DIY: Nissan Rogue Transfer Case Fluid Change

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Rogue Noob
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Just did this. Boy is that a tight spot. I used ramps to elevate the front on a slightly downward sloping driveway so the car was just almost level, just a few degrees up in the front. Next time I do it I'll probably use lifts and remove the Passenger tire for easier access and space.

Not sure if it helped but after not being able to get the fill cap off I hit it with PB Blaster and let it sit a bit. Once it finally broke I thought I snapped the bolt. Upon further inspection it easily came off. Had the same issue with the bottom one too but with my easier access.

The Fluid that came out was very dark compared to the rear diff fluid from yesterday. I wonder if this has something to do with there being a magnet on the drain plug for the rear differential to snag the metal shavings and sludge while the transfer case just has that stuff suspended in the liquid. Anyone know why there isn't a magnet on it?

Wasn't able to get my torque wrench to get the fill plug to spec but got it nice and snug with a little help from my 3/8" ratchet and a pipe slipped over the handle to add leverage. Drain plug was easy access.

Another question: Is all oil considered equal when it comes to disposal/recycling? Is it fine to mix with motor oil and brought in once my storage for that gets full or should it be kept separate?

Wound up doing an oil change at the same time as well. Thanks again for another great DIY!


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Towncivilian
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Yes, you can mix anything together except brake fluid and engine coolant for recycling.

nathansang2012
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I have a 09 SL FWD. Does this apply only to AWD?

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ImStricken06
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nathansang2012 wrote:I have a 09 SL FWD. Does this apply only to AWD?
this does not apply to fwd. you dont have a transfer-case, which is attached to the transmission and sends power to the rear wheels via a propeller shaft.

nathansang2012
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ImStricken wrote:
nathansang2012 wrote:I have a 09 SL FWD. Does this apply only to AWD?
this does not apply to fwd. you dont have a transfer-case, which is attached to the transmission and sends power to the rear wheels via a propeller shaft.
Thanks for the response.
So in my case, i can only do the rear differential fluid change, right? Or is it connected to the transmission and it should only be serviced by the dealer?

I know, I should have gone to the rear differential thread for these questions.

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ImStricken06
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nathansang2012 wrote:So in my case, i can only do the rear differential fluid change, right? Or is it connected to the transmission and it should only be serviced by the dealer?

I know, I should have gone to the rear differential thread for these questions.
nope, Front Wheel Drive cars dont have a transfer-case nor a rear differential. the rear wheels are free spinning.
you only have:
Engine->transmission(cvt)->front cvt axles -> tires/wheels.

while All Wheel Drive cars have:
Engine->transmission(cvt) -> front cvt axles -> transfer-case -> propeller shaft -> rear differential -> rear cvt axles -> tires/wheels.

nathansang2012
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Duh....thank you so much for the explanation.

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ImStricken06
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nathansang2012 wrote:Duh....thank you so much for the explanation.
my pleasure :)

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ImStricken06
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Sanders630 wrote:just did both this yesterday. Wife's rogue just hit 50K miles.
Rear differential was a piece of cake. The transfer case wasn't too bad either. Tougher definitely because of the positioning. I was better using a ten and a six inch extension. The 18 inch was too close to the shock tube for clearance for the wrench. Anyway the fill plug broke pretty easy. The hardest part was filling it up with the car level and not jacked up. Luckily I'm a skinny guy so but wanted to make sure the fill level was right.
On the feel it does feel smoother but, I don't drive the rogue all that often it's my wife's car. Waiting on her to drive it and see what she says.
i will hit 50k probably next month or so, and will be doing this and the rear Diff again in the spring. glad this writeup helped you guys out! :)

GT944
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Dumped all drivetrain fluids today (37,xxx miles) the transfer case oil was black. If possible, pull the wheel for easy access. I'll be doing this every 30k, for sure. With only .45 L of fluid, there just isn't much there and it apparently gets worked hard.

One thing I did do to the drain / fill plugs was put a *tiny* but of anti-seize on the threads for easier access later. They were quite tight for heat cycles, as mentioned by others. Again - nice info here made it easy.

Colorado_Al
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Thanks for the great DIY on the Transfer case! What a pain to get to the fill bolt. I was able to break it loose using a ratcheting breaker bar since I had to get to it from underneath. My 3/8" super extension was too flexible and it felt like it might snap if I put too much pressure on it. With the ratcheting breaker bar, I was able to connect directly to the 10mm hex and had just enough room between the axle and the exhaust to get it free. I had to get the hex in the correct position and the ratchet was perfect for it.
I used Valvoline full synthetic 75W-90. Only $1 more than the partial synthetic. The front fluid was opaque and very brown and super stinky. The only time I've had worse smelling fluid was from the clutch on my 05 Jetta TDI. With less than a pint of fluid, it really takes a beating. I'm definitely going to be changing this every 30,000 miles.
Thanks again!
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ImStricken06
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literally, just finished 20mins ago; did my rogues rear diff & front transaxle fluid again. simple, smelly, but worth it. once again its smooth as butter. (this is the 2nd service, now at 75k)

keitarosan
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Do you have to change the Differential fluid at the same time with the transfer fluid????

