics or docs you can point me to for where the plugs, tubes, etc. are located? Maybe one of the service manuals that show it? I haven't really done any maintenance on my 2013 yet but I'd like to get this done...

[PoMansVan]

Spamcop01, sorry I do not!

The other issue is the 2013 may have some small differences from the 2016, because the 2013 has a slightly different CVT transmission. You'll have to peek under the engine bay to verify if yours has a drain plug on the transmission pan and a level check plug nearby, typically on the transmission case.

The refill/dipstick tube is easy to spot up top with a rectangular shaped black plastic "cap" on it. I believe your 2013 will use NS-2 CVT fluid as opposed to NS-3.

[PoMansVan]

Another option is to search for CVT fluid level checking for any 2013+ Pathfinder, Murano or Quest. They're all the same. The procedure says to check the fluid level with CVT fluid between 98-113F and the engine idling. You should see some fluid dribbling out the level check plug at that temp range, on a level surface of course.

I didn't do mine correctly. I drained it cold and refilled it cold with the same amount that came out (4qts). It's probably correct, but I am trusting the factory level was correct doing it that way. I'll check it to spec some day! LOL.

[spamcop01]

Do you think subscribing to one of those online service manuals like ChiltonDIY is worth it?

[PoMansVan]

I haven't had the need for a Chiltons in so long I couldn't give you a suggestion one way or the other!