CVT Fluid Change

Nissan Rogue forum - Includes Nissan Qashqai and Nissan Dualis as well.
nabril
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Joined: Mon Dec 08, 2014 7:45 pm
Car: 2015 Nissan Rogue SL
Location: Miami, FL

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I'm sorry to resurface this very old but useful and detailed thread.
I want to do this on my 2015 Rogue, but in looking at the service manual, I see that the fluid is not refilled via the dipstick tube. Instead, it is "injected" or filled via the overflow plug that's at the bottom of the car.
Did I read correctly? If yes, that complicates the relatively simple DIY job, no?

THanks


rowlands57
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Joined: Mon Jul 31, 2017 5:04 pm

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That's becoming more and more common on many vehicles. My Audi, VW and Mazda CX-9 all have that same method in some form or fashion. It does complicate things and in the case of the Audi and VW special fittings are needed to get the fluid back in. Then you need a scan tool or infrared thermometer to check the fluid temp to ensure proper fill.

With all that said, I still do the work myself. While it is a bit more involved it's not really that bad. Keeping the car level is important to proper fill so I have to put all 4 corners up when doing this job.

Since my Rogue is a 2011 I don't have the issue as this one is done the old fashioned way; drain at the bottom fill at the dipstick.

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chunt5
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You can refill the fluid trough the dip stick tube. I have done it.

cl1chicago
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Car: Nissan 2009 Rogue AWD, 745 BMW, Dodge Durango

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I change CVT oil fluid every 50K with the Nissan certified fluid, although there are equivalents out there for the cost it's not worth the risk of warranty issues or any other problem. 294,954 miles put on my 09 Rogue.

Image

RiderEh
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Joined: Mon Sep 23, 2019 10:18 am
Car: 2016 Nissan Rogue SL

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Hi All,

I've been lurking and looked at mine this weekend so I thought I'd post as I have a question. We have a 2014 SL which doesn't have the dipstick. I'm wondering if I can just dump the fluid from the drain bolt, measure it, then refill through the imaginary dipstick hole the same amount? Has anyone tried this? Thinking this may be the simple way, instead of dealing with all this oil temperature/reset/sensor stuff.

RiderEh
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Car: 2016 Nissan Rogue SL

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I should add, I think this procedure will work. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZKsy8f ... ex=14&t=0s

Lone Wolff
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I am going to be attempting a drain and fill using the above method as well. Nearing 60,000 miles and that's all the longer I am willing to push the interval. Should be a fairly simple procedure. Get it warmed up, drain, then replace exactly same amount as was drained.
The hardest part was getting that damn cap off. No matter how or where I put pressure with the screwdriver, it was not coming out without breaking the little plastic tab. At least with the O ring fitted to the cap, it will still function and if I ever have to do another drain and fill, it will be simple.

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casperfun
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Just turn the dipstick 180" so it won't lock.

This allows you to check the levels without dealing with that locking cap.

I actually get upset when I accidentally lock when looking at fluid levels.

I either can open it in seconds or fumbling for 5 minutes trying to remove the cap.

Nissan just has that locking cap to make it appear that it's a dealership service procedure and not for customers to do. :cool:

RiderEh
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Let us know how it goes Lonewolf. If I have time I may do it this weekend as well.

rowlands57
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Lone Wolff wrote:
Tue Oct 08, 2019 3:51 pm
I am going to be attempting a drain and fill using the above method as well. Nearing 60,000 miles and that's all the longer I am willing to push the interval. Should be a fairly simple procedure. Get it warmed up, drain, then replace exactly same amount as was drained.
The hardest part was getting that damn cap off. No matter how or where I put pressure with the screwdriver, it was not coming out without breaking the little plastic tab. At least with the O ring fitted to the cap, it will still function and if I ever have to do another drain and fill, it will be simple.
If you have not done the job yet it may actually be better to drain the fluid at 'room temperature' because that is the temp of the new fluid. By doing so you should get a more accurate reading of what to put back in. Given this stuff is supposed to expand a bit when warm you may drain more (or less) than what you put back if they are at different temperatures.

Lone Wolff
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rowlands57 wrote:
Wed Oct 09, 2019 5:30 pm

If you have not done the job yet it may actually be better to drain the fluid at 'room temperature' because that is the temp of the new fluid. By doing so you should get a more accurate reading of what to put back in. Given this stuff is supposed to expand a bit when warm you may drain more (or less) than what you put back if they are at different temperatures.
That's a really good point I hadn't thought about. I really need to make note of where the fluid level (cold) is at currently, then use that as a normal cold temp level indicator. Then fill back up to that line, or as close as I can.
I tried using the Rogue's oil dipstick in the transmission tube but it doesn't seem long enough. When fully seated into the transmission tube, there was just barely any fluid on the very tip of the dipstick.
I am changing the oil in it tomorrow and I will recheck again when fluid is hot. If I still have none on the dipstick, I will take either the transmission dipstick or the oil dipstick from my F150 and see if either of those might be useful. The oil dipstick is really long, like about 3 feet, but I think the transmission dipstick is even longer, if my memory serves.

