Transmission Pan Drop/Filter.

[elwesso]

Thought id do a quick writeup since the last time I did it, it was a disaster... Figured this might help someone at a later time. If you want to skip directly to my topic of discussion, go down where I talk about the filter.

Anyway, total time was about 2.5 hours, actual working time was probalby around 1.5hour.. The other time was to let the fluid drain.....

What I did was first jack the car up on the PASSENGER SIDE FRONT ONLY... This makes it so all the fluid sort of has to go to the back left part which is waht you want... Let the fluid drain, go get something to eat, and then come back out and move the shifter around... Move it into every place, briefly pausing in between shifting.. This allows extra fluid to get somehow released, it will continue to trickle...

TRUST ME, the longer you do this and the more fluid you can let drip down, the better off you are, and the less mess you will have to deal with later... last time, i got fluid EVERYWHERE, this time i just dripped a little bit on the floor, nothing a little brake parts cleaner cant fix...

So then you get the arduious task of removing all the bolts and stuff.. Not really a big deal, what I would have like to have done was loosened every one of them, and taken my magnetic 1/4in drive spinner to getthe nuts down, but much to my shagrin the 10mm one is missing..... All the bolts are easy to get at except the front ones... I just bent the cooler tube out of the way, you only have to move it about a 1/4 inch or so, just enough that you can fit your socket between the cooler tube and the pan... Last time, I removed the entire assembly and got all of it out of the way, and believe me, bending it probably saved 15 mins or so.... I went all the way around and only left one bolt in at the back, and then support the pan while you remove the last one..

You will want to let the pan hang down over your drip pan so the rest of the fluid can be evacuated... Now all you have to do is clean the pan/magnet... in my experience, ive found the pan itself to be very clean, a simple wipe of the rag is usually enough to make it look good.. The magnet is what gets bad.....

I like to remove hte magnet completely from the pan.. You can get something really small under it and pry it up... I have a small pick that I used, which is nice because its at a 90* angle, however a small screwdriver woudl suffice... Soak that bad baby in brake parts cleaner and wipe it off..... you have to wipe fairly hard because the stuff doesnt like coming off the magnet.... Now just stick the magnet back where it was and put all the stuff back together.... it is recommended that you get new bolts from Joe for the trans, if memory serves they are inexpensive (maybe $5 for the set), they have sealant or loctite or something on them, and most say they are one time use... I did not do that, so i am praying it doesnt leak!!!

NOW FOR THE FILTER..... I have heard many people say, and I myself have said, that changing the filter is not completely necessary... And to a point, I agree.. I was about to reassemble the pan when i decided on a whim to take the filter off and at least have a look inside..... Best decision i made during this job!

Looking inside the filter from the pickup and the other end, it looked completely mint, nothing wrong (besides the outside having a touch of varnish on it)..... Also, as an aside, this screen seemed a lot more tightly meshed than the one I got from Joe last time around.. maybe my memory fails, but thats what it seems to me, unfortunately... Im going upload a picture tomorrow and see how it compares...

So just for fun i decided to try and clean it by spraying brake parts cleaner into the other end (opposite of the pickup), and lo and behold a nice little pile of friction material came out... I was STUNNED.. Some fairly large pieces came out as well (one was maybe half the size of a corn kernel).. Needless to say, I am not holding my breath about this transmission lasting another 100k, but we'll see.... Certainly by doing this I have helped a little, and at least im no worse off than i was before...

SO, MY VERDICT on the filter is that if you have the means, you can probably clean it instead of replacing it... Its like $40 from joe, which isnt arms or legs, but its also all metal, so i dont see why it cant be reused! For some, it may be preferred just to buy a new filter and toss it in and be done with it, and thats fine and good, but i think you could accomplish just the same by cleaning it out really good... Stuff doesnt really look like it can get stuck in the metal mesh, with a good douching of brake parts cleaner it should get fairly clean..... I kept on going with the brake parts cleaner until it came out nice and clean.. plugged up both ends, shook it up with the fluid inside and dumped it out.....

