Its been a long time since I've had this done. I'd like to try to do it myself but don't know where the fill plug is. Need help locating the filler plug and also what is the proper trans fluid? '93 4x4 manual 4 cyl.
Yeah! I know how it is. The first time I crawled under my Pathy I saw nothing but plugs everwhere.
The filler plug is on the rear side of the transfer case to the left of the main drive shaft. Fill until level with plug opening with either Automatic Transmission fluid [type Dexron II ] or 75W-90 gear oil. [hmmm...Were you asking for fluid type for transfer case? or transmission?]
NEVER add gear oil to ATF. If you're not the original owner &/or you don't know what type oil is in there now, drain it and replace with one or the other. ATF was used in the transfer case coming out of the factory. It doesn't take much oil and its cheaper than screwing up. Drain plug is on the front side at the bottom under the front drive shaft. 2 3/8 Qt capacity.
I use a suction pump [$8 at Checker Auto] to load up and deliver the oil into the filler hole. Makes the job quick and [relatively] mess free. RC
Last edited by RatioCynic : Apr 17th, 2004 at 08:57 AM.
Thanks for the info. I'm the original owner. It has about 150k on it. It's in semi retirement. I've been using it for chores, getting around in the snow....
I couldn't find a pump. I bought a tube extender. One end of the tube threaded over the qt. container and had a valve on it to control flow. It still made some mess on the driveway.
The transfer case took just a little over 2 qts. The dealer parts counter guy told me I needed 3 qts. I was concerned when it wouldn't take any more, but your post appears to confirm my experience.
I did the transmission as well. I was down about 2 qts. It's been grinding a bit for the last year or so. Nothing serious but I could feel the gears while shifting. I thought it might be the clutch. No more grinding now.
This is the best vehicle I've owned. I've had several Toyotas, 2 Volvos, GM, Ford, VW. Nothing beats this thing.
Good to hear the job went well & you found the right plug. I remember one of my first oil changes in life, I removed the wrong plug & drained the tranny. Ole Man said, "What the f--- you do that for?"
Its tight quarters trying to get a quart container in next to my tranny's fill plug. While the suction pump works well for topping off the fluids, it only holds about a pint. For complete change out, esp. the tranny which is ~8 qts, I rig up a piece of 3/8" ID Tygon tubing [good chemically resistant clear flexible tubing] cut to length with a funnel secured in the engine compartment and let gravity do its thing. A couple of twist ties keeps the tubing in place. RC
Thanks for the info. I'm the original owner. It has about 150k on it. It's in semi retirement. I've been using it for chores, getting around in the snow....
I couldn't find a pump. I bought a tube extender. One end of the tube threaded over the qt. container and had a valve on it to control flow. It still made some mess on the driveway.
The transfer case took just a little over 2 qts. The dealer parts counter guy told me I needed 3 qts. I was concerned when it wouldn't take any more, but your post appears to confirm my experience.
I did the transmission as well. I was down about 2 qts. It's been grinding a bit for the last year or so. Nothing serious but I could feel the gears while shifting. I thought it might be the clutch. No more grinding now.
This is the best vehicle I've owned. I've had several Toyotas, 2 Volvos, GM, Ford, VW. Nothing beats this thing.
I can't help but ask did you use GL-4 Gear Oil in your tranny? A lot of people use GL-5 thinking it is the same (or better) but the 5 has additives that will over time eat away at the brass on the synchronizers and eventually cause poor shifting.
I can't help but ask did you use GL-4 Gear Oil in your tranny? A lot of people use GL-5 thinking it is the same (or better) but the 5 has additives that will over time eat away at the brass on the synchronizers and eventually cause poor shifting.
You are absolutely right. The tranny calls for GL-4, while front and rear differentials GL-5. RC
You are absolutely right. The tranny calls for GL-4, while front and rear differentials GL-5. RC
Where can you get GL-4 for a good price? It seems the only thing I can ever find anywhere is GL-5, and I don't necessarily want to pay $12/quart for synthetic GL-4 (though I'd love to use Redline's MT-90).
