My '96 has 325k miles now, and I have no idea when the last time ATF was changed. Is there a recommended schedule for changing ATF? Is there a recommended brand? Also, where are the drain and fill points located?

Well, how long have you had it?
You could try going to an Infiniti dealer and asking for any records they have of the car.

I think some newer cars are the ones coming out with recommendations to not change the trans fluid... or just omit any mention of it.
Your 96 owners manual should have a recommended interval in the maintenance schedule section.
If not, most people I've seen do it at 60k miles.
Some people say if it hasn't been touched this long, then leave it alone. I'd at least check the color and smell.

The owners manual should also mention what type of fluid to use. It is most probably Matic-X, where X is a letter that is higher in the alphabet as newer cars come out.
For example a car specified for Matic-J can use Matic-S because that's all that Nissan provides in later years, but going the opposite way is frowned upon.


Draining and filling should be the conventional drain pan bolt and dipstick/filler tube route, but you can find more info in the FSM. That is the factory service manual, which gives spec, maintenance and repair info for our cars and NICOCLUB hosts it for free. I have it linked in my signature below.

Ditto on all of that. At your mileage, if it's the original A/T, I'd take it slow and easy. Old fluid was never good for any transmission, but at this point varnish might be what's holding it together

I'd do a pan drain and refill at each oil change for a while if you want. You'll only get about 5 quarts of the 11-14 in the system (the exact amount escapes me at the moment) per drain and fill, because a lot of it is held in the torque converter and other areas of the transmission that don't drain into the pan.

to my knowledge, drain and fill every 15K (4-5 quarts) and then a full dealer tranny flush every 75K with OEM Nissan matic D ~$275ish

be careful of what dealer you go to as some are good and knowledged about the Q's like Infiniti of Rosewell (for example if your in the Atlanta area) and then some like Infiniti of Gwinnett that just stand there shocked to see the Q with the infiniti emblems on it while scratching their heads as to what the hell to do as they've never seen one before.

Back in '96, did they install the ATF filter/screen in the pan that later years got?

If so, might not hurt to replace it - or at least clean it.

When I swapped engines/trans back in the early 00s my mechanic asked me how long I was planning on keeping the car. I said a few years. So we held a sample of oil trans fluid and brake fluid. Trans fluid still looks like it did 300k ago. Other than adding a cooling/filter unit I haven't ever touched it from 88k to 390k. And yes. I beat this pies out of it most of those miles. Many many wot redlines.You want to rag on this out dated 4speed tranny. Go ahead. I think its solid. Still plenty of pull. Rig a nice trans cooler/filter. Top the fluid off and leave it alone

Wow! 300? That is good to see. But honestly I'm not surprised.

I've always believed that for a normally operated passenger vehicle, transmission fluid isn't the kind of thing that needs to be changed out all the time. If manufacturers leave it out of recommended service, it's not due to forgetfullness. Furthermore, these days they even don't give you a dipstick. It sucks that it makes it harder for DIY inspections and replacements, but unless you see a leak, you shouldn't have to deal with trans fluid.

EdBwoy wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 30, 2017 9:09 pm

...
Transmission fluid, yes it scares a tinkerer like me to not be able to check my fluids often, but honestly transmission fluid shouldn't need to be messed with that often. My 05 XJ8 was the first car with no trans dipstick, and it wasn't too terrifying to maintain. The only reason I even had to deal with it is because the pan gasket was leaking. Like diamonds, fluids might be forever but gaskets and seals ain't! Oh, and the old 160k mile fluid was just as clean as the new one going in.
Honestly, the dealer charges about 300 bucks to do it, if you're concerned I'd pay them to do it...

Of course, I wouldn't go on record encouraging anyone to stop doing regular fluid changes, as generally speaking, the correct new oil can't be bad.
Plus, peace of mind is a big factor!


BCC, if (*knock on wood*) something happens to render your car permanently undriveable, it'd be interesting to send your trans fluid off to Blackstone labs to analyse the oil.

I checked the dipstick and the fluid was slightly discolored (brown), but no burnt smell, no sparkly metal particles, and no nasty black color. Manual says check every 15k, and I've put 7 or 8k miles on it so far with no idea when the last check/change was. I'm gonna go with Q451990's suggestion and do a 4-5 liters now and a drain and fill every oil change until I get back to that nice clean pink color. Unfortunately, there's not an Infiniti dealer near me (I'd have to drive many hours to St Louis, Memphis, or Nashville), so a dealer flush is out of the question.

Thanks for all your advice.

Thanks for the update. For the Infiniti dealership, you could also just call with the VIN and ask if there is any record of the work.

Nothing trumps evidence though. The oil doesn't look healthy, so like you, I'd change it regardless of what the records say.
*Btw, a Nissan dealership will do the job just as well; if you have one closer to you.

FWIW, I use Valvoline Max Life trans fluid for my DIY projects since it's always available at Walmart no matter where I live.

Brown is too late. Remember the white paper towel test against a new sample of ATF per Q45tech. Any change in coloration is indicative of degradation. Brown is spent.

Mobil1 synthetic ATF if the best bet along with installing an B&MATF cooler which will extend the life of the ATF and thus the transmission.

There is a gasket kit along with onetime use bolts and a new screen.

When you drain and refill, about 9 qts. of the old worn out fluid remains. In your case (and with the supplies referenced above), you will need a complete mechanical exchange by a BG or Sun machine.

For an older car I think doing it every 45 to 60k is good. If you haven't done it for a long time and it is brown you do take a risk, I would find a shop that can do a full flush and fill, this take out the full 15 quarts and replaces it with 15 quarts of fresh. There are stories out there of people that hadn't done that fluid in 5-8 years and over 90k and a fluid change ended the tranny's life. I do mine every 5 years or so as my Q doesn't get that much mileage on it (my 97' has 115k now) but I use Redline or Amsoil full synthetic (only a bit more than Mobile One)