What fluids and filters do you use? *Maintenance*

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02pathy
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nice car, i was looking for one just like that, where abouts do you live? maybe i'll come over with a couple of beers and check it out, see if i like it


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Empty V
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02pathy wrote:nice car, i was looking for one just like that, where abouts do you live? maybe i'll come over with a couple of beers and check it out, see if i like it
Better make that RC Colas.

Billy

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Pwnin O'Brien
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Empty V wrote:
Better make that RC Colas.

Billy

alexf20c
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SprintCar wrote:profile pic of my babe, well my second one. i took it sitting in my driveway about 10 minutes ago in the miserable winter.
so what type of sprint cars do you race? i used to race the lesser Formulas, Baby Grands, and started off in 80, 125, and Super250 shifter karts. now i just race amateur w2w with NASA SUO and TT. i never got into sprints or dirt track.

btw, do your parents let you drive their E550?


Raptor_Qx4
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Is it easy to change engine oil? Do you also have to do transfer case maintenance. Hey my dad and brother race sprint cars. Don't be an a** about it those.

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Chuck Tribolet
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Raptor_Qx4 wrote:Is it easy to change engine oil? Do you also have to do transfer case maintenance. Hey my dad and brother race sprint cars. Don't be an ** about it those.
Changing oil and filter is about 45 minutes on my '01 PF. I figure I've done itabout 50 times on my '01 (175K miles, 3.33K mile change interval, do the math) First time figure a couple of hours.

Remove oil fill cap.

Drop the cardboard skid pan. 10mm socket, loosen with a rachet, take 'em out with a Makita 90 degree drill with socket adapter. OK, you could finish withthe ratchet, but the Makita is faster and I got it. Put down old newspaper, then a drain pan, and pull the drain plug.

Optional: jack the driver's side with a floor jack to get just a little more oilout of the pan,

While it drains, get a beer.

Wipe off drain plug with a paper towel and reinstall. Just pretty snug isgood enough. FSM has a torque spec, but in time you'll learn what it feels like.

Slide newspaper and drain pan forward under the oil filter.

Loosen oil filter. I used to use a big pair of channel locks, I recently acquireda cap type filter wrench that fits my filters.

Remove filter by hand. As it comes off, tip it UP so the oil in it stays put.

Dump the filter into the drain pan. Tip up for 15 seconds. Repeat the previoustwo steps several times until you don't get any more oil.

Go in and wash your hands. You want good traction on the filter in the next step.

Touch the gasket of the new filter to the gasket of the old filter. What youare doing is lubricating the gasket of the new filter so it slides rather thandistorting and leaking.

Install new filter. I use Wix. Turn it until it gets some resistance, then turn 3/4 turn more. BY HAND. NO WRENCHES.

Put the filter in a freezer-grade Ziplock. Put that in another Ziplock.

Wipe down the mess under the filter with a paper towel or ten.

Pour in the correct amount of oil. 5.25 US qts on my '01 PF. Use good oil.I've had really good luck over the years with Castrol GTX. I do NOT use thehigh mileage stuff. The best funnel I've found is to cut the bottom 1" off aplastic oil can.

Reinstall oil filler cap.

Fire up engine, wait 10 seconds. If the oil pressure idiot light isn't off yet,wonder why and ask here. If it's out, shut it down.

Wait five minutes (when you are experienced, you can do the next stepnow while waiting), Check the oil level on the dip stick. It should be righton.

Reinstall skid pan. Note that there's a finger that fits in a hole in the truckto hold that end while you put in the first bolt on the other end. Start boltsby hand (1+ turns), run them down with Mr. Makita, finish with ratchet.

Note in your owner's manual mileage and date: "changed oil and filter".

Dispose of used oil and filter in an environmentally-friendly way. My townwill pick it up with garbage, and supples a 2.5 gal. jug and a mil-specZiploc. Leave one out on garbage day, they leave a new one.

