Fluids change

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Joshpath
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Fluids change

Postby Joshpath » Thu Mar 10, 2016 5:52 am

What brand of fluids are the best to use.

Engine

Tranny

Transcase

Differential = front and rear


Joshpath
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Location: NYC

Re: Fluids change

Postby Joshpath » Thu Mar 10, 2016 5:54 am

Joshpath wrote:What brand of fluids are the best to use.

Engine

Tranny

Transcase

Differential = front and rear

I have a 2006 pathfinder SE

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smj999smj
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Postby smj999smj » Thu Mar 10, 2016 7:14 am

"Best" is always subjective and everybody has their preference. I have a 2006 LE and a 2008 SE and I can tell you what "I" use:

Engine oil: Walmart's Supertech Full-synthetic 5W30. At $17.50 for a 5 qt. jug, it's tough to beat, price-wise. At one time, it was made by Royal-Shell, the makers of Rotella, but Walmart does change it's suppliers, so it's hard to tell. I did get the oil tested at 150,000 miles at Blackstone Labs and with 7500 miles on the oil sample, the results came back great and they recommended extending the interval to 9200 miles. I've used it for about 7 or 8 years and I've had no issues with it. There are many great oils out there, including Amsoil full-synthetic and Royal Purple and, of course, Mobil One, but they are all a lot more expensive. Also, how much benefit you'll receive compared to conventional oil is debatable. Whatever you choose, make sure it's certified by the American Petroleum Institute (API) or ILSAC.

Automatic transmission fluid and transfer case fluid: I use Valvoline Maxlife ATF. It's fully compatible with Nissan-matic Type "J" and "S" and a fraction of the cost, at $17.50 a gallon jug from Walmart. Nissan-matic "J" is essentially Castrol Transmax Multi-import ATF in a Nissan bottle, so that's another good alternative. Most synthetic ATFs will work fine, but make sure it states it is recommended for use in Nissan-matic "J" or "S" applications.

Front and rear diffs: I use Walmart's Supertech full-synthetic 75W90 gear oil in both of them. If the store doesn't have it in stock, I go with Mobil One full-synthetic 75W90.

Antifreeze: Prestone "all color" will work just fine, but I prefer sticking with genuine Nissan green ATF (which is made by Pentosin) or Pentosin Pentofrost A2 green antifreeze. If you want to switch to the longer-life, Nissan blue antifreeze, it's the same as Pentosin Pentofrost A3 blue antifreeze.

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V8Pathy
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Postby V8Pathy » Thu Mar 10, 2016 10:26 am

good info. thanks

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Postby Kestral » Thu Mar 10, 2016 7:17 pm

I used WM ST oil for years in both my Jeep and Toyota 4Runner both of them went 200,000 miles before I sold them. I don't change my own oil on my R51 Pathfinder due to health reasons but the shop who changes it runs Havoline synthetic and it's a quality oil.

Stick with a name brand or WM ST oil that is made by a name brand. Ovoid oil from the dollar store I have found they sell old out of current spek oil. As for synthetic vs conventional synthetic is better for longer runs and has better deposit control for short trip driving and if you tow a camper it stays in grade better under high heat cycles.

Frankly I don't think it matters all that much what brand or conventional vs synthetic you run in the VQ40 DE V6 in the R51 Pathfinder. From the oil tests I have seen the VQ40 does not seem to be all that hard on oil. The other Nissan VQ motors are hard on oil esp the V6 in the 370Z and several of the Infinity v6 motors. And I think the reason is the VQ40 in the Pathfinder just sort of lumbers along and really does it see high revs like the other Nissan V6 motors I mentioned.

I use to be an oil nut reading all sorts of info, tests, and trade publications on motor oil. Then I watched my father put 250-300,000 miles on his cars and trucks and he only ran conventional oil that was on sale and cheep Fram filters.

Pick what oil you want and change it based on the type of driving you do. If you do short trips or let your truck warm up in the winter change it more often. If not if you do a great deal of highway miles you can extend your oil changes. Oil must reach about 150F to burn off impurities and for the oils detergent to work. Sorry for rambling...

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smj999smj
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Postby smj999smj » Fri Mar 11, 2016 6:31 am

I used whatever oil was free at the shop I worked at when I had my 1997 Nissan Hardbody, so long as it was 5W30. I changed the oil every 3750 miles and did just over 200,000 miles on it before the harness shorted and melted all the way behind the dash. I owned the truck since it was new. There was no sludge on the top of the head when I had the valve cover removed and the only work done to the engine was a set of rocker arms to replace the lifters. The oil was always conventional. That said, my friend swears his VQ engines run smoother on synthetic.

Joshpath
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Postby Joshpath » Fri Mar 18, 2016 1:55 am

Thank you all for your reply. I will be changing my oil today 8)

BAMAGRAD1995
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Postby BAMAGRAD1995 » Fri Apr 01, 2016 3:56 pm

@smj999smj, I concur! I use the exact same fluids. 200,000 miles on my 2005 R51 and never had a fluid related issue.


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