7 Speed Auto Trans Fluid Change
 

What is the trans fluid change interval for the Auto 7 speed transmission?

I read that the A7 requires special tool to change the fluid. I have also read some posts that the fluid is lifetime and that's the reason Nissan didn't specify the change interval.

Also read that some dealers don't know about the special procedures.

Thoughts? Thanks.

They claim you never need to change it but I don't get it. My car has 27,000 and I've changed it twice.

There is no interval for the 7AT fluid. According to Nissan, that fluid is maintenance-free.

A few people on the forum have had it done by their dealer. Sounds like you read about the dealer that messed up cause they didn't know what they were doing. Unless you're having trouble with your transmission, its probably not worth messing with it.

Might want to note that you track your Z. In which case, changing it twice in 30K miles makes actual sense. For most DD applications, I would say it's not worth the chance of going to a dealer that doesn't know what they're doing and screwing it up. Or at least there's not much point in doing it before 80-100K miles.

Unless you are tracking it or are coming up on 100K, I wouldn't bother just yet.

If you decide you should change it, there is a fairly specific procedure -- I believe it is detailed in the FSM, which can be downloaded from here --> http://www.the370z.com/nissan-370z-o...-download.html

Good point, I guess I should have said that.


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"Lifetime" according to Nissan. I had my trans and diff lubes changed at about 20K miles but I tend to go a little overboard on those things. If I had kept the car, I wouldn't have changed again until about 80K/5yrs.

You need to be able to monitor one of the temperature sensors in the transmission to determine when the proper level is reached. This usually requires the CONSULT computer that dealer's have. See FSM for details. Other than that, no special tools are required. I vaguely remember a DIY that didn't require monitoring the sensor but I can't seem to find it.

In my experience, Nissan service departments don't know about regular procedures (eg, tire pressure, battery level, &c). Which is exactly why I no longer drive a Nissan. :(

you could probably get away with an IR thermometer pointed at the sump, just account for a few degrees difference and you should be sweet. that's what i'd do but what you do is up to you :)

I have read many posts from the z as well as the g37 forums. Many people leaning toward not changing it. Some stated that the trans fluid is very different than motor oil and it can last a long time(?).

I don't track the car and I don't mind paying the $200 to change it, but I am worry that they might screw it up in the process such as introducing contaminants into the trans.

I am sorry, but I don't have much faith with the dealer mechanics as they all try to rush through as many jobs as possible so they'd get paid for 20 hours in a 8 hour day.

Thank you all your responses.

My AT was giving me some serious issues. I got it changed and all the problems went away. YMMV

OP, I think you're smart not to trust the dealer mechanics with that job. If you don't track the car, I would worry about it unless it starts giving you problems or you hit 100K miles and just really want to change it.

any one have issues with trans not shifting properly when cold, maybe?
sometimes mine wont downshift when cold seems like. i give it gas and nothing...like it wont get out of its own way but then get back in it like headed back home from lowes the other night and it worked fine then, like aftewr warmed up...idk any thoughts or direct me to proper thread. thanks, G.

Sounds a lot like low fluid level.

If it's in regular D mode, the ECU probably tries to spare the clutchpacks too much wear when the AT temps are low (thicker fluid, means too viscous -- actually, flooring it isn't great for the motor either until the oil comes up to temp).

You may also get an occasional "clunky" downshift for similar reasons -- Nissan may have further "refined" the tune on the newer MY's. Additionally, the ECU has a sort of "trim" table for shift points based on your driving patterns when in M mode which can make the car shift a bit oddly in regular auto for a bit.

I think if it seems ok when warmed up, you are probably fine, and if you ever get a tune, you can have the torque tables adjusted for much faster, firmer shifts :D

If it continues to act clunky, it might be worth seeing if there's a new-ish OEM reflash to adjust the shift characteristics -- there very well may be.

I've had two tranny flush and refills at my dealer, cost 189$ each time. Roughly 30k between flush and fill.

