"Having heard many stories about Nissans, Hondas, and certain GMs that need specific factory fill trans fluid, I am inclined to beleive them!"

Nissan also says there isn't a major problem with their radiators...do you believe that, too?

Just wanted to share my experience regarding the bypass:

After reading nearly all posts on this site and the Frontier site, I finally bypassed the transmission oil cooler in the radiator of my 2006 Nissan Pathfinder. At the time, I did not install any other external oil cooler, but just went with the single cooler that was factory-mounted on the front of the radiator. I tow a boat with my Pathfinder, and before driving from Phoenix to Lake Powell, I flushed the trannsmission and also discussed the bypass that I had done with my mechanic, who thought that it would not be a problem to tow my boat and gear to Lake Powell--about 4.5 hours away.

Well, about 25 miles out of Phoenix is the first big climb. With the boat, gear, and people, I was hauling about 4,300 pounds. Of note is that I have made this trip with a similar load with the same vehicle for the past 5 years. Although the load slowed me down to about 50-55 mph during the climb, the Pathfinder was fine and did not give any indication of a problem.

When I reached the top of the hill, I received a call from another member of the group that I was traveling with that he needed to stop at a rest stop about 2 miles up the road. We pulled off the freeway and stopped at the bottom of the off ramp--still no problems. We sat stopped for about 30 seconds, and when I tried to go, I had very little power--it felt like I was trying to pull 10,000 pounds up a hill. There were no lights on and no indication that anything was wrong other than the loss of power. So I slowly drove towards the rest stop, and about 100 feet before the first available parking space, my "Check Engine Soon" light came on.

Long story short, the transmission fluid overheated and the Pathfinder when into limp mode. I left the engine running and poured a couple of gallons of water on the oil cooler and the fluid cooled right down and everything went back to normal except the "Check Engine Soon" light stayed on.

I headed back down the hill to an auto parts store to purchase an external oil cooler. On my way, I was able to get ahold of my mechanic, who thought that I probably would have been fine had I not stopped so soon after such a long and difficult climb. Anyway, I installed the external cooler in the parking lot of the auto parts store, added fluid so that I was at the right level, and drove to Powell and back without issue--even the "Check Engine Soon" light cycled off after a few starts.

When I got back to Phoenix after our vacation, I took it in to have the transmission fluid checked out. The new fluid was burned and I had to flush it again. But otherwise, I was fortunate and avoided any major damage.

Moral of the story...if you've done the bypass and you're towing (especially in the heat)...it's a good idea to install a secondary external oil cooler.

Scarbs,

when you said you bought an oil cooler, you are meaning you bought another aux transmission cooler? did you fill it with Nissan ATF or another brand..just curious since you had the problem on the road

Yes. Sorry. It was a Hayden aux transmission oil cooler--11" x 13" mounted just below the other transmission cooler.

And because I was on the road, I did not use Nissan ATF. I captured everything that leaked out during the work and put it back in, plus one quart of ATF that was recommended in the auto parts store's computer system and claimed to be somewhat universal. It was the best I could do under the circumstances.

When I took it to the mechanic after the trip, he said all of the old fluid had a burnt smell. He also works as a forensic expert in litigation on the side and looked at the old fluid under a microscope for me and said there was no metal in it and that the transmission appears to be ok.

disallow wrote:

bakerbaker wrote:

FLiPMaRC wrote:I'm sorry, but I don't believe Nissan made transmissions to only work with Nissan brand fluids.

You dont have to believe anything, You get to select which theory you like best. I called the local stealership and they said any fluid that is compatible would not void the warranty. So use whatever fluid you like. I use Nissan trans fluid. Lets leave it at that.

There is a label under the hood of our pathfinders that says to use only genuine Nissan fluid. Having heard many stories about Nissans, Hondas, and certain GMs that need specific factory fill trans fluid, I am inclined to beleive them!

Why screw around to save $20-30 every 60k miles??

t

Serious question here, been watching this issue here and on Honda forums also regarding the Honda or Nissan brand ATF. Do you all think that these 2 companies actually refine their own oils or do they rebrand another companies oil? I don't know but would like to get your thoughts. I've always been of the mind that they recommend "their" fluids, filters, etc because they are in the business to make money. And by labeling these products with their brand they can put a premium on the prices, and by putting "warning labels" on the vehicle and in the manual (only use Nissan/Honda/whatever fluids) that they create a market to buy their products out of fear of using anything else. I think it's more about increasing their bottom line than anything else.

Also, I monitor the Honda Odyssey forum and for years and years Honda Z1 ATF was mandatory to use in those delicate, flimsy, woefully under engineered transmissions. Well lo and behold, know we now that Z1 is heavily fortified with friction modifiers that allow for smoother shifts which actually are more detrimental to the trannys than helpful. Now it seems folks are avoiding Z1 like the plague. Plus Z1 is no longer even used or made, its been replaced with a more synthetic product. So the warnings and recommendations to only use Honda Z1 fluid for all those years actually was more harmful than helpful. Based on that, I doubt these car brands have a silver bullet in their fluids.

