DIY: Transmission Oil Change

dkmura · 10-08-2012, 07:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bandit_Kaine

Do our transmissions have a filter that we have to change?

The six-speed trannys have no filters. Think about it- they are sealed units that are not exposed to any outside contamination, so they don't need to filter anything. There's a magnetic pickup on the drain plug to pick up any metallic debris from normal wear, but that's quite small.

Mandingo · 10-15-2012, 07:37 PM

Has anyone added Redline lightweight shockproof oil to the MT-85?

I ask because I've heard it can smooth out notchy, grindy shifts in 350s and other Japanese sports cars. My shift into second is always notchy to the point of almost being a grind. In fact, when the transmission is cold it will grind going into 2nd if I don't shift super slow.

MT-85 has been in it for about 7k miles.

roy'sz · 10-16-2012, 02:50 AM

i used mt-90 and noticed that the grind from 1st to 2nd has been almost cured. but i do get resistance when shifting up into higher gears and i have yet to really use and abuse the tranny.

370ZGTR · 10-22-2012, 02:00 AM

here's my video:

2009 Nissan 370Z - Manual Transmission Oil Change: Powered by Gatorade! - YouTube

omg35s · 10-24-2012, 11:26 PM

FYI - coming from 350z/g35 owners...

A lot of us have had issues with Aftermarket Transmission Oils. We have tried all top of the line oil companies and many have reverted back to OEM for smoothness shifting, especially in the cold. Hopefully, the 370z responds better to aftermarket oils.

B&W_Evader · 01-02-2013, 11:51 AM

Just changed... 18556 miles. Takes full 3 quarts. If your pump is like mine, you'll need the 4th quart so you can get all 3 in.

Put in redine MT85 and it's still notchy when cold. Shifts a little better when warm.

The oil that came out was still super clean. Think I'll go to the recommended 30k on the next one.

roy'sz · 01-02-2013, 12:13 PM

hey evader I did mine at 31k and it was really prestine. Take into consideration I only had a couple of sessions where I was really working the trans in the canyons. Hope this helps with any longevity questions.

dkmura · 01-03-2013, 09:14 AM

Guys, remember that our six-speed trannys are sealed units. There's no way for any outside contamination to get in, so it's normal for the fluid to appear pristine. But the high speed operation of the gear sets still does breakdown the lubricant over time. Unless you're actually racing the car for much of the time, oil changes at 30K with the synthetic MT85 should be plenty.

AlphaSnacks · 01-04-2013, 10:10 PM

Should GL5 fluids really be avoided like someone mentioned? The AmSoil 80W90 in my car is a GL5. And in the cold it is awful up until it warms up. I think I may have ever so slightly grinded 1st just because the gear didn't want to engage at around 1-2MPH (stop sign).

I felt the shift knob vibrate like crazy and I think I heard a very brief noise (my music was up), which I immediately stopped trying to force the gear in and pulled it back to neutral. It just drives me nuts, it's the 2nd time I drove the car since doing the change and the cold weather just doesn't like this Amsoil stuff. The OEM was way better.

But once the Amsoil heats up, it does improve the transmission quite a bit for sure - smoothens things out.

roy'sz · 01-05-2013, 12:51 AM

Its not the gl-5thats the problem. The GL is acroynmed for gear lube. The 5is the quality level. The concern that the drivers of these cars should have is the WEIGHT of the oil.

dkmura · 01-06-2013, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roy'sz

Its not the gl-5thats the problem. The GL is acroynmed for gear lube. The 5 is the quality level.

Sorry, that's not true. GL-5 differs from GL-4 lubricants in the amount of EP additives it uses. These extreme pressure activated sulfar additives were designed for specific applications and are known to bond to, and damage soft materials such as brass and copper. So using a GL-5 lubricant in a Nissan gearbox that uses brass syncros can result in greatly increased wear (to the point the syncros no longer function).

So AlphaSnacks should contact Amsoil (or any other oil company) to verify this. And before damaging his gearbox further, immediately change his gearbox lube to a GL-4 lube like Redline MT85 that meets the viscocity requirements as listed by Nissan.

roy'sz · 01-06-2013, 12:02 PM

Yeah ur right....GL5 is for the diff. I get those two mixed up lol. Thanx for the catch!

