Every 30-50k you should do at least a drain and fill on the trans. We don't have a filter so it needs to be done. I'd also add some transmission additive since you might have done damage not changing it for so long. On a drain and fill your not going to get all the fluid out. I think around 6 comes out. Not 100% sure. And yes Nissan matic d only. Still going to be close to 90 bucks. Nissan charges 120 and jiffy lube is 99. At least that's the quotes I got

 

Every 30-50k you should do at least a drain and fill on the trans. We don't have a filter so it needs to be done. I'd also add some transmission additive since you might have done damage not changing it for so long. On a drain and fill your not going to get all the fluid out. I think around 6 comes out. Not 100% sure. And yes Nissan matic d only. Still going to be close to 90 bucks. Nissan charges 120 and jiffy lube is 99. At least that's the quotes I got

those quotes are for them to do the flush?

I mean if I can save 30 bucks and do it myself I will

then again I would feel a lot better about Nissan doing it cause if they mess up its on them.. so I might just spend the extra money to have them do it and they may do a little extra for me too

 

Drain and fill. Don't do a flush at a dealership or mechanic at your mileage. To get the fluid out of the torque converter after the drain and fill find the return line hose coming from the radiator going back to the transmission. Take off the clamp, and put the hose in a bucket. Start the car. Pour fresh fluid into the fill tube as the fluid comes out of the return line hose. When you see fresh red fluid come out shut off the car. Top off fluid and done.

 

Never do a "flush" on our trans. Only drain and fill. The dealer won't do a flush. If they say they are go to another one.

 

Whats wrong with doing a flush? I flushed my transmission at 100K miles, I havbe 124K on it now and have no issues. Ive flushed many altimas with no issues? I work at a dealership and have never heard not to flush only drain and fill so please enlighten me on why we shouldnt flush them?

Also getting it done at the dealership isnt necessarily better than getting it done at a shop lol and at my shop its $109 for flush... Does that seem high?

 

I'm not a mechanic by any means. But everyone on here as well as most of the dealers in my area and all the mechanics that know Nissans have said to never do a flush on the 3rd gen Altimas.

From what I've gathered there is an issue when using the machine to flush it that causes damage or increased wear of the transmission due to its design.

 

I'm not a mechanic by any means. But everyone on here as well as most of the dealers in my area and all the mechanics that know Nissans have said to never do a flush on the 3rd gen Altimas.

From what I've gathered there is an issue when using the machine to flush it that causes damage or increased wear of the transmission due to its design.

hmm thats interesting, but if that was the case Nissan would have a TSB for that right? I have not seen a TSB out for not flshing the transmissions (that I know of). And on Alldata it shows you to flush it not drain and fill. But im new to the forum and this is my first altima (had 2 maximas a '99 and '03) so im not 100% sure on the issues it has and everything that goes on. And also Im not a Nissan tech either Im a Ford tech so I dont get to deal w Nissans all too much, I would just like to hear more proof on this theory before I believe it. I bought this car about a year ago and I flushed all the fluids as soon as i got it. No I didnt use Nissan trans fluid I just used the fluid we had at the shop and everything has been great. Ive put 24K miles on it and no issues

 

The auto trans are very weak on our cars. The flush and not using Nissan at fluid is going to cause issues. You will start to see flares and hard shifts in time. We also get those from not changing the fluid regularly. Most.ppl don't realize we don't have a trans filter. Some of the more experienced guys should weigh in.
The most recent time I was at a Nissan dealer checking the price on my up coming 90k service the print out said " transmission flush" and the service guy and mechanic there both said almost at the same time " but its an 06 cvtc so that's a drain and fill not a flush". Since that's what I've been told on here and at another dealer I didn't even think to ask why. If I think about it I will next time I'm there.

 

Flushes on an old transmission can be hard on seals and may dislodge particles that help keep the transmission tight.


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That's what I'm saying though it could be a hit or miss and I dot wanna take that chance ...cause I can't afford a whole new transmission unless my dad helps

 

At our dealership, we only do a drain and fill. Its easier to do than an engine oil and filter change. Only about 4 ish quarts will drain out. Matic D is pretty much identical to mercon/dextron fluid. I think Nissan fluid would be best, but not as critical as Matic K, S, J, or the cvt fluids. Low mileage or regularly done flushes are very beneficial to transmissions. Wouldnt recommend a flush on anything that has over 80k and never been flushed before. CVTs cant be flushed due to extreme amounts of line pressure. Big difference between the CVTC-Continuously Variable Timing Control and CVT- Continuously Variable Transmission.

 

So you think a simple drain and fill would be good? And do it often so I gets the rest of the liquid will cycle and get clean? Would the red stuff that helps the transmission help? I think a guy mentioned it above

 

If it were mine, Id do a trans drain and fill every oil change, about 3-4 times. Maybe even a little sooner than that. I believe there is a tsb on the harsh 1-2 shift. Cant really remember the repair. Ill look it up tomorrow. I also have access to Nissan trans fluid and all other Nissan parts at a discounted cost. I have Paypal/Ebay accounts. I havent read the fine print in the forum so Im not sure if thats against the rules or not so until its cleared by a regular on here, that info is useless.

 

Is the tsb a sensor ? and if you have more information pm me please thanks!