Lone Wolff
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Well, wife is out of town for 3 days so I went ahead and did a drain and fill on the CVT fluid on her Rogue this morning. My thought was, just in case I royally F*'d something up, I had time to get it corrected before she returns. This was a very easy procedure aside from getting that damn cap off the tube. The transmission pan drain bolt is 19mm, and very easy access from the front. I use ramps on all four wheels. Plenty of room and keeps car level.

For the record, it has 55,500 miles on it and this is the first CVT fluid service. Local dealer has not touched this vehicle outside of the initial free oil change that was included at time of purchase.

It drained out exactly 3Qts + 20 oz at "Room temp" of 60F in my garage. So that is exactly what I added back in thru the breather/dipstick tube. I have not test driven it yet, but just ran it through all the gears like I have done when changing ATF in other vehicles. No strange noises or dash warnings.

I did try and use my F150 dipstick in it to get a reading a few weeks ago, but there must be some sharp enough angles or bends in that tube that prevented it from passing down low enough to get any fluid on it at all. So I scrapped that idea and just did my carefullest job of measuring what I emptied. I let it drain for about an hour so i am confident that what drained out was all that was going to come out via gravity.

FWIW, the old fluid still had some greenish color, but was starting to smell a bit funky. Thanks again to rowlands57 for reminding me of the temperature affecting the volume of the CVT fluid.

nabril
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@Lone Wolff--thanks for the write up and confidence to make me want to do it.
Where did you buy the fluid? What year and model is your wife's Rogue, btw?

nabril
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Lone Wolff wrote:
Tue Nov 19, 2019 10:45 am
Thanks again to rowlands57 for reminding me of the temperature affecting the volume of the CVT fluid.
@Lone Wolff--thanks for the write up and confidence to make me want to do it.
Where did you buy the fluid? What year and model is your wife's Rogue, btw?

localTradey
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Car: 2015 Qashqai 2.0

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The newer CVT calls for NS-3 has lower viscosity than NS-2. This is my theory:
IN engine, when you use higher viscosity oil eg 5W-60, the viscosity causes more drag than lower 5W-30 oil at higher temperature, this means poorer fuel economy but it still protects the engine nonetheless.
But with CVT, the higher viscosity - more drag means it gives the chain/belt higher stress. A stressed piston vs a belt/chain means a belt is likely to fail than piston since piston are solid metal.
The additives in the CVT and engine oil is to prevent sludge, modify viscosity etc, reduce friction but physical viscosity makes a difference in CVT.

Valvoline used to have a CVT fluid compatible with NS-2 and NS-3 but now the original version is only compatible to NS-2 and newer LV(lower viscosity ) option is for NS-3 was introduced recently.
But CVT has no combustion unlike an engine, so fluid tends to last longer.
I am considering sucking(via extraction tool) from the dipstick and then pouring the equivalent amount in. Less messy that way. Some may say this method cannot get all the oil out. That is true, but having 90% to 95% new fluid is better than old fluid. Can always do it again after 5K.
Just my 2 cents.

Lone Wolff
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nabril wrote:
Tue Nov 19, 2019 11:21 am


@Lone Wolff--thanks for the write up and confidence to make me want to do it.
Where did you buy the fluid? What year and model is your wife's Rogue, btw?
2015 SL
I used Castrol Transmax CVT. Fine print states it meets Nissan's NS-3 specs. I bought it from Amazon last month when the price was 24.74 for a case of six 1-Qt bottles.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00T9 ... UTF8&psc=1

Took the kids out to eat tonight and got a good test drive in. About 20 miles mixed HWY and city. Seems to drive just like it always did before. No better, no worse.

localTradey
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Car: 2015 Qashqai 2.0

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[/quote]

Seems to drive just like it always did before. No better, no worse.
[/quote]

This is how it should be. If you wait till you hear a whine or sluggish feeling etc, that means metal fatigue has set it. Unlike a human being which can recover and rebuild, metal fatigue is permanent. Fatigue weakens the metal.

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casperfun
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Holy crap that’s a great price for cvt fluid compared to my batch of Nissan NS-2 fluid that I’ve been buying.

Even though I am wary with these 1 size fits all aftermarket cvt fluids. It definitely made me more open to them.

nabril
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Lone Wolff wrote:
Tue Nov 19, 2019 7:22 pm
I used Castrol Transmax CVT. Fine print states it meets Nissan's NS-3 specs. I bought it from Amazon last month when the price was 24.74 for a case of six 1-Qt bottles.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00T9 ... UTF8&psc=1
Lone--did you get the Import Automatic fluid? Or just the one labeled Automatic? The import one mentions that it's designed specifically for Honda, Toyota, and Nissan.