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ImStricken06
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keitarosan wrote:Do you have to change the Differential fluid at the same time with the transfer fluid????
You should. Its the same fluid and gets used the same way.

logster
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Thank you so much for your differential and transfer case guide. You have really educated me. I followed them both and changed the oil on a 2009 Rogue S AWD with 42k miles.

One concern - I did not use jacks; I crawled underneath on a level garage surface, drained and filled as instructed but I seem to have used ~40oz oil for both locations. I bought 2 bottles of oil and I did the differential first and I had 12oz left. Then I did the transfer case and finished the 12oz and the second bottle has 22oz left.

I spilled about 2-3oz but still, I seem to have used 39-40oz, while the manual says I should have used 30oz. I measured the volume of oil that came out - it is exactly 30 oz. Where has the extra 9-10oz of oil gone? Any ideas?

I drove it for a while after the change and I don't notice any difference. Both oils were black but not very smelly (transfer case oil was darker). Average amount of metal on the differential plug.

Anyway, please let me know if anyone has ideas about the extra 8-9oz I seem to have put in there. Will it get vented out?

engineer20
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This is for the awd, right? It's located towards the front? Not the same thing as the rear differential? For the newest generation, or 2015 rogue, is the viscocity the same? For the awd maintenance, do you change both the transfer case fluid and rear differential fluid at 30k, or just one, and it's not a simple drain and fill procedue, you need a fluid transfer pump, correct? Thanks. What about just using a siphon or regular tube?

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ImStricken06
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engineer20 wrote:This is for the awd, right? It's located towards the front? Not the same thing as the rear differential? For the newest generation, or 2015 rogue, is the viscocity the same? For the awd maintenance, do you change both the transfer case fluid and rear differential fluid at 30k, or just one, and it's not a simple drain and fill procedue, you need a fluid transfer pump, correct? Thanks. What about just using a siphon or regular tube?
fwd's dont have transfercases or rear differentials.

the viscosity should be the same; check your owners manual.

yes you should do both the transfercase & rear diff at or around the same mileage.

yes you need a cheapo trasferpump. its like $6 at your local auto parts store.

fkyounggs
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What if you barely use AWD?

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ImStricken06
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Its always working under 9mph

fkyounggs
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I'm doing my first one at 60,000 miles, really late.

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ImStricken06
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fkyounggs wrote:I'm doing my first one at 60,000 miles, really late.
enjoy the smell lol

denxg
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@ImStricken06 it looks like that the OP transfer case pictures are no longer there. could someone upload them again pls

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phmichel
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FYI: 2013 Rogue S. 112k miles. Bought it with 28k. Had a transfer case main seal replaced under warranty at around 40k. Had it checked again at 70k (outside warranty) and the new one was leaking. Dealer quoted $650 to fix, so I topped it off and decided to wait. Just changed the TC fluid at 112k and when I drained it there was only about 1/2 cup of oil that came out. Grateful the TC didn't self-destruct.

Moral of the story: Check your main transmission mount at the center of the vehicle. If it's covered in oil you may have a TC main seal leaking.

BTW - The Rogue AWD is in AWD ALL THE TIME. If you use the CVTZ50 app (or Consult) you can see that it moves torque to the back wheels on take off and when you're climbing hills (usually 80F/20R to 60F/40R). When you use the AWD button it overrides this and applies torque 50/50 full time. Unlike an older 4x4, this vehicle is dead without an operational transfer case.

nkroguea
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Hi, I just did this yesterday not fun. At first I think I put too much in thinking you pump it til it comes out of the filler hole which is wrong correct?? The dealer told me 3/4 pint which is about 12 ounces total is this correct?? Only like 9 ounces came out! Also the tube fell out of the filler hole a couple times kinda messy. Now I have burnt crayon smell, is this just gear oil burn off or something inside?? Please chime in someone.. thanks

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darylzero
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nkroguea wrote:
Thu Nov 22, 2018 9:05 am
Hi, I just did this yesterday not fun. At first I think I put too much in thinking you pump it til it comes out of the filler hole which is wrong correct?? The dealer told me 3/4 pint which is about 12 ounces total is this correct?? Only like 9 ounces came out! Also the tube fell out of the filler hole a couple times kinda messy. Now I have burnt crayon smell, is this just gear oil burn off or something inside?? Please chime in someone.. thanks
You want to fill both the transfer case and differential until the oil starts to spill out.

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casperfun
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I actually dreaded doing the transfer case, but actually the 2nd time around was easier.

Mind you, I probably only put around 10,000 miles on my diff/transfer fluids because
I wanted to change to synthetic 75-90w gear oil.