Me, do mine every 3333 miles (I tow a boat a lot). If I didn't tow, it wouldstill be every 5000 miles.

Why don't I have an oil change place do it? 1) I can do it faster myself, esp.including the drive time and waiting time to get on the lift. 2) I know whatoil and filter were used, and I know all the skid pan bolts went back in (that'sa place the flat-raters cut corners)

Chuck


Modified by Chuck Tribolet at 7:13 PM 2/18/2010

alexf20c
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Raptor_Qx4 wrote:Is it easy to change engine oil? Do you also have to do transfer case maintenance. Hey my dad and brother race sprint cars. Don't be an a** about it those.
are you talking to me?

Raptor_Qx4
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No. I was talking about Sprint.

Raptor_Qx4
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Thats good info, I printed it off already, thanks . I went to get a oil filter, and I realized that wix's flow holes (the holes around the outside) are much smaller than fran filters, do you think that'll make a difference? Smaller will slow flow, as I assume right?

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Towncivilian
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How about we bring this back from the dead?
  • Filters
    • Fuel Filter - NAPA Gold 3023 (which is a Wix 33023)
      Costs about $14 (Nissan OEM is also $14 - will switch to OEM in 1-2 years and cut open both filters to compare amount of filtering media)
    • Oil Filter - Mobil 1 Extended Performance M1-110
    • Air Filter - Wix 46116 - cheaper than OEM and double the pleats! See here.
    • In-Cabin Air Filter - Nissan OEM part 999M1-VP003
      (but use B7200-00004 if you really want OEM, as the former part # comes with instructions, a new clip, a replacement sticker, and a caution label - all useless, IMO) - read my NAPA Gold vs. OEM filter comparison. I'd say get the NAPA Gold 4863 or others to minimize cost.
    • ATF Fluid Filter - Beck/Arnley in-pan "filter" and Magnefine in-line filter, and B&M 70268 auxiliary transmission cooler (rated at 13,000 BTU); OEM pan filter next
  • Fluids
    • Engine Oil - Mobil 1 0W-40 API SN
    • Coolant - Genuine Nissan + distilled water
    • ATF Fluid - Castrol Import Multi-Vehicle
    • Brake Fluid - Valvoline DOT 3 and 4 Synthetic Brake Fluid (why do they print "Synthetic" on the bottle? all brake fluid is synthetic! Ha, marketing)
    • Power Steering Fluid - Mostly Genuine Nissan PSF, some Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF in there (slowly changing it out with a suction gun of the reservoir every oil change)
    • Front Diff - N/A 2WD
    • Rear Diff - Valvoline High-Performance 80W-90 Gear Oil (will likely switch to Mobil 1 75W-90 once I hit 150k - $22 for 3qt of quality, easily obtained synthetic gear oil sounds great to me!)
    • Transfer Case - N/A 2WD
And I use SuperTech Moly-Lithum Grease for driveshaft grease. Looking for something better that has molybdenum (per FSM recommendation), though.
Last edited by Towncivilian on Fri Nov 18, 2011 7:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.

WPGQX4
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Here is another option for grease.
https://www.amsoil.com/storefront/glc.aspx

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Towncivilian
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WPGQX4 wrote:Here is another option for grease.
https://www.amsoil.com/storefront/glc.aspx
I looked into that previously, but it doesn't state anywhere that the grease contains moly. I sent an email to Amsoil and will post when I get a reply. If it has moly, I'll definitely pick up a tube.

WPGQX4
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I might get a quicker response for you. I can call thier technical division and find out.

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Towncivilian
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Response:
The Multi Purpose (GLC) does not contain Moly. Is this for general chassis lubrication or CV joints?
I replied stating that it's for main driveshaft lubrication and that the driveshaft has the only grease fitting on my 2WD Pathfinder.

EDIT: And a reply not 3 minutes later:
If those are the only spec the vehicle calls for, the Polymeric Off-Road grease (GPOR) contains 5% moly. We do not offer an alternative for moly outside of the GPOR.
Looks like I'll be looking at the GPOR grease, then.

