Did the engine oil this evening after work, decided to do it now as the engine needs to be hot, but for the trans oil tomorrow it needs to be stone cold (as the fluid expands when hot, and its harder to judge how much to put in when you’re putting in cold fluid).
I’m changing the engine oil purely because even though the PO said it was done recently, he used some Engine Armour stuff which is 10W40 (engine is specced for 5W30), and not fully synthetic. He also didn’t use a genuine filter, and this bothers me.
Couldn’t fit the jack under the front, needs to be a couple of foot longer >_< Ended up just doing it on the ground. High enough I can reach under it #stocklyf
Whoever designed the plastic under trays with a dozen or so bolts can die in a fire. I hate under trays.
Sump plug was tight as feck, managed to crack it with a long power bar. Oil filter was perfect to get off, but sadly was not genuine.
Old oil was brown like Golden Syrup, and stank like old oil. Wasn’t panning for gold and nothing unusual came out.
Filling this engine with oil is amazing. Used my usual Synpower 5W40, and the engine takes exactly 5L, which coincidentally is what the oil comes in. So used to stupid fecking BMWs that use 7.8L or something stupid.
It’s also refreshing to be working on a Jap again. Such smart, simple design. Once again, used to BMW, it’s good to see Nissan still using proper materials. Steel oil pans instead of aluminium, drain plugs on trans, normal screws on everything instead of torx.
Whilst I was there I also decided to clean the AFMs, didn’t look dirty but they are easy to get out.
Also sucked the power steering fluid out and refilled with some Redline D4 ATF. Need to do it again as it’s all mixed and an ugly brown again.
The next day, when the transmission had cooled, I moved onto changing the transmission oil.
The transmission has a drain bung, but requires filling via dipstick tube like most autos (if they even have a way to fill them, some BMW don’t).
Nissan is very specific on the oil type, going so far as to say you’ll bugger it all up if you use the wrong stuff. Nissan Matic-J
The difference in colour from old to new was drastic. Even though the fluid looked yuck, it didn’t smell burnt or contain any nasty chunks etc.
New stuff looked like some fancy strawberry fizzy drink. Filled it with a measuring cup as I couldn’t pour too fast, and it was easier than holding a 5L bottle for ages. It also helped measure the amount I was putting in.
My awesome filling contraption. Funnel with a length of hose (from my suction pump), and the tyre iron there to keep the funnel upright.
“EasyOpen Seal” my ass.
Well, its all done and dusted now. Trans is smooth as butter, with the biggest difference being manual change downshifts where it used to thump into gear, it now pops in smoothly. Well worth it, and it took about 3.8-3.9L of oil for a change.
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Did you change the filter aswell for the transmission?
Also, did you go to buy genuine matic j fluid? I’m consdiering just using penrite full synthetic
Hi, No in this instance i only did a fluid change, no filter. I did use genuine Matic-J Fluid from Nissan, it wasnt too expensive if i recall correctly. Well worth using the correct fluid.