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Rubble
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| Posted: Mar 13 2020 at 11:13pm | IP Logged
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Hey Guy's,
Almost since I got my '13 SVV6 Frontier 2WD AT, I've
needed to check and make sure that the ATF Level was
correct. For me it was just a Guessing Game when I was
trying to check the ATF Level.
The Service Manual say's to check the ATF Level @ 149F
Degree's useing the Hot Range after the Truck has been
driven or check the level useing the Cold Range between
86F to 122F. The SM doesn't say @ what Temperature to
use the Cold Range,, but looking at the SM Graph, it
show's the 104F Temperature and I'm pretty sure that is
the Cold Temp Range to use.
I got a Scangauge II to monitor the ATF Temperature so
that I could accurately check the ATF Level cause it
has been a Guessing Game without knowing the ATF
Temperature.
The Winter Temperature's have delayed me useing the
Scangauge II Temperature Display to do the check,, but
yesterday the Outside Temperature was warm enough to
get the ATF Temperature hot enough to do the check.
Believe Me the Outside Temperature Really affect's the
ATF Temperature.
I was pretty certain that I had overfilled the ATF when
I did the last Drain and Fill, and was ready to crawl
under the truck to let out some ATF to get the Level
Correct.
I was pleasantly surprised that the ATF Level was
exactly what I wanted it to be, which is a little bit
less than the Full Mark.
I was dreading getting under the truck to let some ATF
out,, and usually get ATF running down my Arm, and also
knowing that I might not get the Drain Plug Treaded
back in resulting in me letting too much ATF Drain Out.
I am so glad that I spent the money which was more than
I wanted to, but glad that I went ahead and got the
Scangauge II. I got mine off Amazon, because they had
the lowest price at the time Versus EBay or other
Retailer's:
https://www.amazon.com/ScanGauge-Automotive-Computer-
Customizable-Real-Time/dp/B000AAMY86/ref=sr_1_26?
dchild=1&keywords=scangauge+II&qid=1584163800&sr=8-26
If you are like me and trying to keep your Truck for a
long time, do yourself a Favor if you've got an AT and
you do your own maintenance like I do, bite the bullet
and get a Scangauge or Some other Scanner that will
display the ATF Temperature in Real Time. I am So Glad
that I did. I got the Tool that I needed & Peace of
Mind is Priceless for me.
Regards,
__________________
Barney
2013 SV V6 Frontier KC/AT/2WD; Previous 20 yrs ~ '93 I4 Hardbody KC/AT/2WD, Sold.
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frontierguy
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Master Mechanic
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| Posted: Mar 17 2020 at 1:10pm | IP Logged
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If you measure the quantity removed that also helps in
correct refill level.
__________________
'10 Altima SL
Traded 08 Frontier for 16 Frontier SV CC Long box, quite an upgrade. I do miss the 6 speed and Dynomax ex.
Nissan Technician 25 + years
2011 John Deere X720SE
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Rubble
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| Posted: Mar 17 2020 at 7:25pm | IP Logged
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frontierguy wrote:
If you measure the quantity
removed that also helps in
correct refill level. |
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FrontierGuy,
You're Right.
I do that as well when I do a Drain and Fill.
However My Truck had a Delay Jerk on Takeoff from a
Dead Stop, like when sitting at a Traffic Signal, etc.
The '93 Hardbody that I drove for 20 year's never had a
Jerk on Takeoff like this '13 that I have now,, so I
attempted to check the ATF Level to make sure that it
wasn't low from the Factory.
I was useing a Guesstament Method like I used with the
'93 ATF Checking the Level, like the '93 Nissan Service
Manual said back then to use. I also read and followed
the '13 Nissan Service Manual best I could without
knowing the Actual ATF Temperature.
Useing the method that I used for the '93, the ATF
Level checked Low, and I still had some Jerking on
takeoff,, but was less or at least seemed less.
