| Homms'03Murano |
Hi ya'll. It's me again. how's every one doin'? ehmm, now with the pleasantries out of the way, here's my qustion.
As stated in my profile, i live in Nigeria, Africa and access to authentic and genuine maitenance fluids is HARD. I want to replace my automatic gear transmission oil but I read on the label that i must use NS-2 oil. Now i searched all over (was willing to pay any amount...which you would think i'd get many lead) but all to no avail.
What can I do? What is this Special NS-2 about, is it synthetic oil? can another BRAND be ok?...
Any info and tips on this would be fantastic....Also, is there a filter attached to the transmission "hub"?..and can it be cleaned (if not damaged)?...All these are questions who can chew on and hopefully help me & others out there. Thanks ya'll. |
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| njjoe |
Homms-
I have both bad news and good news for you.
First the bad news... There is no Nissan-approved substitute for the specially-formulated NS-2 CVT fluid. Use of any other transmission fluid can damage the CVT.
Now the good news... There is no need to change the fluid. Nissan does not place a mileage or time limit on the CVT fluid. By most estimates, the fluid should be good for 150,000 to 200,000 miles.
There is no serviceable filter on the MO's CVT.
Most automatic transmissions contain dozens of clutch plates that engage and disengage with every shift. Each engagement/disengagement introduces friction material into the transmission fluid. That is why a filter is needed and why the fluid needs to be changed after xx miles. The MO's CVT, on the other hand, has a single clutch that is engaged when the CVT is shifted into and out of DRIVE and REVERSE. Significantly less engagement cycles means much less friction material is introduced into the fluid, so a filter is not necessary.
So, to make a long story short, you should not have to change the CVT fluid.
-njjoe |
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| Homms'03Murano |
As always NJ thanks for your prompt and usefull reply.
Here it is. Why i want to drain and replace the Transmission Oil is because i bought the MO second-hand & I don't know the previous owner's driving & maintenance habits, so i thot when in doubt DRAIN AND REFILL.
further more, if nissan meant for it's mo-ers to go 150-200k miles b4 chnaging their Oil, how come they state on the label on the cap of the dip-stick that "use only NS-2" CVT oil?...or maybe i didn't understand your explanation of this part well enough.
NJ check out this link which is a brand comparing the ATF to ATD oils...and let me know what you think.
http://www.amsoil.com/StoreFront/atd.aspx |
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| ekaxel |
| Amsoil does NOT have any fluid which they recommend as a replacement for NS2...... |
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| njjoe |
Homm-
I agree with you. When in doubt, drain and refill. In the past, whenever I purchased a used car I drained and replaced most fluids even when I was provided maintenance records from previous owners. I figured better safe than sorry.
The CVT fluid is a different story. Nissan has no pre-set maintenance intervals for the CVT fluid. Instead, they have a diagnostic tool called CONSULT-II that interrogates the car's computers. One program in the computer uses an algorithm to calculate "wear" on the CVT fluid. When the "wear" number reaches 210,000 then Nissan recommends that the CVT fluid be changed. To date, no member has had the "wear" number, called CVTF DETERIORATION DATE, hit 50,000. It looks like the CVT fluid can safely go several thousand miles.
I believe the NS-2 label is on the dipstick cap to alert the uneducated (quick-lube jockeys, backyard mechanics, etc.) that a special fluid is needed. You will also notice that the CVT dipstick is locked in, and does not pull out easily like a "normal" tranny's dipstick. Again, I believe that is to get the attention of those who may be unaware of the CVT's unique fluid requirement.
Does you MO have a trailer hitch? If not, then it is safe to assume your MO was not used to tow a heavy trailer up Chappal Waddi. In that case the fluid in the CVT should be under the 210,000 threshold, by a wide margin.
If you are still insistent on changing the fluid, you might want to contact someone at ALLIANCE AUTO and see if they can import the fluid from Nissan-Japan.
Out of curiosity, what country was you MO originally registered in?
-njjoe |
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| BikerJohn |
How does your CVT fluid look? If it's clean(transparent); I would feel that you're OK with it. I've got about 130,000 km on my '03 MO and it still looks new.
I priced a 1L bottle of the fluid at the dealership and it was $42.00 a bottle. Ouch! |
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| Eric L. |
| My memory might fail me but I think I read somewhere that the Nissan NS-2 fluid actually has additional friction particles (for lack of a better term) to allow the belt to grip the pulley more tightly. |
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| hfelknor |
quote:
Originally posted by Eric L.
My memory might fail me but I think I read somewhere that the Nissan NS-2 fluid actually has additional friction particles (for lack of a better term) to allow the belt to grip the pulley more tightly.
Nothing wrong with your memory.
Do NOT, repeat, DO NOT put Amsoil fluid in there.
Homms you are just going to have to find some of the right stuff. But at least there is no hurry IMO.
Homer |
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| Eric L. |
quote:
Originally posted by hfelknor
Nothing wrong with your memory.
Do NOT, repeat, DO NOT put Amsoil fluid in there.
Homms you are just going to have to find some of the right stuff. But at least there is no hurry IMO.
Homer
:) I knew I read that somewhere!
As for CVT NS-2 fluid alternatives, I believe there that Nippon Oil has a type of fluid called ENOS that they claim can act as an NS-2 substitute. Its about half the price of Nissan's fluid I believe. I am not sure if anyone here has tried it yet though. |
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