I went through the factory service manual and the DIY 5AT trans service looks fairly easy, has anyine here done it? I didnt see a reference to a filter anywhere, did I miss it, or does this 5AT not have a filter??? Could an inline filter be retrofitted in the cooling lines? Also is Nissan J matic fluid so special that I shouldnt run Redline, Moblie 1 the other high end automatic trans fluids? Thanks

 

Not sure about the filter, I haven't torn mine apart yet. Do NOT use anything but the J matic fluid though.

 

I didn't see anyting in the manual about it either, and I'm willing to bet there isn't. A friend of mine had a early- to mid-90's Maxima that didn't have a "user serviceable" filter. I don't see why Nissan would have changed anything.

 

So sad, but I guess its true. Would you guys imagine that an aftermarket (B&M, Permacool, etc.) inline filter in addition to a aftermarket cooler would extend the life of the transmission even further?

 

There is a filler at the back of the engine but it doesn't
look like one. You fill it through the dip stick tube. The
dip stick looks like a cap that is secured with a small bolt.

 

I would fore go the filter but an addisional cooler on an Auto is never a bad idea. As far as the filter,If something breaks loose that is large enough to harm the Trans, Ur trans is already shot. Other than that u just have what all Autos have as far as crap in the system and thats clutch material which is not going to hurt anything as long as u keep ur fluid changed.
As far as the cooler--I generally just bypass the Radiator all together and mount the cooler elsewhere. Trand fluid gets hotter than hell and there is no reason to subject ur engine cooling system to it.

 

Nissan recomends 30k change? You think 15k on a hard driven car is a waste or will it help extend the life of the trans?

 

Main thing with trans fluid is it gets dirty due to clutch wear --- 15 is a little overkill ---split the differance if u must

 

what's the fluid capacity of the 5AT?

 

10 7/8 US qts total---Thats on 04-05

 

Actually there is a filter inside of the valve body. It is essentially a tight steel net and not user serviceable. You can see it easily if you remove the AT pan.
You loose warranty if you are not using Nissan Matic J.
I am running Motul Syntetic ATF, since Nissan Matic J is impossible to buy in Europe, my car is not under warranty, though (import from the US).

 

Any hydraulic system will benefit from a filter. If you're going to spend the bucks and effort to add another cooler, why not add a filter as well? A decent spin-on filter like the Purolator 30001 is cheap and will keep that fluid looking new. Your tranny will last much longer with a real filter on it.

Someday I'll get around to adding a spin-on filter to my power steering. There's a real convenient place to add it, since there's already a little cooler.

Asterix