# When to change the transmission fluid/filter



## procupine14 (Apr 21, 2011)

My girlfriend and I just purchased a 1999 Sentra GXE. It has insanely low mileage (61,500). My question is this, what would be everyone's opinion on when to change the transmission fluid? My assumption is that this many years would mean that it should be changed just out of principle but maybe I'm wrong. 

Thanks


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## rogoman (Dec 16, 2004)

If it's an A/T, probably every 30,000 MI. If it's an M/T, every 100,000 MI.


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## procupine14 (Apr 21, 2011)

Alright, that sounds about right to me as well. Yes, it is an automatic and first gear is a little hard when taking off cold but other than that it is flawless.


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## pepperjack13 (Jun 20, 2010)

My 97 sentra automatic trans had 87k miles when i got it and I did not change the transmission fluid until 120k (who knows if the previous owner ever changed it). Now it has about 170k and have not had any problem but i always thought it was every 100k mi


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## SE_RBOY (Jul 28, 2010)

I have a 93 sentra with a 97 ga16de motor and tranny in it.. run great... i have a sticky 2nd gear sometimes. mostly when the motor is hot and under high rps.. I have no idea if the previous owner has changed the tranny fluid and filter i doubt it seriously. Would this cause gears to stick??


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## procupine14 (Apr 21, 2011)

SE_RBOY said:


> I have a 93 sentra with a 97 ga16de motor and tranny in it.. run great... i have a sticky 2nd gear sometimes. mostly when the motor is hot and under high rps.. I have no idea if the previous owner has changed the tranny fluid and filter i doubt it seriously. Would this cause gears to stick??


I would want to say yes but I'm not 100% sure.


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## procupine14 (Apr 21, 2011)

Alright, the time has come and I've got some extra time coming up. I want to know what fluid would you all recommend I change the transmission with. Most likely I will be doing a flush and then a fill just to make sure everything is nice and clean.


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## rogoman (Dec 16, 2004)

You can use Dexron III in your A/T. I don't recommend doing a flush unless it's done correctly; it sometimes causes problems due to dirt in the A/T cooler getting into the A/T.


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## procupine14 (Apr 21, 2011)

Ok cool thanks! Mostly, my "flush" was going to consist of a couple changes close together in order to make sure that the concentration of old fluid was as low as possible.


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

Nissan doesn't give a recommended service interval for ATF replacement, even under their "severe duty" schedule." It only says to "inspect" it every 15,000 miles. Obviously, if you "inspect" it and the fluid is discolored or dirty, one should service it. Years back their recommended schedule was replacement at every 30,000 miles, which being that the factory fill ATF, Nissan Type "D" ATF, is not synthetic, it's not a bad practice to do a drain and fill at that interval, IMO. Nissan Type "D" ATF is essentially the same formula and viscosity as Dexron/Dexron II. WHile Dexron III is technically campatable and okay to use to top off the ATF level, it is not recommended for use (per Nissan) as a service replacement. Dexron III has a thicker viscosity than Dexron II and has been known to cause incidents of valves sticking in the valve body assy. For those reasons, Nissan recommends use of Nissan Type "D" ATF only. On the aftermarket, there are a few choices that are recommended for the primarily Asian-built applications that specify Dexron II. Valvoline Maxlife ATF and Castrol Multi-import ATF are two of those. Both of those are synthetic ATF's.


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## procupine14 (Apr 21, 2011)

smj999smj said:


> On the aftermarket, there are a few choices that are recommended for the primarily Asian-built applications that specify Dexron II. Valvoline Maxlife ATF and Castrol Multi-import ATF are two of those. Both of those are synthetic ATF's.


 Well good news I've replaced the fluid with Valvoline MaxLife per the recommendation of the local Nissan dealership service department. The fluid was not dirty, however it is 12 years old and logic tells me nissan's "lifetime" tyranny fluid is about the same amount of bull as Volkswagen's.  

Thanks for the help you guys! I really appreciate it.

My issue is that the old fluid seems to have caused some hard shift from 1st to 2nd. After draining and replacing with new fluid, problem has slowly gotten better. Hopefully this is a goood sign.


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## danishbt (May 6, 2017)

*Nissan Sunny shifter is very hard and car is jumping with a "Tuk" sound while I shift*

I bought a Nissan sunny 2005 model 8 months back but transmission oil was empty in it. So I filled the transmission oil since I have been facing some transmission issues like shifter is very hard and car is jumping with a "Tuk" sound while I shift it from park to drive and reverse. Can anyone tell me the reason??


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