FYI - I bought my PF used at 32kmi and it had a BG trans fluid flush at 27k. Currently at 50k and doing great. Planning to do a drain/fill soon - most likely not with Nissan ATF (probably Maxlife).

Interested in your thoughts here.

what is "B G " ?

Just to be clear...at the recommendation of my mechanic, I flushed my transmission after the trip above with Valvoline Maxlife.

dawgn86 wrote:what is "B G " ?

http://www.bgprod.com/products/transmission.html

A manufacturer can't, legally, require one to use their specific filters and fluids for maintaining and servicing a vehicle for warranty purposes. If they do, they have to provide it free of charge to the owner of the vehicle. This was part of the Magnunson-Moss Warranty Act. For every manufacturer recommended filter or fluid, there's almost always an aftermarket alternative that will work and perform just fine and to the specifications set by the manufacturer. Always stick with reputable brands, like Valvoline or Castrol, etc., and make sure they specifically say they are recommended for where you intend to use them. Not all transmission fluids are the same and using the wrong type could damage the trans to the point where it will need to be replaced or rebuilt. Most 5+ speed AT's use some form of synthetic ATF. Valvoline Maxlife works in the majority of them. Same can be said for Amsoil's ATF and a few others. In the US, make sure any oil you buy is certified by the API (American Petroleum Institute). I don't know of any manufacturer that makes its own oil. Most of the vehicles from Asia come with ENEOS motor oil (Nippon Oil Co.). I remember years back Nissan had its own branded oil in the US made by Amoco. Likewise, some manufacturers specify Mobil One or Castrol Sythetic. To think that one can't use another brand of oil that still meets the same specifications is ridiculous. Just do your homework and make sure it does meet those specifictions!

Scarbs wrote: Long story short, the transmission fluid overheated and the Pathfinder when into limp mode.
(snip)
Anyway, I installed the external cooler in the parking lot of the auto parts store, added fluid so that I was at the right level, and drove to Powell and back without issue--even the "Check Engine Soon" light cycled off after a few starts.

Thanks for posting this bit. My worries about the bypass have been twofold:

1. Having enough cooling for the hot desert days (it does get hot here), combined with all of the ups and downs through the mountains.
2. My biggest worry is during winter & no longer having the radiator help with warming the fluid.

I'm still tossing around a few ideas in my mind, but might just have the dealer do their "bypass special" for me when I drop it off for the 60k service. Or simply do nothing.

I went to drop off my pathfinder for a bad fuel sending unit. I asked about the bypass as i still need to do mine as i have 70k 07'. pohanka nissan in fredericksburg va is where the car is right now. Their know-it-all service lady susan argued with me that is isnt common and that they have never heard of the bypass. I had her call down their tech named chris who stated by doing the bypass we would all be bypassing our coolers unless we purchased and installed another cooler. Said they would try to do it for me but wouldnt cover the work if something went wrong to the radiator/transmission due to this work. I told them its a quick fix and ill just do it myself but need to find a lift. I asked them to not worry about it since they would be the last people i would want doing that work with the poor attitude they displayed. Instead of trying to learn what we all know about this they played the opposition role with me. This seems to have happened the few times ive ever gone there for warranty work. I get the run around until i hand them a tsb and instructions how to diagnose and fix anything.

Is he correct about by bypassing we wouldnt have a cooler unless installing another one? Also is it possible to do this bypass without a jack or lift as i have neither. I would love for one of you that know this issue and fix give them a ring and drop some knowledge to both of these people.

I bought the car new with them and its the only nissan here in my city. After all my issues with them this is my first and last car bought there. My family has bought a total of 5 cars from them over the years and this will be the last one. Ive never had an issue with a delearship for problems and regular maintenance anywhere else with other cars bought. If you ever bring them your car for warranty work you can bet on multiple trips back and forth, calls, arguments Before you get your car back, fixed correctly.

dealers generally play dumb to this type of thing. You don't need a lift to do this repair.

Haven't taken my vehicles to a technician in many years, much easier to do things on my own.

t

mc01ta wrote: Is he correct about by bypassing we wouldnt have a cooler unless installing another one? Also is it possible to do this bypass without a jack or lift as i have neither. I would love for one of you that know this issue and fix give them a ring and drop some knowledge to both of these people.

No, he is not correct. There is still a cooler mounted to the front passenger side of the radiator that the trans fluid is piped through. I don't think you would have any problem at all doing the bypass without jacking it up-there is plenty of room underneath (I've been under there eyeballing this a number of times myself).

You are dealing with a bunch of assmonkeys at that dealership. Have them call my service department in Salt Lake City: Tim Dahle Nissan 888-390-7766. You could also print this off and show them, which was from my last service:

Steve to the rescue again.

I've highlighted the factory transmission cooler below in yellow. You do not need a lift to perform the bypass.