In the process of flushing mine now,,,the only special tool i bought was a new 1gal. chemical and bleach sprayer from Walmart (14$)
the system holds about 10qts..and it only drains about 3 at a time...so i plan to repeat this process 3/4 times-till fluid is clean.
1st drain-remove 19mm or 3/4 plug at L/R of trans..and let drain in suitable container.
then remove 5mm allen overfill plug at L/F.
i have car on ramps at this time-but on my last one,car needs to be level.
fluid that came out on first drain looked like coffee (very dark) but didn't smell burn't.
i put 3.5 quarts of s-matic approved fluid in sprayer (Valvoline LV Multi $16.97 gal.) and connected the locking sprayer nozzle to the hose....pumped 15-20 times & held over overfill hole & squeezed fluid into trans.
only had to stop once to repump sprayer.
installed 5mm allen plug & started enginei wanted a complete flush and don't have a fluid exchange machine...so i drove car about 5 miles in manual mode..making sure i used every gear...no hard accelerating.
car is back on ramps for second drain and fill.
on last one,,,very important.......car needs to be level & after filling with approx. 3.5qts of fluid...let vehicle warm till pan is lightly warm to back of hand...around 105 degrees.
(note-engine temp will go to about normal and oil temp will come up to around 160 before trans. temp gets this high)
while car is level/remove 5mm allen overfill plug & let excess drain into container,till it comes to a drip & install and tighten plug....finished.
manual says to replace overfill plug? not sure why.
i spent about 70-75$,,,including chemical sprayer....i was impressed how it pushed that tranny fluid out of that container...didn't take long.
i will repost final results & would add photo's if i knew how...new at this site.
hope this helps people..& dealerships around here get 200$ to do this and dont drive car inbetween..they just flush a couple times///with a bulk approved fluid (they don't even use genuine Nissan S-Matic) imagine that.
have a nice day...rain here.
2011' base,touring,,,best qtr. mile track times is 13.139@104.89mph
1/8th was 8.451@85.74mph 60' was 1.955 bone stock,1/4 tank fuel + me and helmet (300 lbs.)

Always remove the fill plug FIRST. You're screwed if you start draining the oil and then find you can't get the fill plug off cause some numbnuts at the factory or dealer decided it needed to be torqued to 200 ft-lbs :twocents:

I changed mine at 60k think that's what the manual said. Cost me 120 bucks.

ok-completed transmission service...didn't mention to remove overfill plug first(in previous post) but i had mine already loose because i ck'd the fluid level with the car straight to see where it was before i started.....and it was about 1 pt. low.
When i drained trans while on ramps-5 1/2 qts. came out...good deal..so 5 1/2 went back in before 2nd drive.
parked the car level-so that i could acess both plugs and let cool.

Drained fluid a third time & about 3 1/2 qts. came out and fluid was looking good.
filled with 3 1/2 qts. & started engine...shift trans. through different gears & went underneath.
pan was still cool,so i knew fluid would ck. low.......allowed fluid to warm some & remove overfill & let excess come out till started to drip & installed & torqued plug.
trans temp was about 105*
car drives great & ended up putting in a pint more fluid than what came out.
will ck again at next oil change-but feels great/no problems with other fluid-just 50k miles on it & it looked like coffee.

:tup:

I disagree, Any basic scanner can give you trans temp. Gynesis, versus etc.. You don't need a CONSULT by any means.


The scanner is used to make sure the fluid is warm, and has expanded.
Once the operating temp is reached, the bolt can be removed.

Excellent! Can you provide the appropriate Mode/PIDs?

select car >ObdII> Transmission/drivetrain > live data stream > scroll down to trans temp while car is running.

?? im not sure if this is what your asking for??

Are you 100% sure about this ? I will be buying a generic Craftsman OBD tool soon ( around $300 ). The reason I am asking is because the Nissan AT transmission fluid temp is not a generic OBD II parameter, it is more proprietary ( just like engine oil temperature ). Therefore, I don't know if a generic scanner would read out individual manufacture's unique data....

Im not 100% sure about this one, but it says it covers Drivetrain/abs.

But i can't find any info on the real time data stream.

If your buying it for only the trans temp in data stream, and it doesn't have it.
return it. Say you weren't happy with the product.

My napa genesis has this feature, its a little bit more $$ than what your looking at. Doesn't cypher have a live data stream of the transtemp?

