Shift flare using Castrol Import ATF in my Nissan

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26k on my '06 Sentra so decided to drop the ATF. Threw in three quarts of Castrol Import ATF and one quart of Nissan Matic D (had it in the garage). After the switch the 2-3 & 3-4 upshifts flare a little under throttle which it didn't do before, or to a lesser extent. Been looking around for some real Nissan Matic D fluid but can't find it on line and don't feel like paying $9/quart at a dealer. Can anyone recommend a good replacement fluid for Nissan Matic D that won't break the bank? Manual says Dexron III/Mercon is acceptable, but I'm wondering now since the problems with the Castrol fluid. Any Nissan guys out there?
 
matic d is primarily dex iii. no reason to really buy the matic-d unless you like your dealership.

the castrol import atf should've been just fine.
I would've put regular castrol dex-iii in and called it all good.

I'm using the castrol import for my 02 altima tht wants matic k
it shifts just fine, actually a bit better.
I did put a bottle of red lubegard in just for the extra measure.
 
Do a battery disconnect.
And, make sure the level is checked correctly hot, on a level surface, while the vehicle is running......
 
Originally Posted By: unDummy
Do a battery disconnect.
And, make sure the level is checked correctly hot, on a level surface, while the vehicle is running......



Fluid level is perfect, and what good is a battery disconnect going to do?
 
Adaptive shift re-learn. Modern cars will re-learn automatically, although the battery disconnect makes it happen faster.
 
Originally Posted By: Pablo
I third the ECU reset.

I still don't like brewing ATF.


Yep!, I do the same thing with mine. Especially if changing over to Synthetic fluid.
 
Okay, thanks for the tip. I'll do a battery disconnect before driving to work this morning. Fingers crossed...

Regarding mixing the oil, that wasn't my plan but was surprised when four quarts came out with a simple remove the drain plug type fluid switch. Pulling the pan to change the filter was discouraged on one of the Sentra forums so being lazy anyway, decided to just dump the oil.
 
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What kind of Nissan? It's unusual to have any spec'd ATF cause issues with a Jatco AT. Normally they'll work flawlessly on just about anything.

Joel
 
Battery disconnect did nothing. I doubt this model has any adaptive learning that effects line pressure to lock up the clutches.

I'm now wondering if a little shift flare (slippage) when upshifting is a durability concern? I'm thinking not so most likely I'll just run this AT fill for a year and then dump it. The car doesn't see a lot of miles but most of them are city driving. Been running synthetic oil in the engine and leaving it for a year so guess I'll just do the trans at the same time unless you guys think there will be wear concerns with the small amount of extra slippage.
 
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Your fluid change may have dislodged some old deposits.

Change fluid and try some Castrol High Mileage ATF and or add some ARX.
 
IMO you should give it a month to settle down with the new soup. In the forum and others, Castrol Import MV ATF has outperformed Nissan Matic D fluid, don't do anything drastic by draining and putting DexIII. Give it some time to settle down.
 
I do not like how Castrol MultiVehicle operated in my Maxima 2005 where Matic-K is required. Moreover, liquid became dirty after about 3-4k miles. I would drain it and fill transmission with Mobil 1 ATF or Amalie (what I have now).
I had Sentra 2001 which had exactly same transmission for 6.5 years and never had problems with Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF.

Disclaimer: this is just my personal experience, but this is an practical experience, not a theory.
 
Originally Posted By: MolaKule
Your fluid change may have dislodged some old deposits.

Change fluid and try some Castrol High Mileage ATF and or add some ARX.


The car has 26k on it. There isn't [censored] that got dislodged. The transmission just plain doesn't like that Castrol Import ATF. The car has done 500+ miles since the change and the shift flare remains. The question is should I just ignore it or change to Nissan D or Dex III fluid?
 
Given your circumstances, I would flush the system with any good Dexron III type fluid. The Import multi-vehicle should be a highly friction modified fluid while Dexron III isn't highly friction modified.
 
Originally Posted By: Nessism
Originally Posted By: MolaKule
Your fluid change may have dislodged some old deposits.

Change fluid and try some Castrol High Mileage ATF and or add some ARX.


The car has 26k on it. There isn't [censored] that got dislodged. The transmission just plain doesn't like that Castrol Import ATF. The car has done 500+ miles since the change and the shift flare remains. The question is should I just ignore it or change to Nissan D or Dex III fluid?


IF the OE fluid for your trans is similar to Dex III, then like someone else mentioned the Castrol Import probably has the wrong friction modifier level, too much of it and that's probably the worst thing to have is slippage. Best fluid you could get is Dex VI since it's backwards compatible with Dex III. I would change out as soon as possible and refill with Dex VI if it was my car.
 
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