Nissan NS-3 Equivalent - Valvoline CVT

JeffKeryk

JeffKeryk

Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
16,735
Location
Los Gatos, CA
Hi All - I serviced a 2015 Altima with 80K miles. The CVT fluid was dark... We have heard about these CVT failures. I used 4.1 quarts of Valvoline CVT fluid. The car was noticeably smoother. I will change it again soon due to the condition of the original fluid. Valvoline's Product Sheet states it can be used for NS-2 and NS-2. I would appreciate your real world experience and recommendations. Your thoughts? And thanks in advance. I really like this car; I got it as a gift for a friend. And no dipstick? Please...
 
Last edited:
Not hogging this thread but, have a couple of Q's. 1) Was this an Altima 2.5L - 4 cyl? If so, I have the same car and was considering doing the CVT drain & refill myself as I have done with all of my vehicles. However, I am concerned about the exact drain & refill procedure of this tranny. I understand that the tranny temp has to be monitored. 2) Does anyone know or can guide me in this direction?
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Char Baby
Not hogging this thread but, have a couple of Q's. 1) Was this an Altima 2.5L - 4 cyl? If so, I have the same car and was considering doing the CVT drain & refill myself as I have done with all of my vehicles. However, I am concerned about the exact drain & refill procedure of this tranny. I understand that the tranny temp has to be monitored. 2) Does anyone know or can guide me in this direction?
There is a service manual on line on Nicoclub.com. http://www.nicoclub.com/service-manual?fsm=Altima/2015%20Altima/tm page tm-85 This takes through the official Nissan procedure for checking and changing the CVT fluid. Nissan uses a special charging tube to add fluid. You can and I have added fluid through the fake dipstick tube. The cap on the dipstick tube is hard to remove but it is plastic so it can be removed. Be sure you can remove this before draining any fluid. As far as monitoring the temperature there is an app for that, CVTz50, that can be downloaded from the play store for about $5. You will need an ELM 327 OBD plug version 1.5 (note Version 2.0 and above will not work). I did have to try connecting several times before I was able to get the app to work. A WORD OF CAUTION, NEVER REMOVE THE OVERFLOW PLUG WHEN THE ENGINE IS "NOT" RUNNING OR YOU WILL LOSE A LOT OF FLUID. When checking the fluid the car needs to be fairly level. With my car on ramps I jacked up the rear and used jack stands to level the car, it doesn't have to be perfect. The on line procedure gives the drain/refill amount of appox. 3 liters or 2-5/8 Imp qts which is 3.2 US qts.
 
The car was from Hertz Sales in Santa Clara, CA, about 3 months ago. It had miles, almost 80K. I think it was $9K, or about $11K out the door, including another year of (expensive) CA registration.
 
Yes, it was the 4 cylinder. I drained and refilled 4.1 quarts of fluid. The "correct" procedure is to get the trans up to operating temperature and remove the inspection fluid level plug. I did not do that. I have been working on cars for maybe 50 years. Kinda ridiculous if you ask me. The only reason I can think of is to get you to take it to Nissan for service. Gimmie a break...
 
"The cap on the dipstick tube is hard to remove but it is plastic so it can be removed. Be sure you can remove this before draining any fluid." Good point. This was the worst part of the job, and I don't understand why Nissan would use such a thing. I replaced it 180* out from the lock position. It ain't going anywhere...
 
Originally Posted By: chunt
A WORD OF CAUTION, NEVER REMOVE THE OVERFLOW PLUG WHEN THE ENGINE IS "NOT" RUNNING OR YOU WILL LOSE A LOT OF FLUID.
That's not how it works with the level check plug on the Pathfinder, Murano and Quest. You pull the level check plug with the engine off.
 
Originally Posted By: JeffKeryk
"The cap on the dipstick tube is hard to remove but it is plastic so it can be removed. Be sure you can remove this before draining any fluid." Good point. This was the worst part of the job, and I don't understand why Nissan would use such a thing. I replaced it 180* out from the lock position. It ain't going anywhere...
Yeah, I know on my 2016 Quest, it wasn't the locking clip part of the dipstick cap that was making it impossible to remove, it seemed to be the O-ring seal on mine. It was REALLY sticking to the inside of the tube. When I finally broke it free, I lubed it with some silicone grease. Out of curiosity, what did you pay for the Valvoline CVT juice? Just wondering because I was able to buy Nissan NS-3 off eBay 6 months ago for under $10/qt shipped. It seems to be a bit more now. Probably a supply/demand thing.
 
Great tip on lubing the o-ring! I think you nailed the reason I had so much trouble removing the plug... I paid $56 on Amazon for a 6 pack of Valvoline CVT. Heck, the same thing is $83 now. I will check eBay next time, as that is a great price. I really like this car. It needs to last cuz I have been losing the "Dan the car killer" game for a long time.
 
