Changing the transmission oil in my `97 Pathfinder. I have a replacement pan gasket and filter. Any advice?

how many miles on the fluid? on your rig?

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'98 FAD FrontyKC
156,000 miles
Packin ARB'd 9"(5.00)& Tornado w/ Dual Remotes;-)

61K on the rig and fluid... I'd like to empty the whole thing, but not sure I can accomplish that just by taking off the pan. Know the correct process?

A flush. I think AutoZone sells flush kits, or they can help you locate one.



My worst stuck yet!

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If it's like my '93 then I wouldn't bother to replace the filter or gasket. The filter is just a screen and not worth replacing unless you find a problem. Someone with a 97 will have to let us know though. I did mine a while ago and it was a PITA! Also you may have to replace the pan bolts. They may be one time use only.

'93 Pathfinder. All stock at the moment.

quote:

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Originally posted by 97 Pathfinder:
61K on the rig and fluid... I'd like to empty the whole thing, but not sure I can accomplish that just by taking off the pan. Know the correct process?

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The following will work, only you need a helper as pouring fluid in at the same rate it gets pumped out is a chore, so someone needs to be at the ready to kill the ignition and act as a separate set of eyes and hands.
The only thing I'm unsure of is the filtersock in the transmission cooler in the radiator. It needs to be checked/cleaned /replaced if possible. I wouldn't go that long w/ using synthetic.
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http://www.amsoil.com/faqs/faq8.htm

"1. Make sure the fluid is warm. Warm up the car so the transmission is at normal operating temperature. Pull the transmission dipstick (located near the firewall in most cars). Fresh fluid is translucent and cherry red. Some darkening is normal, but if it is reddish brown or mustard color and smells like burnt varnish, it is worn out.
2. Drain the fluid by loosening the pan. Select the correct Hastings filter replacement based on pan shape and prepare a large pan to catch the fluid. Then loosen each pan bolt a turn or two and loosen one corner more than rest. Drain mostly from this corner.
3. Finish removing the pan and any gasket material from the pan or case. Avoid scratching the metal and make sure the pan’s gasket surface isn’t bent or distorted.
4. Remove the old filter. Most transmission filters are held in place with a bolt or two, but some are held by a clip. Be careful to include O-Rings or other seals.
5. Install a new filter. Use the clips or bolts from the old filter. Be sure O-Rings, etc. are in place. If the filter has a long intake neck, gently push the neck into place without unseating the O-Ring.
6. Clean the pan thoroughly. Inspect the pan before cleaning. A small amount of fine grey clutch dust is normal. However, if you find metal shavings, there has been transmission damage. Clean the pan with solvent and wipe dry so there is no harmful residue.
7. Position gasket on pan. Some gaskets have four holes slightly smaller than the rest to allow four bolts through the pan and through these smaller holes to hold the gasket in place.
8. Hand tighten pan bolts in a criss-cross pattern. After that, use a torque wrench to tighten bolts to proper ft-lbs as per manufacturer.
9. Refill the transmission using only the amount shown as “refill capacity” in the owners manual or "AMSOIL Product Selection Guide,” using the type of fluid specified for the vehicle.
10. If doing only a partial fluid replacement, skip to instruction 12 below. If doing a complete fluid replacement, follow the steps in instruction 11.
11. You now have replaced the fluid in the pan. To replace the fluid in the torque converter and oil cooler also, follow these steps.
Step 1. Obtain the total system capacity of the vehicle from the manufacturer or AMSOIL. Have this amount readily available.

Step 2. Disconnect the oil cooler line from the oil cooler. As you may not know which is the pressure side and which is the return side, have both directed so the stream of fluid will be directed toward a receptacle.

Step 3. With another person, be prepared to add ATF to the fill area as it is being pumped out of the oil cooler line.

Step 4. Start the engine, and as the old fluid is pumped out, add fresh fluid to the pan.

Step 5. When either the fluid color brightens or the total capacity has been replaced, shut the engine off and re-attach the oil cooler line. All fluids has now been changed.

12. Recheck the fluid level. With the car on level ground, set the parking brake and the transmission in “Park” or “Neutral.” Let the engine idle for a few minutes. Shift the transmission into different positions before returning the lever to “Park” or “Neutral.” Check the fluid level again and check for leaks. "

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'98 FAD FrontyKC
156,000 miles
Packin ARB'd 9"(5.00)& Tornado w/ Dual Remotes;-)

You can also do several drain and fills of the pan to get mostly new ATF in there. 4 drain and fills will get you to about 90% new ATF since each drain is 4qts and the total capacity is 8.75-9qts. Then just drain the pan every other oil change to keep the fluid in good shape.

Watch out for the pan bolts, spec is only around 4ft/lbs and they are easy to snap and crossthread.

Thanks for the info. Very helpful. I am going to give it a shot this weekend. We'll see how it goes!

BTW - nice pics Vengeful!

Wait a second. Doesn't the '97 have a drain plug? My '93 pathy has a drain plug.

'93 Pathfinder. All stock at the moment.

Changed the tranny oil and filter. Left it cold, drained from the drain bolt and then removed the pan. A total of 6 qts came out! And the tranny wasn't overfilled to begin with. I've heard that only 4 qts come out. Scratching head. Refilled and all seems great. Funny thing though, it seems every time I work underneath my Pathfinder, I get some new mysterious rattle from a heat/skid plate. I hate those darn things!!! Just when I bend and cut to fix one noise, I get another one!!

Glad to hear it went well, I know you get a lot more when you drop the pan, not sure how much. I get around 4 1/4 when I just drain. How did the screen/filter look, was it worth changing after looking at yours?

It wasn't really bad in the filter. Just a lot of very fine dark sediment. No metal. Could have left it alone. I'm the second owner and just wanted to make sure it was okay. If you plan on taking the pan off, I'd go ahead and replace the filter just to be safe. It's not too expensive, about the cost of a tank of gas.

I've been doing a bunch of drain and fills to get new ATF in there, just have the filter and gasket kit sitting in the garage waiting for some free time. Thanks for the info.