# newbie 2004



## bassin518 (Sep 21, 2007)

just brought my wife a 04 max and i need t know what oil to use synthetic or regular 5w-30. also had a problem with the tranny. I would be driving on highway and slow down to go through the toll both easy pass and upoun acceleration it would act like the car went into neutral. It would slip and rpms would shoot up and when i would let my foot off the gas a little it would bang hard into gear ,even squeal the tires.Now the funny thing is it hasn,t done it again in over a month. Its a 2004 sl and it has that funky shifter.:newbie:


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

Mobil-1 synthetic all the way, but that's just me. Any synthetic 5W-30 is good. Any oil is good. Go with it. Personal preference.
So...on the tranny issue. When was the last time you check the tranny fluid...Properly checked the tranny fluid?


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

Conventional oil will work just fine, but synthetic does have better properties. For some, it's a matter of preferance. If you have service intervals of over 5,000 miles, I would suggest synthetic. Personally, I use Walmart's house brand synthetic. It's made by Royal Shell and it cost much less than the big name brands.

As far as the trans, there was a 4 speed and 5 speed AT. Some of the 4 speed AT's had issues with the ground for the shift solenoid pack. This was also accompanied by a P0745 code. If you have this code stored, then the pan must be removed and the solenoid ground wire inspected to be determined if it can be soldered or needs to have the solenoid pack replaced. This trans should be serviced with genuine Nissan Type "D" ATF. Valvoline Max Life "ATF" works on the aftermarket. While Dexron III is compatable, it's thicker viscosity can lead to valve sticking in the valve body.

The 5 speed AT has had some harsh shift issues, which were corrected by a reprogram. You'll need to get a Nissan or Infinit dealer to check and see if you have the updated program. The trans is serviced with Nissan Type "K" ATF and use of Dexron III can be detrimental to the trans. Servicing the trans in either case with the correct ATF would not be a bad idea if you are unsure of the service history.


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