Lone Wolff
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nabril wrote:
Wed Nov 20, 2019 12:50 pm
Lone Wolff wrote:
Tue Nov 19, 2019 7:22 pm
I used Castrol Transmax CVT. Fine print states it meets Nissan's NS-3 specs. I bought it from Amazon last month when the price was 24.74 for a case of six 1-Qt bottles.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00T9 ... UTF8&psc=1
Lone--did you get the Import Automatic fluid? Or just the one labeled Automatic? The import one mentions that it's designed specifically for Honda, Toyota, and Nissan.
No. To the best of my research, that one labeled "Import" is NOT CVT fluid. Just regular ATF. Only the one labeled CVT had the NS-3 designation on it.

nabril
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chunt5 wrote:
Wed Mar 07, 2018 6:42 am
One word of caution, NEVER REMOVE THE FLUID CHECK PLUG WITH ENGINE "NOT" RUNNING.
Chunt...miss a letter, and you got an insult. ha!!
Can you kindly elaborate on the comment above? I know that it sounds simple, but I'm assuming that you mean that we shouldn't remove the dipstick cap without the engine running??? Or am I way off??

nabril
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Well, after much delay and a bit of fear, I finished the drain this morning, and it really was easy.
I used 2 marked coke bottles to measure what I drained, and I used a bottle of the drink ICE to extend my funnel from the fill hole.

The liquid drained looked like Coke as it was super dark black.

A big thanks to all that helped.
Oh, the overflow port's screw head is 14mm.

nabril
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Here are the pictures, and look at how dark that oil is. Wow.
Attachments
IMG_20200808_114643.jpg
IMG_20200808_112034.jpg

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casperfun
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Those ice sparkling water bottled drinks are a favorite of mine. I like the black cherry but if the multi- flavored packs are available, I like those too! :toast:

nabril
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casperfun wrote:
Sat Aug 08, 2020 5:10 pm
Those ice sparkling water bottled drinks are a favorite of mine. I like the black cherry but if the multi- flavored packs are available, I like those too! :toast:
My wife mixes the pinkish one with red wine, and it's quite tasty.

RiderEh
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I both measured out and used the make your own dipstick method. I used an old metal coat hanger and hammered the tip about 2" flat.

alanvue
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I have a 2014 Nissan Rogue SV AWD with about 171,000 miles. Bought it from a Nissan Dealership at 90,000 miles so I’m unsure of the condition prior to purchase. Just recently, when the vehicle comes to a stop at an intersection, it hesitates for 2-3 seconds before it accelerates and one time it would not shift gear out of first gear. RPM revved up to about 3500-4000. I pulled over and turned off the vehicle for about a minute. Started the vehicle and put it back into Drive. Seems to be running fine. Haven’t had an issue for about 2-3 weeks now. Could this be a problem with the CVT Fluid? Do you recommend that I change the CVT Fluid or is the fluid good for the life of the vehicle?

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VStar650CL
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alanvue wrote:
Thu May 13, 2021 5:14 pm
Could this be a problem with the CVT Fluid? Do you recommend that I change the CVT Fluid or is the fluid good for the life of the vehicle?
No such thing as "lifetime fluid". It should be getting changed every 30K, and at that mileage, if it doesn't already have an aftermarket trans cooler, get one. I'd also suggest two changes in rapid succession to at least unload 3/4 of the old fluid. It has to be in sad shape by now.

localTradey
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Car: 2015 Qashqai 2.0

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Castrol has come up with a universal ATF/CVT fluid. So you can use it on normal 4AT as well as CVT.
No guessing what fluid is suitable for your car !!
https://msdspds.castrol.com/bpglis/Fusi ... by27kq.pdf
For those of you that insist on OEM NS-3 fluid, Castrol is staking its reputation on a universal fluid -i.e fluid is less important that the CVT design.

Incidentally I have Nissan Qashqai 2015 which is assembled in UK, it has a secondary cooler. You don't notice it under the hood but if you peep from the front, I notice there is a smaller radiator in front of the big engine radiator. Maybe that is why there is no complains of CVT issue for this model of qashqai in Australia. So it maybe it is "lifetime" fluid for this model?

Castrol universal fluid seems to imply that CVT longevity depends more on the design rather than fluid. Bad design = requires more frequent fluid changes (type of fluid is secondary).
Good design = less frequent fluid changes (type of fluid is also secondary).

From logistics point of view, workshop need to stock only 1 fluid - Castrol. This will be a boon for independent mechanics that need to service all sorts of make and model and need only stock up only one transmission fluid - Castrol.

What are your thoughts?

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casperfun
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Simply, nissan does not manufacture their conventional ns-2, ns-3 fluids, I'm going with the latest aftermarket synthetics after I finish my last bottles of ns-2 fluids. :mike


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