Then I read about the Guy's that were useing the
Scangauge II to display the ATF Temperature in order to
check the ATF Level. I wanted to make sure that I
hadn't overfilled the ATF.
WOW, was I surprised that the Ambient Outside Air
Temperature made a Huge difference in the ATF
Temperature. When It was cold outside,, I could drive
20 mile's and the ATF Temp #1 never did get up to 149F
Degree's.
I was amazed at this,, and understood why when I
checked the ATF in the Winter Time was different than
in the Summer Time without knowing what the Actual ATF
Temperature was.
Now I know, It was just a guessing Game I was doing,
before I started useing the Scangauge II.
The Jerking on Takeoff is way better now than when I
1st got the '13 V6 AT 2WD Frontier. If I sit for a
long time at a Traffic Light,, then it might jerk a
little but not near as much as it did when I 1st got
it.
I do wonder though why Nissan didn't put Low and Full
Mark's on the Dipstick so that We could just check the
Level in the Sump after sitting overnight with
Engine/Transmission Cold.  Maybe the Sump was
completely full and couldn't be checked, I don't know.
It just seem's like a Simple Dipstick Check Gone
Complex by a Factor of x3.
Anyway I know that this Electronic Tool is Expensive,,
but Very Glad that I bit the Bullet and got one,
especially since I try very hard to keep my machine's a
long long time.
It was well worth it to me,, and Although I know most
owner's don't do enough of their Own Maintenance to
Really Care ~ (Documented with picture's of Their
Corroded Battery Terminal's), There are still some
Like Myself that would benefit by useing a Tool Like
the Scangauge II to greatly improve the Accuracy when
checking the ATF Level.
I alway's try to read your post's as I learn a lot from
Your Experience, which is a lot more than I will ever
have.
Regards,
__________________
Barney
2013 SV V6 Frontier KC/AT/2WD; Previous 20 yrs ~ '93 I4 Hardbody KC/AT/2WD, Sold.
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Pacer6
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| Posted: Mar 21 2020 at 6:42pm | IP Logged
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Dumb question alert.
Where is the tranny dipstick. I haven't had a chance to look it over.
4.0 l
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Rubble
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| Posted: Mar 21 2020 at 10:03pm | IP Logged
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Pacer6 wrote:
Dumb question alert.
Where is the tranny dipstick. I haven't had
a chance to look it over. 4.0
l
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Hey Pacer,
With the 4 Liter, The ATF Dipstick is on the Right
Side/passenger, close to the Firewall. The Dipstick is
held down by a 10mm head bolt.
The Procedure for checking the ATF is in the Service
Manual in the MA/Maintenance Section as well as the
Transmission Section. I forget if there are picture's
to show where it is,, but I think there is a Picture of
the Cold and Hot range to check on the Dip Stick.
There are several video's on the WWW showing where the
DipStick is, but don't follow those method's; Use the
method in the Service Manual, includeing running the
Gear Shifter through all the gear's, otherwise it will
show overfull, because the Gear's are not loaded up
with the ATF. If you use the Cold Range on the
Dipstick, be sure to let the Motor Warm up till the
Coolant Temperature Gauge Needle is at it's normal
operateing Temperature Position. If you don't use
something to show what the ATF Temperature is it's just
a Guessing Game and I tried to keep the level midway
between the low and Full Mark. To know what you are
doing it's best to ask Nissan to check the ATF Level or
get a Tool like the Scangauge II to display the ATF
Temperature in Real Time.
Open up that Service Manual, Read and Study till you
understand what it is saying.
PS: When Checking and working with ATF,, CLEANLINESS
IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. You don't want to get anything
foreign in the ATF,, Like Cloth Threads, Dirt, Grime,
etc. When I'm Changeing the Engine Oil,, I'm careful
about Cleanliness,, and when I'm working with the ATF,,
I'm Much More Concious about Cleanliness.
