Reading Nissan CVT Dipstick

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I just checked the transmission fluid level on my 2008 Nissan Altima CVT and find the reading confusing.

The dipstick has two notches on one edge, which I would normally associate with the high and low fluid levels, but it also has a cross-hatch box on one side which does not line up with the notches. My fluid reads just below (1/16") the top notch, but at the bottom of the cross-hatch box. There are no words on the dipstick to help, like "add" or "low" or "full", and the owner's manual is no help either.

How should I interpret this reading?

Tom NJ
 
Thanks. Yes I did see that before and the picture indicates to go by the cross-hatch box, although my cross-hatch box is much smaller than the one shown.

If that is the case, what are the two notches on the edge of the dipstick for? I recall other dipsticks from the past where the notches were the level indicators. In this case, the length of the cross-hatch box is the same as the distance between the two notches, only off-set. The box starts about 1/4" above the top notch and ends half way between the two notches.

Tom NJ
 
Well, if the dipstick is anything like my '01 Pathfinders, the notches represent the cold fill level, and the hatched side on the other side of the dipstick represent the hot fill level. The FSM's depiction of the dipstick is likely an approximation. Can you take a picture of both sides of the dipstick? Perhaps I'm misinterpreting your description. My mother has an '07 Altima, but I've never pulled its trans dipstick and it's not available here right now to take a look.
 
You may need to check the factory service manual versus the owner's manual. On my Ford's CVT, the reading isn't intuitive at all; the "hot" reading is anywhere from the top hole to 12mm ABOVE the top hole (and to add to the confusion, some dipsticks have cross-hatches about the top hole and some don't). Then there's another procedure to checking the fluid @ 90F which is at the lower hole.

I'm guessing that CVT fluid may expand at a different rate than some other fluids?, so setting the fluid level seems to be very temperature-dependant.
 
Originally Posted By: Towncivilian
Well, if the dipstick is anything like my '01 Pathfinders, the notches represent the cold fill level, and the hatched side on the other side of the dipstick represent the hot fill level.

That's interesting.

Originally Posted By: Towncivilian
Can you take a picture of both sides of the dipstick? Perhaps I'm misinterpreting your description.

Here is a picture of my CVT dipstick. As you can see, the notches and hash marks do not line up and there is no indication of the proper fill level. The other side is blank.

Tom NJ
dipstick3.jpg
 
Looks just like my Pathfinder's trans dipstick. Notched area is HOT fill level, other side is COLD fill level (between the two notches).
 
Originally Posted By: Towncivilian
Looks just like my Pathfinder's trans dipstick. Notched area is HOT fill level, other side is COLD fill level (between the two notches).

Just to make sure I understand, you are saying that the hash mark box area is for the hot fill levels, and the notches on the edge are for the cold fill levels. Good to know. Would have been nice if Nissan gave a clue.

Thanks!

Tom
 
Hot: 50 to 80°C (122 to 176°F)

Cold: most likely 30 to 50°C (86 to 122°F); value pulled from my 2001.5 Pathfinder FSM, since the "HOT" temperature range is identical
 
I am finding that many ATF dipsticks are getting harder to read/understand these days compared to several years ago. What's the big secret and all of the confussion? This should be a simple devise for owners to read thire tranny level!

My '04 Altima dipstick is a joke on a cable. I have to squint to read it and turn it over from one side to the other in order to decipher the differences between cold and hot. I know, my eyes aren't what they were but, come on!
 
Wow, what a confusing dipstick design. I would have put hash marks on both sides of the stick, one with a circled "C" in the middle of the hash marks, one with a circled "H" in the middle.

Of course, most people are only going to look at ONE side of the dipstick, assuming that both sides match each other. Sigh, I can understand the dilemma for Nissan engineers. At least the two half-moon cutouts resemble the letter "C" for "Cold."
 
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