EDIT2: GPOR is a Calcium-Sulfonate Complex grease. I emailed once more and asked of compatibility with the lithium soap base currently in my driveshaft, and the rep said it was compatible. I'll pick up a tube of this grease once I run out of the SuperTech crap I'm using now.

ARKQX33V6
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Its nice to see things are back to normal!!!
The only synthetic I use is Mobil 1 5W30, the other fluids are off the shelf, Pennzoil, Quaker, CTC house branded ATF, name brand coolant and it varies from year to year not about price but availability.

The reason I don't use synthetics in the transmission, 2 speed transfer case and differentials is that they are in place for 2 years and then changed out.

Mobil1 is a good oil I have changed my engine oil from 12 months to 3 and 6 depends on how I drove and how I feel. But I have settled around 6 months.

I have used many brands but try to stay with 1 motor oil. Oil filters are Fram or Wix name brand regadrless of who makes them and yes I have cut them open and compared media, filter blocks and check valve blocks. Fram has a so so reputation as far as spin on filters, but on my 31 year old bike I use Fram metal filters and paper medium with no ill affects.

Oil filters are changed out with oil.
Air filters are Fram they usually last 5 years, but they are checked every 3 months

Transfer case is dumped every 2 years and oil is pink going out.

Transmission is dumped every 2 years and oil is clean leaving. I have had oil shift valves hang up from excessive use transmission oil even though it was not burned. Te small particles that over time all automatics collect can do some harm or mishaps in shifting. Dumping the oil every 2 years is cheap insurance against wear down and down time.

The differentials are also dumped and proper oil at 80/90 GL5 rating used. The front diff is always as clean as it went in, since the Front wheel drive is not used as much as the rear. But the rear is a Limited Slip Differential and when dumped I test the action of this diff, to verify its limited slip.

I am not as fast as I was, but spending time under a completely jacked up QX4 enables me to check out the rust situation.

A little off topic, but with Krown rust proof the Q is just a bit rusty...bad areas are the rear end skirt, the canister on the left rear, the running boards and the inside front fenders. The recall rust check by yours truly indicated as new condition. Who makes Krown and what is it, I do not know but it sticks to the underside like sh** to a blanket. While under there I get filthy black, but not rusty red.

The materials in oils and filters are those sold everywhere OEM comes into play for example with some suspension parts and some engine parts but generally Bosch, Fram, Wix and Taiwanese, Chinese, Japanese parts are used it depends what is available over price.

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Cross-posted from NPORA with many musings and comments, as well as change interval listings and BBCode for the same formatted list I have.
  • Fluids
    • Engine Oil - Mobil 1 0W-40 API SN
    • Coolant - Genuine Nissan + distilled water
    • ATF - Castrol Import Multi-Vehicle
    • MTF - N/A (automatic)
    • Brake Fluid - Valvoline DOT 3 and 4 Synthetic Brake Fluid (why do they print "Synthetic" on the bottle? all brake fluid is synthetic! Ha, marketing)
    • Power Steering Fluid - Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF
    • Front Diff - N/A (2WD)
    • Rear Diff - Mobil 1 75W-90
    • Transfer Case - N/A (2WD)
  • Filters
    • Oil Filter - Mobil 1 Extended Performance M1-110
    • Air Filter - Wix 46116 - cheaper than OEM and double the pleats! See here.
    • In-Cabin Air Filter - Nissan OEM part 999M1-VP003 (but use B7200-00004 if you really want OEM, as the former part # comes with instructions, a new clip, a replacement sticker, and a caution label - all useless, IMO) - read my NAPA Gold vs. OEM filter comparison. I'd say get the NAPA Gold 4863 or others to minimize cost.
    • Fuel Filter - NAPA Gold 3023 (which is a Wix 33023), about $14 (Nissan OEM is also $14 - will switch to OEM in 1-2 years and cut open both filters to compare amount of filtering media)
    • ATF Filter - Beck/Arnley in-pan "filter" and Magnefine in-line filter, and B&M 70268 auxiliary transmission cooler (rated at 13,000 BTU / 19,000 GVW); OEM pan filter & gasket next
  • Change intervals
    • Fluids
      • Engine Oil - 3,750 with conventional, 5-6k with synthetic
      • Coolant - every 2 years
      • ATF - drain & fill every 15k
      • MTF - N/A (automatic)
      • Brake Fluid - every 2 years
      • Power Steering Fluid - one siphon & fill of the reservoir every oil change
      • Front Diff - N/A (2WD)
      • Rear Diff - every 2 years
      • Transfer Case - N/A (2WD)
    • Filters
      • Oil Filter - every oil change, of course!
      • Air Filter - don't know, only changed once and that was essentially a random change to the aforementioned Wix filter due to higher pleat count
      • In-Cabin Air Filter - every 1-2 years
      • Fuel Filter - every 1-2 years
      • ATF Filter - whenever I do a pan drop, probably at 150k miles next. This filter isn't really a filter, it's more like a rock catcher; even the best in-pan filters don't filter any lower than somewhere around 80 microns. The Magnefine will be changed every 30k. See here for a Magnefine I opened after 13k miles of use on my Pathfinder.
And I use Valvoline DuraBlend Grease for greasing the main driveshaft with 4-5 pumps every oil change or whenever I get bored.