If indeed the filters used by Level 10 are the same as OEM (I have to assume they are, cant imagine theyd redesign something like that), I definitely recommend replacing or cleaning it whenever the pan is off, you are stupid not to do so... Its only 4 bolts, comes out real easy..

So the bottom line is, I stand corrected.. I have recommended to some that replacing the filter is not necessary, and i do not agree with that anymore! At the very least, at least take it out and clean it really good if you dont want to replace it, but if your gonna go through the trouble of dropping the pan, there is NO excuse not to!

[maxnix]

So the bottom line is, I stand corrected.. I have recommended to some that replacing the filter is not necessary, and i do not agree with that anymore! At the very least, at least take it out and clean it really good if you dont want to replace it, but if your gonna go through the trouble of dropping the pan, there is NO excuse not to!

Empirical evidence is the best teacher. Why I never contradict Q45tech unless I can back it up with data, not just an assumption or a feeling.

Bet no one else has cut into the filter and looked at it under a microscope like he has.

I think it is always best to assume if a part is there, the engineers desgned it to serve a purpose. Secondly, if it is replacable, there is probably a reason why.
Modified by maxnix at 6:58 AM 7/14/2006

[elwesso]

I think it is always best to assume if a part is there, the engineers desgned it to serve a purpose. Secondly, if it is replacable, there is probably a reason why.

Cant really go wrong there...

BTW I get to do the job again soon.. I fiddled around with the solenoid in the trans, so i get to take it out and adjust it properly... Fiddling with trans=bad idea.

[maxnix]

Yeah, but at least you get really good at fiddling.

[elwesso]

Good news is it shoudlnt be really hard to get it back into spec, as you can just check its resistance and adjust as necssary...

Theres an alan screw on the bottom, and you just check resistance between the white wire (if memory serves, its in teh FSM AT section under electricla components inspection) and get it 2.5-5 ohm.....

[94 Q45]

Hi, I am a new 94 Q45 owner and I want to change the transmission fulid, I don't have a owner manual or service manual and I want to know where exactly is the ATF drain plug and fill plug and is there a transmission fitler for this car and is it serviceble. Also how many fluid should I put in the transmission and what are the bolt torque specifications? Thank you for the information.

[Skibane]

Welcome to the forums, 94 Q45!

I know this isn't the answer you're looking for, but...

...service manual CDs for the Q45 are super-cheap, and readily available. Anyone who is savvy enough to change his own transmission fluid is obviously capable of performing most of the other maintenance tasks, and should definitely have a good FSM (factory service manual) to rely on.

I strongly recommend just-4-less's CDs, which are the complete, fully-searchable original factory service manuals. You can pick one up for exactly 10 bucks (including shipping) on ebay, at this link. You NEED this manual, or something equivalent.

[maxnix]

You also need the TSB.

http://www.nissan-techinfo.com/infiniti/

Some manuals available at http://www.phatg20.net

[hkchuen]

By the way, is there a place to look up the labor time associated with each service?

[Q45tech]

The warranty time may not reflect the actual time depending on experience and the tools available.

When techs are forced to use warranty time, they may develop less than desirable short cuts which may be detrimental?

[heywier427]

this could possibly be a stupid qustion but, wes you said you jacked the car and drained the pan, were did you drain the pan from? did i over look a trans plug. thats imbarresing

[maxnix]

this could possibly be a stupid qustion but, wes you said you jacked the car and drained the pan, were did you drain the pan from? did i over look a trans plug. thats imbarresing

Some of the very early ones don't have them.

Most of the OEM upgraded (silent factory recall) ones do.

[heywier427]

so the newer pan itself has the drain, interesting. off to the scrap yard we go! maybe infiniti will still honor the recall

[94 Q45]

Hi, I want to know how to change the differential gear oil on the 94 Q45 and where is the drain and fill plug for the differential gear? What type of oil should I use? Thank you for the information.