Dwight Frye · 01-14-2013, 06:48 PM

I changed mine over the weekend, mileage on my '09 is about 29,500. I used the Redline MT85. I pulled the front wheels up on my Rhino ramps and jacked up the rear end and used Harbor Freight jackstands at the designated jacking points at the rear. My floor jack had a removable 3 inch cup so I took a hockey puck, bored a 1/2" hole in the center, countersunk a hex head 1/2" bolt in it and put a washer & nut on the other end to hold it on the jack's lift arm. Worked like a charm with no damage to the differential. I can't really say though whether or not I feel any difference, but it was scheduled maintenance so I'm glad I did it.

JARblue · 01-18-2013, 06:30 PM

I just did this today with Redline MT-85. We did it on a slight downhill slope with the front tire on ramps to make the car pretty much level (however, my four jack stands in my garage would have given significantly more clearance). The only comment I have to make is that you should get more than 3 qts of fluid. I used as much as I could out of the three qts and it never overflowed like I was hoping - I did reach my pinky finger into the fill hole and verify that the fluid level is good as it's pretty much right at the fill hole. I'm going to order another quart and top it off sometime in the near future (I'll have to get another washer, too).

Talk about an easy DIY! Thanks, Spearfish

juld0zer · 04-28-2013, 10:18 AM

JARblue, i've got a 2011 aswell and i put in 3qt/2.8L for us Aussies and it never spilled out the filler hole. The car was perfectly level - i checked it using a spirit level against the side skirt. When i do the diff i will add more MTX oil to the gearbox. So far there is approximately 2.9L in there but i only drained out 2.5L...

There was metal shavings that resembled glitter in the drained oil. It was a caramel colour. I used Nulon full synthetic 75W85 and it fixed my
cold shift stiffness.

10-15-2012, 07:37 PM	#92 (permalink)
Mandingo Track Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Dallas Posts: 625 Drives: '10 370z 6spd Rep Power: 3370	Has anyone added Redline lightweight shockproof oil to the MT-85? I ask because I've heard it can smooth out notchy, grindy shifts in 350s and other Japanese sports cars. My shift into second is always notchy to the point of almost being a grind. In fact, when the transmission is cold it will grind going into 2nd if I don't shift super slow. MT-85 has been in it for about 7k miles. __________________ some mods

01-02-2013, 11:51 AM	#96 (permalink)
B&W_Evader Track Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: CA Posts: 972 Drives: slower than before Rep Power: 386	Just changed... 18556 miles. Takes full 3 quarts. If your pump is like mine, you'll need the 4th quart so you can get all 3 in. Put in redine MT85 and it's still notchy when cold. Shifts a little better when warm. The oil that came out was still super clean. Think I'll go to the recommended 30k on the next one. __________________ \|RIP\|6spd-sport\|OSG-LSD\|XP8\|RBF600\|Eibach Sways\|RE-71R\|FI-34Row\|Gen3-CAI\|Yaw P.S.\|

01-18-2013, 06:30 PM	#104 (permalink)
JARblue A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Austin, TX Age: 43 Posts: 36,449 Drives: 11 Z34, 98 E36 M3 Rep Power: 2684440	I just did this today with Redline MT-85. We did it on a slight downhill slope with the front tire on ramps to make the car pretty much level (however, my four jack stands in my garage would have given significantly more clearance). The only comment I have to make is that you should get more than 3 qts of fluid. I used as much as I could out of the three qts and it never overflowed like I was hoping - I did reach my pinky finger into the fill hole and verify that the fluid level is good as it's pretty much right at the fill hole. I'm going to order another quart and top it off sometime in the near future (I'll have to get another washer, too). Talk about an easy DIY! Thanks, Spearfish __________________ 2011 370Z 6MT Sport Gun Metallic \| ARC \| CJM \| Ecutek \| FI \| Fujimura \| R2C \| SPL \| Stillen \| TWM \| Z1 \| ZSpeed \|

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10-16-2012, 02:50 AM	#93 (permalink)
roy'sz A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: palmdale, ca Posts: 1,299 Drives: 2010 nissan 370z Rep Power: 15	i used mt-90 and noticed that the grind from 1st to 2nd has been almost cured. but i do get resistance when shifting up into higher gears and i have yet to really use and abuse the tranny.

