ok so ive been searching and searching and i cant find an answer for this but i just bought my 1997 infiniti i30 bout 5 months ago and it has 220k on it. it has had a lot of problems with the transmission although.. sometimes in the morning the car will shift hard and other times it wont. shifts from 1st to 2nd nice.. but it holds 2nd all the way to 40 then shifts to 3rd kind of hard. so i figured id start the easy way and try the trans fluid additive to restore it.. it helped a little bit so im figuring the fluid is just old, because i dont know what fluid is in the transmission to begin with, does anyone know if i can use toyota type iv ATF fluid inside this trans with what ever fluid is in it now or is Toyota Type IV Atf fluid different than the nissan atf fluid? i just have a lot of it at home and just wondered before i do anything.. any help would be amazing, thanks
Ben
my email is [email protected] if you want to send me a quick responce.. thanks again..
ATF question for my 97 i30
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loystock
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97 Infiniti Q45
03 Infiniti Q45
97 Infiniti I30
06 Infiniti M35 Sports
04 G35 & 99 I30-RIP - Location: San Jose, CA
Re: ATF question for my 97 i30 (Huffydmbcs42388)
The specified ATF for your 97 I30 is Nissan Matic-D. Since it's already out of warranty, you can use Dexron III or or the latest Dexron VI which is backwards compatible. You can also use the more expensive ATFs from Mobil, Amsoil, etc. Cheaper ATFs are available from Walmart - your call.
At 220K miles. most shops will refuse to flush the ATF (typical first time flush threshold is <85K miles). In a normal flush at the shop, they add a flush chemical in the ATF, run the engine for @ 30 mins before doing the actual fluid exchange. With so much gunk/debris probably in your transmission, a regular flush can make it worse. Hence the refusal from shop owners.
Without knowing the history of your car, it would be better to do a pan drop - clean the pan and magnets, replace filter and install with new gasket. The filter may be very dirty by this time. A filter and gasket kit can be bought from a NICO sponsor, IoS - infinitipartsUSA.com a.k.a. everythinginfiniti.com.
The ATF capacity is 10 quarts. When you do a pan drop, you will probably drain @ 5 quarts. When you just do a drain (from drain plug) you will get @ 4 quarts. Measure the ATF level with the engine running and warm - add fluid as required to get to normal level before initiating a drain. Whether you do a pan drop or a simple drain, ALWAYS measure the exact amount of fluid drained so you know how much fluid to add.
I'm not sure if any shop will do a flush, given the mileage and condition of your transmission. So you can emulate a flush by doing multiple drain and refill. I don't know the exact flow rate of ATF in the I30. Somebody may be able to chime in. If I were in your situation, my guesstimate is run the engine for 2 mins, then drain the fluid. Repeat 3 to 4 times until the color of the fluid being drained is the same as fresh fluid - pinkish red. Please note that not all the fluid can be replaced - you'll be lucky to get 80% in this manner. On the final drain, install new crush washer on the drain plug (@ $0.75 from IoS). At the end of ATX service, you can add a bottle of LubeGard Red (not black) ATF Protectant (@ $14 from Napa).
Obviously, you need a lot of ATF fluid to do an approximate flush. And all of the steps above may not necessarily fix the problem since there could be internal damage in your transmission. But there is no harm in trying. A rebuilt or used transmission may cost you $$$
At 220K miles. most shops will refuse to flush the ATF (typical first time flush threshold is <85K miles). In a normal flush at the shop, they add a flush chemical in the ATF, run the engine for @ 30 mins before doing the actual fluid exchange. With so much gunk/debris probably in your transmission, a regular flush can make it worse. Hence the refusal from shop owners.
Without knowing the history of your car, it would be better to do a pan drop - clean the pan and magnets, replace filter and install with new gasket. The filter may be very dirty by this time. A filter and gasket kit can be bought from a NICO sponsor, IoS - infinitipartsUSA.com a.k.a. everythinginfiniti.com.
The ATF capacity is 10 quarts. When you do a pan drop, you will probably drain @ 5 quarts. When you just do a drain (from drain plug) you will get @ 4 quarts. Measure the ATF level with the engine running and warm - add fluid as required to get to normal level before initiating a drain. Whether you do a pan drop or a simple drain, ALWAYS measure the exact amount of fluid drained so you know how much fluid to add.
I'm not sure if any shop will do a flush, given the mileage and condition of your transmission. So you can emulate a flush by doing multiple drain and refill. I don't know the exact flow rate of ATF in the I30. Somebody may be able to chime in. If I were in your situation, my guesstimate is run the engine for 2 mins, then drain the fluid. Repeat 3 to 4 times until the color of the fluid being drained is the same as fresh fluid - pinkish red. Please note that not all the fluid can be replaced - you'll be lucky to get 80% in this manner. On the final drain, install new crush washer on the drain plug (@ $0.75 from IoS). At the end of ATX service, you can add a bottle of LubeGard Red (not black) ATF Protectant (@ $14 from Napa).
Obviously, you need a lot of ATF fluid to do an approximate flush. And all of the steps above may not necessarily fix the problem since there could be internal damage in your transmission. But there is no harm in trying. A rebuilt or used transmission may cost you $$$