Postby smj999smj » Mon May 26, 2014 1:46 pm
The first time I did a drain and fill on an R51, I drained the ATF into an old washer solvent jug and was concerned because the fluid looked dark brown. The same was true when I drained my own Pathy. I think it's just the way the fluid looks as I haven't had any issues with either trans and each has well over 30,000 miles since then. Nissan Matic "J" and "S" seem to be a darker red (IMO) than Dexron III/Mercon (which you should never use in an R51 trans). If it's shifting fine and no signs of water contamination, I wouldn't be concerned, but it wouldn't hurt to do a trans service. Most synthetic ATF's will work fine in the Nissan 5-spd. automatic trans, but make sure it says that it is recommended for use in Nissan Matic "J" or "S" applications. Castrol multi-import ATF and Valvoline Maxlife ATF, which I use, are two, good aftermarket alternatives to the expensive genuine Nissan ATF.