Hi all,

I've been following this thread for a few years now. I finally worked up the courage to perform the ATF change and was surprised at how straight forward it was. Mind you, I didn't drop the pan after reading what happened to Dan G37. Also, my car only has about 70,000 kms (44,000 miles) on it so I don't think it's a big deal (the fluid that I extracted wasn't THAT bad!).

I don't know why everyone is still using makeshift adapters for the filler. I bought the proper tool on Amazon for about $20 and it worked like a charm:


Hope this helps!

 

Good link^^, that makeshift adapter I used was simple enough TBH, and very fast since you don't have any threading to do but a few different ways to tackle this DIY

Also the infrared temp guns work great for this project and are now very affordable.

 

yesterday did first trans oil change... only got out 3.5 quarts. How come some of you getting out 4.5, or even more?

 

 

Most dealers wont do a drain and fill because it can require a couple of hours of actual work to do and a flush only takes 15-20 minutes but either way they can only charge about the same....The old receipt you saw probably didn't involve the shop doing an actual drain and fill...its more likely they just did a flush...i know where i live in theres probably 6 or 7 Infiniti dealerships around and I haven't found one where they were willing to do even a 1x drain and fill ...only flushes

The drain and fill is preferred because the pressure from the flush is known to cause problems including slipping on many many cars especially if previous fluid changes haven't been done often enough...

IMO the flush is never a good idea anyways ...hence the value of this DIY... ​​​​​​​Independent shops will do the drain and fill but rates vary...where I'm at the cost of a 1x drain and fill at an independent is about the same as a deanship flush as far as I have been able to tell.

 

Thanks and yeah, I read about the potentials on the flush, though the Nissan dealer stated that going via the coolant lines is not a detrimental process....the reason I was dubious on my previous infiniti trans service is that the receipt only showed 4 quarts and a flush would get more than that correct? Either way thanks for info, I'm just considering them do it and flush, as if indeed that was a flush back then, it really seemed to help car at time etc....

 

Dealers at most of Infiniti dealerships are complete douchebags, I use to own G35 5AT sedan and I replaced that transmission filter myself, no big deal. That why they called stealerships,lol!

 

So Ive decided it's definitely time to service the Q40 trans now at 75k I've read the diy and really dont have the time nor do I want to take the chance of screwing it up. The issue I've had is the dealerships won't touch it..A while back I took it the local Infiniti dealership and was told flat out no.. so pissed I left and drove to the Nissan dealership only to be told the same thing by the service mgr "it's not recommended so we're aren't going to do it" wth? I called around to some local import shops and was told to just drain it, measure what comes out, replace exact amount and drive for a week or so and repeat 3 times. they said no real need to measure temp if done this way. just make sure to put same amount back in. One of them I talked to also recommended adding some ”lubegard red" Any thoughts? Can I just drain the pan and add back the same amount? Will this work?

 

Listen to the indies. Put back exactly what you take out should work fine. Screw the dealers. I would even save a sample of the black fluid (and it will be black) in a small bottle, take in it and ask about it again then "accidently" knock it over on their desk... Never heard of lubegard red.

 

I had mine done at infiniti at ~60k, they had a special and that got somehow lumped in with diff and rotation and oil change for under 200...it was the first and last time i saw that coupon special lol...fast forward to 115k miles and now the dealer will do it for 275 but just a single drain and fill, went to Nissan and they did a single drain and fill for 120, minus a 20 off coupon, so 100...then i figured what the f and bought 5 qts for 9 at Nissan and bought 2 rhino ramps..drove car up , let it sit overnight..early in am, drained, measured and pumped in 4 quarts...drove for a week...bought another set of ramps(returned those..after...yes I know..) and only 4 qts this time as i had left over from first and parts guy sold them to me for 7.78 a quart...must be my daughter, she was with me and he took off another x percent lol..went home drove the car on all four ramps and drained but this time filled it with a little extra than what came out, about 1/4 quart extra...started car and moved through gears 2 times and then jumped under, opened fill hole and let x amount drain out and voila all done...car runs fine, actually better shifts it seems but no issues for sure..so for a little over 120 minus second set of ramps(returned) i did a 2x drain and fill..you can do it man, it is really not difficult, just read the diy and be sure to use good ramps(rhino at wally world for 39 or so) and some jacks etc and have someone help you pump the fluid..i cut off the end of a pen and it fit perfectly on the end of a pump i got a harbor freight for 4 buks.. just had to hold the end while fluid went in but no leaks etc...anyway, its doable and at your mileage a single drain may suffice.....good luck, use good safety measures when under car and its doable

 

Did you have to rtv the Pan when u put it back on?

 

I Finally got around to changing the trans fluid today (75k) it was super simple the fluid was very dark brown almost black but didn't smell burned really at all. I have to say this diy was super helpful and saved me $$$ which is always good!!
Basically all I did was jack her up and drain the fluid (5.5qt) into a pre measured paint bucket and put exactly the same measured amount in a clean bucket and pumped it back into through the fill hole. I used the Harbor freight style pump with a smaller hose inside the main hose and a small airpump attachment cut to fit perfectly in the fill hole once full I warmed it up to 100° and opened the fill hole and drained until it dripped. I didn't have time to do more than 1x drain and fill definitely planning to do 2x drain and fill at the next oil change!

 

The factory gasket is high quality, no need to use any RTV unless it was over-torqued or was subjected to overheating (if that was the case I'd just get a new factory gasket and not resort to RTV there). Mine came off easily and was in great shape at 75k miles, I'd expect most would follow suit.

 

Glad it worked well, I'd strongly consider a pan drop next round w/ that mileage though. Once you have it on stands/ramps it doesn't take too much longer TBH.

 

Thanks! Yes I'm definitely going to drop the pan next time I didn't have the time to do it this time and wasn't prepared for the fluid to be that dirty. Even with only partially changing the fluid I can tell the difference in the way it shifts