10-22-2012, 02:00 AM	#94 (permalink)
370ZGTR Base Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 10 Drives: '09 Nissan 370Z M6 Rep Power: 13	here's my video: 2009 Nissan 370Z - Manual Transmission Oil Change: Powered by Gatorade! - YouTube

10-24-2012, 11:26 PM	#95 (permalink)
omg35s Base Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: New York Posts: 63 Drives: XXX Rep Power: 15	FYI - coming from 350z/g35 owners... A lot of us have had issues with Aftermarket Transmission Oils. We have tried all top of the line oil companies and many have reverted back to OEM for smoothness shifting, especially in the cold. Hopefully, the 370z responds better to aftermarket oils.

01-02-2013, 12:13 PM	#97 (permalink)
roy'sz A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: palmdale, ca Posts: 1,299 Drives: 2010 nissan 370z Rep Power: 15	hey evader I did mine at 31k and it was really prestine. Take into consideration I only had a couple of sessions where I was really working the trans in the canyons. Hope this helps with any longevity questions.

01-03-2013, 09:14 AM	#98 (permalink)
dkmura Base Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Aurora, CO Posts: 108 Drives: SCCA T1/3 and GT3 Z Rep Power: 16	Guys, remember that our six-speed trannys are sealed units. There's no way for any outside contamination to get in, so it's normal for the fluid to appear pristine. But the high speed operation of the gear sets still does breakdown the lubricant over time. Unless you're actually racing the car for much of the time, oil changes at 30K with the synthetic MT85 should be plenty.

01-04-2013, 10:10 PM	#99 (permalink)
AlphaSnacks A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Windermere, FL Posts: 1,618 Drives: '13 XKR-S, '10 370Z Rep Power: 18	Should GL5 fluids really be avoided like someone mentioned? The AmSoil 80W90 in my car is a GL5. And in the cold it is awful up until it warms up. I think I may have ever so slightly grinded 1st just because the gear didn't want to engage at around 1-2MPH (stop sign). I felt the shift knob vibrate like crazy and I think I heard a very brief noise (my music was up), which I immediately stopped trying to force the gear in and pulled it back to neutral. It just drives me nuts, it's the 2nd time I drove the car since doing the change and the cold weather just doesn't like this Amsoil stuff. The OEM was way better. But once the Amsoil heats up, it does improve the transmission quite a bit for sure - smoothens things out.

01-05-2013, 12:51 AM	#100 (permalink)
roy'sz A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: palmdale, ca Posts: 1,299 Drives: 2010 nissan 370z Rep Power: 15	Its not the gl-5thats the problem. The GL is acroynmed for gear lube. The 5is the quality level. The concern that the drivers of these cars should have is the WEIGHT of the oil.

01-06-2013, 12:02 PM	#102 (permalink)
roy'sz A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: palmdale, ca Posts: 1,299 Drives: 2010 nissan 370z Rep Power: 15	Yeah ur right....GL5 is for the diff. I get those two mixed up lol. Thanx for the catch!

01-14-2013, 06:48 PM	#103 (permalink)
Dwight Frye Enthusiast Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Occupied California Posts: 423 Drives: '09 Tour/Sport/6MT Rep Power: 15	I changed mine over the weekend, mileage on my '09 is about 29,500. I used the Redline MT85. I pulled the front wheels up on my Rhino ramps and jacked up the rear end and used Harbor Freight jackstands at the designated jacking points at the rear. My floor jack had a removable 3 inch cup so I took a hockey puck, bored a 1/2" hole in the center, countersunk a hex head 1/2" bolt in it and put a washer & nut on the other end to hold it on the jack's lift arm. Worked like a charm with no damage to the differential. I can't really say though whether or not I feel any difference, but it was scheduled maintenance so I'm glad I did it.

04-28-2013, 10:18 AM	#105 (permalink)
juld0zer Enthusiast Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Sydney Posts: 428 Drives: 11 Nissan 370Z MB M6 Rep Power: 138	JARblue, i've got a 2011 aswell and i put in 3qt/2.8L for us Aussies and it never spilled out the filler hole. The car was perfectly level - i checked it using a spirit level against the side skirt. When i do the diff i will add more MTX oil to the gearbox. So far there is approximately 2.9L in there but i only drained out 2.5L... There was metal shavings that resembled glitter in the drained oil. It was a caramel colour. I used Nulon full synthetic 75W85 and it fixed my cold shift stiffness.