tecciball Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 Hey ladies and gentlemen. Any ladies on this forum? Maybe not... Anyway, for those of you that read and/or responded to my previous post about transmission vs coolant flush, I stroke of fate is allowing me to do both. I got rear-ended sitting at a toll booth about two weeks ago. I got about $1100 from the ladies insurance company for the repairs, but I have a guy who is gonna do the work for $450 cash. I am keeping my scratched up bumper cover instead of a new freshly painted one, but I have my Pathy on highway construction sites and in the woods for work, so I dont care about that. And the guy said he can buff out most of the scratches and get everything lined up again normally. So I am gonna use some of the unexpected cash to do a few maintenance services on my Pathy. Since I very limited auto maintenance/repair experience, I am gonna get the work done at my local Valvoline shop. They are always empty, so they are giving me 10% off for getting their coolant service and "SUV" service. So here is the question. They will use the standard 36k mile fluid for $70. Or they have Dexcool and Zerek fluid, which the guy said have 100k and 150k mile life respectively for $85. Seems like a no brainer to get the better fluid. Is the extra mileage true about those fluids? The guy said they are for either GM or Chrysler vehicles, but since their flush machine removes all the existing fluid, I could refill with the better stuff with no trouble. I told him it was a Pathfinder. Sorry for the long post, and thanks again in advance for all your helpful advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vengeful Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 You absolutely do NOT want to use Dexcool in your Pathy. It will eat up your cooling system. Just use the regular, recommended green stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OR99.5Speed Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 You absolutely do NOT want to use Dexcool in your Pathy. It will eat up your cooling system. Just use the regular, recommended green stuff. I'm gonna one up Vengeful's great advice and just say don't get your truck serviced by a quick-lube place. They are also commissioned, which really pisses me off. Find a good independent garage to do the work. They may charge a little bit more but it's well worth it. And good call on the cosmetic work, most of that stuff can be buffed out and straightened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94extreme Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 (edited) do NOT use one of those quick change places. search for horror stories here in the forums plus save your money for another project. DIY my man. venge, why does dexcool eat your system? it's supposed to be gentler and safer.. hmm. that's what i was planning on putting in my truck after i get the t-belt done if i ever get on it. mercedes recommends that stuff and i will put it in it next time also. aluminum heads and all. personally i like just water in the summer (+ a little water wetter or coolant to keep it from corroding) Edited April 5, 2006 by mzxtreme Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vengeful Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 I don't have first hand experience with it...I'm just going on what I was told by a mechanic of 30 years who is the only mechanic that I trust 100% with my vehicles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94extreme Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 hmm. i guess i'll call the stealer and see what they have to say about this. thanks venge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vengeful Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 Ahhhhh! The three most hated words in the car enthusiasts vocabulary..."call the stealer"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tecciball Posted April 5, 2006 Author Share Posted April 5, 2006 mzxtreme - let me know what the dealer says if you dont mind. i am not gonna get the work done for until the weekend at the earliest. my pathy should be going to the body shop this afternoon for its rear end make over. so i assume that i should completely stay away from the lube place, right? for the tranny/differentials/t-case service as well? i certainly dont want to cause myself a problem. i am in fact doing the maintenance to prevent long term problems. i have a trusted mechanic that i use. i know that those two words dont often go together, but he seems honest and reasonably priced to me. would a standard garage have the equipment needed to do a tranny and coolant flush? as i said above, i was also gonna get both diffs and the tcase fluids swapped as well. i guess i should just call him and ask. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 Any shop should be able to do flush/fill services.....It's not rocket science, but I'll agree with the rest who said to stay away from quick lube type places.....nothing but trouble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94extreme Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 i have a trusted mechanic that i use. i know that those two words dont often go together, but he seems honest and reasonably priced to me. would a standard garage have the equipment needed to do a tranny and coolant flush? as i said above, i was also gonna get both diffs and the tcase fluids swapped as well. i guess i should just call him and ask. any mechanic is better then any quick lube place. but why even do that. save yourself the dough. it's just a couple of bolts on the t-case and diffs. pull the upper bolts first then the lower, let it drain, plug the lower holes and fill throught the upper, replace those bolts and you're done. as to the tranny, that's a little more involved and may be worht the $. just my 2c. i'll post up on what the dealer says. i am also going to ask about dexcool on another forum that i am sure peeps know for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tecciball Posted April 5, 2006 Author Share Posted April 5, 2006 I spoke with my local Nissan service guy (who used to be a GM service guy), and he said definitely NO on the dexcool. Explanation: It does offer the added mileage life, but that does NOT outweigh the negatives. He said that if you get air in the system, that dexcool turns to sludge. Once that happens, it is next to impossible to get it all out. The sludge will continue to work its way into the heater core. He had changed multiple cores on the same vehicle many times due to coolant sludge deposits. $$$$. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmd0311 Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 (edited) How many miles does your Pathy have, it's an 01 right? Mines has 69k last time I got my oil changed at one of those Lube places. They wanted me to change my coolant and t-case fluids.. I check the oil regularly and the tranny is still a nice RED. Which is good from what I know. The T Case does look very dark and coolant looks green. Unfortunately I suck at being a mechanic does anyone have pictures of how to replace the oil on the t-case and what type of oil to use for both the t-case and diff. Edited April 5, 2006 by rmd0311 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tecciball Posted April 6, 2006 Author Share Posted April 6, 2006 RMD- I have an 01 SE with 44k now. I am changing the coolant based on age and mileage. I am changing my tranny fluid because it looks a bit dirty. I am getting some slipping between second and third during moderate throttle when the engine is cold. I had it at the dealership to be checked and they "couldnt recreate the issue". my powertrain is up in september, so I want to get to the bottom of it before it is too late for a free fix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmd0311 Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 What do you mean slipping? How do you know when its slipping? In the mornings when I'm leaving my house for the day and going into the main road. I have to accelerate quickly and at one point it revs up to like 4k for like a second then comes back down with no real kick. Meaning I'm driving normal increasing my speed with my foot on the accelerator. Without pushing down the accelerator it jumps to like 4k RPM than comes right back down. Not even sure if that made sense. It only happens in the morning. No other time and not always. When it happens it happens at the same exact point in the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94extreme Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 could be yout torque converter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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