I have 134k miles on my Pathfinder.

Copy & paste this to use the same format list I have:

Code: Select all

[list]
[*]Fluids
[list]
[*]Engine Oil - 
[*]Coolant - 
[*]ATF - 
[*]MTF - 
[*]Brake Fluid - 
[*]Power Steering Fluid - 
[*]Front Diff - 
[*]Rear Diff - 
[*]Transfer Case - 
[/list]
[*]Filters
[list]
[*]Oil Filter - 
[*]Air Filter - 
[*]In-Cabin Air Filter - 
[*]Fuel Filter - 
[*]ATF Filter - 
[/list]
[*]Change intervals
[list]
[*]Fluids
[list]
[*]Engine Oil - 
[*]Coolant - 
[*]ATF - 
[*]MTF - 
[*]Brake Fluid - 
[*]Power Steering Fluid - 
[*]Front Diff - 
[*]Rear Diff - 
[*]Transfer Case - 
[/list]
[*]Filters
[list]
[*]Oil Filter - 
[*]Air Filter - 
[*]In-Cabin Air Filter - 
[*]Fuel Filter - 
[*]ATF Filter - 
[/list]
[/list]
[/list]
Last edited by Towncivilian on Fri Nov 18, 2011 7:08 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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SBK03SE
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Holy blatant thread revival batman!
Haha, I kid. Good info here. Would've never met "SprintCar kid".

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Towncivilian
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Bump. Updated my previous post, too. I'd be interested in seeing what fluids you all run, seems the thread was more or less ignored last bump.

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Chris.m
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Might as well comment,

I used to use Penzoil High mileage but about a year ago I switched to Quakerstate High mileage -Penzoil never went on sale :(

I started using Fram Oil filters, Then Bosch (Got many cheap off Autopartsway.ca) , and now use Quaker state filters

I really have no clue what my transmission/dif/transfer case fluids are, I changed them all right after I got the truck

BubbaFL
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Fluids

Engine Oil - Valvoline Synpower 5w-30 and STP oil treatment
ATF - Castrol Import Multi-Vehicle
Rear Diff - Supertech 85w-140

Filters

Oil Filter - Purolator PureOne
Air Filter - Mann
In-Cabin Air Filter - Whatever RockAuto had cheap
ATF Filter - Wix in-line filter + Hayden 678 transmission cooler (24k GWVR rating)

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Towncivilian
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Why do you use STP? Which color bottle? What oil change interval? Why such thick gear oil, too?