No. Unfortunately Cipher live data stream dies not have this parameter

Yep; Genesis has it, on hot days it doesn't take long to get Trans. Temp up to ck degrees...I see optimal 104* with a range of 95-113* .. So if it's over 95 outside & your car is heat soaked/ you're practically there....I may be wrong/ but I thought I seen 2 different temperature sensors on genesis tool? But no problems with mine so far.


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<-------Very interested in rolling my own here if I can. I thought you HAD to take it to the dealer for some reason. It would be a great $$$ savings if I didn't.

you can do it!

So just like my manuals (remember this is my first auto) you are filled properly when it drains from the overflow hole?

Thanks Joby (jchammond) for the laymans instructions and help via PM.

After performing the drain/fill procedure I just wanted to add a couple of notes.

1. When topping off let the car run so all of the fluid is not in the pan. I overfilled (while running), when the fluid stops pouring out of the fill plug between (100-113) pan temp. (I used a Harbor Freight Infrared Thermometer) and just begins to drip reinstall the fill plug.

2. I initially drained just 4 qts. so I added back 4 qts. during the flush and fill steps; however, for the final fill with the engine running at temp. (see above) the trans. wound up holding 5.5 qts. I therefore, recommend purchasing 4 gallons of fluid or 3 gallons plus a couple of extra qts. It's more price conscientious to just purchase the full 4 gallons though.

3. The OE drain plug crush washer is thin and after the 2nd flush and fill it looked to be leaking. I found HELP! (brand) pn# 66250 crush washer assortment contains a size that will screw onto the OE drain plug while holding it with pliers and turning the plug with the 19mm socket. Do this off of the car and make sure it's seated before installing the plug. The OE plug/washer assembly is a tight fit and the washer is actually stepped (first I've seen) to grab the threads so I wanted to make sure I had the correct contact to insure no leaks.

4. I couldn't find a crush washer for the OE fill plug and neither could the dealer. The reason the manual says to change the entire plug as the plug/washer are sold together as a unit. They're $3, so for peace of mind and for how many times you're going to be taking the fill plug in and out, I'd have one at the ready.

5. If you're going to use Valvoline Maxlife Dex/Merc. be sure to get the bottle that says "full synthetic" (in white) under the Dex/Merc. label on the front of the bottle 1/3 down. From what I found on Valvoline's website the "for 75,000 mile" designation in the same space is NOT Nissan Matic S compliant!!! :eek:

The problem with using an IR gun is that you are measuring surface temp, not fluid temp which can be 20-40 degs off. The best way to do it is to install a temp gauge. Then you can monitor the heat cycle of the fluid & know when you should be replacing it.

$.02

I'd love to do this.

i used a Genisys on mine...but will be installing a temp gauge in the near future :)

Attachment 111929
This is the fluid I used;
Meets Nissan/Infinity spec D,J,K & S


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It's safe to say the fluid in the pan is transferring heat to the outside surface that the IR is reading. I watched the temp. go up as the car heated up on ramps, sitting level. I'm much more comfortable in this method than the aforementioned "back of hand on the pan" for guesstimating temp.

After all is said and done the transmission is shifting much better most likely due to being 1.5 qts. low upon drain and the fluid having 6 yrs. and 76k miles on it. My next change will be in 25k miles.

thanks for the write-up.

Have a question about fluid level.

Does it make a difference on the fluid level check with the engine running or not (in Park or Neutral)?

Has anyone heard of Liqui Moly Top Tec 1800 ATF or Eneos? I was told that both are good ATF (Matic-S) with Liqui being better (full synthetic).

Engine running and in park or neutral is fine.

Have you confirmed beyond word of mouth they are Matic-S compliant?

Thanks for the info.

Yes, Matic-S is listed for both ATF. Heard the Liqui Moly is really good and it is very popular among European cars. I've used their motor oil for my M3 before. I did some research and found that many European cars use Japanese transmissions.

If you’re using a different fluid than oem; I’d recommend to flush & ensure that you end up with what you switch over too :ugh2:
Wouldn’t trust mixing fluids in this pricey trans :tup: