Transfer case oil change plus front differential
03-14-2017, 04:55 PM
#61
Hey Rr1882, do you remember what gear oil you used for your front/rear diff oil change? and also what oil was used for your transfer case? Thanks
09-13-2017, 09:45 AM
#62
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2009 infiniti G37X
I was reading all the stuff here and I think there are several incorrect information people are stating and one person was trying to correct it. I'm about to do all my fluid changes on my 2009 infiniti G37x and this is what I've learned so far.
- You do not change your 7AT oil ever. The oil in there is lifetime. This is in your manual and it was reiterated by the dealership, but they did say they will change or flush it but would not be responsible for it if it degrades or render your tranny useless. The statement that the 7 AT oil is the same as transfere fluid is also wrong. 7at transmisison fluid is a Matic S ATF and the transfer fluid is Matic J ATF. Only thing, I don't know is where is this transfer case located?
- The front differential fluids and rear differential fluids are different. Front differentials should use 80W90 and rear differential should use 75W90. This is in your owner's manual and the dealership provided to me in a print out. Whoever said there's no front differential is wrong. I found the rear differential to change out, where is the front located?
- I will also do a power steering fluid and brake fluid change also.
- the dealerships wanted : $160 for brake fluid change, $160 for power steering fluid change, $180 for front differential fluid change, and $180 for rear differential fluid change.
- I buy all OEM fluids and from the dealership. It's really cheap and I only use OEM parts. The brake fluids were $4.99 each, differential, $11 each, power steering was $7 each. All in all I paid $80 out the door and saved $600 for labor. From the instructions I see online, I'm estimating it'll take me a full day to do all these changes. I do not make $600 a day, so it's worth it.
- You do not change your 7AT oil ever. The oil in there is lifetime. This is in your manual and it was reiterated by the dealership, but they did say they will change or flush it but would not be responsible for it if it degrades or render your tranny useless. The statement that the 7 AT oil is the same as transfere fluid is also wrong. 7at transmisison fluid is a Matic S ATF and the transfer fluid is Matic J ATF. Only thing, I don't know is where is this transfer case located?
- The front differential fluids and rear differential fluids are different. Front differentials should use 80W90 and rear differential should use 75W90. This is in your owner's manual and the dealership provided to me in a print out. Whoever said there's no front differential is wrong. I found the rear differential to change out, where is the front located?
- I will also do a power steering fluid and brake fluid change also.
- the dealerships wanted : $160 for brake fluid change, $160 for power steering fluid change, $180 for front differential fluid change, and $180 for rear differential fluid change.
- I buy all OEM fluids and from the dealership. It's really cheap and I only use OEM parts. The brake fluids were $4.99 each, differential, $11 each, power steering was $7 each. All in all I paid $80 out the door and saved $600 for labor. From the instructions I see online, I'm estimating it'll take me a full day to do all these changes. I do not make $600 a day, so it's worth it.
09-13-2017, 10:18 AM
#63
I want to make it perfectly clear that nothing lasts forever; especially fluids. The 7AT fluid is not a lifetime fluid. Most manufacturers consider 100-150k miles a vehicles 'lifetime'. If you never change the fluid, expect your 7AT to implode around this time. A lot of new, young owners picking these cars up around this mileage are going to have a bad day if the previous owners never flushed the 7AT fluid. There's more than a few members who will attest to this...
The dealership can't void your warranty or deny coverage if you request maintenance with OEM parts/fluid....There is no maintenance schedule for the flush but every 30-50k miles seems to be ideal for a healthy 7AT. Would they deny coverage if you went for an oil change every 1k miles? Doubt it.
That minuscule of a weight difference has no bearing. Some guys like the peace of mind of using a slightly thicker oil (80). It's preference, not right or wrong...
There are pictures on the very first page that indicate where the front differential and transfer case are located.
There is no front differential in RWD models.
The dealership can't void your warranty or deny coverage if you request maintenance with OEM parts/fluid....There is no maintenance schedule for the flush but every 30-50k miles seems to be ideal for a healthy 7AT. Would they deny coverage if you went for an oil change every 1k miles? Doubt it.
That minuscule of a weight difference has no bearing. Some guys like the peace of mind of using a slightly thicker oil (80). It's preference, not right or wrong...
There are pictures on the very first page that indicate where the front differential and transfer case are located.
There is no front differential in RWD models.
09-13-2017, 01:04 PM
#64
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I also want to make it perfectly clear that these statements are not mine, but the infiniti dealerships that says it's lifetime and the manual says do not change the transmission oil of a 7AT. Now, it does say to inspect it.
After your comment, I did a little more research and I think it is a good idea to inspect it and if it indeed does not look clean, then I would go and get it changed. Mine has 110k miles on it and had it serviced and inspected at infiniti and they didn't say anything about requiring a tranny fluid change, but I will inspect it myself. I also owned a 2004 honda accord with 188k miles without any tranny flushes and still had no transmission issues when I sold it. I did do a change around 150k miles but it was still red with that much mileage on it, so it didn't really need to be changed.
That being said, I do not see any problem with changing it since it can only help, except I think it's a waste of time and money, but if it gives you a peace of mind, go for it.
After your comment, I did a little more research and I think it is a good idea to inspect it and if it indeed does not look clean, then I would go and get it changed. Mine has 110k miles on it and had it serviced and inspected at infiniti and they didn't say anything about requiring a tranny fluid change, but I will inspect it myself. I also owned a 2004 honda accord with 188k miles without any tranny flushes and still had no transmission issues when I sold it. I did do a change around 150k miles but it was still red with that much mileage on it, so it didn't really need to be changed.
That being said, I do not see any problem with changing it since it can only help, except I think it's a waste of time and money, but if it gives you a peace of mind, go for it.
09-13-2017, 01:53 PM
#65
I'm curious as to how exactly you inspected the fluid of a sealed system...?
Very aware of what Infiniti says about the system but everyone here has been here quite a bit longer and knows quite a bit more than you regarding this car. So, before you start stating people are wrong and reciting what the dealership says as gospel, you might want to first know the location of your Transfer case and front differential so you can have some basis to your statements. Just because your Honda somehow made it 188k miles problem free without a flush does not mean your G37 will. These cars run quite hot and break down fluids like it's their job....Your car though, do what you'd like. I'd be curious what the past service records would say regarding flushes for your car; and whether or not the previous owner performed them.
The differentials and transfer case should literally take an 1-1.5 hrs max. It's no different than an oil change.
Very aware of what Infiniti says about the system but everyone here has been here quite a bit longer and knows quite a bit more than you regarding this car. So, before you start stating people are wrong and reciting what the dealership says as gospel, you might want to first know the location of your Transfer case and front differential so you can have some basis to your statements. Just because your Honda somehow made it 188k miles problem free without a flush does not mean your G37 will. These cars run quite hot and break down fluids like it's their job....Your car though, do what you'd like. I'd be curious what the past service records would say regarding flushes for your car; and whether or not the previous owner performed them.
The differentials and transfer case should literally take an 1-1.5 hrs max. It's no different than an oil change.
09-14-2017, 09:45 AM
#66
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I am the only owner of my 2009 infiniti and it's been serviced by the dealership until 30k miles for free and then I get lifetime oil changes plus free inspections and whenever they find something, I just go and do it; but I guess they don't or didn't inspect the fluids.
Last night, I changed the front and rear differential fluids. These are my findings, I'm not sure if anyone else had these questions.
- My rear differential fluids has a slow leak, you can see oil residual on the right and left side of the axle, dealership says I need to replace the seals for $880. I said what? Turns out the parts are like $8 each but dealership charges $40 for both and the rest was labor. I am hoping this differential fluid swap would stop the leak. This is my procedure:
1. I backed the vehicle up onto two ramps.
2. use a mallet to ensure my hex tool was fully inserted due to rust and I didn't want to strip the bolt.
3. With a little help from my mallet hitting the end of my socket wrench, I was able to loosen the fill bolt and repeat the step for the drain bolt.
4. The fluid came out sludge like and brownish grey, it wasn't black though. When I removed the drain bolt, there was black sludge on it, so I repeatedly insert and pull it out until I couldn't pick up anymore.
5. I use a hand pump to try to pump as much as I could out from the drain hole, but there was pretty much nothing in there even on an incline with the back wheels on a ramp. Then reinstall the bolt. I also should have a torque wrench because I had no idea how tight to make it and I'm sure I can find the torque spec online somewhere. I didn't want to strip the bolt head off. I use the old hand tight add a quarter turn trick. I also should had had new washers. Those needed to be replaced, but I just flipped them and reused.
6. I have no idea how much fluid came out, I should had caught it with a measuring bottle. The dealership says 2 bottles should be enough for refill. I pumped all two bottles in, but seems to be too much because oil started to leak back out from the fill hole and only caught a little bit of it. Then I tightened the fill bolt up. Again, I should have a new flat washer and torque it down correctly, I think next time I will buy new flat washer and bolt.
7. I repeated the process for the front differential and ramped up the front tires. I did find that the front differential fluids were not sludgy, but was brown. The dealership also said it would take 2 bottles, but I only used 1 and it filled it up; I think this is right because I don't think much came out. Anyone has this same experience?
Doing this job myself has been a great learning experience since it's my first time doing it. I couldn't figure out how to check the transmission oil yet but I did find the transfer case and will change the fluid out. I think it's better to ramp the vehicle from the back up so when you're filling up it's tilted up and fluid won't come out. All in all, it took me 1.5 hours and saved $340 for the two fluid exchanges. I wished I had done it sooner, so I didn't have a leak.
The only question I have is, does any of these differential, transfer case fluid changes require the car to be level to refill the correct fluid amount? I had no fluid coming out as I removed the fill plug and found that most people on the internet say that if you fill it until no more fluid comes out, then you're good to go.
I will attempt the power steering oil change and brake oil change and will post results and steps I did.
Also, if my rear differential still leaks, I may attempt to change that $20 part out and may do a write up and hope it helps others.
I also will do the coolant changes too, just need to figure out how first.
Last night, I changed the front and rear differential fluids. These are my findings, I'm not sure if anyone else had these questions.
- My rear differential fluids has a slow leak, you can see oil residual on the right and left side of the axle, dealership says I need to replace the seals for $880. I said what? Turns out the parts are like $8 each but dealership charges $40 for both and the rest was labor. I am hoping this differential fluid swap would stop the leak. This is my procedure:
1. I backed the vehicle up onto two ramps.
2. use a mallet to ensure my hex tool was fully inserted due to rust and I didn't want to strip the bolt.
3. With a little help from my mallet hitting the end of my socket wrench, I was able to loosen the fill bolt and repeat the step for the drain bolt.
4. The fluid came out sludge like and brownish grey, it wasn't black though. When I removed the drain bolt, there was black sludge on it, so I repeatedly insert and pull it out until I couldn't pick up anymore.
5. I use a hand pump to try to pump as much as I could out from the drain hole, but there was pretty much nothing in there even on an incline with the back wheels on a ramp. Then reinstall the bolt. I also should have a torque wrench because I had no idea how tight to make it and I'm sure I can find the torque spec online somewhere. I didn't want to strip the bolt head off. I use the old hand tight add a quarter turn trick. I also should had had new washers. Those needed to be replaced, but I just flipped them and reused.
6. I have no idea how much fluid came out, I should had caught it with a measuring bottle. The dealership says 2 bottles should be enough for refill. I pumped all two bottles in, but seems to be too much because oil started to leak back out from the fill hole and only caught a little bit of it. Then I tightened the fill bolt up. Again, I should have a new flat washer and torque it down correctly, I think next time I will buy new flat washer and bolt.
7. I repeated the process for the front differential and ramped up the front tires. I did find that the front differential fluids were not sludgy, but was brown. The dealership also said it would take 2 bottles, but I only used 1 and it filled it up; I think this is right because I don't think much came out. Anyone has this same experience?