 

​

4 SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION HARSH 1-2 SHIFT AND/OR DTC P0745 STORED ​

APPLIED VEHICLES:​

2003 – 2005 Altima (L31) 2003 – 2005 Sentra 2003 – 2004 Maxima (A33 and A34) 2004 Quest (V42) APPLIED DATES: Vehicles built between: December 1, 2002 and August 27, 2004 APPLIED TRANSMISSIONS: 4 speed A/T: RE4F04B and RE4F03B​

IF YOU CONFIRM:​

The transmission fluid is full (correct level) and in good condition (not burnt), and
• There is a harsh shift from 1st to 2nd gear,​

and/or​

• DTC P0745 (line pressure solenoid circuit) is stored,​

ACTIONS:​

1. Drain and remove the transmission oil pan.
2. Push/pull the ground terminal and wire for the solenoid valve assembly (see Service Procedure step 4).
• If it doesn’t come off, solder the terminal.
• If it does come off, replace the solenoid assembly.
3. After soldering, recheck the ground terminal and wire (see Service Procedure step 8).
• If it’s tight, repair is complete.
• If it’s loose, replace the solenoid assembly.​

 

Thats info from the TSB- technical service bulletin.
NTB05-001 is the reference number.

 

Nothing for the 06 Altima

 

Mine flares 1-2 on a somewhat cold motor/coolish day every single time.

 

Hmmm...... When was the last time the fluid was replaced? Ive never tried this and don't know if it will help, but....... Matic K has pretty much the same characteristics as Matic D, only with a crapload more friction material. K is used in the 5 speed automatic mated to the 3.5L. The added friction material in the K should be enough to prevent the flare. But like I said. This is kinda a gamble, but I think the odds will be pretty favorable tho.

 

^No clue when or if it was replaced. Got the car when it had 122kmiles, 138k now

 

lol well like i said I flush all my cars, so ill let you guys if it messes up, my transmission doesnt flare or anything.. Shifts fine.. I FLUSHED it and didnt use Nissan trans fluid lol so we will see. As of right now 26K on trans fluid. Gonna flush it in 5k miles.

 

I am wondering how important it is to use Matic D specifically. My 06 2.5 is going to get a flush when I hit 50k my next oil change. The dealership I work at [not nissan] has BG Universal Synthetic ATF that says it will work for Matic J/K; I am just wondering if that is ok to use?

 

basically the deal is use NON-Nissan ATF at your own risk. and FLUSH the trans at your own risk.

I had my 06 2.5 drain and filled at 50k with nissan atf and I dont have any issues. about to have it done again next month since i just hit 90k. with such a vital and expensive part to have fail Im not going to try and save a buck then have something happen because i tried to cheap out. not worth the risk imo.

 

You mention J/K does the fluid you're enquiring about not mention D? If it doesn't, don't use it. There are universal synthetics out there that cover all three.

 

It does not. There's a paragraph of other makes/types it covers but D isn't listed; which I is why I asked.

 

So do a drain and fill and use Nissan ATF. Go to the dealer to have it done. That is what I got as the best and safest route to take.

Also I dont trust JiffyLube. After quite a few news reports of their mechanics doing nothing at all and saying they did something, I decided to avoid those guys. I kind of figure others are doing it as well.

 

My fluid looks perfect color wise but I have no clue when the last time it was serviced, think I should change it soon?

 

Just wanted to add since unless you have the FSM this is really hard to find online (at least for me it was) but to remove the auto-trans drain plug, at least for the 3.5 V6, is a 10mm hex socket. You could try an big allen wrench but don't think you'll get enough torque. Also, hit the plug w/ a few shots of WD-40 or PB blaster about a half hour before you do it.

At first the old fluid comes GUSHING out, will get on your hands etc. but then starts to slow down and now, after a half hour, is a slow trickle. (doing it now)

 

Same problem

I'm having the same problem with my 06 Nissan Altima SE-R 106,000 miles. You have to wait for it to change gears if it's in reverse to be able to shift it into drive or it shifts very hard. The RPM's have been randomly revving up. It shifts very hard in 1st and 2nd. Also when you are coming to a stop and you let off the gas it hesitates for a second. All signs point to transmission, but I have been reading articles about the transmission solenoid, and fluid change. I don't know what to do without a check engine light. I don't know if I trust anyone to mess with my car. I traded my old car in for this one because the transmission was messed up on it....now this with my new car.

 

Change the fluid. Go to your local Nissan dealer and buy at least 4 quarts of K-matic ATF fluid. About $10 each. Then drain it overnight (again, 10mm hex socket on driver's side of the transmission) and measure how much comes out, replace drain plug, and try to pour about that same amount back in up in the engine bay where the ATF dipstick is. When I did mine, just about 3.8 quarts came out of the old stuff and I let it drain for about 2 days.

I also plan on doing it all over again in about 2k miles when I'm due for my next oil change. Another tip: I'm not sure where you live, but if the temperature drops below say 25 degrees, let the engine warm up before moving it out of park. I've found the hardest automatic shifts are when the car is cold (fluid probably is cold too and not coating what it should be).

See if that helps your problem, I bet it does, unless you've done mechanical damage.

 

Just buy 7 quarts in one shot and change all the fluid at one time. Cheaper and takes less time.

Drain
Fill
Run through the shifter (don't let go of the brakes)
Drain
Fill

Running through the shifter will flush most of the old stuff out of the torque converter. You'll put red in and after shifting, you'll see brown come out. Won't get it all, but it'll get most. And it's better than mixing new and old and then draining it and mixing more new with old.

 

Here's what I did/am doing: I drained it into a pan that holds 6 quarts, and about 3.8 quarts came out. I replaced it with just about 4 quarts of the K-matic fluid. This was 2,000 miles ago. I JUST got in from the Nissan dealer where I picked up 4 more quarts of the K-matic fluid, where in another 2k miles or so I plan on draining the fluid AGAIN and replacing it with more fresh K-matic I got today while I'm doing my upcoming oil change.

So I'll be doing kind of a semi-flush in a natural way, by draining it and replacing it for the second time after driving 4,000 miles on the first batch of fresh fluid. I don't think this is entirely necessary to do but I noticed a positive change in the transmission shifting IMMEDIATELY, and hopefully the current fluid will pull some more gunk outta there when I drain it.