^ Good price! I've still got 4qts of Nissan NS-3 for another drain/fill. I cringe at the prices I'm seeing online for the stuff now. I hate to stock up on it, but if I see another amount in 4, 8 or 12qts at a good price, I may snag it. It seemed to be cheaper 6mo ago.
 
Castrol CVT fluid is $35 for a case of 6 on Amazon. A few times a year, AAP/Carquest has it 2 for $11. Much better price than Valvoline smile
 
I serviced the trans again, using Valvoline CVT fluid. Wanted to do it twice, as I'm sure it was never done before. Fluid was still fairly dark grey, but nothing like the 1st time. I searched out the Product sheets on Valvoline and Castrol fluid; both are NS-2 and NS-3 equivalent. Also, Hertz Car Sales had Pep Boys service the car before selling it. The oil was overfilled by almost a quart. A nice K&N filter and 5 quarts of Mobil-1 0W20 High Milage and she's running so smooth... I really like this car.
 
Originally Posted By: JeffKeryk
I serviced the trans again, using Valvoline CVT fluid. Wanted to do it twice, as I'm sure it was never done before. Fluid was still fairly dark grey, but nothing like the 1st time. I searched out the Product sheets on Valvoline and Castrol fluid; both are NS-2 and NS-3 equivalent. Also, Hertz Car Sales had Pep Boys service the car before selling it. The oil was overfilled by almost a quart. A nice K&N filter and 5 quarts of Mobil-1 0W20 High Milage and she's running so smooth... I really like this car.
Good deal. You'll want to do at least 2 drain/fills the first time in this situation. Our 2016 Nissan Quest minivan was a previous rental as well and even though it was sold as a "Certified Used" vehicle from a Nissan dealer with "everything" having been gone through, they didn't touch the CVT. The OEM NS-3 came out almost as dark as used motor oil at ~34K miles when we bought the van. After 2, 4qt drain/fills with a week or so in between, the fluid was back to the factory blue. I really like the later model Altima as well. The seating is more comfortable for me than the other makes in this segment of vehicle that I've been in. They sure don't hold their resale like a Camry or Accord, but that's what makes them a great used buy IMO.
 
[JTK/quote]: I really like the later model Altima as well. The seating is more comfortable for me than the other makes in this segment of vehicle that I've been in. They sure don't hold their resale like a Camry or Accord, but that's what makes them a great used buy IMO.[/quote] Indeed! However, in my area, the dealer's discount the Altima's ~ $7-$9K toward year end(even mid year), making the preowned Altima or Camry/Accord a moot point. I have gotten such a good deal for my last two new Altima's that the resale value didn't even matter.
 
Update - I tried the 2013 model year CVT dipstick on Dan's 2015 Altima. These cars come with no dipstick and a ridiculous procedure to check proper fluid level. Car now has about 85K... Remember I did 2 spill and fills over the 1st couple months and replaced about 4.1 quarts of Valvoline CVT. Tranny runs so smooth... The dipstick worked GREAT! I checked it with engine off and then engine idling; trans at operating temperature. Level was within marks; closer to the lower limit. I added maybe 6 ounces of fluid, let her idle a bit and rechecked. Bingo! Right to upper mark. Part # 31086-JA00A I paid like $13 from Ebay. This works for me and now I will leave the CVT alone for about 25K miles; then another spill and fill. Easy $$.
 
Jeff, so you checked CVT fluid level with the unit warmed up and engine idling? Sorry if you mentioned this, but does the Altima CVT also have a level check plug? I did pull the level check plug on our 2016 Quest cold and a small stream of fluid (half a cup maybe?) came out. 4qts total drained out cold between what came out the level check and what drained out the drain plug. I added the same amount of new fluid back in and called it a day. I repeated the same thing a few days later. The other reason I ask is, I've seen a few U-toob videos of Nissans being checked for CVT fluid level up on the rack via the level check plug, and the Nissan service Techs did it with the engines off, as you'd expect with the vehicle up on the rack. FWIW, this was on the Murano/Pathfinder. Same drivetrain as the Quest.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

S
Nissan NS-3 CVT Fluid
Replies
6
Views
17K
Lee_Nguyen
R
MV CVTF for 2015 Subaru Outback?
Replies
13
Views
2K
Rhill
JeffKeryk
Nissan E-PFS Power Steering Fluid equivalent?
Replies
4
Views
16K
MolaKule
MolaKule
  • Locked
CVT Fluid - General Info
Replies
9
Views
4K
CharBaby
P
Switching CVT fluid from Nissan OEM to other brand?
2
Replies
22
Views
24K
Crash Bandicoot
Top