Dan G37

Is there any real difference between ATFs? Do they work just as good or better than the OEM ATF? I'm still trying to decide which ATF to get, What would you recommend?

03Mach69Mach

Can someone post a photo of where you fill the transmission and the drain?

Dan G37

I would like this too

blnewt

iTrader: (13)

There's some that swear by the OEM ATF fluid, I'm not one of them. Our 09 G w/ 95k miles and 25k since the ATF service has been performing as well as it ever has w/ the Maxlife ATF. I don't have any experience w/ anything other than OEM and Maxlife so that's all I can recommend.

Dan G37

Interesting, I also assume Maxlife ATF is much cheaper per gallon then OEM ATF. Have your shifits been alot smoother since the ATF service?

davison0976

Here are the pics. The Fill Plug is right by the O2 sensor connector on the driver side. The Drain Plug is on the same side only towards the rear.

Dan G37

Thanks for the pictures! Also do you notice any difference between the different ATFs?

davison0976

There is definitely a difference between ATFs in a broad sense. The key here is to make sure the ATF you use meets Matic S specification. Because there are probably hundreds of ATF specifications these days where each vehicle manufacturer has multiple specifications it became impractical for oil manufacturers to obtain certifications for all of them while keeping cost down. Nor is it really necessary because specifications have major overlaps and some specifications are a subset of others. What oil manufacturers do these days they get certification for specifications like GM Dexron and Ford Mercon, and maybe few other with high volume vehicle sales. Certification means vehicle manufacturer certified that fluid meets their spec. Then oil manufacturers see what other existing specs the ATF is meeting and although they may not get official certification, if they know ATF is at or surpasses a certain standard they list it as "approved for use where <spec name> is called for".

Just go with a reputable brand, confirm they list Matic S and then go by availability and price. I've done some research before making last drain/fill and here is the list of ATFs that meet Matic-S spec, not in any particular order,

1. Valvoline MaxLife Full Synthetic Milti-Vehicle ATF Dex/Merc Mercon LV. Lists Matic S on the bottle and even has a statement from the company that it will not void your warranty. For me unfortunately I haven't seen it at Walmart for many months now, because that's what I was going to use.

2. Amsoil Fuel-Efficient ATF Synthetic (ATL). Fuel-Efficient really means low viscosity (LV), like all other fluids in this list, even if not explicitly stated in the name. Low viscosity is cSt 6.5 or lower at 100C temperature. If you look at product MSDS document it lists base oil as CAS 68037-01-4 (1-Decene, homopolymer, hydrogenated). That's your PAO base oil. Not surprisingly the Pour Point is -85F, Flash Point 435F and Brookfield Viscosity is mere 7676 at -40C. Of course, it is $14/qt. Performs well in our transmissions, speaking from my personal experience. I may go back to it on my next service in 4 years if parameters remain the same, but if I do, I'll leave it in for at least 100K miles.

3. Pennzoil Platinum LV Multi-Vehicle ATF Fully Synthetic. I chose this fluid for this service because price and availability - $6.48/qt at Home Depot available in stores. I generally like Pennzoil. Their oils always meet some of the toughest specs. The ATF works well in G37 based on my personal yet limited experience thus far. Here is the quote from the product data sheet "All Nissan Matic service fill needs".

4. Castrol Transmax Full Synthetic Multi-Vehicle ATF. I couldn't find this fluid locally. I do like the brand probably as much as Pennzoil.

5. Nissan Matic-S (OEM). Although there is not much technical information about it, from what I've gathered this is not a fully synthetic fluid. There appears to be nothing special about it. It is low viscosity. If this is indeed the fluid I drained from my transmission the first time I did the ATF flush it smells like cherry soda I kid you not. Didn't smell like ATF at all. Maybe dealership put something else in of similar viscosity, I don't know.

blnewt

iTrader: (13)

Just reposting this as I'm curious, but I could see how you missed it, you've been a busy bee w/ all this info

FWIW I found the Maxlife at Autozone, and since my Bro-in law is a manager there I get his discount, came out to like $17/gallon IIRC.

davison0976

I am fairly sensitive to vehicle performance in general. For example, I can feel/hear a difference when 5w40 vs 5w30 oil is used. For vehicles where 87 octane specified I can feel when 93 was put in or when it is not.

That said, I couldn't feel any difference between Amsoil and Pennzoil ATFs. Both exhibit smooth shifting during slow acceleration and very crisp sifts at high acceleration.

My transmission isn't smoothest shifting one though. Even before any ATF change in my G37 I had it in for a front differential service at around 12,000 miles. Dealership gave me a Q50 loaner with VQ37VHR engine and same 7AT our G37s have. Because I had an appointment, I was out of my G37 and in Q50 within 15 minutes. I noticed transmission in Q50 was shifting noticeably smother. I don't know what that is, they probably have different tune on Q50s. See, G35 was an enthusiast car really with something raw about it in terms of steering feel, transmission shifting etc. G37 was continuing the tradition. I feel in Q50 they wanted to give you more comfort and less road feel.

Victory

I started with my car lifted on 4 points rather than jacking it up and down. Doing it that way you only get about 3.5-4qts out on each drain as stated in the FSM because the car is level. That's also why i was able to do the procedure using only 12qts of fluid.

I think lowes had a 2 gallon verson of the garden sprayer as well, which would be useful using your method.

Victory

As long as you use a synthetic ATF that meets Matic-S specs, they should all preform roughly the same. Valvoline just happens to win on price.

Victory

Davison, you can also add Aisin ATF-MSV to that list. Rockauto carries it for under $6/qt. Don't know any other specs or reason to use it over the other options unless someone just has a thing for JDM stuff.

as to the original fluid having a different smell, i assumed it was because it was mixed with assembly lube. That's that blue residue you might have found in the bottom of your drain pan on your first ATF change and why the factory fill looks so dark despite not smelling burnt (it isn't)

as to your car transmission not feeling as smooth as the Q50, that can probably be cured with the latest update. The dealer stated that they updated mine after making some other warranty repairs and my car is a 2013, which leads me to belive that all 7at G's that haven't been updated have an update available should the owner be unhappy with their current transmission behavior.

davison0976

Thank you for the update on Valvoline performance. Definitely looks like their MaxLife Full Synthetic is a solid ATF. I wouldn't hesitate using that fluid. In fact, the only reason I didn't use it this time was because I couldn't find it neither at Walmart nor AutoZone.

I stopped going by miles almost 2 years ago for all my maintenance services because they would seem to come up at a least convenient time. It was like either the coldest week in January or hot and humid week in the summer, or there is simply on time, etc. With 2 household vehicles to maintain it was just a little too many random service pop-ups for me. Instead, I had determined that third week of April and October is when I'll do car maintenance. That way I can better plan ahead, both in terms of time and getting supplies ready.

It probably is an overkill, but currently I have G37 7AT service scheduled on a 4 year interval with next coming up in the year 2021. Since prior service was done in 2015 and I didn't want to wait full 6 years, plus of course the curiosity of how well or not so well aftermarket fluid has performed, I've done this flush as a one-off type of thing.

Based on what I've seen in the pan this time in terms of debris, or the lack of thereof, and how completely translucent the fluid was I'll perform another 2x drain/fill with oil pan drop in 4 years from now and after that will not do anything for at least 8 years.

Some will completely disagree with me, but I am kind of an old school where I believe in getting the break-in debris out early and then not do frequent changes later on, adjusting maintenance schedule accordingly.

Victory

That's totally reasonable. The transmission is a closed system and not subject to contamination like motor oil. Also, most of us are refilling with fluids that are probably more robust than the factory semi-synth