Only trouble was trying to get car as level as possible because no way I can get under car.

So I used ramps on the end of a slanting driveway.

I'm a small dude, so all I had to do is find the right angle with my rachet tool with 1 extender attached to another extender to reach the bolt.

With my small arms and putting some leverage with my whole body, I kinda did it better taking it off the 2nd time around.

It seemed not alot of fluid came out as I thought it should be.

But I know it felt like alot of pumping to fill the case up.

Cleaned the friction material off the magnetic bolt and screwed back on in no time.

Pumping the fluid in kinda made my arm tired. Went smoothly until it slowly leaked out so I can stop.

Pretty happy doing both diff/trans a few weeks ago because it was a nice 80 degree day when it was suppose to be cold.

Thank god for the pictures in here to remind me where the bolt locations were, or else I have to go crazy how I did it last time.

Very happy with this project.

Awd Drives great.

RiderEh
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Just a FYI to anyone with a 2014+ model, the transfer case is completely different. I found the location for the drain and fill in the manual today and it looks easily achievable.

Also, instead of farting around with the hand pumps I recommend the Amsoil squeeze packs, cuts down on time substantially.

Bern
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I just changed the fluid in my 2016 Rogue transaxle and differential. The Rogue has 100,000km on it and its the first time either have been changed.

As already stated, this year has a different transaxle than the original post. The location is the same, but the drain/fill plugs are a little different, however it was pretty easy to figure them out. Both plugs removed easily however the fill plug still required an 18" extension for the socket wrench. The oil coming out of the transaxle actually didnt seem too bad. It was obviously dark but smelled fine. I think I was expecting it to be in worse shape than it was. The odd thing was that only about 3/4 of a cup came out. I refilled it to the bottom of the fill hole with about 2 cups of 80W 90.

The differential was uneventful. The two bolts removed easily and the fluid came out and actually looked to be in great condition. The fill and reinstallation of the plugs was uneventful. I also changed the oil and transmission fluid at the same time. Total time was about three hours. The link below shows the transaxle associated with the newer Rogues. You can see the fill plug is to the left of the black seal and the drain plug is to the right.

https://ahparts.com/watermark/1/items/2 ... C04404.JPG

RiderEh
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Bern wrote:
Sun Nov 03, 2019 2:16 pm
I just changed the fluid in my 2016 Rogue transaxle and differential. The Rogue has 100,000km on it and its the first time either have been changed.

As already stated, this year has a different transaxle than the original post. The location is the same, but the drain/fill plugs are a little different, however it was pretty easy to figure them out. Both plugs removed easily however the fill plug still required an 18" extension for the socket wrench. The oil coming out of the transaxle actually didnt seem too bad. It was obviously dark but smelled fine. I think I was expecting it to be in worse shape than it was. The odd thing was that only about 3/4 of a cup came out. I refilled it to the bottom of the fill hole with about 2 cups of 80W 90.

The differential was uneventful. The two bolts removed easily and the fluid came out and actually looked to be in great condition. The fill and reinstallation of the plugs was uneventful. I also changed the oil and transmission fluid at the same time. Total time was about three hours. The link below shows the transaxle associated with the newer Rogues. You can see the fill plug is to the left of the black seal and the drain plug is to the right.

https://ahparts.com/watermark/1/items/2 ... C04404.JPG
Awesome info, thanks! Can you describe the procedure you used for the CVT without having a dipstick, and how you measured fluid?

Bern
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I'm not a mechanic, so take this with a grain of salt but I pretty much followed the information in the following utube video;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7brEADs9gg

That video gives you a good idea of how to get the charging cap off and where the drain bolt is.

The steps I used;
1. drove the rogue up on ramps, which levelled the vehicle due to my sloping driveway
2. Opened the hood and removed charging cap as per the video(its a little finicky and you'll need a small flat head screwdriver)
3. Got under the car and placed an oil pan under the drain plug then removed the drain plug.
4. I let it sit there for about 30 min until it was all drained.
5. Measured the amount of fluid that came out(4Qts)
6. Replaced the drain plug and then poured 4QTs of NS3 fluid into the pan through the fill tube

The next steps weren't in the video, I found this information elsewhere online.

7. I then started the car and, while my foot was firmly on the brake, I cycled the transmission through the different positions leaving it in each position for 5 sec. P-R-N-D-L-D-N-R-P
8. I then ran it for about 20 min to get it up to temperature and then cycled it through the positions again.
9. While leaving the vehicle idling, I removed the level check bolt(you can see it in the left side of the screen at 1:43 on the video). Its the bolt on the aluminum part of the transmission that is higher level wise than the drain bolt, angled toward the front of the vehicle and towards the passenger side from the drain plug.
10. With the engine was still running I put a little bit more fluid in the filler tube until it started to seep out of this hole. When it started to seep out of the hole I replaced the bolt and tightened it to spec.
11. Replaced the filler tube plug and done!


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