I haven't had the need to look for dino GL-4. However, this weekend I used the last of my stock of Valvoline GL-4 that was bought ages ago. So I'm in the market for some. Was thinking of moving to synthetic. I priced synthetic Mobil 1 gear oil at Checker Auto ...75W-90, $7/Qt and 75W-140, $16/Qt. WOW! That's $50 to change out the tranny. What's the pricing on the Redline MT-90? RC
Last edited by RatioCynic : Apr 19th, 2004 at 10:28 AM.
I priced synthetic Mobil 1 gear oil at Checker Auto ...75W-90, $7/Qt and 75W-140, $16/Qt. WOW! That's $50 to change out the tranny. What's the pricing on the Redline MT-90? RC
Yeah, no kidding! Not worth it (to me). I was expecting the Redline to be in the neighborhood of $6/qt, but it's $12.99/qt locally. I understand you can get it on the Internet for $7-8 per, plus shipping. I'd just like to find some regular, good ol' GL-4. I understand the Nissan dealership does sell it. But I'd prefer not purchasing from them (although I haven't price-checked them yet).
I called the local Nissan dealer. They recommend & use Pennzoil GearPlus 85W-90 [GL-5] in the Front/rear diffs [LSD lube $5.48/Pint !!] and 80W-90 in the tranny. In the last 6 mos they have been offering a synthetic gear oil option and they add MGC additive [Multi-Gear Concentrate made by BG Products] in the tranny. They do a high pressure tranny flush first. Cost was $93 incl the oil or $375 for diffs, transfer case and tranny. Can't buy the synthetic gear oil from them as they only have it in 25 gal drums.
$93 isn't bad given that if I do a change out using Mobil 1 gear oil its $50 for product alone. So for another $43 Nissan will do the labor and a flush. I may go this route on the next change out to synthetic.
I questioned Nissan about GL-4 vs GL-5 issues...Not an issue with them or Nissan. All their dino oil/lubes is GL-5 and synthetics are GL-5 compatiable. I've read alot about these issues from other posters but is there any documented evidence that GL-5 is not good for older trannys?
If you still want GL-4, Pennzoil's site
[select the Product Data Sheets link and search for "gear oil/transmissions" ] lists GL-4 gear oil. Whether you can find it is another story. RC
I questioned Nissan about GL-4 vs GL-5 issues...Not an issue with them or Nissan. All their dino oil/lubes is GL-5 and synthetics are GL-5 compatiable. I've read alot about these issues from other posters but is there any documented evidence that GL-5 is not good for older trannys?
I don't have any experience personally, but it sure seems that whenever someone posts that they just changed their tranny lube and it acts up, the first question is, "did you put in GL-5", and the answer is usually, "yeah, the parts guy said it was the same."
So I don't know if your tranny messes up everytime you put in GL-5, but it seems that anytime one is messing up, someone had just put GL-5 in it. Something about the friction modifiers being different in GL-5 and not working with the synchronizers in the transmission. Maybe the MGC that your dealership adds to the GL-5 for transmission applications addresses that concern?
I don't have any experience personally, but it sure seems that whenever someone posts that they just changed their tranny lube and it acts up, the first question is, "did you put in GL-5", and the answer is usually, "yeah, the parts guy said it was the same."
So I don't know if your tranny messes up everytime you put in GL-5, but it seems that anytime one is messing up, someone had just put GL-5 in it. Something about the friction modifiers being different in GL-5 and not working with the synchronizers in the transmission. Maybe the MGC that your dealership adds to the GL-5 for transmission applications addresses that concern?
I found this on another site. It was supposedly posted on the Penzoil site but I couldn't find the origional. They do say; "Do not use gl-5 if it calls for gl-4." My understanding is that the chemical corrosion of the synchronizers will only occur if the oil is heated up. Thus a person using their vehicle for short runs or in a colder climate might not have any problems for years. That would explain why some people have problems very soon after changing transmission oil and others don't.