Regards,
__________________
Barney
2013 SV V6 Frontier KC/AT/2WD; Previous 20 yrs ~ '93 I4 Hardbody KC/AT/2WD, Sold.
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Pacer6
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| Posted: Mar 22 2020 at 9:38am | IP Logged
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I am an Amsoil dealer and want to eventually run Amsoil front to back. The tranny in the past had been an issue, but it seems those later ones have overcome some of those problems. I have front and rear gear oil on hand along with the transfer case oil (ATF really). Engine oil is fairly recent change Dec '19 and was Mobil 1 full synthetic. The tranny takes a "fuel efficient ATF" that Amsoil has.
I would love to put on a Amsoil bypass filter system on the engine. I have studied it and have some practical experience with users.
I finally found the "AT dipstick", they do seem to want us to do anything to these beasts.
Jim
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Rubble
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| Posted: Mar 22 2020 at 10:14pm | IP Logged
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Pacer6 wrote:
I am an Amsoil dealer and want to
eventually run Amsoil front to back. The tranny in the
past had been an issue, but it seems those later ones
have overcome some of those problems. I have front and
rear gear oil on hand along with the transfer case oil
(ATF really). Engine oil is fairly recent change Dec
'19 and was Mobil 1 full synthetic. The tranny takes a
"fuel efficient ATF" that Amsoil has.
I would love to put on a Amsoil bypass
filter system on the engine. I have studied it and
have some practical experience with users.
I finally found the "AT dipstick", they do
seem to want us to do anything to these beasts.
Jim
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Jim,
Just make sure that you use the Equivilent Fluid's as
per the Owner's Manual.
Stay with the Nissan Oil Filter & Engine Oil Viscosity
per Nissan unless it get's too hot down where you are
that Nissan recommend's a thicker Viscosity Engine Oil.
If you keep up with the Nissan Recommended Schedule for
Preventative Maintenance you'll be doing good. Keep
those Battery Terminal's coated with a Thick Coating of
Grease, and those Guy's promoteing those Battery
Terminal Ring Gasket's, those Battery Terminal
Gasket's are not needed at all as long as you keep a
Thick Coating of Multipurpose Grease on the Terminal's
and Bare Metal Cable End's.
I'm not one of those that Believe much in Spending a
Lot more for Exotic Drive Train Fluid's, however @ 12K
Mile's I changed from Castrol GTX 5w30 to Full
Synthetic 5w30 Magnatec, only because they claim that
it stick's to the metal. I never switched to full
synthetic Engine Oil's Before cause they run off the
Top End and didn't leave much of a Film. At WalMart
the Full Synthetic Magnatec in the 5 qt. container's
isn't much more than the Regular Castrol GTX.
I'm a Firm Believer in getting good lubrication to the
Top End as fast as possible.
The '93 that I drove for 20 year's had the same Rear
Axle Vent as the '13, and I never had a problem.
However when I changed the Rear Axle Oil, I also took
out the Axle Vent Cleaned it with Diesel Fuel and Blew
it out with air Compressor.
The Guy's that drive their Truck's through Mud and
Water are the One's that have problem's with the Rear
End's.
During '05 to '10 the V6 AT had problem's with the
Radiator's. I think they have fixed that problem, but
I stay with Nissan Brand AntiFreeze, and I may start
useing the Bar's Leak Tablet's in the Coolant as a
preventative for the Heater Core Leaking. The Heater
core Replacement is a Big Job and Expensive.
Regards,
__________________
Barney
2013 SV V6 Frontier KC/AT/2WD; Previous 20 yrs ~ '93 I4 Hardbody KC/AT/2WD, Sold.
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Pacer6
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| Posted: Mar 25 2020 at 8:12pm | IP Logged
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All of the Amsoil fluids are equivalents to Nissan fluids. I have also seen some tests with ATF. Incredible, I would not believe if I had not seen myself. I am a scientist by degree and I look for flaws in testing and test protocols. These were great.