BubbaFL
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Right now it's "sliver bottle" STP High Mileage, just because I got a great price on a few. When that runs out, it will be STP blue bottle or the Supertech generic equivalent (25 bottles of that in my stockpile from when WM clearanced it out)

I use the STP because 5 quarts of Synpower 5w-30 is about $15 cheaper than 5w-40 (which I'd rather run in this climate).

Having blown up a couple rear ends in trucks, I just prefer a heavier oil in the heat down here (especially driving on the interstate at 75+ in the middle of the summer). In FL temperatures, the truck will never notice the difference between 75w- and 85w- when "cold", so no sense spending extra money for synthetic (but if Amazon ever ships my $75 five gallons of RL 75w-140, that'll go in next).

I'm using the Castrol Import ATF because it was the cheapest Matic-D labeled ATF I could find (with AAP codes). Would probably use MaxLife or Valvoline Mercon V if I had to pay full price.

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PathyProject
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I use fully synthetic, and a FRAM oil filter every time. Haven't change my transmission or differential fluid yet. The transmission fluid is still red so that's a good sign. Not sure what the differential fluid looks like though.

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Towncivilian
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I still do not understand your reasoning behind using STP. 5W-30 should be quite adequate in our climate - after all, the engine's temperature is controlled by the cooling system so a thicker oil is not necessary during the summer months. Although, STP does have quite a bit of zinc and some other additives; it's nothing to sneeze at. See a virgin oil analysis of the "blue bottle" STP:

Image

It's so crazy thick that it wasn't even measurable. Also, this thread on Bob Is The Oil Guy contains some interesting reading regarding adding ZDDP additives or any other additives, for that matter, to engine oil. I tend to think that adding anything to a motor oil is useless; I can't know "better" than the tribologists who blended the oil. If you want a thicker oil or a beefier oil, buy the thicker or beefier oil instead of adding questionable additives.

Fair reasoning regarding the thick gear oil. Since you're switching to RL 75W-140, I'm a bit less concerned. I'm sure the Warren Performance Products-blended SuperTech stuff is decent oil, though. Let us know if you notice any difference between that and the SuperTech! :)

I'm using Castrol IMV in the trans as well and it's great fluid in my opinion.

PathyProject, which brand of oil, and which specific FRAM filter?

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PathyProject
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PathyProject, which brand of oil, and which specific FRAM filter?
I've been using Valvoline Fully Synthetic oil, and it's 10W30 of course. I use Valvoline because Mobil 1 is more expensive, and I bet it doesn't really do anything better or different than Valvoline. As for the oil filter I use the FRAM Tough Guard oil filter. I want to change my transmission fluid, but I've heard many times that changing the fluid in an older car can destroy the transmission. The fluid isn't burnt and black, so I hope it won't be a problem. Old trannsmissions rely on that nasty black fluid.

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Towncivilian
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Why 10W-30 vs. 5W-30? Both are within the same viscosity range at operating temperature. 5W-30 will warm up faster. What is your oil change interval? I don't know where you purchase your oil, but down here at Wal-Mart, Synpower is $2 more expensive than Mobil 1 if I recall correctly.

I criticized the Fram ToughGuard filter in this post, you may wish to read it.

Go ahead and change the fluid, but do a few drain & fills with a few weeks of driving in between to slowly replace the fluid and do some gentle cleaning. Replace the crush washer on the last drain & fill. Torque spec for the drain plug is 22 - 29 ft/lbs. Better yet, do a pan drop first then a couple more drain & fills.

Also, I took a look at AAP's site today and it looks like all Castrol ATF cannot be used with online discount codes anymore. Bummer.

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PathyProject
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Towncivilian wrote:Why 10W-30 vs. 5W-30? Both are within the same viscosity range at operating temperature. 5W-30 will warm up faster. What is your oil change interval? I don't know where you purchase your oil, but down here at Wal-Mart, Synpower is $2 more expensive than Mobil 1 if I recall correctly.

I criticized the Fram ToughGuard filter in this post, you may wish to read it.