"Q 2. What happens if API GL-5 gear oil is used in an API GL-4 gear oil application? "
"API GL-4 and API GL-5 products typically use the same extreme pressure (EP) additive system, with the API GL-5 having about twice the concentration of a API GL-4. In service, these additives become active under extreme load and temperature when the protective oil film can be squeezed away. EP additives work by forming wear-resistant compounds with the metal of the gear tooth surface. As the gears mesh, these compounds shield the gear teeth from direct metal-to-metal contact that would cause wear and damage to the gears. If too little of the active additive is present, proper protection would be compromised. Too much of this additive could cause excessive chemical corrosion of the gear surface. If an API GL-5 gear oil is used in a application where API GL-4 gear oil is called for, chemical corrosion of "yellow metal" components may occur, such as bronze synchronizers, brass bushings, etc. This may lead to shifting difficulties or shortened equipment life."
"Q 2. What happens if API GL-5 gear oil is used in an API GL-4 gear oil application? "
"API GL-4 and API GL-5 products typically use the same extreme pressure (EP) additive system, with the API GL-5 having about twice the concentration of a API GL-4. In service, these additives become active under extreme load and temperature when the protective oil film can be squeezed away. EP additives work by forming wear-resistant compounds with the metal of the gear tooth surface. As the gears mesh, these compounds shield the gear teeth from direct metal-to-metal contact that would cause wear and damage to the gears. If too little of the active additive is present, proper protection would be compromised. Too much of this additive could cause excessive chemical corrosion of the gear surface. If an API GL-5 gear oil is used in a application where API GL-4 gear oil is called for, chemical corrosion of "yellow metal" components may occur, such as bronze synchronizers, brass bushings, etc. This may lead to shifting difficulties or shortened equipment life."
Cool! That means a lot more than chat room bantering on the issue. I Googled the phrase "What happens if API GL-5 gear oil is used in an API GL-4 gear oil application" and found the Pennzoil document. A more refined search also found a second Pennzoil document which makes an interesting reference: "Synchromesh fluid is an unique tranmission and transaxle product - there are no other gear oils that can be substituted in applications calling for this fluid."
In the last 2 weeks, I have started hearing an ever-so-slight grind when down shifting into 3rd or 2nd gears. And thought, perhaps its clutch problems or transmission's synchronizer? So I changed out my tranny oil this past weekend, but the grind is still there. I may need to give it more time and miles to clear. The 12 years climbing this mountain everyday has taken a toll on my Pathfinder's tranny. The drive is mostly in 2nd and 3rd gears.
Bye the way, I used Redline synthetic (can't remember which one) when I changed my oil last year and I did notice it shifted better, especially when cold. If yours still "grunts" when shifting into 2nd after you change oil, it probably means the synchronizer is getting worn. (Unfortunately that either means you have to take the tranny out and give it a rebuild or learn to live with it.)
Thanks for those links, RC. It looks like Pennzoil has a good general market GL-4, and Auto Zone might be the place I need to look for it. I think it said that Synchromesh Fluid retailed for $5/qt at most retailers. That's a much better price than $13/qt for the Redline MT-90, although I'm convinced that the Redline stuff is the best out there. Considering the price, I bet it probably is.
The Pennzoil docs showed a mineral 80W-90 GL-4 and a synthetic 75W-90 GL-4. I'll see what Auto Zone has and what they get per quart for 'em.
If you're not the original owner &/or you don't know what type oil is in there now, drain it and replace with one or the other. ATF was used in the transfer case coming out of the factory. It doesn't take much oil and its cheaper than screwing up. Drain plug is on the front side at the bottom under the front drive shaft. 2 3/8 Qt capacity. 
I remember one of my first oil changes in life, I removed the wrong plug & drained the tranny. 
Ole Man said, "What the f--- you do that for?"
Linear Mode