Doing this job myself has been a great learning experience since it's my first time doing it. I couldn't figure out how to check the transmission oil yet but I did find the transfer case and will change the fluid out. I think it's better to ramp the vehicle from the back up so when you're filling up it's tilted up and fluid won't come out. All in all, it took me 1.5 hours and saved $340 for the two fluid exchanges. I wished I had done it sooner, so I didn't have a leak.
The only question I have is, does any of these differential, transfer case fluid changes require the car to be level to refill the correct fluid amount? I had no fluid coming out as I removed the fill plug and found that most people on the internet say that if you fill it until no more fluid comes out, then you're good to go.
I will attempt the power steering oil change and brake oil change and will post results and steps I did.
Also, if my rear differential still leaks, I may attempt to change that $20 part out and may do a write up and hope it helps others.
I also will do the coolant changes too, just need to figure out how first.
Last edited by kaih23; 09-14-2017 at 09:51 AM.
10-09-2017, 05:49 PM
#67
Hi Kaih23
I did the differential change myself and yes the car need to be level on the ground to refill the correct fluid. The rear should be about 1.4 liter and .65 front, I bought 3 liter and end up with .6 left. For power steering fluid change, I would just suck out from reserve as much as I can and fill with fresh ATF and repeat the same steps when you change your engine oil or 3500k miles.
I did the differential change myself and yes the car need to be level on the ground to refill the correct fluid. The rear should be about 1.4 liter and .65 front, I bought 3 liter and end up with .6 left. For power steering fluid change, I would just suck out from reserve as much as I can and fill with fresh ATF and repeat the same steps when you change your engine oil or 3500k miles.
07-14-2019, 05:14 PM
#68
Hey guys. I apologize if this question has already been answered. I changed the front diff oil today but I would like to wait until next weekend to change the oil in the rear diff. Would that cause a problem?
09-23-2019, 04:59 PM
#71
Registered Member
I have a 2013 G37X Sedan 7AT and plan to change the front/rear differential oils and the transfer case fluid. Thanks for the write up and input so far everyone. However, I am a bit confused however on which differential oil to use.
My manual says:
7 A/T 2WD models: 75W-90
All other models: 80W-90
I am guessing I should use 80W-90 since I have a 7 A/T 4WD correct? Also, what is a good price/performance brand to get? Amsoil seems to be most expensive on Amazon. I don't track the car.
Thanks!
Edit: Also, was anyone able to confirm if it is the same gasket for the Transfer Case screw or is it a different part number?
My manual says:
7 A/T 2WD models: 75W-90
All other models: 80W-90
I am guessing I should use 80W-90 since I have a 7 A/T 4WD correct? Also, what is a good price/performance brand to get? Amsoil seems to be most expensive on Amazon. I don't track the car.
Thanks!
Edit: Also, was anyone able to confirm if it is the same gasket for the Transfer Case screw or is it a different part number?
Last edited by ZzBloopzZ; 09-23-2019 at 05:50 PM.
09-23-2019, 05:48 PM
#72
I have a 2013 G37X Sedan 7AT and plan to change the front/rear differential oils and the transfer case fluid. Thanks for the write up and input so far everyone. However, I am a bit confused however on which differential oil to use.
My manual says:
7 A/T 2WD models: 75W-90
All other models: 80W-90
I am guessing I should use 80W-90 since I have a 7 A/T 4WD correct? Also, what is a good price/performance brand to get? Amsoil seems to be most expensive on Amazon. I don't track the car.
Thanks!
My manual says:
7 A/T 2WD models: 75W-90
All other models: 80W-90
I am guessing I should use 80W-90 since I have a 7 A/T 4WD correct? Also, what is a good price/performance brand to get? Amsoil seems to be most expensive on Amazon. I don't track the car.
Thanks!
09-23-2019, 05:51 PM
#73
Registered Member
Great, thanks. Where did you end up getting the Mobile 1 from? Also, do you recall if the gasket was the same for the Transfer Case plug as it is for the differentials?
09-23-2019, 05:59 PM
#74
I got mine from an eBay store. I'm sure you could find it at different retailers including O'Reilly and maybe even Wal-Mart. I haven't done my transfer case yet, that's still on my to-do list.