Go ahead and change the fluid, but do a few drain & fills with a few weeks of driving in between to slowly replace the fluid and do some gentle cleaning. Replace the crush washer on the last drain & fill. Torque spec for the drain plug is 22 - 29 ft/lbs. Better yet, do a pan drop first then a couple more drain & fills.

Also, I took a look at AAP's site today and it looks like all Castrol ATF cannot be used with online discount codes anymore. Bummer.
You know, I might actually try 5W-30 now that you mention it. I change my oil every 6000 miles since it's synthetic. I purchase my oil from Autozone, and just about every other thing I need as well. When you say the crush washer are you talking about the magnetic washer in the transmission pan? Also do you know what really makes Synthetic oil so much better than standard oil? I know it works better in hot and cold conditions, but aside from that I don't know much else.

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Towncivilian
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That sounds like an acceptable change interval using synthetic. However, I feel that any API SN rated "conventional" oil today will easily handle a 5,000 mile oil change interval in most engines without a problem. I'm not quite sure you're getting a return on investment with your use of synthetic oil. Synthetic oil is generally made of very highly refined basestocks and often have stouter additive packages than conventional oils. Since the basestocks are of higher quality and are more highly refined, there is more resistance to oxidation and as you said, easier flow in cold weather conditions. As a result of stouter additive packages and higher resistance to oxidation, they are well-suited for longer oil change intervals.

I'm talking about the drain plug crush washer. It's copper and looks like this:

Image

It's supposed to be replaced every time the engine oil or transmission drain plug is removed. Some get by with never changing the engine oil drain plug washer, but for the transmission drain plug I would change it every time since that plug is not removed as often.

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Fluids
Engine Oil - Eneos 5w-30 Synthetic
Coolant - Honda Genuine 50/50 (cheaper than Nissan and I have been using Honda coolant in all my cars forever even though I've never owned a Honda) I think when my Nissan dealer recommended Prestone I ditched Nissan coolant for good.
ATF - Nissan Matic-D
Brake Fluid - ATE Super Blue (which I realize now makes it difficult to tell if it ever gets dirty since its blue)
Power Steering Fluid - Regular Dexron III
Front Diff -Mobil 1 75W-90
Rear Diff - Mobil 1 75W-90
Transfer Case - Nissan Matic-D
Filters
Oil Filter - Mobil 1
Air Filter - Fram
In-Cabin Air Filter - Nissan OEM (havent been replaced in 2 years)
Fuel Filter - Bosch
ATF Filter - Nissan OEM
Change intervals
Fluids
Engine Oil - 3000 miles/6months (used to be 5000 miles but then I stopped driving the QX4 everyday)
Coolant - every 2 years
ATF - 2yrs/20k
Brake Fluid - 3 years
Power Steering Fluid - 3 years
Front Diff - 3 years/30k
Rear Diff - 3 years/30k
Transfer Case - 2yrs/20k
Filters
Oil Filter - 3k/6mos
Air Filter - every 3 oil changes
In-Cabin Air Filter - meh
Fuel Filter - 3 years ago
ATF Filter - not until maybe 200k miles :)

Last two years I've driven the QX about 5k miles a year, before that it was 20k miles+, so I just try to keep everything fresh even though I'm not racking up the miles like before.

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Towncivilian
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Why do you change your engine air filter so frequently? Just because it looks dirty doesn't mean it is clogged. Filters actually filter more efficiently as they load up with contaminants, so changing the air filter excessively actually lets in more contamination. Fiddling with the air filter housing can also allow some dirt to enter accidentally.

I've read of people swapping between ATE Super Blue and ATE Type 200 to know when they've flushed out all of the old brake fluid. Type 200 is amber. I've also read of ATE Super Blue staining master cylinder reservoirs, so some choose to cut it half and half between Super Blue and Type 200.

A synthetic ATF in the power steering fluid would be a better option. Since you change it infrequently, the cost difference is worth it in my opinion.


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