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Tranny Fluid Change


barthel
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I was going to do a tranny fluid change when I put in my trans cooler (just seemed to make sense).

 

In looking at some of the posts and the EBSCO database there doesn't seem to be a way to change ALL the fluid at once (trans, torque converter, etc.), it's "drop the pan and let it drain".

 

While checking out another repair database I found 2 threads that i thought were interesting.

 

One noted to disconnect the fluid discharge line from the cooler, start the engine and essentially let the trans pump all the luid out, being careful to make sure you stop when the fluid diminishes.

 

Second thread suggested taking a suction gun and plastic tubing, snaking it down through the dipstick tube and sucking all the fluid out.

 

Any thought from the pro's? :confused:

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Guest SuperSon

disconnect the fluid discharge line from the cooler, start the engine and essentially let the trans pump all the luid out, being careful to make sure you stop when the fluid diminishes.

 

 

Thats what 88 did and its in his how to instruction for tranny cooler mod

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This seems like some good info. Would this also work for the R50? I want to change out "all" the fluid but heard dropping the pan alone would not get all the fluid out of the torque converter. My other questions is what about the filter? I have not checked my haynes manual as this job was not a major priority yet.... Would it be wise to unplug the dishcharge line, and inlet line, put the inlet line in fresh fluid, run all the old fluid out until you see it start sucking new fluid, then drop the pan to change the filter? I know I should do search and I will just wanting to get some fresh opinions. Thanks

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I use a machine that hooks up inline on the trans line. The company we lease it from says it flushes 99% of the fluid out, including the torque converter. I love that machine, you can even watch the fluid change colors so you know whats going on. BG TransFlush, $149.

 

Oh, and letting the trans get dry, not a very good idea in my book. If you need to clean your stock cooler, if you dont have a different one, you can get a can of Transmission Cooler Cleaner at most parts stores. Nissan dealers even stock them(well, at least mine does. We have to use it for warrenty repairs.) under a nissan part number.

 

But the 1 bucket of fluid and one empty trick could work on the cheap, might get messy though.

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Guest SuperSon

Im going to use an empty liquid detergent jug. one of those plastic 2.5 gallon container to dump the old fluid then im going to get a big 5 quart tranny fluid and stick my intake hose in there to fill about 1 quart and do the rest on the fill spout

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OR

 

Use a quart funnel with a narrow opening, hook it firectly to the intake line and pour the new fluid into the funnel, making sure to never let it drain completely.

 

Watch the color of the fluid coming out, when it clears up, you're done.

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Guest SuperSon
I think it would be eaiser to get two 5 gallon buckets, fill one with fluid, and use the other to drain. One hose would suck in the fluid, the other would spit it out. The level wont change much if you dont let it run dry.

Why would that be easier? youre going to dirty up a bucket and spend time rinsing the oil off of it. youre going to dump that old oil in another container anyway to take it to your auto parts store recycling.

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Under my shade tree, we put the outlet hose into a 5 gallon bucket, let it run, and continue pouring fluid into the dipstick tube until it has pumped out FULL capacity and a couple quarts for good measure. By continuing to fill, it avoids the pump ever going competely dry.

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What about the tranny filter?

not exactly sure if it's the same for your year, but for my '01 the tranny filter supposedly doesn't need to be changed.

 

i swapped mine out anyway when i changed the fluid (the only gasket i could find came with a new filter) but the old one did look fine, at least as far as i could see.

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I've changed them as a matter of course, but I have yet to see one that appeared to really need changing... Unlike an engine that is constantly ingesting contaminants, an A/T should remain relatively sealed and does not ingest dirt and blowby.... The bands and clutch packs slowly degrade and add particles to be filtered, but usually not enough to load a filter up enough to require changing as often as the fluid.

 

As I see it, changing the filter every other fluid change (about every 100 to 150K) ought to be plenty unless there are special circumstances.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thought I would post this for everyone to check out using this tread. This is the machine that I use at my work. We hook it inline of one cooler hose. Old fluid pushes into machine and new fluid goes in. Has automatic bypass, so its pretty hard to mess up. For some, its the best $149 ever spent.

 

The vehicle I flushed was a 97 Pathfinder with 249,500 miles on it. You get to see the fluid before and after. It shifted so nice afterward!

post-9-1173757637.jpg

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