Moderator: volvite
Yes we've seen 2010s affected.qqqq wrote: 1. Has anyone seen/heard of 2010 model years being affected? I know they are covered by settlement, but have there been reported failures yet on 2010?
2. Leave it as is – yes or no?
3. If no, fix now or closer to 80K point?
4. If no, what’s the best way to eliminate the problem in the future – bypass or rad replacement?
i'm with Terry on this, if for no other reason, to avoid dealing with the dealershipqqqq wrote:Thanks, Terry. I kind of expected this answer, just wasn’t sure if 2010s have been spotted by now.
My main concern and the reason why I have not done bypass so far is warranty coverage. I can see the dealer not wanting to replace transmission for free at say 79K miles if I did either the bypass or rad replacement (in case the damage is already done right now just not visible yet).
If I were to do bypass now, at what point would you recommend rad replacement?
Thanks.
the only 100% guarantee would be the by-passqqqq wrote:Thank you both!
So here is what I am thinking and couple of follow up questions. I cannot do bypass right now for free – I looked and the hoses are different on my 2010 compared to diagrams in this thread on earlier models. I would need to buy couple of feet of the hose, plus end caps. No big deal, probably around $5, but if the rad has to go, I don’t see the point of doing the bypass. Agree?
I looked at radiators online. RockAuto as well as Amazon carry the same 4 brands – Spectra, TYC, OSC, and APDI. Is there a consensus on this forum which of these is GUARANTEED not to have the contamination problem? I am making assumption they are all made in China, maybe even by the same company, but would love to know if one is preferred vs. the others. They are all in the same price range ($100-$120).
As far as contamination goes – is there a sense within the community as to how long it takes between contamination to occur (unnoticed), and signs being visible (milkshake in the coolant)? In other words, if I don’t see it yet, and I fix it today (either bypass or rad replacement), is there a chance I will still end up with damaged transmission 5K miles down the road because coolant is already in the transmission today? Just wondering if there is certain amount of time/mileage to watch out for after which you can safely assume the problem is gone for good.
eieio wrote:the only 100% guarantee would be the by-passqqqq wrote:Thank you both!
So here is what I am thinking and couple of follow up questions. I cannot do bypass right now for free – I looked and the hoses are different on my 2010 compared to diagrams in this thread on earlier models. I would need to buy couple of feet of the hose, plus end caps. No big deal, probably around $5, but if the rad has to go, I don’t see the point of doing the bypass. Agree?
I looked at radiators online. RockAuto as well as Amazon carry the same 4 brands – Spectra, TYC, OSC, and APDI. Is there a consensus on this forum which of these is GUARANTEED not to have the contamination problem? I am making assumption they are all made in China, maybe even by the same company, but would love to know if one is preferred vs. the others. They are all in the same price range ($100-$120).
As far as contamination goes – is there a sense within the community as to how long it takes between contamination to occur (unnoticed), and signs being visible (milkshake in the coolant)? In other words, if I don’t see it yet, and I fix it today (either bypass or rad replacement), is there a chance I will still end up with damaged transmission 5K miles down the road because coolant is already in the transmission today? Just wondering if there is certain amount of time/mileage to watch out for after which you can safely assume the problem is gone for good.
that said, this type of radiator is in VERY common useage among MANY car & truck manufacturers
apparently the only reason the Nissan issue has come to light is a manufacturing defect in the radiators that they had made for them
there are probably millions of vehicles on the planet with radiators with this design that have had (and will have) no problems
as far as contamination indications, that would probably be dependent on the severity of seal leakage between the internal cooler & the radiator it is contained within, and the amount of time since the leakage began
close inspection of the transmission fluid from a warmed up transmission (a drained sample - not what you may see on the dipstick) should reveal contamination
otherwise, a sample could probably be analyzed by a lab
the one factor that is a sure thing: once it happens, it's done!
smj999smj wrote:The common part numbers of those that fail are as follows: 21460-EA215, 21460-EA265 and 21460-EA200. This would be on a Calsonic sticker on the top tank of the radiator. These are factory installed radiators; we have not heard of any issues with the aftermarket replacements. Of the aftermarket choices, Spectra Premium is probably the most popular, but, whether they are any better than the sub-$100 models listed on Ebay is debatable. I have seen one Denso radiator develop a leak at a small crack in the bottom tank, but it was hard to say if it was a manufacturer's defect or just something that occurred during shipping. My 06 has an Ebay-sourced radiator that I paid $92 for about four years ago; my 08 had a Koyorad that I got a deal on for $50 from someone who bought it then sold their Pathy about two years ago. Both are doing fine and fit perfectly.
Ok thx this will be my next project after I get the CMS replaced.smj999smj wrote:You could get away with just doing the bypass, as the auxiliary trans cooler seems to do a pretty good job. I'm still a proponent of replacing the radiator, but there are many who have bypassed and even tow without any problems.
There should be a write up somewhere on these forums instructing how to do it. Most are for the 05-07 models, which are a little easier than the 2008 and later models, but that's simple as well. You'll need about two feet of 5/16" (8MM) transmission cooler hose, some miniature hose clamps, a plastic tie strap and two, 5/16" caps. You will probably not lose enough ATF to have to add, but it still wouldn't hurt to have a quart of Nissanmatic Type "J" or "S" ATF or equivalent (Castrol Transmax Import Multi-vehicle or Valvoline Maxlife ATF) just in case. Remove the front skid plate. If you look at the cooler hoses, there is a left and right side hose (left being the driver's side). The left hose goes from the radiator cooler fitting to a metal hose union at the left side of the radiator. Remove the cooler hose from this union and from the radiator fitting. Remove the right side hose from the radiator fitting to the metal cooler line. You can blow clear or flush the radiator's cooler if you wish to remove the trans fluid from the cooler. Install the two caps on the radiator's fittings and install/tighten clamps. Install the new cooler hose to the union at the left side of the radiator and clamp. Run the hose to the metal line and cut to size, install and clamp. Use the plastic tie strap to secure the hose so it's not flopping all around. Clean off the residual oil. Start the vehicle, top of the ATF and check for leaks. If all is good, reinstall the skid plate. BTW, with the skid plate out of the way, it's a good time to change the oil and filter.