The Nissan Path

Hello, I just bought a 2009 Pathfinder SE and need to due preventive maintenance on it.
the usually engine oil/filter, cabin filter
However the service and maintenance guide recommends premium schedule at 60,000 miles at which mine is.

Do I really need to change the rear diff, transfer case and transmission fluids at this stage?
Oil is clear and clean in the transmission, no leaks on the chassis and never has been offroad.

What other recommended fluids to use besides Nissan's.

Also if possible attach a link to this topic

Thank you in advance

The premium schedule in the manual is for making the dealers money. Particularly at the frequency they recommend. Ignore it.

Schedule 1 (severe service) or Schedule 2 (normal service) are the ones to look at. Unless you're really using the vehicle hard, schedule 2 is all you need on a regular basis. Having said that, some of us choose to include some of the severe service schedule maintenance.

I've done drain-fills of the transmission every 30k miles. This only replaces about 4 quarts and it's relatively inexpensive. I've also done differential/transaxle fluids at 60k mile intervals. These too are also inexpensive. For the transmission/transaxle, you'll need a fluid that's compatible with Nissan Matic J or S. Castrol Multi-Import ATF is what i've used. The differentials just need a synthetic (I forget specs but it's in your manual).

I did 7,500 mile intervals on oil changes using synthetic for the first 60k miles and then switched to 9,000 miles once the warranty expired. Oil analysis shows this is still a very conservative interval for my rig, but you should always do a couple oil samples before going to any type of extended drain intervals. How and where you drive can impact this greatly. Regardless it seems 7,500 is a very safe number as that's what the book recommends even with dino oil.

The other item you need to check out is the radiator. Do a quick search here and you'll see all the horror stories of the radiator failing and taking out the transmission. There's a quick bypass you can perform to avoid this, or you can replace your radiator with an updated unit if you're anal about it like I was.

Updated part # for the 2009 Pathfinder?
Also thank you for the other information

argggghhhh!!


Why does Nissan Pathfinder have so few dedicated sites? The big one still hasn't "approved" me and this one doesn't get many hits.

It's so hard to find nswers.

I have NO owners manual and no service manual.

Trying to find fluid capacities for this POS is a major PITA.

I have never seen anything like it, but I know this will be our last Nissan product.

I've never had a problem finding the fluid capacity of any vehicle I've owned by doing a quick Google search. The service manual is also available here on the site. Not sure what your expectations are. Nor why this 'pita' will 'be your last Nissan product'. But best of luck anyways.

nolazach wrote:argggghhhh!!


Why does Nissan Pathfinder have so few dedicated sites? The big one still hasn't "approved" me and this one doesn't get many hits.

It's so hard to find nswers.

I have NO owners manual and no service manual.

Trying to find fluid capacities for this POS is a major PITA.

I have never seen anything like it, but I know this will be our last Nissan product.

you know what?
without leaving this site at all, I just looked up all of the fluid capacities within a couple of minutes
stop crabbing, exert just a little bit of effort and patience, and you can find all of this info easily for your POS
and why don't you have at least an owners' manual?
BTW: found the transmission dip-stick yet?

nolazach wrote:argggghhhh!!


Why does Nissan Pathfinder have so few dedicated sites? The big one still hasn't "approved" me and this one doesn't get many hits.

It's so hard to find nswers.

I have NO owners manual and no service manual.

Trying to find fluid capacities for this POS is a major PITA.

I have never seen anything like it, but I know this will be our last Nissan product.

You know that you can go to owners.nissanusa.com and download an owners manual for free. It only goes to 2010 but, the only major differences maybe on interior options. Just some food for thought!

Here is PDF of 2009 manual. Same as paper copy I have with my 2008.

http://www.courtesyparts.com/pdf/2009-N ... finder.pdf