Nissan Pathfinder/Murano transfer case

[JTK]

I was doing some poking around to familiarize myself with transfer case maintenance on our 2019 Nissan Pathfinder and I came across this youtube video. I hope to not need this done to mine at any point, but what's got me curious is what is holding the engine in place while this is being done? It looks like it's swinging in the breeze. Some type of underhood brace? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDUN0PD3g3k&t=15s

 

[KGMtech]

Upper engine and transmission mounts would be my guess.

 

[cronk]

Harbor freight engine support

 

[TheLawnRanger]

That looks like a quality item. I look at the HF site a lot and haven't seen it. It seems like they have things like this that you only find if you specifically look for it unlike other items you might see while browsing.

 

[cronk]

Originally Posted by TheLawnRanger
That looks like a quality item. I look at the HF site a lot and haven't seen it. It seems like they have things like this that you only find if you specifically look for it unlike other items you might see while browsing.

I've had one for several years, and used it on many jobs. It has worked well and is pretty well built.
They don't always keep them on the sales floor, you might have to ask for one and see if they have one in the back.

 

[JTK]

Makes sense a support like that is being used.

Given how those nissan upper engine mounts tear themselves up in normal use, they'd tear right off as soon as that subframe was dropped.

 

[MolaKule]

The Transfer Case case oil in our PathFinder is a GL-5 75W90, and the capacity is about 3/4 of a quart.

Because of the capacity and the analysis I had done after receiving the vehicle, I changed the lube after I got it home and then after every winter.

 

[JTK]

Do you have a trick to reach the fill plug on the T-case?

I got under and had a good look at the setup on my 2019 today while doing an engine oil change. I was able to reach the fill plug by snaking a 10-12" extension with the 10mm hex socket on it above the subframe and had just enough room to work a 3/8" ratchet, but that plug is in pretty tight spot.

Do you use a section of hose on a gear lube bottle and squeeze the oil in?

 

[RooflessVW]

I have a couple of chemical squirters that I use. I have a 2 gallon for ATF and a 1 gallon for gear oil.

Some 3/8" vinyl tubing and a pex valve and it takes all the thought out of the job.

 

[JTK]

Is yours a Pathfinder too?

I've done a few similar setups on other make/models and was able to snake some tubing down though the engine bay and into the T-case/PTU fill port and fill them I-V style, but it's slow with gear oil.

I wasn't able to crack the fill plug free without a cheater or bigger wrench, so I left it for now. I'm not setup for the job yet anyway. Was just planning ahead.

The little T-case on the patfhinder and murano is nestled next to a catalytic converter and spins anytime the transmission is churning so like Molakule eluded to, that 3/4 quart of gear oil must work hard.

 

[RooflessVW]

No, I have a Touareg and an Atlas. Using a 1 gallon chemical sprayer, I was able to service my rear differential (1.25qt) with 75W-90 in under a minute.

MarcS fluid pump

 

[JTK]

I got around to doing a drain/fill on my 2019 Pathfinder's transfer case today. Vehicle currently has about 25K miles on it. I barely got 10oz of gear oil out of it and refilled about the same amount until fluid dribbled out of the refill plug. The factory oil looked terrible to me and I guess not surprising given the tiny capacity and it's proximity to exhaust piping.

It's not a fun job on your back and the refill port is a bugger to get to. It's a horrible reach-around with a foot long extension with a 10mm hex socket on it. The drain plug is right out in the open. I need to invest in a fluid pump that can pump gear oil. I filled it from above IV style. Slow and dribbly.

I gave the box a ~10oz flush with some Supertech synth blend 75w90 I had on hand and then refilled it with Supertech full synthetic 75w90.

 

[MolaKule]

Originally Posted by JTK
I got around to doing a drain/fill on my 2019 Pathfinder's transfer case today. Vehicle currently has about 25K miles on it. I barely got 10oz of gear oil out of it and refilled about the same amount until fluid dribbled out of the refill plug. The factory oil looked terrible to me and I guess not surprising given the tiny capacity and it's proximity to exhaust piping...



You're oil looked better than mine on the first fill (32k).

The first analysis showed 325 ppm of ferrous elements. After third refill, it's down to 185 ppm.

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted by MolaKule


You're oil looked better than mine on the first fill (32k).

The first analysis showed 325 ppm of ferrous elements. After third refill, it's down to 185 ppm.



That's crazy. Could you imagine what this oil looks like in the T-cases of the millions of Rogues and variants of that are out there?

According to the service manual for the ~2013-2016 Pathfinder, the transfer case oil capacity is 0.31 liters or 5/8 pint. That's about what I got out of my 2019. Volume is not given in the owner's manual.

The owner's manual does recommend the following service for the T-case and rear diff that I'm sure most folks don't follow: "If towing a trailer, using a camper or a car-top, or driving on rough or muddy roads, change (not just inspect) oil at every
20,000 miles (32,000 km) or 24 months."

 

[JTK]

Not quite a year later, but at ~35700mi I did another T-case drain/fill today on our 2019 Pathfinder. So this gear oil had ~10K miles on it.

I had forgotten what an unpleasant job this is on your back, with exhaust flange rust falling in your face. It took me about 20x in/out from under the pathfinder until I figured out how to get to that darn fill plug again and get it removed. Scraped up my hands and arms in the process like I did last time. It takes a special concoction of extensions and swivels to get the fill plug off. The drain plug faces straight down kind of in the open, so that's not bad.

The other difference this time is I used a cheap $8 pressurized garden sprayer to get the gear oil back into the T-case. I took the tip off the sprayer and shoved a piece of clear vinyl hose I had on hand. Still made a mess fiddling around with it. It was slow to fill, but it worked.

This is one of those jobs I wound't mind spending $100 to have done, but I just don't have a lot of faith in my local shops and I know they'd charge more. It's just a few ounces of gear oil is all these hold. A frighteningly small amount for a gear box that has to churn any time the wheels are spinning.

What drained out looked dark and had that super fine metallic sheen to it. I dread doing this again. Wish I owned a lift. This job would be no big deal at all that way.

 

[KGMtech]

I did my 2019 Infinity QX60 Transfer Case (mechanical twin to Pathfinder) drain and fill last week, yes the access to the fill plug is not easy, but any DIY warrior has multiple extensions for his or her sockets. The TC capacity is only 300ml so the poor little puddle of GL-5 80W90 is baked quickly.

I was able to attach 18 inches of clear 3/8ths plastic tube to the squeeze bottle of 80W90 and got it hand squeezed into the fill hole without too much trouble. The IV idea is clever, but I didn't need to resort to this method. I recommend flame heating the clear plastic hose/tube before you snug it to the bottle top of squeezable gear oil, makes for a tight fit that shouldn't BURST when you're laying under the car gripping with all your might!
'
I'm thinking every 40,000 km is good preventative maintenance.

 

[JTK]

Yeah, I accidentally yanked the clear plastic hose off the garden sprayer wand on my first go-around yesterday. Dribbled a bit of gear oil onto the driveway. Like you say, the squeeze or bottle pump method should work fine too if the gear oil is warm enough. I've not been able to get 10 full ounces in mine w/out it pouring out of the fill / level check hole.

It's a pain for me to get positioned in that area under the vehicle. I've got to lift it some, yet keep it level and not die in the process.