Placing a small pool of Amsoil ATF on a stainless table with small pools of the other manufacturers (total of 6). Take a torch to each pool. It took 30min to get the Amsoil to even start smoking. The rest all started after 5-10 min.
There was a bunch more to the test, but that was incredible.
My son and I spent over 2 years researching Amsoil. He wanted to use it in his 300 ZX Twin Turbo.
I have chosen Amsoil products since then. 15+ years.
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Rubble
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| Posted: Mar 25 2020 at 8:54pm | IP Logged
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Pacer6 wrote:
All of the Amsoil fluids are
equivalents to Nissan fluids. I have also seen some
tests with ATF. Incredible, I would not believe if I
had not seen myself. I am a scientist by degree and I
look for flaws in testing and test protocols. These
were great. Placing a small
pool of Amsoil ATF on a stainless table with small
pools of the other manufacturers (total of 6). Take a
torch to each pool. It took 30min to get the Amsoil to
even start smoking. The rest all started after 5-10
min. There was a bunch more to
the test, but that was incredible.
My son and I spent over 2 years researching
Amsoil. He wanted to use it in his 300 ZX Twin Turbo.
I have chosen Amsoil products
since then. 15+ years.
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Pacer,
Just stay with the Fluid Recommendation's in your
Owner's Manual and follow the Recommended Preventative
Maintenance in the Service and Maintenance guide
booklet. If you do that you'll be doing really good.
Don't try to OverThink the Preventative Maintenance,
just follow the Procedure's in the Nissan Service
Manual.
If you want to use Amsoil Fluid's, I don't see a
problem as long as they meet the Standard's in the
Nissan Recommended Fluid's in your Owner's Manual.
Whether Amsoil is Better or Not Better, I haven't
checked them out. I try to stay with Mainstream
Fluid's at the Best Price for me to save money. I don't
want to Spend Extra for any Fluid's unless I see a real
Need to.
Valvoline Maxlife Full Synthetic Multivehicle ATF in
the Red Container is what I'll be switching to on my
next drain and fill:
https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?
sa=L&ai=DChcSEwjL2MCPmbfoAhUTiIYKHVtTBgcYABAGGgJ2dQ&oho
st=www.google.com&cid=CAESQOD2gnDQVpmSTXQ0g4JSfRsSfPUtx
qSmhh71ruzzB48rp1_jFg71WAPDSU8xKJ5-xRvsCkLts14s-
IaXL3K6neE&sig=AOD64_3_x1lcALBTxskBHKS-
dNwQur99ig&ctype=5&q=&ved=2ahUKEwiV4bePmbfoAhWlTN8KHczZ
Ck8Q9aACegQIDRA3&adurl=
It's 18 $'s a Gallon at WalMart's.
For me it's all about saveing money doing as much
preventative maintenance myself, trying not to make a
mistake, and useing Fluid's that meet Nissan
Specification's.
I read about some that seem to stay up 24 hour's a day
for a week trying to find the best Oil Filter. Then I
read about those same fellow's that went with an off
brand oil filter and complain about their Engine's
Knocking and Rattleing on StartUP. IMO the Best Oil
Filter for our truck's is a Geniune Nissan Oil Filter,
but they are cheaper on Amazon and EBay.
Regards,
__________________
Barney
2013 SV V6 Frontier KC/AT/2WD; Previous 20 yrs ~ '93 I4 Hardbody KC/AT/2WD, Sold.
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Pacer6
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| Posted: Mar 26 2020 at 7:09pm | IP Logged
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Been looking at some of the other forums. Some of the folks are ones I would prefer to not deal with and some seem really nice.
Been reading through some of the builds they have. It is amazing.
Some really good info and it gives me ideas. Most of them, I could care less about.
Jim
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Nissan Frontier Forums : Problems / Technical
Topic: Scangauge II Display’s ATF Temperature
