40k

[ronburgandy]

I am about to Roll 40k on my 08' frontier 4x4 6spd. I would like to change all the fluids and filters, I am going to do front /rear diff, T-case, gas shocks and new tires, what else would you recommend to also change out?
what kind of synthetic engine oil does the dealership use, what should I use?
thanks for your input

 

[08whitex]

You should be able to have the gearbox drained and filled also

 

[RonapRhys]

I know a lot of the 2nd Gen folks recommend Amsoil for the Xterras. Personally I use Mobil1 all around. I'm betting that if you use a name-brand synthetic and change it regularly it's not going to be make any real difference.

If you're doing it yourself (which I recommend) make sure you get one of those little pumps so you can force the fluid in. It'll make your life so much easier. I'll also second draining and filling the gearbox - though you may need a T50 or some other such Torx/Star wrench to get the plug out.

Last thing. Do NOT do this while hungover. It will be the suck if you do. DAMHIKT.

 

[ronburgandy]

Yes i am doing it myself, so any recommendation's would be great!!
I switched to synthetic right after i bought the truck, so yes i would agree, on any name brand oil, the idea about the pump makes sense, yeah i forgot to mention the gear box, but yeah that is on the list
thanks for the ideas

cheers

I know a lot of the 2nd Gen folks recommend Amsoil for the Xterras. Personally I use Mobil1 all around. I'm betting that if you use a name-brand synthetic and change it regularly it's not going to be make any real difference.

If you're doing it yourself (which I recommend) make sure you get one of those little pumps so you can force the fluid in. It'll make your life so much easier. I'll also second draining and filling the gearbox - though you may need a T50 or some other such Torx/Star wrench to get the plug out.

Last thing. Do NOT do this while hungover. It will be the suck if you do. DAMHIKT.

 

[RonapRhys]

I didn't find it too incredibly difficult - just time consuming. Dunno about your personal situation, so if this is too basic feel free to ignore.

• I did purchase one of those large aluminum trays to go under the catch pan. I found this to be very useful.
• I also got one of those oil catch basins that seals up and has a spout. This makes it much easier to dump the used oil, once you've filled up the part with new fluids, into the old containers for recycling.
• Your local parts store will take your used fluids - my local store mixes them all together so it doesn't matter if they're different types of oil/lubricant.
• I tried to do it while all the different gear sets were at operating temperature as the oil flows much easier.
• Even though I didn't use Amsoil, they've got a cool site that will tell you what gear oil you need for each specific part, as well as how much to purchase.
• Definitely check the fill and drain plugs prior to completing the job to make sure you've got the right tools ahead of time. Nissan does like some funky connectors.
• You may need some of those copper crush gaskets. Do not scrimp here.
• I'll recommend Mobil1 again. I had a 2000 Geo Tracker that I absolutely flogged to death. From the start I used Mobil1 and managed to get ~200K miles out of the engine before it grenaded - and this was my college vehicle, so you can guess just how hard I treated that engine.

 

[Ghost65]

what else would you recommend to also change out?

Drain and fill the blinker fluid. :Mechanic:

 

[ronburgandy]

Drain and fill the blinker fluid. :Mechanic:

I wouldn't even attempt that one, I will pay a trained professional to do that one, scheduled an appointment at the dealership, they said it will take 2 days, cost $2300.00, but it will be worth it!!!
my blinker will be workin' so good!
left, right, left!!!
thx for the advice!

 

[JJMAC]

I drained the brake fluid when I was in there putting on slotted rotors (at about 40K) the brake fluid was NASTY!!!!!!! Small bits and pieces of NASTY. Really glad I changed it because many told me it wasnt nessssary.....

I use royal purple for oil and ATF....

 

[BlueBomber]

My dad changed the oil in his 89 yota's transmission and found that after he drained it he couldnt get the fill hole open. Lesson learned: make sure you can get the new stuff in BEFORE you let the old stuff out.

 

[nismo4x4]

If you havent done it yet...

Be sure to get GL-4 spec oil for the transmission. I couldnt find anything that was GL-4 so I went ahead for GL-5 mobil 1, big mistake...the synchros didnt like that at all...2 days later I was back under the truck filling it with gl-4 spec royal purple.

By the way the local dealership uses regular old penzoil in our 6 speeds...even though the book mentions synthetic be used...But yea definately use a quality gl-4 spec oil!

 

[CoastalDefender]

What I run-
5w-30 engine
75w-90 Mobil 1 front diff
Mobil ATF D/M t-case
75w-90 Mobil 1 rear diff

And my wife runs the same except for Mobil 1 75w-140 in the rear end for her M226 axle.

 

[Hootowl]

I think you left off changing the fluid in the transmission. Definately have it on your list.

I like Amsoil best and am running it in the differentials, transfer case and transmission. It's a hastle to locate sometimes and pricey to boot.

Other premium brands though are Red Line and Royal Purple in addition to some of the other brands mentioned. There's no telling what the dealer is using in their shop as I don't think that Nissan has an OEM oil as such. Might be Valvoline or might be Pennzoil for example, whatever they get a good deal on wholesale.

 

[CoastalDefender]

Oh, as to what the dealership uses, that varies by dealer.

Nissan uses an unknown brand when they build the vehicles. Usually Mobil, Chevron, or Castrol.

However, each dealership uses what they like. I work for a Mobil Distributor, we provide oil to GM, Ford, Chrysler, Toyota, Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki, and a few other dealerships. However, our direct competitor in the area is a Chevron Distributor, and they also provide oil to GM, Ford, Chrysler, Toyota, Honda Suzuki, Kawasaki, and a few other dealerships.

Larger dealers and dealer groups tend to buy oil direct from manufacturers and the manufacturers pay the distributors to provide the delivery service.

 

[ronburgandy]

Wow!!! thanks for all the input and different ideas, you got me thinking, and i am going to try to tackle all this this weekend and ill let you know how it goes!
thanks
john!

 

[*Cruiser*]

I've done the fluids a couple of times in my '08 Xterra. It's not a bad job at all. Here's what I've been using:

Rear Diff: Royal Purple 75-140 (I have the M226 rear diff not the C200)
Front Diff: Royal Purple 75-90
Engine: Mobil 1 5w-30 with Pure One filter
X-fer Case: Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF
Manual Trans: Royal Purple 75-90

Oh, and you may want to call around to a few auto parts places to make sure that one of them has enough gear oil for you. It seems like all the places around here only stock a few quarts of the synthetic stuff.