So basically...5AT

-Bought an 05 A/T Z
-Idiot that owned it replaced the radiator with a M/T radiator and did not install a tranny cooler and instead just looped a hose between the two lines
-Drove car home after buying it
-Transmission overheated and vented fluid

Since then I have installed a tranny cooler and things seem to be ok. However, I do feel like the transmission should be shifting a little more firm. I don't know the previous history of the vehicle but it currently has 104k miles. I plan on draining the pan, refilling through dipstick tube, then using the cooler line to drain while simultaneously filling through the dipstick tube. My question is, should I remove the pan and clean the magnets/pan as well or should i simply just drain it using the drain plug. Also, how likely is it that I damaged the clutches or other internals of the transmission? I pulled over instantly after the transmission heated but obviously it still exceeded a safe temperature. Thanks!

 

I think the first question is how long he had that for? You might be looking at buying a new transmission.

I would drain and take off the pan and inspect for damage and go from there.

Best of luck.

 

^ Agreed. If he drove like that for a period of time I would assume the transmission has overheated before and gone through some damage.

 

Well according to him he had not had the car very long and only drove it around the block. He buys and sells cars so it wasn't his daily driver or anything. My uncle is a transmission mechanic so I figured dropping the pan and allowing him to check for any clutch dust/debris would be a good idea. The new fluid should help as well since. However, the fluid currently in it does not smell or look burnt and is a very clean red so I'm hoping that since the fluid wasn't severely damaged then neither was the transmission. Doesn't always work like that though. Fingers crossed that no major damage was done. Worst comes to worse I found a rebuild kit with new clutches and gaskets for about $200. That's a lot of labor that I'm hoping to avoid though.

 

Best of luck hopefully your uncle will have some good news for you.

 

Sorry for the late update but I checked the pan out once I drained the fluid. There seemed to be some very very fine particles in it (my uncle assumes it is from the clutches and not actual metal shavings). However, there was not a large amount at all. I filled the transmission up with about 6 quarts of Castrol Import Multi-Vehicle ATF. My vehicle is no longer under warranty and I called my local Nissan dealer and spoke to a service rep and he quoted a QUART of Matic S fluid at $29!! I couldn't believe what I heard and asked him three different times to make sure that was the correct amount. I've read numerous posts from others and statistical data to show that the Castrol Transmax Import fluid will work with our transmission just fine. So far things seem to be ok but I have a feeling I will end up having to rebuild it later down the road. Fortunately, my uncle said he could get the rebuild kit for less than $250 probably and do it himself if I threw him a couple bucks for labor. Much better than a $2000 rebuild at a shop.

 

29$ for a quart is ridiculous. I was charged 10.99 per quart. I'm sure that guy was looking up something else and was completely oblivious.

Hope everything turns out ok man. I would go ahead and upgrade the VB while the pan is dropped.

 

I agree. There is no way that the fluid could have been that expensive. If I end up rebuilding it later on down the road I'm definitely gonna order some online at $8 a quart and pay the shipping fees. I already priced the Trans go vb upgrade and planned to do it if/when I rebuild the trans. From what I've heard its a night and day difference.